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.

Pancetta-Wrapped Peaches on the Grill

Ripe, run-down-your-chin juicy peaches, wrapped in pancetta with a basil leaf and grilled just long enough for the pork fat to melt into the peach and crisp up around the edges and the peach sugar to caramelize.

This. Is. A. Flavor. Bomb.

You put it in your mouth and take one bite and it's almost too much to be able to process. You will lose yourself for a moment. Or two. This is smack your hand on the table and moan good.

And yeah, the bed of arugula underneath makes for a perfect peppery bite in contrast to all that decadence. And there's a dressing of peach-infused white balsamic combined with basil-infused olive oil that you could drink up by itself. (I discovered the oil and vinegar at Con' Olio.)

But the warm, juicy peaches and the salty melted pork fat. Whew!

Don't make this for just anyone. Make this for someone you are serious about because they will be serious about you after one bite.

You could do these as an appetizer, with one peach half per person on a little bed of arugula. Or be gluttons, like we were, and have several on a larger salad as your dinner. Because, really, what are you going to serve after this?

Nuff said. I'm not overselling. Go and try for yourself. Quick, before the peaches are gone. (Get organic ones so you can leave the skins on. They hold together better on the grill that way.)

Tip: keep the pancetta in the fridge until you are ready to assemble, it's easier to handle when it's still cold.



Grilled Peaches with Basil and Pancetta

3-4 organic peaches
6-8 slices pancetta
one bunch basil
6-8 wooden skewers

2 tablespoons basil-infused olive oil
2 tablespoons peach-infused white balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt

vegetable oil

two large handfuls of arugula (or arugula and spinach)


Soak the skewers in water for about 30 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill. Drain and set aside.

Get your charcoal-fire or gas grill going. (We've also done this on a grill pan over the stove.)

Cut the peaches in half. One half should let go of the peach pit fairly easily. For the other clingy half, slide the point of a paring knife around the edge of the pit and just slightly under it until it releases from the pit. Do this with all of the peaches and set them on a plate.

Take one peach half, lay a basil leaf over the well in the center, and wrap a slice of pancetta around it tightly, until it overlaps. Repeat with the remaining peach halves.

Take the remaining basil, stack the leaves on top of each other and slice them or roll them up and snip into slivers with kitchen shears. Set aside for serving.

Run a skewer through the peach halves about a quarter-inch from the surface of the cut side. Repeat with one or two more peach halves on the same skewer. Push them up next to each other as close as they'll go. Brush or rub a little vegetable oil on the cut side and the back side of the peaches.

Brush or wipe the grill grate with vegetable oil.

Place the skewers on the grill with the cut side up (round side on the fire). Grill over medium-high heat for about five minutes. Flip over and grill another 2-3 minutes on the cut side. Remove from grill.

Put a large handful of arugula on each plate. Sprinkle with the leftover bits of basil.

Remove peaches from the skewers and serve over the arugula. Drizzle with the dressing and serve warm.


Serves... well, you decide how many. (We'd have this as dinner for the two of us.)

Adapted from Food & Wine.

Heidi Swanson's Baked Oatmeal

When I was a little girl, I remember cold, winter days at my grandmother's house. While she cooked, she'd set me up on a stool in front of the stove, then take one of her handmade quilts, warm it in front of a heater, and wrap it around me. I felt like a princess sitting high up on that stool with a soft, warm quilt pulled around me. She didn't know it then, but she set a standard for me about what real comfort means. I always hope that some of that comes out in my cooking.

This baked oatmeal dish is all about that kind of comfort. It comes from Heidi Swanson, of 101 Cookbooks fame. Swanson's beautiful blog is one of the first I started reading years ago. I have long admired the spare, clean, natural look of her photos. Her food is real, unprocessed and breathtaking. Swanson's recipes are vegetarian-based and have again and again introduced me to a flavorful world of unprocessed, nutrient-dense natural foods. Good for you really can taste good and look good.

Swanson's first book, Super Natural Cooking, is a favorite. So I was very excited this week to receive her just released second book, Super Natural Every Day. As soon as I cracked it open, I started marking pages with recipes to try:

• frittata with asparagus, goat cheese and potatoes
• summer squash soup with red Thai curry and coconut milk
• rice salad with spinach, basil, goat cheese, walnuts and cherry vinaigrette
• ravioli salad with olives, cilantro and pepitas (I've got to learn to make gluten free pasta!)
• yellow split peas with serranos, greens and parmesan
• kale salad with sesame and coconut
• chanterelle tacos
• boiled eggs seasoned with dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend)
• spinach chop with harissa, eggs, almonds and lemon
• roasted chickpeas
• quinoa patties
• sparkling panakam (an Indian beverage with ginger, cardamom and lime)

There are plenty of gluten-free recipes in this book and most of the rest could easily be adapted.



First up, I decided to try Swanson's baked oatmeal. In the version in her book, she makes it with berries, bananas, and walnuts. But she suggests you use this as a guide and switch out with whatever fruits and nuts you like. We just planted two little peach trees in our yard in the last couple of weeks. And boom, just days later, there are a couple of peaches dangling from the branches, soft and fuzzy, growing a little bigger each day. So I've had peaches on the brain. I know it's a little early for peaches. I'm dying to try this recipe with the fresh strawberries that are out now at the farmers market, with Confituras strawberry and vanilla jam drizzled on top. But the barometer has been bouncing up and down this week and triggering migraines for me, so that means no berries right now (a migraine trigger food). I'm hoping to try out that version soon. So with peaches on my mind, I decided to try it with defrosted frozen peaches and almonds.

First, I have to warn you that the smell of this cooking will turn your whole house into a comfort zone. This is the kind of smell real estate agents should have wafting from the oven of open houses. It will torture you while the oatmeal is baking.

Another ingredient note: Swanson's recipe calls for milk, but I used rice milk. If you're using almonds as your nut, almond milk would probably be great too. To keep it gluten-free, I used certified gluten-free rolled oats.

Swanson calls for an 8-inch square pan to bake the oatmeal. I used a deep dish pie pan instead. I think this made for a thicker layer and I had to cook it quite a bit longer to get the oats cooked all the way through in the center. Next time, I'd follow her suggestion or maybe make then in individual pans, which would make for quick reheating later for an express breakfast.

The smell of baking oats with vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, peaches and almonds will have you standing at the stove panting. And the dish lives up to the olfactory tease. It's light, fluffy, very flavorful and immensely comforting. I'm just glad I got some before my husband gets home starving from a morning playing ultimate (he plays ultimate frisbee).

As I mentioned, I want to try making this with fresh strawberries and Confituras strawberry vanilla jam drizzled on top, and a more fall-ish version with apples and pears with pecans.



Heidi Swanson's Baked Oatmeal

2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rice milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 10-ounce packages of frozen peaches, defrosted, drained and cut into chunks
1/2 cup toasted, salted whole almonds, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Butter or oil and 8-inch baking dish. Spread the peaches evenly in the bottom of the pan and set aside.

Combine: oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together. Sprinkle over the peaches in the prepared pan. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine: maple syrup, rice milk, egg, half of the melted butter and vanilla. Whisk together completely. Slowly pour this over the oats and peaches in the pan. Shake or jiggle the pan gently to release any air bubbles.

Sprinkle the almonds on top.

Place the pan on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until the center is cooked through and fluffy. Let cool a bit, then drizzle with a bit more maple syrup and the rest of the melted butter to serve.

Serves 6 as a stand alone or double that as part of a larger breakfast buffet.

Recipe adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. Check out more of Swanson's recipes on her blog, 101 Cookbooks.

P.S. My hubby got home just as I was finishing up this post. He came in, went straight to the stove, and still wearing his hat and backpack, stood at the stove gobbling this up by the spoonful. "Wow!" he responded when he came up for air.

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.

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.

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.

'wichcraft's boucheron & grapefruit sandwich

I love goat cheese, but boucheron (sometimes spelled "bucheron") is my favorite. I got turned on to it at the Whole Foods cheese counter. The guy behind the counter suggested it and said he was so confident that we'd enjoy it that he gave me a big slice to take home and try for free. Smart move. We've been hooked ever since.



Apparently, a "bucheron" is a logger or woodcutter. In cheese form, it looks like a log. It is a mold-ripened goat cheese with one layer just inside the rind and another in the center. The outer layer is like goat cheese butter while the center is more like traditional goat cheese – a little flakier and with that distinctive tangy flavor. The Whole Foods guy gave us a tip – place a thick slice off the log into a skillet and heat it over medium heat until it's all melty goodness. That buttery layer on the outside melts and bubbles and transforms into something transcedent. I love it so much that way that I've had a hard time trying it any other way. Until now.

The 'wichcraft sandwich book by Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar that I wrote about in the previous post pairs the tangy goat cheese with grapefruit and crisped Nicoise olives as an open-faced sandwich. The taste combination tickled my fancy and I wanted to try their crispy olive technique. You basically roast the olives until they turn crispy, their texture transformed into something new. (Note: in a fit of impatience, I tried them halfway through their roasting time and found them bitter and unpleasant. So I put them back in and hoped they would come back out better. And they did. So follow the cooking time and have faith.) Crispy olives rock. Their texture turns from fleshy to almost crunchy and the flavor gets softer, but more concentrated at the same time, but without any bitterness. I love the texture of these things. I want to try it with kalamatas and green olives too.

I found the large serving shown in the book to be a little awkward to eat. So I cut smaller diagonal rounds from the baguette for easier-to-handle bites. This is especially important if you're serving them as a party food.

Also, given my love for gooey, melty boucheron, I tried these with the cheese melted and also as directed with it just softened. With the grapefruit and olives, I like it better just softened. The flavor of the cheese is more pronounced that way and goes with the fruit better.

I love grapefruit. I love boucheron. And now I love crispy olives. This is a combination I never would have thought to put together, but I love it. The brightness of the grapefruit with the creamy, tanginess of the goat cheese and the salty crunch of the olives is refreshing and unexpected and lovely. Can't wait to try more from this book.

Boucheron with Grapefruit and Crispy Olives

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup pitted Nicoise olives
1/4 pound slice of Boucheron goat cheese
1 large grapefruit
8 round slices from a french baguette
1 sprig fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the olives with the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet or casserole pan. Roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until crispy. Turn your exhaust fan on here, it might be a little smoky.

While the olives are roasting, take the cheese out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature.

Cut the grapefruit into supremes. (Cut off the top and bottom. Sit the grapefruit with one of the cut ends on the counter or cutting board. One section at a time, start at the top of the fruit and cut down the side removing the peel and white pith. Do this one section at a time, rotating around the fruit until you've removed all the white and peel. Now pick up the grapefruit and hold it in your hand. Carefully, use the knife in the other hand to remove the sections of fruit from the membrane, cutting at an angle. If you'd like to see a demonstration of how to make supremes, check out Ming Tsai's tutorial here. It's a lot easier after you've seen someone do it.)

Remove any seeds from your grapefruit sections and set them aside in a bowl.

When the olives are crispy, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. Once they've cooled, put them on a cutting board and crush them lightly with the back of your knife. You just want to smoosh them a little. Yeah, that's a technical term.

Spread your bread slices on a baking sheet and toast lightly.

When you're ready to assemble, spread the softened cheese on your bread. Top with a grapefruit section and a few crispy olives. Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 little open-faced sandwiches.

Adapted from 'wichcraft by Tom Colicchio and Sisha Ortuzar.

Peaches with Lemongrass Syrup

It's been a bad year for Central Texas peaches. A late frost in April hit the peaches hard. There have been more than expected showing up at the farmers' markets, but they're not as flavorful as usual.

This is going to get me in trouble, but I have to share with you the source of the sweetest, fattest, juiciest and mosty flavorful peaches I've ever had... and, no, they're not from Texas, or even Georgia, for that matter. They are from Frog Hollow Farms in California. I know, I know. Not local = bad. I know. But these are peaches like no other. In good years, in the summer, they can be found at our local Whole Foods. I went in the other day, specifically to check to see if they might have some, and they did. I brought a bunch of them home. (So many that a fellow shopper saw me loading up and asked about them and decided to try them himself.)

"This is what peaches are supposed to taste like," my husband said with juice dripping down his arm. Yep.

So before they're gone, try them, and you'll see what I mean. They have the softest, fuzziest skin. They are big and generously round with those creases like baby bottoms. And who can resist a fat baby bottom? But the thing that distinguishes them is the flavor. It's full on, sweet and juicy peachiness.

Find them now at Whole Foods or you can also order them online directly from Frog Hollow, or if you're lucky enough to shop at the Ferry Market in San Francisco, you can probably find some there. This week, I'll settle for Whole Foods downtown.

There are so many wonderful things you can do with peaches. But these peaches should be enjoyed just as they are, in all their unadulterated glory. Straight up or perhaps with this lemongrass syrup for just a little embellishment. They're easy that way and the perfect summer dessert. Just stand over the sink or eat them outside, because the juice will run right down your arm. Suh-weet!

Peaches and lemongrass may seem at odd couple, sort of cross-cultural. But it really works. The lemongrass with a little zip of lime makes the peaches even more luxurious. This is just a quick and easy simple syrup infused with lemongrass and lime. The original recipe places grilled peaches and lemongrass syrup over coconut tapioca. A tropical delight. But I'm not commited to spending that much time in the kitchen on a hot summer day. And the syrup is perfect to dress up the peaches just a little for a light summer dessert.



Peaches with lemongrass syrup

1 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 stalks of lemongrass
2 limes
6-8 peaches

In a saucepan, over low heat, dissolve the sugar in the water.

While the sugar is dissolving, trim the lemongrass stems. Cut off the bottom inch or so and cut off the grassy tops, leaving about 4-6 inches of flavorful stem. Peel off the outer layer (or two). Cut the stalk into pieces that will fit into your saucepan. You can also split them in half lengthwise, or bash them with the back of your knife (carefully!) to release more flavor.

When the sugar has dissolved, add the lemongrass and the zest of one lime. Remove from heat and let infuse for 15-20 minutes.

Return to heat at a low simmer and stir until thickens, about 10-15 more minutes.

Strain out the zest and lemongrass and let cool.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of lime juice and stir together. Add more lime juice to taste, if you like.

Serve with over peeled and sliced fresh peaches or grilled peach halves.

Serves 4-6.

Adapted from Food & Travel magazine.

Can't get enough peaches? Here's the perfect peach ice cream.

Spring Rolls with Fruit

Sorry to be a bit delinquent in posting lately. I've been sidelined with a tummy bug that had me eating baby food for a week. But I'm back and wanted to share these tasty spring rolls.

Before the tummy bug, I was foraging at the Whole Foods sushi counter for lunch and ran across a fruit spring roll. This was a new offering and a delightful and hopefully, recurring, one. It was served with a light peanut sauce that was a little sweeter than usual. Their spring roll included strawberries, lettuce, carrots, cabbage and cucumbers. The strawberries brought a whole new flavor to the party that I really liked. So I decided to try some myself at home.

The main thing about spring rolls is getting the hang of the rice paper wrappers. Once you've got that, you can put just about anything in them. So use your imagination. You just don't want anything too wet or it will weaken the structure of the wrapper too much.

You can also use rice stick noodles or not. You see them often in restaurant spring rolls. They make for a nicely textured filler. Sometimes I put them in, sometimes not. It's up to you. The flavors will be a bit more defined without the noodles.

Cut and prep all of your filling ingredients first. When everything is ready to go, you dip your rice paper wrappers in water and then start assembling immediately, one at a time. The rice paper wrapper won't seem soft enough at first, but as you are assemble it, it will continue to soften.

You can also use whatever herbs you'd like to pair with your filling. Use this as a guide and think up your own combinations. You can make each roll a little different, if you like. They can also be made with shrimp, pork, tofu, or not. It's up to you.



I made these on a weeknight and had enough on my hands assembling the spring rolls, so I picked up a bottled peanut sauce. I've also had them with sweet chili sauce and a ginger lime sauce. Again, your choice.

Below, I've put together more of a guideline than a specific recipe. How many you make and what you put in them is up to you. If you're serving them as an appetizer, you'll probably want two per person.


Spring Rolls with Fruit

strawberries, trimmed and sliced in half
mango, peeled and sliced into sticks
hothouse cucumber, peeled (or not), and sliced into sticks
greens of your choice: leafy lettuce, Asian microgreens
cilantro, chopped
mint, whole leaves stripped from stem
basil, whole leaves stripped from stem
zest of one lime
shrimp, peeled, cleaned, boiled and cooled, and split in half (optional)
rice paper wrappers
rice stick noodles, soaked in hot water briefly and drained (optional)
peanut sauce, for serving
lime cut into wedges for serving

Prepare all of your filling ingredients and have them lined up on the counter ready to go.

If you're using rice stick noodles, soak them in hot water for 2-3 minutes and then drain them. Let them cool while you move on.

To assemble: I tried a few different plates until I found the one that worked best. It had higher lip around the edge which seemed to keep the wrapper from sticking as much.

Take a large bowl or a sauté pan larger than the rice paper wrappers and fill it with 1-2 inches of cool water. Set it next to your assembly space.

Take one rice paper wrapper and submerge it in the water for 3-4 seconds. It won't seem soft enough yet, but go ahead and pull it out, let drip for a second, and lay it on your plate. Arrange your first filling ingredient in a row down the center of the spring roll wrapper. Leave a good 1 1/2 - 2 inches of wrapper clear at top and bottom.

Layer more filling ingredients until you're ready to roll up your wrapper. Be careful not to overfill it or it will be difficult to roll up.

To begin rolling, pull up the bottom portion of the wrapper up and fold it over the filling.



Now do the same with the top portion.



Then take right side and fold it over to the left, covering the center of the roll. Like a sushi roll, you'll want to tuck in the wrapper as tightly as possible into the crease along the left side. Tighten and tuck as you roll. Roll to the left and until it's completely rolled up.



Now start again.

With these ingredients, I made two combos -- 1) strawberries with mint, cucumber, and Asian microgreens; 2) mango with lime zest, cucumber, Asian microgreens, basil, cilantro and sometimes shrimp.

Happy wrapping and rolling.

Pineapple Mint Slushie

It's that time of year when we're seeing triple digits by lunchtime and I only want to eat and drink things that are cold, preferably frozen. So I share with you the perfect summertime refresher that my friend, Jennifer, introduced me to at her house. You combine fresh pineapple juice with mint and ice and sometimes Jen adds fresh ginger to give it another layer of flavor.

This one is a little bit fussy — you purée fresh pineapple and then have to press it through a sieve to remove the pulp, unless you have a juicer. But it doesn't take long and gives you the ultimate smooth essence of pineapple.

I drink piña agua fresca all the time at our favorite neighborhood Mexican joint. It's really good. But theirs doesn't include the mint. Fresh mint somehow makes the pineapple flavor even more somehow. For a little different spin, I like it with the ginger too. But as much as I love ginger, it's warming to me, so I usually make this in the blazing summer with just mint. Try it both ways and see what you like.

Note that you can prep the pineapple juice and combine it with the mint a little ahead of time and stash it in the fridge. But don't blend it with the ice until you're ready to serve it. You want these icy for the utimate slushie refreshment.

I haven't tried this, but I'm guessing a little shot of rum in here would be pretty tasty too.



Pineapple Mint Slushie

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
approximately 1/4 cup sugar or agave syrup, to taste
1/2 cup fresh spearmint leaves
1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger, optional
5 cups ice cubes

In a blender, purée the pineapple.

Pour a little of the purée at a time into a seive placed over a bowl. Press it through the sieve with a spoon.

When all of the purée has been run through the sieve, discard the pulp, and return the juice to the blender. Add the sugar/agave and mint. Keep in mind that you may need more or less sweetener depending on the ripeness of your pineapple. Taste to decide. But don't skip it altogether. The little bit of extra sweetness really brings out the flavor of the pineapple. It's flat without it. Whiz together in the blender until the mint is incorporated.

If serving immediately, add the ice cubes and blend completely until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses.

If not serving immediately, refrigerate the pineapple-mint mixture until ready to add the ice and serve.

You're not likely to have any extra since folks will probably be asking for seconds. But in case you do, you can pour the excess into popsicle molds and freeze them for later.

Serves 4-6, depending on serving size.

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January 2004.

Cuban Chicken Salad with Pan Con Timba

As the weather heats up, the bright, zesty flavors of a cool Cuban salad are just the thing. Mango, lime, orange, avocado and the crunch of cashews come together for some flavor mojo. You can roast a chicken breast yourself, or use store-bought or leftover roasted chicken. That makes it very fast to put together.

I like to pair this with pan con timba, basically, a Cuban grilled cheese. Some friends made this for me years ago as part of a Cuban feast. When I tell you what's in it, you'll have to take a moment to wrap your head around it. Sounds a little odd. I might not have made this just based on seeing the recipe. But I'm so glad they made it for me. From the first bite, I was hooked. It's made with buttered, French rolls toasted with guava paste on one side and Swiss cheese on the other. Sounds bizarre. But try it. The exotic, deep fruitiness of the guava paste is the perfect companion to melty, bubbly Swiss cheese. And it must be made with fresh French rolls that are flaky and crusty on the outside and soft and pillowy on the inside.

This recipe will make more dressing than you need for two salads, but I always stash the excess in the fridge and use it within a few days on another salad. It's a great fresh dressing on it's own.

Make the pan con timba first. It can be toasting while you put the salad together. You can find guava paste in most grocery stores. I usually find Goya brand in the Latin food section. It comes in a flat can. I've also seen a smaller boxed version at Fiesta in Austin. I'm not putting quantities on the pan con timba, because you'll probably want more than one, so make however many you like. They are a taste sensation. Grilled cheese and jelly!

And yes, since you asked, that is my new Heath salad bowl. Gush!

Pan Con Timba

guava paste
swiss cheese block (that you can slice yourself)
crusty French rolls
butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split each roll and spread a little bit of softened butter on the inside of each half.

Cut thick slices of Swiss to fit one half of each roll.

Place the cheese on the bottom half of the roll.

Cut a slice out of the guava paste about the same size as the Swiss cheese. Place that on the top half of the buttered roll.

Place these on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until melted and bubbly.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Don't touch the guava at this point!! Think guava lava!! Let it cool enough to handle and eat. When you're ready, put the top and bottom halves together to form a sandwich and enjoy with your salad.



Cuban Chicken Salad

dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated orangic orange zest
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce

salad:
1 small to medium mango
1 large grilled chicken breast, cut into strips or cubes
1 small to medium avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
4 large handfuls of baby romaine or field greens
1/3 cup roasted, salted cashews
1 lime, cut into wedges

To make the dressing, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Assemble salad. Put greens into a large bowl and drizzle half of the dressing over top. Toss together.

Arrange greens on two large plates. Place chicken cubes or slices down the center. Place mangos down one side and avocado cubes down the other side. Sprinkle cashews over top.

Serve with additional dressing and wedges of lime.

Serves 2.

Adapted from Bon Appetit, September 1997.

New Twist on Lemonade

Today is "lemonade day" -- a community-sponsored event to teach kids how to run their own lemonade stands. I'm probably not going to set up my own lemonade stand today, but I did try this new lemonade recipe this weekend and wanted to share it.

This recipe comes from Frank Stitt's Bottega Favorita. Stitt is known for his two Birmingham, Alabama restaurants, Highland Bar & Grill, which applies French techniques to Southern flavors, and Bottega, which focuses on Italian and Mediterranean flavors. His book, Bottega Favorita, is one of my recent library finds and it's loaded with full, warm flavors.

Most people know how to make lemonade, right? But this new twist intrigued me because I'm a big vanilla-lover. You make a traditional sugar syrup but with a bit of a vanilla bean to flavor it. Then add your fresh lemon juice and you're there. It's very simple, but has a softer, rounder, more floral and addictive flavor. I'll be making lemonade this way from now on.

You'll want a fresh, fat vanilla bean for this. Go the extra mile and track down a real vanilla bean instead of extract. It makes a difference.

Vanilla Lemonade

4 cups filtered water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
10 ounces lemon juice, from about 4 large lemons

In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and vanilla bean. Simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Pour the cooled syrup into a pitcher and add lemon juice. Stir to combine and then chill in the fridge. You can leave the vanilla bean in the pitcher, just remove it before serving.

This is pretty concentrated so serve it over lots of ice.

Serves 4-6.

Adapted from Bottega Favorita by Frank Stitt.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

More strawberries! I know, I said the last one was the last one. But then I started making this salad for dinner and realized I hadn't shared it yet, so here's one more.

This is my homemade riff on one of my favorite salads from Leaf -- hands down the best salad place in Austin. If you haven't been there, check them out. You can pick and choose from their huge selection of items for your own creation, or choose one of the combinations off their menu. Their salads are generous and you will leave there full. It's a satisfying way to eat your veggies. And even my very carnivorous husband likes their salads, so it's not just girly place.

This one combines spinach, strawberries, nuts, goat cheese and a little sprinkle of bacon to put it over the top. I still had some of the strawberry mint syrup I ordered from June Taylor Jams so I used that as a base for the dressing by adding a little balsamic, olive oil and pepper. That gave it a perfect little zing. You could use any kind of bottled raspberry balsamic or even just a straight up balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette, if you like. The balsamic really compliments the berries. (I've tried making this same dressing with white balsamic and was underwhelmed.)

This is another one of those lists that's more a steering direction than a strict recipe. Add as much or as little of the ingredients or make some swops to please yourself. I think Leaf uses pecans and sunflower seeds as well as red onions on their version. I went with almonds. I also added fresh mint. And I skipped the onions. I'm not a fan of the much-overused red onion.

Note: my husband made happy sounds when eating this that I usually only hear when he's eating a Phil's chicken sandwich or a Chipotle burrito.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

baby spinach
strawberries (organic), quartered or sliced
goat cheese, crumbled
bacon crumbles
sliced almonds, toasted
fresh mint, chopped

dressing:
(enough for 2 salads)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons June Taylor's strawberry mint syrup
fresh black pepper to taste

According to your whim, either compose or toss the ingredients together for your salad.

Whisk together your dressing, if making from scratch.

Enjoy!

Diana Sauce for Berries

Before the strawberries disappear, I have to share one more recipe with you. This is a recipe a friend passed on to me after she learned it from other friends in the restaurant biz. Three simple ingredients -- sour cream, brown sugar and vanilla -- meld together to create one of the best sauces I've ever tasted. The first time I watched her make this was for a party. By the end of the evening, we'd run out of berries, so we switched to crackers. Then we just gave up all pretenses and finished it off with spoons. It is true creamy, vanilla velvet. I've been making this for years and have yet to find anyone who isn't instantly enamored after tasting it. And it's so simple!

I have to confess that I never measure anything when I make this. I did measure it this time to give you a guideline, but you'll learn to make it by sight and taste too. Start with these amounts and then adjust them to your taste.

I've made this with regular, low-fat and even non-fat sour cream. You truly cannot tell the difference. The only fussy part about this is that you need to let it sit on the counter for just a few minutes after stirring it all together to let the brown sugar melt. Then you can stir it again and it will be smooth and luscious. Taste it at that point and decide if you need to add any more vanilla or brown sugar.

I usually make this to serve on the side of a big bowl of strawberries or mixed berries -- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, whatever you like. But it also makes a really good sauce for a berry trifle. Layer pound cake or angel food cake cubes with berries and put this sauce in between. The berries elevate the sauce and the sauce elevates the berries. As it should be.

I've also seen this sauce made with brandy. You can try that too. But I like it better like this. Try it and make it your own.

I've given you amounts here for a small bowl, as shown in the photo. But you can easily muliply this for whatever quantity you want.



Diana Sauce

8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stir together ingredients, then let rest until sugar melts.

Stir again until completely combined.

Sample it and adjust with more vanilla or brown sugar to taste.

Serve with your favorite berries.