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Herbed Fresh Pea and Quinoa Soup with Lemony Yogurt For most soups, I use a low-sodium broth so I can ultimately control the amount of salt. And because all brands are different, you may want to add a little more salt to your finished soup at the end. The lemony yogurt sauce is great to [...]
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Rhubarb Breakfast Cake If you’d like to experiment and try different flours, feel free. I do love using barley flour when baking with fruit, but if you’d prefer to substitute all-purpose or another flour (oat flour would be really nice), go right ahead: this is a rustic, forgiving recipe. You could also use any fruits that [...]
When I lived in California, I’d often meet up with my friend Susan and hike the hills of Marin. Situated just North of San Francisco, Marin has some of the most beautiful trails — in the spring, there’d be boisterous waterfalls and in the fall there were dry and humble hills. I owned a tattered [...]
Braised Fennel Wedges with Saffron and Tomato Deborah Madison suggests you leave the core intact when slicing the fennel as it’s what really holds the slices together. And you want to make sure to get some color/even a little char on the fennel before adding your cooking liquid. While I suggest folding in the fennel [...]
Early last week brought longer days than usual, a bit of a commute downtown, parking garages, to-go coffees and take-out lunches. It brought a complete lack of yoga, a few more glasses of wine in the evenings, and immense difficulty sleeping. All of this thanks to the photo shoot for my cookbook, Whole-Grain Mornings. I [...]
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Muscovado Fig Newtons I have a hunch these would be really nice with oat flour as well, so next time I’ll try them with 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of oat flour, and 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour and see where it gets us. I also have a hunch (that Sam’s confirmed) that [...]
Buttery Almond Honey Cake One thing I love about this cake is that it’s not at all too sweet, so it doesn’t feel overindulgent or far too decadent. That being said, it sure is buttery. I was tempted to retest it using a touch less butter, but Sam insists its perfect and has made me [...]
Grapefruit Chess Pie with Sweet Rye Crust I give instructions here for making the crust quickly with your fingertips. If you’re more comfortable and familiar making it in a food processor or have another favorite technique, by all means use that. The pie dough recipe yields enough for two pie crusts and you’ll only use [...]
Cocoa Almond Grain Bars Makes: 9 bars (or 12 very small squares) 1 cup sliced raw almonds 3/4 cup raw cashews 2 cups pitted dates (Medjool if you can find them), about 20 dates 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (or chips, as they’re sometimes called) 1/2 cup rolled old-fashioned oats ¼ cup dark cocao powder [...]
Buckwheat Marmalade Scones Adapted from: Good to the Grain In her lovely book, Boyce fills her scones with a fig jam, but I used marmalade instead. Be careful because the chunks of citrus in the marmalade can burn onto the bottom of the pan if you over-bake these, so just keep an eye on them, [...]
Winter Greens and Grains Gratin Use any winter greens you’d like for this recipe. I just happened to have kale (I used two kinds: lacinato and purple kale), but mustard greens or mizuna would be great and would add a little of their characteristic spiciness. Next time I make this gratin, I might scatter some [...]
This, my friends, was the view from my car window on the drive down from Seattle to the Bay Area. Remember when I promised photos from the coast road and a recipe for Christmas morning? Well that was quickly absorbed by a very different kind of trip than we’d originally expected. A snowier trip and [...]
Fruitcake Shortbread Bars This recipe calls for candied citron. I buy mine from King Arthur and find myself sprinkling them in cookies, muffins, quick breads or even my morning oats. Do note that the citrus and dried fruits must macerate in brandy for at least two hours, so plan accordingly. If you’d prefer to use [...]
Boozy Whole-Grain Eggnog Loaf Adapted from: Emma Christensen’s recipe for The Kitchn The only natural cane sugar I had in the house was a coarse turbinado sugar, so I used that here and it turned out delicious. I will say that the butter and sugar don’t whip up quite as light and fluffy as they [...]
Herbed Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits with Honey Butter A quick one-bowl affair, these biscuits bake up a beautiful dark orange color and have a slightly herbed, buttery flavor. You don’t have to mash away all of the chunks in your sweet potatoes; drop biscuits are meant to be less refined and a few bits of [...]
Slow-Roasted Green Beans and Garlic Adapted from: Bon Appetit Serves: 4 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed 1 bunch scallions, trimmed with about 1-inch of the green tops still attached, halved lengthwise 4 large garlic cloves, each cut into 4 slices 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more if beans begin sticking to the pan 2 teaspoons [...]
Spice Cookies from the new cookbook, Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
Skillet Diner’s Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Serves: 4-6 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup natural cane sugar (or white sugar if you prefer) 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 3 large eggs 2.5 ounces chocolate (70% is best, 61% at the least), coarsely chopped 1/2 teaspoon vanilla [...]
Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Cilantro Walnut Pesto Adapted from: The Healthy Kitchen Roasting the squash, apple, and onion together brings out a noticeable depth of flavor that I so look forward to every fall. Feel free to toss in a few of your favorite root vegetables here as well. A couple turnips, [...]
Seedy Wheat Crackers Alana mentions that you can use up to 5 cloves of garlic here and add chopped rosemary if you’d like. Thyme could be nice, too. And next time around, I might add a smidge of lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Makes: 20-50 crackers, depending on the size 1 cup (5 ounces) [...]
Whole-Grain Tomato Cheddar Pie This recipe originally appeared in Bon Appetit last summer, and I’ve had my eyes on it ever since. I lightened it up this by replacing the mayonnaise with plain yogurt. I also swapped 1/2 of the all-purpose white-flour with the ever-wonderful rye flour, added a touch less sugar and a smattering [...]
Black Coffee Ice Cream with Toasted Almonds and Chocolate Flecks I adapted this recipe slightly by adding toasted almonds and drizzling in a little melted chocolate and coconut oil to create a chocolate crackle I’m quite fond of. Instead of white sugar, I also used light brown muscovado sugar, a natural cane sugar that has a wonderful [...]
Za’atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts Loosely adapted from: Ottolenghi’s contribution to Food and Wine I strayed a little from the recipe as written simply because of what we had (or didn’t have) on hand at home. I used a green Anaheim pepper instead of a small red pepper — I love the [...]
Almond Meal Cookies with Coconut and Cacao Nibs Makes: 18-20 small cookies 1/2 cup sliced almonds 1 1/4 cups almond meal 1/4 cups cacao nibs 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/3 cup natural cane sugar 1 egg 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract [...]
Lemony French Yogurt Cake The original recipe called for whole Greek yogurt, but I had low-fat on hand so that’s what I used here. If you have trouble finding barley flour, substitute all-purpose instead. Next time I bake this cake, I want to drop in a handful of blueberries or a pinch of chopped herbs (rosemary [...]
Gingered Plum Galette This recipe has less sugar than many galette recipes, so while juicy and naturally sweet it does come off as just a touch tart. I love this and think the natural flavor of the plums really shine, but if you think you may like your galette a bit sweeter, try 1/4 cup [...]
Strawberry and Cream Biscuit Bars Adapted from: Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book (via Molly Wizenburg) Marion Cunningham calls for 1 – 1 1/2 cups cream in her recipe; I used 1 cup here and they turned out just fine. That being said, if your mixture feels to0 dry and crumbly, drizzle in a little more [...]
This picture was taken in a moment of minor delirium–setting out what would be only 1/4 of Tuesday’s necessary shipping and getting a moment of sunny fresh air. I believe this was day 4 of granola baking, little sleep, and major shipping logistics the likes of which I’ve never had to orchestrate. There was a [...]
The Major Makes: 2 cocktails Simple Syrup: 1 cup water 3/4 cup 3 tablespoons coriander seeds 2 ounces dry white vermouth (like Dolin) 1 ounce orange liquor 1 ounce gin 2 ounces ginger beer 1/2 ounce drained coriander simple syrup (above) few dashes bitters 1. To make the simple syrup, heat the water, sugar and [...]
Homemade Yogurt with Roasted Strawberries & Toasted Amaranth For this recipe, feel free to use low-fat or fat-free milk if you’d prefer. I think whole milk yogurt just tastes better, so I call for it here. Soy milk generally doesn’t have active cultures, so it isn’t a good candidate. If you’re smart, you may decide [...]
Lemon, Herb, and Sea Salt Foccacia Adapted from Canal House, vol. 3 Because this recipe essentially makes 4 rounds, I froze two sections of the dough to use later. If you go this route, you’ll obviously want to cut the topping quantities in half (only 1 lemon etc.) For the herbs, use whatever you like [...]
Baked Herbed Ricotta Adapted from: An Everlasting Meal For this recipe, I added more herbs than Tamar Adler calls for and decided to throw in a handful of capers at the very end. Serve with big hunks of bread and salad. Or use as a dip with your favorite crackers or chips. Serves: 6-8 30 [...]
Soft Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies Adapted from: Ripe by Nigel Slater Makes: 12 large cookies 7 ounces (200g) dark chocolate (at least 70%) 5 tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (225 g) white sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2/3 cup (100 g) skinned hazelnuts 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour [...]
Rhubarb Custard Crisp Bars By all means, use all-purpose or whole-wheat flour here if that’s what you prefer or have on hand. And for the crumble topping, feel free to use pecans (or any other nut) instead of walnuts. The crust is simple to make, but if you’re more comfortable working with a food processor [...]
Malted Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Crackle Slightly adapted from: Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones As written, the Bi-Rite gals add peanut brittle and milk chocolate chunks to this ice cream base. That has to be stellar — but there’s something to be said about the simple chocolate crackle strewn throughout; certainly add any mix-ins [...]
Sam’s Coleslaw: A Rough Recipe Serves: 6 1 head cabbage (green or purple) 2-3 green onion, chopped 1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 3 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and chopped 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/4 cup mayonnaise, plus more if you like salt + pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons (or more) poppy [...]
Buttermilk Yogurt with Mango and Ground Pistachio While The New York Times didn’t call this dish yogurt, I found that it basically is. My version uses less cream, and I’d encourage you to use whatever sliced seasonal fruit or roasted nuts you have on hand. Also, I don’t know why, but I really love this [...]
We had a little housewarming party on Saturday. We bought beer and made spiced nuts and and stocked up on whiskey. That afternoon Sam baked homemade crackers and rushed around building recessed spice shelves. I roasted eggplant, baked a failed bundt cake, and bought far too much cheese. My sister Rachael came early with paper [...]
Cardamom Snacking Cake Adapted from: River Cottage Cakes If you can, this cake is a good excuse to break out your spice grinder and grind your own cardamom. It is such a fragrant cake and the spice has center stage, so it really is worth the effort. Do be sure to use green cardamom pods [...]
Shakshuka with Fennel and Feta While it looks like there are a lot of peppers in this recipe, it’s not overly spicy at all. It doesn’t have too much heat. If you don’t have a sweet, smoky paprika at home, use regular paprika instead but know that the smoky variety adds such a nice, rich [...]
White Bean, Barley and Kale Stew Soaking the beans overnight is always a good idea if you have the time. If not, the beans will just take a few hours longer; there’s something nice about a pot simmering away on the stove all afternoon anyway. Also, for an even heartier stew, you could add bacon [...]
Sesame Tahini Cookies Adapted from: Epicurious For these cookies, I used white granulated sugar for the dough itself but to sprinkle on top, I used a coarser, raw sugar. If you have sanding sugar at home, that’d be lovely too as it will keep its shape in the oven. And next time I make these, [...]
Warm Farro Cereal with Coconut, Almonds, and Cherries The nice thing about this recipe is its versatility: you can use any fruits and nuts you like or have on hand, really. I also prefer my morning cereals without much sweetness, so feel free to add a bit more honey if you prefer. As breakfasts go, [...]
Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme with Sea Salt For this recipe, I was aiming for thick and decadent yet super creamy. I increased the amount of chocolate that most pot de crème require and added a dash of espresso powder to deepen the dark chocolate flavor. The combination of creamy dark chocolate, almond, salt and [...]
Watercress Soup This recipe is from the Canal House Cooking series, volume 3. It’s a wonderful soup for this time of year because of its lack of extravagance. It’s basic and tasty — the kind of meal I’m looking forward to returning to in the coming weeks. I added green peas that I’d frozen in [...]
In our family, Christmas cookies come about in one of two ways: we either make them or folks drop them by the house. I’m sure something similar happens with you, too. And there are the tins of cookies that you’re thrilled to receive and look forward to for weeks and others that you stow away [...]
Sticky Cranberry Gingerbread Adapted from: Cook This Now Ingredients: 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (1/2 pound) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 2/3 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup molasses 1/4 cup golden syrup (or honey, as I used) 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon [...]
Brown-Butter Cranberry Tart with Hazelnut Crust There are perfect marriages in food as in life, and I’ve always found cranberries and hazelnuts to be such a marriage. For this tart, I used a hazelnut crust I’ve been experimenting with in the bakery and a simple old-fashioned filling that’s reminiscent of an early-American pie recipe I [...]
