The Queen of Tarts

Done in by Dates

I have put up a recipe of this kind before - I promise you. But I keep going back to it, because the ingredients are entirely too easy to get in this part of the world - that would be the Middle East. In the summer people are often seen underneath date trees with large tarps - someone climbs up the tree and throws down the sun-soaked sweet dates. As a child I never liked dates. They were hard and too sugary, and I picked them out of granola and cereal on a regular basis. Then I started liking them, but really only knew about mejdool dates. When we moved to Abu Dhabi, I was shown the wonderful world of dates, and now khodri and segai are my favorite kinds. But back to the date bread (which can or cannot have nuts depending on what you like etc. etc...)

Often I will hesitate before making it - it involves opening the dates, pulling out the pits, and then cutting or chopping them into small pieces. My fingers are left with a sugary-sweet substance all over them. I am filled with a sense of relief once the dates (roughly 1 1/2 cups when it is all said and done) are chopped. They are placed in a bowl and one cup of boiling water and 1 tsp of baking soda are added to the dates. I typically watch the baking soda rise up and bubble for a few seconds and then place the bowl to the side for about 15-20 minutes.

While the dates are soaking, preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

The oven's temperature rises, and I know that it will eventually reach 325 - 330 F, which will be ideal for cooking this sweet bit of perfection.

In a separate bowl, I mix together:

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 C oat bran

2/3 C whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 C flax seeds

1/2 C All Bran Cereal

1/2 tsp salt

and then in yet another bowl I whisk together

2 eggs

1/4 C vegetable oil

1/3 - 1/2 C agave nectar

1/4 tsp Fiori di Sicilia - this is simply heaven, it adds and amazing sweet citrus flavor and makes everything taste like wedding cake as far as I am concerned, and THAT is definitely a good thing.

Mix the flour mixture with the oil and eggs, and once it is all incorporated add the dates. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for roughly 45-50 minutes or until the top is brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan on the cooling rack. Allow to cool for about 40 minutes (if this is at all possible) before cutting into the date bread.

Shrimp with Garlic & Chillies

 
 
 

Cooking has been a challenge as of late. You see while we have been trying to sort ourselves out in the UAE (finding a home, getting the proper documents, and sorting out the right roads to take since many have two or three names) our stuff has been taking a slow journey from Boston to Abu Dhabi. Very slow. It left in early June, so by the time it arrives it will be close to 8 weeks. In our shipping crate rests some of our most precious items: a Breville Juicer, knives or all lengths and widths, chocolate molds, cast iron pans, Le Creuset pots, whisks, wooden spoons, candy thermometers, cannelle molds, cookbooks, baking sheets, silverware, coffee mugs, glasses, and the list goes on and on and on.

Because we hope that it will all arrive safely we have been very careful with regard to what we are now purchasing. We have one knive (that we use for everything), a single pan and a single pot, four coffee mugs and four glasses, and several pieces of silverware that might last until the fall. If we want to mix anything, there is a single large stainless steel bowl, and we also got our act together to purchase some dishware.

However, like I said when it comes to cooking, we are down to the barebones minimum, and cooking is further complicated since we are not sure how much longer the stove / cooker will last until it needs to be replaced. Luckily, we bought a new refrigerator that works and manages to keep the necessities in tact. Meals have generally been cold or cooked on the grill outside. We are back to basic people - nothing fancy here. However, when I saw the abundance of produce and spices at all of the markets in Abu Dhabi, I needed to step things up a bit.

I bought Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Easy and realized that most of the ingredients in the book could all be found instantly. It was the perfect place to start delving into seemingly exotic ingredients. While the first dish I chose is not too exotic, I had to balance my thirst for adventure with what was realistic given our cooking tools. The only problem I had was locating basil, although the market was so busy it could have been hiding, and I was entirely too tired to fight the traffic of supermarket carts in the produce section on a Saturday afternoon. I decided to use cilantro (coriander)

Shrimp with Garlic & Chillies (adapted from Curry Easy)

12 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp green hot chillies finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt & 1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp whole yellow mustard seeds

1 large clove garlic finely chopped

3 tbsp cilantro (coriander) chopped

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh)

Wash and dry the shrimp. Place in a bowl with the salt, pepper, chillies, and cayenne pepper. You can cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to carry on with the rest of the recipe.

Place the oil in a frying or cast iron pan and set it over medium/high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop (and they WILL pop, and pop out of the pan...) add the garlic and stir gently, and then add the shrimp. Stir a few times, and then add in the tomato. Reduce the heat and add in the cilantro, and continue stiring gently until the shrimp is thoroughly cooked, but not overcooked - probably just a few minutes. Serve straight away... This would be really good with some thick/crusty bread on the side.

Simple Banana Bread

Banana bread has a way of reappearing time and again in our kitchen. We always get bananas, the weeks comes and goes, and before we know it, there are several brown squishy sweet smelling pieces of fruit sitting on the marble slab on the kitchen counter. Prior to mixing the ingredients together, I often hesitate. I always think about the process, and I tell myself that it takes a long time, that it is time consuming, that it is an task I do not have the time to take on. And then I really think about it and realize how pathetic and lazy I am being...I forget how easy this quick bread is, and also how versatile the recipes are. I cannot even being to count the number of variations I have come up with when I comes to banana bread. However, one thing has always remained consistent - I rarely use white sugar, white flour, or the full amount of oil that is called for in a recipe. The sweetness of the overripe bananas combined with applesauce and a touch of agave nectar make for a pleasantly, but not overly, sweet treat. Somehow the bananas sitting on the counter always last longer than the banana bread. I dare you to keep this around for longer than a week!

Simple Banana Bread

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 egg

1 tbsp plain, nonfat yogurt or buttermilk (you can also use vanilla yogurt if you prefer it or that is all you have) This can also be omitted, however increase the oil by 1 tbsp is you choose do omit it.

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 ripe bananas

3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Mix the bananas in a bowl with a hand-held or stand mixer. Add in the egg, applesauce, and oil. Once combined, add in the vanilla, yogurt, and agave. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda, and flour. Once combined, slowly add in the flour mixture and then the raisins. Mix thoroughly and then pour into the loaf pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Take the loaf from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the bread out onto the wire rack, and allow to cool thoroughly before cutting into it. After considerable trial and error, I have found that the bread often still bakes while it is in the pan and while it is cooling on the rack.

Enjoy for breakfast, tea, with coffee, etc.

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am not from the South - no where close. I am from quite North of the Mason Dixon line, however I chose quite deliberately to go to college South.  Now I could come up with some amazing story about why I chose to go to the South for college, but really it all comes down the culture, and the culture behind the Belles of the South.  One of the things I learned while living in the South is the importance and the tradition of food - good food (that you Margaret!).  For some reason, whenever I think of Red Velvet Cake, I immediately think of the South even though Red Velvet Cake traditionally comes from NYC (I hear gasps from Belles all around!).

So when my husband told me that Red Velvet was his favorite cake (, I had to find a way to make and perfect it. I searched for recipe after recipe, both in cookbooks and online.  I am sure that I could have made a quick phone call to Georgia, Louisiana, or Texas, and received some passed down family recipe, however I finally settled on Bakerella's recipe, and it was due in large part to her photos, which had me scrambling to my mixer in seconds to whip this baby up.  

The cake is light and moist and not intensely sweet - that is the job of the cream cheese frosting.  However, I have taken out some of the sugar so that there is a bit more tartness to the rich toping and I found that there is more of a balance.  I also made a few adjustments to the recipe to give it a slightly more healthy spin.  No one will notice these subtle changes, but you can feel a little less guilty when you reach for that second (or third) cupcake!

 

Red Velvet Cake (adapted from Bakerella)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil + 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
red food coloring (add in enough to give a rich red color - more or less depending on your preference)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or lightly grease the pan.
• Beat eggs in a bowl and add remaining liquid ingredients (except for food coloring) and stir together with whisk/mix until blended. Set aside.
• Place all the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir together really good with wire whisk.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high for about a minute or until completely combined - now add the food coloring.
• Pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup into each cupcake space and then drop the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• After about ten minutes, remove the cupcakes from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 
• Then make the frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
8 cups confectioners’ sugar

• Beat cream cheese and butter on high until creamy. Add vanilla.
• Slowly add the sugar to the mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each addition if needed.  It is probably a good thing to taste test along the way... : )
• Place the frosting in an icing bag and through a frosting tip (1M) on it and get going - to make the cupcakes extra fun, push the tip into the top of the cooled cupcake and squeeze out some of the frosting so that the cupcake with be filled inside with the frosting.  You will notice the cupcake start to expand a bit.  Once you have squeezed a little in (about 2 tsp) frost the top.
• It is important to note that this will make more frosting than you need - but I like to have some on hand for late night snacks... a spoonful or two is really satisfying!

DELICIOUS - and very hard to stay away from!

Apple Spiced Muffins

A weekend trip to New Jersey to visit one of my closest friends left me with several pounds of apples... Jonathan Apples, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, and whatever else I could reach and twist off the trees with my hands.  The four pounds of apples I brought home added to the bunch I already had from my parents' house.  As much as I love applesauce, I needed to come up with some other recipes that both Dr. H and I could enjoy, and this is no small order especially because he is not the world's biggest apple fan.

So with the help of New Jersey's finest...

I decided to make BabyCakes apple cinnamon muffins.  I thought, based on their other recipes, that I would have a pretty good tasting little treat on my hands.  However I had no idea how yummy and flavorful these muffins would be.  The hint of cinnamon mixed with the fresh grated nutmeg enhances the apples. The muffins are not "cakey" in texture, but more moist, and almost reminiscent of a popover (in my mind anyway!) Even Dr. H remarked on the muffins... now considering that they are vegan and gluten free, and his favorite food is bacon, this is a major accomplishment. I made some changes to the original BabyCakes recipes, because I just can't help myself.  

This is great for breakfast and snacking - have fun, and enjoy!

Apple Spiced Muffins

(Recipe adapted from BabyCakes)

Serves 12-14

Preheat the oven to 325F

2 lbs apples, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c lemon juice
2 C Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1tsp xanthan gum (this can be an expensive ingredient, but so worth it for gluten free baking!)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (if possible, use fresh ground, the taste is great!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C coconut oil (this should be in liquid state, not solid)
1/2 C + 2 tbsp agave nectar
2/3 C almond milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Mix the apples, cinnamon, and lemon juice and spread on a baking sheet.  Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, and stir the apples after about 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.  The apples will be slightly soft.  Once finished allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan, nutmeg, salt, and salt together in a large bowl.  Add in the oil, agave nectar, almond milk, and vanilla extract.  Mix until smooth.  Gradually add in the apple mixture.  Spoon about 1/3 - 1/2 C of the mixture into a regular sized greased muffin tin.  If you have any left over, use ramekins or self standing cupcake liners (I found that I had enough batter for 2 more little muffins...).

Bake for about 22-24 minutes, and then remove the muffins from the oven.  Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.  I have to admit, I did not wait and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the warm apple spiced muffin!

 

Fogbottom Applesauce

I would love to say that I am a city girl through and through.  That I grew up on the busy streets of a big sprawling city with the bright lights and constant buzz.  That is where we live now, and I love that we can walk to cafes, bistros, our favorite asian restaurant, and the gym.  I love not having to drive. And  being in the city has a level of excitement that is just not found in the country or suburbs.  All of  this being said, for most of my childhood, I grew up in the country surrounded by acres of farmland and the water.   

The country can be desolate, cold, and unwelcoming and truth be told, when we first moved to the country, I was not a huge fan.  However, as the years went on, I slowly started to appreciate the sheer beauty and the stillness.  I started to love the sounds of the wind whistling through the old colonial house, which holds more history than I could possibly read in any book.  And to this day, there is nothing as comforting as the smell of of a wood burning fire on a cool fall night.  Yes, I now actually love coming to this place - it is a place to come and relax and for just a few moments, get away from the city... a place to find solace and peace, and a place that I will always call home.

And truth be told, with this new found appreciation, over the years, a remarkable thing has happened...

I have started to notice that the light just looks different at night as the sun sets down low in the West behind the trees...

And with the shorter cooler nights, come some unexpected surprises.  After almost 30 years, the trees at the end of the yard are finally, finally growing edible apples.

Apples?  So what you might say.  Well, it is not just so what.  My father planted these trees what seems like forever ago, and now they are actually producing edible fruit.  It is a BIG DEAL.  Or at least we think that it is a big deal, and I suppose that is all that really matters in the end.

I first found out about last week.

"They are organic!" My father proudly stated, "We've not sprayed them with anything!"  And with that he handed me a plastic bag filled with about 20 apples.  I was instructed to use the big yellow ones for baking, while the smaller ones could be eaten straight away.  We had a small family discussion about applesauce, and whether one should leave the skin on (we all told my sister, that yes, in fact, applesauce is much better with the skin ON!), no sugar should be added to applesauce, and a hint of orange is always nice.  Well, I decided that I would get started right away.  

I mean I have made numerous apple desserts before - from store bought apples, and I think that I remember picking apples a few times.  But I have never made apple desserts like this.  With "real" apples.  Literally, from our home to our table.  This was different.  This gave me a whole new appreciation for our home and the land.

And so I began the task of making applesauce, applesauce from my father's apples, and it could not have tasted better - and that is coming from a self-proclaimed "city girl".

 

Fogbottom Applesauce  (serve 6-8)

8 medium - large apples (golden delicious, macintosh, macoun, and cortland) are all great!), washed and cut
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Cut the apples into 1 inch pieces and place them into a heavy bottomed pot.  Place the apples, water, cinnamon, and lemon juice into the pot over medium heat and allow to simmer.  You will want to stir the mixture occasionally.  Over a period of about 15 minutes, the apples will start to soften...

As you continue to stir, the apples will start to break down.  I like chunks of apple pieces in my applesauce as it add texture and makes the whole thing more tustic, so after about 30 minutes, you  should have a thick applesauce with pieces of apple.  If you let the mixture cook down longer, the apples will continue to soften, or if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can puree the mixture in a blender.

The sauce can be served by itself, over yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, and the list keeps going on!

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

It was only once, but it made an impression of a life time.  I knew that it was a place that I wanted to go, a place of winding streets, bargaining shopkeepers, fresh markets, and history.  A sense that time, no matter how hard it tried, would never seep into all of the corners of the magical city.  Marrakech. A city of beauty and wonder.  It is no surprise then, given my preconceived notions of what I thought the city would be like, that I fell instantly in love - head over heels in love in fact.  The food, the people, the architecture, and did I mention the food?  I had no idea that I would like cumin as much as I do, and it is now a staple in our spice drawer, and sits along side the salt and pepper at most meals. I try to add flavors to cooking that remind me of our Moroccan holiday whenever possible.

Perhaps it was out of necessity, but recently, I was opening all of the cabinets, the refrigerator, and the kitchen drawers looking high and low for something that would satisfy both the savory craving that I was having and the need to crunch something.  What I really wanted was some crackers - something that would crumble upon first bite, and fill my mouth with an explosion of salt and dryness - kind of like an oatcake.  But we had nothing. Nothing that would even come close. But we always have unsalted almonds in bulk waiting to be used in some kind of recipe.  I figured that I could make some roasted almonds - add a little seasoning, and then I would satisfy my craving, and it would be a healthy snack too.  Not too bad!  I tend to make spiced-up almonds during the holidays for our annual holiday party, but given my desperate need to savory and crunch, I thought that I would start a bit early this year.

I typically throw a few handfuls of almonds into a pan, cover them with cooking spray or olive oil, add some seasoning, and something sweet.  In the past, the seasoning has always, and I mean ALWAYS been Tony Chachares .  This is perhaps one of the greatest seasonings ever created in the world - it has heat, salt, and reminds me of being in Louisiana.  However, given that I was all out, I reached into my spice drawer and pulled out Bart Ras El Hanout - a Moroccan spice.  I had never cooked with it before, but my mother insisted that I buy it, and that I would not be disappointed.  So over the saute pan, I sprinkled some of the spice, added some salt, and threw in some sweetness.  I stirred up my concoction, and while the skins of the almonds started to crackle and pop, the cumin, the cardamom, and everything else that made Ras El Hanout what it is started to fill the kitchen and the rest of our loft.  I am not one to wait for things to happen, so I reached into the hot pan (which I do not recommend) and pulled out a few of the newly spiced almonds.  Amazing.  The heat was there, the salt was subtle, and the sweetness pulled it all together.  

These are a great thing to serve with cheese or wine before a dinner party, or to just have around.  I like to eat them warm, but they are really pretty great at any temperature.  I have also tried using agave nectar as a sweetener.  While this works well, it will make for a sticker end result.

 

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

2 C unsalted almonds - with the skins on

1-2 tsp Ras El Hanout (a Moroccan Spice that typically contains black pepper, cumin, cayenne, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, tumeric, coriander, cloves, allspice, and mace... my version also has a small amount of rose petals...the literal translation is "Top of the Shop") The more of this you use, the spicier things will be!

1 tsp salt 
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil OR cooking spray

Spray the saute pan (or add oil) and heat the pan over medium - high heat.  Add the almonds and as they are heating up, sprinkle on the salt.  As the almonds get hot, you will start to hear the skins pop and crackle.  Add the Ras El Hanout and stir the ingredients together.  Make sure that you watch carefully so that the nuts do not burn.  Lower, or turn off the heat once the almonds deepen in color, and add in the sugar.  Continue to stir.  Allow the almonds to cool a bit in the pan before placing in a dish. They are best eaten warm, but can be eaten at any temperature!

Date Nut Bread

I went out for a run this morning.  Boston is a very walkable/run-friendly city, and you can easily get through the entire city in a few hours.  I ran through the Harvard Medical School Campus, and down through the Fens, and that is when I noticed the first signs of fall in New England.  It is almost October and the average temperature this month has probably been in the low 80s during the day. Today, almost 90 with high humidity.  However, the leaves are starting to turn, and they were covering the dirt trails that ran parallel to the Museum of Fine Arts.  Yes, it is fall in Boston.

This summer has been a whirl wind of events, and for the most part, my time has not been spent in the kitchen thinking about recipes, measurements, or metric conversions.  Instead, my time was spent on our wedding guest list, the DJ's play list, and playing "name that animal" in the middle of the night while on safari in Tanzania.  No, the kitchen has not been a huge focus for me.  And perhaps that is why I have felt a bit lost and out of sorts.  All my life the kitchen has been a place of comfort, a place where I can find solace, and a place where I can reconnect.  So during my morning run I realized that it was indeed time to get my ass back into the kitchen, and start cooking and baking again.

Very few sweet recipes say fall to me as much as quick bread.  So, given the fact that I recently received 2 KG of dates from Saudi Arabia, I thought that a date nut bread would be the perfect way to 1. ease into fall and 2. get myself back into the spirit of baking.  When I did an online search for date nut bread, loads of recipes came up, but I found myself drawn to the story attached to John T. Edge's recipe, so my recipe is based off of his.

I pulled apart the sticky dates from the giant mass we have sitting on our kitchen counter, and one by one I removed the pits.  I would love to tell you that it was a painstaking process, but there was something rather methodical and relaxing about it.  The dates that I have are so sweet - not like the Mejdool dates that you might find in a market, but sweeter than anything I have ever tasted.  So I only added a small amount of additional sweetener to the recipe.  However, depending on what kind of dates you are working with, you might want to adjust your own measurements.

Fall is here in Boston... and so the baking begins.

 

(Recipe adapted from John T. Edge, Gourmet Magazine)

3/4 cup boiling water + juice from 1 orange
1 3/4 cups (or about 10 oz weighed) chopped dates
1/4 cup dark agave nectar (you can also use light, but I find that in this instance, the richer flavor of the dark works well, as it bring out the flavors of the dates)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I use Arrowhead Mills Organic Pastry Flour and it is great - fantastic substitute for white flour in almost all recipes!)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds or pecans (whatever you like)

Heat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, pour the hot water and orange juice over dates. Stir and let the mix sit until lukewarm. In a food processor, puree 1/3 of the mix to make a paste - you might find that there are bits of dates hanging out in the paste - so be it.  Do not get all worked over this, as this mixture should be stirred back into the bowl full of date mix. Add the agave, vanilla, and eggs. Stir until combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the date mixture, and mix the ingredients together. I like using a stand mixing machine (think Kitchen Aid) and when everything is almost coming together, add the nuts center.  Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.

Bake for 60 minutes or so; loaf is done when the top has risen. Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

Goldilocks Granola

 

I would not be surprised if someone compared me to Goldilocks at times - you know, as in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears".  When it comes to certain food items, I often find that they are never just right.  I am perhaps one of the pickiest eaters around.  None of my friends or family would argue that point.  I like things the way I like them, and that is that. For example, Granola.  It is often too crunchy, too, sweet, or too oily.  I rarely find it just right.  It is one of those things that I want to love but often do not because of the texture, the taste, etc.  I come across elements of one type of granola (like the fact that the raisins are actually soft and not crispy) and want to bring those to a not-so-sweet granola that has a hint of coconut and another that is not oily.  

So I decided that the only reasonable thing to do was to come up with my own version.  I am fully aware that my version might not be for everyone.  I like my raisins soft, I do not like my granola too crunchy or too sweet, and I like a touch - just a touch - of salt.  I made batch upon batch of the granola and threw in the some chocolate chips for our wedding gift bags.  It turned out to be a big hit all around.  Every time I make it, I change things slightly - a little more oatmeal, fewer raisins, more coconut, less coconut oil, more coconut oil.  It really all comes down to taste in the end anyway.  This is a completely versatile dish - and can be used as a snack by itself, over yogurt, with milk... you get the picture, right?  Plus, it is full of good stuff and vegan etc.

Yesterday afternoon, I baked up a batch and added in mejdool dates...sweet, plump, and firm - they lost none of their texture after baking for about 15 minutes, and blended in well with the rest of the mix.  So here it is, and use your imagination to come up with your own favorite version.

4 C rolled oats

1 C Swiss Muesli (no sugar added)

1/2 C Coconut Oil (make sure that it is in liquid form before measuring)

1 C Raisins

1/3 C Unsweetened Coconut Flakes 

3/4 C chopped salted almonds

6 large Mejdool dates, pitted and chopped into medium / small pieces

1/2 C Agave Nectar (or honey or maple syrup)

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with foil or a silpat sheet.  Combine the oats and muesli in a large bowl and add the oil.  Mix together.  Then add the agave nectar and the salt.  Adjust the flavors to taste.  Add the almonds, dates, and the coconut and then spread evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for about 6 minutes, and then gently stir the ingredients on the sheet so that everything will cook evenly.  After about 5 more minutes, stir again.  Cook for another 5-6 minutes, and then remove the sheet from the over.  While the granola mixture is still on the tray, add the raisins.  I like to add the raisins at the point, because they will remain soft.  Since the mixture is hot, they will soak up the coconut flavor, but will not cook as much as they would if they had been in the oven.

Getting Cultured

I have eaten yogurt for as long as I can remember - all kinds of yogurt.  When I was little, I would scrap the bottom of the plastic containers to ensure that every bit of the Dutch Apple did not go to waste.  My mother's favorite yogurt was Coffee.  It was a simple, rich flavor that had the deep undertones of coffee and the tartness of the yogurt that one comes to expect.  For an extra special treat, we would all walk down to Thayer Street in Providence and go to a little restaurant called Penguins, which served up the most amazing frozen yogurt I have ever had.  If you have tried Pinkberry, that would be the closest think to what Penguins served - but Penguins really served the real thing.  This was real, unadulterated frozen yogurt.  Topping included honey, shredded coconut, and granola.  None of this Captain Crunch stuff.

There are many different kinds of yogurt out there, and I find that it always tastes better someplace else.  Let me explain.  When I travel, which I do quite often, yogurt is a very recognizable food that is found in almost every culture.  It is different from what we have in the United States, and I often find it better.  In the markets in London, entire rows in the Dairy Section have yogurt varieties.  The same is true in France.  The options are truly endless.  I also found this to be the case in Canada.  (Visiting grocery stores in foreign countries is one of my favorite things to do - I think that you can learn more about a place by its food and what is found in the local markets than the local museums...) 

Several years ago, my aunt invited me to southern Italy, where we drank prosecco, sipped limoncello, and licked gelato.  She planned an amazing trip, and part of her planning included a visit to an organic buffalo farm.  The farm was in Paestum, which is known for its Greek Temples.  However, since 1988 Tenuta Vannulo has been producing mozzarella and it is Italy's only organic buffalo farm.  This is not your typical farm... it happened to be the cleanest farm I ever stepped foot on.  There was no "farm" smell.  The grounds, in typical Italian style, were stunning, pristine, and inviting.  Even more inviting were the flavors of the mozzarella, which we were able to taste the second it was made, the gelato, and the yogurt - all from buffalo milk.  Buffalo milk has a higher fat content that cow's milk (almost double), so it yields a creamier richer product.  And did I mention the yogurt???

 

More recently, Hector and I traveled to Morocco, and one morning while in Tangiers we received little glass jars with white plastic lids on top.  Each jar held about 6 ounces of creamy yogurt.  There were six of us traveling together, and one person in our group opened up the jar, peered in, and put the lid right back on. "I am not eating this."  I was stunned.  "Why not?" I asked. "I am sure that I will get sick."  I had already spooned some honey into mine and was more than half-way through.  It was the second time I had tasted fresh yogurt.  Her rudeness made me forget my manners and I reached across our little table which overlooked some open markets that had fresh loaves of bread drying on top... I took her yogurt and it straight away.

Since then I have not tasted anything as good, but I have tried to recreate the flavor since we recently received a yogurt maker as a wedding present.  It is worth it - it really and truly is.  While sitting in Italy or Morocco might be a little more romantic than Boston, I am still able to get cultured in this city after all.