Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Ginger Cookies

Here's my favorite new cookie recipe to wish you belated happy holidays. I can't seem to stop making these. They are the perfect winter cookie spiced with warming ginger and cinnamon. They are tender, soft and cakey on the inside with the slightest snap of a crust on the outside.

The original (gluten) recipe comes from Chez Panisse. But I spotted Shauna's gluten-free version on her site, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef and was inspired, as I am by so many of her posts and recipes, to try them. I love that they don't contain any xanthan or guar gums, commonly found in most gluten-free recipes, each of which have adverse effects on me.

I started with Shauna's version and then began experimenting. First, I traded the butter for coconut oil, and used mostly maple syrup with a little brown sugar instead of the white sugar. And I also tried it with brown rice flour and chia instead of the white rice flour.

These cookies are addictive and the perfect accompaniment for a cup of hot tea, eggnog or horchata. They also make a great whoopie pie, sandwich cookie or ice cream sandwich. I made a whoopie pie for the photo with an eggnog filling (1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons eggnog. If you're going dairy-free, try a nondairy eggnog or rice milk-based horchata). But I most like to eat them on their own. Straight, simple, comforting. And I must mention, if you have an unhappy tummy, the ginger in these will make you feel much better. Rx: cookie!

I've been making double batches of these and keeping the dough in the freezer. I bake up a cookie sheet full at a time for fresh hot cookies on demand. (I have to confess to eating the occasional dough ball straight from the freezer and in the heat of summer, I find them particularly refreshing that way.)

Plan ahead, these need to go into the freezer for several hours or overnight. But you can make them like I do and keep the dough in the freezer for cookies anytime. I use a #40 ice cream scoop from the restaurant supply shop to make even, perfectly round cookies. These scoops are inexpensive and seem to be more sturdy than most others that I've used.

Happy baking to all and to all a good night! And a big thank you to Shauna for turning me on to these incredible cookies!



Ginger Cookies

1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger

1 cup coconut oil, room temperature
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup molasses


Measure out the flours and combine them in a medium-sized bowl. Add the chia, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Whisk together to combine well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup and brown sugar. With a mixer, (I used a hand mixer), cream together. Add the eggs, vanilla and molasses, and mix again until evenly incorporated.

Add the flour mixture, half at a time and mix until completely incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a covered container and put into the freezer overnight or for several hours.

Before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the dough from the freezer and using a #40 ice cream scoop, make as many dough balls as you want to bake. Place the dough balls on a silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet and return the sheet to the freezer, while the oven warms up. When the oven is ready, move the cookie sheet from the freezer straight into the oven. Bake for 12 minutes. The cookies will look just slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven, but they will continue cooking on the sheet until they cool. Let cool completely on the sheet to firm up (or they'll stick and fall apart).

I think these have the best texture when eaten the same day or the next day after baking.

Note: once the dough has frozen, you can also scoop out your dough balls and freeze them in a covered container or ziptop bag for faster baking later on. Just remember to bake them straight from the freezer to hold their round shape.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Chez Panisse and Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef.

Thanksgiving Side Dish Ideas

I've been away too long. Will be back soon with more on our trip to Bend, Oregon and the recipe for the granola bars we made to take with us. They make great road snacks.

But this week, all anyone is thinking about is Thanksgiving. Here are a few side dishes and my favorite pecan pie from the archives to give you some ideas. A few of these are recipes I posted before going gluten-free. Easy substitutions are listed to adapt them to be gluten free.



Roasted Butternut Squash with Cinnamon Chipotle Butter



Google Grain (or Rice) Salad
(You can make this one gluten-free by substituting a wild rice blend for the mix of grains and cooking the rice for 50 minutes.) This dish was a big hit at the PhotoMuse photo workshop pot luck recently.



Squash stuffed with pistachios, feta, and herbs



Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Sage



Beecher's Macaroni & Cheese
(You can make this one gluten-free by substituting sorghum or brown rice flour for the flour in the cheese sauce and using gluten-free pasta.)



Green Beans with Parsley, Almonds, Sesame Seeds and Goat Cheese


Pecan Pie from the Park Cafe near Glacier National Park, Montana
(Make this one gluten-free with a gluten-free pie crust.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Frozen Lime Pies with Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust

Pie seems like the perfect dessert for celebrating July 4th. Shauna James Ahern, of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, threw out an invitation to bakers and bloggers for a pie party today — to celebrate the fruits of summer by baking a pie and posting about it today. Over 1,000 people signed up! Take a look around the blogosphere today and get inspired to make your own pie. Also, check out #pieparty on Twitter.

Key lime pie has always been one of my favorites. When I saw that local jam-making extraordinaire Confituras had some lime curd at their farmers market table this weekend, I started thinking tart and tangy lime was the way to go.

I've always loved key lime pie with a sandy graham cracker crust. But the gluten-free graham crackers I've seen in the store are full of gums that make my head or tummy unhappy. So I first set about baking gluten-free graham crackers with Shauna's recipe. Note, Shauna is now baking without gums as well, but this is an older recipe where she used xanthan and guar gum. I substituted chia seeds instead and they worked very well. Chia seeds are good for you. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and unlike flax seeds, they don't have to be ground for your body to access their nutrients. They also keep longer than flax without becoming rancid. Chia seeds form a thickening gel when wet that is a good substitute for gluten as a binder to keep your baked goods from falling apart. Learn more about chia seeds here.

I've always loved the comforting, homey flavor of graham crackers. But I have to say, these are better than any graham cracker I've had before. They are a little lighter in color than the store-bought crackers I grew up with. But they have a much fuller, rounder flavor than those. Since I was using these in a crust, I wanted the flavor to compliment the lime pie I was planning to make. So I reduced the cinnamon and added a bit of brown sugar to Shauna's recipe. This recipe makes enough for a regular nine-inch pie or four five-inch tarts, with a few cookies left over for chef treats. Next time, I'll be making at least a double, if not triple, batch of these. They were that good. It's feels like such a treat to rediscover an old favorite like graham crackers that I haven't had since going gluten-free. And these are so much better. Thanks, Shauna! These would also be really good to make ice cream sandwiches with.

For the filling, I had the Confituras lime curd. I have had this lime curd and their Meyer Lemon curd before, so I knew what a treasure it is. (I made Meyer Lemon curd tartelettes with gluten-free shortbread crust here.)

The Confituras lime curd is a perfect balance of tangy, tart and sweet. It's very challenging not eat it all straight from the jar. Having the curd already made gave me a shortcut (and less time over a hot stove in Austin's triple-digit heat — can I get an amen?) If you want to make your own lime curd, I would recommend this recipe from David Lebovitz.

Given the Texas heat, a frozen pie held great appeal. So I looked to Emily Luchetti's frozen key lime pie recipe. In her recipe, you combine lime curd with whipped cream for the filling and freeze it before adding another layer of whipped cream on top to serve. Simple. And so refreshing.

Note: I realized after writing this that I made a major faux pas. I used a scale for measuring the graham cracker ingredients, but I used cup measures for the filling and topping. So sorry to be inconsistent. But in making the transition to gluten-free baking, I've come to rely on my scale more and more. Different flours can vary widely when using cup measures. You're much more likely to get a good result in gluten-free baking if you use a scale. Next time I make this, I'll measure out the filling and topping ingredients and add those measurements here in ounces.


Frozen pies



Gluten-free graham crackers:
1 teaspoon chia seeds
2 teaspoons hot water
2 1/2 ounces sorghum flour
2 1/2 ounces superfine brown rice flour (I use Authentic Foods)
2 1/2 ounces tapioca flour
2 1/2 ounces sweet rice flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 ounces (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold
3 ounces honey
2 ounces brown sugar
3 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Place chai seeds in a small bowl with hot water and stir together to combine. This will form a gel. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Process to combine.

Cut the cold butter into small chunks (about 1/2 tablespoon each) and put in the processor with the flours. Process in pulses until the butter is incorporated and becomes sandy and pebbly like cornmeal.

In a small bowl, combine the honey and three tablespoons of cold water. Add chia seed paste and stir together until uniform. Add this to the processor and whiz together for two to three minutes to combine. You're looking for the dough to turn into a ball. If necessary, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it forms a ball.

Remove the dough from the processor, put in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Take out half of your dough and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment over the top and roll it out between the layers of parchment — this will keep it from sticking. Roll it to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into pieces or with cutters. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. (I baked the first half batch on a silpat-lined cookie sheet and the second batch on an unlined cookie sheet and both did fine. No sticking.)

Remove from oven and let cool completely and allow to firm up for at least 30 minutes.

Repeat with remaining dough on another cookie sheet.


For graham cracker crust:
10 ounces graham crackers (about 2 cups + 2 tablespoons)
pinch salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Whiz cookies in food processor until you get uniform crumbles with no large pebbles.

Add salt and brown sugar to processor and pulse to combine.

Add melted butter and whiz together until butter is uniformly incorporated and texture is sandy and damp.

Pour out into a 9-inch pie pan or a bowl (if you're going to divide it into little pies or tarts, like I did).

Press crust into pan with your fingers firmly and evenly.

Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely. (I mean completely. It should be cool, not warm to the touch.)


Frozen lime pie filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces lime curd (I recommend Confituras)

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until peaks form.

Gently, fold in lime curd. You want to get it uniformly combined but not deflate the whipped cream. (Here's a video on how to fold, if you want a primer.)

Pour the filling into the crust. Freeze for at least four hours.


For serving:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
zest of one lime (preferably organic)

Whip cream until peaks form, and dollop on top of each slice of pie (or tart) and sprinkle with lime zest.



Gluten-free graham crackers adapted from Shauna James Ahern, from her Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef blog. Filling recipe adapted from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream.

Food Find: Delish Gluten-Free Cupcakes

Gluten-free eating, for me, has also meant much healthier eating. Less processed ingredients and more whole, and organic when possible, foods. That has me feeling and functioning a lot better. That means treats usually come from my own kitchen. I love to bake, but don't have enough time to really indulge in it. So when I do, I want it to be something really good and really worthwhile. Most of the gluten-free snacks or treats I've tried have been frozen, stale, and often, full of gums as thickeners that leave me feeling bad. No thanks. And while some traditional bakeries make gluten-free treats, I'm nervous about cross-contamination.

Before going gluten-free, I tried a cupcake from Delish in downtown Austin. They were good. Really good. But after going gluten-free, I figured I'd have to find my own recipe for a tasty cupcake. Cake is a once or twice a year thing for me, usually. So it hasn't been high up on my list to experiment with just yet. But I kept reading raves about Delish's gluten-free cupcakes. Then I ran across this article from the Alamo Celiac Group outlining the lengths they go to to avoid cross-contamination. I'm not going to repeat the article here, you can read it for yourself. But I was really impressed by the effort they're making to keep their kitchen and gluten-free products free of cross-contamination. I know that if there's flour around, then there's always a possibility of problems. But I really appreciate what they're trying to do. But none of that would matter if their gluten-free cupcake tasted like cardboard, like most gluten-free cupcakes.

I had their gluten-free vanilla cupcake freshly crowned with their vanilla frosting this weekend and I was blown away. I think it was the best cupcake I've ever had, even compared to those full of gluten. I bought two. I had the first one, and then stared longingly at the second for the rest of the evening. I tried to save it for dessert that next day, but didn't make it. I gobbled it up after breakfast. My husband is usually the one who's in the kitchen swiping the baked goods, but this time, I wouldn't let him near these precious treats. I wish I'd gotten a picture of them for you. But I was too greedy. I'm not even sorry. Their cupcake was moist and incredibly flavorful. I love vanilla and this one is full of vanilla richness. And they frost their cupcakes on demand so it's perfect. Seriously, that frosting is like crack. Beware.

I also asked the gal behind the counter what ingredients they used — expecting to hear xanthan or guar gum. But no! No gums!

So if you're eating gluten-free and get a hankering for an indulgence, try Delish. This is the cupcake by which I will now measure all others.

(And just for the record, this is my own personal experience with Delish as a paying customer.)



Delish
203 West 3rd Street, Austin
512.473.4118

Gluten-Free Meyer Lemon Curd Tartelettes

This is the time of year in Austin when Spring is on our doorstep. While we may still get a few nights around freezing in March, we're also having lots of bright, sunny days near 80 degrees and the trees are starting to bud out. It's time to start thinking about what's going into the garden in the next few weeks. But if you don't live in Texas, you might still be facing that last bit of chill. This little tart will give you a taste of Spring with its bright, sunny flavors.



Last weekend at the farmers market, I spotted Meyer Lemon Curd at the Confituras booth. They had mentioned it was coming weeks before and so I'd been keeping an eye out. I'm so glad I didn't miss it. I tried a sample... not because I questioned whether or not to get some, but because I couldn't wait to taste it. It knocked my socks off. A Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and an orange, with a sweeter, less acidic, rounder flavor than an ordinary lemon. It is one of my favorite flavors. Like most citrus, you'll usually find them in season in late winter. But they taste like bright sunshine to me. Just the antidote to too many chilly winter days. I have to say, I've had lemon curd before, even Meyer lemon curd. But none has come close to Confituras. It is the perfect balance of tangy, bright and sweet. This is the standard by which all other lemon curds will be measured in my book from now on.

Citrus curd is made by combining egg yolks, sugar, juice and sometimes butter. Sort of a custard. It's the perfect filling for a tart or to use as a custard in the layers of a trifle with pound cake or angel food cake and whipped cream.

Confituras is a small, local, preserve maker run by Stephanie McClenny. She recently won a Good Food Award in San Francisco for her Texas Fig Preserves with honey, balsamic and bay leaves. Her Salted Caramel Pear Butter is another one of my favorites. I sent jars of her treats to friends over the holidays as gifts. In Austin, you can find Confituras at the Saturday farmers markets and at Breeds, Antonelli's cheese shop, and Con'Olio. Outside the Austin area, you can order online.

I managed to snag two of the last jars of Meyer Lemon Curd at the farmers market last Saturday. (If I hadn't already blown most of my wad of cash on veggies and steak, I would have bought more.) I haven't gotten far enough into the world of gluten-free baking to find a favorite pie or tart crust recipe yet. So I did a little research online and decided to try this recipe for Cannelle et Vanille's shortbread crust. Her photographs are so breathtaking and inspiring. And she's a great source for gluten-free recipes now too. I can't wait for her cookbook to come out.

I haven't yet tried making my own curd (maybe one day Confituras will teach a class???), but here is one I'd like to try, if you want to make your own.

One ingredient note: I've been experimenting with different gluten-free flours for baking. And like many gluten-free bakers, I like Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour because it's so much smoother and finer than others. But I tried one batch of this shortbread crust with their superfine flour and another batch with the heartier Bob's Red Mill stone ground brown rice flour. I liked the stone ground batch better for this shortbread because it actually enhances the sandiness in the texture. It came the closest to replicating the flavor of my old favorite traditional shortbread recipe. I was afraid that I would never be able to have a gluten-free version of that crumbly, sandy, flaky, vanilla shortbread flavor with gluten-free flours, but I was wrong. All the satisfaction, but none of the gluten. This will be my go to recipe when it's time to start making (gluten-free) holiday shortbread this year.



Equipment note: I tried these little tarts with individual 5-inch tart pans and also with these tiny, two-bite tart pans. For a very rich filling or in this case, a tart filling, I preferred the tiny tarts. The larger size were too big for one person to finish on your own.

Be sure to remove your butter ahead of time to allow it to soften a bit on the counter before mixing.

And look for Meyer Lemon Curd again this weekend from Confituras. I'm already craving more.


Meyer Lemon Curd Tartelettes with Gluten-Free Shortbread Crust

filling:
2 8-ounce jars Confituras Meyer Lemon Curd

topping:
8 ounces heavy whipping cream
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

gluten-free shortbread crust:
2 sticks (225 grams) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (110 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
zest of one organic Meyer lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (170 grams) Bobs Red Mill stone ground brown rice flour
1 cup (110 grams) cornstarch
1/4 cup (30 grams) tapioca starch
pinch of salt

Measure out your brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch and salt and whisk together in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix together the softened butter and powdered sugar until the butter is light and fluffy.

Add the lemon zest and vanilla. Mix again to incorporate.

Add the flour mixture half at a time and mix until it comes together. Form the dough into a ball with your hands. Break off pieces (between one and two tablespoons for the tiny tart pans) and press into your tart pans. Place tart pans on a baking sheet and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart pans from the fridge and prick each crust with a fork to allow steam to vent. (The tarts may still puff up while baking. You can remove them from the oven mid-way through baking and prick them again. They will lay down again after cooling. But be sure to pre-bake them like this before filling if you're using a light filling. If you're making them for a heavier fruit filling, they should be fine baking with the fruit.)

While these are baking, prepare your whipped cream topping. Whip cream (with a whisk for a little workout or a mixer) with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges begin to get a little golden. Remove from oven and let cool. (Note: these can be made a day ahead and then filled just before serving. I actually preferred them that way.)

Just before serving, fill tarts with cold Meyer Lemon Curd. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream and serve immediately.

Yield: 20 tiny tarts or 6 to 8 5-inch tarts

Adapted from shortbread crust recipe by Cannelle et Vanille.

Gluten-Free Brownies

I love to bake. And I've spent years experimenting with recipes to find the one version of something that stops me in my tracks. The one that means the search is over. The one I will want to continue making forever. Like these chocolate chip cookies. And this shortbread. And this crumble. And these brownies. These are holy grail recipes. I would say that they are the recipes I would grab if the house caught on fire. But I think I know them so well, I wouldn't need to. I've made them so many times I can remember them.

But going gluten-free means redefining those old favorites so that I can still enjoy them. This will take time and experimentation. But I'm working on it. These brownies are the first to go gluten-free. They seemed like a good candidate. They are so easy to make, you don't even need a mixer. They are mostly eggs and chocolate and butter with a little flour to keep it all together. As a gluten-free flour, I used equal parts brown rice flour and tapioca flour. A lot of gluten-free recipes you see have combinations of a long list of alternative flours and even gums to hold things together. You don't have to fuss with all of that here. Just the two flours. One note, though: rice flours can be gritty if they are not very finely milled. I tried several brands. I kept seeing recommendations for Authentic Foods brand rice flours because they are milled superfine. I know, it's an extra step to have to mail order your rice flour, but it's truly worth it to avoid the grittiness. Other alternative gluten-free flours would probably work here as well, but this one works for me. Experiment and let me know what works for you.

These can be made in a square baking pan or as mini or full-size cupcakes. I've made them for several parties as cupcakes. If you're using a square baking pan, be sure to spray it and then line it with a strip of parchment hanging over the sides (seen here) for easy removal from the pan after baking and cooling.

The recipe below is for straight up, traditional brownies. For a spicy Mexican version, you can add 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the flour and give it some heat. These are my husband's favorite.

Substitutions note: I've also experimented with making these dairy-free, using Earth Balance baking sticks (trans fat free!). I'm hard pressed to tell you which I like better. The margarine gives them a little more chewiness in the texture which I love. But the butter is a little richer. I made batches of each and asked friends to give me a favorite. Even my 13-year-old buddy, Jackson, had a hard time picking a favorite, although he put in a good effort tasting one, then the other, then the first one again... Either way, you'll have fudgy brownies with chewy edges and big chocolate flavor.

Most important note: these are best made the day before serving. They'll be good after cooling from the oven, but the flavors develop overnight. They will be spectacular the next day. So make them a day ahead.


Gluten-Free Brownies

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Authentic Foods Superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour (or tapioca starch, same thing)
8 ounces 60-70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup or 228 grams)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, measure out your brown rice flour and tapioca flour and stir well to combine. (If you're making the Mexican spicy version, add the spices to the flour and stir together.) Set aside.

With softened butter or cooking spray, grease a square baking pan (mine is 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches when measured across the top). Now cut a strip of parchment paper or foil a little narrower than the width of the pan and long enough to hang over on both sides. Place the foil/parchment in the pan and press it against the sides. It will stick to the pan. Now grease the paper as well. This seems fussy, but will insure that you get these babies out of the pan in one piece. The overhanging sides will act as a sling to lift out the brownies -- only when they are completely cool! You hear me!

In a cereal or soup-sized bowl, put the chopped chocolate and the butter. Microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments until the butter is completely melted. The chocolate won't look melted, but stir them together and it will melt completely. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk or stir together the eggs, salt, sugars and vanilla. (I use a giant whisk for this. Seen here.)

Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and whisk/stir together. Add the flour and gently whisk together completely.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is crackly and shiny. (You want fudginess, so the toothpick test doesn't really work here.) If you make these as mini-cupcakes, bake approximately 20 minutes. For full-size cupcakes, 30-40 minutes, depending on how fudgy you want them.

Let cool completely. COMPLETELY. Then, if you can't stand it, using the sling you made with foil/parchment, lift the brownies out in one piece, slice and eat. But if you are made of stronger stuff than most, cover the cooled brownies in the pan and refrigerate or let sit on a cool counter overnight. The next day, use the sling to remove them, peel off the parchment/foil, slice and enjoy.

From the square pan, these can be cut into 9 giant brownies or 12-16 smaller ones. They are very rich so a little goes a long way. (Yields 12 full-size cupcakes or 24 minis.)

Adapted from David Lebovitz and Nick Malgieri.

Lara Ferroni's Basic Raised Doughnuts

Now for the recipe I promised you in the previous post, Lara Ferroni's Basic Raised Doughnuts from her new book, Doughnuts, Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home. These would make a decadent and delicious New Year's Day breakfast treat.

First, a few tips that Lara shared with me about making doughnuts:
• your eggs and milk should be room temperature
• don’t worry too much about measuring the flour, how much you use will depend on the day and the humidity
• Lara uses King Arthur bread flour and Jungle Shortening (at room temp)
• use a heating pad to rest the rising dough on for consistent heat
• if you need to, you can get away with punching down the dough and rerolling it once
• if the dough proofs in the oven, it gets too hard to handle and greasy
• doughnut oil should be 360-370 degrees F; Lara said, “I like 360, but a lot of people told me they need to go to 370 to brown the doughnuts.”
• if the proof mark line around the outside of the doughnuts is dark, that means your dough hasn't proofed enough or has overproofed
• when making the glaze: add your liquid a few drops at a time to make a paste, then work out the clumps with a whisk
• her recipes using day old doughnuts were cut from the book, so watch for her to post those on her site.

Lara Ferroni's Basic Raised Doughnuts
3 tablespoons (22 grams) active dry yeast, divided
1 cup whole milk, heat to 110 degrees F, divided
2 to 2 1/2 cups (320-400 grams) bread flour, divided
2 tablespoons (30 grams) superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter or vegetable shortening
vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, dissolve 2 tablespoons of the yeast into 3/4 cup of the milk. Add 3/4 cup of the four and stir to create a smooth paste. Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes. (Lara's tip: a heating pad is handy for even heat.)

Combine the remaining milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the rested flour mixture along with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and egg yolks. Mix until smooth. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 cup of the remaining flour. Mix on low for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until it becomes incorporated, about 30 seconds. Switch to a dough hook and add more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time with the mixer turned off, kneading the dough at medium speed between additions, until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth and not too sticky. It will be very soft and moist, but not so sticky that you can't roll it out. You may have flour left over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 12 hours).



Line a baking sheet with a lightly floured non-terry dish towel. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch-diameter rounds with 1-inch-diameter holes.



Place the doughnuts on a baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm spot to proof until they almost double in size, 5 to 20 minutes, testing at 5-minute intervals. To test whether the dough is ready, touch lightly with a fingertip. if it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it springs back slowly, it is ready. If it doesn't spring back at all, it has overproofed; you can punch it down and reroll it once.

While the doughnuts are proofing, heat a heavy-bottomed pot with at least 2 inches of oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360 degrees F. With a metal spatula, carefully place the doughnuts in the oil. (Depending on the size of your pan, Lara recommended frying about 3 at a time.) Fry for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over a paper towel, and let cool slightly before glazing.

Makes 8 to 14 doughnuts



Lara Ferroni styling doughnut holes for a photo.

Basic Sugar Glaze

1 1/2 cups (150 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted to remove any lumps
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the sugar in a medium bowl and slowly stir in the milk (or water) and vanilla, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.


Chocolate Glaze

1 1/2 cups (150 grams) confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons (27 grams) cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons vanilla

Sift together the sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in the milk (or water) and vanilla, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.

Recipes by Lara Ferroni. Reprinted with permission of the author.
From the book Doughnuts, Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home.

Check out more of Lara Ferroni's gorgeous photos and tasty recipes on her web site. Thanks again, Lara, for sharing your expertise and the best doughnuts I've ever tasted!

Nondairy Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry Swirl

I've been experimenting with some diet changes lately, including eating less dairy. But I love making ice cream in the summer. So I wondered if it would be possible to make a non-dairy ice cream that would satisfy in not just flavor, but also texture. Lately, I've gotten hooked on Almond Dream Bites — a non-dairy almond milk ice cream chunk covered in a thin chocolate coating. They come in a pint container and make excellent little bite-sized treats to keep in the freezer. The mild almond and vanilla flavor pairs really well with the dark chocolate coating. On hot Texas summer days, these are addictive. I like that I can grab one or two of them for a small treat instead of commiting to a whole bowl of ice cream.

So I decided to try this recipe from The Vegan Scoop, using almond milk, soy creamer and arrowroot. Arrowroot is a natural, flavorless starch used as a thickener — an alternative to cornstarch. It's often used in gluten-free baking. But note that it should be added at the end of your cooking, as too much heating will cause it to lose it's thickening ability. The name comes from the plant's historical use in treating poison arrow wounds because it would remove the poison. So it's also handy if you get into a battle of arrows.

I found some beautiful organic raspberries on sale and thought they would make a great sauce to swirl into the ice cream. I used David Lebovitz's recipe for raspberry swirl, which includes a little vodka. This keeps the syrup from freezing hard in your ice cream.

So how did it turn out? I was really surprised by how smooth and creamy the texture turned out to be. It doesn't seem to freeze quite as hard as regular dairy ice cream, so it's scoopable straight from the freezer. The almond milk lends a faintly almond flavor, which I liked with the raspberry. You could use rice milk or soy milk, though, for a more neutral background. The raspberries give it a nice zingy contrast in the ice cream and create beautiful pink swirls. I've also noticed that after eating a spoonful here and there over a couple of days — and removing it from the freezer and then refreezing it a few times, which would cause ice crystals to form in a dairy ice cream — this one has maintained it's original texture without forming any crystals. A bonus!

Overall, this was a really satisfying ice cream on it's own, not just as a substitute food. I'd like to continue experimenting with coconut milk and other flavor bases, but this will be a tasty baseline to compare to.

Nondairy vanilla almond ice cream
1/4 cup + 3/4 cup almond milk (or soy or rice milk)
2 tablespoons arrowroot

2 cups soy creamer
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine 1/4 cup almond milk with the arrowroot. Whisk together. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup almond milk, sugar, and soy creamer. Stir together over low heat. Bring up to a boil, stirring occasionally.

As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat. Immediately add the arrowroot mixture and stir together. You'll notice the mixture thickens as it cools. Stir in the vanilla.

Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate. (To speed this up, you can place your pan in a bowl of ice water to cool it down.)

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before freezing in an ice cream maker.

Remove the frozen ice cream from the ice cream maker into a freezer-proof container — until it's a third or half full. Drizzle in raspberry swirl (recipe below) with a spoon and use a chopstick or the handle end of the spoon to very gently swirl it in without combining it completely. You want a distinct swirl of raspberry. Layer in more ice cream and more raspberry, alternately, and swirl together, until container is full.

Makes approximately one quart.


Raspberry Swirl
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (thawed, if frozen)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plain or Vanilla-infused vodka

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Mash the raspberries into the sugar and vodka with a fork. Stir well to combine. Use as is, or to remove seeds, press through a sieve with a spoon into a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.


Ice cream adapted from The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler del Toro.

Raspberry swirl adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Raspberry Oat Bars

During our visit to Seattle, we didn't make it to all the places on our list that we wanted to eat. But one place we did get to try several times was Macrina Bakery. With three locations around town, Macrina is a Seattle favorite for brunch, lunch and baked treats. Everything we tried there hooked us from the first bite. If we lived in Seattle, we'd be regulars.

When we got home, I wanted to try some more of Macrina's treats, so I picked up their cookbook, Leslie Mackie's Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook. It includes a wide range of their recipes from breads and muffins to pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, and brunch items. The newest edition has an additional chapter on their most-requested recipes.



The recipe I wanted to try first is an easy one, they call them fruit and oat bars. You layer a sweet almond dough in the bottom of your baking pan and bake it. Then top with raspberry preserves in the center and an oat crumble sprinkled on top. They make for a beautiful dessert, snack or even an indulgent breakfast treat.

These will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. You could probably make them with a little less sugar in the crumble topping if you want them a less sweet. I love that they are rustic and very comforting. The raspberries have a tartness that balances well with the almond dough. They would make a beautiful holiday treat too.

Note: I reduced the almond extract a bit. The first time out it was a little strong for my taste. (The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon. Make it as you like.) Don't be intimidated by having to make the almond dough separately. It's easy and it's worth it. It makes for a flavorful base.


Macrina's Raspberry Oat Bars

sweet almond dough:
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted


Toast the almonds on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until they start to turn golden. Let them cool completely.

Grind the almonds in a food processor (mini-processor works great here) until finely ground. I did this in pulses. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the ground almonds and place in a mixing bowl. If you have any left over, save it to sprinkle over your oatmeal.

To the almonds, add sugar and flour and stir together.

In another small bowl, stir melted butter and vanilla and almond extracts. Pour this into the bowl with the almond mixture and stir together until a crumbly dough is formed. You want the dough to stick together when you press it between your fingers.

If you want to do this step ahead, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.

If you're ready to go now, get out your tart pan. The recipes calls for a 13x9x2 inch pan. I used two smaller tart pans because I wanted the fluted edge they provided. This made for a little thicker crust on the bottom, which I liked. It made the bars easier to handle when cut. Use what you have. To do it all in one pan, I will probably use my 9 1/2 inch square brownie pan next time.

Press the dough into the pan using your fingertips. At room temperature, it will spread out easily. Just be sure to press it firmly into the corners and about 3/4 inch up the sides. When the dough is evenly pressed into the pan, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the chilled crust from the fridge and line it with parchment paper. Fill the bottom with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for about 25 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. Remove the parchment and weights and put it back in the oven to bake for 3-5 more minutes until the bottom is no longer moist. Let cool.

This is a good time to make the oat crumble topping.

For crumble topping and bars:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 to 1 1/4 cups brown sugar (depending on how sweet you'd like it)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2 cups raspberry preserves

Cut the butter into 1/4-inch pieces. Place them in a food processor with the sugar, flour and oats. Pulse the processor for 2-3 seconds at a time until the mixture turns into a clumpy and crumbly dough. Set aside for a moment.

Spread the preserves evenly over the cooled almond dough.

Sprinkle the oat crumble over the top of the preserve layer.

Bake for about 30 minutes. To get a nice golden brown on top, I turned the broiler on for just a moment before removing these from the oven. Be sure to stay with them if you want to do this so you can pull them out at the right moment.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars. You can cut these into squares or rectangles depending on your preference. I liked the way they looked in long strips. How many bars you get depends on how you cut them. But these are big on flavor, so small servings are fine.

Adapted from Leslie Mackie's Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook.

Toasted Oat and Brown Sugar Milkshake

Hot news: Just found out that apparently, tomorrow, February 6th, is International Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. That's all the excuse I needed to try out a recipe from my new Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes cookbook. Adam Reid, the kitchen equipment specialist from the PBS show, America's Test Kitchen, gives us this "guide to milkshake modernization." Reid does for milkshakes what David Lebovitz did for ice cream in my favorite ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop, providing easy-to-replicate but imaginative flavors that invigorate the taste buds.

Reid covers all the basics and offers many variations on classics like chocolate and coffee combinations for those who want their old favorites, but he takes you much further with combinations like vanilla, honey and sesame; vanilla rum and salted cashew; Mexican chocolate with chipotle and almond; chocolate Guiness, Vietnamese coffee, strawberry basil; blackberry lavender; avocado coconut and lime; peach with brandy and nutmeg; minted cucumber lemon... I could go on and on.

Since tomorrow is ice cream for breakfast day, I wanted to try a shake that combined breakfast flavors in a shake. I narrowed down the contenders to two: toasted oatmeal and brown sugar or maple bacon. I know, bacon is the it girl of food fashion these days, but something about the toasted oats and brown sugar sounded so comforting. So I'll try the bacon shake next time.

I love toasting old-fashioned steel cut oats before cooking them. It really brings out the flavor of the oats and makes them much nuttier. Reid's recipe used a pinch of ground cloves to flavor the shake. I'm not a huge fan of cloves, so I switched to cinnamon. Use what you like. Nutmeg might be good too. And with all the cedar flowing through the air around here, I wasn't looking to add to my nasal challenges anymore, so I made a mostly (except for a teeny bit of butter) nondairy version subbing vanilla almond milk for the milk, and nondairy ice cream (I used vanilla Nada Moo), for the traditional vanilla ice cream.

Results: It was creamy and luscious and by far the best oatmeal anything I've ever tasted. I only made a half recipe version for myself and really regretted that after I finished the photos and had a taste. Wow. I wasn't prepared for it to be that good. It was fun and unexpected and most-of-all, addictive.

This might be fun to serve at a brunch in little shot glasses before the meal. Reid suggests a variation using Scotch and some honey to further elevate the heavenliness of this concoction. That could be even more fun for a special brunch.

Toasted Oatmeal and Brown Sugar Shake

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup thick cut or steel cut oats
2/3 cup + 1/2 cup cold milk (or soy, rice, or almond milk)
2/3 cup water
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg
8 small scoops vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

First, make your oats...
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add the oats, stirring continuously, and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden brown. You'll smell their nutty fragrance.

Standing back a bit (it will sputter!), pour in 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup water and salt. Bring up to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer until oats have softened and liquid has been absorbed, about 15-18 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Let cool until room temperature. (I speeded this up by scraping the oats into a small bowl and putting it in the fridge for a few minutes.)

(If you wanted to make this ahead, you could have the oats cooked and in the fridge until you're ready to mix the shake together and serve.)

In a blender, combine 1/2 cup of the cooked oats, 1/2 cup of milk, brown sugar, and your spice of choice, and blend for at least a minute, until oats are completely smooth. Add in the ice cream and pulse to break it up initially. Then blend full speed until well combined.

Pour into cold glasses and serve immediately.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Adapted from Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes by Adam Reid.

Caramel Cake

I clipped this recipe out of Gourmet magazine almost two years ago and ran across it recently. Boy, have I been missing out. This shy little cake sounds good generally, but doesn't seem to shout. But it so deserves to be center stage. It's a soft, moist, cloud-like cake made so very tender and slightly tangy with buttermilk. Top that with a gooey caramel glaze and it becomes transcendent. It's the kind of cake you want to crawl into and roll around and pull around you like a warm quilt on a cold winter day. Like that.

I made this to take to some friends we were having dinner with. It was just the right size for our small group. It bakes in a square cake pan and makes about nine pieces if you cut it squarely.

I thought it was best eaten the day it was made, especially when the caramel glaze is still soft and gooey. The cake is its best that way, still moist and dense. And next time, I think I'll save a bit of the caramel to drizzle over the cut pieces when serving. It would look really pretty that way. Who can resist caramel oozing all over their plate?

Be sure to use cake flour for this so it will be truly tender. And remember to take out your butter and eggs beforehand so they can reach room temperature before you start to mix your batter. The cake needs to cool for an hour before glazing, so plan accordingly.



Caramel Cake

For the cake:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons cake flour, sift before measuring
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, shaken well
cooking spray
parchment paper

For the caramel:
1 cup cream
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
salt
candy thermometer


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan with cooking spray and line with a square of parchment paper. Then spray the parchment. Set aside.

Whisk together sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

With your mixer, beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix in. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. On low speed, add in the buttermilk and mix until just combined. (Gourmet says it may look curdled here, but mine didn't.)

Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing just until each batch is incorporated.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and tap on your counter to make sure there aren't any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake approximately 35 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Then let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. (Tip: place a plate or platter over your cake pan, then flip the cake over on to it. Lift the pan off and remove parchment, if necessary. Then you can use another plate to flip it back over on to it's bottom.) Let cool one hour before glazing.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze.
In a heavy saucepan, combine cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt. Bring up to a boil over medium heat. While it's coming to a boil, stir it until the sugar dissolves. Boil until it reaches 210 degrees on your candy thermometer, about 12-14 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

With your cake on your serving platter, gently pour hot caramel over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. I did this a little at a time instead of all at once. I didn't want it just running off completely, so I poured it on a bit at a time to let the glaze cool a little and stay more firmly on the cake. Let cool a few minutes so glaze can set a bit. Or who am I kidding? Cut into that bad boy and get runny caramel all over your face. Just don't burn yourself! It's so good. I dare you to eat just one piece.

Approximately nine servings.

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, January 2008.

Chocolate Almond Toffee

A few years ago, I took a baking class from David Lebovitz when he visited Austin. As expected, everything he made was to die for.

Lebovitz, once the pastry chef at Chez Panisse, now lives and blogs in Paris. He is also hilarious. If you ever get an opportunity to take a class from him, don't miss it. He has written all kinds of books to satisfy your sweet tooth. You know how with some cookbooks, you pick out a recipe here and there to try? But with David's books, you can count on every single recipe being a knock-your-socks off hit. If you only have one book on chocolate or one book on ice cream, they should be his.

I've wanted to make this recipe ever since I took the class. I can't believe it took me this long to try it myself. I love toffee and the combination of buttery toffee with just the right amount of salt to set it off, paired with toasted almonds and chocolate is so simple yet each element enhances the others. The sweet, buttery toffee, the crunch of the salted, roasted almond nuttiness and then the chocolate to bring it all home. Oh yeah.

And even better, this is incredibly easy to make. Just don't get intimated by the need for a candy thermometer. It's only a few ingredients and you can whip up a batch in minutes. Huge return on investment. And this time of year, who am I kidding... ANY time of year, it makes a great gift. Just be sure to package it up quick before you eat it all yourself.

I still had some vanilla sea salt from Boulette's Larder in my baking cabinet, so I sprinkled some on top. You could also use fleur de sel.

This recipe appears in David's ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop, in half this quantity. But if you're going to make it, especially this time of year when you can share it as a gift and be the most popular Santa around, why not make the bigger batch?

Chocolate Almond Toffee

2 cups toasted, salted almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
a nice, big pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
vanilla sea salt or fleur de sel
cooking spray or silpat
candy thermometer

Line a baking sheet with your silpat nonstick mat, parchment paper or spray it with vegetable oil.

Put 1 cup of the almonds on your prepared baking sheet in a single layer forming a rectangle about 8x10 inches. Set aside.

Measure out the baking soda and vanilla and have them sitting next to the stove.

Put the water, butter, salt and sugars into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir together. Heat over medium flame until the candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees. Stir as little as possible during heating. When you reach the magic 300 degree mark, remove pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and baking soda immediately.

Move quickly here... then pour the hot toffee evenly over the almonds on your baking sheet.

Then sprinkle your chocolate evenly over the top of the hot toffee in the pan. Let sit for several minutes to melt.

While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, you're going to spy the toffee pan with it's bits of toffee turning into concrete and thinking what fun that's going to be to clean up. But take this tip from David: fill the pan with water and put it back on the heat and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and let sit until the candy bits melt and then clean up is a breeze.

When the chocolate has melted, spread it evenly over the toffee with an offset icing spatula. Then sprinkle the top with fleur de sel and the remaining almonds — pressing lightly so they'll stay put in the chocolate.

Let cool completely until the toffee becomes solid and the chocolate sets up. Then you can chop it or break it into shards.

Wrap it up in cellophane bags with some pretty ribbon to give as gifts or serve it yourself crumbled over ice cream. To die for!!!

Adapted from David Lebovitz.

Check out David Lebovitz blog here.
Check out his schedule here to find out when you can take a class from him.
Check out his books here.

Tapioca with Tayberries

Here's a recipe with inspiration from all over. With this week's announcement of the loss of Gourmet magazine, I thought it was time to try out a clipping I'd pulled from July's Gourmet and share it with you. Their recipe combines small tapioca pearl pudding and a fresh strawberry and fennel purée. I loved the idea of tart berries with sweet tapioca. But I decided to use large pearl tapioca instead.

Inspiration #2: I brought home a jar of June Taylor's amazing tayberry conserve after the conserve class I took from her while in San Francisco. I wanted to try it in a dessert and tapioca seemed like the perfect balance for the zing of the tayberries. In case you're wondering what a tayberry is – it's a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry with the deep red raspberry color. You can order it here.



Inspiration #3: I ran across this post on Vanilla Garlic discussing the different kinds of vanilla beans from Beanilla. Even though I'm a longtime vanilla lover and have several kinds in my baking cabinet, I had no idea there were this many sources and varieties of vanilla. I got so excited by Garrett's post that I ordered some of each to experiment with. This is my first recipe using one and I picked the Tonga bean to try first. Tonga is in the South Pacific and these highly aromatic beans are organic and apparently rather rare. When I opened the beaker they came in, I was blown away by their size and smell. These beans aren't like the dried up little things you see in the grocery store. They are at least 8 inches long and have a tremendous amount of seeds to scrape inside. They are luscious.

Inspiration #4: Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks post on her father's tapioca recipe. It is simple and straightforward and so good – the best I've tried, in fact. Her recipe uses small tapioca pearls though. I wanted to try the big, fat ones, so I infused them longer (overnight) in milk with the vanilla bean.

The result is a tapioca pudding with big vanilla flavor perfectly enhanced by the incredible color and ultimate berriness of June Taylor's tayberry conserve. One note, I tried layering the tapioca over the berry layer while the tapioca was still warm from the pan. It sunk into the berries making a mess. So I cooled the pudding first in the fridge and then layered it on top for cleaner, but still wabi sabi, layering. The ratio of how much conserve to how much pudding you use is entirely up to you. It does make a flavorful and rich dessert, though, so small portions are fine. Tapioca is filling. I made four servings and still had almost half a jar of conserve and some tapioca left. (I'm excited to see what else I can do with it.)

Tapioca pudding with tayberry conserve

3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup large pearl tapioca
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
one (8 ounce) jar of June Taylor tayberry conserve



Combine 1 cup of milk and the tapioca pearls into a container. Cut vanilla bean lengthwise in half and then scrape your knife down it's length to scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds into the container with the pearls and stir together to distribute the seeds. Add the scraped vanilla beans as well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Whisk together the eggs yolks, salt, sugar and 2 cups of milk. Put the infused tapioca pearls, milk and vanilla beans into a thick-bottomed pot. Add in the egg mixture and whisk to combine.

On medium-low heat, very slowly bring the mixture up to just under a boil, while stirring continously. Lower heat to a low simmer and continue cooking and stirring for approximately 20 minutes, until the pearls are translucent and the pudding has thickened.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temp or refrigerate for later assembly.

Layer approximately 3-4 tablespoons of tayberry conserve into the bottom of each serving glass. With a clean spoon, layer tapioca on top of the conserve. You can use the handle end of a teaspoon to poke down into the tapioca to release air bubbles that get trapped in the pudding. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves approximately 4-6, depending on serving size.

Adapted from Gourmet (July 2009) and 101 Cookbooks.

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

Despite temperature gauges in Austin reaching 99 today, tomorrow is officially the first day of fall. And, just in time, a "cold" front is due to drop our temps into the 80s tomorrow. This is the time of year when I just have to have faith. It will cool off. Eventually.

So even though temperatures here are not exactly appropriate for warm, comfort foods, I like to pretend. It gets me in the mood for fall. While it's not very green of me, I just have to crank up the a/c and turn on the oven.

I have one more San Francisco recipe to share with you from our adventures in June Taylor's conserve class. I'll post that soon, but I just got my hands on a copy of the newly-released Big Sur Bakery Cookbook by Michelle and Phillip Wojtowicz and Michael Gilson. I love Big Sur and the rugged coast of California. I've never been to the bakery, but this book makes me want to eat everything they offer. It includes not only delicious, tummy and soul-satisfying recipes, but also shares the stories of the people who source their provisions. Makes me want to live there in a big way.

This cake is the first recipe I've tried from the book. It's big, warm, rustic, and comforting flavors lured me in. Instead of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla are used to compliment the apples and it's a nice change. The nutmeg flavor is big here though, so I scaled it down just a wee bit so as not to be overpowering. I added a little more vanilla too, since I love the combination of apples and vanilla from my favorite apple bomboloni recipe so much.

First, you make a quick apple sauce or apple butter to use in the cake. The recipe called for making double the quantity you need for the cake. It's yummy stuff. You could use the extra in oatmeal at breakfast. But next time I'll just make what's needed for the cake, just to make the apple peeling go a little faster. So I'm cutting the quantities in half below to give you just what you'll need.

Then you make an easy caramel and roast apples in it.

Add the cake batter, bake, and flip. The flip is the trickiest part. Be sure you have a plate or platter larger (by at least a couple of inches all around) than the pan you're cooking the cake in. I made the mistake of not looking for a platter until the cake was in the oven and I didn't have one big enough. We ended up using our largest cutting board. Note: the caramel may run a bit after flipping, so be careful. It's hot stuff.

This makes a luscious cake. It's one of the most comforting desserts I've ever had and it's the perfect thing for fall. The caramelized apples in the bottom (that end up on top after you flip it) turn a burnished golden color that looks like the color of fall itself. If colors could have flavor, this is what deep orangey golden richness should taste like.



Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

apple butter/sauce:
1/2 vanilla bean
3 apples, (I used Granny Smiths)
juice of half a lemon
1/8 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 cup sugar

caramel apples:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 apples

cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour

First, take out your butter to soften to room temp.

Make the apple butter/sauce: Split the vanilla bean half lengthwise and scrape out the beans with the back of your knife. Put the beans and the vanilla pod into a saucepan. Peel the apples, core and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Add them to the vanilla. Add the lemon juice, apple juice, nutmeg, and sugar. Stir together. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the apples are soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon.

Remove the cover, turn down the heat to low, and continue cooking to let the moisture evaporate. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Then remove the vanilla pods.

Now, make the caramel apples: preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and core the apples for the caramel apples. Then cut each apple into 8-10 slices.

Spray or oil a deep oven-safe skillet (about 10 inches). Set aside for use in a moment.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer for a couple of minutes. Turn out into the prepared skillet. Cook the sugar and butter on medium heat until it caramelizes to a deep golden color. This should take 7-10 minutes. Add the sliced, peeled apples. A fan pattern is pretty here. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the apples are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool while you make the cake batter.

Make the cake: cream the butter, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and vanilla in a mixer. Add the egg and 1 cup of your apple sauce/butter. Mix to combine. Add the flour and mix on the lowest speed until just before it's all incorporated. You don't want to overmix it here. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir gently to finish incorporating the flour. Pour out the batter into the pan with the caramel apples and spread it evenly with a spatula.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes until a toothpick tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Place a platter or plate (larger than the cake pan) over the skillet. Pick up both platter and skillet at the same time using oven mitts and quickly flip the cake over, holding on tightly to both. Set the platter down on a table or counter and then gently lift off the skillet. If any apples remain stuck to the skillet, you can take them out with a spatula and replace them on top of the cake.

Let cake cook for 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving to allow to rest, like a steak. This would be really good with some vanilla ice cream or just a spoonful of whipped cream, but we ate it straight up and loved it.

Adapted from the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook by Michelle and Phillip Wojtowicz and Michael Gilson.

Almond Butter Crispy Treats

What is it about "back-to-school" that brings to mind peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrot sticks and Rice Krispy treats? When I was visiting Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco, I spied some peanut butter crispy treats dipped in chocolate at the checkout. Talk about an impulse buy. But I think I deserve some credit for making it all the way home with that treat to share with my husband. Ever since, I've been craving them like mad.

After a little experimentation, here's my version. You could really make these any way you want. I tried regular marshmallows, minis, vegan marshmallows (no gelatin), even marshmallow fluff, regular Rice Krispy cereal, organic brown crisped rice cereal... you get the picture. I liked the mini marshmallows with crisped brown rice cereal best. The minis melt faster and the brown rice cereal seemed a little more substantial. You can also make these without marshmallows subbing a caramelly base instead. But for me, it was all about that elastic quality that the marshmallows give.

You could do this with any nut butter. I really like it with the almond butter, but cashew or peanut butter would give it a stronger flavor. I also tried these with more nut butter proportionally, but they came out a little too pasty.

The chocolate dip gives them a little contrast. You get one end with chocolate and one without so you can experience the spectrum of flavors. Toasted almonds add a little crunch. You could spinkle them into the mix with the bar, if you like, but I think they might get pretty smashed up by the mixing.

While I won't pretend that these are in any way healthy, they do make a fun indulgence every once in awhile. They'd be great for a Halloween party too.

Almond Butter Crispy Treats

cooking spray
4 tablespoons butter
16 ounces mini marshmallows
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounces crisped rice cereal
1 cup 60-70% bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted


Prep a 13x9x2 casserole/baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray. Melt butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and stir while those melt. You can let them sit a few seconds between stirring, but don't leave them for long. The bottom will brown and the tops will sit undisturbed.

When marshmallows are completely melted, add the almond butter and stir well until melted and completely incorporated. Remove from heat.

Add the salt and vanilla and stir well to combine. Add the crisped rice cereal and stir like mad to get the cereal evenly coated while it's still hot.

Immediately pour into prepared pan. Press into the pan with a spatula. Set aside to cool.

These are really better when you've let them cool completely and have at least an hour or so to set up. They're easier to slice that way too. But I won't blame you for carving out a little corner bit to taste.

While they're cooling, break up your chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and zap in 30-second increments at 50% power until melted. When your treats are completely cooled and set up, slice or cut them with cookie cutters (use cooking spray!!). Dip them into the melted chocolate and set on a parchment- or silpat-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds. Let cool for the chocolate to firm up.