Working on different fruit butter combos for the shop! Fruit butters are a cinch to make, just requiring patience as one waits for the fruit to cook down into a luscious, rich spread. I'm incorporating veggies with a high sugar content into some of these for a different twist, think beets, carrots, and winter squash. Imagine, a serving vegetables on your toast! No added sugar or pectin, just fruit and honey or maple syrup.
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Gotta have fancy jars for the new virtual farm stand! Our canned good are going to be looking deliciously professional this year.
Cassava Cake w/ Citrus & Coconut Milk Carmel Sauce
Ingredients: (Makes 1- 9 inch round pan) For Cake: For Caramel: - 2lb freshly grated cassava - 2 tbs. flour - 3 eggs - 1/4 c. coconut milk - 2 c. sugar - 14 oz. (one can) condensed milk - 1/2 stick butter, melted - 2 egg yolks - 1 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk - 3/4 c. evaporated milk - 2 limes, zested - 1 orange, zested - 1 teas. freshly grated nutmeg To Make: Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 inch round pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Beat w/ electric hand mixer until throughly combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until center is set. (I poured the extra batter into cupcake tins- baked for 30 min.) Remove from oven to cool while caramel is made. For caramel sauce, mix 1/2 of condensed milk with flour until smooth. Add rest of ingredients and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture has thickened and reduced to a jam/jelly consistency. Spread sauce evenly over the cake surface while still in pan, place under preheated broiler for 2-3 min. Topping will caramelize very quickly so keep a close eye on it. Remove cake from oven, let cook completely and let topping set before turing out for service. PRICKLY PEAR +POPPY SEED CAKE
Ingredients: makes 1 - 9 inch round pan - 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour, sifted - 2/3 teas. baking powder - 1/4 teas. baking soda - 6 Tbs. butter, softened - 3/4 c .sugar - 1/2 c. mermelada de Xoconostle - 2 eggs - 1/3 c. buttermilk - 1/4 c. poppy seeds - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract To Make: Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour cake pan, set aside. Sift dry ingredients together in medium mixing bowl. Cream butter and sugar on medium high in another until light and fluffy. Add marmalade and eggs one at a time. Scrape down sides of bowl, add vanilla and poppy seeds. Add flour mixture and butter milk, alternating and ending with flour. Pour batter into prepared pan, bake on middle rack 25-28 minutes or until toothpick come out clean. Turn out and cool on wire rack. It's a snow day. I'm going to eat these cookies for breakfast and imagine I'm someplace warm. 43 days 'till Spring! Lime & Coriander Thumbprints w/ Papaya Butter Filling
Ingredients: (Makes about 2 1/2 doz. cookies) -2 sticks unsalted butter (bring to room temperature) -1/2 c. sugar -2 eggs -2 c. flour -zest of 3 limes -1 teas. vanilla extract -2 teas. coriander -pinch of salt -3/4 c. papaya butter (see our recipe in the canning section!) To Make: Cream butter and sugar together by hand or with mixer. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and coriander. Zest limes into bowl and add flour and salt. Mix dough thoroughly, put in fridge to chill 30-45 min. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once dough is chilled, roll into 1” balls. With thumb, press small well into each cookie, place on ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheets. ( If you press too hard, the dough will split. Let sit for a couple minutes or press gently for most uniform cookie shape.) Fill each well with 1/2 teaspoon papaya butter. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until firm. Cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet so jam sets and cookies don’t break before transferring to wire to finish cooling. Lemon Balm Panna Cotta
Ingredients: (5-6 servings) - 1 envelope (2 1/4 Teas.) unflavored gelatin - 3 Tbs. water - 1 1/2 c. heavy cream - 1 c. whole milk - 1/2 c. sugar - 2 c. dried lemon balm leaves To Make: Before getting down to making the panna cotta itself, the milk and cream need to be infused with the lemon balm to impart the overall flavor to the dish. Bring milk and cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan, add lemon balm. Remove from heat and let mixture steep until it returns to room temperature. Taste for flavor. If not string enough, repeat process again to impart more flavor. Strain cream and milk through mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove leaves, press leaves with fingers or back of spoon to extract the last bits of liquid (and the most potent flavor). Lightly oil 6 4-6 oz. ramekins or large serving bowl to pour prepared mixture into, set aside. Put water in small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over top of water, let stand for at least 5 minutes to soften. Return milk and cream to saucepan and stove, add sugar to mixture. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add gelatin and stir for 1 minute or until gelatin is completely dissolved. remove from heat and pour into prepared dishes. Refrigerate until completely set, about 3 hours. Unmold onto plates and serve with fresh fruit sauce. We like our fennel and rhubarb compote (check out the recipe in the canning section) with this, the sweeter the sauce the better, to counteract the herbaceousness of the panna cotta. Vegan Chocolate Nutmeg Pudding
Ingredients: (4 servings) - 1/2 c. sugar - 3 tbs. corn starch - 1/4 teas. salt - 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 (14) oz. can unsweetened coconut milk - 1 teas. freshly grated nutmeg - 1 teas. vanilla extract To Make: Have 4-5 small ramekins or 3 cup bowl ready to pour mixture into. Oil ramekins/ bowl beforehand if you want to unmold pudding. Mix together sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in small saucepan. Mix in 1/4 c. coconut milk and stir to form paste. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stir in all but 3 tbs. coconut milk. Take last of coconut milk and mix with cornstarch in small bowl to form another paste, stir thoroughly into rest of mixture on stove. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until pudding starts to thicken, turn heat to low and bring to a simmer, cook for 1 min. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and grated nutmeg. Pour pudding into prepared ramekins or bowls, refrigerate 2 hrs or until set. If you wish to avoid a skin forming over the top of the pudding, press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface (touching pudding surface) directly after pouring into serving dish. Unmold puddings onto plates or eat it straight from the bowl. Delicious. I could eat a million of these. You should too. Chinese Steamed Pork Buns w/ Cabbage + Criminis
Ingredients: Dough: -1 Pkg. Bat Bahn Bao mixed flour Filling: - 3/4 lb. ground pork - 1/4 c. sugar - 1tbs. ginger - 1 c. milk - 3 cloves garlic - 3 tbs. oil - 2 scallions - 3 tbs. tamari - 2 tbs. toasted sesame oil - 1 egg - 6-8 crimini mushrooms - 2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage To Make: Dough/ Wrappers: Mix all save for 1/4 c. of flour with sugar, milk, and oil. Dough will be sticky, let sit for 15-20 min. Turn out onto floured work surface, knead until smooth, 5-7 min. Roll into log, pull pieces off and roll into balls about 1”-1 1/4” . Press each ball into thin round sheet 3” in diameter, lay on sheets of wax paper or floured surface until ready to use. Makes about 24 wrappers Filling: Add ground pork to bowl. Mince all other ingredients (shred cabbage) and add to bowl with oil, tamari, and egg. Mix well. Buns: Place heaping spoonful of filling onto each wrapper. Fold up each ‘edge’ of wrapper around top of filling until all edges have been gathered and top forms a rosette. Repeat until wrappers or filling runs out. To cook, steam in bamboo or metal steamer for 15-20 mins. or pork is filling is cooked through and dough has chewiness but also bite. This recipe brings together two of my favorite things: Maitake mushrooms and potato gnocchi. The result is a familiar pasta with a deep, earthy flavor imparted by the maitake. Toss in a simple herb+ shallot butter sauce and serve immediately.
Maitake mushrooms are also known as 'hen of the woods', or Grifola Frondosa. They are abundant in the woods of the north-east US but are rarely found in markets, farmer's or grocery; although they are extremely popular in Japanese dishes. I made my maitake powder myself, but you can find it online, generally as a health supplement as opposed to a cooking item. Maitakes grow at the base of large oak trees, most often along the edge of fields and pastures. They are long lived, fruit in under the same trees for many years, and can weigh up to 50 pounds! Generally speaking they fruit in the early fall. I harvested three smaller heads from under one tree last fall for a total of 8 pounds. Their structure is similar to a cauliflower, but instead of florets, maitake branch out into brackets. I removed the cores of the mushrooms, separated the brackets, and dried them by stringing them up in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks until they were brittle and totally dry; then stored them in airtight mason jars. To grind into powder, simply chop dried maitake into fine pieces and then pulverize to powder with a coffee or spice grinder. Warning: Don't just go out and pick any old wild mushrooms, nor should you use this post as any sort of reference. Always talk to a learned friend or collegue and consult multiple field-guides to learn the basics of wild edible mushroom identification before your go out hunting! Potato Maitake Gnocchi (4-6 servings, about 80 pieces) Ingredients: - 2lbs roasting potatoes - 1 1/3 c. all purpose flour - 1/4 c. maitake (hen of the woods) mushroom powder - 1/2 teaspoon lemon thyme - pinch salt/pepper To Make: Bake potatoes until light and fluffy, about 1 hour. Scoop out insides while still hot and turn into medium mixing bowl. Combine with flour, mushroom powder, salt, pepper, and thyme; turn out of bowl into floured work surface. Knead until smooth. Roll dough into ropes about 3/4 inch wide, cut into 3/4 inch pieces. If a more perfect gnocchi ‘shape’ is desired, role each piece against the tines of a fork, pressing a dent into the opposite side of the gnocchi with your finger. To Cook: Bring 3-4 inches well salted water to a boil. Drop 1/2 of the gnocchi at a time into boiling water and cook until they float, 2-3 minutes. They should keep their shape and be chewy. If they are slimy or break apart, you may need to add a little flour to remaining dough. Remove gnocchi from water and toss with a little melted butter or olive oil. Repeat until all gnocchi are cooked. To Freeze: Spread uncooked gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet. Freeze gnocchi until hard, then remove and store in-between sheets of wax paper in airtight container in the freezer. |