Sugary whole wheat crust filled with custard made from pureed peaches and apricots and topped with sweet California peaches
Amaaaaazing! Super creamy, fruity and fresh. Here’s the link to the recipe. Enjoy!
Sugary whole wheat crust filled with custard made from pureed peaches and apricots and topped with sweet California peaches
Amaaaaazing! Super creamy, fruity and fresh. Here’s the link to the recipe. Enjoy!
These crackers could be healthy. I mean, they are if you eat just a few. The problem is that they are just epically good and nearly impossible to stop eating!
The recipe (from Honeycomb) is a long list of good-for-you things like dried fruit, seeds and nuts. Also, it’s lightening quick to put together (though a bit time consuming to freeze and bake twice). I especially like the freezing stage of the process. After baking, you freeze it and then once solid, slice and bake. So brilliant; I would totally make a few loaves at once, freeze them and then slice off only what I need.
I’ve made this a few times and each time I throw in a different combination of fruit and nuts, i.e., whatever I have in my cupboard. This time I went with dried banana chips (homemade from here), raisins, almonds, flax and sesame seeds. Previously, I’ve used coconut flakes, walnuts, cranberries and sesame. Oh, and I never put in the rosemary. I think it would taste nice, but I keep forgetting to pick it up from the store. Next time, I guess!
Just a few tips:
-No buttermilk? Make your own. 1 cup milk plus 4 1/2 tsp lemon juice will give you a little over 1 cup. The full recipe calls for 2.
-Freezing into a completely frozen loaf is hard. Let it thaw ca. 5 minutes. Just don’t leave it out too long–it won’t slice well if it’s too soft.
-Bake time depends on how thin you slice. Mine are always on the thin side, so I usually bake 10-12 minutes on each side.
Here’s the link to the recipe. Enjoy!
Wow, this bread is seriously good! When I showed it to my friend LazyEaterSF, she was like, “It looks like real bread.” It does, doesn’t it?
I found the recipe on Bakies blog and I believe the original is from British Larder. It’s a great recipe, though I encountered some difficulties with the amounts, probably due to conversion to cups. Maybe my Recipe Converter app is off. Anyway, this always seems to happen when trying to convert measurements. The dry to liquid ingredients wasn’t right, so I ended up adding about 1 cup more water than was specified. Also, my dough took a lot more time to proof than was stated in the original. This is probably because I don’t have instant yeast and only have active dry at home. In any case, I let the dough proof overnight and then divided it into two and let it rise another 2 or so hours until doubled in size.
I did make a few ingredient changes: used all white flour instead of half wheat, but only because I didn’t have any wheat on hand. I also replaced half the original amount of walnuts with raisins.
*All changes – converted amounts and added ingredients are reflected in the recipe below.
One thing, no, two things I love about this recipe are 1) the poolish or starter or whatever you call it was fast acting (not overnight) and 2) I could dump all the ingredients into my Kitchen Aid, including nuts and raisin, and leave everything to mix on its own. Super easy.
Apart from measurement conversion issues, the bread is everything I hoped it would be and more! So gorgeously golden and crisp on the outside and light, soft and airy on the inside. I love the additions of the raisins. They give such a nice sweetness to the bread.
Oh, yes, I am definitely making this again.
Enjoy!
Walnut Raisin Bread (converted and adapted from a recipe found on Bakies)
Makes 2 round loaves
INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 Tbsp honey
2 1/2 cups warm water, divided
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water
3/4 cup cold water
METHOD
I better get a move on with all these recipes. Christmas is almost here and I’m still trying to catch upon everything from Thanksgiving! So I’ll keep this post short and sweet.
What: Coconut Pumpkin Pie with an Almond Crust
Where: From 101 Cookbooks
Why it’s special: The filling is made with coconut milk and the edge is lined with roasted almond paste. (The paste SHOULD have been a spread for the crust, but I forgot and only remembered last minute to use it.)
Coconut Pumpkin Pie (recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks and Butter)
INGREDIENTS
Crust (Makes enough for 2)
3 cups plain flour
1/2 cup super fine sugar
1 1/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
2 cups hazelnuts (divided) , toasted (I used almonds.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spic
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon arrowroot (or cornstarch)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 extra large eggs PLUS one for glaze, lightly beaten
1 cup coconut milk
METHOD
For the crust
For the nut paste
For the filling
Assembly
There are no surprises when it comes to apple pie, which is probably one of the reasons it’s such a classic and beloved dessert. Flaky crust; sweet and tart filling–a good one will soothe and fill every heart, soul and tummy with content!
That said, this pie did surprise me: First, by it’s interesting cook-before-you-bake filling and second, by its overwhelming popularity. It was more popular than the coconut pumpkin (recipe to come soon) AND I was asked to make a second, larger one just two days later!
It’s basically one recipe I used here, from Butter. The filling requires stewing before baking, which was a new concept to me. I was worried that the apples would end up a smushy mess, but they didn’t. They totally held they’re shape. The cooking softened the tartness and allowed the juices and spice to really marry and develop. As for the crust, it’s basic and really good–flaky, buttery, light. As with any crust, just be careful not to over work it when you roll it out–it’ll be hard and heavy if you do. The cool shaping into braids idea came from Food For My Family. I saw her photo on Tastespotting and decided to try to recreate it the effect. It turned out to be super simple and so very delicate and pretty!
I love this pie: yummy filling, lovely crust. The first one was great and the second was even better! I threw a handful of raisins in with the apples. They added a nice juicy pop, I thought. Also, I was able to serve the pie still warm and it was awesome. I’d definitely suggest serving it warm if you can.
Enjoy!
Classic Apple Pie (recipe courtesy of Butter and Food For My Family)
Serves 8-10.
INGREDIENTS
Crust
3 cups plain flour
1/2 cup super fine sugar
250g (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Apple Filling
8 large Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp cornflour
METHOD
For the crust
For the filling
Assembly
My eye doctor recently told me kale is the new superfood. It’s good for my eyes and I’m thinking it’s good for basically everything else–my hair, my skin, weight control, etc. I recently developed this arm/hand thing (not carpal, ulnal–the nerve that runs through the ring and pinky finger) which I am hoping will improve also.
I’ve been eating kale in salad, in omelets, in quesadillas and as of this morning in my morning smoothie. So that may seem a bit odd, but it’s actually pretty good. And it makes me feel like I started my day off right–and that I’m loving and caring for this not-getting-any-younger physical vehicle of mine.
The kale flavor and bits lend a fresh, green taste and isn’t bitter at all. Besides that, you know that anything with banana and milk is going to be tasty. I tossed in some frozen cantaloupe I had as well, but it’s totally optional and also easily substituted with other fruits.
Enjoy! (Oh and if you know of any interesting kale recipes, pass them my way 🙂 )
Kale Banana Milkshake (inspired by For the Love of Food)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 big leaf kale, without stem and rinsed well
1 banana
1/4 cup cantaloupe, cubed (You can leave this out or replace it with any other kind of fruit.)
1 tbsp honey
METHOD
Yes, it’s raining in San Francisco. I’m from Oregon, so I shouldn’t (and normally don’t) care. But, it’s been a tough week at work, I’m tired, it’s wet outside…and I haven’t baked in ages.
So I stayed in tonight, foregoing happy hour, friends and perhaps even dancing. Instead, I made cake. And actually, I’m really happy I did. It feels good to be home, doing something just for me. I need to do this more often.
The recipe is Martha Stewart’s via Shoots and Roots. I made a few modifications:
Enjoy.
Strawberry Cake (a Martha Stewart recipe courtesy of Shoots and Roots)
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup, plus 2 tbsp sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb strawberries, hulled and halved
METHOD