Sweet Sauce

I was first introduced to hoisin sauce by my old roommate. She used to make Vietnamese spring rolls, and the best part about them was the dipping sauce she made - hoisin sauce and peanut butter, thinned with a little water, and finished with chopped peanuts. It is so good and so easy.

I used to think that hoisin was something you had to buy in a jar in the asian section of the grocery store. That is, until I got Gwyenth Paltrow's It's All Good and saw a homemade version. And let me tell you, it is good. So good in fact, that I make it a few times a month. It's better than what you get in the store, and better for you - no mysterious ingredients and preservatives.

It's great on grilled meat or tofu, or mixed with peanut butter to make a great sauce for spring rolls as I mentioned above. I usually use this sauce exactly as Gywenth suggests: Drizzled over a bowl of rice, veggies, and tofu with sriracha. Or as the dressing for Chinese chicken salad. To make the dressing simply mix about a quarter cup of the sauce with a tablespoon of sesame oil, three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and a tablespoon of rice vinegar. You can adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Hoisin Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup red miso paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add five spice powder and garlic and sautee 30 seconds. Add the syrup, miso and rice vinegar and whisk to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool.

Note: Keep sauce in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week. Red miso paste can be found in health food stores and some grocery stores. It can last for several months in the fridge, so once you buy it you can make this sauce several times before it goes bad.

Irish Soda Bread

I was recently in the mood to make Irish soda bread. It's the perfect thing on a relaxed weekend morning. The thing that I like about it is that it is kind of like a giant scone and a loaf of bread all in one, but easier to make than either one of those. I like to add golden raisins to the mix, but you could use any dried fruit or leave it out all together. I also like to serve this with honey butter, though this too is optional. Honey butter is good on all manner of things like biscuits, corn bread, or plain ol' toast. Enjoy this combo with a cup of coffee or tea and you will be a happy camper.

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 egg
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 cup golden raisins
Honey butter (see below)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter and mix on low until the butter is the size of small peas. Whisk together egg, buttermilk and orange zest together in small bowl. With the mixer on low add the buttermilk mixture. Then add the raisins and mix until just combined. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. With floured hands shape it into a round. Lightly cut an X into the top with a serrated knife. Bake for 45-55 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Also, the bread will have a hallow sound if you tap on it.

Serve warm or at room temperature with honey butter if desired.

Honey Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons honey
Pinch kosher salt

Place all items in stand mixer. Beat on medium for a few minutes until well blended and fluffy. Scrap into a bowl and serve.

Note: can be made several days in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

Three!

My little man turned three last week. I can't believe how fast these three years have gone! He requested a Lightning McQueen cake for his birthday, which you can read more about below. 

We decided to take him to Disneyland the day before his birthday (while he was still free!). He is a little daredevil. Much of the day consisted of Roy taking him on rides like the rockets, teacups, Dumbo, etc. - all rides that make me sick! Even though I didn't go on all the rides, I was happy to sit back and watch his smiling face. I'm really glad he takes after his dad and doesn't have motion sickness like me!

Now, back to Lightning McQueen. Everything with this boy is Lightning McQueen these days. He watched Cars last summer and it's been his favorite ever since. He was fortunate to get a lot of Lightning McQueen presents for his birthday. 

Now, on to the cake. A quick internet search will give you lots of results for all sorts of fancy Lightning McQueen cakes you can make. There is even a special pan molded in the shape of McQueen so that the actual cake is in the shape of a car. You can then do all this fancy fondant work. Some of these cakes are pretty impressive, but I do not have the time or patience for that. I also didn't want to buy a cake pan that I would use only once.

I decided to make a three layer chocolate cake. I filled it with chocolate custard and frosted it with vanilla buttercream. (Okay, so although I don't want to do a bunch of tedious decorating, I obviously don't mind taking the time to make it taste good). Before I piped the top and bottom edges, I placed edible sugar paper with Cars characters around the sides. This was my first time using this sugar paper, which I got from Whimsical Practicality, and I found it really easy. It peels off of its backing and easily adheres to frosting. I then piped the edges, wrote "Happy Birthday Miles" in red icing, and topped it with a candle that I got from Party City.  It was actually easy, and I'm happy with how it turned out. We invited three of his little friends from church to come eat it with us. While I think Miles might have wanted to eat it all himself, he had fun sharing it and playing with his friends.

Happy birthday my sweet boy! I love every day with you, and I can't wait to see what kind of cake you want next year. 

Cheers

As always, our tree has a lot of lemons on it. 

And this is our first year growing strawberries in our garden.

With these two ingredients on hand all I needed was a bottle of prosecco and a little sugar to make one of my favorite drinks last weekend. I love having this on a warm, sunny day. It's also very easy to make, and everyone seems to like it. So, try it soon, and enjoy it all summer long. Cheers!

 Strawberry Prosecco Muddle

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups hulled, chopped strawberries
6 thin lemon slices
1 750 ml bottle chilled Prosecco
Ice

Make simple syrup: Place sugar and 1/2 cup water in small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.

Divide strawberries among 6 glasses. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of simple syrup (depending on how sweet you like your drink). Mash the strawberries slightly with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon. Add lemon slice and a few ice cubes to each glass. Top with Prosecco and serve.

Serves 6.

Notes: Simple syrup can be made a few days in advance. Store in the refrigerator. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.  

Quick

I love quick breads because, well, they're quick. I case you aren't familiar with the term quick bread - it's essentially any baked good that is leavened without yeast and instead relies on leavening agents such as baking soda or baking powder.  Basically, this means things like banana bread, muffins, and pancakes.

Items such as these are made using the "quick-bread method." Other quick breads like cookies, cakes or biscuits do not use this method, so we won't talk about them today. The quick bread method is super easy. Basically, put all your wet ingredients into one bowl. Mix. Put all your dry ingredients into another bowl. Mix. Then put them all together and mix again. The only "technique" you need to remember with quick breads is to not over mix. As soon as the wet and dry are mixed together you must stop stirring or you'll end up with a tough bread.

Miles and I make so many quick breads together, such as his favorite pancakes, that he even knows the method. He says "where's the dry mom?" and then helps me stir. Then he says "now the wet," and stirs again. "Both together!" he finally says and he helps me stir again. It's cute to see him do it and it's fun to do it with him.

Yesterday we had some very ripe bananas (how many of my recipes start out this way!), so we decided to make muffins. I've adapted this muffin from Food52 (a great site with good weekly emails if you are interested). It's gluten and dairy free making it a good recipe to have in your arsenal whether you eat this way or you know someone who does. But, don't worry, you know I wouldn't give you a recipe for a bland muffin. I've added almonds, shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips to the recipe. They still feel like a treat even though they are healthy.

We only use Lightening McQueen muffin liners these days. 

Banana Muffins

Dry:
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup ground flax seed meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

Wet:
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large or 3 small bananas, mashed

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds, put more for topping
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just a few streaks of flour remain. Add the chocolate chips, almonds, and coconut and stir gently until just combined.

Scoop the mixture into the muffin cups, dividing evenly. Sprinkle with more almonds and coconut. Bake for 20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and continue cooling on wire rack.

Makes 12.

Notes: Some people with gluten allergies don't eat oats. While oats themselves don't contain gluten, sometimes they way they are processed could make them come into contact with gluten.  Look for oats labeled "gluten-free" if you are concerned  about this. Also, look for vegan chocolate chips if you want to ensure they do not contain dairy. 

Store muffins in air-tight container at room temperature for up to one day. Freeze leftover muffins by wrapping each in clear plastic wrap and then storing in zip top bag for up to one month. 

Finally, I'll be honest with you - you have to purchase a lot of these ingredients at health food stores. But they do last for a very long time, so once you have them on hand you can make these over and over again. 

Blood Oranges

I'm very happy when I start to see blood oranges show up in the market at this time of year. I love the deep magenta color. Today I'm sharing a recipe for my blood orange sorbet, but there are lots of ways to use them. They are great to make freshly squeezed juice, or a mimosa if you want to get fancy with that juice. For a different kind of salad, I like to lay slices of them on a plate and top with thinly sliced red onion, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. But, whether you use them in a recipe or eat them just as they are, I encourage you to look for some now. Once they're gone we won't see them again until next year, and you certainly don't want to miss out.

Blood Orange Sorbet

3 cups freshly squeezed blood orange juice (from about a dozen blood oranges)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Combine the juice and all the sugar in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir until sugar disolves. Do not boil. Place in a container, cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.

Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Place in an airtight container in the freezer to firm up for a few hours before serving.

Makes approximately 3 cups, serving 4. 

Notes: Can be made up to three days ahead. 

A New Year, A New Smoothie

December came and went so fast for us. I can hardly believe that it's 2014. I'm not one to make new year's resolutions, but I do tend to eat lighter in January simply because after all the holiday indulgences I want to eat cleanly and simply.

Today I will share with you the latest smoothie I've been drinking. Surprisingly, one of my most popular posts was this one, a post about a smoothie I drank all the time when I was pregnant with Miles. This post was pinned, reposted, viewed, etc. more than any other post I've done.

I will always love making that chocolate smoothie, but I'm really enjoying this one lately, probably because it tastes really good and it's got kale in it making me feel really healthy. But, I promise you won't taste the kale. The pale green color of the smoothie is the only reminder that it's in there. Oh, and this smoothie is loaded with protein from the almond milk and almond butter. It's one tasty and healthy smoothie. Drink up.

Banana Almond Kale Smoothie

1 banana, sliced and frozen

2 tablespoons roasted, salted almond butter

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup packed roughly chopped kale leaves (stem removed; about 1 large leaf)

2 teaspoons pure maple syrup

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until completely smooth. 

Serves 1

Puff Pastry

I love this time of year. Putting up our Christmas lights, decorating our tree, drinking hot chocolate, listening to Christmas music.

This time of year is always busy for us, as it is for everyone. So, I'm always looking for ways to make things easier. Puff pastry is one of those things. You can use it to make a quick tart crust, top a pot pie, make cheesy bread sticks, bake a brie in it, and so much more.

My favorite way to use it is to make palmiers, those lovely French elephant ear cookies. Think of these as the easiest cookies ever. Just keep a box of puff pastry in your freezer and you'll be ready to go anytime you need to serve something. They're great after dinner with coffee or tea.

Palmiers

1 16 or 17 ounce box puff pastry, thawed
1½ cups granulated sugar
1½  teaspoons cinnamon
pinch of salt

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Sprinkle about 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar mixture onto a clean work surface. Remove one sheet of puff pastry from the fridge and place on top of the sugar. Sprinkle another 1/4 of the sugar mixture on top of the puff pastry. Roll the puff pastry into a 12 x 12 inch square pressing the sugar into the dough as you go. Working with two sides, fold each halfway to the center of the dough. Then fold again until the edges touch in the center. Fold one side over the other. Place on a plate and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate. Repeat with remaining sugar and second piece of puff pastry. Chill both for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Remove from fridge and slice into 3/8" thick slices. Place, cut side up, on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes until golden on the bottom, rotating sheets halfway through. Flip each over and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until golden on the other side as well (you may need to rotate your sheets again halfway through the second side). Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 40 cookies. 

Notes: Thaw puff pastry overnight in the fridge. You still want it to be very cold when you begin to work with it. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. 

Easy As Pie

Where did that saying, "easy as pie" ever come from? Pies are not actually that easy to make if you want to get them right. You know that I'm a pie fanatic, but I'm the first to admit that they can be a bit tricky and time consuming.

So, while I love making pies, I don't always have time, and I realize that a lot of you don't either especially during the holidays. If you want a recipe this fall (perhaps for Thanksgiving?) that really is quick and easy then look no further than this cranberry apple cake from Ina Garten. That lady never disappoints. This is like a cross between a cake and a pie and it literally takes 15 minutes to make (okay, plus an hour to bake).

Oh, and now I'm curious about the phrase. If you are too, here you go, easy as pie.

Cranberry Apple Cake

12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and diced (you should have about 1 cup)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from 1 or 2 oranges)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 orange)
1 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine cranberries, apples, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in large bowl. Pour into 10 inch pie plate (or similar sized pan).

In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, and sour cream and mix until combined. Add flour and salt and mix until combined.

Pour batter over fruit and spread evenly. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over batter. Bake 55 - 60 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and fruit is bubbling around the edges.  Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired.

Serves 6-8.

Hello Fall

It finally felt like fall to me this week for two reasons: 1) I made pumpkin cake, and 2) we took Miles to the pumpkin patch this morning.

He was pretty excited by our load of pumpkins. I can't wait to carve one with him on Halloween. He's been into all things Halloween this year, happily pointing out our neighbors' ghosts or pumpkins when we drive by their houses.

Now, back to the cake. I adapted the cake from an old recipe in Gourmet magazine, and I was really happy with how it turned out. It was exactly what I wanted - very moist and pumpkiny and perfumed with fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice.

Miles has also been into taking pictures latey, now that I sometimes let him press the button on the camera. He really wanted to take a picture of this little ghost candle, and I like how it turned out. So, enjoy his first "published" photo and the recipe below, and happy fall!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Vanilla Glaze

Cake:
1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½  teaspoon salt
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
½  teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (grate it fresh yourself if possible)
15 oz can pumpkin (not pie filling)
¾ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk (any kind is fine)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the cake: Spray a 10 inch Bundt pan with cooking spray. Set oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in large bowl. Set aside. Whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla in another bowl. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer) beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. On low, add the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Still on low, add the flour and pumpkin mixtures in alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour, mixing just until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on rack for 15 minutes. Then invert cake out onto rack and cool completely.

Make the glaze: Once cake is completely cool, whisk together glaze ingredients. Place cake on platter. Tuck in small strips of waxed paper around the cake to catch excess glaze. Using the whisk or a spoon drizzle the glaze all over the cake. Allow to set for 15 minutes. Then remove waxed paper strips.

Serves 12.