Vanessa's Gingerbread "People"

This was a favorite family recipe in New Zealand.  This recipe makes about ten 10cm "people".  I've copied it exactly as we used it in New Zealand (except for changing "men" to "people").

1/2 cup (100ml) golden syrup
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
3 T butter
1 T milk
2 cups (280 g) flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground ginger

1.  Preheat oven to 180C and butter some pans

2.  Heat the golden syrup to boiling point and then add sugar, butter, and milk

3.  Mix the flour with the baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.   Add to the first mixture and blend well.  Add a few tablespoons of water, enough so that the dough holds together and handles easily.

4.  Roll or pat out the dough about 0.5cm thick.

5.  Cut into gingerbread "people" using special cookie cutters or a very sharp knife.'

6.  Bake for 5-7 minutes.

I couldn't find any photos of our gingerbread "people, 

so here is a photo of our 3 New Zealand real "people".

Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake

The first time I made this was December 2012 at our family reunion at the NC beach.  I found the recipe in the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. My wonderful daughter typed up the recipe to include here.

CAKE
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T freshly grated grapefruit zest (from 1-2 large grapefruits)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice - preferably from ruby red grapefruits
1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

SYRUP
2 T sugar
1/3 cup freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice

GLAZE
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 T freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice
Pinch of salt

1. Heat the over to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

2. MAKE THE CAKE: In a large bowl, rub the grapefruit zest into the sugars with your fingertips. This will bruise it and help release as much grapefruit essence as possible. Whisk in the oil until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, and whisk until combined. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a second bowl. In a liquid measuring cup, combine 2 T grapefruit juice and buttermilk. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures, alternating between them, to the oil-and-sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour.

4. Spread the batter in the pan, smooth the top, and rap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

5. MAKE THE SYRUP: Combine 2 T sugar with 1/3 cup grapefruit juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

6. When the cake is finished, let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then invert it onto a rack set over a tray. Poke holes in the cake with a skewer or toothpick, then spoon or brush the grapefruit syrup over the cake. Let the cake cool completely while it absorbs the syrup.

7. MAKE THE GLAZE: Combine the confectioners' sugar, grapefruit juice, and salt in a bowl, whisking until smooth. Pour the glaze over the top of cooled cake, and allow glaze to drizzle decoratively down the sides.

Tuscan Mashed Chickpeas

I love chickpeas but sometimes I get bored with hummus. This delicious recipe is from Ina Garten's newest cookbook, Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust. It's very easy and delicious. It has a bit more texture than hummus and cooking the chickpeas briefly makes them meld together with the other ingredients really nicely.


2 (15.5 ounces) cans chickpeas
1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you want to make it vegetarian)
3 T olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 ripe medium size tomatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)
3 T minced flat-leaf parsley
2 T lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
Grilled country bread for serving

1. Pour the chickpeas into a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain well. Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the chicken stock and pulse until chickpeas are coarsely chopped but not pureed.

2. In a medium-sized saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chickpeas, stirring to combine with the tomatoes and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

3. Take off the heat and stir in the parmesan, parsley, lemon juice and 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pile in a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and serve warm or at room temperature with shards of grilled country bread.

NOTE: The flavors definitely develop if you make it in advance!

Big Cluster Maple Granola

This is my new go-to granola recipe, from Deb Perelman's fantastic new cookbook. Unlike other granola recipes, this one has very little oil/fat, yet good clumps from the surprising addition of a beaten egg white. Delicious!

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1 cup walnuts or pecans or a mix of nuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used a blend of maple and agave syrups)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg white
Optional: 1 1/2 cups dried cherries or other dried fruit, diced if large pieces

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the egg white and dried fruit in a large bowl, tossing to coat evenly.
2. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until frothy. Stir into the granola mixture, distributing it throughout.
3. Spread it in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes. About halfway through the baking time, use a large spatula to turn over sections of the granola carefully.
4. When it is evenly browned and feels dry to the touch, take pan out of the oven. Cool completely, then break up granola into whatever size clusters you like. Sprinkle in dried fruit, if using.

Deb's note: Granola keeps at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

Yogurt Corn Bread with Winter Squash

Adapted from the American Medical Association FAMILY COOKBOOK

This is a simple and light cornbread recipe.  

The squash or pumpkin adds a bit of flavor and color (and nutrition).

I like making this in a mini-loaf pan like this 

¾ cup yellow cornmeal

¾ cup flour (any combo of white and wheat)

2 T sugar

1 ½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 whole egg + 1 egg white

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

½ - ¾  cup mashed winter squash or pumpkin

2 T vegetable oil

In one bowl mix the dry ingredients

In another bowl whisk the wet ingredients (or mix in a food processor)

Stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk gently, until the batter has no lumps.

Coat baking pan with vegetable oil spray. 

I like to use a mini-loaf pan, but you can use a regular muffin tin or an 8” X 8” baking pan.

If you like, heat the pan before adding the batter – it makes for slightly crispier outsides.

Bake in 425 oven until the corn bread is golden brown on top and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Mini-loaves or Muffins:  about 15 minutes

Square pan:  about 20 minutes

Upside-Down Peach Pudding Cake

We've loved the family fave "Chocolate Almond Pudding Cake", so I thought I'd try a new pudding cake recipe.  This one is astonishingly easy, and very satisfying.....and it looks good too!

1 T unsalted butter
1 c. white flour
1 c sugar (I used less)
1 c skim milk
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
(I also added a little bit of almond extract.)
1 lb peach slices (I used ones that I had peeled, sliced, and frozen --recipe says you can substitute canned plums or peaches or cherries)

Preheat oven to 350.

Place butter in 13 X 9 baking pan and set in oven long enough for butter to melt.  Remove pan from oven, tilting this way and that to coat evenly with butter. (I did this in the microwave)

Next, add to pan, in order listed BUT WITHOUT STIRRING:  flour, sugar, milk, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk or fork briskly just enough to combine -- batter should be lumpy.  Fold in frozen peach slices, distributing evenly.

Bake uncovered until nicely browned -- 20-30 minutes.

Pickled Cherries

Enjoy the deep rich flavor of cherries with a little "zing".  The hardest part of this recipe is pitting and stemming the cherries - be prepared for stained fingernails!   I used a few drops of hot sauce instead of red pepper flakes and I substituted cardamon pods for coriander seeds.  I also added a pinch of salt.  This recipe is from Bon Appetit, June 2011

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
• 1 large rosemary sprig

Preparation

• Bring first 5 ingredients and 3/4 cup water to a boil in a medium stainless-steel saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes.
• Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain into a medium bowl; return liquid to pan.
• Add cherries and rosemary to saucepan.
• Simmer until cherries are tender, 3-5 minutes.
• Transfer cherries and rosemary to a 1-qt. mason jar.
• Pour in enough pickling liquid to cover cherries.
• Cover and chill.
•  Can be made 1 month ahead. Keep refrigerated. Strain before serving.