the citrus duo

Frost looms in the night air. The herb garden still holds bundles of unpicked basil, garlic chives, oregano, parsley, and sage. A sprawling patch of my favorite herb, wild lemon thyme, covers several feet of the front lawn.

Reality sets in, I can no longer pinch as I cook.

So an hour before dusk on coldest day, I pick the remaining herbs to preserve the bright bouquets through the winter months.

After the last garden harvest, sage bundles hang from their stems inside the dimly light pantry, soon they will season squash and bean soup and bread stuffing.

Bags of traditional basil and parsley walnut pesto store in the freezer for a winter day when their bright green flavors cling to pasta or smear on toast with cheese.

It is the fresh sprigs of lemon thyme that I will miss the most.

Grate some lemon zest with this citrus herb and the two brighten and intensify sweet confections, like these rich melt in your mouth lemon thyme cookies. Just try a batch and see if you're not a wee bit obsessed with this citrus duo afterward too.

Lemon Thyme Cookies

(printable recipe)

Yield 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups white spelt flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup almonds (finely ground)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

zest of 1 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly brush with extra olive oil.

Whisk flours, ground almonds, baking powder, chopped thyme leaves, and salt in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

Whisk oil, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, zest, and extracts.

Combine wet ingredients with dry; mix well. Drop tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet.

Bake cookies for 15 minutes or until edges are golden.

(This recipe is inspired by Meredith McCarthy's recipe for Lemon Coconut Cornmeal Cookies from Sweet and Natural and by Cynthia Lair's recipe for Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies from, Feeding the Whole Family).

a buttery tart

It's 3:30 am in San Francisco. I wait for the city to rise from its slumber. I imagine the bakers who huddle over a round of dough inside a pastry shop lit by the street and a lone car's fading light. They roll puff pastry dough and brush it with egg wash. We, the city bakers and I, should sleep, but we can't. We're thinking about sweet apple ginger fillings to bundle inside this rich and delicate dough.

The dough is shaped into an envelope and stamped with small pats of butter. Yellow gold threads sparkle inside a humble package of flour, salt, and water and rolls out like fine silk. In one bite, the tender dough collapses into a lingering buttery crumble.

Such fine flakes demand time and effort: six rounds of rolling, turning, and chilling the dough. The taste, however, is second to none. After the sixth and final turn, the dough stretches with a smooth grace beneath the rolling pin.

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

I try to use whole grain flours whenever I bake or cook, so for this challenge I substituted whole wheat pastry flour one to one for both the all-purpose and cake flours. Had I not run out of white spelt flour, I would have used it in equal amount for the cake flour to test the results.

Whole wheat pastry flour is similar to white flour given its light density. However light a whole grain flour may be, it still cannot compare to the delicate rise of white flour.

Since we recently bought a half-peck of local apples, I used one-third of the dough to make vols-au-vent and filled them with homemade applesauce flavored with ginger root and maple syrup. The remaining two-thirds of dough turned into an apple ginger tarte tatin, caramelized ginger root and maple syrup sunk into a layer of sliced apples and pastry.

The vols-au-vent and the tarte tatin held the same ingredients, yet the former produced a greater rise while the later, even with small incisions cut into its surface for ventilation, rose and flaked only on its edge. In hindsight, I should have trimmed the dough before I tucked the excess between the apples and the round sides of the cast iron skillet.

Either way, both apple filled versions were worth their weight in butter.

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough

From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter

plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

finally, san francisco

Off to San Francisco to attend the BlogHer Food '09 Conference. Hope to see some of you there.

fade to brown

As I write this, the sun lights up the kitchen and my profile from the window beside me. The light beams like a film running in continuous motion from a distant projector booth.

I watch several maple trees turn yellow ochre and tangerine in one long slow motion shot from the adjacent window in front of me. Soon their vibrant colors will fade to brown and they will summersalt in air until , leaving their dark skeletal branches behind.

We will gather them into piles and jump in before depositing the leaves into the compost pile, flower beds, and garden. It is a bittersweet moment, the sweet and light flavors of summer mix with the heartier roots of fall.

Winter squash varieties and sweet plump apples take center stage. Here I must admit my utter giddiness upon seeing my first local acorn and butternut squashes at a local farm stand several days ago. It won't be long until the green striped pale yellow delicata squash variety turns up. Its succulent yellow flesh tastes like a mix of sweet potato and butternut squash. I covet them this time of year and imagine biting into their baked butter soaked flesh with a pinch of coarse sea salt and covered with a thin rivulet of pure maple syrup and a few fresh tarragon leaves.

To keep me busy until the squash arrives, I walk outside past the colored maples and into our small garden. The tomato plants have wilted and slumped over the raised beds without ever bearing summer fruit. A season of rain proved to be more than these heat loving plants could bear. We also waited to start our garden late due to the wet months of late spring and early summer. Next year will be different, I think.

I harvest the basil, chocolate mint, garlic chives, leeks, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme and pile them in a basket to dry inside. Next year, I plan to expand the garden to include: lemon balm, lemon verbena, radicchio, rosemary, shallots, spinach, tarragon, and watercress.

I make notes for the garden and plan for tonight's dinner. French-style lentil burgers is on the menu and feature the leeks, parsley, and thyme from our garden, and the kale, onions, and potatoes from our local farm share.

I like to melt a few slices of gruyere cheese on top along with a side of parsley walnut pesto (a blend of fresh flat-leaf parsley, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper) and serve with a mixed greens salad.

French Lentil Burgers

adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen

(printable recipe)

Yield 4-6 servings

1 cup dry French green lentils; about 2 cups cooked (brown lentils work too)
2 cups water
2 tablespoons white wine or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onion (chopped small)
1 leek (sliced thin)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
6 kale leaves (stems removed and chopped fine)
2 medium potatoes (cut into 1/4-inch dice and boiled or steamed)
1 medium carrot (diced)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (ground fine)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
4 fresh thyme sprigs (stems removed)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper (to taste)

optional toppings

gruyere, camembert, havarti, or chevre cheese (melted)

parsley walnut pesto

fresh tomato slices covered with diced chives, sea salt, and black pepper

Place lentils in a medium saucepan and soak overnight (while lentils do not require soaking, doing so aids in their digestion). Drain and rinse lentils. Add water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes or until lentils are soft and the liquid is gone. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, add vinegar, cooked potatoes, and ground pumpkin seeds; mash well and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic, carrots, kale, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Turn down heat to medium-low. Cover and cook about 10 to 15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.

Add the saute to the lentils and mix well. Chill for an hour before shaping patties.

Form burgers into 4-inch rounds. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook on both sides until burgers are heated through and form a crisp exterior. Add a few slices of gruyere, camembert, harvarti, or chevre cheese on top. Cover and cook until cheese melts.

Optional: serve with a side of parsley walnut pesto or fresh tomato slices sprinkled with diced chives, sea salt, and black pepper.

to bake is divine

Alexander Pope was an eighteenth century English poet who had a soft spot for satire (Essay on Criticism, Rape of the Lock, and The Dunciad). I think he would approve of the following amendment to his famous quote.

Pope's: "To err is human, to forgive is divine."

Bread Euphoria's (our local bakery): "To err is human, to bake is divine."

Indiana and back, the scenic takes

Check out some scenic takes from our Indiana road trip.

Indiana

Indiana from I-90

Outside Olympia Candy Kitchen in Goshen, Indiana

Amish buggies parked outside Wallmart in Goshen, Indiana

State Theater in Logansport, Indiana

Detour Route 25, Indiana

Ohio

Downtown Defiance Ohio

a mild heat

During our recent road trip, I ordered two fiery hot Indian meals in two different New York locales, one from an Indian restaurant in Niagara Falls and another from an Indian-Pakistani restaurant in downtown Albany.

Even as a spice lover, I couldn't take the heat or eat my flaming vegetable curries. Each dish tasted like a habanero chili pepper was slowly melting in my mouth. The vegetables became a mish mash of indiscernible textures and colors inside the rising heat.

So, when I read the September Daring Cooks' Challenge, Indian Dosas (pancakes) made from spelt flour with a served with a chickpea curry and topped off with a coconut curry sauce, I thought, "Oh, no. Not again."

This time, I wanted to enjoy the flavors in my curry so I left the chili peppers in New York. I followed the Dosa Pancake recipe verbatim, although I made up a vegetable curry recipe featuring local seasonal vegetables along with a crunchy nut chutney.

I cooked the spices in a few teaspoons of coconut oil before adding the onions and garlic. Then I sauteed the eggplant, red potatoes, and green peppers together until tender. I added coconut milk, swiss chard, and tomatoes and let the curry simmer for twenty minutes or so.

Tucked inside a dosa pancake with a side of basmati rice and topped off with a peanut chutney spiced with coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper, the meal was mild and satisfying.

The September Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Debyi of Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She chose Indian Dosas and adapted the following recipes from Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston's reFRESH Cookbook.

Indian Dosas

This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to

make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve

them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer.

Serves 4

Equipment needed:

large bowl

whisk

griddle or skillet

ladle (or large spoon)

spatula

vegetable peeler &/or knife

large saucepan

food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes

1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)

½ tsp (2½ gm) salt

½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder

½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder

½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)

¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water

cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling

1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings

1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated

¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut

¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes

1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water,

whisking until smooth.

2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking

spray, if needed.

3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a

thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip

it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling

This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make

a full batch.

5 cloves garlic

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)

2 medium hot banana chilies, minced

2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground

1 TBSP (8gm) oregano

1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)

1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric

4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)

½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices,

cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.

2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato

paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce

This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the

texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this

sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the

texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic

½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground

¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)

3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder

3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)

3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth

2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk

3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or

until soft.

2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional

minute.

3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been

incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.

4.Let it simmer for half an hour.

Indiana and back

A twelve day road trip without access to a kitchen or to decent restaurants creates a deep appreciation for simple and fresh home cooked meals. My mister D, our son L, and I packed fresh fruit, vegetables, loaves of french bread with almond butter or Nutella, and maple toddler cookies. It took us five days to drive from Massachusetts to Indiana and back and seven days to coordinate visits with friends and family together with L's nap schedule. This was no easy feat and as most days go with a toddler, we had to accept a constant change of plans.

Oneida Rest Stop, New York

While the company was lively and piquant our meals dining out were not. Before we left for our trip, I researched farmer's markets and cafes to visit once we arrived in Northern Indiana with the hope of finding a kitchen to cook in. However, once we were on the road, we found ourselves without a refrigerator or stove and in desperate need of finding a restaurant within a few miles of our hotels.

Fruit stand at Iroquois Rest Stop, New York

The Midwest boasts an obscene number of franchise restaurants all lined up next to one another in some sort of secret homogeneous food domination pact. It hardly made a difference where we dined, one baked potato here or another salad tastes identical, each lacked the earthy pungent flavors of vegetables flecked with soil.

Bridge to Niagara Falls, New York

Really, I can't tell you how much I missed simple fresh food. Dinner tonight was straightforward: sweet corn, sunflower burger, beef burger, braised Tuscan kale, green salad with an avocado basil dressing, and rice pudding for dessert.

I-90 Toll Road, Ohio

Such is life on the road, where each moment a new adventure unfolds. Then we return home with more gratitude and appreciation for where we are and where we have been.

I-90 Toll Booth, Ohio

Amish horse and buggies, Middlebury, Indiana

Top road trip memories:

* couples lost in embrace at Niagara Falls, New York
* L discovered all the big rigs parked at rest stops along I-90 west
* USA Today reported the death of Ted Kennedy
* the woman who sold me inedible spicy Indian food at the Niagara Falls observation center pointed to the Pentax K1000 camera wrapped around my neck and asked, "Why do you carry that old camera? Does it take better pictures or something?"
* L met his great grandfather and great aunt for the first time
* a home cooked meal and laughs with old friends
* D and my second wedding anniversary spent with L in the town where I grew up

Olympia Candy Company, Goshen, Indiana