Cauliflower is the New Cauliflower!

Ok, I'll admit it: I've never been a huge fan of cauliflower. I dig it in a good curry, but otherwise, I haven't been enamored. Until now. I've finally emerged from beneath whatever rock it was that was keeping me from seeing and tasting the wonder of cauliflower. Yum!

I found the version of this recipe below on Epicurious, originally published in Bon Apetit. As far as I'm concerned, you *could* stop after the initial roasting--it will be the best food you have ever tasted.

However, completing the recipe will also result in the best food you have ever tasted. Really!

Cauliflower with Mustard-Lemon Butter
1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter rimmed baking sheet. Cut cauliflower in half, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in single layer on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with salt. Roast until cauliflower is slightly softened, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in lemon juice, mustard, and lemon peel.

Spoon mustard-lemon butter evenly over cauliflower and roast until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes longer. DO AHEADCan be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Transfer cauliflower to platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

from Bon Appétit
November 2006

Apricot Blueberry Crostata

An impromptu dinner for friends includes some extra special items: organic apricots and blueberries become a sweet crostata, and some pizza dough from Gialina's in San Francisco (thanks Ned!) will become a very special pizza. Here is the crostata...

Here is the recipe, from Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking, one of my favorite cookbooks.

Substitute apricots and blueberries for the cherries in this recipes. I've also made this using peaches, plums, apples, apples and pears, or apples, pears, and quince.

Fresh Cherry Crostata

Tart Dough:
2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Teaspoons salt
1 cup (1/2 pound) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup ice water, or more if needed
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:
4 cups pitted fresh cherries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon


1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream for egg wash
2 teaspoons coarse sugar

Make the tart dough: Combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir together the 1/4 cup ice water and the vanilla and sprinkle it over the mixture in the processor. Pulse just until a dough forms, adding a little extra ice water if necessary. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a 1-inch thick round. Wrap 1 disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Freeze the other half for future use.

Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 425F for 45 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling to soften it slightly.

Place the dough round between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 13-inch round, flouring the round lightly as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Slide a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet under the bottom sheet of parchment.

Make the filling: Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl and toss well. Fill the center of the dough round with the cherries in an even layer, leaving a border of about 1-1/2 inches. Fold the border up and over the cherries to make a rim. Brush the rim with egg wash, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Trim the excess parchment with scissors.

Use the pizza peel or baking sheet to transfer the crostata, still with parchment underneath, to the oven, sliding it, along with the paper, directly onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust is nicely browned and the cherries are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven with the peel or baking sheet and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Yum.

Fresh Cherry Crostata

OMG. :)

Here is the recipe, from Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking

Fresh Cherry Crostata

Tart Dough:
2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Teaspoons salt
1 cup (1/2 pound) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup ice water, or more if needed
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Filling:
4 cups pitted fresh cherries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 Teaspoon ground cinnamon


1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream for egg wash
2 teaspoons coarse sugar

Make the tart dough: Combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir together the 1/4 cup ice water and the vanilla and sprinkle it over the mixture in the processor. Pulse just until a dough forms, adding a little extra ice water if necessary. Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a 1-inch thick round. Wrap 1 disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Freeze the other half for future use.

Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 425F for 45 minutes. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling to soften it slightly.

Place the dough round between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 13-inch round, flouring the round lightly as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Slide a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet under the bottom sheet of parchment.

Make the filling: Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl and toss well. Fill the center of the dough round with the cherries in an even layer, leaving a border of about 1-1/2 inches. Fold the border up and over the cherries to make a rim. Brush the rim with egg wash, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Trim the excess parchment with scissors.

Use the pizza peel or baking sheet to transfer the crostata, still with parchment underneath, to the oven, sliding it, along with the paper, directly onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust is nicely browned and the cherries are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven with the peel or baking sheet and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Yum.

Happy Tomato Flowers

'nuf said.

Chewy Organic Oatmeal Cookies

You want thick, chewy oatmeal cookies? You came to the right place! This is the best oatmeal cookie recipe I know of--enjoy.

2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 pound), softened but still firm 
1 cup light brown sugar 
1 cup granulated sugar 
2 eggs 
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg 
3 cups rolled oats 

1. Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg together, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and optional raisins.

3. Form dough into sixteen to twenty 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Organic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

These are thick, chewy cookies... yum.

I use organic stone ground flour and free-range, organic eggs from my friends at Full Belly Farm. The chickens that lay the eggs roam free, and help keep the farm land healthy by eating insects and grubs, scratching and helping turn and aerate the soil, and fertilizing as they go. Quite a system when you think about it. The butter is from Strauss Family Creamery in Marin County. All these folks care deeply about how they produce food, and I respect their organic, thoughtful, and sustainable approaches. Support your local food community!

On to the cookies, and a quick story: these cookies also make great gifts. This batch is a thank you gift for the owner of the shop that recently managed to press the wrinkles out of my fancy-go-to-city duds within an hour after I dropped them off.  One of these days, I'll own an iron. Until then, I'll keep trading favors with my friends and neighbors. :)

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust oven racks to upper & lower -middle positions, and heat your oven to 325F. 
   
2. Sift dry ingredients together; set aside.
   
3. Mix butter and both sugars until thoroughly combined. 
   
4. Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. 
   
5. Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.
   
6. Roll a bit less than 1/2 cup of dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the pieces 90 degrees so the rough surfaces face up, and place  onto cookie sheet.
   
7. Bake about 18 minutes, (alternating the baking sheets on the rack after 9 minutes) until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden. The centers should be soft and a little puffy.
   
8. Cool the cookies until you can move them without breaking, then move to wire racks. 
   
9. Makes about a dozen big, chewy cookies.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well it's finally really raining, and I decided to go ultra-cozy and bake some chocolate chip cookes.  These are yummy-chewy-chocolately, and I think you'll like them.

1 cup flour

1/4 cup oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/8 cup canola oil

1/8 cup vanilla soy milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp molasses

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, oil, soymilk, vanilla, and molasses together, whipping it a little to emulsify the oil.

In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, then add to the sugar mixture, mixing to form a stiff dough. Add a few more oats if it's not stiff enough, or add a little more soymilk if it's too stiff.

Spoon onto a baking sheet, and bake at about 360F for between 8-12 minutes, watching carefully to pull them out just as they begin to turn golden brown. Remove from baking sheet right away to cool on a rack, but start eating them as fast as you can because they are so good. :)

Vegan Apple Crisp

I recently found myself afloat in apples (if you've read my previous posts about apples, then you understand why!), and decided to make an apple crisp to bring along to an impromptu dinner with friends.  Use these amounts as a guide, and adjust if you use more apples or if you like extra topping (like me!). 

4-6 locally grown, organic apples, or more

juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup brown sugar or other sweetener

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup canola oil

Wash, peel, core, and slice the apples. I use thick slices, but do whatever you'd like--it'll all work out. :)  Toss together with the lemon juice, and pour them into a baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix the brown sugar, flour, and oats together and add the canola oil, mixing until it comes together. Sprinkle this topping on the apples. 

Bake for 45 minutes at 375F, or until the apples are soft and the topping is browned.

Chai to Smile About :)

It turns out a friend of mine likes chai as much as I do, so I decided to share my recipe for this delicious spiced tea. Like many of my recipes, use the amounts listed below for guidance. Add more ginger if you like a more potent gingery zing, and more pepper if you like a little more spicy heat. I promise you'll enjoy this!

3 cups water

6 green cardomom pods

6 black peppercorns

Ginger, about 1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger, or 2 tablespoons dried ginger pieces

Sweetener, to taste. I like both honey and agave nectar

Black tea (optional, if you want some caffeine)

Milk, almond, soy, rice, or dairy

Add cardamom pods, peppercorns, and ginger to the water, and boil for about 30 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve and store, refrigerated, in a glass container. 

When you're ready for a cup, just mix up some of the chai with sweetener, milk and tea, then reheat. I always just guess about how much to mix, and somehow it seems to work out just fine. Don't worry, it'll work for you, too. Enjoy!

The Promise of Fresh Bread -- with Full Belly Barm!

Full Belly Farm, one of my favorite local farms, has teamed up with another local, Alton Spiller of Los Altos to produce barm using Full Belly Farm whole Sonora wheat flour. So for a buck you can jump start your own batch of barm to use for making fresh sourdough bread whenever you like. It's also pretty fun to have found another local bread/flour geek who knows what I'm talking about when I start asking about protein percentages and poolish. :-)

No Bad Apples

Hauer, Red Delicious, Pippin, and Sundowners. All great! No bad apples!

A Peck of Patient Peppers

When I asked the folks from Serendipity Farms how it was that we have these beautiful, organically grown, Hungarian red peppers in January, the farmer that grew them told me that they simply finally have ripened. They were grown near the coast, and have been waiting all this time to get enough sun to finally ripen. Since there hasn't been a freeze along the coast, these peppers waited patiently to arrive at the market, and to my kitchen. Another fabulous day at the farmer's market! We are so lucky to live here...