Lens

Last week I submitted this Polaroid to Lens (The New York Times' photojournalism blog) and read today that it was published in the Readers' Photos: Polaroid Gallery (click on the above link and you can find my Polaroid on the top row, third photo from the left).

Pittsfield Trophies

(Pittsfield, Massachusetts, July 2005)

To read more about the current state of Polaroid film, check out the recent NYT article.

strudel in spring

Mouth the word strudel and it feels almost as good as it does to eat the flaky pastry. Hot from the oven, rum-laced apples and buttery brie melt into the dough.



Add some cinnamon, raisins, vanilla, and lemon zest to the mix and it's time to celebrate. Invite a few friends over for brunch and say farewell to spring. If you have any apple filling left over, bake and serve as a hot dip with grilled toasts or spoon it up by itself.




The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

A few notes about the following recipe: it uses natural, unrefined sweetener and whole wheat pastry flour unlike the Kaffeehaus one. Also note that the brie can easily be left out for a vegan version of the recipe. Try replacing the cheese with tofu cream cheese along with a teaspoon or two of fresh squeezed lemon juice.


Apple Strudel
adapted from Sweet and Natural by Meredith McCarthy

Apple Filling

1 1/2 pounds crisp, tart apples, about 4 ½ cups, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons golden rum
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
3 tablespoons cane sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
optional: 6 ounces brie cheese (softened)

Pastry

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil (walnut, canola, sesame, almond, sunflower, safflower, etc.)
4 tablespoons agave nectar
1/3 cup rice milk


Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat with oil.

Mix the filling ingredients reserving 1 tablespoon sugar to sprinkle on top later; set aside.




Prepare the pastry. Mix the flours with the salt. Stir in the oil until lumps form or until it resembles coarse meal. Add agave nectar; then gradually and rice milk. Mix quickly until you have a somewhat soft, pliable ball in the center of the bowl. Add a little more flour or rice milk, if the dough is either too wet or too dry.

Roll it out to a large, thin rectangle between sheets of parchment paper. Transfer to the baking sheet so you don’t have to move it later after it’s filled. Trim the edges by cutting along the inside edge of the baking sheet with a knife, or use a pastry wheel for wavy or zigzag edges.




Arrange the filling lengthwise on the central one third of the dough. Cut the side portions of dough into 1-inch strips on the diagonal with a knife or pastry wheel. Fold the sides and short ends of the dough in. Fold dough strips over the filling, alternating one side and then the other in crisscross fashion.




Cover pastry with foil and bake until fruit is soft when tested with a thin sharp knife and you can hear and see the juices, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle the top with reserved tablespoon dry sweetener. Return to oven until golden brown, 10 minutes more. Let cool slightly, then serve.

pillbox ring

If you have a sweet spot for all-things-vintage, then a trip to Brimfield's Antique Show in Brimfield, MA should be on your list of things for to do this year. Especially since you might run into Martha Stewart, a woman wearing a beetle-sized pillbox ring, or me in awe of them.














We went to Sunday's market, on the last show date, and due to looming rain clouds many vendors closed early. Somehow we left without buying anything, but I've prepared a list for next time.

Things to buy in Brimfield:

cowboy boots
1950's & 60's dresses
fiestaware
fabric
tablecloths
aprons
vinyl records
botanical prints
pillbox ring


Much to my disappointment, I didn't run into Martha shopping for 1950's barkcloth. I did, however, run into the woman with the beetle-sized pillbox ring. She stood in silhouette under a tent stuffed with Asian furnishings and African masks. Her aging silhouette was draped inside a loose fitting black dress. She wore two silver braids tangled like vines above the nape of her neck and a pair of blue eyes painted with thick black lines. Chunky chain necklaces and bangles made music when she picked up a wooden bucket, inspected it, and then placed it back on the table. She clutched a large empty shopping bag with one hand and a leather fanny pack with another and turned around to inspect a strand of turquoise stones. Had I been alone, I would have followed her to ask about her ring just so I could hear her story.

a crumb or two

Today is my son, L's, first birthday. To celebrate, I made him a gluten-free/sugar-free/vegan banana cake. He ate some this morning for breakfast. A small sliver of cake mashed to a fine crumb by hand. The cake's texture and color was carefully examined before L ate a few more bites. It is light enough to eat plain for breakfast or to dress it up for dessert with a drizzle of sweet cashew cream and sliced fresh bananas. Either way, it's a cleverly disguised cake.




Gluten-Free Banana Cake

(printable recipe)

adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

Yield one 8-inch two-layer cake (10 to 15 servings)




3 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 4 large
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil or earth balance margarine (melted)
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil two 8-inch cake pans.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and sea salt in a medium bowl until well blended; set aside.

Place the mashed bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, soy milk, and vanilla in a blender and process until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from edge of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes before removing. Wait until completely cool before frosting with Sweet Cashew Cream and banana slices.

For a cloud-filled day

Gnocchi has never been a crave-worthy dish for me. That is until last night, when I tasted my first batch of homemade white bean ricotta gnocchi. I made a batch of these tiny dumplings for the first Daring Cooks' Challenge. Now I can't stop thinking about them.

This month's challenge, Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi by Judy Rodgers (named after her restaurant, The Zuni Café Cookbook) was chosen by Daring Kitchen hosts Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice and Lisa of La Mia Cucina. For alternative bakers, Shelly of Musings from the Fishbowl suggested using the classic PPK and Veganomicon recipe, Tofu Basil Ricotta with a little extra garlic and spices and some gluten flour.

Instead of following The Zuni Cafe recipe, I made vegan gnocchi with tofu basil ricotta and pureed great northern beans topped off with a sauteed cherry tomato and tofu ricotta sauce. Each bite had a slight tang from the lemon juice and garlic that was tempered by the creamy tofu ricotta and beans, and finished with a subtle hint of basil, oregano, and nutmeg. Lucky for me, I managed to squirrel away some leftovers for lunch today. The gnocchi turned out to be that good.

Step 1. Make the tofu basil ricotta.




Tofu Basil Ricotta
(slightly adapted) from the Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

1 1/2 boxes extra firm mori-nu tofu
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup nutritional flakes
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/3 cup gluten flour

Drain the tofu.

In a large bowl, squish the tofu with your hands until crumbly.

Add lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and gluten flour. Squish mixture again with hands, until it resembles ricotta cheese.

Add olive oil, stir with fork. Add nutritional yeast and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


Step 2. Make the white bean ricotta gnocchi.


White Bean Ricotta Gnocchi
(slightly adapted) from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

3 cups cooked great northern beans (or 2 150z. cans), drained until dry
1/2 cup tofu basil ricotta
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
sea salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
about 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
a few drizzles of olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add several pinches of salt. Place beans, salt, and pepper in a food mill set over a bowl and run them through until smooth. (Or use a food processor and blend until smooth and put them in a large bowl).




Stir in ricotta and nutmeg. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and stir; add more until mixture forms a dough you can hold, but just barely. Knead for a minute or so on a lightly floured surface. Pinch off a piece of dough and boil it to see if it will hold its shape; if not, knead in a bit more flour.




Roll a piece of the dough into a rope about 1/2 inch thick, then cut the rope into 1-inch lengths; spin each piece with tines of a fork to score it lightly for a traditional gnocchi (I skipped this step). Place each gnoccho on a sheet of parchment paper as it is ready; do not let them touch.




Add about 1/2 gnocchi to the boiling water and stir gently. After they rise to the surface (about 20 seconds or so), remove them with a slotted spoon. (Taste for to make sure it's done).




In a skillet over medium heat, add a few drizzles of olive oil. Put cooked gnocchi in pan and lightly fry to crisp the outside.

Step 3. Make the Tomato Ricotta Sauce.

Tomato Ricotta Sauce

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
remaining tofu basil ricotta
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-2 teaspoons dried basil (to taste)
sea salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
2 teaspoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Wash cherry tomatoes and cut in half. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil; saute until tomato skins pucker. Add the leftover tofu basil ricotta and mix well. Add lemon juice. Taste. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Step 4. Serve the gnocchi with several spoonfuls of sauce and top with a chiffonade of fresh basil leaves.

Bang-up shortcake

Last Tuesday we found a basketful of organic ruby strawberries when we picked up our farm share. My mister stared at the dark plump berries and immediately said, "Strawberry Shortcake," and I had to agree. These strawberries demanded to be shown off in a way that a chunky blended smoothie would homogenize their texture, color, and shape.

Growing up, I ate plenty of strawberry spongecake, the kind you buy wrapped in cellophane from any grocery store. For years, this sweet porous cake was my idea of this classic American dessert. Twinkie-esque, it too, was moist and squishy with a mound of sugary strawberries and cool-whip. It was sunny-day picnics and July 4th sparklers, it was my youth, and it was a decadent treat. Until the day which I no longer can recall that it was served atop a biscuit.




In my family we celebrate four birthdays in May as well as Mother's Day, which means platefuls of cake. This year, we decided to throw one party and instead of making my usual cupcake buffet including: chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting, carrot cake with lemony-cream cheese frosting, and coconut cake with coconut pecan fudge frosting; I made shortcake with a hint of maple sweetness and covered with strawberries, chocolate sauce, and tangy whipped cream.

Since the shortcake was a stand in for the cupcakes, I needed a bit of debauchery – like a slightly boozy yet not too sweet chocolate sauce. I adapted several recipes to come up with this one. I used the biscuit recipe from Chez Panisse Desserts, substituting maple syrup for granulated sugar. The chocolate sauce is based on one from Bon Appétit magazine and the whipped cream and strawberry filling from The Gourmet Cookbook. Light some sparklers and pour a glass of champagne to accompany this bang-up shortcake. Be prepared for seconds.




Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
Yield: Serves 12
Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 1 ¾ hours


Biscuit (recipe from Chez Panisse Desserts, by Lindsay R. Shere)

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream


Chocolate Sauce (recipe adapted from a June 1996, Bon Appétit)

½ cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon


Filling (recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 Recipes, edited by Zanne Early Stewart, Ruth Reichl, and John Willoughby)

2 ½ pounds strawberries, hulled and quartered
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, or to taste (divided)
1 cup very cold whipping cream
1/3 cup sour cream or greek yogurt (whole milk or low-fat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (to taste)


For Biscuit:

Preheat oven to 425º. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and maple syrup in a bowl. Cut in the butter with two knives or with your fingers until the mixture resembles cornmeal with a few larger chunks of butter remaining. Mix in ¾ cup whipping cream, until most of dry mixture has been moistened. Turn out on a board and knead for 6 turns or until the dough just comes together. Roll ½-inch thick and cut into your shape of choice. This recipe makes 12 individual shortcakes.

Place on an unbuttered baking sheet. Knead together any scraps and roll and cut. Brush the tops with remaining 2 tablespoons whipping cream and bake for 10-12 minutes or until tops are lightly browned and the dough is set. Cool on a wrack.

For Sauce:

Combine cream and maple syrup in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth. Mix in brandy and vanilla. Cover and chill.

For Filling:

Beat whipping cream, sour cream, vanilla and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in a chilled bowl. Whip to soft peaks. Cover and chill cream until ready to serve.

Gently mash strawberries with maple syrup in a large bowl with a potato masher just until berries release their juices, being careful not to crush them to a pulp. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

For Serving:

Rewarm sauce over low heat, stirring often. Warm the shortcakes if necessary, split them in half, and spoon the berries with their juices over the bottom half. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the berries. Spoon whipped cream over the biscuit halves; cover with biscuit top. Spoon more whipped cream onto the biscuit and more chocolate sauce.

from the bakery

A reminder from my favorite local bakery.

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