Baking Bread

“She heard the air whooshing into the big bellows in the forge and the practice tap for range of hammer and anvil. She heard Liza open the oven door and the thump of a kneaded loaf on the floury board.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

At the grocery store there is a brand of wheat berry bread I adore. I wanted to create a stellar whole grain bread with wheat berries that has the nutty taste I love and ingredients I understand. A splash of cocoa and sprinkle of nutmeg work in harmony to deepen the warm whole grain flavors in this Irresistible Wheat Berry Bread.

I entered this recipe in the National Festival of Breads and received an Honorable Mention in the Whole Grain category. The contest specified that the recipe yield two loaves. If that is to much bread, the recipe can easily be cut in half with excellent results.

Essentials

It took me many tries to arrive at a place of irresistibility with this recipe. I wanted lots and lots of wheat berries but not a dense or heavy bread. I searched for deep rich whole grain flavor but with a soft mellow taste. A bread that could happily accompany soup at dinner or be slathered with butter and honey for breakfast. The bread had to be easy to slice to fit in our toaster. Just cooking the wheat berries and adding them to the bread dough made a less than perfect loaf of bread. It was too chewy and nearly impossible to cut a slice of bread without crumbling and tearing apart. The solution is to roughly chop 2/3 of the cooked wheat berries and leave 1/3 of the berries whole. To obtain the deep, mellow flavor I craved I found honey was the best sweetener to use with whole grain wheat. White and brown sugar were too sharp and loud while agave nectar lacked the character of honey that stands tall in flavor when paired with whole wheat. Still searching for vibrant flavor I found that just a dusting of cocoa power paired with the smallest amount of nutmeg makes the loaf sparkle with wheat wheat goodness that is hard to resist.

1. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whipping attachment. Add the yeast and mix until dissolved. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Let the mixture rest for five to ten minutes.
2. Add the butter and honey to the mixing bowl and thoroughly combine. Add two cups of the bread flour, salt, cocoa powder and nutmeg mixing to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Remove the whip attachment and replace with the dough hook. Add the remaining cup of bread flour and all the whole wheat flour. When the flours are almost mixed into the wet ingredients add the wheat berries, mix to combine. The dough will come together in a ball around the dough hook. Add the flaked whole wheat cereal and mix for five to eight minutes until the dough is shiny and elastic. If the dough is too moist add flour, a tablespoon at a time at the outside edge of the mixing bowl. Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the mixer. Place the dough in a large buttered bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
3. Butter two 9” x 5” loaf pans and set aside. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to deflate. Divide the dough in half. Form each piece of dough into a loaf shape and press evenly into the prepared pans. Cover the loaves and let rise for 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Heat the oven to 350°. Bake the loaves for 35-40 minutes. Check the loaves after 30 minutes and tent with foil if browning too quickly. When the loaves are done they will be a deep tawny brown and have slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan. A cake tester inserted will come out clean.
5. To prepare 4 Cups of wheat berries: Soak 2 cups of whole wheat berries in water for 8 hours or overnight. Place the berries in a saucepan and cover with water 2”of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Add more water if needed. Cook the wheat berries until they are plump and a few of the berries have burst open. Drain and cool the wheat berries. Roughly chop the wheat berries in a blender, food processor or by hand, leaving approximately 1/3 of the berries whole. I use hard red wheat berries. Different types of wheat may result in different yields after cooking.

Lessons in Acceptance

“I have wondered why it is that some people are less affected and torn by the verities of life and death than others.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Like kite tails swirling in the blustery spring wind; days whirl by. Tangled together the strings are difficult to separate, one day resembles the next. We go along, go along and then venture a bit further. Further from ourselves and what really means the most to us. Sometimes, all the pressures and self imposed expectations of family, work and self intertwine into a jumbled ball of tension and frustration that is more challenging and time consuming to sort out than the tangled kite string. I had arrived at such a place. At the time I didn’t understand how I got there; I was just hanging on to that jumble of a swirling kite tail. Spinning, dizzy with raging emotions I was unsure of myself. I needed shelter from the intense vertigo and most of all needed to accept my arrival at the destination I had played a part in choosing. In the five stages of grief, acceptance is last. No matter how hard we work or how smart we may be the realization that life has blemishes and injuries result in scars is at times daunting.

It was during my spin and decent into the cushion of acceptance that Max the Cat came into my life. I have shared Max’s history before and his way of being. I’m not convinced that Max is as special as I like to portray him. But undoubtedly his arrival was special. I learned a lesson I had forgotten. To accept life as it unfolds and revel in the imperfections as unique as shining jewels that litter the path we travel.

Max purrs easily and loves to cuddle on my lap. He still runs to hide at any loud noise. Surround sound from the TV, music of any type, loud noise in the kitchen, a rattled paper or magazine, a voice without kindness sends him scampering under our bed. And under the bed he will stay until he is ready to emerge. Anthropomorphically, we infer “Max got his furry feelings hurt”. And furry he is. I could vacuum daily and still there would be cat fur. Being the serious, but affectionate type he only plays occasionally. Laser pointers are of no interest. He remains hungry. Unless he has just eaten, he wants to eat again. He is an anxious pest before his breakfast and dinner. In the morning he will pounce on the bed, run across both of us and then wait, watching us until we get up. At 3 p.m. he begins hovering, pacing and being a nuisance until his dinner at 5 p.m. And so we have a fat cat. Not as huge as when he came to us seven years ago, but still, a fat cat. I share Max’s habits and personality as an example of an extraordinary friend. A friend with deeply ingrained habits and imperfections and yet we accept him for who is, Max the Cat. Letting go of the expectation of perfection is liberating. Max is a tangible reminder that with acceptance peace is possible.

Essentials

This post is a celebration of Max’s seventh year with us. We are guessing that he is now nine years old. I’ve taken to baking a treat for his human family on the anniversary of the day he came to live with us. A reminder of how quickly time passes and another irresistible reason to celebrate the unique sweetness that is Max the Cat. If you are interested in Max’s anthropomorphic qualities or enjoy cats he has a very active Twitter account @ColonelMomo. His nickname Colonel Momo suits his bossy personality perfectly, although we endearingly call him “Momo” or just “Mo”. Max is the “proper” name he arrived with seven years ago.

Since Max is a seal point Siamese I tend to bake something chocolate on Max’s Day. This year I chose the Giant Cookie Cake from Martha Stewart’s Cakes and Cupcakes. The gigantic Chocolate Chip Cookies suit Max perfectly in color and size! The finished cake is so much fun; who doesn’t enjoy chocolate chip cookies? The cookies are astonishingly sweet, while the cream cheese frosting retains its appealing tang. Paired together as a cake each voluptuous bite results in an impressive and lavish dessert. This was a easy Martha recipe but the instructions were a bit haphazard. It just wasn’t possible to beat 6T of butter and a total of 2-1/4 sugar into creamy submission. The sugar overwhelmed the butter and after ten minutes of mixing I moved onto the next step. The cake is a breeze to put together and easy to slice and serve.

Foraging—The Serendipity of the Find

“Kate could make pretty floral arrangements using only the blossoms from weeds she picked in fields.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Last weekend we went to Elkhorn Slough Reserve for a foraging walk. Under the guidance of Bree Candiloro, a stewardship specialist at the reserve and Dr. Keith Rayburn, a physician who has studied natural medicines we identified thirty-five plants that were used by the Ohlone Indian tribe. Many of the plants served multiple purposes: food, medicinal and utilitarian. Our curated walk took us to areas normally off limits to visitors, from bright sun dappled open spaces, a field lush with natives grasses and then under a canopy of native California oaks we found the vibrant green growth of a forest. We located the ultra hip stinging nettle and after the walk tasted stinging nettle pesto. I was able to bring home some nettles and used them in Lasagna with Stinging Nettle, Asparagus and Peas. Once the nettles are cooked they lose their potent sting and have a mellow grassy, herbaceous taste. It’s really quite amazing to find that so many plants native to California have uses that were discovered centuries ago by the Ohlone Indian tribe.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Foraging for food as a concept is fascinating. I’ve bartered or traded for food on occasion; but usually I spend money to obtain food. The more I’ve learned about foraging the more I wondered–where can you forage? In the United States all land is either owned by a governmental entity or owned privately. I have read articles about foraging ethically and about outlawing foraging. If I were a land owner or concerned about preserving a park, reserve or other open space I can understand the opinion that foragers are trespassing and stealing. It’s easier and faster to go to the farmers market for stinging nettles, ramps and unique mushrooms than finding a spot to forage but certainly not as much fun.

Essentials

Foraging speaks to the desire of being thrifty and using what is readily available, in season. The serendipity of the find is exciting. And in some ways we all forage or search for treasures: the unblemished fruit at the grocery store, the freshest bread at the bakery, the best Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, the least expensive fuel for our cars, the magazine without crumpled pages. One of my favorite foraging adventures is a trip to the thrift store. I might find a cookbook or more kitchen gear or I might come home empty handed. A few weeks ago I found a stoneware cookie mold in the image of the sun. I was going to tuck it away with my cookie cutters but with so much sunshine instead of our usual fog I thought it fitting to give it a try. A Google search revealed the the sun mold was once a part of a four piece collection and is no longer being made. I couldn’t believe my luck but wished I had the complete set of four molds. One cookie takes twenty-five minutes to bake and ten minutes to cool before unmolding. I reused the mold while it was still warm otherwise I would have been baking into the night!

A crisp, buttery shortbread cookie with tiny bursts of crunch from cornmeal is reminiscent of a sunny spring day. I adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart for my Citrus Shortbread with Cornmeal cookies. I wanted a naturally yellow shortbread cookie dough to fill my sun mold. The pale yellow semolina flour can be replaced with regular flour as in the original Martha Stewart recipe. Use finely milled cornmeal or your shortbread will have a grainy texture. I also used a sunny yellow Irish butter in the recipe. Shortbread is all about the butter; use the best quality you can.

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a sheet pan with parchment, set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and zest, mixing to combine. Add the flours, cornmeal and salt and mix throughly, stopping to scrape down bottom and side of the bowl.
3. If using a cookie mold fill 3/4 full of dough, spreading evenly across the entire mold. The shortbread must be throughly cooked in the middle for the cookie to release from the mold. The sun mold I used took 25 minutes. The shortbread will be a toasty brown around the edges of the mold. Let the mold cool for 10 minutes then turn over and tap the edge of the mold against the table or counter to release the cookie. Cool throughly on a wire rack.
4. Alternately, roll the dough into two logs and then wrap in plastic or wax paper and chill throughly. Cut the chilled logs into 1/3” thick cookies and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake cookies 18-20 minutes. When done the cookies will have lightly browned edges and the middle will be set. Cool on tray for 3-5 minutes, then remove cookies to wire rack to finish cooling.

Elkhorn Slough Reserve

I am excited to share that an article I authored is published in the Spring issue of Anthology magazine. Salt of the Earth is the story of Joy Colangelo and Jessica Baer who gather salt water from Monterey Bay for their product, Monterey Bay Sea Salt. Athena’s lyrical photographs meld with my story to tell the tale of the mermaids of Monterey Bay. I hope you enjoy the article!

Spring Zing

“A kind of light spread out from her. And everything changed color. And the world opened out. And a day was good to awaken to. And there were no limits to anything.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Light shifts with the seasons. It’s vague and unassuming at first. We’re never sure when it really happens. The annual time change confuses our innate ability to feel the change. We must see it. We are so busy reestablishing our daily rhythms that one day we realize winter with its sharp dramatic edges and deep shadows of light has been replaced with a softer focus. The plush velvet curtain of winter is pulled back to reveal a stage where the merry making of spring always surprises us. As the light brightens it pushes away the last scrap of winter revealing all the sparkling color we crave.

The shift from winter to spring is dramatic in the Salinas Valley. Fields and highways come alive with the return of spring crops. Planting, irrigating, harvesting, packaging and transporting all coalesce into a mass of activity that is the foundation of the local economy. The dark winter shadows that fell on the furrows of idle fields are replaced with sprouts of bright verdant green and splashes of ruby red. If one color were chosen to describe the Valley it would be green. From field to field shades of bright chartreuse to rich emerald color our view with spring zing.

Spring is the season to enjoy California asparagus. I visited V&V Farms in Gonzales to learn more about growing asparagus in the Salinas Valley. The day of my visit was foggy but the previous weeks warmth had encouraged rapid growth of the asparagus. I visited on a bustling day of harvesting and packaging activity. Brian Violini’s family has been growing asparagus for over twenty five years on their family farm in Gonzales. Asparagus takes two years to mature into the amazing spears we buy in tidy bunches at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Each individual spear of asparagus is harvested by hand, gathered and transported to the packaging facility to be washed, sorted and packaged for shipping. I knew I would be enthralled with the fields of asparagus but I was truly amazed at the packaging facility. The understated exterior of the building holds no clue to the sparkling clean, modern processing facility inside. Packaged with The Coastal View label, V&V fresh asparagus can be found at Costco and Sam’s Club.

Essentials

Freshly picked asparagus has a sweet grassy taste, without any bitter notes. When shopping for asparagus remember to check the trimmed ends of the spears as well as the tips. If the ends are dry, look for fresher spears that are still hydrated.

To celebrate the vibrant freshness of just harvested asparagus I gently blanched the spears, pairing them with a dollop of homemade ricotta. I made ricotta from whole milk, lemon juice, vinegar and salt from America’s Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook. It was easy and much faster to make than I imagined. Keep it simple by buying ricotta at the store; just make sure to purchase fresh not the creamy kind in the white tub. The mildly sweet ricotta adds a delicate voluptuousness without being overly rich. To balance the robust flavor of the asparagus lemon zest adds a zap of sunshine while mint arrives for an elegant finish.

1. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, set aside. To blanch the asparagus, fill a large pot with water and bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the asparagus to the boiling water. When the water returns to a boil cook the asparagus for just a minute or two. When ready, the asparagus will just begin to turn color, a deep vibrant emerald green. Do not over cook or your asparagus will be limp instead of tender-crisp. The asparagus I used were very thick and I only cooked them for a minute and a half. Quickly but gently remove the asparagus from the boiling water and immediately immerse them in the ice cold water. As soon as the spears have cooled drain them while preparing the ricotta.
2. In a small bowl mix the ricotta and 3/4 of the lemon zest. Plate the cooled asparagus and scoop ricotta across the middle of the spears. Garnish with a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, mint and the remaining lemon zest. The asparagus can be eaten as soon as prepared or chilled to be eaten later.

V&V Farms shared freshly picked asparagus with me. This is not a sponsored post; the recipe and opinions are my own.

V&V Farms asparagus field, Gonzales

Baby asparagus (first year), V&V Farms, Gonzales

Change and Gratitude

“Charles buttered a slice of bread, gouged out a knifeful of jam, and spread it over the butter. He dug butter for his second slice and left a slop of jam on the butter roll.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The horrific events of this past week have humbled me. As much as we American’s like to grumble our lives are relatively easy, and safe. Until events shake us to our core. I practice a ritual of gratitude; you might call it prayer. Every day I spend a few moments focusing my thoughts on what I am grateful for in my life. Some days are easier than others. But it is on those challenging days that being grateful becomes the most important. A reminder of each days grace and beauty centers me. I regain my balance in a world that is a spinning top in a vast unknown universe.

I was mired in complacency, bored with my daily routine, schedule, commitments. I craved a great spring adventure. The events of this week brought thoughts of shame and grief. All the victims, families and friends of both tragedies would love to return to their daily routines. Their lives have forever been altered. It has been a challenging week for change and gratitude.

Essentials

This is the bread that met no resistance as we changed our morning routine. It is important to eat a nutritious breakfast. Our bodies need fuel to start the busy day and keep hunger at bay until we have a mid-morning snack or when busy, lunch time. Our go to breakfast is scrambled eggs and toasted store bought bread. I noticed that when we have home made whole grain bread for breakfast I don’t get as hungry before lunch and my energy level remains more consistent during the morning. I was inspired to make a breakfast bread that was packed with as much nutritional value as possible and tasted good with or without jam. The bread had to fit easily in our toaster, be quick to prepare and last for several days without any loss of quality. The bread had to be good enough that I liked it better than my beloved organic raisin bread and my husband liked it better than his whole wheat English muffin–good enough to willingly change our early morning habits.

This bread can be made with just oatmeal but I prefer the nuanced taste and nutrition from the combination of grains: oat, rye, barley and wheat. Flax meal adds an unabashed wallop of nutrition. And so does Uncle Sam’s Original Cereal which has whole flax seeds mixed with wheat flakes. But Wheaties or any other whole grain flaked cereal will work in the recipe. Depending on the density of the rolled grain cereal and the flaked cereal you may or may not need the entire 3 cups of flour, or you may need a bit more. The recipe is flexible. The dough should come together in a ball around the dough hook in the bowl of the stand mixer. If the dough is too wet, add a tablespoon of flour to the inside edge of the bowl until the dough stays wrapped around the dough hook as it is kneaded in the mixer.

I keep the cooled rolls in the refrigerator. For breakfast I slice the rolls in half before toasting. Even though the rolls are jam packed with whole grain goodness they are not tough, dry or chewy. Hydrating the flaked grains softens them, giving body and nutty whole grain nutrition to the rolls. There is just enough just honey in the recipe that adding a smear of jam becomes an optional morning indulgence.

1. Pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whipping attachment. Add the yeast and mix until dissolved. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Let the mixture rest for ten minutes.
2. In a heat resistant bowl pour the boiling water over the rolled grain cereal. Make sure all the cereal is submerged under the water. Set aside to hydrate for at least ten minutes.
3. To the mixing bowl of the stand mixer add the butter and honey and thoroughly combine. Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1cup of the bread flour mixing to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Remove the whip attachment and replace with the dough hook. Add remaining half cup of bread flour and all the whole wheat flour. When the flours are mixed into the wet ingredients add the hydrated rolled grain cereal (and any liquid in the bowl), mixing to combine. The dough will begin to come together in a ball around the dough hook. Add the flaked whole wheat cereal and mix for five to eight minutes until the dough is shiny and elastic. If the dough is too moist add flour, a tablespoon at a time. Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the mixer. Place the dough in a buttered bowl. Cover and let rest for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Butter a 9 x 13″ pan (or other baking pan) and set aside. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times to deflate. Form the dough into a rectangle approximately 6 inches wide by 10 inches deep. Cut the rectangle in 2″ strips with a knife or bench scraper. Then cut the strips into 2″ squares. (The squares do not need to be perfect.) Place the 15 squares of dough in the prepared pan: 3 across and 5 deep. Cover the dough and let rise for 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Heat the oven to 350°. Gently brush the rolls with melted butter, if desired. Bake the rolls for 23-28 minutes. Check the rolls after 20 minutes and tent with foil if browning too quickly. When the rolls are done they will be a deep tawny brown and have slightly pulled away from the edges of the pan. A cake tester inserted will come out clean.

Return of the Lounging Bananas

“Kate was in no hurry. She thought to the end very quickly and then put it out of her mind. She let herself work on the method. She built a structure and attacked it, and if it showed the slightest shakiness she tore it down and started fresh.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The ripe bananas have returned. My fruit bowl has become a tropical retreat. Mangos and oranges lounge seductively atop a pile of sultry ripe bananas. Their presence needed only a nudge from coconut and ginger to become Tropical Banana Cake. Sweet bananas on a tropical vacation end up lounging with their new friends, ginger, mango and coconut. Ginger sparkles dropping hints of tropical warmth. Tantalizing mango blushes with sweet buttery spice while coconut sways in the balmy breeze. A tropical escape baked in a cake.

Purchasing those big bags of bananas at Costco is so irresistible. We buy more bananas than we can eat at a price that is impossible to resist. I have made muffins and bread. It was time to make dessert. This cake started out as a tropical version of Banana Bread and evolved into a rustic cake after I was inspired by Ina Garten’s Old-Fashioned Banana Cake.

Essentials

During my banana cake testing I discovered a heady organic coconut extract with a lush tropical smell and taste that whispers summer sunshine. If you like coconut and can find the extract I recommend adding it to your pantry. Adding the coconut extract to the cake recipe results in a more pronounced coconut flavor, but is not essential to the recipe.

Dice the fresh and dried mango into small pieces as it will be easier to distribute evenly in the cake batter and to cut the finished cake into slices. Adding both fresh and dried mango are the essence of this cake and worth every minute spent chopping and dicing. The cake can be baked in a loaf pan or made into cupcakes. If the frosting is too much of a good thing it may be omitted. The cake is terrific without adornment.

1. Heat oven 425° to roast the fresh mango. On a parchment lined sheet pan toss the diced mango with the brown sugar and then spread the mango in a single layer. Roast for 10-15 minutes just until the mango is soft when pierced and the sugar is just starting to caramelize. Cool before adding to the cake batter.
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°. Spread the coconut across a parchment lined sheet pan. Toast for 3–5 minutes, until the coconut turns a golden brown. Watch the coconut closely as it will turn from toasted to burnt very quickly. Cool before adding to the cake batter.
3. Leave the oven on at 350°. Grease 3-5″ (or 2-8″) cake pans. Cut a parchment circle to fit in the bottom of the cake pans, fit inside the pans and grease again. Flour only the bottom of the cake pans, trying not to cover the sides of the pans with too much flour. Arrange banana chips vertically around the inner edge of each cake pan.
4. Into a medium size mixing bowl sift or shake through a large sieve flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices, set aside.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the bananas until no large lumps remain. Mix in both sugars. Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each into the batter. Add the butter, coconut milk, orange zest and extracts, mix to combine. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Do not over mix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in both dried and roasted mango, ginger and one cup of the coconut. (Reserve 1/2C coconut to decorate the frosted cake.) Take care to distribute the mango, ginger and coconut evenly throughout the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the center of the prepared cake pans. Evenly distribute the batter between the pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. When done, a cake tester will come out clean and the cake will have pulled away from the sides of the pan and be a tawny golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Release the cake from the pans, by running a kitchen knife around the edge of the pan. Then invert the cakes onto a cooling rack finish cooling. Cool completely before frosting.
7. While the cake cools prepare the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and cream cheese together. There should be no visible lumps. Mix in the extracts and then the powdered sugar. Add coconut milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.
8. Place one cake on a cake stand or a serving plate and frost just the top of the cake with a generous amount of frosting. Place the second cake on top of the frosted cake and gently press down on the bottom layer. Frost just the top of the second cake. Decorate the top with banana chips and coconut.

Organization Dilemmas

“Liza’s little round face grew redder and redder. She organized and ordered. The kitchen stove never went out.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I have always been proud of my organization skills. When my possessions and treasures have a specific place I feel better about my personal environment. This is especially true in the kitchen. I am delighted when I know what is in my pantry or freezer and where it is located. Taking inventory and locating ingredients before the next shopping trip is so much faster and less frustrating. This week I organized and then went shopping. When I came home I crammed everything in the freezer and pantry without any thought of the time I had just spent organizing. I realized this is my style of organization and a pattern of behavior that might “possibly” be frustrating for those who share the kitchen with me. I’m astonished at my habits and method of organization in the kitchen. When you return from shopping, do you have have the discipline and time to organize everything as you put it away?

During my freezer rearranging I found a package of Bing cherries from last summer’s trip to the orchard. The icy spheres were buried under the powdered sugar and containers of pesto. I roasted some of the cherries with brown sugar and mixed them with cherry jam to fill the Hand Pies. I also used some of the dough to make pockets filled with leftover lemon curd and others with Muscat grape jelly.

Essentials

Hand Pies can be made with pie crust dough or Pate Brisee. Pate Brisee is similar to an American pie crust dough with egg yolks included in the wet ingredients. I used Chef Andre Adams recipe from the Baking and Pastry Arts Program at Monterey Peninsula College. The ingredients are measured by weighing on a scale to obtain consistent results with baked products. A buttery, flaky crust envelopes a sweet fruit filling for a charming spring treat. The cherry and lemon curd Hand Pies yielded the best results. The Muscat grape jelly melted out of the seams of the tiny pockets; leaving the buttery dough with a whisper of grape jelly.

1. Mix together the eggs yolks and 150gr/5oz of cold water, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to dry ingredients. Mix until butter is the size of large peas. With the mixer on low speed add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients. The dough should come together in large clumps. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time if the dough is too dry. Do not over mix. Scrape the dough out on floured work surface. With as little handling as possible bring the dough together into a flattened circle. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least one hour.
2. While the dough chills roast the cherries. Heat the oven to 425°. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Mix the cherries with the brown sugar and scatter across the surface of the sheet pan. Roast for 10-15 minutes until the cherries just begin to release their juice. Cool the cherries and then mix together with the jam and almond extract. Sieve the cornstarch over the top of the bowl and mix again.
3. To make the Hand Pies, preheat oven to 375°. Line a large sheet pan with parchment. Make an egg wash by mixing an egg and 1T of water, set aside.
4. With a floured rolling pin, on a floured work surface roll out the dough in a large square. As needed, add small amount of flour to the surface when rolling out the dough. Roll out until the dough is approximately 1/8″ thick. Cut the dough into rectangles. My Cherry Hand pies were 6 x 3-1/2″. Gather the scraps together and roll out again to make more hand pies. In the middle of half of the rectangles place 3–4 Tablespoons of the cherry filling. Leave an edge of 1/2″ to seal the Hand Pie. Moisten the edge of each filled rectangle with the prepared egg wash. Place a second rectangle of dough on top of each of the filled rectangles. With the tines of a fork seal all four edges of the Hand Pies. I used cookie cutters to cut shapes from the dough scraps to decorate my hand pies; totally optional. The backs of the decorative elements are brushed with the egg wash and gently pressed onto the hand pies. Lightly brush the tops of each Hand Pie with egg wash just before baking.
5. Bake: For 18–23 minutes. The hand pies will puff a bit and be a light golden brown on the edges when done. Cool slightly before serving.

Spring Foraging

“Romie Lane was muddy with pools of water standing in the new wheel ruts, and the tall wild oats and mustard grew beside the road, with wild turnip forcing its boisterous way up and stickery beads of purple thistles rising above the green riot of the wet spring.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Early spring is an astonishing time to forage along the coast of California. Every patch of soil that was graced with winter rain has sprouted new shoots with tender blossoms floating on a sea of green leaves. Joy Colangelo gave Athena and me an introductory plant foraging lesson in Monterey. Joy is a co-owner of Monterey Bay Sea Salt and has been foraging for almost thirty years. Her knowledge of plant foraging is focused on survival skills. Not only what can be eaten to survive, but what plants can be used as shelter or even to supplement clothing to keep warm. It is the ultimate serendipity to find what you need right where you are! Time spent with Joy is inspiration to spend time learning more about the planet we inhabit.

Joy Colangelo foraging Miner’s Lettuce in Monterey

Dried Wild Anise flowers

Foraging Wild Anise

We literally walked across the street from where we parked our cars to learn that the location of our plant foraging session had over twenty edible foods. I was amazed to see Miner’s Lettuce, Wild Radish, Wild Anise, the nutritious purslane, sorrel, and Scotch Broom. We learned to identify poisonous hemlock with fronds similar to wild carrot and parsnip. Smitten with the delicate lavender blossoms of the Wild Radish I later foraged a few blossoms to pair with my Goat Cheese Biscuits.

Essentials

Working butter into flour by hand is a tactile pleasure that never fails to delight. A surprising alchemy occurs when goat cheese is added to the dough. The feather light biscuits have fluffy white clouds of tangy goat cheese hiding inside. If you can find Wild Radish growing in an area free of pollution from car exhaust and with a clean water source they can be added to the top of the biscuits. The blossoms are very delicate to handle. They have a barely there taste of radish which pairs very nicely with the tangy goat cheese, buttermilk and zesty sage. A sprinkle of flaky Monterey Bay Sea Salt imparts a crisp clean finish to these tender biscuits.

Flaky, light Biscuits are easy to make. The critical step is how the dough is treated once the liquid is added to the dry ingredients. I don’t use a spoon to mix in the liquid; I use a flexible dough and bowl scraper. Using the scraper with a lifting and rolling motion to mix the liquid and dry ingredients until they are almost combined results in a biscuit with a soft and flaky texture. I scrape the dough out of the bowl and unto my floured work surface. With just a few gentle kneading motions the dough comes together in a cohesive ball. With a quick roll and cut into shapes the biscuits are ready for the oven.

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment, set aside. Heat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and 1T water, set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl sift or shake through a sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the cold butter into cubes and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter work the butter into the flour. Combine until the butter is coated with flour and resembles large crumbs. Add the goat cheese and using your fingers or a pastry cutter work the cheese into the flour. Leave the goat cheese in chunks. Some chunks should be larger, roughly the size of a nickel.
3. Add the buttermilk mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture. Gently mix to combine, just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and using your hands gently form the dough into a flattened ball shape. With a flour dusted rolling pin or your hands gently flatten the dough into a circle that is 1″ high. To make twelve biscuits use a floured 3″ in diameter pastry cutter. Cut out the biscuits by pressing straight down, without twisting the cutter. Place them on the parchment covered sheet pan. Gently reform the scraps to make more biscuits.
4. Gently brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg mixture. Press two or three flowers onto the tops of the biscuits and one or two sage leaves. Place the flowers and sage close together as the top of the biscuits will spread during baking. (The sage can be dipped in the egg mixture if it does not adhere to the biscuit top.) Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with sea salt. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the biscuits are fluffy golden brown and voluptuous with goat cheese.

Scotch Broom and Wild Radish

Wild Radish, Goat Cheese, and Sage

Goat Cheese Biscuits with Wild Radish Flowers and Sage

For Easter

“I want a purple egg.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Spring and Easter are all about new beginnings. For me that means trying something new; using my imagination to reach past self imposed boundaries and limits. Waking from winter hibernation there is a lethargy that lingers. Only a sunny, crisp spring day can shake off that last winter heaviness and push us out into the light.

I could have blogged another dessert. Thoughts of Coconut Cake with Raspberries has been vying for my attention. Instead I indulged my imagination by dyeing eggs and making dioramas with bunnies and chicks for Easter. I hope my indulgence brings a smile to welcome spring in the northern hemisphere.

Essentials

I spent two afternoons dyeing eggs with natural and found materials instead of food dye. My initial plan was to use plant material from my yard and items I already had in the pantry as the dye. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. After reviewing this chart I tried yellow daffodils, red camellias and then red beets (which I purchased on the second day). I also tried cinnamon, turmeric and chili powder. Turmeric resulted in the best color; a golden yellow. Beets gave the eggs a mottled finish in pale pink. Daffodils, camellias, cinnamon and chili powder were all disappointing. There are many differing, yet similar techniques to try when dying eggs with plant material. All call for boiling the plant material and adding vinegar to set the dye. I used this one. I also tried wrapping the eggs in silk fabric (from my fabric stash) to transfer the fabric pattern onto the eggs. Although the patterns transferred to the eggs they were too pale to say the process was a success. I imagine using silk with deep, dark colors would yield the best results. This was the most intriguing of my experiments.

The trend of scenes in jars, even sno-globes caught my attention over a year ago. Finding the fluffy bunnies and chicks was all the impetus I needed to make my own spring scenes. I gathered felt and glue and used cookie cutters as the templates for the flowers. A few dabs of glue later the jars were filled with spring!

Marshmallow Time

“He lost track of time and he did not know how long he had been standing in the doorway.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

March arrived with a jolt of awareness that time was passing, quickly. The days of the calendar flirted with me. Pay attention to me now or I will pass you by. We hurl down the freeway of time as the miles melt away in the rear view mirror of yesterday. Just a tease, a fleeting glimpse as the calendar marks the miles traveled. A quarter of the year will soon be gone and there is so much I still want to accomplish.

Essentials

Chubby pieces of toasted coconut, chunks of crumbled Graham Crackers and toasted marshmallows are folded into a coconut ice cream base for a lush spring treat. The flavors and textures mix and mingle into an enchanting dance of scoopable seduction. You must tell yourself one scoop is enough. I imagine adding chunks of chocolate would transform the ice cream into a tropical S’More.

I have been happily enthralled with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home since last summer. Her innovative ice creams do not include an egg custard but use cornstarch, corn syrup and cream cheese in the base recipe. Her method for making a smooth rich ice cream is irresistible. I used her recipe for Bangkok Peanut Ice Cream that includes coconut milk along with milk and cream as the base for my Coconut Graham Ice Cream with Toasted Marshmallows.

For the Graham Crackers and marshmallows I used recipes from America’s Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook. The marshmallow recipe yielded the most sucessful results I have ever had but the Graham Cracker recipe was disappointing. While the marshmallows were the least sticky (after cooling!) of any recipe I’ve ever tried the Grahams stuck like glue to the top piece of parchment paper when I tried to roll them out. I started over, chilling the dough before rolling them out on top of a piece of parchment. The dough was much easier to handle after chilling. I cut and scored the Grahams directly on the parchment as the recipe directed but I also used my bench scraper to gently seperate the crackers before baking. This resulted in all four edges of the cracker having the same decorative edge. I also lowered the oven temperature to 350° from 375°. The batch I baked at 375° resulted in Grahams with overly browned edges and centers that were still soft.

1. In a small bowl stir together 2T of the whole milk and the cornstarch. Set aside.
2. In large bowl mix the cream cheese and salt until there are no visible lumps. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan whisk together remaining milk, cream, coconut milk, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture. (Leave the burner on.) Return the saucepan to the stove and bring the mixture back to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute.
4. Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese. There should not be any lumps.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ice cream. Chill completely before processing.
6. While the ice cream mixture chills toast the coconut. Heat the oven to 350°. Spread the coconut across a parchment lined sheet pan. Toast for 3–5 minutes, until the coconut turns a golden brown. Watch the coconut closely as it will turn from toasted to burnt very quickly. Cool before adding to the ice cream.
7. While the ice cream mixture chills toast the marshmallows. Heat the oven to broil. Spread the marshmallows across a parchment lined sheet pan. Toast until the marshmallows are browned. Watch the marshmallows closely as they will go from toasted to burnt very quickly. Cool before adding to the ice cream.
8. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker; process according to manufacturer’s instructions. I mixed in the coconut, grahams and marshmallows after I removed the ice cream from the maker.
9. Transfer ice cream to a storage container and freeze until set.
   Garnish with additional toasted marshmallows if desired.