Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Seitan Piccata and Braised Green Beans

Seitan Piccata is V's favorite dish at Candle 79. He never gets anything else. So when we had my parents and some friends over for dinner the other night he requested that it be the next thing I cook from the cookbook. I would have waited a few more months to make it, because frying things sort of scares me. And frying things in small batches and keeping them warm for 7 people, and then plating them before they get cold, scares me even more. It helped that my mother offered to help (while being so amazed by the seitan, which she had never seen before).

We did not make the seitan... I love Ray's Wheat Meat, which seems to be available at several health food stores around New York City, so it never seems worth the effort of starting from scratch. Someday though! Before this project is done!

I started by making the green beens - almonds add some texture and just a hint of flavor. Then I put them on a sheet pan in the oven, covered with foil, at 170 degrees (as low as my oven will go) to keep them warm, while we cooked the rest.

We made garlic mashed potatoes (boiled, then pureed in the food processor with soy milk, a little olive oil, salt and pepper).

My mom made the sauce. I breaded and fried the seitan. V. took pictures after we plated. Hooray for team work in the kitchen!  

I was the only vegetarian at the table and everyone completely cleaned their plates. It's a filling and fulfilling dish. Perfect for a cold winter evening with friends, family, and lots of red wine!

Recipes are on pages 89 and 111. 

I know. This not actually sharing the recipes is a little frustrating. But I can't copy the entire book for you. And so far 8 out of 8 recipes have been winners. That's a pretty great record if you're still looking for a good Christmas present! 

Oh, and in case you're wondering, this recipe is completely different from the piccata in the Candle Cafe Cookbook. I like this one a lot better.

Quinoa Chili

It was pure luck that I came across the cookbook called Feeding the Whole Family when my first child was born over a decade ago. It was the first time I'd come across such exotic grains as millet, quinoa and amaranth, and included step by step directions on how to cook them. I may have called it 'keen-wa' for the first few years, but I definitely developed a love affair with this grain from the moment I tried it! And this chili is a family favourite - all of the kids will devour it, it's easy to spice up with hot sauce after the fact, and such a nourishing meal to bring to new moms or sick families:-) And now that the cold weather has arrived, I find we're enjoying it about once a week - with garlic bread, tea biscuits, tortilla chips or on a bed of steamed kale, we love our chili!

Page 145.






Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

No, I won't torture you by not giving you the actual recipe - that would just be CRUEL!!!!

Red Bean and Quinoa Chili

1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked
1 tsp cumin
3 cups water

Drain soaking water off beans. Place beans in a large pot with cumin and water; bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, covered, until tender (50-60 minutes) or pressure-cook using 2 cups of water (45 minutes) OR.....for those who don't have a lot of time (me me me), buy one can of organic kidney beans.

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp sea salt
1 large green pepper, chopped (I often use red or orange, and add carrots or cauliflower here)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (Ry is allergic, so I use peas instead)
1-2 cups organic tomato sauce
1 cup water

Heat oil in skillet on medium heat. Add onion, salt, garlic, pepper, and spices; saute for 5-10 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomato sauce, and water to onion/quinoa mixture. Simmer together 20 minutes. Add cooked beans to other ingredients; simmer another 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Every Occasion

We make chocolate chip cookies a lot. Everybody likes them, they're quick to make and you can endlessly vary the additions. For our holiday party I used dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries and walnuts.

Sometimes I substitute half the flour with hazelnut flour. Or I mix dark, milk and white chips. I think they need nuts to balance out the sweetness of the chocolate, but it's entirely up to you!!

The one thing that stays consistent is the texture, which is cakey with a little crunch around the edges.

Go crazy! Throw together a batch and enjoy...with tea, with coffee, for breakfast, as a midnight snack, as a way of telling your best friend you love her, to ease into telling your partner that, yes, you needed those $200 jeans, after your workout, before your workout, instead of a workout....seriously, they are perfect for every occasion!

Every Occasion Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread (or other shortening)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

a pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 12oz. bag chocolate chips of your choice (or mix and match different kinds)

at least 1 cup toasted nuts of your choice

at least one cup dried cherries or cranberries (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Cream the Earth Balance with the two kinds of sugar and the vanilla. Whisk in one egg at a time.

Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chips and whatever other additions you are using.

Scoop teaspoon-sized mounds of batter onto your sheet pans. Space them well apart, because they will expand. 

Refrigerate each sheet pan for 10 minutes before baking. This will prevent them spreading out too thin in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until they start to turn golden around the edges.

They will keep in an airtight container for several days!

Vegan Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

These are soft and very lemony. Very easy to eat! I think they make a nice balance to all the spice and fruit and chocolate cookies that we love to eat during the holidays. We served them at our Christmas party last weekend and they were the first to go...before the chocolate chip and the palmiers and the German cinnamon-almond cookies.
They would be good any time of year of course. I could see a summer picnic in Central Park, a little champagne smuggled to the great lawn in a thermos, a few lemon cookies...perfect lazy Sunday!
This is another adaptation of a German recipe, so the measurements are metric. The electronic kitchen scale that you absolutely need from Santa will take care of this!

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies
3 lemons
100g sugar
150g all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
75ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tblsp. soy milk (or other non-dairy milk of your choice)
sugar for rolling


Wash and dry the lemons. Grate the zest of all 3. Juice one of the lemons and set the juice aside.


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.


In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and lemon zest with 75g of the sugar. Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, blend in the olive oil, lemon juice and soy milk. Don't overmix. 


Pour the rest of the sugar into a bowl. Roll little balls with the dough and then roll each ball in the sugar.


Line a baking sheet with parchment. Space out the cookies so they have room to expand in the oven (about 1 1/2" between them).


Gently use your thumb to press down the center of each cookie.

Bake about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms start to brown. Remove from baking sheet and spread out on a cooling rack.




Glaze
50g powdered sugar
1 tblsp. lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon


Mix the lemon juice into the powdered sugar with a spoon. You want the glaze to be smooth but not too runny. Put a little dollop of glaze into the center of each cookie. If you want to be fancy, use a knife to coax the glaze down the sides of the cookie (see picture). Sprinkle a little lemon zest on the glaze. Let it set (this may take a couple of hours). 
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Avocado Salsa

Why is it so hard to find perfectly ripe avocados? I went to four stores, and I did finally find some, but it doesn't always work out that way. Here's a trick that one of my chef friends taught me: take the hard avocados and put them in the food processor with a little olive oil. Works like a charm. And you're only adding healthy fat to something that is already healthy fat, so if you have a party and you're in a bind, I highly recommend it. You're avocados won't be chunky but they'll taste perfectly ripe.
In this case it wasn't necessary and I got a nice, chunky avocado salsa. Which is to say guacamole. Whatever you want to call it, it was a big hit at our holiday party and I should have made more!
Recipe on page 11.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Winter Spiced Sangria

Depending on whether your apartment is hot or cold in the winter, you will want to make this recipe as sangria or mulled wine.
I recently heard somewhere that old buildings in New York tended to be overheated because it was assumed that you needed fresh air, and would therefore keep your windows open all winter. It's certainly the best explanation we've heard about why our apartment (built in 1927) is so hot, even though we've turned the radiators all the way down. And we do keep the windows wide open. Lots of fresh air and quite a waste of energy!
So when we had a party this weekend, 15 people in the already hot room, we opted for the chilled sangria. It was delicious. Not too sweet with plenty of holiday flavor!
Recipe on page 166.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Sofrito-Seared Seitan

Oh. Wow!! I really can't believe that this dish came out of my kitchen. It was so unbelievably good! And not too labor intensive for a weeknight! While the rice was cooking, I got everything else done. What a light and flavorful sofrito!!
I have to be honest, I deviated a little from the recipe. I didn't marinate the seitan (got home too late). Instead I seared it in olive oil for a few minutes to brown the outsides. Then I poured the sauce over it and simmered for 15-20 minutes. Totally delicious.
Also, I got the book out and realized I forgot to buy cilantro, and the recipe calls for 3 (!) tablespoons. So I added a teaspoon of ground cumin and chopped up about a tablespoon of fresh chives, just because I had them sitting around. Perhaps not totally authentic (at all!?!), but I don't think it suffered.
And maybe you could make this version for that person in your life who hates cilantro (doesn't everybody know at least one?).
We ate it with brown basmati rice and avocado as suggested, and I made a green side salad, just to get a few more veggies in there.
The recipe is on page 87.

Lacinato Kale Salad

Thanksgiving was a whirlwind. We cooked, we ate, and none of us took any pictures. But we had a fantastic time with family and friends, and then we collapsed n the couch and I made V. watch Star Wars with me.
Last night, our friends invited us for Thanksgiving 2.0 (the upgrade) at their house, and we did it all over again (minus the Star Wars). I had offered to bring a kale dish, but the one thing I realized on Thursday was that it really makes the cook scramble if people show up at the last minute with several dishes to be warmed. So I opted to bring a kale salad.
We first had something like this at Il Buco a few years ago, and I've been making this version of it ever since. Even the kale skeptics (I know....it's hard to believe they exist) tend to enjoy this one, because it's covered in lots of parmesan cheese.
Lacinato kale is also known as tuscan kale, or dinosaur kale. Maybe because it looks like dinosaur skin:

Lacinato Kale Salad


De-stem, wash and cut the kale into small pieces or strips. Drizzle with olive oil and massage the oil into the leaves. Make sure you have enough oil to coat all the kale, without making it overly greasy. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and massage that in as well. Taste it. you want the lemon flavor to come out without making it too acidic. Add a generous amount of salt and fresh black pepper. Taste again. Grate parmesan or grana cheese and fold it evenly into the salad. You will determine how much is the perfect amount for you. Let the kale be the star, but add enough cheese to really flavor it. Serve soon after making.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Home-Style Pancakes

At 7.45 am the food co-op was already so packed with Thanksgiving shoppers that it took me 25 minutes to get through the check-out line. I thought I was being smart by getting there early. Me and all of the rest of Park Slope.
On the upside, I worked up an appetite and came home to make pancakes. My first vegan pancakes. They didn't have as much spring to them as non-vegan, and I actually liked them better. My German mother only ever made crepes when I was growing up, and these seem like the perfect middle ground between those, and the fluffy American pancakes that V. grew up with. Completely delicious!! (Recipe is on page 134).
Neither one of us was crazy about the idea of mixing blueberries into soy butter, as called for in the recipe. Instead, I cooked 1 bag of frozen blueberries with 1 cup of maple syrup and we poured that on top (well, not all of it). Yum! And we can eat the left-over sauce over ice-cream!
Also, feline supervision helps, if you can get it.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Black Bean and Roasted Poblano Soup


Welcome to Paradise.
This is what Joy Pierson, co-owner of Candle 79 will say to you if she happens to be in the restaurant when you arrive.
So picture yourself sitting in a cozy booth with people you love, drinking organic wine (or an organic mango mojito), and knowing that no animals were harmed in the making of the meal you're about to enjoy. And then you taste the food and it completely blows your mind because you had no idea vegetables could taste this good. Obviously you knew they could taste great. But this is a whole other level of legumes! Pretty close to Paradise in my book. It might be even more paradisiacal (yes that is the correct adjective for Paradise...who knew?) if Paul McCartney were sitting at the next table. And it was your birthday. And he noticed and came over to sing "Happy Birthday." It could happen. I'm just saying. It's Paradise after all. And it's New York.

So the Candle 79 Cookbook came out two weeks ago. I have known I was going to cook my way through it from the day they announced it, well over a year ago. Because I think Angel Ramos is the most talented chef I ever met (not to mention an absolute sweetheart), because everyone I know agrees that if we could eat at Candle 79 every day, we would all be vegans (and that seems like a really good thing), and because I've seen "Julie and Julia" as often in my thirties, as I saw "Dirty Dancing" in my teens.
Let me just say though, that I will take my time with this project. Because I can't make a recipe a day (nobody here to eat it, no time). Because there are oh so many other things I also have to absolutely cook.  Because there are several recipes that require seasonal ingredients. So be patient. We will walk, not run! (this insight must be a symptom of moving to Brooklyn...everybody in Manhattan runs)!

I started small in terms of effort, with black bean soup and cashew creme fraiche (page 35).
It was great for dinner last night. And still excellent for breakfast this morning. The rest is going in the freezer.

PS: This was the first time I cooked a poblano pepper. It's from Puebla, Mexico, and it's part of the chili family. The green ones are mild, though very flavorful, more like a bell pepper (which in a pinch, you could replace it with, though it wouldn't be nearly as exotic and cool). You should have seen me trying to roast mine over the little gas burner on my stove. Not quite the flame of a restaurant kitchen. It took a while, and I kept jumping when the skin burst with a little sizzle, but it came out black and bubbly and made the kitchen smell very good. Next time though, I might roast it in the oven.

Marzipan-Pignoli Cookies (and a truffle experiment)

We had friends over for dinner again last night, and I wanted to have some bite-size cookies around to serve with coffee and tea. These are a cross between Italian pignoli cookies and German Bethmaennchen (almond Christmas cookies). They're quite chewy and have a delightlful almond fragrance. If you want the pine nuts to feature more prominently you can cover the entire cookie in them. Or omit them entirely and replace with blanched almonds.

On a side note, after I made these, I went to Eataly in Manhattan to buy my first fresh white truffle. It was like having a little golden nugget in my pocket! 

I just wanted to unwrap it on the subway and sit there and sniff it. But that would have been pretty creepy. 

I made a light pasta with asparagus, and we shaved it over the top. Unfortunately it didn't have much flavor at all. Either we didn't have enough, or it wasn't as fresh as it could have been. Probably both. So I'm a little disappointed, but I'm still eager to try again with a black truffle. 

Marzipan Pignoli Cookies

1 can marzipan (300g)

150g powdered sugar

150g ground almonds (I used Bob's Red Mill)

a shot of dark rum

2 egg whites

2 tblsp. honey

1/2 cup (or more) pine nuts

In a bowl, using your hands, knead together the marzipan, powdered sugar, ground almonds, 1 egg white, rum and salt.

Keeping your hands slightly damp, roll the dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with you thumb. Brush each cookie lightly with egg white and press the pine nuts into it.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden and browning slightly on the bottom.

Let cool before removing from sheet pan.
Store in an airtight container, or eat immediately.

Spiced Apple-Plum Jam

This weekend we still had apples left from apple picking. They really needed to be used or thrown out, so I made jam. It was my first time, and I almost talked myself out of it because it seemed intimidating to sterilize jars, and I have heard so many stories of my mom's friends trying to make jam and having it turn out way too runny. As with everything kitchen related though, you just have to do a little research and follow instructions, and it turns out to be perfectly simple. We also had some prunes left from making plum cake, so I combined the two fruits and added some spices. It's great for afternoon tea with scones, especially when it's cold outside.

Spiced Apple-Plum Jam

Fresh prunes, cut in half and de-stoned

Apples, peeled, cored and cut into pieces

How much fruit you use really depends on how much you want to peel and chop. I don't peel the plums, because it's a royal pain in the butt, and because I think the skins add a little texture to the finished product that's perfectly good. I used about 1/3 plums and 2/3 apples, which is a good ratio for a firmer consistency jam.

For every 2 lbs of fruit, I used:

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup of sugar or more (this depends on how sweet you like it, and you just have to taste it as it cooks)

I put everything in a big pot and let it cook down, on low heat, stirring occasionally. I had some pectin handy, but it turned out that I didn't need it. The jam came out the consistency of chunky apple sauce, so it was fine. If you like it a little firmer, you could add some pectin, following the instructions on the package.

While the jam cooks, wash the jars well and put them in the oven at 235 degrees for 20 minutes. Leave them in the oven, so that they are hot when you put in the jam (this will prevent the glass from cracking). Wipe any jam from the rims and then screw the lids on tightly. 

This is all I did. I let everything cool and then refrigerated the jam.

If you are making a huge amount and are worried about spoilage, you can submerge the filled jam jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. I only made 3 jars, which I knew were getting eaten soon, so I didn't bother.

Vegan Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Remember the dinner party for the friend who can't eat fat right now? This was the entree I made. Gnocchi are incredibly simple to prepare, but they do require that you pay attention to what you're doing. If you overwork them, they will get tough and chewy. 

I made these in the morning and then let them sit in the fridge (on a cutting board with parchment, not touching) for a few hours before cooking.

We served them with tomato sauce (because of the whole no-fat thing), but I think they would have been even better with some crispy sage, olive oil, garlic and salt.

Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli

1 large butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces

salt

fresh black pepper

about 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

about 1/3 cup cake flour

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the squash out on a sheet pan and bake until soft (25-45 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces).

Mix the two flours.

Puree the squash in the food processor (you might have to do it in 2 batches). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Flour your work surface and place the squash on it. Using a bench scraper, start to work the flour into the squash (this ensures that you don't over-mix). You might not need all of the flour. Your dough should be sticky, but workable.

Divide the dough into 6 portions. Roll each one into a rope, about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Using your thumb, roll each piece against the tines of a fork, to score it and sort of curl it. Lay out on parchment paper.

When ready to cook, boil some water with salt. Cook the gnocchi in batches. They will rise to the surface when they're done (2-3 minutes). Remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Plate and top with your favorite sauce.

No Mascarpone Tiramisu

In Ghana, where I grew up, there was no mascarpone. So I am not a traditionalist when it comes to tiramisu. In fact, I think my mother's no-mascarpone tiramisu is the best I've ever had. The consistency is a a little denser, and even creamier than what you typically get in restaurants. I make this rarely because it is, hands down, my favorite dessert, and I will eat ALL the leftovers on the day that I make it. Had some for lunch (to make sure it was good), had mine and half of V's portion at our dinner party, then got caught in the kitchen around 1am, spooning the remainder out of the bowl. And then I lay in bed the next morning, bemoaning the fact that there was none left over for breakfast. "What's wrong with that?" you say (unless you're my husband, then you say "all that cream an sugar is terrible for you." He doesn't have a sweet tooth. He doesn't get it!). What's wrong is that I strongly believe in moderation. I think it makes us happier in the long run. However, this thought never occurs to me when there's tiramisu in the fridge. So I don't make it very often.

Store-bought ladyfingers work perfectly well, but I couldn't find them, so I made some. It's really quick. Don't worry about it if your local grocery store doesn't have them either. They don't even have to come out looking pretty, because you will soak them in coffee.

I had forgotten that the recipe calls for raw eggs and I had a moment of trepidation, so I called my mother. She said "oh please! You ate raw eggs throughout your childhood. Just make sure they're fresh."

This recipe makes about 10 servings (or 1 or 2 if you're like me)

No Mascarpone Tiramisu

Brew 2 cups of very strong coffee and let them cool. Maybe add a splash of liquor (I've used rum and Cointreau, but I'm sure anything that would be good in coffee would be good here).

For the Cream:

1 lb cream cheese (reduced fat is fine, though it'll hardly make this any lighter. But we can pretend.)

4 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 pint heavy cream

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whip the cream and keep in the refrigerator. In a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until soft. Fold in the whipped cream, vanilla and lemon. 

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. You can add the cream of tartar when the eggs get to a very frothy stage.

Using a slotted spoon or a spatula, fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the cream mixture. The gently fold in the rest, making sure everything is well blended. Taste it and add more lemon zest if necessary.

Ladyfingers

4 eggs, separated

2/3 cup granulated sugar

7/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. If you have a convection oven you will want to stick the corners down with a bit of batter before baking.

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. While the mixer is on, slowly add the sugar. Your egg whites should be stiff and glossy.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, until they are pale and thick.

Sift together the flour and baking powder.

Fold half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the flour. Fold in the remaining egg whites.

Transfer the mixture into a large piping bag with a large round tip. Alternatively, use a large zip lock bag with a hole cut in the corner.

Pipe 3" strips of batter onto the parchment, leaving at least 1" of room between them. Bake about 8 minutes, or until they turn golden.

Assembly

You can make these in individual bowls, ramekins or glasses. Or you can use one large bowl.

Start with a layer of cream on the bottom. Soak each ladyfinger in coffee, and then spread them out in a layer on the cream. Add another layer of cream. Then another layer of coffee-soaked biscuits. Keep going until the bowl is full or you run out. 

Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder.

Vegan Pumpkin Apple Crumb Muffins

We still have copious amounts of apples. So I made these muffins to bring to work. Used up maybe 4 apples. Will have to make more. 

The recipe is from the ppk, with my addition of apples and a crumb topping. 

They are moist. People ate 2 or 3 each. You could easily make several batches and have no leftovers.

This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Pumpkin Apple Crumb Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 tblsp. baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1/8 tsp cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine, but don't use pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive....didn't affect the flavor)

2 tblsp. molasses

4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tblsp.vegan butter (Earth Balance)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 

Put a tablespoon of batter into each muffin tin. Add a few pieces of apple on top of each. Cover with another tablespoon of batter. 

Using your hands, cream together the butter, sugar and flour. Form it into coarse crumbs and sprinkle on top of each muffin.

Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Pear Bourbon Rosemary Sorbet

We had a friend coming to dinner who, for medical reasons, can't have any fat at all for a few weeks. The entree portion of the meal took me a little while to figure out (and I'll tell you about it one of these days), but dessert was easy. For some reason I have been thinking about a pear bourbon cocktail, but we don't generally sit around sipping cocktails at home, so I thought I would turn the idea into a sorbet.
It tastes like biting into a very ripe, frozen pear. Very pear-y. With a little spike! It's definitely going to be a recurring fall dessert for us.


Pear Bourbon Rosemary Sorbet


10 ripe yellow bartlett pears
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup maple syrup
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup bourbon (this is an estimate. you have to taste it as you go and decide how much you like in there)


Peel, core and cut the pears into pieces. Heat in a medium saucepan, with the rosemary, until they become soft. Remove the rosemary and discard. Stir in the maple syrup. Let it cool.
Puree everything in the food processor. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.
Freeze in your ice cream maker, according to manufacturer's instructions. 
The alcohol prevents ice crystals from forming, so you get a smooth, almost creamy sorbet.

Autumn Trifle!

My friend Mardi and I often have a Friday brunch date at Cafe Cluny in the West Village. Their food is outstanding, and they're always more than happy to accomodate us vegetarians. But what really makes it the place that we always return to, is their caramelized banana trifle. If you're in New York, you should drop whatever you're doing right now and run over there and get some!! If you're not, put it on your bucket list!

Or you could get inspired and make trifle at home (it will not taste like Cluny's but it will make you feel accomplished, and it might be just as good.....in its own way). I put mine in individual ramekins, but you could just as well put it in a large bowl for people to serve themselves.

This is very much a special occasion dessert because it's very involved. It also works better for a larger party (rather than a romantic dinner for two), because you have to bake the cake and make pastry cream, and you'll have lots of both.

The recipe is my variation of one I found on epicurious.com. 

The cake, syrup, pastry cream and caramel sauce can be made a day ahead.

The caramel decoration is soooooo easy and it makes it look so fancy!

Autumn Trifle : A Recipe in 7 Parts

Spice Cake

1 cup very strong brewed chai

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. orange extract

3/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tblsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. allspice

3 cups all-purpose flour

Line a half baking sheet with parchment.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour with the spices and the baking soda.

Cream the butter with both sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and orange extract. In 3 additions, alternately mix in the dry ingredients and the tea, until just combined.

Bake for approx. 30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Set aside and let cool.

Simple Syrup

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

A splash of liquor of your choice, optional

Cook water and sugar together until all the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool. Add the liquor.

Cinnamon Pastry Cream

6 egg yolks

2 cups milk (whole or soy)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cake flour

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tblsp. butter

Whisk together the yolks and 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and flour.

Bring the remaining milk to a boil. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Return everything to the same saucepan. Whisk constantly, while cooking on medium heat. The custard will thicken (this may take a few minutes so be patient and keep whisking). Transfer to a bowl and stir in the butter until it melts. Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and refrigerate until cold (at least 2 hours).

Pumpkin Caramel Sauce

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring constantly) until it has a very dark amber color (you don't want to burn it, but you also don't want to take it off the heat too soon, because it won't have enough flavor). Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream. It will bubble fiercely. Keep stirring until all caramel bits dissolve. Stir in the pumpkin. Cool or refrigerate until ready to use.

Sauteed Apples and Pears

3 large apples, peeled and chopped small

3 large pears, peeled and chopped small

2 tblsp. butter

2 tbslp. lemon juice

Toss the apples and pears with the lemon. Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the fruit and cook until it softens and starts to caramelize. Set aside.

2 Cups Heavy cream, whipped and chilled

Caramel Decorations

4 oz. water

8 oz. sugar

pinch of salt

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silpat.

In the smallest saucepan you have, cook the 3 ingredients until dark brown. Do not walk away while you do this, because once it starts to brown it will darken quickly. Also remember that your caramel will keep cooking after you take it off the heat, so remove it when it's still a little lighter than you want it. 

Dip a teaspoon into the caramel and make little circular decorations on your parchment. They will set almost immediately. Store them in a dry place or use immediately.

Please be careful! Caramel is so hot, and can cause burns you will never forget!!

To Assemble:

Spread a layer of pastry cream in the bottom of your ramekins or glasses, or whatever you are using to hold your trifle.

Using a cookie cutter that is slightly smaller than the ramekin, cut out rounds of spice cake. Brush with the simple syrup.

Add another layer of pastry cream.

Then a layer of apples, generously drizzled with pumpkin caramel sauce.

Another layer of pastry cream.

Fit a large piping bag with a star tip. Fill with whipped cream and pipe a rosette onto each trifle. Refrigerate if not serving right away. Just before serving, add your caramel decoration.

Beautiful Carrots!!

Hi all! It's been a really busy couple of weeks and I'm still catching up, so, for today, I just thought I'd share these totally psychedelic purple carrots with you!! Groovy, right?

German Apple Oat Cake

My parents live on the outskirts of Hamburg, Germany, and there are many apple orchards in their vicinity. One of the apple farmers from the area wrote a cookbook entirely devoted to apple recipes, which is where this cake comes from. It's one of our favorites because it really features the apples, and the oats and almonds give it a hearty balance. It's quick to make for a party, but it's also worth just making for yourself with a cup of tea. I have not converted the recipe from its metric state. I hope this doesn't cause anyone confusion!

German Apple Oat Cake

Batter:

150g butter

125g sugar

1 tblsp. vanilla extract

3 eggs
150g rolled oats (not quick cooking)
50g all-purpose flour
1 tsp. lemon peel
a pinch of salt


Filling:
5 large apples
juice of 1/2 lemon
75g sliced almonds
2 tblsp. brown sugar
40g butter


Grease a 9" springform pan.
In a bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, lemon peel and salt. Set aside.
Peel and chop the apples into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
Pre-heat oven to 370 degrees.
Whisk the butter until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, then the eggs, one at a time.
Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined.
Pour 3/4 of the batter into the prepared pan and level it out with a spatula. Spread the apples out evenly on the batter. Sprinkle almonds evenly across the top. Cut little flakes of butter and spread them evenly over the apples as well.
Using a teaspoon, place little mounds of remaining batter all over the cake. 
Bake about 45 minutes, or until the top is a gorgeous golden-brown.

Shades of Green Salad

This is the season when all good New Yorkers pick apples!

Like little red beacons, they beckon for us to leave our stone towers, the traffic noise, and the congestion behind and spend a day scrambling around an upstate farm, fantasizing about the pleasures of rural living. We buy apple cider, have lunch at a quaint little cafe named something like "Suzy's Kitchen," and maybe taste some too-sweet local wine. Then we pull out our iphones and obsess about the quickest route back to the city, where we admire our apples, google some recipes and go out to dinner somewhere fancy and "urban."

Then, over the next week or so, we bake some pie or cake, bring the neighbors some fresh picked apples and wonder about what else to do with our bottomless bag of shiny little fruits.

Which is my way of saying that there will be a few apple recipes coming your way in the next few days!

Today I made salad, where the apples were supporting characters, rather than the stars of the recipe. But they were essential nonetheless, adding sweetness and crunch. I always forget how much I love watercress, but the big bunches at the co-op this week reminded me. Use any lettuce, or combination of lettuces you like though.

Shades of Green Salad

romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chopped

watercress, trimmed and washed

avocado (i use 1/2 per person if it's a meal salad, less if it's an appetizer)

apple

sliced almonds, toasted

Sherry Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 tblsp. dry sherry

3 tblsp. maple syrup

1/2 clove garlic, chopped

salt

pepper

Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Pour into a sealed container and leave in the fridge overnight. Remove the garlic the next day.

Toss the lettuces with the apples with as much dressing as desired. Garnish with avocado and almonds and serve immediately.