The Posh Dobos; Daring Bakers Dobos Torta

I will confess, sometimes I'll eat anything chocolate and ask questions later. That was my first experience with an authentic Dobos Torta. I didn't learn the name of the multi-layered silky chocolate pastry that I had consumed in less than a minute, until long after my trip to Vienna. Who knew that I would actually be challenged to recreate that exquisite dessert with Daring Bakers.
My spin on this month's challenge was to add a rich bergamot Earl Grey Tea to the flavor profile, and to create mine as several small personal tortes.
Traditionally, a Dobos Torta has 5-8 layers of light spongy genoise cake rounds, beautifully hugging each other with buttery chocolate cream, then wrapped in more buttery chocolate cream and topped with golden caramel wedges. In more modern versions, it's also accessorized with crunchy jewels of hazelnuts.

This brilliant and delicious, addictive concoction was originally created by the confectioner, Jozsef C. Dobos in Hungary in 1885. Vienna, along with the rest of Europe, quickly adopted the pastry as it also matched their love of using crushed nuts, flaky layers, and creamy chocolates. In 1906, JC Dobos retired and revealed his recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry with the stipulation that every member could use it freely.

When I first read this challenge, being only my second one with Daring Bakers - I had to close my lap-top and take a breath. Wouldn't this take 3 days to make? Wouldn't this cost a thousand dollars? Wouldn't this take, well...magic? Actually, it looks a lot more complex than it is, doesn't cost as much to make as it does to buy in a nice pastry shop, and the magic happens with just a little patience. It was fun. It was challenging. It was completely gone in the same day it was made. One of the reasons Dobos created the buttercream and the caramel top was so this cake would stay moist and have a longer shelf life - no need at my house.

A big thank you to the Daring Baker's hosts this time;

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Here is the recipe with my adaptations:

Sponge cake layers

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
• 1 tsp. ground Earl Grey Tea leaves
• pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. Cover two (2) 13" x 18" sheet pans in parchment paper. 3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.) 4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the 1 tsp. of ground Earl Grey Tea leaves and the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.
5. Pour the mixture evenly into the 2 prepared sheet pans and using a spatula, spread the batter out as evenly as possible.
6. Bake in the oven, middle rack, one at a time for about 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned.
7. Cool for a few minutes, then turn the layer out onto another piece of parchment and cover with a damp paper towel until you are ready to cut out the squares.
8. Cut out squares using a 3x3 inch mold, or measure and cut carefully with a serrated knife.

Chocolate Buttercream

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
• 4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
• 1/2 tsp. ground Earl Grey Tea leaves

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. 2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this. 3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and the ground Earl Grey tea and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes. 4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency. 5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate/Earl Grey infused buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Caramel topping

• 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose several 3 inch cake squares to use for the caramel top. Using a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut rounds from the squares. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the cake rounds on the paper.
2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.
3. Using a spoon, pour caramel evenly over the round cake layers. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the round cookie cutter (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut around the circles to trim them neatly. Cool completely. To Assemble:

Divide the square cake layers into groups of 5 or 6, and 1 cake round. Spread one cake square with the buttercream, and place another cake square layer on top. Continue with the layering until there is a stack of 5 or 6. When all the stacks are complete, use the buttercream to cover the outsides completely. Optionally: add chopped hazelnuts to the sides. (At this point, I chilled my cakes to set the buttercream.) Add the caramel circles to the top of each personal torta on a slant and lifted by a whole hazelnut beneath each circle.

It's amazing how many versions of this Dobos Torta were made by our members of Daring Bakers. I'd love to hear about yours...or send me a piece. MMmmmm.

FRIED GREEN FIGS (or the Tweet that turned into Figs)

I was browsing over Twitter and saw this tweet:

The fig tree in our yard is dropping so much fruit its like carnage out there! 9:24 AM

By noon and a couple tweets back and forth, I had claimed my chance to visit the beautiful 20 ft. tree of Dana from BrokeAssBride.com and gather a basketful of Kadota Figs. In my excitement, I took a few that were not quite ready for jam making, so I cooked up a batch of FRIED GREEN FIGS.

FRIED GREEN FIGS

w/ Wild Arugula, Feta and Honey Vinaigrette

I've been a long-time lover of figs; my grandma's yard had an easy 5 ft. "grab-a-snack" tree right at her front door. And by the age of 8 (due to my Southern Baptist upbringing) I had already sewn play-clothes from the fig leaves (ala the guilt-ridden Adam and Eve from the Bible.) Don't try it; fig leaves dry so quickly and your green twirly dress turns to dust.Dana's tree was heavy with figs, syrup, sunshine and...GIANT June Bugs that were not happy to share, and loved dive-buzzing at my head. And even though this picture is not great, I had to include my iPhone capture of a Monarch butterfly in flight.

Most of the figs I picked were used
to make Fig & Fennel Jam...








... and Fig/Fennel Fruit Paste to serve
on a cheese platter.

But, keeping with my southern touch, I used the green figs like I do green tomatoes and it worked out fabulously.






First I soaked the green slices in heavy cream instead of the egg and milk combo. Then, I very lightly dredged the slices in a mixture of seasoned flour.

After shaking them off, I placed them in a pan with a few tablespoons of oil, heated on med/high, and fried them for just a couple minutes on each side.

I served the petite Fried Green Figs with a Wild Arugula and Feta Cheese salad, drizzled with Honey Vinaigrette.Figs are great for all ages because of their high concentration of vitamins - and the seeds help in digestion. They're one of the first fruits to be dried and stored and have been cultivated since around 5,000 BC. They are the most mentioned fruit in the Bible, loved by Cleopatra, talked about by Mohammad and mentioned in Homer's Iliad.

As promised, I will be giving Dana @brokeassbride a jar of Fig & Fennel Jam in exchange for her generous tweet that turned into a "Fico Fantastico".


Here's a little diddy about June Bugs for your enjoyment:

Daring to Cook: Spanish Rice with Squid

I took the dare! Now, here's the truth. I had SO much fun! This was my first time cooking with the DARING KITCHEN folks-- a group of bloggers, started by Lisa and Ivonne in 2006 and still going, growing and cooking! Once a month a host chooses a recipe for the challenge and this month's host is Olga from Las Cosas de Olga and Olga's Recipes. The recipe is from Jose Andres and his original recipe uses Cuttlefish, but no luck finding that - so mine is SQUID with RICE.

One of the many reasons I had a great time with this challenge is because Jose Andres is one of the most important Spanish Chefs of today and is one of my favorites, along with the chef he trained under at El Bulli - Ferran Adria. I met Ferran at a book signing once in LA, and spoke my broken Spanish to him, and he politely nodded- (probably thinking - I hope she cooks better than she speaks.) This recipe is from the television show of Jose Andres, MADE IN SPAIN and in a video he graciously helps by showing the preparations. Jose has several restaurants, and I've been lucky enough to eat in the Los Angeles one called, Bazaar; unbelievably and oddly fabulous!

I created my meal of Rice, Squid, Mushrooms and Artichokes for a large gathering at my house, so served it family style.
There was not one piece of rice left on that platter. I highly recommend trying this recipe - don't be shy with the steps - they build the complex flavors and are so worth it. The sofregit (stewed tomatoes, onions, artichokes and mushrooms, etc..) as made in the recipe is more than enough which is wonderful so you can freeze for later and/or use as a base for other soups, egg dishes, meat sauces, bruschetta and your imagination.

Another aspect to this recipe is the Allioli (not Aioli which is a delicious garlicy mayonaise made with egg). The Catalan mixture (classically done in a pestal & mortar) is composed of simply fresh garlic, salt, a touch of lemon juice and slow drizzles of good olive oil. (I used an organic award winning Olive Oil from the beautiful family run Agriturismo Fiorano in Le Marche, Italy) This was a labor of love and again, well worth it. Not only does this creamy fragrant dollop make the Rice and Squid talk to you, it also can be used in other dishes (ie. the Ribbon Squash and Olives that I sauteed and added the Allioli as an earthy flavor booster.)


Would I make this again? Oh, AND again. When you have people, with their mouths still full, asking you to please cook more of this - you know you have a double dare!



Check out the other DARING COOKS for their versions on this recipe.

Rice and Cuttlefish:

* 4 Artichokes (you can use jarred or freezed if fresh are not available)
* 12 Mushrooms (button or Portobello)
* 1 or 2 Bay leaves (optional but highly recommended)
* 1 glass of white wine
* 2 Cuttlefish (you can use freezed cuttlefish or squid if you don’t find it fresh)
* “Sofregit” (see recipe below)
* 300 gr (2 cups) Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well) – about 75 gr per person ( ½ cup per person) Please read this for more info on suitable rices.
* Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
* Saffron threads (if you can’t find it or afford to buy it, you can substitute it for turmeric or yellow coloring powder)
* Allioli (olive oil and garlic sauce, similar to mayonnaise sauce) - optional
Directions:

1. Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3. If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights.
4. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.
5. Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.
6. Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
7. Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
8. Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.
9. Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
10. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
11. Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
12. Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
13. Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes.
Sofregit (a well cooked and fragrant sauce made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and onions, and may at times
different vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms)-

Cooking time: aprox. 1 hour
Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
* 2 small onions, chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
* 4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
* 1 Bay leaf
* Salt
* Touch of ground cumin
* Touch of dried oregano

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.
2. Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)

Allioli is the optional part of the recipe. You must choose one of the two recipes given, even though I highly recommend you to try traditional one. Allioli is served together with the rice and it gives a very nice taste

Allioli (Traditional recipe)
Cooking time: 20 min aprox.
Ingredients:

* 4 garlic cloves, peeled
* Pinch of salt
* Fresh lemon juice (some drops)
* Extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential)

Directions:

1. Place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt.
2. Using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.)
3. Add the lemon juice to the garlic.
4. Drop by drop; pour the olive oil into the mortar slowly as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle.
5. Keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous circular motion in the mortar. The drip needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go.
6. Keep adding the oil, drop by drop, until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your allioli gets too dense, add water to thin it out. This takes time—around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar—to create a dense, rich sauce.

José's tips for traditional recipe: It's hard to think that, when you start crushing the garlic, it will ever turn into something as dense and smooth as allioli. But don't give up. It's worth the extra time and effort to see the oil and garlic come together before your eyes. Just make sure you're adding the olive oil slowly, drop by drop. Keep moving the pestle around the mortar in a circular motion and keep dreaming of the thick, creamy sauce at the end of it all.

Nutella/Banana/Chipotle Paleta - Say That 3 Times Fast

I love Nutella, and I love a Challenge. Did I mention I love Nutella? Thanks to the inspired Paula at Bell'Alimento, I've been experimenting with that "hazelnutty", sweet, chocolate, semi-healthy addictive spread called Nutella. The coolest thing (literally) I've made so far is a PALETA.
The classic Mexican Popsicle, Paleta, differs from the traditional American Popsicle by using real fruit and less sugar. These frozen fruit bars can be made with a water base or a milk base, and they can be sweet or savory.The ringing bell of the Paletero's push cart and running out to pick out a favorite flavor from the rainbow of cellophane wrappers is a childhood memory for many people. And the popularity of these fruity filled Mexican Popsicles has launched several gourmet Paleterias around the country. Children love the flavors that include Strawberry, Mango, Coconut and Lime. Adults enjoy those and also the complex combos of Cucumber and Jalapeno, Pineapple and Avocado or Lime with pepper flakes.

I have to admit, it wasn't a chore to taste test these Nutella/Banana/Chipotle Paletas. Besides being a great refresher from the summer heat, the Nutella addition made these pops a creamy dream to sink your teeth into. Then, the cold melts away to a jewel of fresh banana. After the sweet, a kick of heat from the chipotle hits the back of your throat and you're ready for your next bite. These are simple, inexpensive, fast, cold and a great way to use the bananas you already put away in the freezer. Make a lot of them because you will be hearing, "more Paleta, Paleez."

NUTELLA/BANANA/CHIPOTLE PALETA

1 Cup Whole Milk
2 Frozen Bananas
1/2 cup Nutella
1 Chipotle Chile (From can of Chipotle Chiles in Adobe sauce)
Crushed Toasted Hazelnuts (optional)

In a blender, add the bananas, milk, nutella and chipotle chili together and blend for about 20 seconds. Banana pieces should be small chunks or less.

Pour mixture into Popsicle molds and place in freezer until firm. (You can also use paper cups for the molds. Pour mixture into small cups and freeze for about 1 hour, then place popsicle sticks into the middle standing up. Return to the freezer til firm)

**Optional: Before pouring mixture in, put a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts in the tip of the molds.

To see MANY other Nutella ideas from friends who are participating in this Nutella Challenge, or to join in the fun, CLICK HERE.

TEMPTING TEMPEH

Today is the second in a series of Virtual-Friday-Lunches, started by the adorable and brilliant Cheryl at ATigerInTheKitchen. The #LetsLunch item this go round is BURGERS, so here's my spin on it ---

TEMPEH SLIDERS !

I know...I know...what the hell is TEMPEH, right? For a long time I only thought of it as the weird bumpy package that sat beside the Tofu in the market. But, maybe you're like me; have a vivacious curiosity and a giant desire to eat healthier. And, maybe like me you just need a little more info and a few minutes to experiment. If so, then you're gonna love this little TEMPEH BURGER.

Just to be factual, and use my new found knowledge: Tempeh is a cultured cake of beans and/or grains originally from Indonesia (one of the only soyfoods not from China). It's fermented, and when cooked properly has a nutty, meat-like, earthy...I'm making myself hungry, again...hardy bite. Tempeh contains more protein than chicken or beef, and loaded with Riboflavin and Manganese (which helps our bodies utilize nutrients, keeps bones strong and provides good function to our thyroid and nerves.) You won't read that on a Happy Meal box.

It took the US until the late 1970's to really get on board with Tempeh - but that was also the time we had the most growth in our national awareness for health, world hunger, fitness and childhood nutrition.

Class dismissed, time for Kitchen Playground.

The Tempeh I bought (although many actually make their own) came in a 6x8 slab. I used a small cookie cutter to first cut thick circles out, and then cut those in half to make thinner rounds. Tempeh is a great flavor canvas, meaning that it takes on and needs your ideas for flavor. It's like tofu in that way. I MARINATED the Tempeh circle/burgers for 30 - 45 minutes in a mixture of:

MARINADE:

1/2 cup Soy Sauce
Juice of 1 orange
2 Tbls. lemon juice
2 tsps. garlic powder
2 tsps. Garam Masala (Spice mixture: if you don't have it use a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and cumin)
1/4 cup Agave sweetener
2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cover and turn over a few times while marinating to make sure all pieces are flavored.

When ready to saute, pat the tempeh burgers dry on a paper towel. Then, heat a saute pan with 1 tbls. olive oil and saute for a crispy outside (about 2 minutes on each side.)

Remove burgers and place on mini-rolls with condiments of your choosing.

For my Tempeh Sliders: I used Vegan Mayonaise, roasted Yellow Beet, Roma tomato, Baby Romaine lettuces and placed them on a Green Tea/Black Sesame hand-made roll. I developed those rolls for "Fete du The" by ALGABAR.

These would make great appetizers, small plates or just cut them bigger and serve for a full burger meal.

ALSO, the scraps, from the tempeh not cut out, can be marinaded along with the burgers and also sauteed. I held them in the fridge and sprinkled them over a salad the next day. OMG, very deep, nutty and delicious topping for greens with red onions and roasted curry cauliflower. Try it, impress your friends...impress your body. Attempt Tempeh!

Chillin' It With Herbs

I'm HOT. I wish that was my self confidence showing up, but it's more about this summer's temperatures. Herbs are my air-conditioner for the soul. FRUIT and HERB SALSA

The farmer's market is teeming with the colors and fragrance of chocolate mint, lavender, sweet basil, wild oregano, and field chives. Sometimes I'll put a shallow wide-mouthed vase of those natural room atomizers in the window just to give the hot air a lift. And when I say "hot air" it's not coincidence that the window is near my husband's chair (I'm kidding, he's a doll.) At this time of year, I can't help but think of food combos that are simple, fresh, and give my inside the feeling that a run-in-the-sprinklers can do for the outside of me. HERBS can give that quality to almost any course, but especially to melons. There are so many varieties of melons out there. I hope you'll try this Fruit and Herb Salsa with several different kinds of melons; each one gives it a slightly different flavor profile. Also, you can vary the herbs for fun and convenience. I served this Fruit and Herb Salsa as a side to a light sandwich lunch, and also as a balancing act to a hot rice entree for a dinner. Herbs have been used since time began and documented since 3000BC. Their origins are listed from China, India, Greece, Rome, Egypt and Africa. Over the centuries, they have been used for luck, to ward off diseases, heal sores, keep away ghosts, clear up thunderstorms, stay awake during day-long church sermons, improve fidelity, and for bathing in before going into battle. For myself, I appreciate them as a food that also works as preventative medicine: an all natural way of cleansing and keeping our bodies in tune with nature. Before it starts to sound like I've been smoking them instead of eating them, here are a few fun facts about herbs, and a few ways to use them with other foods. Also, a good book on herbs that I've enjoyed is by Maida Silverman, A City Herbal.

***
Coriander is the seed of the plant, whose leaves are called Cilantro
Oregano is Wild Marjoram
Bay leaves were what the Regular Folks in Ancient Rome bathed in. Roses are what the Rich Folks in Ancient Rome bathed in - thus the term "came out smelling like roses".


Arugula is a nutty herb that gives salads a woodsy taste and is also a great addition for pesto.
Mint can be blended into smoothies, chopped and sprinkled over rice, or crushed and added to drinks.
Rosemary sprigs can be added to a pan of potatoes for roasting, or stuffed inside cuts on a lamb roast before roasting or added to a vinegar or oil for flavor infusions.
Dill is excellent in egg dishes, including a great way to add some zip to your egg salad.

Mints, Thyme, Tarragon, Lavender, Rosemary, Basil, Lemongrass, and Parsley are nice herbs to use in water infusions with citrus fruits, cucumbers, or melons. HERBAL and LEMON WATER

Herbal Water is a quick and really inexpensive way to give yourself a Spa-quality refreshment right out of your own refrigerator. Use a glass bottle for the best chill. Wash your own selection of herbs and add a few citrus slices. Add water and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but will keep for days. Makes a beautiful decanter on your table or picnic, and the kids will love pulling this out for a chilled drink. Refill as it goes and you'll always have this on hand for your guests, but especially for yourself.
After-all, YOU are hot.
HERB and FRUIT SALSA

1 cup of cubed Melon
1/2 cup halved seedless grapes
1 Tbls. of each herb: (ie... parsley, dill, tarragon, chives, cilantro, basil, mint.) to taste
1 tsp. honey (optional)

Mix together in a bowl, chill well.
For serving, scoop mixture into a ramekin, press lightly with a spoon and turn over onto serving plate. Lift ramekin off carefully.
Garnish with sprigs of herbs used in salsa.

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato Jam

This post is about my first virtual lunch with virtual friends whose names start with @, and although I don't know them-know them...I know them. I joined in on the wonderful idea to "create a BLT with your own spin on it, photograph it, and blog about it". Mine is a BLTea ~I'm kinda new to the social media scene, twitter schmitter, life in 140 characters or less, but I'm hooked! I'm trying hard to catch up with some of the big guns in the foodie/chef/cooking online world. I have to say, most of the time I've found them to be amazingly intelligent, creative, passionate, and generous with info and time. I'm having a blast and so thrilled to be playing. This #BLTlunch idea was one of those twitters that I read between @cowgirlchef and @cheryltan88 and @pinchmysalt. They explained briefly (because that's all you can do on twitter) about doing something that sounded like a virtual picnic, a Friday web-lunch, a Recipe Roundup where BLT sandwiches were the star of the moment. I loved the idea and also knew that it would get me off my canister with the blogging thing.

I cook - every day. I think about food - every moment. I take "sorta" good photos - every meal. My family is already so used to eating food that has to be warmed up after it has starred in its own 15 minutes of fame. I wrote to each one of those well established and extremely talented bloggers and said, "count me in". They responded as if we had been friends forever, excited that I was aboard and anxious to see what BLTea was about.

Well, my BLTea is about making a Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwich that would be good in all seasons - made with seasonal and farmer's market heritage tomatoes. To do that, I turned the tomatoes into a savory, just a bit spicy, jam infused with smokey tea.For about a year now, I've been developing recipes for the very highly respected ALGABAR, a Home and Tea Salon in Los Angeles. I'm Executive Chef for their catering division, Fete Du The, and I've grown to appreciate the healthy, spiritual, sensual qualities of truly great tea-- like the ones they have in the shop on La Brea in Los Angeles. Gail and Robb are more than retailers, they are passionate artists and connoisseurs of taste and style. It's rare to be able to say such great things about people that you work with, and I think of them as friends. But before I throw-up the sandwich I just ate (and loved) with all this mushy talk - let me finish with the bullet points of my BLTea sandwich and I hope you will try making the jam. There is such a self-loving feeling that happens when you spread your own, home-made jam on a piece of bread. You feel - no matter what else - I can survive. I can make jam! Jam on.

SMOKEY TEA TOMATO JAM for a BLTea-

300 grams (about 8) Farmer's Market Heritage Tomatoes (red, zebra, yellow, etc. peeled, cored, seeded, chopped)
200 grams (about 3) Apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
300 grams (about 1 1/4 cups) sugar
1 tsp. minced serrano chili pepper
1 lemon (zest and juice)
2 Tbls. Smokey Tea

In a deep sauce pan combine the tomatoes, apples, sugar, minced serrano, lemon zest and juice. Heat just to boiling then remove the pan and let cool.
Meanwhile, wrap 2 Tbls. of smokey tea leaves in a cheesecloth and tie tightly with kitchen string. Place the wrapped tea into the pan with tomatoes and push into the liquid. Cover the pan and place in refrigerator over night to infuse.The next day, heat the pan of tomatoes and tea to just before boiling. Remove the wrapped tea and continue boiling the tomato mixture til it reaches 224F. and is concentrated. This should take about 20 minutes. Check the set and carefully pour into prepared jars immediately and seal properly. If not preserving, this can be sealed and kept in refrigerator for 1 week.

My BLTea is prepared by spreading the Smokey Tea Jam on one side of dark, multi-grain Russian Rye bread. Add crisp Bacon on top, then wild Rocket Arugula and the second slice of bread. This is a great sandwich for traveling.

Let me hear about your jamming, too. Enjoy!

Carrot Top Pesto? You Must Be Joking.

After carefully turning over several bunches of carrots at the Farmer's Market, you finally choose the brightest orange/purple/white/green ones that "speak" to you. Then, just as you're reaching for your money, the busy bagger says, "you don't want the top greens, right?". And you answer....."YES, I DO want the top greens. " Or at least in the future maybe you'll answer that way.

I grew up next to my grandparent's survival farm in North Carolina (a long way from California where I live now.) My grandparents used every last morsel of everything they raised, planted, or caught. That included frying the weirdest parts of unlucky possums (even I can't go that far.) They would not have thrown away any greens from anything. The greens would have been used as seed, feed or filler. With that spirit in mind, I have been on a quest to find ways to use carrot top greens and one of the more successful uses is Carrot Top Pesto.

We all know how nutritious carrots are (and if you have never had a fresh carrot pulled out of the ground by your local farmer, then you really haven't tasted carrots. Give it a try, even kids will like those sweet, warm, flavorful root-popsicles.)
But what about the carrot greens? According to the Carrot Museum (who knew?), these feathery greenies contain a crock full of Vitamin K which the actual carrots don't even have. Not to mention Potassium AND...Chlorophyll which combats tumours, cleanses our blood and glands and even heals injuries. Years ago, folks would chew on the carrot greens as a breath freshener which is nice since they didn't take a bath except for once a month-- so at least something was clean.
Besides this pesto, you could throw carrot greens into your next smoothie for a boost, chop some and sprinkle over a salad for a spicy/bitter edge, or even boil the greens and strain to make a tea (that one took some honey for me.) Make the most of everything you got, right?
Carrot Top Pesto is all about that.

CARROT TOP and toasted walnut PESTO

1 bunch carrot greens (organic, washed, and loosely chopped)
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan, heat 2 tbls of the olive oil over med. heat. Add the onions and loosely chopped carrot greens. Heat the greens and onions just til wilted (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool for a few moments.
In a blender, add the garlic, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, walnuts, parsley, cheese, carrot greens mixture and half of the left over olive oil. Puree in pulses. Add the rest of the olive oil as needed to make a loose paste. Taste and adjust seasonings and oil.
Serve over prepared pasta, as a garnish for soups, or as a sandwich spread.
Keep in container in refrigerator for several days, or freeze for several weeks.

Send me pics of how you used the Carrot Top Pesto. Enjoy!

Check Out the Chickpea Chow

A great recipe is one that gives you many. This Chickpea Pan Pie was inspired by one of my favorite Culinary heroes, Mark Bittman. In one of his "go to" articles in the NY Times, he created a simple and healthy take on a Spanish Tapas from Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Flour, Water, a few shrimp and a handful of herbs. Since then, I've been using his ratio recipe over and over: equal parts chickpea flour and all purpose flour, add water till the mixture is like a pancake batter, then.... and that's where I have been going nuts! I've made this earthy, yet light and healthy, breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack Pan Pie with almost anything in my refrigerator. Once I had the batter made, I threw in onions, or fennel, chopped parsley, cilantro, dill or tarragon (just a little), or even sundried tomatoes. One night I had left over spinach so I threw that in with a few cubes of ham - my husband loved that one.

Chickpea this out; one cup of Garbanzos have 12 grams of fiber, 15 grams of protein and 80mg. of calcium. Those little nutty balls of heart-happy goodness work to lower your cholesterol, maintain steady blood sugar levels, and when added to brown rice or another whole grain can give you all the protein and complex carbohydrates of red meat, but without any of the bad-boy fats. Plus, if you make this with all Garbanzo Bean flour you even have a gluten-free dish.

These buttery marbles came from the Middle East, as did so many of our flavorful and healthy products. They're great in curries and hummus and baba ganoush - but my Southern California beach loving teenager will eat them like popcorn when I toast a sheet of them sprinkled with flavored salt or a spicy mix (use canned garbanzo's - drained and washed, then dried and spread on parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with favorite rub or spice mix, toast.)

The lovely luncheon entree above (that I barely got a picture of before I scarfed it down myself) was plumped full of wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, cilantro, parsley and garnished with whipped goat cheese and a wedge of a farmer's market golden yellow tomato. It took me all of 15 minutes to put this together and another 15 to heat and serve. Hope you have as much fun experimenting with this basic recipe as I have, lately. I'd love to hear about your Chickpea Chow.

CHICKPEA/GARBANZO BEAN PAN PIE w/wild mushrooms and onions.

1/2 small onion chopped
1/2 cup dried mushrooms
2 tbls. olive oil
1/4 cup of cilantro and parsley, chopped
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt, pepper
water

In a saute pan over Med. heat, warm the oil, then add the onions and slowly cook while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
In a cup of warm water, soak the dried mushrooms to reconstitute them (you can also use fresh).
In a bowl, mix both flours together with the salt and pepper. Add a bit of water and stir into a paste so the flours will not lump. Then, continue to add enough water until the batter is like pancake batter, just slightly thick.
Set aside so the flours can soak up the moisture while you drain the mushrooms, discard the mushroom water, and chop the mushrooms.
Add the mushrooms to the flour batter and stir to combine.
Pour the batter into the pan with the onions and stir until all ingredients have blended.
Leave the pan heating on Med/High until the center of the Pan Pie is not runny (about 3-5 minutes).
Carefully flip the pie over and continue cooking on the other side for about 3 minutes.
Slide the finished torte onto a warm plate and slice with a pizza roller.
Garnish with whipped goat cheese, and wedges of tomatoes.

Cheers & Cherries

It feels completely appropriate that my first virginal attempt at blogging would be about CHERRIES.
If you made me pick (word-play intended) my favorite fruit it would be the mahogany red, lush, velvet skinned, hard-bodied BING. Ba da bing! Forgetting, yet mentioning, the over-used trick of tying the cherry stem in your mouth as a sign of...what? Amazing tongue strength? I'm not sure. I find the juicy, full fleshed fruit of the cherry much more sensual and full of the possibilities of leaving one tongue-tied than the stem holds.

At a recent trip to the Hermosa Beach Farmer's Market I practically ran over to the table with the Bing Cherries. The season for these beauties is short and I felt like I had been waiting so long and patiently for their arrival. It's hard to believe that the United States, and especially California, is responsible for 90% of the commercial cherry crops grown. In our capital, Washington D.C., Japan is responsible for the hundreds of blossoming trees that surround the government buildings. The Sakura trees were a gift of friendship from the people of Japan in 1912. There are so many varieties of cherries that have been developed since the first cultivation around 300BC, and the BING was actually the baby of Seth Luelling of Oregon in 1875. Thanks, Seth, you rock!

You would be hard pressed to find a healthier way to "get your taste on" than with cherries, since they are low fat, sodium free, high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, folic acid and Antioxidants. Whhatt? I'm not kidding, popping cherries (word-play NOT intended) is not only delish', but good for you.

Now, what to do with the red orbs besides eating them raw and spitting out the pits? There are pies, tarts, cobblers, jams and granola (all of which are amazing), but I chose to turn them into these little lovelies that resemble the Pate De Fruit of France and the Fruit Paste of Italy.
The recipe takes a little watching for perfection, but so worth the time and love. The sugar content helps to preserve the fruit, so these lasts and lasts; although if your friends or family have anything to do with it - they'll be gone in a red cherry flash. Let me know if you try this, find it interesting, or have any questions. Cheers!

CHERRY PATE DE FRUIT
(line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment, silpat, or lightly oiled)

300 g. (2 cups) Bing cherries, washed and pitted.
300 g. sugar (1 1/2 cups) + 1 Tbls.
1 Tbl. apple pectin
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbl. corn syrup

Mix the apple pectin with the 1 Tbls. of sugar and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, heat the cherries and the sugar on Med. for about 10 minutes, to break the cherries down a little.
Take cherry/sugar mixture off the heat and cool for a few minutes before carefully pouring mixture into a blender or food processor. Pulse cherries until a puree is reached.
Pour puree back into the same saucepan and heat on high to just before boiling. Add the apple pectin/sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and add the Corn Syrup and the lemon juice, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 222F, and is thick.

Immediately, pour mixture into the prepared 8x8 pan. Let cool for 2-3 hours until firm.

Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into 1 inch squares (or use other shapes).
Drop a few at a time into a bowl of sugar and toss to coat. Shake off excess sugar and keep in a tightly sealed container in a dry, cool place. Do not put in refrigerator as the moisture will make the candy sticky. Enjoy!