Ben Makes Graham Cracker Pudding

On Saturday, he insisted that he wanted to make a recipe that he could do all by himself.  He looked through Mennonite Country-Style and suggested banana tarts, caramel popcorn, or cookies. Take it easy, buddy!  He compromised with me and agreed that graham cracker pudding was a good idea.

I stayed in the kitchen, but he did all the recipe reading, measuring, stirring, etc. by himself.  I was impressed because I haven't done much cooking instruction with him.

And then he was very proud to dish up little bowls of pudding the next afternoon.

I must add that Genevieve was also bit with the cooking bug that same day; she made a lemonade "sirup" from my vintage Joy of Cooking.  (Recipe here - Genevieve used a lemon, a lime, and some bottled lemon juice). It's delicious and very convenient to have in the fridge.  I predict the lemonade syrup will be a staple this summer, and the big girl can make it all by herself.

Tweaking Two of My Standard Recipes

I do like to mess around with recipes, even my standard recipes I've made for years.  It's one of the perks of my job as a cookbook editor to get ideas from other peoples' recipes and then there's Pinterest, where I collect recipes that I'm curious about (and I do have a board, Recipe Verdicts, where I make notes on my results).

In this case, I was thinking of other ways to flavor sticky buns, which I usually make caramel pecan. I decided to see if I could bring in the flavors of cardamom balls, sort of a baklava-type profile.

I used my standard sweet roll dough and method (recipe in this post).  When the dough was rolled into a rectangle, I spread it with 3 Tbsp. softened butter.  I sprinkled on 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, and 1 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom mixed with 1/3 cup brown sugar.  I rolled up the dough and sliced it into rounds.  I placed the rounds in a pan that was buttered with 2 Tbsp. butter with 1/3 cup honey drizzled evenly over it.  I followed the baking method for the recipe I linked to above.

Genevieve was very impressed that I was making up a recipe - she thinks this recipe could make me famous, bless her heart.  She was worried that I wasn't writing it down as I went along, so she got a paper and pencil and recorded the measurements and ingredients as I went along (I wasn't really measuring - I was guessing for the sake of her efforts).

Her book at breakfast, however, was much more fascinating than the buns.

Delicious!  I might try adding a sesame presence next time - either toasted sesame seeds in the dough, or perhaps some tahini spread inside the buns with the other goodies.

Then I took Jennifer's raves about Ruth Reichl's cherry pie to heart.  I made my standard sour cherry pie, but I used Ruth Reichl's fabulous crumb topping instead of the traditional pie crumbs I use.  Amazing!  I think I will be trying Ruth Reichl's crumbs on some other fruit pies as well.

"Right Next to Banoffee Pie"

This is my 1000th post (what?!) and I had planned it to be a giveaway and a celebration of a few other things going on around here, but that can wait its turn.  Right now, I must tell you about something that Ben says is "up on my dessert chart right next to Banoffee Pie."  Some bloggers would now type:  People.  I can't even!  Mind. Blown. What will he say next?!

But instead, I'll just say that this Nutmeg Crunch is a keeper and to garnish Ben's comment, it's not even really meant as dessert!

I saw Marisa's blog this morning about Nutmeg Crunch.  I hopped over to Team Yogurt and pinned it.  Usually my pins languish a while on Pinterest while I think or forget about them.  No, on the walk home from school, I suddenly had the perfect dessert idea and it was entirely doable in the short interval before supper, on top of pregnancy weariness and homework supervision, because this recipe is so short and quick.

For dessert tonight, I put half a home-canned peach in a little dessert dish, dolloped on a little plain yogurt, and topped it all with Nutmeg Crunch.  So perfect - a balance of soft, tart, crunchy, rich, and sweet.  On its own, the Crunch is pretty rich - I wouldn't eat this as granola, but I'm planning to use it as a plain yogurt topping.  And I'm sure we'll repeat the peach/yogurt combo as long as the home-canned peaches hold out.  Oh, I bet the Crunch would be good on applesauce, too!

Nutmeg Crunch, adapted just slightly from Team Yogurt

In food processor, combine:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup unsalted almonds
1 1/2 Tbsp. salted butter, room temperature or melted
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

Pulse the processor until ingredients are well-mixed in tiny chunks and crumbs.  Scatter the crumbly stuff over a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet, making sure the layer is thin and even.  Bake at 325 for 8 minutes.  Stir and toss.  Return to oven and bake again for 7-8 minutes, until starting to brown evenly.  Cool completely before storing in a tightly lidded jar.  Keep at room temperature.

Notes:  There's supposed to be an additional ingredient, 1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, which I overlooked in my supper rush.  I think the Crunch is perfect without it.

Also, to be entirely frank, I eyeballed my honey and nutmeg amounts because I hate measuring those things, so it's possible I didn't get the exact measurements listed here.  But still:  so delicious!

Filling the Cookie Jar: Sesame Cookies

These sesame cookies are shortbread's quirky cousin, a cookie that seems too plain until you crunch into it and then, yes, it is a happy surprise: almost savory from the sesame seeds, crunchy yet tender, with a definite buttery overtone.

Yet, these cookies are still meek enough to accept many different assignments:

1. plain into the lunchboxes

2. dunked into whatever hot drink you've got in hand

3. spread with lemon curd, or nutella, or a bit of cream cheese and jam

4. complementing a tray of sharp cheese and fruit

5. an elegant pop-up in a dish of pudding or applesauce

and probably, I could add cardamom to these cookies next time and make them really exotic.  The recipe is from Africa, after all!

I spend a lot of time in this spot while the children are at school; here, editing a cookbook

Sesame Seed Cookies - adapted slightly from Extending the Table, Revised Edition (I was one of the proofreaders for this edition); the recipe is from Nigeria

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
scant 1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1 lemon

Add:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup sesame seeds, toasted and cooled

Stir until well blended.  Cover dough tightly and chill for a few hours.  Roll dough out very thinly (1/8") on lightly floured surface.  Cut into shapes.  Bake on ungreased (I used Silpats) baking sheets at 400 F for 10 minutes, until very light brown. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Notes:  You can use all butter or all white flour.  You can use a different extract and skip the zest in order to tweak the flavors - or try adding a spice.

the cookie jar, flanked by pickled lemons and the fancy cheese dome

Midwinter Breakfast Buns to Cheer You

Rebecca passed on a recipe to me for rugelach fingers, although she said the pastry was difficult to work with and really rich with the extraordinary filling.  So I wondered if could make sweet rolls, using the extraordinary filling.  The flavors here are, to quote Rebecca, "medieval."  Chocolate, spice, citrus, nuts, and dried fruit: no flavor family left behind!

The resulting flavor is delicious: deep, dark, exotic, although the ingredients are pretty much pantry staples. I have to confess that my family was not as keen on these buns as I was, but I love them - even better the next day (I'm eating one with a glass of milk as I type). They are wonderful with applesauce or some slices of orange on the side, and deep black coffee.

I named these Midwinter Buns, thinking of the poem by Christina Rossetti, usually set to music:

        In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, 
 earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; 
 snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, 
 in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

 Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain; 
 heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign. 
 In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed 
 the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. 

 Angels and archangels may have gathered there, 
 cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; 
 but his mother only, in her maiden bliss, 
 worshiped the beloved with a kiss. 

 What can I give him, poor as I am? 
 If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; 
 if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; 
 yet what I can I give him:  give my heart.

Midwinter Breakfast Buns (cobbled together by me from disparate recipes)

In a bread bowl, whisk together well:
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 cup warm milk
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. melted butter or oil
1 egg (preferably room temperature)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. gluten (optional - helps keep whole grain dough light)

Allow this slurry to set for 15 minutes if you have time or start on the filling. Otherwise, proceed.
By hand, gradually stir in 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, starting up the kneading, ideally using the lesser amount of flour for the most tender buns. The dough will be sticky. Knead it into a ball. Grease the ball and the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and allow to rise until doubled (this can take a while in the cold midwinter kitchen - you can speed it up with some steamy heat).

Make the exotic filling. Combine and set aside:
1 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate (I threw chocolate chips in the food processor)
1 cup walnuts, toasted and cooled, chopped finely
3/4 cup raisins or currants
scant 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
zest of half an orange
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. salted butter, melted and cooled
pinch salt

Once dough is risen, roll it out to roughly 12x9" rectangle (if the dough is oiled enough, I usually skip flouring the counter here - your call). Dollop and spread the filling evenly over the dough. Roll up, starting with a long side - I use a wide bench scraper to help. Use a serrated knife to cut into 1" slices. 

 Lay slices cut side down in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover. Refrigerate 2-24 hours (very handy to serve for breakfast!). To bake, remove buns from fridge and uncover at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

Note: to skip the refrigerator rise, allow sliced buns to rise again at room temperature. Then bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  

Uncle John David's Dessert

Aunt Maggie came up from the South bearing beautiful produce from her and Uncle John David's farm.  Ben was in heaven with a huge watermelon and a midget cantaloupe.  That boy loves melons.  Aunt Maggie rolled her eyes:  they had meant to plant full-size cantaloupes, but then, Uncle JD would split the midgets in half, scoop out the seeds, and fill the bowl with vanilla ice cream.

Then Ben's face just lit up.  So, yes, I put cream on my shopping list and made vanilla ice cream, and yes, the boy and his daddy had their cantaloupe bowls filled with vanilla ice cream.

Cardamom Balls for the Lunchboxes

Blink, and summer is over and I'm packing lunches again.  Honestly, I don't love packing lunches.  And right now, I've got my hands full with competing freelance projects and canning, so I need easy easy easy and quick.

Cardamom Balls save the day!

I love the flavor of these because I adore cardamom, but also, the honey and walnuts put me in mind of baklava.  Except I'm sure that baklava is very time consuming to make, so right now, I'm sticking with the Cardamom Balls.  Also?  They don't heat up my kitchen because they're no-bake! And they're nutritious!  They really have saved many of my days recently.

Cardamom Balls - passed on to me by Sharon from church, who got it from Audrey, who is the daughter of friends from church; Sharon brought Cardamom Balls to several church events and I begged for the recipe, lost it, and begged again

Mix together:
1 cup rolled oats
3 Tbsp. tahini (could sub in ground sesame seeds with a little peanut butter as needed)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2-3/4 cup honey (start with lesser amount, use more for texture)

I'm never very exact with these measurements.  The main thing you are aiming for is a texture that can be made into balls or pressed into bars (8x8 pan, approximately).  Store in fridge to maintain texture and freshness.  Excellent with a glass of milk or black coffee.  Totally lunchbox-approved.

Oh, Jeni

You have changed my dessert life.  Well, probably my whole flavor life.  I never knew that basil ice cream could be so perfect.  Or that corn on the cob needed to be in ice cream.  Oh, Jeni.  You are a genius with flavors.  Every time I doubt, you prove me wrong.  I love looking at the flavor pairings you suggest.  Of course an olive oil cake and a Parmesan tuile sounds perfect with sweet basil ice cream studded with pine nut pralines.  Of course!  Absolutely I should eat baked rhubarb frozen yogurt with Champagne. But I would never think of these things on my own.

sweet corn with black raspberry sauce on the left, sweet basil with pine nuts on the right

And your ice cream recipes give such a luscious texture.  Truly, I think your ice cream recipes make the best ice cream ever and I'm not biased because it's home food that I made.  I really think you are a genius.  One of these days I am going to drive through Ohio in search of a Jeni's shop so I can see if what I make in my kitchen is just like yours. But in the meantime, I am so very satisfied with black coffee ice cream, the Buckeye State ice cream, Bangkok peanut, and why have I not tried the beet ice cream yet?  It has mascarpone, orange zest, and poppy seeds in it -  I know I can trust you.

My friend Christy and I spent a long time discussing your recipes recently.  Christy had family over for an ice cream parlor experience with four of your flavors and pretzels.  Isn't that fun?

 I'm taking your book to a friend soon, and I can think of about three more friends that I should buy it for.  Thank you, Jeni, for generously sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.

Gratefully,

Margo

And Violets on the Cake

We don't usually do much for Mother's Day, but my sister and I thought perhaps we could get all the family together for a dinner. We discussed going to a restaurant, but I suddenly felt that I wanted a home-based celebration and thought of a simple menu to keep me easygoing.  I also wanted to use my new cake stand and dome. (Oh! I suddenly realized I never wrote up the post about Ben's birthday which included a layer cake and accompanying "discoveries").

Menu:
2 roasted chickens with rosemary, garlic and lemon with potatoes and carrots
roasted asparagus
coleslaw
angel biscuits with homemade beet jelly
olives
poppyseed cake with custard and whipped cream (actual recipes I used on my Recipe Verdicts board)
kiwi, pineapple, and purple grapes

Aunt Mel for the win! (wishbone with Genevieve)

Melanie brought some of the food, the beet jelly was from Mom's cousin, and everyone chipped in to help ferry dishes back and forth and wash up. It was a lovely time and everyone said the food was perfect (I humbly agree - I was so pleased).

The chickens were absolutely succulent. I attribute this mostly to the local Amish farm where I bought them!  I put a sliced lemon and some garlic cloves inside them, sprinkled them well with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and roasted them breast up at 400 F for 1 hour with the lid on, and then another hour with the lid off. I wasn't expecting them to take that long, but I had allowed enough time for a long rest before carving, so they simply had a shorter rest. I made a quick pan gravy thickened with milk and flour, with an extra sprinkle of poultry herbs and pepper. The leftover carcasses and shreds are simmering into stock in my Crockpot down cellar, to be canned tomorrow.

The cake was delicious, but it cost me some swear words.  I made it the day before, and I didn't slice the layers horizontally because they were so fragile, but then the custard blobbed out the edges and the whipped cream frosting was quite soft, so the whole thing looked pudgy at the bottom.  I shut it up in the fridge and resolved to make it into a trifle with frozen raspberries early Sunday morning if I needed to.  Well, it held up, so we decorated it with violets and my husband took photos.

The violets are fading and the dandelions have gone to seed.  I'm so pleased with the ways we enjoyed violets this year. 

Violets in the Kitchen

We picked violets and brought them into the kitchen, instead of the vase. We have never put a chemical on our yard because we're not manicured-grass kind of people; the side benefit is organic edibles!

photo by Genevieve

dandelion, violet, and water "soup"

I pressed some violets into spicy sugar cookies, sprinkled them with coarse sugar, and baked them.  Pretty!  Next time I would cut the cookies even smaller or else use several violets per cookie.

Then I boiled up some water and let it cool down.  According to a tip on Pinterest, boiled water makes clear ice cubes.  I froze a tray of ice cubes with violets in them.  I don't have a plan in mind, but it will be nice to pull the pretty ice cubes out for a party or a simple glass of lemonade.

International Ice Cream for Breakfast 2014

My husband asked me why we weren't walking downtown to the ice cream shop to eat ice cream for breakfast there.  Because every other morning of the week, I am cajoling people to get up, get dressed, look decent and then, get out the door at some agreed-upon (or contested) time.  I like a holiday from that routine.  I like to wear my pajamas and let my hair run wild as long as I want to for just one day a week.

So.  I made hot fudge sauce, ice cream, and waffles for International Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.  Most of us also ate bananas.

Everyone was happy, except for Genevieve who does not care for vanilla ice cream. She celebrated International Hot Fudge and Waffles for Breakfast.

 I considered making a new Jeni's flavor, but really, simple vanilla seemed kindest to our breakfast palates.