A little catching up to do here. The semester ended with our work sleeves rolled up. Our last three recipes were all on the menu for our end of the semester party in late January. It was slightly nerve wrecking piling all our party recipes at the end. A lesson to next semester. My students were great sports through it all though, it seems they have learned to handle parties. No more, “this is boring” after completing two rolls! I even heard a few, “this is really fun.”

Grape Leaves

The grape leaves were great fun to roll. “Leaves?! We’re going to be eating leaves?”

“Sure, you eat lettuce don’t you, that’s a leaf.”

“So this is going to taste like lettuce?”

“Not exactly.”

While most of my older students– third, fourth and fifth graders, really enjoyed these, my younger students weren’t so sure. I think this has to do with a shortened cooking time I decided on to fit this into our 1 hour class schedule. I steamed these for a quick 20 minutes and think an oven-braised approach in a little chicken stock-tomato combo would have been more successful. Ironically, when the K to 2nd graders made their own pomegranate-only grape leaves and ate them uncooked they thought they were right on target. On the other hand, these were a huge success with parents at our end of the semester party. Multiple families followed me to the kitchen to nab some leftovers post-soiree. (Recipes at bottom.)

Arepas

These were more of a success than I was ready for. Okay, I love arepas from the local Venezualan hole-in-the-wall. I love corn and cornmeal. I know kids love corn, but I wasn’t so sure about a cornmeal-like patty slathered in an addictive (according to me) avocado sauce. These were super easy to make. The best part– the kids loved them and they loved making them. While they were mixing they were begging for a taste- “Just a little longer!” I kept saying, “We’ll warm them up in the oven and they’ll be much better.” Still, I caught some pre-cooked dough getting into the mouths.

Once we finished how many times did I have to repeat what we made? “Wait, how do you say these, rapas?”

“A-re-pas.”

“A-rapas.”

Close enough. They all have a cookbook and can review and learn. (Recipes at bottom.)

Brownie Bites

I had two kids that didn’t like these. One didn’t like chocolate. (What?!) The other thought they were cold and he threw his out because he doesn’t like to eat cold things (”Unless it’s ice cream.” “Oh, of course.”). I combined a few recipes I found online then adapted them into something I was happy with. I cut the sugar content and added preserves for a fruity flavor. If they were in season, I would have added fresh fruit too. I had some dehydrated powdered cherries (it looks like pink powdered sugar and tastes like cherries) that we dusted on top the final for our party.

Needless to say, these were beyond a hit at the end of the semester party. I kept receiving phone calls in the kitchen, “Send more brownies up!” I think my kitchen helpers (my 4th and 5th graders) slipped a few more in their mouths then I was aware of– By the end of the night they were so drunk on sugar they got a little sloppy in their presentation going upstairs to the party.

Pomegranate Grape Leaves
Makes about 40 grape leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 cups wild rice, rinsed (or 1/2 cup wild rice plus 1/2 cup brown rice)
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons dried mint
1 jar grape leaves, rinsed well and lightly dried
lemon wedges

Heat oil in a sauce pan on medium high heat. Add onions, sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cardamom, sauté 2 minutes more. Add wild rice, mix to coat evenly. Add chicken stock, cover and cook until rice is almost fully cooked, slightly al dente. Stir in pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds and mint. Season with more salt to taste if necessary. Cool slightly, 10 minutes.
Spread grape leaves flat on a work surface, veins up. Place one tablespoon rice filling in the center, fold up bottom edges then sides, then roll up tight. Continue with remaining grape leaves and filling.
Bring 2-inches of water to a boil and set a steamer basket inside. Layer grape leaves (can be placed on top of each other). Cover and steam 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled sprinkled with lemon juice.
NOTE: Replace half to all of the pomegranate seeds with pine nuts. Add ground lamb or beef for extra flavor. Serve as an appetizer or with pita, meze dips and carrot salad, above.

Arepas with Avocado Sauce & Black Beans
Makes about 40 1-inch arepas

Arepa:
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup masarepa (pre-cooked corn flour, sometimes called Harina precocida or Masa al instante)
1 cup grated queso fresco
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels (if frozen, thawed)
grape seed or peanut oil for cooking

Avocado Sauce (Guasacaca):
1 avocado, rough chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley, rough chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can black beans, washed and drained

Stir milk, butter, honey, salt and allspice in a small saucepot over medium heat until it simmers. Stir in the masarepa and queso fresco. Stir until very thick, about 5 minutes, remove from heat. Stir in corn kernels until evenly incorporated. Set aside to cool and thicken, about 10 minutes.

While cooling, make the avocado sauce. Blitz avocado, mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a blender until smooth.

Scoop up balls of the arepa batter, slightly smaller than a golf ball. Transfer to a tray, flattening into 1/4-inch disk. Continue with remaining batter, setting on a tray as you finish. Heat about 3 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear arepas in batches, careful not to crowd, until golden, 4 minutes, turn, then cook another 4 minutes. To serve: add a dollop of the avocado sauce then top with a few black beans. Serve warm or at room temperature.
NOTE: You can alternatively brush the arepas with butter or oil and bake about 15 minutes until golden.

Cherry Brownie Bites

5 ounces dark chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounce pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for coating pan
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup seedless cherry preserves
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon for coating pan
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a 9″x 13″ x 1-1/2″-inch pan with butter. Flour the pan with 1 tablespoon flour, shake out excess.
Melt chocolate pieces and butter over a double boiler (place a heat-proof bowl over a small saucepot with boiling water). Stir periodically to prevent burning, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat when almost totally melted, stir to finish melting, set aside. With an electric mixer on high, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick, about 2 minutes. Add chocolate mixture, preserves and sour cream, mixing until fully incorporated. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at room temperature for 5 minutes then refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
NOTE: Use your favorite preserve here. Raspberry, blueberry, apricot, peach would all taste great!

Sweet Potato Latkes with Applesauce

Last week my students harnessed their Bubbes. Out came the graters, or as the kids call them, “the shredders,” pushed back their sleeves, tied on those aprons and got down to business. Potatoes are hard for little hands to shred, especially those larger sweet potatoes. They are heavy, they are awkwardly shaped and they’re dense. As you can see in the picture above, sometimes two sets of hands (a second to hold the shredder) was needed.

The students were great sports through it all.

“Latkes? What’s that.”

“They’re potato pancakes for Hannukah.”

“What do they taste like?”

“Sort of like french fries.”

And that’s all it took to set them into a shredding frenzy.

I broke each class into three groups, each making a different latke flavor so we could explore some spices. One made plain salt and pepper, another made cumin and the third made our “dessert” cinnamon latkes. A few eggs and then we crisped them up in olive oil and enjoyed them with applesauce. (recipe at bottom)

Lemon Stained Glass Cookies

This week my classes are celebrating their second week of holidays. As Hannukah is just about leaving us, we’re busy cutting cookies for Christmas. This week, we turned boring sugar cookies into zippy cinnamony-lemon treats. We took those zippy cookies and added another element, cutting out smaller shapes in the cookies, then filling those cut outs with crushed hard candies.

The kids loved how our opaque sugar powders (ground Jolly Ranchers) turned into smooth clear centers. When held up to the light these cookies are really dazzling. Of course, in class, our cookies were eaten so quickly we didn’t even bother to poke a hole at top to hang them.

A word to those working these cookies in your own kitchen: keep an eye on the flour and dough scraps! At the end of each day I am thrilled I’m not the one to mop up the floor (and sorry for the one that does). If it’s any consolation I do have to scrape off the bottom of my shoes. (recipe at bottom, photo tk)

****

Sweet Potato Latkes with Applesauce
Makes about 20 small latkes

2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 small Vidalia onion
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Add one:
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Grate sweet potatoes and onion using the largest setting on a box grater. Spread potatoes and onions on a paper towel, cover with more paper towels and press to expel water. Transfer the potatoes and onions into a bowl. Add eggs and salt.  For regular flavored latkes, add ground pepper. For cumin flavored latkes, add cumin. For cinnamon “dessert” latkes, add the cinnamon. Alternatively, after adding the eggs and salt, divide the mixture between three bowls and add the seasoning to each for three different latke flavors.
Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place a scoop of potato batter into the pan and flatten with a spatula. Fry until darkly golden, about 6 minutes, flip and fry another 5 to 6 minutes.Transfer to serving plate and serve with applesauce and sour cream.
*****

Lemon Stained Glass Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 ounces clear hard candies, broken into small pieces (Recommended: Jolly Rancher)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Note: an easy method for breaking hard candies is to put them through the coffee grinder.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, lemon extract and lemon zest. Beat to combine about 1 minute more. Sift in flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined.
Form the dough into a smooth ball and transfer to a well floured surface. Flatten dough into a sphere and sprinkle with flour. Roll out dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut desired shapes using large cookie cutters. Transfer cut dough to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use smaller cookie cutter shapes, removing shapes from the cookies, leaving approximately a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Gather scraps, form into a ball and re-roll dough for more cookies. Poke a hole at the top of the cookies (to create ornament cookies). Sprinkle a layer of hard candy in the small cookie cutter holes. Bake 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool about 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing them with a thin spatula.

These last few weeks have slipped through my fingers but I promise the kids are still cooking. Herewith is a round up of our recipes to bring everyone up to speed. Happy feasting!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Grilled Cheese.

This is one of my favorite soups made many times before in slightly different forms. I wasn’t too thrilled with the one we made in class and I blame it on using vegetable stock over chicken stock. It was still delicious but didn’t have as deep a flavor I think chicken stock imparts. For this one we were exploring curry. Many of the kids knew they’d had it before but couldn’t necessarily place it. Finally on Thursday a student mentioned it smelled like Tikka Masala. Thank you scent memory!

The apple grilled cheese was of course a favorite. I used brioche bread and purchased a yellow cheddar and a Gruyere cheese, allowing the students to taste both cheeses and pick the one they wanted to use. Surprisingly most went for the Gruyere saying how much they preferred “white cheddar” over yellow. A few students weren’t too sure about apples on their grilled cheese– “trust me, this is a favorite combination for almost everyone.” (Especially if you throw in a glass a wine.) In the end, one of my students proclaimed these sandwiches were “definitely better than the grilled cheeses at school.” I replied that it’s probably because we’re using real cheese. Another said they had never tasted bread so delicious. (Which might be true because I had adults raiding my refrigerator all week and was provided a key to lock my fridge after that week.)

All recipes found at the bottom of entry.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble.

When the year started I thought it would be great to have my students make something for Thanksgiving they could all share with their families. I originally wanted to make apple pies and even had fall-shaped cookie cutters for decorating the top crust. In the end, I went with a graham-cracker crusted crumble. A little more rustic looking and a little easier time-wise since we only have one hour and if we were to make a pie I wanted homemade crust. Also, do you know how many supplies you need to make 70 pies!?

I bought apple peelers for this and the kids had a blast peeling all the apples with ease. Highly recommended. I also bought apple cutters that cut wedges. These were a little difficult for young ones to maneuver with apples sometimes flying from beneath them. In the future I might add the apple cutting attachment on the apple peeler, getting it all done in one shot.

Otherwise, they loved the crumbles. Most were shocked at how tart cranberries are raw, but how they pop into something so sweet and juicy once baked. The students got really creative here. Whereas I said, just add a bunch of handfuls of filling and fill the spaces with cranberries (in the interest of time), a lot of students took great care to layer the apples, dotting the pie symmetrically with cranberries. None could believe how high we had to stack the apples, some literally putting 4 slices of apples in their crust (making smiley faces) and saying they were done. “Keep going! We need a mountain,” I kept saying.

So the kids happily brought their crumbles home and I had a baked crumble for each class to enjoy and taste what their finished product may be. This past week some of the students even told me they were bringing their crumble on the plane to their Thanksgiving feasts outside the city! I love it.

Cranberry-Caesar Salad with Turkey.

Last week was a shortened week for the holiday but I wanted to keep it holiday themed. Since we did our crumbles the week before (every student had a crumble to take home), this week was our “Thanksgiving leftovers.” Caesar salad was always one of my favorite salads growing up (and still is). When I was young, no anchovies please, not realizing they were hidden inside the dressing. Now of course, extra anchovies, please! So I thought this would be a fun salad to explore.

I’ve made a grapefruit caesar before so I knew I wanted to replace the tart lemon with some tart cranberry sauce. Turkey was the obvious Thanksgiving leftover protein here and we made croutons with stale bread. Equally delicious, or perhaps more delicious, would have been frying up some stuffing patties as the croutons (next time).

At the beginning of class I had a few girls come up to me: “Oh, I’m really sick.”
“No you’re not or you wouldn’t have been in school today.”
“No, I have that H1N1, you just can’t tell.”
“Nice try.”
“No, I mean I’m allergic to salad.”
“No you’re not, I have a list of everything everyone is allergic to.”
“Okay, I don’t eat salad.”
“Rule #1 is we all eat everything.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to like it.”
“Great, that’s rule #2.”

In the end these same girls were in awe of the pink hue this dressing took on, “It looks like a strawberry smoothie!” And it did. The cranberry turned out to be a great addition and then, “Where did all those wormy fish go?”
“They’re in the dressing.”
“I can’t even taste them!”

Curried Butternut Squash Soup
8 servings

1 large butternut squash, reserve seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tart apple, plus (recommended: Granny Smith), peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon curry
4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Special Equipment: Immersion Blender

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, deseed, reserving seeds. Place facedown on a baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Rinse seeds and lay out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake about 10 minutes, until golden and just beginning to pop.

Warm the olive oil in a saucepot on medium high heat. Saute onion and apple, 10 minutes. Add curry and stir to incorporate. Scoop squash flesh from the skin. Add flesh to saucepot. Add stock, bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or carefully with a stand blender). Serve, sprinkled with seeds or chopped apple.

Apple Grilled Cheese
8 servings

16 slices thick cut potato bread, challah or brioche
Gruyere cheese (or cheddar), sliced
2 tart apples (recommended: Granny Smith), cored, sliced into 16 to 18 segments
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

NOTE: Other delicious additions include roasted garlic, caramelized onions, thick-cut bacon, and/ or sautéed mushroom

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay 8 slices of bread on a baking sheet. Top the bread with a few thick slices of cheese. Layer with apples then top with another single slice of cheese. Top with the second slice of bread, brush with melted butter and bake, 15 minutes, flipping sandwiches and brushing with more butter halfway through baking.

Cranberry-Apple Crumble
1 9-inch crumble

Filling:
4-5 tart apples (recommended: Granny Smith, McIntosh, Cortland), peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons flour
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crust:
1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Make Filling:  Toss filling ingredients until evenly combined, set aside, allowing flavors to mingle.
Make Crust: Mix crushed graham crackers, melted butter, lemon zest and nutmeg. Push into a 9-inch pie tin, coating into an even crust on bottom and sides, approximately 1/8-inch thick.
Make Topping: Mix filling ingredients with a fork until large crumbs form.
Assemble Pie: Add filling over crust. Sprinkle topping over apple filling. Bake or freeze.

A few hours before serving, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove crumble from freezer, remove any coverings and bake on middle rack 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F, bake 30-35 minutes, until bubbly, fragrant and apples are tender. Cool on a rack at least 1 hour before serving.

(Optional) Reheat a slice in the microwave and top with a scoop of vanilla, caramel or cinnamon ice cream.

Cranberry-Caesar Salad with Turkey
12 servings

Croutons:
Stale bread
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Dressing:
4 anchovies, patted dry
3 large cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 egg
3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons tarragon or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
fresh-ground black pepper

Make Croutons: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Assemble bread on a sheet pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes, until golden.
Make Dressing: Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Note: If you trust the source of your eggs and know they are fresh (bought direct from a farm or Greenmarket) you may eat them raw. If not, boil egg for 1 minute before using.
Assemble Salad: Toss dressing with leftover salad greens, about 1 cup of shredded turkey and croutons.

These muffins were a lot of fun to make and the students loved them. To make a more adult or general fall version, nix the frosting altogether, or do a maple syrup-powdered sugar glaze (keeping them more local too). The muffins are 100% whole wheat and the flavor is enriched by lovely fall spices and molasses in lieu of white sugar.

In class, we made mini muffins and everyone was able to decorate three– one to eat in class, two to bring home. We did coconut frosting because I wanted the texture to give the witches and goblins we would be creating a creepier face. Otherwise, I cut the sugar in the frosting by 1 cup with the addition of unsweetened coconut. I had a number of students proclaim they didn’t like coconut but at the end of the day they were eating the muffins with as much gusto as everyone else.

I broke our one hour class time similar to pizza day. Monday before class I made and baked a batch of muffins (so the muffins would be cool when we worked with them). In class we made a batch of batter, which I then refrigerated for the next day’s class. Students made the frosting and were provided decorations. Most of the students worked really fast on these so I was able to take my time going over the ingredients. The following class day I baked yesterday’s batter and had the muffins ready to go.

For decorations, I split the frosting into six batches and added a few drops of food coloring. This gave the students red, orange, green, blue, black and white bases to work with. Next they mostly had dried fruit for add ons: dates, bananas, raisins, cranberries, papaya and ginger. Also, pretzel sticks, marshmallows and a few sprinkles. I told my students to work for shape, rather than a candy pile on.

In all our excitement I forgot to take photos of some of my students truly amazing creations. We had marshmallow mummies, monsters with banana chip tongues, spiders with date arms, witches, devils, ghosts, goblins, cyclops, and beautiful abstract blobs of holiday color (perhaps a Kadinsky or two in our future). Which is why above, is a picture of my classroom blackboard, rather than some fabulous looking muffins.

One of my kindergarteners approached me after class and asked how I came up with our project for the day.
“It’s Halloween week.”
“I think you’re smart because I really like these.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you had so much fun.”
“Yeah, and also, do you know how to make pumpkin pie? Because you’re going to make a pumpkin pie for my Halloween party this weekend.”
No demands. I should have suggested that since he is now an expert at muffins, and enjoyed them so much, he should make them for all his friends.

Aprons were a train wreck at the end of the week so make sure to cover up, especially with the food coloring.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Coconut Frosting
Makes 24 mini muffins. Bake time= 15-18 minutes.

Muffins:
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons crushed ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground flax (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decoration:
Black, green, orange, red, blue food coloring, assorted dried fruit and candies, etc

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 mini muffin cups with liners. In a medium bowl add pumpkin, egg, molasses, butter, ginger and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Sift in whole wheat flour, baking powder, flax, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and baking soda. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix ingredients.

Scoop batter into muffin liners. Bake 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. While baking, whisk together frosting ingredients. Divide frosting into small bowls. Dye one green, one orange, one black, etc. Set aside.

Remove muffins from oven. Let cool 10-15 minutes. Frost and decorate with assorted candies and dried fruit.

Sadly, the sour cherry season is coming to a close. If you look hard you might be able to find the last sours of the season. I’ve heard reports from friends hitting up local farmer’s markets that they can still find them depending on where the farm comes in from.

Last week I was visiting D who is teaching and performing in upstate NY for the month. In a desperate attempt to find fresh fruit– any fruit, I finally found an orchard with pick-your-own sour cherries.* I happily dragged D out in his limited time off for an afternoon of cherry picking.

“What are you going to do with all this?! There must be 20 lbs of fruit here!” D exclaimed towards the end of our pickin’.

“If you think this is 20 lbs you seriously need to start lifting weights, it’s closer to 10. And do? Cherry cobbler, cherry ice cream, maraschino cherries, brandy cherries, cherry jam… What won’t I do?!”

Final verdict: 12 lbs picked and D will hopefully start on his weight regimen on his return to the city.

We returned to the home of our friends J and L and I got to work pitting my cherries. You can see in the photo above I actually have a cherry pitter, which sadly, is not the best tool for sour cherries because they are a little softer than sweet cherries. I also don’t appreciate the double hole pitters create (one where the poker goes in and one where the pit comes out). I found it wasted a lot of juice in these precious globes. Instead, I ended up using a paperclip trick the orchard suggested.

That night, a cherry cobbler was on the table and the rest went into freezer bags to accompany me back to NYC for my ice cream, brandy, jam and more. I even kept the pits to make cherry pit ice cream (which tastes like almond). But as I looked at the 3 bags of cherries those 12 lbs-less-a-cobbler didn’t look like very much anymore. I promptly called the orchard and asked if there would be cherries left the following week when I return. “Should be.”

So today I pray for cherries to hold out just a few more days for me. I can’t bear calling the orchard until tomorrow to check the tree status. But when I left last week, D was very encouraging: “Just think, next time you’re up there will be blueberries.” I head back up tomorrow and the best part– not only are blueberries and raspberries ripe, I’ve already mapped out the pick-your-own peach orchards for the return drive!

*I also spent the day at the farm that supplies my CSA with grass-fed beef and free-range pork. They had currant bushes ready for picking but a downpour and hornets nest (conveniently tucked into the branches) kept us from picking too many.

Two recipes in two days? I must be going crazy. More likely, I have a few heavy weeks ahead of me and I thought this to be the perfect Valentine treat for you and your honey. Also, if your schedule is looking to be as hectic as mine (or you want to indulge in something that tastes like it took forever to make), this cake whips together in minutes, requires no dreaded cheesecake water bath baking, is light as a cloud, and as pure as heaven.

A while back I had an opportunity to purchase raw goat milk. Despite dreaming of a goat cheese-lavender-honey ice cream since summer, I made yogurt. But with this recipe today, I am one step closer to my ice cream dreams. Why? Because this recipe certifies that the effort for ice cream will be a delicious payback. If anyone out there wants to try ice cream and report back, by all means go for it!

A few weeks back I was flipping through my food magazines when a goat cheese cake got me thinking about my goat cheese ice cream dreams. While it’s too cold now for ice cream (okay, honestly, it is never too cold for ice cream), a little cheesecake might be just the thing to test my combination. With some newly engaged friends coming over for dinner I had a perfect excuse too.

So I set out altering the cheesecake to my own likings. I think further changes can be made to bring out more intense flavors, like the addition of lavender oil (is that food safe?) to the cake. And maybe the topping could go for a tablespoon of heavy cream just to thicken it slightly. I also tried to find chocolate wafers, but couldn’t. (And refused the advice of a local shopkeeper who recommended using vanilla wafers and blitzing it with chocolate syrup.) The lavender is subtle in the crust, the honey is just right and the goat cheese is not at all overpowering. The finished cake is not too sweet, so test the sweetness, or just drizzle extra honey over the top.

Honey Lavender Goat Cheese Cake
Makes 12 servings. Active Time= 20 minutes. Inactive Time= 2.5 hours.
Crust:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon organic lavender buds, no stems
8 ounces chocolate cookie (Recommended: Newman’s Organic Choco Alphabet Cookies)
Filling:
12 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream, cold
Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon organic lavender buds

1 buttered 9-inch springform pan.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine butter, honey and lavender. Heat until everything is just melted together. Use a food processor to pulse cookies until grainy. Add butter combination to cookies and pulse until combined. Lavender will be mostly broken apart. Push into springform pan, refrigerate 30 min. Whip goat cheese, lemon juice, honey and salt until smooth. Add heavy cream, whip until thick. Pour into crust and smooth top using a spatula. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. For topping, just before serving, warm honey and lavender a few minutes to infuse. Drizzle over cake, straining and serve.

I was going to post another post-summer wrap up when D told me I had to get these babies online– our Election Doughnuts.

We had a quart of raw milk go sour on us the other week so I’ve been attempting to use it up in baking applications. (Whereas raw milk will go sour and is still safe to consume (you can even consume it as a beverage), pasteurized milk goes rancid when it goes bad and should be discarded immediately when an off smell is noticed.)

I scanned baking books for quick recipes that required a lot of buttermilk (replacing it with my sour milk) and no matter how many cups I thought I’d be using up, I could swear this is a bottomless quart. Last week I made a loaf each of jalapeno cornbread and gingerbread, with milk to spare. But, it was a doughnut recipe I had been eyeing since the beginning of my search I was dying to try, but set aside because I didn’t think it used enough of the milk (only 3/4 a cup). This time, I hoped to finish off the milk.

We made this batter last night and fried up a few circular poppers before hitting the pillow, refrigerating the remaining dough (still unable to finish off the sour milk!). When a late afternoon snack was in order, and I rummaged for some cookie cutters that would work on the doughnuts, I pulled out a large square and a small star.

“This is weird,” D commented.

“No, cool.”

“Oh, wait, Election Doughnuts.”

A little more pre-thought and we could have made these rectangular (more flag shaped) with powdered sugar stripes (stencil some stripes)– maybe tomorrow with the last of the dough. As D transfered these out of the lard (that’s right, fried the good ol’ fashion way), I dusted them with powdered sugar and lamented, too bad we’re not having an election party tonight. But that just means more treats for us.

This batter was a bit of an experimentation. I prefer cake doughnuts, over yeasted (cake have a denser consistency), my favorite being the chocolate cake with sugar glaze. D is fond of the apple cider doughnut in fall months– also cake, so obviously a cake doughnut was in order. Step 1, doughnut style, over and easy.

Step 2 was to assemble a chocolate-cider doughnut without using D’s precious apple cider (he has found his new favorite beverage that combines apple cider, rum, brandy, lemon juice and maple syrup– or “all things perfect in fall” so I am not allowed to touch his cider). Instead, we went with semi-sweet chocolate and extra nutmeg for that fall flavor. Chocolate and nutmeg works, and the final doughnut had a hint of chocolate with a lingering nutmeg note. Nice.

Overall, I would have liked a little more rise in these doughnuts, but they were a good first time try. The finished consistency was good, but the chocolate flavoring isn’t there yet. Because I used semi-sweet chocolate, I reduced the sugar by 2 tablespoons. The end result was a doughnut that would make a good plain cake doughnut, but was not sweet enough to reach the chocolate cake or cider doughnut results desired, more sugar needed.

So if there is still time in your state, get out and vote– and eat your doughnut!

Chocolate-Cider Buttermilk Doughnut
Recipe TK

Clotted cream, or Devonshire Cream, is an all time favorite in this household. Forget a simple scone (and tea time for that matter), we’ll smear it onto cinnamon raisin toast, a hearty whole wheat soda bread, and just about any cracker-like formation at any time of the day. The biggest problem I have finding it, even in New York City, is that the good stuff (ie that imported from Devon, England) is hard to come by and fairly expensive for a mere 1-6 ounces. While high quality heavy cream isn’t that much cheaper, the taste of this homemade version is world’s better than any clotted cream I have been able to get my hands on State-side.

Clotted cream is similar to butter in that the fat content of the cream clots (hence clotted cream), but varies in that it is heated low and slow for several hours to bring the clots to the surface, rather than butter, which is agitated to form clots. The result is a slightly sweet and luxuriously smooth butter-like cream substance, or simply, clotted cream. It remains creamy when cold, though will still melt when smeared onto warm toast.
This super rich version is made with heavy cream from jersey cows (the cow breed, not the state). Many believe the higher the fat content of the cream you start with, the better your results. Do not attempt to make this with low-fat or ultra-pasteurized creams (remember: you need fat for this product!). Although a good quality organic full fat heavy cream (or whipping cream) will do, pasture-fed cows will produce the best quality clotted cream with a taste that will change with the seasons.

Brits will tell you clotted cream is best on scones at high tea, but I recommend you try it whenever the mood fits.

NOTE: Don’t let the long cook time throw you from making this recipe. It’s all undisturbed low-heat cooking followed by a night in the fridge.

Clotted Cream
Makes about 1.5 cups. Active time= about 10 minutes. Inactive time= 10 hours plus overnight.
2 cups heavy cream (raw cream or a good quality full-fat organic)

1) Preheat oven to 180 F. (This might just be a setting called “warm.”)
2) Place heavy cream in a heavy bottom ceramic, cast iron or enamel pot, about 8 inches by 13 inches. (You want to keep the cream shallow, but not so shallow it burns, 1-3 inches up the side is good.) Cover the pot and place in the center rack of the oven. Leave undisturbed 8-10 hours, until a dark yellow crust has formed on top of the cream.
3) Uncover and allow the cream to cool. Recover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
4) Using a spatula, pull the clotted cream from the dish and transfer to a storage container. Use leftover cream in baking applications. Use clotted cream in 4-5 days.

In the past few years we have seen a major push in cupcake appreciation. What was once a treat reserved for your school year birthday celebrations has turned into one hot commodity. In New York City you can hardly walk down the street without these memories of school years long past smacking you in the face, asking to be bought. These days, whether you pile them high with frosting or provide a sheer glaze, everyone loves a cupcake.

Is it our individualistic society and the fact that cupcakes are truly one’s private cake? Is it the unique possibilities (that are really so endlessly easy) with each cupcake? Is it because they remind us of our childhood? Or that eating one cupcake seems much more special than eating a slice of cake?

I love cupcakes because I can make a bunch and give them to a number of people with each one thinking the creation was solely for them. They are also easier to grab when you need your sugar fix. And really, they are more fun to eat than any dessert I can think of.

See my recent article in the Queens Chronicle, Romantic Recipes, for some cupcake ideas for your sweetheart. Included are three cupcake recipes I adapted from standards. Each recipe is delicious (just ask D who helped wolf them down in no time) and each fulfills a different kind of love.

For a hot, exotic romance, the Dark Chocolate Ancho Chili cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream frosting (pictured at top) is perfect. The dark chocolate cupcake is flavorful and moist and the ancho is an unexpected kick.

For the traditionalist in your life try the Chocolate cupcake with Champagne frosting (pictured middle). The cake is just slightly sweet allowing the champagne to really pop.

At bottom is the cupcake for your Queen (or King) bee. The Lemon-Vanilla cupcake with Honey frosting will set the stinger on love in no time flat.

For the classic recipe for Red Velvet cupcakes see my old post.

Follow this link to the recipes at the Queens Chronicle.

Also, check out my article last year on Aphrodisiacs for the holiday!

Wait a minute, you’re thinking.
Seriously? Did I just write that correctly? I’m thinking.

It’s all true. There are beets in that cake. As chocolatey and dense and delicious as it looks, beets lurk within. All that beet goodness gives the cake a slight red tint and a spectacular taste (no kidding). You can happily add this to your diet and eat it for dinner and dessert all in one. Er, maybe as a beet salad appetizer and dessert in one. Er… Okay… Just dessert. But you can pretend you are eating healthy from all those vegetables.

When I told D about this recipe he was less than pleased, How about just a chocolate cake?

How about we have 5 lbs of beets from our CSA’s winter share we need to go through in 3 weeks and we’re going to put beets wherever I please. For our last distribution I jarred our beets into some snappy rosemary pickles and needed a new and interesting outlet. Chocolate is always a kitchen winner, from mole to brownies, so with beets it would pair.

If you are still having problems with the sound of this cake, or any sweet vegetable cake, think about carrot cake, zucchini bread or the eggplant loaf. (Just kidding on that last one.)

Maybe this will become a sneaky way to get vegetables in your child’s meal, or a way to hide beets from the beetaphobe in your life. I guarantee this cake will be eaten.

The original game plan for this recipe was cupcakes. Fluffy beet and chocolate cupcakes. After a quick survey of the pantry, when no flour could be found, I decided a more dense, flourless cake was in order. I must say I am very happy no flour was found. I think the rich texture of this cake presents the beets very well. Paired with a tall glass of milk, I think of this as borscht for the new generation.

I found the original recipe on epicurious for a flourless chocolate cake and adapted it. I cut out some of the butter and cocoa powder and because beets contain natural sugars, I reduced the amount of sugar. I also found 1 full egg and 2 egg whites to be plenty (okay, I only had 1 egg and 2 whites frozen- but it worked!). And of course, the original recipe contained no beets, so I added plenty.

Flourless Chocolate Beet Cake
Active time= 15 minutes. Bake time= 25 minutes
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 egg, separated plus 2 egg whites
salt
1-1/2 cups grated (cooked) beets plus 2 tablespoons cooking juice
1/4 cup cocoa powder

1) Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter an 8-inch cake pan, line it with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper.
2) In a double boiler set over medium heat, melt the chocolate and butter.
3) With an electric mixer, begin beating egg whites with a pinch of salt and the beet juice. As whites build, add the sugar, egg yolk and zest into the chocolate mixture, stirring to incorporate evenly. Add grated beets to the chocolate and incorporate.
4) Gently fold in the egg whites and cocoa powder until just combined. Pour into the buttered cake pan and bake 25 minutes in the center of the oven.
5) Cake is ready when a toothpick comes out clean on the sides, but slightly wet in the middle. Remove
from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Invert the cake on a plate and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.