the cannoli list

Cannoli. What's not to love. Fried dough, sweet cheese or custard, and chocolate. D and I have been known to drive two hours for a box of cannoli from Maria's Pastry Shop (Boston's best-straightforward, not too sweet with drops of chocolate throughout), Mike's Pastry, or Modern Pastry. We're that taken. We have a list: 'The Best Cannoli in the States.'

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts, and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

My daring twist on November's challenge is vegan cannoli, baked not fried. For the cannoli shells, I use water to seal the dough instead of an egg white. I also substitute white grape juice for sweet white or red wine and add two tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, since that's what is in the refrigerator at the moment.

I bake the shells wrapped around the cannoli forms at 350 F for 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. This is after I make two batches of free-form cannoli that resemble mini-taco shells and folded blankets (minus the hot dogs). Nonetheless, they possess a certain charm after being filled with mascarpone, chopped chocolate, and dusted with cocoa powder.

For the cannoli filling, I make a dairy-free almond mascarpone. It's a bit lighter than the dairy version including ricotta or mascarpone and confectioner's sugar, but no less desirable.

Let me know if you have a favorite cannoli shop to add our list. . .

Almond Mascarpone

Yield 1 1/2 cups

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups almonds (blanched)

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/8 cup agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

9 ounces (3/4 block) Mori-Nu Silken Extra-Frim Tofu

1/4 cup soy or almond milk

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (chopped)

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add almonds and turn heat off. Let almonds sit for 2 minutes. Drain and pinch each almond to remove its skin.

Rinse tofu and gently squeeze any excess water from block; set aside.

Process blanched almonds and cane sugar in a food processor until very fine, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add brown rice syrup, agave nectar, cinnamon, tofu, soy milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and process until smooth.

Fold in chopped chocolate and transfer mixture to a pastry bag or a sealable plastic bag with a corner tip cut off to pipe into pastry or cannoli shells.

(This recipe is inspired by Meredith McCarty's Marzipan recipe found in Sweet and Natural).

Read Lisa's homemade cannoli recipe at Parsley, Sage, Desserts, and Line Drives.

a touch of orange

Fall settles in New England, painting the trees in warm hues. Color spreads from air to garden. A leaf or two float slow in the street. Sugar pumpkins tear from the vine. We huddle near the kitchen stove while the holiday baking begins.

With Thanksgiving only three days away, I decide to combine two classic desserts, pumpkin pie filling with rice pudding. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves spice up the dish.

Pure maple syrup sweetens the pudding and pumpkin purée while adding a hint of caramel flavor. Raisins along with toasted walnuts and pine nuts offer a chewy crunch. It’s a new fall tradition here, too good not to share. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding

(printable recipe)

adapted from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts by Fran Costigan

Yield 6 to 8 servings

2 cups cooked brown rice

3 cups rice milk (soy or almond milk)

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch sea salt

2 cups Spiced Pumpkin Purée (see recipe below) or 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée

½ cup raisins

¼ cup walnuts (toasted and chopped)

¼ pine nuts (toasted and chopped)

Make Spiced Pumpkin Purée. Set aside and allow to cool while continuing with the recipe.

Combine raisins, chopped toasted walnuts, and pine nuts in a small dish; set aside.

Combine the rice, rice milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish with a lid. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil; stir several times. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Place rack on the middle shelf and preheat oven to 375 F.

Uncover casserole dish and put in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes; stir two times. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 F. Stir in the Spiced Pumpkin Purée. Cover and bake another 15 minutes.

Cool casserole dish on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm garnished with the raisin, walnut, and pine nut mixture.

Spiced Pumpkin Purée

adapted from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts by Fran Costigan

Yield 2 cups

2 cups (16 ounces) unsweetened pumpkin purée (for fresh purée, use sugar pumpkins)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook the over low heat until the mixture comes to a simmer and sputters; stir often. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the purée is dark, glossy, and thickened.

Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before adding to Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding.

butter for the road

On a rainy turned sunny morning such as this, I sit with a slow cup of tea and copy of The New Yorker's current Food Issue (Nov. 23rd). The sun climbs a ladder of wet branches, turns its gold light on the few remaining leaves left on the trees, and then scatters glitter over the shadowy road.

I put the magazine aside and scroll through the NYTimes online, Daphne Beal's travel piece titled "In Marfa, Texas, Minimalist Art and Maximum Flavor" catches my eye. I've dreamt of driving to west Texas for the last five years. I imagine the open landscape, tumbleweeds somersaulting down desolate streets, a sheen of dirt sparkling in the mid-day sun. The camera clicks to the rhythm of my gasps. Today is the day. I pack my bags and leave a note.

Dear Thanksgiving,

Leave the turkey, bring the sides, and meet me in Texas! You can find me in Big Bend National Park, or in Marfa at The Chianti Foundation (to see Donald Judd's minimalist art) or at the Food Shark delivery truck. Don't worry, I'll save room for pumpkin pie.

Until next Thursday,

Nikki

p.s. I made a few extra jars of butternut squash butter for the trip. . . not that I'm bribing you or anything!

Butternut Squash Butter

(printable recipe)

Yield about 4 cups

3 pounds cooked butternut squash

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 cup white grape juice

1/2 cup dates (pitted and chopped)

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Peel and chop cooked butternut squash.

Place all ingredients in a dutch oven or large pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer until liquid has reduced to a thick spreadable butter, about an hour or so.

Puree the butter with a stick blender or cool then puree it in a blender and process until smooth.

(This recipe is inspired by Smitten Kitchen's pumpkin butter).

afternoon snack

The weather these days begs for a bowl of hearty soup. I made a pot of miso squash soup this morning along with a batch of oatmeal raisin muffins. It's a hearty soup, one that I'm still adding and subtracting new vegetables to, so you'll have to wait a bit for the recipe.

I, do, however have a recipe for the muffins to share. But, I'll get to that in a minute.

First, I want to tell you a story about oatmeal. We all have memories of eating a bowl of oats on chilly mornings. Or maybe a batch of fresh baked oatmeal raisin cookies. However, you remember them, they are part of childhood.

I remember visiting my grandparents who ran a small farm with goats, chickens, and vegetables (including corn fields). During the summer, I stayed on the farm a week or two and loved the dramatic change from the small city where I lived.

For breakfast, my grandmother cooked scrambled eggs and potatoes with onions and peppers. Picked fresh from the nest, those brown orbs plated beside the diced potatoes lured me out of bed every morning. I have to admit, it took some coaxing to get me to drink a glass of goat milk with the meal, but I eventually got used to drinking grass and herbs.

Breakfast smelled up the kitchen until late in the afternoon when I looked into her wall of built-in cupboards for a box of maple brown sugar oatmeal packets. The box was stored right next to the jar of pickled beets. I picked out a packet or two and poured hot water on top. I clung to each bite, as if it were my last.

I feel the same way when I bite into these Oatmeal Raisin Muffins.

The banana milk adds a natural sweetness along with the maple and brown rice syrups. They are light enough to eat as an afternoon snack or to dunk into a hot bowl of soup. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

(printable recipe)

Yield: 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups white spelt flour

1/2 cup almond meal

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 flax 'eggs' (whisk 2 tablespoons ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons boiling water, let sit for

1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)

1 cup banana milk (blend 1 banana with 1/2 cup cold water)

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil and flour a 12-cup muffin pan.

Prepare flax eggs; set aside to thicken.

Prepare banana milk; set aside.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

Mix flax eggs, coconut oil, banana milk, applesauce, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup together with a hand mixer on low speed or by hand until thoroughly combined.

Make a circular indentation in dry ingredients and slowly fold in wet ingredients until flour mixture is well combined; do not over mix. Add raisins.

Fill muffin cups with better about three quarters full. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until muffins begin to pull away from pan. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

a conversation about food

A few of my favorite story-telling bloggers, Shauna (Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef), Molly (Orangette), and Rebekeh (Eat All About It) were recently interviewed on KUOW's weekday program. I just listened to their inspiring conversation about food, love, and writing this morning. We're in Boston for the day, but after hearing the interview all I can think about is writing and cooking, these ladies rock!

sushi and more sushi

I didn't plan to subsist on sushi today. But, that's what happens.

L wakes up at 6:30 am, hungry and cranky from a pair of pesky teeth angling into his lower jaw. I can't blame him really, especially when he plops down on my lap with "The Tawny Scrawny Lion" in hand asking in his mixed English jargon to read him a story.

No matter how much he simultaneously tears and mends my heart with his curious wonder, I still find myself drifting off mid-story in a dreamy haze wherein I fantasize about sleeping an entire eight hours without a shrill cry thwarting me out of bed.

I shuffle to the kitchen where D makes breakfast for L: oatmeal with bananas, sun butter, raisins, and a thin spiral of agave nectar. L eats a half bowl of oatmeal and a few bites of a sweet potato muffin between gulps of lactaid. Fifteen minutes later he is off and running into his bedroom to find more books and blocks to carry around the house.

After drinking two cups of black tea with milk and sugar, I start working on this month's Daring Cooks' Challenge, sushi. The sauces come first, a sesame miso spread and an ume ponzu dipping sauce. Then the fillings, avocado, tofu, and roasted butternut squash. I pull out black and white sesame seeds for garnish.

Dragon Roll

I sample a bite of the dragon roll filled with the sesame miso spread and matchstick tofu, the avocado and tofu stuffed spiral roll, and the nori wrapped butternut squash and avocado nigiri. I've made sushi a few times before, but this is the first time I coat the toasted nori with sesame miso spread before adding sushi rice or the fillings.

Spiral Sushi Roll

I lick my fingers and the spoon between each bite of sushi. Raw tahini, white miso, raw honey, lemon juice, ginger root, shallots, and sesame seeds.

Nigiri Sushi

I smother a few more spoonfuls on each roll and soon a few bites turns into one meal after another. It's that kind of day. For books and sushi, oh and lots of sesame miso spread.

The November 2009 Daring Cooks' challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.

PART 1 : SUSHI RICE (makes about 7 cups of cooked sushi rice)

Preparation time: 1¾ hours consisting of :-
Rinsing and draining rice: 35 minutes
Soaking rice: 30 minutes (includes 5 minutes making the vinegar dressing)
Cooking and steaming time: 25 minutes
Finishing the rice: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2½ cups uncooked short grain rice
• 2½ cups water
• For superior results use equal volumes of rice and water

Optional Ingredients

• 3 inch (75mm or 15 grams) square dashi konbu (or kombu) (dried kelp seaweed) wipe with a damp cloth to remove white powder & cut a few slits in the sides of the kelp to help release its flavours
• 2½ teaspoons (12.5 mls) of sake (Japanese rice wine)

Sushi vinegar dressing

• 5 Tablespoons (75 mls) rice vinegar
• 5 Teaspoons (25 mls or 21 grams) sugar
• 1¼ Teaspoons (6.25 mls or 4.5 grams) salt

DIRECTIONS:
Rinsing and draining the rice

1. Swirl rice gently in a bowl of water, drain, repeat 3-4 times until water is nearly clear. Don't crush the rice in your hands or against the side of the bowl since dry rice is very brittle.
2. Gently place rice into a strainer and drain well for 30 minutes.

Soaking the rice

1. Gently place the rice into a heavy medium pot with a tight fitting lid (if you have a loose fitting lid use a piece of aluminium foil to make the seal tight).
2. Add 2½ cups of water and the dashi konbu.
3. Set the rice aside to soak for 30 minutes, during this time prepare the sushi rice dressing.

Preparing the Rice Vinegar Dressing

1. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
2. Heat on low setting.
3. Stir until the mixture goes clear and the sugar and salt have dissolved.
4. Set aside at room temperature until the rice is cooked.

Cooking the rice

1. After 30 minutes of soaking add sake (if using) to the rice.
2. Bring rinsed and soaked rice to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this process. Turn off heat.
4. Let stand with the lid on, 10-15 minutes. Do not peek inside the pot or remove the lid. During this time the rice is steaming which completes the cooking process.

Finishing the rice

• Turning out the rice

1. Moisten lightly a flat thin wooden spatula or spoon and a large shallow flat-bottomed non-metallic (plastic, glass or wood) bowl. Do not use metallic objects since the vinegar will react with it and produce sour and bitter sushi rice.
2. Remove the dashi konbu (kelp) from the cooked rice.
3. Use the spatula to loosen gently the rice and invert the rice pot over the bowl, gently causing the cooked rice to fall into the bowl in one central heap. Do this gently so as not to cause the rice grains to become damaged.

• Dressing the rice with vinegar

1. Slowly pour the cooled sushi vinegar over the spatula onto the hot rice.
2. Using the spatula gently spread the rice into a thin, even layer using a 45° cutting action to break up any lumps and to separate the rice. Don't stir or mash rice.
3. After the rice is spread out, start turning it over gently, in small portions, using a cutting action, allowing steam to escape, for about a minute.

• Fanning & Tossing the rice

1. Continue turning over the rice, but now start fanning (using a piece of stiff cardboard) the rice vigorously as you do so. Don't flip the rice into the air but continue to gently slice, lift and turn the rice occasionally, for 10 minutes. Cooling the rice using a fan gives good flavour, texture and a high-gloss sheen to the rice. The vinegar dressing will be absorbed by the hot rice. Using a small electric fan on the lowest speed setting is highly recommended.
2. Stop fanning when there's no more visible steam, and all the vinegar dressing has been adsorbed and the rice is shiny. Your sushi rice is ready to be used.

• Keeping the rice moist

1. Cover with a damp, lint free cloth to prevent the rice from drying out while preparing your sushi meal. Do not store sushi rice in the refrigerator leave on the counter covered at room temperature. Sushi rice is best used when it is at room temperature.

PART 2 : Dragon Rolls (also called Caterpillar Rolls)

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Cooking time: about 5 minutes (grilling the eel)

Yield: 2 inside-out (uramaki) sushi rolls

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 sheet 7”x8” (17.5cmx20cm) of toasted nori (dried seaweed sheets), cut into halves
• 1/2 Japanese cucumber
• 2 cups of prepared sushi rice
• Glazed Barbecued Eel (ungai) (about 3½ ounces or 100 grams)
• 1 Avocado
• Vinegared Water – ½ cup of water combined with a dash of rice vinegar
• Various small amounts of sauces to use as the flames of the dragon (or legs of a caterpillar)

Optional

• 2 tablespoons (25 grams or 1 oz) Fish Roe (Fish eggs)

DIRECTIONS:
1.Cut cucumber into strips ¼ inch (6mm) x 7” (175mm) long, then salt, rinse & dry the strips.

2.Grill (broil) the eel for about 2-5 minutes until bubbling. Cut into two lengthwise strips.

3.Halve, pit and peel the avocado. Cut the avocado halves into thin even 1/8 inch (3 mm) slices. Fan out the cut avocado into a 7 inch (175 mm) overlapping pattern.

4.Cover bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down, lengthwise, on the edge the mat.

5.Moisten lightly your hands in the bowl of vinegared water.

6.Place one cup of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.

7.Flip the rice-covered nori over (so the bare nori is now on top) and place on the edge of the mat closest to you.

8.Arrange one of the eel strips across the length of the nori, not quite centred on it but a little closer to you. Place half the cucumber sticks next to the eel.

9.Lift the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands, keeping your fingertips over the fillings, and roll the mat and its contents until the edge of the mat touches straight down on the nori, enclosing the fillings completely. Lift up the edge of the mat you're holding, and continue rolling the inside-out roll away from you until it's sealed. Tug at the mat to tighten the seal. If the rice doesn't quite close the roll add more rice in the gap and re-roll using the mat to completely cover the inside-out roll. Place the roll on a damp, clean smooth surface.

10.Spread about 1 tablespoon of the optional fish roe along the entire top of the rice-covered roll. Using the plastic covered mat gently press the fish roe so it adheres to the rice.

11.Slide a knife under one fan of avocado and transfer it onto the top of an inside-out roll. Gently spread out the avocado layer to cover the entire roll. Lay the plastic wrapped mat over the avocado-covered roll. Squeeze very gently to shape the roll.

12. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the roll. Slice the roll into 6-8 equal, bite-sized pieces, wiping your knife with a damp towel before each slice. Discard the plastic wrap. Repeat the above to make one more roll.

13.Arrange the cut pieces on a serving plate with the sauces so the finished dish appears as a dragon breathing fire and flames (or a caterpillar with many legs).

PART 3 : Spiral Sushi Roll
This is easiest 'decorative' sushi roll.

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice

Yield: One Roll, cut into 8 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

• 2½ cups prepared sushi rice
• 2 sheets of toasted nori, each sized 7”x8” (17.5cmx20cm)
• Six assorted fillings, each filling should be the size of a pencil (see note below)

DIRECTIONS:
1.Join 2 sheets of nori by moistening the adjacent edges and overlapping them about ½ inch (12mm).

2.Place this double sheet shiny side down on a rolling mat, part of the nori will extend beyond the mat.

3.Using moist fingers place 2½ cups of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly, leaving ¼ inch (6mm) nori showing on the both ends of the sheet. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.

4.Using your fingers form six grooves (in the same direction that you will be rolling the mat) at even intervals across the bed of rice. Make the first groove about 2 inches (50 mm) from the edge of the nori sheet. Form the grooves by pushing the rice away, do not mash or squash the rice, leave a loose one grain layer of rice in the bottom of the grooves. Level the areas between the grooves where you have pushed the rice.

5.Place your fillings in the grooves. Fill the grooves a little higher than the surrounding rice bed.

6.Then roll the sushi up from the edge closest to you, this will form a spiral pattern of nori, rice and fillings inside the roll.

7.Slice into 8 pieces with a very sharp wet knife, wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each cut.

8.Place the pieces on a platter and garnish.

PART 4 : Nigiri Sushi
Nigiri sushi is the type of sushi most often made in sushi bars. In Japanese, nigiri means “squeeze”.

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice

Yield: 14-16 pieces of sushi

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups prepared sushi rice
• 8 pairs of assorted toppings, 200 gms/7 ozs total of fish, meat or vegetables (see note below)
• 1 tablespoon Wasabi (paste, reconstituted powder) or any other paste to adhere topping to rice

Optional

• Garnishes such as Ginger (pickled), chilli strips, vegetables flowers etc
• Thin strips of nori or vegetables (for tying topping on)

DIRECTIONS:
1.When handling sushi rice, make certain your hands are very clean. To keep the rice from sticking to our hands moisten your hands with vinegared water.

2.Form nigiri sushi by scooping up a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of rice with your forefinger and second finger of your right hand and placing it in your cupped left palm.

3.Use the fingers and thumb of your right hand to form it into a long, narrow mound (about 2 inches x 1 inch wide or 50mm x 25mm) in your cupped palm.

4.Press enough to make the rice hold firmly together. Place the nigiri on a damp cutting board flat side down. Don't let sushi touch or they'll stick to each other. At this point, you can cover the sushi with plastic wrap, and they'll keep at room temperature (not the refrigerator) for several hours.

5.Smear a thin line of wasabi on top of the rice and place the topping piece on it. You may need to press the topping down lightly with your fingers and adjust the shape of the rice accordingly to form an attractive piece of nigiri sushi. If your topping is very loose like fish roe you can place a strip of nori (higher than the rice) around the nigiri and form 'battleship' sushi. The cavity that the nori forms holds the topping so it does not fall off.

6.Garnish as desired and use strips of nori (or vegetable) to tie the topping to the nigiri if needed.

7.It is customary to make nigiri sushi in pairs, so make two of each variety.

slow food

Sometimes fast food is unavoidable, like when we're stranded at the airport or we're driving hundreds of miles cross-country and not even an apple cannot be found. On those days, our choices are limited.

For most of us, we have choices to make every day, do we choose to eat food that may be quick but lacks nutrition or do we choose fresh food that is grown close to home without additives and pesticides. To me, the choice is obvious.

Eat slow food grown closest to home, the food not only tastes better but it also supports local community agriculture, which in the long run, will feed many more than a fast-food chain who runs the risk of running out of Idaho-grown russet potatoes or turning back to genetically modified foods to satisfy an ever-increasing demand for burgers and fries.

Check out local harvest to find a local farm or farmer's market in your area.

Oaxaca City, Mexico: Part 3

A flood of new tourists spilled into Oaxaca City during the Days of the Dead.

From October 27th through November 2nd, lines formed inside the markets, restaurants, banks, and shops. Scrubbed clean and decorated with flowers and skeletons, the city boomed with live music and a mash of languages. Few empty or quiet spaces were found.

It was the night before the Day of the Dead, October 31st when we, too, had just arrived from Puerto Angel, located on the Oaxaca coast where we spent five days sharing communal truck rides, lying in hammocks, and sleeping in sand flea infested beds. The week before our coastal trip, we toured the city by foot and left with a portrait of the city that soon changed. Upon our return to the city, we didn't recognize the throngs of people walking on the brick laid street. It was We were all there to celebrate the Day of the Dead, a fiesta dating back to the pre-Hispanic Tarasco people of Michoacan.

The Tarascans believed that death offers a continuation of the same life in the parallel world. So once a year on Nov 1st, the dead return to their homes through an arched doorway of yellow marigold flowers built inside each home. This doorway allows them entrance from the underworld. The arch or doorway is accompanied by an altar to both guide and welcome the spirits into their homes.

Traditional offerings of corn, fruits, salt, and tamales are placed atop an altar in front of the archway along with vessels of water to quench the hunger and thirst of spirits on their return journey.

During the 16th century, after the Spanish conquest of Mexico, traditional Day of the Dead celebrations to honor the dead with offerings of flowers, food, drink, and burning candles were also shared in Catholic celebrations of All Saint's Day (Nov 1) and All Soul's Day (Nov 2). Once a new mestizo community of mixed European and indigenous ancestry formed, a new tradition of visiting graveyards and decorating graves of family members was included in the celebrations.

Among Mexico's indigenous communities, the Day of the Dead is both a religious and spiritual occasion. Some families spend several nights in the graveyard to welcome returning spirits. It is said that the children visit first on October 31st followed by the adults on November 1st. However, for the larger majority of the mestizo population, the Day of the Dead is a folk festival and family celebration.

Over 400 years later, we found ourselves in the middle of an ancient Mexican tradition. We checked into our hotel, loaded film into our cameras, and hit the streets. The entire city was framed yellow with thousands of marigold flowers.

We walked to the city square and into a film shoot.

A child bride walked in a graveyard staged in front of the central Cathedral.

Other staged performances happened throughout the day and late into the night, in the streets, in galleries, and in theaters.

Marching bands and musicians played while people danced and celebrated. They knelt before skeleton sand rugs adorned with flowers and candles.

By 7:00 pm, we walked in a traditional parade and watched a performance beginning at Alameda Park and looped for several miles to San Miguel Cemetery. My camera flashed the entire way, in an attempt to record what words could not in the moment express.

I took so many photos that my flash burnt out in the middle of the parade, which I now think was fitting.

The celebration is more than a few rolls of film, it's an homage to culture, family, and history.

By the time we arrived at the cemetery, the scent of apples, chocolate, cinnamon, hot peppers, and pumpkin placed on the gravestones collected in the air. Pan de Muerto (special bread for the dead), nicuatole (corn jello), and calaveritas (sugar skeletons) were placed on the candlelit graves.

We left a few oranges for the returning spirits before we walked back to our hotel. It was a night to remember. Still, there is so much to tell. I'll leave you with these cupcakes inspired by Oaxaca City and the Day of the Dead.

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

(printable recipe)

Yield 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups white spelt flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 cup cane sugar (demerara)

1/2 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

optional: pinch ground cayenne pepper (up to 1/8 teaspoon)

1 1/4 cup soy milk

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup virgin coconut oil (melted)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 F and line muffin pan with cupcake liners or oil and flour. Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside for a few minutes to curdle into a buttermilk or sour milk.

Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and optional cayenne together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the soy milk mixture, melted coconut oil, and extracts together, then stir into flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners with batter and bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted through the center comes out clean. Cool on racks before smearing on chocolate ganache frosting.

(This recipe is inspired by Fannie Farmer's Eggless Chocolate Cake found in The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, 1944 edition and by Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes found in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero).

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

1/4 cup chocolate soy milk

4 ounces semisweet chocolate (chopped)

2 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Bring the soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate and maple syrup. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside at room temperature until ready to frost the cupcakes.