Midnight Chocolate Bundt

For Father’s Day this year, I decided to make my dad an incredibly moist chocolate cake covered with a delightfully nutty chocolate glaze.

It’s amazing.

Make it right now.

Your dad will love it.

Midnight Chocolate Bundt

Slightly adapted from Joy the Baker,
http://joythebaker.com/2010/05/the-making-baking-and-consumption-of-the-best-chocolate-bundt-cake-ever/
.  The glaze is a take on the Texas Sheet Cake glaze from some very old issue of Country Living.

When I made the cake, there was quite a bit of spillage from one spot, which was very unusual.  While I highly doubt that that is a normal occurrence, I would recommend using a little bit of the batter to make say 3 or 4 cupcakes, as I note in the recipe itself.  The glaze recipe also makes plenty to frost said cupcakes.

Cake:

320 mL / 1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon brewed coffee

70 grams / 3/4 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder

480 grams / 2 1/4 cups unrefined cane sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

320 mL / 1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk or soured alternative milk

150 mL / 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

75 mL / 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yoghurt

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

385 grams / 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

Glaze:

100 grams / 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

75 mL / 1/3 cup plain soymilk

25 grams / 1/4 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa

330 grams / 3 cups organic confectioners sugar

35 grams / heaping 1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and then chopped

a pinch of kosher salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To make the cake, place rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10 inch bundt pan and line a cupcake tin with paper liners, and set these aside.

In a small pot, whisk together the coffee and cocoa.  Place on a burner and bring to a boil, stirring continually.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the large bowl of your stand mixer, combine the sugar, baking soda, salt, eggs, and egg yolk using the whisk attachment.  Beat on low for 1 minute.  Add in the buttermilk, oil, yoghurt, and vanilla extract and beat on low for one minute more.

Dump in the sifted flour and combine on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour in the cooled chocolate coffee mixture and beat once again on medium speed for 3 minutes.  The batter will be very thin.

Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and cupcake tins.  You want the cake pan to be about three-quarters of the way full, and the rest can go into the cupcake liners.  Place in the oven and bake for 60-75 minutes (start checking the cupcakes after 20 minutes), or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.  Place the cake in the pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely in the pan before flipping out.

To make the glaze, combine the butter, milk, and cocoa in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  When it begins to boil, everything will separate and look really freaky, but that’s fine.  Remove from heat and gradually add in the powdered sugar until fully combined.  Dump in the walnuts and vanilla extract and combine.  Let the glaze cool for a little while to thicken up, and pour it onto the cake and cupcakes.  Let the glaze solidify before serving.

Makes 12-16 servings

Mixed Berry Muffins

Baking is an art, and it’s something beautiful.  When we bake or cook, we not only nourish the body but also nourish the soul.  I was listening to somebody the other day and they said that too much focus is being put on food these days, and that we should just stop trying to make it more than it is.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Food is so important to our lives.  As Luciano Pavarotti put it, “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”  Sitting to have a meal or a cup of coffee and a biscuit gives us a moment to reflect and ponder on whatever we choose–a book, a person, a situation, or simply the food itself.

Dishes are edible modes of transportation to new perspectives and thoughts.  There is no one who can deny that eating their favorite dish, be it sweet or savory, didn’t bring them a smidge of joy.  Perhaps it triggered happy memories, or perhaps the flavors dancing on their tongue were enough to bring a smile to their face.

So many wonderful memories are made in the presence of food, whether at the dinner table or a party.  Food is the most common denominator to fellowship.  The simple act of sitting down together as a family for dinner is beautiful and so important.  So many holidays designed to bring people together are centered around food–its planning, its preparation, its consumption.  It is an integral part of human culture, and fussing and focusing on it is in no way ridiculous.

In short, enjoy food.  Enjoy making it; enjoy serving it; enjoy eating it; and, above all, enjoy sharing it.

Mixed Berry Muffins

A moist and tender muffin that is studded with the season’s juiciest berries.  Part of what makes these muffins so wholesome without becoming bricks is the deliberate combination of flours and the generous amount of leavening agents.  A generous sprinkling of raw turbinado sugar gives the muffin tops a touch of crunchy, sparkly sweetness to make them extra-special.

140 grams / 1 cup whole wheat flour

60 grams / 1/2 cup spelt flour

40 grams / 1/4 cup brown rice flour

2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

125 grams / 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/3 cup agave nectar or maple syrup

1/2 cup almond milk

2 tablespoons light olive oil or melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

225 grams / heaping 1 1/2 cups mixed berries

turbinado sugar, optional

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle.  Line 2 6-muffin tins with 12 wrappers (or just grease them, if you prefer).

In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl, combine the apple sauce, agave nectar, almond milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.  Carefully fold in the berries, being careful not to crush them and subsequently dye the batter.

Divvy up the batter between the 12 cups.  Sprinkle each muffin with a healthy pinch of turbinado sugar.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until begin to grow golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 12

Spinach Pesto Portobellos

So I finished watching a fabulous BBC miniseries called In the Flesh.  It’s pretty much a British take on The Walking Dead (think diseases, zombies, and angry people), but it’s entirely new and fantastic in its plot and perspective.  What I really enjoyed was that the focus really wasn’t about horribly gory scenes of flesh-eating “rotters,” but more about the psychological journey for everyone involved.  The rotters themselves were actually sufferers of Partially Deceased Syndrome (PDS), and the government had learned how to treat them so they could control their rabid state (flesh-eating and whatnot) to make them more docile (almost just like they were before PDS).  Of course, the return home from treatment for sufferers of PDS was less than warm, as a vigilante group called HVF (Human Volunteer Force) had stepped in to kill any and all PDS sufferers.  But without going into too much more, the show was brilliant.  I highly recommend it.

In other news, I went to see Now You See Me on Saturday.  It was a pretty good movie, and there was a definite curveball at the end which I appreciated a great bit.  Overall, it wasn’t as amazing as some of the other movies that I’ve seen at late, but it was thoroughly entertaining and made a possibly-dull Saturday quite fun.

But enough about zombies and magicians.  Let’s talk about these indulgent stuffed mushrooms.

These mushrooms are the bomb.  They are incredibly savory, juicy, and meaty; and then they are spread with a generous layer of vibrant, green spinach pesto and a generous crumbling of goat cheese.  What’s more is that they are fresh and bright enough for spring or summer, but succulent and hearty enough for autumn or winter.

Enjoy!

Spinach Pesto Portobellos

This dish was inspired by Bev,
http://bevcooks.com/2013/02/portobello-mushroom-with-kale-pesto-guacamole/
.  The pesto can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for at least a week.  I like to keep the pesto on hand and roast the portobellos as I need them.

3 large portobello mushrooms

olive oil

225 grams / 8 ounces baby spinach, washed thoroughly

35 grams / scant 1/3 cup walnut halves, toasted

30 grams / 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and curl the edges upwards (this will ensure that none of the mushroom juices run onto the pan and burn).

Using a damp paper towel, gently rub the caps of the mushrooms to remove any dirt.  Gently tear out the stems of the mushrooms and discard (or save them for a batch of homemade vegetable stock!).  Pour a bit of olive oil onto your hand and rub the cap and edges of a mushroom, and repeat with the other two.  Place the mushrooms cap side down on the baking sheet and liberally season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Place the mushrooms in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes.

While the mushrooms are roasting, begin your pesto.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and pour in a smidge of water.  Toss in your spinach and season with a pinch of salt.  While the spinach is wilting, prepare an ice bath in a small bowl.  Once the spinach has completely wilted, transfer it to the ice bath to stop the cooking.  Remove the spinach and wring out as much water as you can.

In the bowl of your food processor add in the spinach, walnuts, mozzarella, garlic, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper.  Pulse until a thick paste forms.  With the motor still running, pour in two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of water.  Taste the pesto and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

When the mushrooms have finished roasting, there will be a great deal of juice that has accumulated within the cap.  Turn the caps over to drain the juice and flip them back to how they were.  Fill each cap with a third of the spinach pesto and top each with a tablespoon of crumbled goat cheese.  Return to the oven for another minute or two to soften the goat cheese and slightly warm the pesto.  Remove and serve immediately.

Serves 3 as a lunch or light dinner

Light Brioche Burger Buns

First off, happy national doughnut day, everybody!  And in honor of this glorious day, I bring you hamburgers buns.  Totally appropriate, right?  Alright, I admit I was entirely unprepared and only found out about the holiday today.  Quite honestly, though, I would love to buy myself a doughnut pan and whip up a batch of those sweet treats.  But what I really want right now is a cronut…  Anyway, on to today’s business.

With Memorial Day just passed and Independence Day just around the corner, I figured it would be appropriate to whip up a batch of homemade hamburger buns as the grilling season swings into full gear.  And let me tell you, these are hands down the best hamburger buns I’ve ever eaten before.  They are yummy enough to be eaten on their own, or just sliced open and spread with some strawberry jam (I know, I’ve tried).

They are soft and tender, just what you’d expect from a hamburger bun, but also slightly indulgent.  The addition of an egg and a smidge of butter give these buns a brioche quality without being too rich or heavy.  Think of them as the light spritz of perfume and swipe of lip gloss you put on before going out!  Eggs and butter are those little touches that make these buns ready for a night on the town.

With eggs and butter and the whole concept of brioche, you might be thinking that I’ve neglected my health-conscious ways.  Never fear, I haven’t!  While these aren’t full of a rich variety of whole grains–all they’ve got is wheat–I tried to keep the wheat on the nice side.  First off, the bread flour I used is totally unbleached, keeping a great deal of the wheat’s nutritional value intact.  Secondly, the smidge of all purpose flour used in the original recipe was subbed out for good old fashioned whole wheat.  You can hardly tell it’s there; it doesn’t effect the soft and lofty richness of the bread one bit!

Working with the dough is admittedly a challenge, as it is incredibly sticky and soft.  Once you resign yourself to the fact that there is no escaping dough hands without compromising the tenderness of the finished product, however, the process is quite enjoyable.

Go!  Make these burger buns.  You’ll immediately become the star of the barbeque bash!

Light Brioche Burger Buns

Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen,
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/
.  Deb makes 8 buns with her dough, but I would recommend making 10 buns like Mlle Mathilde does at The Wandering Girl,
http://the-wandering-girl.blogspot.fr/2012/07/cest-tendance-des-burgers-100-homemade.html
.

250 mL / 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

3 tablespoons warm unsweetened plain soymilk

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

35 grams / 2 1/2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar

1 large egg

470 grams / 3 cups unbleached bread flour

50 grams / 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

35 grams / 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 egg yolk

sesame seeds, optional

In a glass measuring cup, combine the warm water, warm soymilk, yeast, and sugar.  Mix well so the yeast dissolves completely.  Cover with a tea cloth and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, beat one egg.

In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt.  Work the butter in with your fingers until the mixture resembles crumbs.  Using a dough scraper or a very hard spatula, work in the egg and yeast mixture until a dough forms.  Turn the dough out onto a clean, well-floured surface.  Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes.  The dough will be very sticky, but work with it.  The more flour you work into the dough to compensate for stickiness, the tougher the end product will be.  You want to keep the dough stickier than you would a normal loaf of bread.

Reshape the dough into a ball and return it to the bowl.  Cover the dough with a tea cloth and let it rest for 1-2 hours, or until nearly doubled in bulk.

Punch the dough down and cut it up into 8 or 10 equal portions.  Shape each portion into a ball and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, spaced 2-3 inches apart.  Cover with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap and let rest for another 1-2 hours, or until well-puffed.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Place a shallow pan of water on the lowest rack in your oven.

Beat the egg yolk with one tablespoon of water.  Gently brush each bun with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway through.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.  Eat within a few days, or store them well-wrapped in the freezer for one month.

Makes 8-10 buns

Portobello Mushroom and Lentil Burgers

Let’s talk about vegetarian burgers.

Okay, so I admit that most vegetarian burgers suck.  They are dry and flavorless, or they are flavorful but chocked full of who-knows-what.  Not to mention that they’re generally comprised of carbs with minimal veggies and protein, which makes slapping them on a bun gastronomically redundant.  This burger is none of those things.  This veggie burger is legit.

We’re talking not only vegetarian but also vegan and gluten free.  Pretty awesome, no?  Not only that, but this thing is bursting with rich, meaty flavor.  There is a definite darkness and depth to this burger that is downright magnificent.  I’ve had quite a few good veggie burgers, but I know that this is my favorite for not only its stellar flavor profile but also its wholesome ingredient list.

In addition to the succulent burger, I wanted to make sure that the condiments and bread each got equal attention.  My belief is that the finishing touches are what can really make a meal, and this burger is no exception.

First off is the bread.  For this occasion, I opted to make some brioche-like hamburger buns with whole grain and unbleached wheat flours (goodbye gluten free!).  Because they are similar to brioche, they do have eggs and butter (goodbye vegan!).  I promise to be working on a wholesome, multigrain burger bun for the future, but for now you can all enjoy the scrumptious brioche burger buns when I post them in a few days!

Finally we have condiments and toppings.  I decided to whip up a batch of balsamic onions for these burgers, and let me say that they are just perfect.  Their tangy sweetness compliments everything else marvelously.  Other things you can put on (like I did) are baby greens, plain yoghurt, extra pepper, a crumbling of goat cheese (not pictured), and a smidge of extra Dijon.

Bon appétit!

Portobello Mushroom and Lentil Burgers

Inspired by Sarah Britton’s Wild Mushroom Lentil Burgers,
http://mynewroots.org/site/2012/11/wild-mushroom-lentil-burgers-with-cashew-garlic-sauce-at-whole-living/
.  While my recipe calls for French lentils, I suspect that plain old lentils will work as well, provided you do not let them overcook or become watery.

190 grams / 1 cup French lentils

Knob of ghee or coconut oil

1 white onion, sliced

5 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 large Portobello mushroom, sliced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

80 grams / 1/2 cup raw, shelled pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Rinse and drain the lentils.  Place them in a pot with 2 cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the lentils are just tender.  Remove lid to cool and drain any remaining water.

In a frying pan, heat the knob of oil.  Toss in sliced onions and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sauté a few minutes more.  Add in the mushroom and allow to cook without stirring for a few minutes so they brown.  After five minutes, stir the mushrooms and add in the soy sauce.  Set the mushroom mixture aside.

In the bowl of your food processor, grind the pumpkin seeds until they resemble bread crumbs.  Dump in the lentils, mushroom mixture, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.  Pulse until just combined.  You want the mixture to have plenty of texture and to be pretty thick.  Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings as necessary.  Dump the lentil mixture into a bowl and stir in the capers.

Form 6-8 balls with the mixture, slightly smaller than a baseball.  Gently press the balls to flatten them, keeping in mind to let them be good and thick.  Press the edges so they don’t crack.

There are two ways to cook these lovely patties, frying or baking.  Since they’re already cooked, your main concern is warming them through.

Frying: Heat a knob of oil or ghee in a frying pan.  Fry the patties 4-6 minutes on each side.  Serve.

Baking: Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a baking sheet and place patties on it.  Bake 15-20 minutes, turning once halfway through.  Serve.

Serve burgers open-faced (or not!) on a whole grain brioche bun, piece of sourdough bread, or stuffed into a multigrain pita.  Garnish with some lovely leaves, condiments, cheeses, and balsamic onions.  Or just do whatever you want!

Serves 6-8

Balsamic Onions

knob of ghee or coconut oil

1 white onion, sliced into thin half-moons

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons unrefined cane sugar

kosher salt, to taste

In a frying pan, melt a pat of butter.  Add in onion and a pinch of salt.  Cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes.  Add in vinegar and sugar, cook for a few minutes more.  Taste and add more salt if necessary.  Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.  Serve chilled.

Makes about 1/2 cup

Raspberry Fool

Raspberry fool.  I love it!

But what is fool?

A fool, once referred to as a foole, is an English dessert that was first mentioned back in the late sixteenth century.  Traditionally, a fool is composed of stewed and pureed fruit, whipped cream, and sugar.  Foole was originally made with gooseberries (something I’d love to try), but nowadays it’s generally made with apples or raspberries.  This fool is made with fresh raspberries and yoghurt, resulting in a brighter and fresher fool than its gooseberry and heavy cream counterpart.

I remember the first time I heard about fool.  It was back in fifth grade when I was taking the IOWA test (a standardized test developed in the state of Iowa).  It was the last day and we were doing reading comprehension; one of the stories was a history of gooseberry fool.  I remember being intensely intrigued by it, but I never really went anywhere with that curiosity.

Five years ago, on my eleventh birthday, I had all my little friends over for a party.  One of my friends gave me an apron (which I still have) and the cookbook that this recipe came from, Healthy Cooking for Your Kids.  My first instinct when receiving the book was to flip to the dessert section, and that’s where I discovered this delightful little recipe.  This was one of the first recipes I made, and it’s the one I’ve made the most for good reason.

The two biggest changes in this fool compared to most is that the fruit is not cooked and the cream is replaced with yoghurt.  Because the raspberries are uncooked, they are able to retain their nutrient profiles that are bursting with vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese among many others.  To keep down the levels of sugar, plain yoghurt is used; its tartness being masked by a touch of agave nectar.  Finally, a beaten egg white is used to give the whole lot some volume.

I strongly encourage you try this recipe.  It’s simple, fresh, and thoroughly refreshing on a long and hot summer day!

Raspberry Fool

Slightly adapted from Healthy Cooking for Your Kids (no, I don’t have kids; it’s just a good book)

270 g / 2 3/8 cups fresh raspberries, plus extra for garnish*

270 g / 1 cup plain or strained plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon raw agave nectar

1 egg white**

walnut halves, to garnish

fresh mint, to garnish

Put the raspberries in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour the puree though a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, and then fold in the yoghurt and agave.

In a separate grease-free bowl, whisk the egg white until it begins to stiffen (I did do mine by hand, but feel free to use beaters).  Gently fold the beaten egg white into the raspberry yoghurt mixture until no traces of the egg white are visible.  Be sure to do this gently so you don’t deflate them.

Spoon the fool into four individual glasses, cover with plastic wrap, and let chill for at least 3 hours.  Garnish with extra fresh raspberries before serving.

Serves 4

*Frozen, thawed raspberries can be substituted if fresh are out of season.  The resulting fool will just be slightly darker and brighter in colour.

**If you are uncomfortable using raw egg whites, you could substitute some unsweetened whipped heavy cream for a richer, more indulgent fool.

AB&B

Rainy days are my reflective days.  The days where I think about the people I like.  What they mean to me, and why they mean what they do to me.  Rainy days make me ponder my future, and what the coming days have in store for me.  They make me relive lovely memories, savouring each precious moment as they flit by.  There is definitely something about rain that makes me peculiarly philosophical.

Rainy days also seem to be the days I’m most apt to crave things, whether they be certain smells, certain noms, or just a Hitchcock movie and a snuggly blanket.  Today being a rainy day, I couldn’t resist whipping up the components for one of my all-time favorite sandwiches: an almond butter and banana sandwich.

My love for nut butter sandwiches is a very long one.  Initially, of course, I was a peanut butter and jelly (well, in my case, jam) fiend.  I couldn’t get enough of them.  Then, sadly, I came to realize that peanut butter was the reason I often got unpleasant mouth ulcers…  So I quit the peanut butter and ended up moving to almond butter, which I acutely love far better than peanut butter.  At some point jam became fresh fruit, and then I settled on bananas.  The nutty, barely sweet almond butter coupled with creamy, almost buttery bananas all atop homemade whole grain bread is a heavenly composition.

Homemade almond butter (or any nut butter) is by far better than anything you might buy in a store for multiple reasons.  The foremost reason is the very small ingredient list for homemade (just almonds and a touch of salt) in comparison to the five plus ingredient list for store bought (almonds, sweeteners, salt, and questionable oils).  In homemade almond butter, the almonds are definitely the star of the show; their flavours only being gingerly enhanced by a smidge of salt.

When I first set out to make my own almond butter, my first thought was to make raw almond butter.  Why?  Because raw is better, right?  Well, the answer to that is quite surprising.

One of the first blogs that I read regarding homemade almond butter was Sarah Britton’s.  Ms. Britton, a Holistic Nutritionalist and Certified Nutritional Practitioner, said the following regarding raw versus roasted nuts:

“When we eat raw nuts, we also eat the enzyme inhibitors that prevent the seed from sprouting on the grocery store shelf. This takes a real toll on our digestion, since these enzyme inhibitors also prevent our own bodily enzymes from breaking down the food in our digestive tracts, inhibiting absorption of precious vitamins and minerals. Although we’ve been led to believe eating handfuls of raw nuts everyday is tops for our health, this practice in fact, is extremely hard on our digestion.”

I was actually thrilled to read this because, truth is, I don’t entirely care much for raw nuts or seeds…  Their roasted counterparts are so much more rich in body and flavor, something my taste buds find hard to ignore.  That being said, I was happy to roast my nuts to not only destroy those enzyme inhibitors but also create a much more flavorful nut butter (as a side note, the other way to destroy the inhibitors is by soaking your nuts)!

When it comes to roasting nuts, it is best to do it yourself.  Most roasted nuts that you buy in the store are in fact “deep fried” nuts that have been plunged into very questionable oils to roast them.  If you do have to buy pre-roasted nuts, be sure that you buy dry roasted nuts.  This ensures that there was no deep frying done to the nuts to roast them up.

This delightful bread is an incredibly easy yeast-based bread with absolutely no kneading required!  It takes just a few minutes to put together with minimal rising and baking time.  The bread is incredibly moist, with a large and tender crumb.  The crust is crisp and golden, without being tough or hard.  Admittedly, the bread is a little too soft for your classic pack-and-go sandwich, but it makes a great bread for a weekend sandwich or just sliced and spread with some butter with breakfast.

Almond Butter

While this is an almond butter recipe, you could make any kind of nut or seed butter with these steps, just adjust the roasting times as necessary.  You can even make nut and seed combinations.  Sky’s the limit! Recipe inspired by Sarah Britton at My New Roots with only a few changes,
http://mynewroots.org/site/2012/03/diy-almond-butter-almond-butter-jam-sandwich-cookies-2/
. 

340 grams / 2 heaping cups shelled, raw/natural almonds (do not use roasted or salted)

fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Lay your almonds in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet (lining the sheet with parchment makes transferring the almonds easier).  Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly darker in colour (I find the best way to check the almonds for their colour is to bite one in half; you’re looking for a slight golden hue).  Remove the almonds and let cool completely.

Transfer the cooled almonds into the bowl of your food processor.  Grind on the highest speed for 1-2 minutes; until the almonds are chopped well.  At this point, you could remove a scoop of the almonds to incorporate at the end for chunky almond butter.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in a pinch of sea salt.  Continue to blend for 1-2 minute intervals until the nuts become creamy.  This can take a while; the trick is just to keep going.  If your food processor is old, like mine, be sure to give it breaks in between so the motor doesn’t burn out.  Transfer the almond butter to a jar to store (if it’s not too warm, you can leave it out, but I prefer to refrigerate mine just to be safe).

Makes about one cup

Easy Little Bread

Recipe slightly adapted from Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks,
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/easy-little-bread-recipe.html
.

1 1/4 cups / 300 mL warm water (105-115 F)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon runny honey (I used clover)

125 grams / 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

140 grams / 1 cup whole wheat flour

100 grams / 1 cup rolled oats (not instant)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, for brushing

In a smallish bowl, combine the warm water and yeast; mix well until the yeast is dissolved.  Pour in the honey and mix well.  Cover with a tea cloth and leave in a warm place for 5-10 minutes, or until the yeast is slightly foaming.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Pour in the wet ingredients and mix very well (your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment works well here, but isn’t necessary).  Your dough will be very sticky.

In an 8-cup loaf pan, pour in the melted butter, using a brush to coat all of the inside of the pan.  Dump your dough into the loaf pan, spread it out, cover it with a slightly damp tea cloth, and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise.

When the dough has nearly finished rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle.  Place your loaf in the center of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan.  To give the bread extra colour, leave the bread under the broiler for just a heartbeat.  Remove from the oven and turn the loaf out quickly.  Let cool on a wire rack so the loaf doesn’t steam.  Serve warm or cooled.

Makes one loaf

AB&B

I like my sandwiches open-faced, but you could easily make the sandwich closed.  Just use a little less banana.

Two slices of bread

About two tablespoons almond butter

1/4 of a banana

Spread the almond butter on each slice of bread.  Slice the banana and layer on top of each slice.  Enjoy!

Serves 1

Rustic Fig Bars

Okay, so saying that it has been a while would be a bit of an understatement…  It’s been a long time.  All I can say is that school and music are beasts.  Regardless, school is now over, so I have more time on my hands now!

Normally, I might begin by saying that not much has happened since we last talked, but then I reflect back to Halloween and realize that a heck of a lot has happened since then.  Thankfully, most of it has been pretty darn good.  Like everything, it’s had its ups and downs and whatnot, but that’s okay.  Overall, it’s been very much worth it.

Things that have changed on the personal front since October would definitely be music, my activities, and my personal style.  My tastes in music have completely changed since then.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I still like classical music and 80′s rock, but recently I have grown fond of some current artists.  Most of them aren’t terribly well-known, but they’re current nonetheless.

I have also been quite the avid moviegoer recently.  Two of the most recent films I’ve seen are The Great Gatsby and Star Trek: Into Darkness.  Let me begin by saying that they are both fantastic.

Without going into too much detail, I thought that Baz Luhrmann did an excellent job with Gatsby, especially since it is notoriously hard to film.  As with any book-to-movie transition, however, there were issues, and I definitely have my qualms with a few of them (I will note, however, the sanitarium is not one of them).  Looking past those minor descrepancies, however, the sets and costuming were beautifully opulent, and worked marvelously to capture the thrill of the roaring 20′s.  All in all, it was a very good film that I would definitely go to see again.

Now Star Trek was plain epic.  I know, using that word is so uncool, but it’s the only one I’ve got to describe it.  Seriously though, Benedict Cumberbatch played the main villain, and he’s hands down amazing.  I know that the movie was a bit of a re-hash of Wrath of Khan, but I still thought it was excellent.  Like with Gatsby, I could spend an entire post on Star Trek, but I’ll leave it at that for now.

Well, I think that’s enough about me, don’t you?  Let’s move on to today’s noms.

So today I made some fig bars and they turned out quite well.  They are rustic and homey, just sweet enough to indulge one’s afternoon sweet tooth but not sweet to the point of being cloying.  The rich and dark filling is perfectly contrasted by the soft and tender cookie.  They go especially well with a tall, cool glass of vanilla soy milk as a comforting afternoon snack.

Enjoy!

Fig Bars

Adapted slightly from My Whole Food Life,
http://mywholefoodlife.com/2013/05/08/homemade-fig-newtons/

For the filling:

8.5 ounces dried figs (I used mission, but Turkish or even a combination would be good)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

water

For the cookie:

1 cup all purpose flour*

1 cup whole wheat flour*

1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup light olive oil or coconut oil

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons organic soy milk

2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce

Begin by making the filling.  In the bowl of a food processor, add in the figs and maple syrup.  Pulse until a paste forms.  With the motor still running, begin to add in water (say a tablespoon to start off with).  Add in water until the fig mixture has the consistency of creamy peanut butter.  Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

To make the dough, mix together the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  In another bowl, combine all the liquid ingredients.  Pour the liquid ingredients in with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  The dough will be very sticky and somewhat wet.  Divide the dough into two logs and wrap in plastic wrap, flattening them out slightly.  Chill until firm (being impatient, I stuck mine in the freezer).

Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll your dough out onto a floured surface, trying to keep it relatively rectangular.  Taking half of the fig mixture, break it over one half (lengthwise) of the dough.  Dampen your fingers and press out the filling slightly.  Then fold over the other half of the dough to cover the filling.  Gently press the seams together.  Cut the log into eighths, and place each cookie on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat with the other section of dough.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are relatively firm and just starting to become golden brown on the bottoms.  Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store covered at room temperature for about a week, or refrigerated for longer.

*Conversely, you can use 2 cups of white whole wheat flour to replace the cup of all-purpose and the cup of whole wheat.

Makes 16

Almond Caramel Corn

It has been far too long since I posted last.  All I can say is that I’ve been very busy, but who hasn’t been?  Every time I sit down to draft a post, I just don’t know what to say…  But after making this caramel corn, I knew I had to share this extraordinary recipe, good post or not.

Yesterday was probably the best Halloween I’ve ever had.  My friends and I dressed up as Big Bang Theory characters, and my sister dressed up as Slenderman.

I mean, seriously.  You can’t get much better than Big Bang Theory and Slenderman.

I dressed up as Amy; D dressed up as my partner in crime, Sheldon; and A dressed up as fun-loving Penny.  I must say, our costumes were quite spot-on.  A did an incredible job on replicating Penny’s Cheesecake Factory waitress uniform, my sister replicated the horror of Slenderman magnificently, and D replicated Sheldon’s getup to perfection.

Shortly after beginning our quest for candy, however, I realized just how much of a bad idea it was to wear my heeled Oxfords…  So, as a word of advice, it doesn’t matter how darn cute your high-heels are; don’t wear them for Halloween.  You might not be as lucky as me.  I had a Sheldon who gave me multiple piggyback rides.

At home, we traded candy and stuffed ourselves silly, which brings us to this caramel corn.

I love caramel corn and I love Cracker Jack.  This recipe is a delightful combination of the two that is approximately one billion times better than anything that you can buy at the store.

Fluffy white popcorn and several generous handfuls of almonds are enrobed in a silky, sticky salted caramel.  The whole gooey mass is then baked until crisp and generously sprinkled with a finishing touch of salt.  Then the cooled goodness is drizzled with an alluring touch of white chocolate for a final gourmet touch.

Needless to say, this caramel corn is very addictive.  I literally had to put my hands up in the air and walk away while jarring it before I got sick (though that did happen later in the evening).

It was worth it.

Almond Caramel Corn

Adapted from the October 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living

1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped (I used my air popper)

3/4 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped

1 stick unsalted butter

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

5 ounces white chocolate, chopped, optional

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Place popped popcorn and almonds in a large bowl.  Melt the butter in a tall-sided heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the corn syrup, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring once or twice.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil (do not stir).  Boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers at 240 F, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda.

Pour caramel over popcorn mixture, stirring to combine thoroughly.  Transfer to 2 baking sheets, spreading into a single layer.  Bake 30-45 minutes, stirring twice.  To test for doneness, remove a piece of popcorn and allow to cool for 1 minute.  If the popcorn is crisp, the popcorn is ready.  Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of salt.  Let cool completely.

Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water.  Stir until melted and remove from heat.  Pour the white chocolate into a plastic bag and snip a small hole in the corner.  Drizzle over the cooled popcorn.  Place the caramel corn in the refrigerator and chill for 10 minutes, to allow the white chocolate to set, before breaking into pieces.  Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Makes 12 cups

Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I bring you cookies–my take on the iconic American chocolate chip cookie.  That cookie that suits any kind of day, weather, season, mindset, or emotion.  But this cookie is by no means the traditional margarine and beet sugar laden sweet treat that tastes rather… artificial.  This cookie, however, is a holistic cookie, whose every ingredient plays a key role to its flavour and texture.

I worked over several months to develop this recipe, and baked countless dozens of trial cookies (though I doubt that my family minded too much).  My goal was a moist, wholesome cookie.  The outcome was a moist, wholesome cookie.  They have delightfully crisp edges when fresh from the oven, and become increasingly rich in flavour and texture as the days pass.

This cookie consists of some of my favorite drop cookie elements–beurre noisette, beans (surprise, surprise), unrefined cane sugar, and whole grain flours.  In addition, the traditional semi-sweet chocolate chips have moved out to make room for more sophisticated bittersweet chocolate chips.

The trio of flours in this cookie also aids to give it a hearty yet indulgent feel.  Whole wheat flour is the base.  Alone, whole wheat flour can impart a dry, brick-like density to baked goods, but the addition of whole grain oat flour and whole grain spelt flour helps to counteract this.  Oat flour aids in giving a slight delicacy to the cookies; spelt flour helps to add extra moisture.  For a more special cookie, the whole wheat flour could be subbed with an equal part of whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour.  Either way, the outcome is delicious.

Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Directions on browning butter are here (
http://happyspinach.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/something-delicious/
)

250 grams great northern beans, pureed smooth

120 grams unsalted butter, browned and cooled slightly (see above)

200 grams unrefined cane sugar

85 grams muscavado sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

70 grams oat flour

85 grams spelt flour

140 grams whole wheat flour

100 grams whole-grain rolled oats

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

135 grams bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks

In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, dump in the beans and unrefined cane sugar.  Beat on medium speed until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add in the muscavado sugar and browned butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition.

While the beans and such are beating, weigh out your flours, oats, soda, and salt in a separate bowl.  Mix together well with a whisk to throughly combine.

Once your butter and bean base has finished whipping, dump in all of the dry ingredients.  Turn on low speed and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate by hand and store in the fridge to chill up for about 30-40 minutes.

While your dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 375 F.  Arrange the racks so they are in the center and upper third of your oven.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

When you are ready to bake, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your sheets, spaced about 2-3 inches apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning once.  Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks to cool completely.  Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes 24-30 cookies