Adapted from Nibb’lous and About.com.

This calls for non-alcoholic elderflower cordial, such as Belvoir or Bottle Green. Do avoid alcoholic elderflower infusions like St.-Germain (tasty, though, as it is), because the alcohol will lower the freezing point of the custard, and prevent the proper firming up needed in ice cream.

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup elderflower cordial (non-alcoholic)

Method

1. Put both creams, milk and sugar into a sauce pan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat.
2. To temper the egg yolks, slowly pour in a ladle or two of the hot cream mixture, mixing quickly with a whisk.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan. Turn on the heat to low. Whisk until it becomes a custard: Test by either temperature (170ºF to 175ºF degrees) or spoon method (coats spoon and a line drawn through doesn’t droop).
4. Remove from heat, pour the custard through a fine strainer into a large bowl (to remove any accidentally scrambled egg , then whisk in the elderflower cordial.
5. Chill covered in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or until the custard reaches at least 38ºF.
6. Prepare following the instructions for your ice cream maker. It usually takes 20 to 25 minutes to churn in an electric maker. Keep an eye on it near the end to avoid overbeating it, otherwise it’ll taste too much like butter and be granular and greasy.
7. Before serving, scoop the ice cream into a storage container, then put it in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up.

Before I crammed in two more lemons.

Suggestions for use: Minced and tossed into stews or sautés, sections placed inside the cavities of roasted poultry, puréed in dips like hummus, mashed into a marinade or dressing or sauce, etc.! I don’t know their shelf-life in the fridge, but I’ve been fine using a nearly 2-year-old jar of preserved lemons. (Although they do get somewhat mooshy in texture over time, but still useable and flavorful.)

This is enough for one 1-pint jar. I typically reuse a (cleaned!) glass jar and lid that had formerly stored 24 ounces (by weight) of honey.

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 (11 to 15 ounces) Meyer lemons
• plenty of fine sea salt, not flaked, preferably not iodized
• 1 bay leaf, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns, black or green
• 2 to 3 inches of cinnamon stick, broken into roughly 1 inch pieces
• 1 star anise, broken into its component arms; or, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon whole aniseed
• (optional) a few slices of ginger
• (optional) 1 black cardamom pod
• (optional) 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, quartered
• freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

Method

1. Clean the Meyer lemons, and trim off any blemishes. I usually slice off a small bit from the stem and pointed ends of each lemon, too.
2. Cut four longitudinal slices into each lemon, almost but not quartering them. You want the center of the lemon to keep the fruit together, and the slices will maximize the surface area exposed to the salt, juice and spices.
3. Pour about a 1/8 inch of salt into the jar. Add a piece of bay leaf and a third of the spices. Cram in as many lemons to roughly fill a third of the jar.
4. Repeat until lemons fill nearly the top of the jar. Pour in another 1/4 inch or so of salt. Fill the jar with lemon juice until the fruits are covered with liquid. You might need to gently jiggle the jar every so often to get the juice (and salt) to fill it up; see the photo below for an example.
5. Cap off and store in the refrigerator. Allow to cure for at least 3 weeks, preferably at least 1 month, before using; shake about once a month to distribute, er, mix up the salt and spices. You can use the entire lemon —zest, pith and pulp— but be sure to remove any seeds or errant stems, and to thoroughly rinse away excess salt under running water. The preserved lemons will still remain quite salty, yet subtly flavored with whatever spices added; I typically wouldn’t need to add any more salt to a dish I’d use them in.

Five lemons crammed in, and topped with gobs of salt and lemon juice. I just managed to tighten the lid on afterwards.

As seen in the picture below, leftovers of this soup freeze and defrost just fine.

Because the vegetables get whizzed up in the end, you don’t need to be terribly accurate with their preparation. The following are just guidelines so that the pieces aren’t so thick they end up taking too long to cook, or cook unevenly.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds onions, chopped roughly into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/4-inch thick discs
• 1/2 pound sweet potato (about 1 medium tuber), peeled and chopped into roughly 3/4 inch pieces
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly sliced and lightly crushed
• salt, as needed; I used Maldon smoked flakes
• 1 heaping tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 heaping teaspoons ground coriander seed
• 1 quart rich chicken stock, preferably unsalted
• 1 pint or more of hot water, as needed
• freshly ground pepper
• (optional) crème fraîche, or heavy cream

Method

1. Caramelize onions in the butter and olive oil over medium heat, with a generous pinch of salt, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, macerate the garlic with another pinch of salt.
2. Stir in the cumin and coriander. When the spices become fragrant, stir in the carrots, sweet potato and garlic.
3. Add the chicken stock, and about 1 pint of water, enough so that the veg are covered. Simmer gently, covered, over low heat until the carrots and sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Skim off any large amounts of foamy scum that may form on the surface of the soup during this time.
4. Purée the soup with an immersion blender, or similar tool. Adjust seasonings (salt and pepper) and water.
5. Add cream to garnish each serving, if desired.

As an aside, my friend Lisa M. has said that quick-pickling cauliflower (raw, no additional cooking, either!) works out nicely. I should try that. Maybe I’ll work myself up to cabbage one of these days. But for now, here’s what I did with the red onions.

Quick pickle for red onions

Follow a recipe similar to this one, except:

• Have 2 one-pint jars clean, dry and ready. I tend to reuse 1 1/2 pound honey jars for this.
• Vinegar mix I used last time; I zapped the ingredients in the microwave until the solids dissolved and liquids started to simmer:
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup distilled vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon smoked Maldon salt
• 2 8-ounce (1/2 pound each) red onions: I cut them into 1/4-inch wide quarter strips, which might be visible in the photo of the jars above.
• Spice combo of Your Choice. Last time I had used the following, halving the amount between the two jars:
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 10 whole allspice
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 3-4 inches of cinnamon stick
  • 2 dried guajillo chiles, stem and seeds removed
  • 1 1/2 inches of ginger root, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices; they’re the yellowish chunks near the bottom of the jars in the photo above.
• During curing period, periodically push the onions down with a big spoon so they “remain” submerged. Easier said than done, perhaps, but it’ll help cure the onion pieces at the top of the jar.
• Cure at least overnight for winter onions, which are pretty sharp. Best to wait a couple days, I feel, before tucking in; sweeter onions might not need as long. Not sure about longevity, because the two of us ate two jars’ worth in about three or so weeks. I imagine they could last longer, but really…?
• Haven’t tried with yellow or white onions, yet. The red ones give such a nice pink-maroon shade!

Yes, I reused a jar from a commercial brand of pickles.

Ingredients

• a bunch of mild radishes, tops removed, scrubbed and sliced into thin discs; start with 1/2 a pound and go from there
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup vinegar: try apple cider, rice, or even a mix of plain distilled with sherry vinegar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar, brown or white
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt
• optional spices: some slices of ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, garlic, etc.

Method

1. Clean and dry a 1-pint jar and lid.
2. Stuff as many radish slices into the jar as you could manage, but leave about 1 inch of space at the top. If using, add the spices randomly within the radish slices.
3. Mix together the boiling water, vinegar, sugar and salt until the solids have dissolved.
4. Pour as much of the vinegar solution into the radish jar as can fit.
5. Lightly cap and allow to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
6. Tighten the lid and pop into the fridge, if not consuming immediately. Gently shake about once a day for a few days, to mix the flavors. Even though the pickles are edible after making them, their flavor will improve over time. Eat within 2 to 4 weeks.

• Use a heavy-gauge Pullman measuring 4 by 4 by 9 inches, but without the lid, to encourage height. I like the USA Pan brand made of aluminized steel, coated with Americoat.
• Use only about 2 pounds of the dough for the Pullman loaf. The rest I freeze for 1 pizza. I do this subdivision after the overnight rising, so that the Pullman can get that final rise of about 2 to 3 hours.
• Bake at 400ºF degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating midway. The internal temperature should be 200º to 210ºF degrees when done.

As for a more rustic, I-don’t-need-a-pan loaf, I just plop a recipe’s worth of the multigrain dough onto a pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner, then bake at 400ºF degrees for 40ish minutes, turning the pan midway. Again, the internal temperature should read 200º to 210ºF degrees when done.

For pizza, I subdivide the multigrain recipe into 3 or 4 pieces after the overnight rising, depending on how thick I want it. Each pizza is roughly 12 inches in diameter. The uncooked dough freezes nicely, too.

In addition, you could make a multigrain focaccia by prodding the dough into jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Sometimes I feel round and make two loaves in two non-stick 8 inch (or 9 inch) circular cake pans, without liners.

I’ve been intimidated at the supposed labor and tricky technique involved with making crusty bread. But Jenifer’s recipe makes the process approachable, as it involves a heavy cast iron pot and lots of patient (but easy!) oven preheating. Don’t need a special oven or well-timed water spritzing, either.

I call this recipe “Miranda’s bread,” named after Morrisa and nj’s daughter who enjoyed some I recently baked. That loaf didn’t contain buckwheat flour, so I’ve denoted it as optional.

The key ingredient for this bread is stone ground, California grown Sonoran whole wheat distributed by Sustainable Grains. It’s one of the flour strains used in the original California sourdough breads from the 1800s. They offer that flour, amongst other grains farmed in California, at various Bay Area farmers’ markets.

Note #1: Because this uses a starter instead of dried packaged yeast, this recipe takes a couple days to complete. If you can take the time, it is oh so worth it.

Note #2: If you have a non-sourdough starter, this recipe still works!

This yields a 2 1/2ish pound loaf. To save for later, wait until the bread is completely cool, slice if desired, then either (1) wrap in foil, pop into a zippy bag and store in the freezer, or (2) place in cloth or paper bag, pop into a zippy bag and store in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 ounces sourdough starter
• 8 ounces Sonoran whole wheat flour
• 3 ounces dark (whole grain) rye flour
• 1 ounce barley flour
• (optional) 1 ounce buckwheat flour
• 1 ounce vital wheat gluten powder
• 1 3/4 to 2 cups warm water, at about 105º to 120ºF degrees
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
• 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the proofing bowl
• 11 to 13 ounces unbleached bread flour

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the starter, Sonoran wheat flour, rye and barley flours, buckwheat flour (if using), and the gluten powder.
2. Add to the water the molasses, salt and sugar, and stir until dissolved. Stir this into the flour mixture. Cover and let sit for about an hour, so that the whole grains can absorb some of the water.
3. Stir in the olive oil, and plop in the bread flour. Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, stir until combined, then knead on low speed for about 5 minutes. You’ll want a moist enough dough that will not stick to the sides of the bowl while kneading.
4. Oil another bowl, and place the dough in it. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in volume — at least 8 to 12 hours, such as overnight.
5. Place a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven, or covered cast iron pot of similar size in the oven. Preheat oven to 450ºF degrees; I use the “convection baking” setting.
6. In the meantime, punch down the dough and shape it into a nice loaf ball. Get a length of parchment paper, and line the bowl with it. This will act as a sling for the dough when it bakes. Plop the dough back in the bowl, and cover. Again, let it rise until doubled; this time it should take about 2 to 4 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
7. After the oven has reached 450ºF, keep the pot in there covered and empty for at least another 30 minutes, since you want it as hot as possible for the dough.
8. After the dough has finished its second and final rise, slash its top a few times with a sharp knife.
9. Carry the dough in its sling and place them both in the pot. Cover, lower the temperature to 400ºF degrees, and bake for about 25 minutes.
10. Remove the Dutch oven’s top, rotate the pot about 180º degrees, and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.
11. Remove pot from oven, then remove the loaf using its handy sling. The bread is done if its internal temperature is around 200º to 210ºF.
12. Cool at least a couple hours before serving. I actually prefer the bread the following day, as its texture is more even after a time.

A note about the yogurt: I use lowfat yogurt that’s smooth in the Australian/European style, e.g., Wallaby Yogurt. It doesn’t contain any thickeners like pectin or gelatin.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a jar or jug.
2. Stir, but do not whip, until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Serve, or refrigerate until needed.

What follows below isn’t so much a recipe as Rather Vague Guidelines, mind you. My first and current batch are curing, so I’ll need to update this post as to how the preserved satsumas actually turned out. But it’s a start.

Update, 8 January 2012: These go nicely stuffed inside a roasted chicken, as well minced and cooked with roasted vegetables. Also provides nice seasoning in stews like vegetable tagine.

I used jars that were previously used for 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of peanut butter and honey. WARNING: I don’t process these, I just keep them in the refrigerator. My preserved lemons that are over a year and half old are still fine, but y’know, YMWV.

Got any favorite uses for preserved citrus? Please do share! I tend to use preserved lemons in savory applications, like stews and inside poultry cavities. It’d be great to expand their cooking horizons.

Ingredients

• A bunch of green (underripe) satsumas, or similar mandarins
• Lots of fine-grained salt
• ginger, sliced
• green & black peppercorns
• cinnamon stick, broken into 1-inch pieces
• star anise, broken into single “arms”

Method

1. Wash the satsumas and discard any attached leaves or stems. Make sure your jars and caps are clean, too.
2. Make four longitudinal cuts in each fruit, without completely cutting through. That is, the four “slices” should remain attached at the center “spindle” of the fruit.
3. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of salt in a jar.
4. Stuff in as many fruit into a single layer — two to four, or more, depending on the jar and fruit size.
5. Toss in one or two slices of ginger, one or two cinnamon pieces, one or two star anise arms, and/or three to five peppercorns. How much (or little) spice you add is completely up to you! (Although I’d imagine you might wish to add a bit less for satsumas than for lemons, as their flavor is more delicate.) Add another tablespoon or two of salt.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you reach the top of the jar. Cap off and store in the fridge overnight.
7. The following day, you might be able to cram in some more fruit. If yes, do so and top off with another tablespoon or two of salt. Cap off again, store in the fridge, and wait (mostly).
8. Turn the jars, right-side up, upside-down and vice versa, about once or twice a week for the first three weeks. The satsumas should be cured enough to use after about three to six weeks, but the flavors improve upon further aging.

To use

1. Remove any seeds.
2. Rinse as much of the salt away as possible, without losing any (where possible) rind, pith or pulp.
3. Chop or mince, according to your use needs.

This particular batch yielded eight 12-ounce jars from just under eight pounds of plums, with very tart fruit. YMMV.

Ingredients

• 8 pounds plums, washed
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 1/4 pounds sugar
• 1 pound brown sugar

Method

1. Slice plums into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. Remove the pits if you can, but if they cling fiercely to the flesh, don’t worry about it: just toss them all into a large stock pot. Same goes with the skins: both they and the seeds will be removed when run through the mill later.
2. Toss in the ginger slices and cinnamon stick. Over medium heat, bring the plums to an energetic simmer. Once the fruit has become pulpy (30 minutes or more, depending on the fruit and its ripeness), remove from the heat.
3. Run the pulp through a food mill to remove any pits, large bits of skin, and the spice chunks. We used the mill screen with the largest holes. Pour pulp back into the stock pot.
4. Pour in sugars, bring to a simmer, again, and reduce until desired thickness is achieved. For us it took about 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Make sure you have clean jars and caps (i.e., rings and dome/lids) handy. Ladle the hot jam into the jars, quickly cap them off, then process appropriately. E.g., the jars simmered in the canner for 20 minutes.
6. Store in a cool location like a larder or closet. Refrigerate after opening.

Adapted from two recipes, Orange Cornmeal Cake at Simply Recipes, and le Gâteau Piège at Chocolate & Zucchini.

Ingredients

• 7 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
• 3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) quick hominy grits
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• grated zest of 1 large or 2 medium oranges (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
• 2 eggs
• 7/8 cup sugar, containing 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees; I used the convection baking setting.
2. Butter and coat with sugar a 9-inch round springform pan, or a 7-inch square pan with parchment sling.
3. Sift the flour, grits, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
4. Melt the butter, and mix with the olive oil and orange zest; also set aside.
5. Using the whisk attachment for the mixer, whip the eggs and 7/8 cup plus 3 tablespoons of sugars until foamy and pale, about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Fold into the egg mixture the flour followed by the yogurt, orange juice, then butter mixture.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan, then sprinkle with pine nuts and the 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar.
8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes; done when sides pull away and a knife comes out clean.

You can find elderflower cordial online, or at stores specializing in British or European foods; Belvoir is a good brand. If you want some alcoholic zing to the syrup, feel free to substitute part of the cordial with St.-Germain liqueur.

Adapted from The Kitchn.

Sponge ingredients

• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons consisting of vanilla sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• zest of 2 limes or lemons

Syrup ingredients

• 1/2 cup elderflower cordial, or a bit more, depending on your sweetness preference.
• 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

Garnishes

• Powdered sugar
• Whipped cream, sweetened with sugar, cordial, liqueur (e.g., St-Germain), or a mix thereof.

Method

1. Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, then coat the pan’s base and sides with butter and sugar. Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees; I used the “convection bake” setting on mine.
2. Using a whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and salt until pale yellow, tripled in volume and very soft peaks form.
3. Mix butter and lemon zest in a medium jug or bowl.
4. Fold in the flour+baking powder. Scoop out a cup or so of the batter and plop into the butter mixture; whisk that until smooth. Fold the butter mixture into the main batter.
5. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 25 to 35 to minutes.
6. While the cake bakes, mix the elderflower cordial and lemon juice.
7. After taking the cake out of the oven, poke holes throughout it with a thin skewer while it’s still warm in the pan. Evenly pour elderflower+lemon syrup over the cake.
8. Allow the cake to cool and thoroughly absorb syrup before removing it from the pan.
9. To serve, dust with a bit of powdered sugar, along with a dollop of flavored cream, if desired.

Adapted from Epicurious, but more fruity. Yields a scant quart of ice cream.

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar; my version includes 1/3 cup vanilla sugar.
• a pinch of salt
• 2 egg yolks, whisked
• 1 cup unsweetened puréed passion fruit pulp; I used Goya‘s frozen purée, mostly defrosted.

Method

1. Bring the heavy cream, sugar (and vanilla sugar, if using) and salt to a simmer in a medium sauce pan.
2. Temper the egg yolks with 1/2 to 1 cups of the hot cream, the latter added to eggs a couple tablespoons at a time while whisking.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the sauce pan. With the heat on medium low, whisk until it becomes thick, reaching 170º to 175ºF degrees.
4. Remove custard from the heat, and stir in the passion fruit pulp. Pour the custard through a fine strainer (to remove any fibers or curdled bits) into a glass bowl or jug. Chill at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
5. Prepare following the instructions for your ice cream maker. Scoop into another container for freezer storage. Consume at your leisure.

My version is somewhere between the classic and cream scone recipes from The Joy of Cooking, wherein I use cream, eggs and butter. This yields a very tender and very rich scone, as one could imagine.

This recipe can be halved.

Note that these are more like British scones, which have the barest hint of sweetness, unlike many American ones which are often sweet, nearly cake-like or muffin-like. No frosting on these puppies. However, the fun is in the spreads that can be applied: lashings of clotted cream, or even butter, (try marscapone, anyone?), jams, jellies, lemon curd, etc.! All to be washed down with a good drink, especially tea (chai, perhaps?) or coffee.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pastry flour; I’ve used a 50/50 and roughly 65/35 mix of wholewheat to white pastry flour mix, too.
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 tablespoon chunks
• zest of 1 lemon or orange
• (optional) 1/2 cup raisins
• (optional) 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or a good sherry or brandy
• 2 cold eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup chilled heavy cream

Glaze

• 1/4 cup cream, half & half, or whole milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Method

1. If using raisins, prepare them at least an hour beforehand. Put them in a microwave-proof bowl, add the Grand Marnier, and heat until the liquid is hot. Cover and set aside so they can plump up.
2. Mix the eggs and cream in a jug and keep in the fridge until step 5.
3. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
4. Working in two batches (not necessary if recipe is halved), process the dry ingredients with the butter, until the mixture has butter lumps ranging from cornmeal to pea-sized. Place in a large bowl and stir in the zest. If using raisins, drain them, and add to the dough.
5. Quickly and using as few movements as possible, fold in the egg-cream mixture into the dough until the dry bits just stick together. Try to avoid warming the dough, or making it too wet. If the dough does get a bit squishy, toss in some flour.
6. Form the dough into two thick, flatten discs or squares (one if halved) and wrap them in plastic film. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to rest and firm up, or 30 minutes in the freezer.
7. In the meantime, prepare the glaze. Warm the cream until near scalding, and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Set aside to cool.
8. Preheat oven to 400ºF degrees; I used the convection baking setting.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner.
10. Pat out the circle or square directly on the sheet until it’s about 1/2 inch high. Then use a butter knife or scraper to divide the dough into 8 sections. Brush each scone with the glaze.
11. Bake until risen twice in height —a poker should come out clean— and lightly golden on top, about 13 to 17 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
12. Serve warm or at room temperature. With cream, jams, curds, and tea…

A couple things helped me along. First, I found a couple encouraging recipes that — THANK THE ALMIGHTY FSM — included weight measurements for flour. Second, I discovered the balloon whisk.

Oh, I still need practice using the balloon whisk, like learning to judge when to stop with the folding motions and not deflate all of those lovely egg and sugar bubbles (i.e., do the bare minimum, don’t obsess over batter appearance thoroughness). And I still cheat (with not much guilt) a bit by adding some baking powder. Yet I still love the realization that I can make a nearly meringue-like structure with whole eggs and sugar.

As influenced by Michael Ruhlman’s sponge cake from Ratio, and Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Gold Passion Génoise (minus the passionfruit and frostings) from Rose’s Heavenly Cakes.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• 6 ounces sugar (just over 3/4 cup), total; 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar comprised part of this. If you don’t have vanilla sugar, use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, at room temp or slightly warmer
• 3 ounces pastry flour; I used unbleached white.
• 1 1/2 ounces rice flour; I used white medium grain, not mochi..
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF degrees; I use the “convection baking” setting on the oven. Cover the base of a 9-inch non-stick circular pan — a springform pan would be ideal &mdash with a circle of parchment paper. Butter and flour the base and sides of the pan.
2. Sift the pastry flour, rice flour and baking powder in a bowl; set aside.
3. Combine eggs, sugars, vanilla if using, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and whisk until the temperature is about 90 to 100ºF degrees. The idea is not to sterilize or even gently cook the eggs like a custard; it’s to warm and dissolve the ingredients so that they’ll maximize in volume during the next step.
4. Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, beat the egg-sugar mixture until it has tripled, or even quadrupled in volume. It’ll become pale yellow, and its texture in between a ribbon and very soft, droopy-drippy peaks. It’s this foamy mixture that will aid in leavening the cake.
5. Sift (again) the flour mix into the egg-sugar mixture. Using a balloon whisk, fold the flour in as few movements as possible. If flour gets on the side, tip the bowl to gloop it with the egg-sugar batter. If flour congregates near the bottom, make a large spinning motion with the whisk to remove and disperse it. Keep in mind, though, that some small pockets of flour is okay, since you still to need to mix in the butter.
6. Add about a cup of the batter — I shake a glop from the balloon whisk — into the melted butter. Using a piano whisk (a narrower whisk good for blending, rather than folding), mix this up well. Pour back into the main batter bowl, and fold with the balloon whisk. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfectly, smoothly incorporated.
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Pop it into the oven.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes; the cake should be done when it pulls away from the sides of the pan. Immediately remove it from pan and place on a rack to cool.
9. After cooling, apply your favorite filling, garnishing and flavoring techniques. Génoise lends itself well to being soaked, er, coated with sweetened alcoholic liquids, such as a simple syrup flavored with Grand Marnier. Buttercream, ganache, jams, whipped cream, or even simply powdered sugar work nicely, too.

On the left is the failed first attempt: too little rise, too dense. On the right is the more successful second attempt. Here are the likely culprits:

• Oven too hot; I had it at 350ºF degrees the first time.
• Not greasing and flouring both the base and sides of the pan.
• Too much flour: too heavy.
• Neglecting to mix in some of the batter into the melted butter. Pouring the butter straight needed more folding and movement.
• Over-baking! As soon as the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, remove it from the oven.
• …And, of course, over-beating the batter…

In this recipe I ended up braising the cauliflower: first lightly frying it in olive oil, then cooking it in wine. I didn’t need to add more salt because the anchovies (packed in salt and oil) were already quite salty.

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 head of cauliflower, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, cut into 3/4 to 1 inch florets
• 4 cloves of black garlic, minced or smushed
• 2 to 4 filets of anchovies, minced or smushed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons water
• (optional) pepper, to taste

Method

1. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Stir in the cauliflower until the florets are coated in the oil.
2. Cover and cook on medium high for about 9 to 11 minutes. Stir the cauliflower every 2 to 3 minutes, so that the vegetable doesn’t burn, but still allows a nice fond to develop.
3. Add the black garlic and anchovies, and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the wine and water, bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and cook until tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. There shouldn’t be much liquid left by the end; if the cauliflower cook more quickly than expected, remove the lid to boil off any excess to avoid mushiness.
5. Add some freshly ground pepper, if you want. Serve as a side, which I did with some broiled fish and rice. Alternatively, serve over pasta — in which case if there’s excess liquid, don’t boil it off, just add it to the pasta, or add pasta water and/or a bit of cream if the water boiled off already.

I got the hankering for such a pudding when I saw the recipe for American Masala’s Sticky Toffee Cake at Zoë Bakes. The adding of Indian spices to this comforting pud, not to mention the easy blending of ingredients, caught my heart (er, stomach) and mind. But I needed a recipe that gave weight measurements for flour (yes, obsessed I am, Young Skywalker), and found David Lebovitz’s Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding — in which the sticky goodness bubbles along with the baking pudding.

Ingredients

• 1 cup caramel or toffee sauce, plus MORE for garnish
• 3 1/4 ounces pitted and quartered dates
• 3 1/4 ounces pitted and quartered prunes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ounces (1/2 cube, 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 rounded teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/4 rounded teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 rounded teaspoon ginger powder
• 3/4 cup sugar; 3 tablespoons of this was vanilla sugar — otherwise, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 6 1/2 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• (optional) whipped cream for additional, extra special garnish

Method

1. Grease a 9 inch square casserole dish. Pour in 1 cup of the caramel (or toffee) sauce so that it evenly coats the bottom of the dish. Pop dish in refrigerator for at least an hour or two, so that the sauce becomes firm.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees.
3. Combine the dates, prunes and water in a sauce pan, cover, and bring to a boil.
4. Take sauce pan off the heat, stir in the baking soda, butter, salt, five-spice, cardamom and ginger powders, and if using, vanilla extract. Set aside to cool so the fruit-spice mixture isn’t too hot, about 100Fº to 120Fº degrees.
5. In the meantime, sift the sugar (and vanilla sugar, if using instead of extract), flour and baking powder into a bowl using a fine strainer.
6. When cool enough, use a hand blender to purée the fruit-spice mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Then fold in the sugar-flour mixture; a balloon whisk is great for this latter task, as it reduces the likelihood of overbeating the batter.
7. Pour the batter on top of the chilled sauce, and pop unconvered into the oven for 35 to 50 minutes. It should be done when the batter pulls away from the casserole sides, and when a knife stuck in the middle of the sponge portion comes out clean.
8. You now have pudding complete with its own sauce. But don’t hesitate to add barely sweetened whipped cream, for an additional taste sensation. Or, for that matter, more caramel sauce.

I’m still trying to find the Best Spice Proportions, so if you have a favorite recipe for this dish, I’d love to hear about it. But I think this one is a good start.

Before I had the nitr qibe, I used ghee. You could instead use canola oil, too, but the dish —at least when I used ghee; I haven’t tried oil— will lack depth. I was also unsure what particular lentil I needed: Turns out it’s masoor dal, which are the reddish-orange split lentils that’ve also been hulled (skins removed).

This can be easily doubled, tripled, etc., but make sure you have a large enough pot.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion (nearly 1 pound), chopped finely
• 2 to 3 tablespoons nitr qibe
• 5 to 7 cloves of garlic (nearly 1/2 cup), minced
• 1 inch of ginger root, grated
• 1 tablespoon berbere; increase or decrease according to your chili-heat tolerance.
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
• 1 whole black cardamom pod
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal), rinsed
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Method

1. In a large pot, melt the nitr qibe and sauté the onions over medium-high heat until soft and golden, about 20 to 30 minutes. You’ll need to stir this frequently, and it may seem tedious, but you really want the onions to caramelize for this dish.
2. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir for a minute or two. Don’t let the garlic go brown; pale golden is okay, though.
3. Add the spices (berbere, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, non-black cardamom, and black cardamom), and stir until fragrant, another minute or two.
4. Stir in the water, lentils, tomato paste and salt, and bring to a simmer. Set the heat to low, cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. During the last 30 minutes or so you should stir every 5 to 10 minutes, so that the stew doesn’t stick and burn. When done, some but not all of the lentils will have dissolved.
5. Serve with basmati rice, injera, or other flatbreads.

So many spices! Photo by Simon F.

Another aspect of this soup I enjoy is that the lentils have a slightly al dente texture that goes nicely with the kale. This is why I use the French green lentils, such as the lentilles du Puy, because these particular varieties tend to maintain their shape after a long cooking period. You could still use whole brown lentils, but you’d have to watch the pot carefully so that they don’t (mostly) dissolve.

Ingredients

• 1 cup French green lentils, e.g., du Puy
• 2 medium onions (1 pound)
• 4 medium carrots (1/2 pound)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice & cloves
• 1/4 preserved lemon, rinsed, seeds removed, and minced
• 1 1/2 cups canned or fresh tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 4 cups water
• 3/4 pound kale, thick and tough stems removed, and chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• (optional) crumbled queso fresco

Method

1. Pick through and rinse the lentils. Drain them and set aside.
2. Sauté the onions and carrots in a large pot with the olive oil over medium high heat.
3. When the onions have become translucent, about 10 minutes, stir in the cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, allspice, cloves and preserved lemon.
4. When the spices have become fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes, stir in the tomatoes, stock, water, kale and lentils.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the lentils have become tender. Depending on how old (dry) the lentils are, this could be range from 20 minutes to an hour.
6. Season with the pomegranate molasses, and serve with a crumbly cheese like queso fresco, if you wish.

Though less sweet, uncoated cookies are still yummy.

Adapted from Chowhound’s Pistachio Mexican Wedding Cakes. Makes 44 cookies, give or take.

Ingredients

• 1 cup shelled and unsalted pistachios
• 2 ounces powdered sugar
• 8 ounces whole wheat or white pastry flour; it’s nuttier if you use all whole wheat
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 sticks (1/2 cup, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
• 1 to 3 teaspoons cream or milk
• additional powdered (confectioner’s) sugar for dusting, about 1 to 1 1/2 cups; eyeballing by volume here is fine.

1. Put the pistachios and 2 ounces powdered sugar in a food processor, and pulse in 5 to 10 second increments until the nuts are finely ground, but not pasty.
2. Sift the pastry flour, salt and spices into the processor bowl, then pulse briefly to lightly mix together the dry ingredients.
3. Slice the butter into 4 to 6 chunks for easier mixing, and toss it along with the orange blossom water and 1 teaspoon cream (or milk) into the processor. Pulse in 10 to 15 second increments until all ingredients just start forming a ball. If the dough still seems dry and powdery, add another teaspoon or two of cream.
4. Scrape the dough into a bowl and refrigerate until it’s stiff, at least 2 hours; overnight would be fine.
5. Preheat to 350ºF — this is based on my using the “convection baking” setting. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
6. For each cookie, scoop out a tablespoon or so of dough and roll it into a 3/4 to 1 inch ball. Place the dough balls about 1/2 apart on the cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
8. There are two ways to coat the cookies, either way is fine. (1) Place 2 to 4 cookies in a bag with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and gently jostle them around until coated; this gives a chunkier but more thorough sugar coating. (2) Place the cookies on a cooling rack or towel, and sprinkle them with powdered sugar from a strainer; this method yields prettier looking cookies, but not as sweet as the first method.
9. Serve with tea, coffee, or by themselves. Store leftover cookies in an air-tight container.