And We're Back!

Greetings strangers. I know, its been quite some time since Ive been to this space.... but I guess my writings and ramblings parallel my sanity... they are sometimes in and they are often out. Anywho, these past few months have been filled with so much new, so much wondrous-ness, and occasional overwhelming-ness, that I just haven't found the time to be here. I guess it has been more that I haven't found the right time. Every moment I meant to write or share, the words just never seemed to come, so I didn't push them. But, I have been baking....a lot.... and I can't wait to share with you some of my new favorites in coming posts.

One of the aspects that I love about baking during the winter is that it is almost forced time spent indoors next to your stove. Forced time to take the time to experience and feel the season through creating and feeding yourself and others. I find myself reaching for more ginger on those cold rainy days and comforting foods such as sweet potato biscuits, apple pandowdy, and handfuls of oats to boot. I love how food helps us experience each season, and when you live in California, allowing it to help create a faux atmosphere of a cozy winter via spices and root veggies when the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky.

So, I have a new recipe to share with you. One that I would never reach for if it weren't late fall or winter. Enter: the sweet potato biscuit. Warm right out of the oven with a pad of butter, being enjoyed wearing a chunky scarf swirled around your neck 4 times, rainy clouds as a backdrop (even if the closest thing you can find is wallpaper), and a cup of spicy tea following every bite. And scene.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I have thus far only used bright orange sweet potatoes because I am in love with the beautiful orange buttery results. But, that being said, feel free to experiment with japanese sweet potatoes which are so flavorful and mellow in color. You can also skip a step by buying canned sweet potato, or heck even pumpkin, although the flavor just wouldn't be the same.

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 TB light brown sugar

2.5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

6 TB unsalted butter, chilled

3/4 cup pureed sweet potato

1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees prepare your sweet potato for roasting. For 3/4 cups of puree you will probably need a medium size to large potato. Rinse and poke several times with a fork and then wrap in foil and stick it in the oven until very tender... about 45 minutes. After the root is done cooking you can scrape out the insides and mash with a fork or puree in a blender or food processor. Let cool.

Now for the dough. Sift and whisk all of the dry ingredients together. Using a pastry blender or fork or extremely chilly hands cut the butter in the dry ingredients until nothing but little bits resembling rice grains are left. Mix together the sweet potato and buttermilk in a separate bowl and add everything together. Try to handle the dough as little as possible. You want everything to come together, so if its a little sticky add some flour... if its a little dry add some milk. You'll get it. Knead the dough 5 or 6 times et viola... vous etes presque termine. Flatten out the dough on a floured surface so its about an inch thick. Cut biscuits with a round cutter or a jar works as well. Bake at 425 for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Music Pairing

"Truth" by Alexander

And again, whistleing just makes me happy. And so do sweet biscuits and cozy weather.

Oatmeal to Go

So the primary reason I opted not to call this one a cookie was, well... I worried it might deter you from eating it early in the morning. And I would never want to go and do that.

But really, this cookie delicious breakfast alternative to oatmeal is compact, simple, and even gets better as it sits around for a couple days. What more do you want? Really the only downside is that they disappear before I can get around to sampling them as they perfect during the following days.

I almost caught myself telling you how surprisingly good they taste because of all of the nutrient dense ingredients....but I guess I never really understood why people say that. All of the ingredients on their own are pridefully delicious... almond butter (yum) honey (yep) oats (also delicious) etc etc... that of course the end result would be nothing but. What does it matter that the components are whole and grainy? Well, I think it does matter actually, but it matters in a great way, not in the way that should prompt any sort of begrudging face quirks.

Anywho, enough ranting for now. I formulated this recipe after making some baked oatmeal and then figured why not take it a step further to cookie-esq form? Well I couldn't find a good enough reason not to, so I went ahead and did it. I know, I know...rebel. And what pairs better with fall than baking and oatmeal? Yes, I guess pumpkin, but who asked you anyhow?

Oatmeal to Go

If you can bear it, these delights improve dramatically if you let them sit for a day. Also, do not overcook! Just let them turn a little golden brown and remain a bit gooey inside. Just trust me here. Also, word of warning, if you are a diabetic-loving sugar addict, just don't bother. These are not overly sweet, although they are wholesomely delicious.

1/2 cup oats

2/3 cups almond meal (or simply stated ground almonds)

1/4 c wheat germ

1/2 cup oat or barley flour

1/4 c almond butter

1/4 cup honey

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

dash of almond or soymilk

handful of raisins

Mix up oats, almond meal, wheat germ, oat and/or barley flour, and salt in a bowl. In a pan on the stove top, heat up the honey and almond butter over medium heat. It should be warm, and make sure it doesn't get hot enough to reach a boil. When heated a bit, take off the stove and mix in the baking soda. It will create a reaction slightly reminiscent of chemistry class, but not as impressive. In a separate bowl beat up the eggs and add the honey/almond butter mixture to the dry ingredients... along with the vanilla as well. Stir until it is all nice and combined, potentially having to add just a dash of soy or almond milk to make the dough a bit more wet. Stir in raisins.

Bake these puppies (now can anyone explain the etymology of that phrase?) for about 7 or 8 minutes, or just golden. The end result will still be a little gooey on the inside.... perfect to replicate oatmeal...but, to go! And please do enjoy in the morning.

Music Pairing

Ray LaMontangne "New York City's Killing Me"

Its the east coast fall that always prompted me to make, or at least long for, oatmeal. The chill in the air and the unexpected change of colors that the lacking trees in New York City were suppose to bequeath.... just delightful. And it just makes sense, speaking of the city, that these fall-y treats would be, alas, to go.

Chocolate Pear Cake

The first few weeks in my new place of residence, the Monterey Bay, I am becoming acquainted with the new job and the folk it brings along with it, the farmers markets, the yoga schedules, and most importantly the new (to me) oven.

After woefully under cooking a perfect batter of spelt zucchini bread, I optimistically set my sights on a brand new recette: Chocolate Pear Cake. A friend of one of the roomies came over one day, with freshly picked pears from her tree... and that was enough to make her my friend too. I usually lean more toward the apple camp than the pear, but heck... throw in a bit of chocolate and Ill eat mostly anything. So, welcome fall with pears and chocolate. It just seems wrong not to.

I brought it into my new job at the restaurant, trying to gain baker/cook approval. So if you care it is La Bicyclette in Carmel, CA approved. Whatever that means to you.

Chocolate Pear Cake

For this recipe I used some barley flour along with almond meal because I like the soft and nutty crumb that it produces for cakes. But, if you want, you can always substitute the barley for regular or white whole wheat flour. The almond meal is a keeper.... although hazelnut flour would not be a bad call...

4 oz butter, unsalted

1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

4 oz dark chocolate

1/4 cup barley flour

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup almond flour or meal

4 TB cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

4 pears, halved and poached (origin: preferably from a neighbors tree)

Poaching:

Don't let this step deter you. C'est tres facil... easy peasy for you non-francophiles. Just bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil along with 1/2 cup of sugar. Throw in your halved pears, potentially having to add more water to cover them and let cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat or a low boil. When finished, they should be tender when pricked with a fork.

Caking:

Set the oven to 350 F. Again, my friendly European counterparts...google the conversion. Butter a 9 or 10 inch round pan. Next, melt the chocolate and set aside. (Note: you can melt the chocolate by bringing one small saucepan with water to a boil and placing a larger bowl on top of the pot with the chocolate. This will ensure that your chocolate wont burn during the melting process) En suite, sift all of your dry ingredients together (flours, salt, baking powder, coco powder). In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together. After a couple minutes and the mixture is nice and fluffy, add in one egg at a time...incorporating each once well before adding the next. Then stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Finalement, go ahead and stir in the flour mixture in two separate parts. Don't over stir... or rather until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and arrange the pears on top of the batter in a nice fashion. Push them down a bit. It should take 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven. Remember convection bakers, your oven is an overachiever so watch your cakes extra carefully and maybe turn down the temperature a bit. You don't want to over bake this cake... it should be moist.

Serve with some fresh whipped cream and cozy up to the fireplace you may or may not need in this transitional seasonal period. But still... you have to love chocolate, pears, and coziness. You just have to.

Music Pairing

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs. "New York City's Killing Me"

Hes so fall-y. And I just love his husky voice. Its almost as though he means what hes a sayin. Which sometimes feels like a rare find.

Cozy Breakfast

My move to Monterey is swiftly becoming settled into the county where fall reigns year round.... or at least the morning time feels like it. We are welcomed by the perpetual AM cozy fog and the chilly damp air that can only be answered with warm cable knit socks, chai lattes, and fire places. And although I (and my renauds) love the heat, I also can't resist the feeling of a great fall.

I am still adjusting to the bizarre-ish hours of the restaurant life, eating either a rather early dinner or being pushed through a rushed plate late into the night sometimes not being hungry at all in the morning and other times tearing the cabinets open. This morning I woke up to the fog rolling in, yearning for something substantial to offset yesterday's time in the sun, greens, fruits, and bike riding with a warm and sturdy meal. Breakfast and cozy weather tells me two things: oatmeal and spices. So who the hell am I to argue?

Yesterday, perusing the Carmel Valley farmers market, I was called to some lovely carrots, just pulled from the ground, with the intention of making either carrot muffins with a strudel topping or a carrot cake loaf accompanied by (of course) cream cheese frosting. But this morning, I decided to forgo the two previous inclinations and fix myself a steaming bowl of carrot cake oatmeal. I always love when you can rationalize dessert for breakfast. Anywho... Spices. Check. Vanilla Soy. Check. Walnuts and Raisins. Double Check. It was my first bowl of the steaming stuff since last winter and it feels good to be back. Peter Rabbit and my childhood are mightily proud.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Serves 1 hungry gal

Everyone has their own favorite take on the glorious carrot cake. This oatmeal is made with pretty standard fare, and I don't think it needs a bit extra. It is soooo good. But, if you love your oatmeal with those extras, you will undoubtedly love your carrot cake oatmeal like that as well. Suggestions? Well, I've seen crushed pineapple, coconut, brown sugar wouldn't be a bad call, and maybe you could even mix in some cream cheese for the frosting effect? Might be gross, might be glorious. Let me know how it goes.




handful of rolled oats (I have rather large hands)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of wheat germ
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup walnuts
1/8 cup raisins
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
pinch of salt
honey, to top it off


Start with a small saucepan. Turn the stovetop onto a low setting and place the oats, cinnamon, and wheat germ in the pan to toast them. After about 1 minute you can add the water and carrots. I like to let this cook for about a minute. I dont really know why... I just do it. Then go ahead and add the rest of the ingredients (except the honey) and let cook for about 10 minutes on low, covered. When the oatmeal is finished, wither add more soymilk if you like it runnier or cook the goodness with the lid off and it will become thicker. Top with honey and enjoy!






Music Pairing


I curled up in my chair with cozy socks and oatmeal in tow, so Jose Gonzalez seemed like the right fit the start of my oatmeal and foggy mornings. If I may suggest "Save Your Day" for obvious, oatmeal superhero-esque capabilities.

Im Borrowing: Lemon Lavender Shortbread

So the other week, my wife (seen at her badass foodie blog here) directed me to one of her old classmates' new endeavours. I explored, thinking it would be good, but wow, this one is a winner. Yummybooks blends her love of lit with that inner push that finds us crazy bakers in front of the oven with hot oven rack marks left all over are forearms.... or is that just me? She gives you a preview for what might be your next classics read and what for sure will be accompanying your side (and tastebuds) during the adventure. The featured recipe was inspired by the Secret Garden...which I think inspires some of my daily day to day life.

I chose to borrow Yummybooks lemon lavender shortbread mostly because they looked delicious, but it didn't hurt that we welcomed a new lavender plant to the garden the other day. And I must agree with this baker... use fresh. use fresh. use fresh lavender. The plant is beautiful and smells wondrous... not to mention it will withstand the sweltering hot California Valley heat that (knock wood) seems to have forgotten us this year. And of course it didn't hurt when I read she topped her cookies with sea salt. I love salt. Especially from the sea.

I thought I had my favorite shortbread recipe. This one, fairly thin and so flaky, is quite the contender. It will be served alongside peaches and vanilla ice cream for a dinner party tonight to make somewhat of a deconstructed peach pie. So fresh, so delicious.

Thank you so much Yummybooks for a new read in your blog and this delicious idea for a recipe. Profitez le weekend tout le monde!

Lemon Lavender Shortbread

adapted from Yummybooks

I tweeked this recipe a bit here and there, but the delicious idea remains the same. My best results turned when I refrigerated the cookies on the pan right before popping them in the oven and with a bit of whole wheat pastry flour for a nice crumb.

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon fresh lavender

zest of one lemon

sea salt to finish

Start by beating up your butter and cane sugar nice and well. Sift together the salt, flours, and powdered sugar. Once the butter/sugar is beat up for a couple minutes go ahead and slowly add your dry mixture as well as the lemon zest and lavender. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the goodness. It should come together into a ball. Refridge for 2 hours or so.

Once your dough is nice and chilly lightly flour a rolling surface. Set oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough so it is about 1/4 inch thick and cut out whatever shapes you desire. I stuck with the inspired design because I thought they looked nice and will work well with the peach pie sundaes I am adding them to. Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle (just a tad!) of sea salt. They bake for about 10 minutes or until just golden brown. Let cool on a rack and they will firm up and be delicious.

Music Pairing

Audiobook of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Its not music, but its sound. Might as well dive back into the classics with a shortbread in hand.

Cherry Barley Scones, Oh My.

My Apologies. I built up cherry season so much, promising jams, pies, salads, and basically anything one could possibly think of pertaining to cherries (the food that is).... and I just never did post anything. Before you get too mad, please picture a mid 20 something girl, so overwhelmed by the bountiful-ness of cherry season happening in her backyard that the tiny stone fruits are flailing through the air, leaving the grout on the kitchen tile a delightful but equally maddening shade of red, and all this while running around on a sugar high from the foods that were made subsequently from the mass influx of this great fruit.





Ok. I'm exaggerating a bit. But just a bit. Our cherry season went wonderfully and I managed to can some jam (even though I heard my mother say the word botulism 567 times), dry some cherries, make a grain salad with them, and then of course were these delightful scones.

If you've been at the other end of my baking, you know I love cooking with kooky (as it may seem to some) ingredients. I love to try and obtain a depth and interesting flavor that is a little beyond the grasp of white flours and sugar. Not to say they aren't delicious! Please. I would never say that. I do love a wondrous and simple croissant of course. But, more than sometimes a little creativity is worth your pursuits, and I don't think that this recipe with fall short of meeting high expectations. I used barley flour here, which is a tinge sweet with a malty sort of flavor. Indeed, I think its my new fave. I should have a biscotti recipe also using this flour comin at ya very soon as well. But you know me.... maybe that happens.... maybe that doesn't. But until then, please try these...

Cherry Barley Scones

adapted from Good to the Grain

If you love cooking with whole grain flours, Kim Boyce's cookbook Good to the Grain is essential to have. It meets all my criteria for a great book, hitting the high mark in fields of photography, interesting and innovative recipes, and not to mention the pic of the author in the bck is adorable. And she looks happy too. What baker shouldnt look happy? Anywho, tangent, mangent.... Feel free to experiement with different types of jams you have on hand from the season. I would guess that peach, nectarine, and berry work very well also in this recipe.

1 cup Barley Flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

scant 1/4 cup turbinado sugar plus 1 TB honey, or 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

to finish:

1/2 cup Cherry Jam

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

Les Directions:

Go ahead and set your oven to 350 degrees F. Rub a baking sheet with butta.

Sift all of your flours, sugars, powders, sodas, and salts into a bowl. Cut up the cold butter into small-ish chunks and add to dry mixture. Then you may either:

1. use your fingers, swiftly, to break butter into smaller pieces, resembling tiny pebbles or large-ish grains of rice. If you have hot hands.... forget about it and...

2. Use a pastry cutter or even a fork. This will buy you more time, not melting the butter while working.

Ok. Back to work. In a separate bowl, wish the egg and the buttermilk together. If you don't have buttermilk don't fret, just combine milk with a tablespoon or so of vinegar or lemon juice. Let it set for a minute et viola... your replacement for buttermilk.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don't worry about leaving behind a few crumbleys. The less hands on time, the better the scones. Separate the dough in two. Turn the first of the two doughs onto a lightly floured surface. Flatten out to make a fairly thick round... about 1/2 inch. Do the same with the second dough. Now its time to make the scone sandwich. Spread the jam onto on one of the rounds and place the second on top. Cut into about six triangles and you are there. To finish, spread melted butta on top and sprinkle with some sugar.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Music Pairing


"Little Lion Man" by Mumford & Sons
Barley's a lil country and so are these guys.

My Favorite Breakfast

I've converted many a naysayer before, so it comes as no surprise that everyone doesn't share the same affinity for the rice cake as I do. The poor things do get a lot of crap. And if you are talking Quaker, then, yes it is even warranted crap. But next time skip over the styrofoam stuff and pick up a natural foods brand, like Lundburg. Top with some pb, raisins, banana, and cinnamon, and you wont be sorry. Pick up the Sunday Times..... and now thats a morning.