granola bars

Mothers are a special breed. Our relationship to them is so tied up with our very existence that we probably just assume we know each other equally well. Truthfully, they do know nearly everything about us, as they have followed us (sometimes more closely than others) throughout our entire lives. Conversely, we probably know about 42% of what we possibly could about them. We sometimes forget to ask for stories about their life preceding the time we invaded it, about their time growing up, about their newly wed years, about their dreams when they were young. We really could stand some exposure to the experiences and relationships that affected their role as Mom now. These conversations could be pretty enlightening. Especially if they are our mother-IN-LAWs and not even our own birth mother.

Ben’s parents visited us in Houston this past weekend. Since the boys went to play golf on Saturday, I got some quality alone time with Mrs. Patti. We went to the Farmers Market (great one at 3000 Richmond!), did some baking, hit up an antique store (The Guild on Dunlavy, also great!), lunched at Tiny Boxwoods and explored their nursery, stopped in Anthropologie, and finally cruised through the Central Market. This time was laced with intermittent conversation about family, how Mrs. Patti grew up, what her parents and grandparents were like, and more (the lot of which I had not previously known). I once again found myself grateful for having married such a good mother-in-law (as you really do get the whole family package with that husband you choose).

Below is the recipe for the granola bars we made together. I hope you get some interesting conversation going while you bake them too!

Granola Bars

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats


1/3 cup almond flour

½ teaspoon salt


¼ teaspoon cinnamon


2 to 3 cups nuts and dried fruit (I did chocolate chips, walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts)


1/3 cup smooth peanut butter 


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


1 tablespoon water


1/2 cup honey or corn syrup (or mix of the two)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, oat flour, salt, cinnamon, and dried fruit/nut mix. Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, water, and honey. Stir with a spatula until the entire mixture is well combined.

Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment in one direction. The parchment should extend over the sides of the pan to help you lift the bars out of the pan once they have cooled.

Pour the granola bar mix into the pan using the spatula to get all the crumbs. Now use your muscle to press the mixture firmly into the pan to ensure that it will really bind together while cooking.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges have browned. Allow the bars to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes then slowly remove the bars using the parchment paper overhang as handles. Let them cool on a rack for about 30 more minutes and then place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so. When you are ready to cut, remove bars from fridge and set on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife and go slow to avoid crumbling! Keep bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Adapted from http://www.thecitysisters.com/cooking/granola-bars.

cured salmon

1 pound fresh salmon sockeye, deboned, skin on

1/3 kosher salt

1/4 light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh dill, minced

zest of 1 large lemon, then wedges for serving

1/4 cup vodka

If your piece of salmon has bones, use kitchen tweezers to remove them. In a bowl mix together, salt, sugars, dill and lemon zest. Put the salmon in a big Ziploc bag, and coat it well with the salt/sugar mixture (really press it on to the fish, forming a crust around it). Gently pour the vodka all over the top. Squeeze as much air as you possibly can out of the bag and seal it shut. Lay bag in the fridge for 24 hours. After that time is up, redistribute the salt mixture and try again to coat it all over the salmon. Again squeeze any air out of the bag and let the salmon sit in the fridge for 24 more hours. Finally, two days into this project you are ready to eat! Remove salmon from bag and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Slice salmon very, very thinly and serve with bagel chips, cream cheese, capers, red onions, and lemon wedges. I just arranged all these components on a big wooden cutting board in front of Ben…tapas style dinner!

Adapted from Chez Us blog

Homemade Ice Cream

I just love tasters. HEB and Central Market offer the most consistently satisfying ones, but you do get a little surprise every now and then at Whole Foods. You can practically make a meal out of all the little bites you are directly offered and you can get even more full off the unmanned taster stations (kidding…kind of). Anyway, last time I hit up the Central Market, a woman served me a taster of Jeni’s Ice Cream. What a luscious treat! The creamy base absolutely coats your mouth and depending on the flavor (I tasted 3: Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet, and Dark Chocolate), you get a second appreciation as the ice cream hugs every taste bud on your tongue. Considering it would cost a cool $9 to take home even a measly pint of this fancy-pants dessert, I just had to make some. I found the recipe for Jeni’s base in a Saveur magazine and chose the Tin Roof flavor for its promise of salty and sweet. Warning: this ice cream is rich, so share it…with at least one other person.

Jeni’s Tin Roof Ice Cream

For the ice cream:

2 cups milk

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup milk and the cornstarch together to make a slurry. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the remainder of milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup. Boil for 4 minutes. Stir in the slurry, return to boil for about two minutes (until thickened, stir the whole time). Place cream cheese in a large bowl and pour ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture over it. Whisk to combine, then pour remainder of hot milk mixture in, again whisking to combine until smooth. Pour ice cream mixture into a plastic bag and submerge bag in a bowl of ice water until chilled. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Fold in the chocolate covered peanuts while ice cream is still semi-soft.

For the chocolate covered peanuts:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup salted peanuts

Melt the chocolate (in a double broiler or just your microwave) then toss with peanuts until they are well coated. Pour mixture onto parchment paper and spread it out into one even layer. Refrigerate until the chocolate sets (and then just keep it chilled until ready to use).

For the chocolate ripple:

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

½ cup water

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk all ingredients (except the vanilla) together in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously, until edges start to bubble. Continue to whisk until sauce comes to low boil then cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Allow sauce to cool, then refrigerate until well chilled (also leave this in the fridge until ready to use).

To assemble:

In a freezer container (I used a 9x9 glass Tupperware), add a layer of fudge ripple then a layer of ice cream. Repeat, alternating between fudge ripple and ice cream layers with the remainder of each. Freeze until firm. When you use an ice cream scoop (AFTER it is firm…takes about 4 hours…hard to wait, I personally agree), dig down deep so you get all the layers. Savor the luxurious mouth-feel!

Austin

One Wednesday morning, Ben and I decided to play hooky. We have both had jobs over the summer so have been expected to show up somewhere every week day and put forth some sort of punctual and intellectual effort (like real adults, I know).

But not that Wednesday.

Ben woke up with some spontaneity in his feet and during our gluten free breakfast together, he decided we ought to take a little trip. “Let’s go to Austin today, let’s just do it.” I wasn’t immediately sold. You see, so much of the fun I associate with Austin has to do with food, and now that we are gluten-free, I was worried that this trip might present a temptation similar to sticking a diabetic in a candy shop. I slowly checked to see if our favorite pizza spot on Guadalupe had gluten-free crusts, and when I saw that they did, I quickly gave in! We did not have much on our agenda (besides picking up some wine that Ben tracked down at a Spec’s right outside Austin because it is sold-out here) so we had the freedom to just leisurely do Austin like the old times. Ben and I would often drive down to Austin from Baylor to catch a concert, watch a movie not playing in Waco, or simply go out to eat. We much appreciated our mini-adventure and more importantly the freedom we still have to do such things.

Below is a recipe I quickly whipped up with some GF pasta I had bought at the mother-ship Whole Foods in Austin.

Fettuccine with Walnuts, Zucchini Ribbons, and Pecorino Romano

(straight from Bon Appétit)

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds small zucchini, untrimmed

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 anchovy fillets, minced (about 1 tablespoon) (I used anchovy paste)

1/2 teaspoon (scant) dried crushed red pepper

1 pound fettuccine (I used gluten free brown rice fettuccine)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for serving

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

1/2 cup (packed) thinly sliced fresh basil

1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint

Fresh zucchini flowers, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation

Place 1 zucchini on work surface. Using vegetable peeler and firmly holding zucchini by stem end, shave zucchini lengthwise into long ribbons. Discard scraps. Repeat with remaining zucchini. Place ribbons (about 10 cups total) in large colander set over large bowl; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fleur de sel. Let stand 30 minutes. Rinse zucchini under cold running water; drain well. Spread on 2 large kitchen towels; roll up in towels to absorb excess water. Set aside.

Combine garlic, anchovy fillets, and crushed red pepper in very large serving bowl. Using pestle or wooden spoon, crush mixture until paste forms.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to bowl with garlic mixture. Add 1/3 cup oil and 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid; toss. Add zucchini, walnuts, 1/2 cup cheese, basil, and mint; toss. Season with salt and pepper, adding more pasta cooking liquid if mixture is dry. Drizzle with additional oil. Sprinkle with zucchini flowers, if desired. Serve with remaining cheese.

Today is Quimby's 3rd Birthday!

Yes, that is a dog bone. No, I did not bake it. Oh, Q-dog, you are good for the soul...

Apricot, Pistachio, & Frangipane Tartlets (gluten free)

Anyone who actually reads this blog probably already knows that husBen has Crohn’s. Crohn’s is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack the GI system at various points along its length. Ben has a very fortunate case of it, as he only has to get treatment every 8 weeks and does not have to adhere to any dietary restrictions. He is healthy and strong, still suave like a red-headed 007, athletic like a white Ray Allen, and gifted at golf like a morally upright Tiger Woods (pre-crash). Anyway, I have been reading recently (and once had a discussion type lecture during my first year of medical school) about how a gluten free diet may help folks with autoimmune disorders. While I must admit that I was initially wary of what seemed to me like a fad diet, I will say the multitude of personal testimonies I read started to overwhelm my normally strong opposition to anything with the word “diet” in it. So we decided to give it a try. I planned out meals, hit up a few natural grocery stores and researched the limited number of restaurants in Houston that are certifiably gluten free. It has been a few days, and the only difference I notice thus far is my newly necessitated innovation for baking anything-sans-wheat. The start of this gluten-free “diet” has also unfortunately coincided with my honest appreciation for flour (or perhaps caused it). Do you even know how hard it is to make a good pizza crust without flour, the all-purpose staple of every pantry on the planet? Pardon my rants though, we are going to give this a grand ol’ effort (14 days) and see if it works. Until then, enjoy the gluten free recipes! Actually, we are still allowed to eat meats, cheeses, dairy, fruit, vegetables, dark chocolate and wine (yes, those last two are food groups), so I suppose no pity should any longer be thrown the direction of gluten free. Here we go… cheers to husBen’s health!

Apricot, Pistachio, & Frangipane Tartlets

(gluten free)

4-5 apricots, thinly sliced into wedges

Chopped pistachios


Sugar for topping


Honey, for drizzling

Almond Crust

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons almond flour

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ cup melted butter plus 1 tablespoon Crisco

2 TBSP honey

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients and form into a ball using a spatula. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm. Divide evenly between tartlet molds and press into shape.

Frangipane

1 egg

1/3 cup slivered almonds

2 tablespoons almond flour

1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract (split)

½ cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Pulse everything in a food processor until smooth.

Assemble tartlets:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare crusts. Scoop 1 tablespoon of frangipane into each crust. Arrange apricot slices in a circular pattern on top of the frangipane in the crusts (tightly pack them as they will shrink in the oven). Sprinkle tarts with sugar and chopped pistachios. Bake until golden for about 30 minutes. Allow the tarts to cool for at least 15 minutes so that you can remove them from their pans. Drizzle them with honey and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes six 4” tartlets.

eggplant and other things a bit dark

Yesterday I saw a woman almost leap to her death off the roof of one of the hospitals in the medical center. I was riding my bike home and stopped for a moment because of the cop cars blocking the sidewalk, then I followed the eyes of the cops upwards and saw the woman there sitting. I could tell someone was behind her, trying to talk her down, because the closer the figure got, the further away she scooted down the ledge. I stood there for awhile and watched, feeling kind of helpless and embarrassed. After a few minutes, I had to ask myself why I was still standing there. Was it because I did not want to miss it if she did jump? What is it about human nature that so interests us in death? I biked the rest of my way home wanting to cry a little. I had to wonder, did she not have one good thing left to live for, one last person to love on, one last thing to taste, one last moment to experience? I still do not know if she jumped, but all I could do was pray hard that she wouldn’t.

Japanese eggplant

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

Feta

Toasted pine nuts

Basil leaves, julienned

Dice eggplant. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 40 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with lemon juice, crumbled feta, pine nuts, and basil leaves and serve warm.