Showing posts with label cinnamon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cinnamon. Show all posts
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Gluten-Free Muffins and a Natural Phenomenon
This summer, my family and I witnessed thousands of migrating Vaux swifts flying into a chimney in Healdsburg for the night. The sight was truly spectacular and I was gratified that the gluten-free birdwatching treat I brought along went over very well with the whole family! Unfortunately the pictures of my siblings together were hit-and-miss (it's hard to coordinate 4 kids all smiling at once!) but this little guy had some sweet pictures that were too cute not to include in this post!
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| Birdwatching is better with a sweet treat. |
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| The birds began to form a funnel in the sky, in front of a gorgeous sunset. |
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| The sheer numbers were astounding. |
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| The thousands of swifts all bedded down for the night in this small chimney. |
Gluten-Free Cardamom Apple Muffins~ makes 12 muffins
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup almond milk (any kind of milk will do)
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake papers and spray the edges of the pan lightly with oil to prevent any "muffin tops" from sticking. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the vanilla, apple, spices and egg and mix. In another bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients and add them to the wet mixture. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3-3/4 of the way full and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until baked through. The tops may be quite dark, but keep checking with a skewer or cake tester before removing them. Serve warm.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Zwetschenkuchen
My grandmother lent me a few cookbooks a while back, including a Yiddish cookbook. I can't seem to find it on Amazon, but it is written by a very charming lady and it includes a recipe for zwetschenkuchen.
She introduces this dessert, saying "A German-Jewish cake for Rosh Hashanah. The name comes from a zwetsche (pr quetsch), a variety of small, dark blue plum found in Southern Germany and Alsace that ripens in time for New Year and Yom Kippur". I loved this little tidbit of information, I am always fascinated by new cooking terms and ingredients. It also reminded me of a favorite book by Eva Ibbotson called "A Song For Summer" about a young woman living in Germany around the time of WWII.
It was the photo that got me, however. The picture showed a round tart tin holding a cake of plump plums surrounded by golden cake that puffed up between them, making them look like fat little purple island. To top it all, the deep purple plums were ever-so-lightly dusted with powdered sugar, bringing any image you've ever had about "sugarplums dancing" come to life. I was enchanted and convinced that I had to bake this wonderful confection for Christmas.
Plums are not in season this time of year. Nope, not at all. The clerk at Oliver's told me they didn't carry any because the ones from Chile that are available this time of year are so watery and tasteless that it's not worth it. Well, I didn't like the idea of watery and tasteless even though I did want to have plump little plums in my cake and not sad, soggy preserved ones. I was about to substitute cherries, but the $10.99 per lb price shut down that idea pretty quickly. Besides, sugared cherries have nothing to do with Christmas, it just wouldn't be the same.
I was saved when I found whole, canned plums from Oregon. Awesome.
No, the plums are not as lively and chubby-looking as in the book, but that will just have to wait til summer. I hope you enjoy these pictures though, even without the perfect plums, I still think the powdered sugar on the plums looks stunning.
Zwetschenkuchen (or Sugarplum Cake)
I adapted this recipe a bit because I didn't have self-rising flour. Thank-you google. The dough will have to chill for at least 1 hour. Prep time, 30 minutes. Baking about 30-50, depending on the shape of the tin you use.
1 2/3 cup flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
11 tsp chilled butter
zest of 1 small lemon (I used a Meyer lemon, yum!)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 small egg, lightly beaten
2 lb 4 oz damson or Victoria plums (or canned ones from Oregon if its winter)
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Cut the butter into it with 2 knives. Lightly use your hands to break it down until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix in the sugar, zest and cinnamon. Bind the pastry with the egg a bit at a time, you don't want the dough to be too wet. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Grease a 10inch flan pan or tart tin with a removable bottom. Lightly press the pastry into the pan to cover the sides and the bottom. Pack the plums, cut-side down into the pastry base. You can use halves or cut them into smaller pieces and arrange them into a design. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the pastry is golden and the fruit is soft and juicy. (I baked mine on a cookie sheet so it would be easier to move into and out of the oven). Let cool in the pan. Dust with confectioner's sugar. You can serve it with toasted almonds and sour or whipped cream.
She introduces this dessert, saying "A German-Jewish cake for Rosh Hashanah. The name comes from a zwetsche (pr quetsch), a variety of small, dark blue plum found in Southern Germany and Alsace that ripens in time for New Year and Yom Kippur". I loved this little tidbit of information, I am always fascinated by new cooking terms and ingredients. It also reminded me of a favorite book by Eva Ibbotson called "A Song For Summer" about a young woman living in Germany around the time of WWII.
It was the photo that got me, however. The picture showed a round tart tin holding a cake of plump plums surrounded by golden cake that puffed up between them, making them look like fat little purple island. To top it all, the deep purple plums were ever-so-lightly dusted with powdered sugar, bringing any image you've ever had about "sugarplums dancing" come to life. I was enchanted and convinced that I had to bake this wonderful confection for Christmas.
Plums are not in season this time of year. Nope, not at all. The clerk at Oliver's told me they didn't carry any because the ones from Chile that are available this time of year are so watery and tasteless that it's not worth it. Well, I didn't like the idea of watery and tasteless even though I did want to have plump little plums in my cake and not sad, soggy preserved ones. I was about to substitute cherries, but the $10.99 per lb price shut down that idea pretty quickly. Besides, sugared cherries have nothing to do with Christmas, it just wouldn't be the same.
I was saved when I found whole, canned plums from Oregon. Awesome.
No, the plums are not as lively and chubby-looking as in the book, but that will just have to wait til summer. I hope you enjoy these pictures though, even without the perfect plums, I still think the powdered sugar on the plums looks stunning.
 |
| This one's my favorite pic (: I got the fabric in the remnants rack at Joanns. So pretty! |
Zwetschenkuchen (or Sugarplum Cake)
I adapted this recipe a bit because I didn't have self-rising flour. Thank-you google. The dough will have to chill for at least 1 hour. Prep time, 30 minutes. Baking about 30-50, depending on the shape of the tin you use.
1 2/3 cup flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
11 tsp chilled butter
zest of 1 small lemon (I used a Meyer lemon, yum!)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 small egg, lightly beaten
2 lb 4 oz damson or Victoria plums (or canned ones from Oregon if its winter)
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Cut the butter into it with 2 knives. Lightly use your hands to break it down until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix in the sugar, zest and cinnamon. Bind the pastry with the egg a bit at a time, you don't want the dough to be too wet. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Cut the plums in half and remove the pits.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Grease a 10inch flan pan or tart tin with a removable bottom. Lightly press the pastry into the pan to cover the sides and the bottom. Pack the plums, cut-side down into the pastry base. You can use halves or cut them into smaller pieces and arrange them into a design. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the pastry is golden and the fruit is soft and juicy. (I baked mine on a cookie sheet so it would be easier to move into and out of the oven). Let cool in the pan. Dust with confectioner's sugar. You can serve it with toasted almonds and sour or whipped cream.
Christmas Morning Rice Pudding
Merry Christmas!
My mom requested this for breakfast this morning; rice pudding with a blackberry cinnamon compote. I used this combo in a school presentation a couple of weeks ago, combining British and Indian ingredients and flavors.
Rice Pudding (Kheer) with Blackberry Compote
I prefer rice pudding in the British or American style where it is a little more dense and less liquidy, so technically this isn't a real 'kheer', but it is based on the recipe.
For the rice pudding:
2 cups of coconut milk
2 cups of whole milk
3 tbs white sugar
1 cup basmati rice
2 tsp cinnamon or cardamom (optional)
Bring the coconut milk and milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the rice and sugar and let simmer. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Cook until the rice is soft and most of the liquid is gone. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate. If it is dry after chilling, stir in a little milk to moisten it. You can also stir in some spices if you like.
For the blackberry compote:
2 baskets of blackberries
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Put the water and sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and let sugar dissolve. Feel free to stir. Add blackberries and cinnamon and stir gently. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until the blackberries are bright red and very soft. Carefully strain and pour the berries into a heatproof bowl or jar. Add a little liquid to suspend them so they maintain their shape. Let chill, then use to garnish the rice pudding.
Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!
My mom requested this for breakfast this morning; rice pudding with a blackberry cinnamon compote. I used this combo in a school presentation a couple of weeks ago, combining British and Indian ingredients and flavors.
Rice Pudding (Kheer) with Blackberry Compote
I prefer rice pudding in the British or American style where it is a little more dense and less liquidy, so technically this isn't a real 'kheer', but it is based on the recipe.
For the rice pudding:
2 cups of coconut milk
2 cups of whole milk
3 tbs white sugar
1 cup basmati rice
2 tsp cinnamon or cardamom (optional)
Bring the coconut milk and milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the rice and sugar and let simmer. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Cook until the rice is soft and most of the liquid is gone. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate. If it is dry after chilling, stir in a little milk to moisten it. You can also stir in some spices if you like.
For the blackberry compote:
2 baskets of blackberries
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Put the water and sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and let sugar dissolve. Feel free to stir. Add blackberries and cinnamon and stir gently. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until the blackberries are bright red and very soft. Carefully strain and pour the berries into a heatproof bowl or jar. Add a little liquid to suspend them so they maintain their shape. Let chill, then use to garnish the rice pudding.
Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
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