Cinnamon-Nut Granola

My old roommate used to make granola.  It seemed to take an entire afternoon and left me with the impression that making granola is an ordeal.  However, I have since discovered that granola is VERY easy.  It takes about 10 minutes to assemble the ingredients and then another 30-40 minutes to bake.  Frankly, my homemade granola is far better than anything you can buy.  This recipe is quite variable.  Any type of favorite nut or dry fruit will do.  The original recipe called for 1/2 cup honey, but that didn't seem sweet enough.  I've also used maple syrup instead of honey.

Yield: 7 cups

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1-2 cups coarsely chopped nuts (pecans, whole almonds, dry-roasted peanuts, etc. or a combination)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (unless using salted peanuts)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins OR 1 cup of dried fruits

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with high sides with parchment paper, or lightly grease.  Alternatively, use a teflon baking pan and do not grease or line.

In a large bowl, mix oats, nuts, salt and cinnamon.

Melt butter in a small sauce pot.  Once melted add honey and vanilla and stir to mix.

Add liquid mixture to oat mixture; stir with a large spoon or by hand to combine.

Spread evenly over baking sheet.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (or until browned and crunchy), stirring every 15 minutes.
Cool on wire rack; add raisins (dried fruit) and stir to combine.

Store in a large airtight container with one vanilla bean (optional).

3rd Street Restaurant Scene

This morning we went on a foodie bike ride on 3rd Street.  I confess that I have totally overlooked this neighborhood in the past, but no more.  After today's ride, I will coming down here often.  We visited five restaurants, all of them great.  I apologize for the poor photos, I was too busy pigging out.

Our first stop was a small family run place called Las Isletas.  They serve Salvadorian, Nicaraguan and Mexican food.  We had two samples, taquitos and pupusa of which I had three helpings of both.  The pupusa with pork is inexpensive and sublime.  Happily, they deliver for those of you that are car free or too lazy to ride/drive down to 3rd Street (the order must be over $30).

Next stop was Radio Africa which serves north African cuisine with a bit of Euro flair thrown in.  It's a lovely place that encourages family style eating at long tables where they seat you with other customers.  Much of the food is grown organically at local urban gardens.  We had a version of mushroom bruschetta with a green spicy sauce on it followed by a hummus made with soy beans.  Both were delightful and were unusual interpretations of standard Mediterranean fare.  I promptly had two servings of each.

Radio Africa Interior

We then dashed across the street to Old Skool Cafe which is run by a group of "at risk" youth.  I strongly urge you to visit, as the sweet potatoe pie we had (made by a young woman who couldn't have been much more than 20 years old) rivaled any pie I've ever made.  The crust was light and flaky and the whole concoction was topped with a dollop pf whipped cream flavored with coffee and cinnamon.  The entire place including the staff is decked out in 30's fashions.  This restaurant is a non-profit, so all your money is going directly towards getting kids off the street.  Do make a reservation, or if they are busy, go across the street to Radio Africa.

Old Skool Cafe

Our last two stops were Yvonne's Southern Sweets and Limon.  I was getting full by this point, but bravely soldiered on eating, a butter cookie, another sweet potatoe pie (very different than Old Skool, with lots of ginger) and an excellent pound cake at Yvonne's followed by two amazing pulled pork style empanadas, roasted chicken and a delicious ball thing (who's name I missed) at Limon.  Limon also looks like it has a good cocktail menu.

Many thanks to Supervisor Malia Cohen and her volunteer, Lynne Howe, for organizing this.  They promise a Dogptach ride in the spring.  I can't wait!

Yvonne's Southern Sweets

Limon

Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

I have stopped buying bread, even form the best bakeries in town.  Nothing compares to fresh homemade bread and with these easy no-knead recipes, there really is no excuse not to do it yourself.  Here's an adaption of a multi-grain bread recipe from Ellen Jackson.   Feel free to vary the proportion of whole wheat flour to bread flour based on your preference.  I've used as little as 1 cup whole wheat flour to 3 cups white and as much as 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour to 1 1/2 cups white.

Yield: 1 Loaf

2 cups lukewarm water (not over 100 degrees F, better cool than hot)
1/2 t active dry yeast
2 T barley malt syrup or molasses
2 cups all purpose or bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 T salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine the water, yeast and sweetener in a large bowl.  Let the yeast bloom while you assemble the dry ingredients.

Combine the dry ingredients and walnuts in a medium bowl and stir to mix. Add to the wet ingredients and stir well. The dough will be quite sticky.

Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise 18 hours (a little more or less will work, I've let the dough rise as mush as 20 hours and as little as 16). The dough is ready when the surface is speckled with air bubbles.

Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Fold the dough over itself several times.  Meanwhile line a large bowl with a lint free cotton cloth and sprinkle generously with flour to thoroughly cover the bottom.  Place the dough seam side down in the bowl, sprinkle the top with more flour and fold the cloth over the top of the dough.

Let the dough rise 1 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours  place a 4-5 quart heavy bottom pot with a lid into the over.  Ideally a ceramic pot will work, but cast iron or Pyrex will do.  Preheat the oven and the pot to 475 degrees F for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, let the dough continue to rise.

The dough is ready to bake when a finger poked in it springs back slowly.  Remove the hot pot from the oven.  With a quick action flip the dough into the hot pot.  If the dough lands unevenly, using pot holders, give the pot a vigorous back forth shake. Cover the pot with its lid and return it to the oven. Covering the bread for the initial bake steams the dough and creates a nice moist bread.

Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake an additional 15-25 minutes uncovered until deep brown.  This will create the crisp crust.

Remove the dough from the pot by flipping the pot over onto a cooling rack.  If the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped it is done (though at these temperatures and times I've never undercooked a loaf!)

Let cool on the rack before slicing.

Pear Almond Tart

This is my favorite dessert and is an adaption of a recipe from The Sweet Life that uses apricots instead of pears.  Though it looks complicated, several steps can be done in advance.  The tart dough recipe always is enough for two tarts, so I freeze half for future use.  It keeps well wrapped for a month or two.  Also, when pears are in season I preserve as many jars as I can so that when it comes time to make this tart, all I have to do is bake the dough and make the cream.  I've also left out the chopped almonds on occasion, but I do find them a nice textural addition.  This dessert is quite rich so it's great for a large dinner party.  Unfortunately it doesn't keep well, eat it the day you make it.

Yield: 11” tart

Sweet Tart Dough (enough for two 11 inch tarts):

16 T (8 oz) butter, ideally at room temperature, just slightly soft
1 1/3 cups icing sugar
Zest of 1 lemon or tangerine (optional)
2 egg yolks at room temperature (can put them in a warm bath to speed up warming)
2 cups plus 2 T flour
1/4 t salt

Cream the butter in a stand mixer for 1 minute.  Add the icing sugar and zest and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and almost white in color, 6-8 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  The butter should not be so warm that it starts getting greasy, it's better to use cold butter from the fridge and beat longer.  If it starts looking greasy, put the bowl of butter in the fridge for 5 minutes and then finish beating.  (You can also use a hand mixer, but this means you can't multi-task.) Beating well is important to capture little air pockets in the butter.

Add the egg yolks one at a time and continue to beat until incorporated and the batter looks smooth and glossy, 1-2 minutes.

While the butter is creaming, whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.  Once the yolks are incorporated into the butter, add the dry ingredients.  Mix the dough on the lowest speed just until blended.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir on low speed for another 30 seconds.  Do not over mix.

Separate the dough into two mounds.  Wrap each mound in plastic wrap and press to for two 1 inch thick disks.  Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.  I usually use one tart dough and put the other one in the freezer.  Well wrapped, the tart dough will keep for weeks.

Using a butter knife, slice off an 1/8 inch thick piece of chilled tart dough and press it gently onto the floor of the 11 inch tart pan.  Keep slicing and pressing until the bottom is covered.  Continue using the same technique for the sides.  Fill any cracks that form.  The trick is to be gentle and not over handle the dough while trying to get an even thickness.  As you finish up the dough it will be room temperature and quite soft.  At this point take a jar (or other implement) that has a flat bottom and straight sides and using a gentle turning motion, press the bottom of the jar lightly to smooth it out to relatively even thickness.  Run the jar gently along the side of the tart to even out the thickness.  Uneven thickness will result in uneven shrinking (which can be unsightly and lead to filling problems).  This is a fragile but very tasty tart dough, so be very gentle.

Freeze the tart dough for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the dough from the freezer and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill it with a few pie weights or dried beans.  Do not add too many or they will cause the parchment to stick to the dough.  Bake for 25 minutes for a large tart or 20 minutes for smaller ones.  Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  This will allow you to remove the parchment without breaking the dough. Very gently remove the parchment and return the tart dough to the oven for another 5-10 minutes.  Bake until golden brown.  Do watch the cooking time, I've found this recipe to be erratic.

Let cool completely before filling.  This dough will keep well rapped at room temperature for 2 days.  (Ideal for couple who can have berry tart two days in a row with freshly filled berries and cream!)

Poached Pears

1 quart (1l) water

1 1/3 cup (265 g) sugar

4 Bosc pears; peeled, cored, and quartered
one split vanilla bean

In a large saucepan, heat the water, vanilla and sugar until warm and the sugar is dissolved.

Slide in the pears and cover with a round of parchment paper, with a small hole cut in the center.  Keep the liquid at a very low boil and simmer the pears until cooked through, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the pears.  Remove from heat and let the pears cool in their liquid.

The liquid can be boiled down to make a lovely pear vanilla syrup that’s good with ice cream and cake.


Alternative to poached pears: 7 to 8 medium fresh apricots pitted and sliced.

Almond Filling

8 T (4 oz) sweet butter
¼ cup (2 oz) almond paste
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
¼ t salt
1cup crème fraiche (quark also works, possibly sour cream might be acceptable)
1 cup (4 oz) chopped almonds, can be lightly toasted

In a sauce pan, brown the butter over medium heat until it caramelizes and emits a nutty aroma.  The butter will froth and the froth will become beige in color.  The color of the butter should be a dark yellow when it's done.  Use a spoon to lift a small quantity from the pan.  As you pour it back into the pan, note the color.  Remove from heat and strain.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the almond paste, sugar and eggs and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is thoroughly combined.  Turn down to a slow speed and add the flour and salt.  Turn the mixer back to medium speed and slowly drizzle in the browned butter.  (The butter will emulsify into the cream, leaving the mixture smooth, creamy and shiny.)  Once the butter has been incorporated, turn the speed to slow and add the crème fraiche until thoroughly combined.

Assembly

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Position the rack in the middle of the oven.

Slice the poached pears into slices about ½ inch thick.  Cover the bottom of the pre-baked tart shell with the chopped almonds.  Pour the custard on top.  Place the sliced pears into the custard in a pinwheel pattern.

Bake until the custard puffs a bit and browns, 30 to 40 minutes.  Allow the tart to cool for ½ hour on a rack before removing it from the metal ring.

Easy Guilt-free Chocolate Cake

Though I am not a big fan of the Moosewood cookbooks, I did find this gem of a recipe in one of the books.  This has become my standard chocolate cupcake recipe.  You can make the batter in less than five minutes and if you use good quality cocoa, it makes a dark brown cupcake that is light, airy and not too rich.  While I am inherently suspicious of all things vegan as butter MUST be better, do not be turned off by this recipe.  It really is fabulous.  You can also dress it up with a chocolate butter-cream frosting.  However, the glaze below is easy and tasty.

Yield: 12 cupcakes or one 9" round cake 

1  1/2 cup white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, Droste or Valhrona
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or coffee
2 t vanilla extract
2 T white vinegar (this works with the soda to raise the cake)

Glaze (I find half of this is enough for the cupcakes)

1/2 pound good quality bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup hot water, milk or half-and-half
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 F.  If you are making cupcakes, place 12 paper muffin cups in the muffin pans.  For the cake, butter and flour a 9" round cake pan.

Sift together (or mix well) in a big bowl, flour, cocoa, soda, salt and sugar.

In a two-cup measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, water or coffee and vanilla.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until smooth with a whisk.

When the batter is smooth add the vinegar and stir JUST UNTIL MIXED! (You will see pale swirls where vinegar and soda are reacting, stir just until these are almost gone.)

If you are making cake, bake in a 9" round pan for 25 to 30 minutes.  For cupcakes, fill the tins with the batter until about 1/8" below rim and bake for approximately 20 minutes.  Bake just until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.  Try not to over bake; the batter makes a moist cake, if you over cook it will dry out.  The cake keeps for several days in the refrigerator in a well sealed container.

Let the cake cool in the pan before removing and adding glaze.

Making the Glaze

Melt the glaze ingredients in small heavy saucepan over the lowest heat, stirring constantly.  I have found that some chocolates do not melt well, for instance Sharffenberger.  (Since Sharffenberger was bought out, the new chocolate never emulsifies properly.)  Since I don't own a microwave (nasty oversized piece of useless equipement), I can't advise you on how to melt the glaze. If you try the nuker, just do it very slowly at low power.

When the mixture is smooth remove from the stove (err on the side of taking it off the stove sooner with a few lumps still remaining rather than later) and spoon over the cake.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before eating.

Note on Cocoa:
Use only very high quality cocoa, otherwise you’ll get these reddish brown cupcakes that don’t taste right.  If you think Ghiridelli is good chocolate, think again!  And don’t even try Nestle or Hershey cocoa, they are disgusting!

Ad Hoc Ultimate Pie Crust

Hands down the best pie dough I have every made or eaten.  This has great flavor and results in a very flaky tender crust.

Yield: one double or one single crust pie dough

Double Crust Pie:

2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 t salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 oz) unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
about 5 T ice water

Single Crust Pie:

1 1/2 cup four
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
about 3 T ice water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl. 

With a pastry blender work until butter is the size of peas.  Do not over work.

Sprinkle on the water and mix with a fork.   (If it's a dry day, add an extra tablespoon of water). If you've done this right, the dough is not yet holding together.  Again with the pastry blender, work the water into the flour until it starts to all hold together and no more.  Knead the dough briefly just until smooth.  This will be less than ten times. The dough should still be cool to touch, if it's warm you've over worked it.

Roll into a ball and flatten into a 3/4" thick disk (or two disks for a double crust, one disk slightly larger than the other).  Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for an hour or up to two days.

If the dough is too hard to roll, let rest at room temp.  Do not roll by force, you will stretch it and it'll shrink when baking.

Berry Pie with Crisp Topping

Yield: one pie

1 unbaked pie crust (I use Ad Hoc's version, by far the best I've tried)

Filling:
5 cups  fresh organic local berries, well washed
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 T lemon juice

Gently mix the filling together and let sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Meanwhile make the crisp topping.

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t grated orange peel
4-5 T cold unsalted butter

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut in the cold butter until well mixed and crumbly.  Add the nuts and use pastry cutter to mix them in and break them up a bit.

Add the filling to the pie crust.  Add 1-2 tbsp butter cut into small pieces.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the berries.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  Reduce the heat to 350. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.  This pie may drip, so place some aluminum foil under the pie pan.