blackberries – Wait…are those…cookies?!

September 19, 2021

Endless galettes

Hi friends!

I actually made this last weekend but then never got around to posting… I’ve been working on a new painting in my off hours, and that is happily taking up most of my (creative) free time. I’ll share it here when I’m finished!

This weekend is VERY chill – no baking actually, so obviously I treated myself to a favorite croissant instead. This galette was too good not to share though, so here it is. I love the rosemary addition for something slightly savory and pleasantly herb-y – it goes extremely well with vanilla ice cream, but is just as good on its own. Since we’re just starting to work our way out of the stone fruit season out here on the west coast (yayyy time for FIGS), I’m trying to make the most of them.

This was made with peaches from a local farm, actually – I got lucky and found some perfectly ripe ones in the market. I say lucky since I hadn’t been planning ahead, and was shopping the day before I made this… usually that’s no dice unless I can get to the farmer’s market.

Let’s see, what else is new..

Heading up the coast this week to spend some quality time with C for my birthday! He tells me there is an oven where we’re staying, so we’ll see what kind of baking shenanigans I’ll get up to. I’m looking forward to lots of hiking and quiet time on the coast.

from a swim earlier this week – the light was just so pretty

I hope it is equally gorgeous outside where you are – it’s just the right combination of sunny/foggy/cool/warm here in SF so I’ve spent most of the day outside. Happy weekend!

Blackberry, Peach and Rosemary Almond Galette

Whole grain, refined sugar free – yet another endless riff on late summer galettes. I love the rosemary here for a slightly herb-y addition; it’s excellent with ice cream or on its own. Yield: 1 galette; serves several. A Wait are those Cookies original.

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp ice water
slivered almonds, for decorating

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sea salt and rosemary. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add vanilla and almond extracts, then the ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be – let it sit on the counter for a bit before rolling it out if it’s been refrigerated.

for the fruit:

peaches, sliced (I used roughly 2 large ones)
2 c blackberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsp apricot jam (I like St. Dalfour’s as it’s sweetened only with fruit juice)
1 tbsp half and half or cream, for brushing on the dough

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the fruit in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an half and half or cream, pat the slivered almonds onto the sides and sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

September 4, 2021

Gratitude & summer cobbler

Hello from the long weekend!

Summer cobbler for you today – I found a glut of blackberries on sale at the market so of course had to get them… plus more pluots! I’ve been lucky to find those also continually on sale, and since those aren’t something I’d ever be able to find frozen (like blueberries or something) I almost always will get them. Plus, their season is so short!

I’m breathing a large sigh of relief this weekend – the Caldor fire came extremely close to camp, and it’s really only through the insanely hard work of the firefighters and some natural advantages (lots of granite) that we came through relatively unscathed. Not fully out of danger yet as there are plenty of spot fires nearby still and the fire is in no way majority contained, but I’m still feeling mostly just a huge weight off. It feels at this point as if we’ve come through the worst of it. Regardless, it was a super stressful week and I’m looking forward to some chill time this weekend.

A few photos of the best place, just because.

and a throwback to the very first time tiny me went to Two Sentinels!

This weekend is off to a great start with an early run, coffee and baking! I love my quiet Saturday mornings. Plus, this morning is foggy in the city and we know how much I love that ;) aaaand my quiet morning rolled right into a pizza lunch with a bestie so this weekend day keeps getting better.

This cobbler is one of those easy summer desserts that is heavy on fruit (as I firmly believe ALL summer desserts should be) – it comes together really quickly either by hand or with a food processor. I actually prefer cutting in the butter by hand as I find it relaxing, and it also means I don’t have to wash out my food processor!

I hope your long weekend is full of relaxing and fun, whatever that looks like for you! Mine has friends, fave human, lots of exercise and reading (ha – not shocking)! Sending happy long weekend vibes from my kitchen to yours.

Pluot and Summer Berry Cobbler with Poppyseed Biscuits

A perfect use of those late summer berries! Whole grain, refined sugar free and full of fruit – this uses blackberries, blueberries and pluots for an easy cobbler that comes together in a flash. Yield: 1 8-9″ cobbler; serves several! A Wait are those Cookies original.

for the biscuits:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 oat flour
1/4 c rolled oats + more for sprinkling
⅔ cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1.5 tsp poppyseeds
1 ½ tbsp baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbsp whole milk yogurt
⅔ cup half and half (or heavy cream) + more for brushing
1 tsp coconut sugar for sprinkling over the tops

for the fruit:
4 large pluots, cut into ~1″ pieces
2 c blackberries
1 c blueberries
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp maple
1/4 water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For filling, in a large bowl, toss together pluots, berries, lemon zest, and juice. In a small bowl, whisk together tapioca starch, extracts, maple, and water, then pour over the fruit. Allow mixture to stand while making the biscuits.

For the biscuits: in a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, oat flour, cornmeal, 1/4 c oats, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in the butter and either using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly and resembles coarse sand (basically, you want little butter pieces evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients). Add in yogurt and half and half, stirring until the dough just starts to come together. This dough is a little on the slightly sticky side, so you’ll make drop biscuits out of it – no need to roll it out.

Scrape filling into a 2 1/2-quart baking dish or very deep pie plate (whatever fits!) You should be able to get about 8-9 biscuits out of the dough – scoop up large spoonfuls of dough, roughly shape into rounds, and arrange them on top of the filling. Brush with extra half and half, and sprinkle with oats and coconut sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and biscuits are golden. Serve warm or at room temp; store leftovers in the fridge overnight.

August 29, 2021

Crumb cake and more pluots

Hi friends, happy weekend! I wish it was the beginning of it and not the end, but at least there’s a long weekend upcoming.

I have a cake for you today! Cakes feel few and far between around here, but I stumbled on this recipe and had to try it. I had stashed some ricotta in the freezer awhile back (not the best for its texture if you’re going to eat it plain, but if you’re baking with it, it’s fair game!) and wanted to pair it with the stone fruit that is all I want these days.

This cake is a pleasantly dense, nutty little thing – I think of it as a breakfast or brunch cake; something that is perfect alongside coffee. It does well served warm out of the oven, or chilled for a couple of hours in the fridge (my favorite, since the chilled cake texture is amazing).

The whole thing is very lightly sweet – there are only two tablespoons of maple in the entire thing, so the almondy dough and fruit flavors can really shine. It’s whole grain and infinitely adaptable – don’t have pluots? No problem – sub in figs, peaches, nectarines, plums, or any other fruit that catches your fancy. I think any berries would be excellent here, and I’m dying to try it with fresh figs – we’re almost into peak fig season here on the west coast!

We had it for brunch this morning – post workout and pre hiking (me) and cycling (him). Exercise nerds? Yeah, we are.

I got a new wetsuit and I’m SO excited about it – I was swimming without one the last week or so but I really love having one for my morning swims – it’s just so much more pleasant in the bay with one on, ha! This one is sleeveless, which is clutch. Not having anything over my shoulders is amazing.

my favorite swimming conditions – calm and foggy

Not a whole ton going on in other news – just cruising along into September (birthday month!) and crossing my fingers for no excessively hot weather in SF because we just know how much I looooove that, ha NOT.

I hope everyone out there had a good weekend! Sending good thoughts from my kitchen for good weeks all around.

Tuscan Ricotta Crumb Cake with Pluots and Blackberries

A pleasantly dense, lightly sweet breakfast cake – or dessert – but really excellent with coffee. Yield: one 7″ cake, serves several with small wedges. Refined sugar free and whole grain; easily gluten free with a cup for cup flour blend. Recipe gratefully adapted from Jules’ Kitchen, here!

For the dough:
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c shredded coconut
2 oz almond flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
2.5 tbsp unsalted butter, cold & diced into small cubes
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 egg, beaten

For the filling:
1 c whole milk ricotta (drained if especially runny)
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp maple
1 tsp vanilla extract
heaping handful of fresh blackberries
4 small pluots

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a 7” cake pan with butter (alternatively, a 6 or 8” would also work – just adjust the bake time up or down accordingly) Line the greased pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together pastry flour, coconut, almond flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Work the diced butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse sand. Add maple, vanilla, and almond, followed by the beaten egg. Use your fingers or a fork to work the egg into the dough – it doesn’t need to come together into a ball, it just needs to stick together when you press it with your fingers. Press half the dough into the cake pan to form the bottom layer.

In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla, and maple. Spread the filling over the bottom crust, and top with blackberries and sliced pluots. Sprinkle the rest of the crumble topping over the fruit and ricotta.

Bake for 35-40 minutes – the topping should be lightly browned. Remove and let cool in the pan for at least ten minutes, then lift it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and serve warm, or chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for 1-2 days.

September 7, 2020

Heat waves, crisp & a melted brainbox

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Oof. I meant to post this days ago but we’ve had 100 degree heat in SF for the last three days with no marine layer, so no nighttime cooling…. and of course none of us have AC here so basically we’re all cooked. Oh yeah and unhealthy air quality means windows shut against whatever little breeze there might be. It’s been a gnarly last couple days – full disclosure, I read an entire book and laid in front of a fan at c’s pretty much all day the last two days. Which I hate, not being able to be active.

Anyway! I made this Saturday morning early before it got too nasty outside. Highly recommend mint in everything, especially when it’s hot out! Excellent with ice cream also, obviously. My only outing yesterday was a walk for ice cream at 8p and it was unbelievably hot, but ice cream is a NECESSITY in this weather. It was worth it in the end.

Not sure I have too much interesting pith to write today… my brains feel cooked.

Kind of amazing how exhausting the last few days have been, between the air quality & the heat. I’ve been hiding out in c’s basement since basically Saturday evening… hopefully my plants aren’t too pissed when I go home. Southwest exposure in a fourth floor apartment is amazing till it isn’t. Anyway. Crisp! From my unbelievably hot kitchen to yours, which is hopefully less gnarly.

Blackberry, Peach and Mint Crisp with Dark Chocolate

A Wait are those Cookies original. Yields a 9×9 or 8×8 crisp, serves several with leftovers. Refined sugar free, gluten free.

3 c blackberries (fresh or frozen)
2 peaches, sliced
1 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp maple
1/4 c water
2 tsp vanilla

1 cup old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats for a gluten-free crisp)
½ cup firmly packed almond meal
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tbsp plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 c chopped dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350.
Toss blackberries, peaches and sliced mint into your baking dish of choice (my dish is 8×8, 2 qt capacity; 9″ square or 9″ deep pie dish would also be fine). In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the maple and water until combined. Add the tapioca starch, and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the fruit and toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the filling is baking, make the crisp. In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond meal, chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, maple, and salt. Mix in the vanilla, melted butter and the yogurt. Stir until everything is mixed thoroughly. Stir in chocolate.

Once the filling has baked for 20 minutes, stir it and and redistribute evenly in the dish. Plop spoonfuls of the crisp topping evenly over the filling – no need to pack it down. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 more minutes, until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden.

Let the crisp rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, obviously! Keep leftovers, covered, in the fridge for 2-3 days (yeah right – would take some major feat to make it last more than overnight..)

October 14, 2019

Berry bars for errryybody

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Internet friends!

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How goes it? Things here are pretty bueno – it feels like fall, with the snappy air and all the squash in the markets! I have yet to make any squash this season, but I’m sure it’ll happen SOON; we can just chalk it up to being super busy at work and opting for quick dinners (hello eggs & black beans, you’re the bomb) or meal prep that can turn into a quick dinner.

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Weekends have been productive and lovely, with lots of urban hiking and pretty views of my beautiful city. The sunsets have been off the HOOK – this is the time of year for cotton candy skies in this part of the Bay, and I’m loving every minute.

Looking back down the hill; I never ever get tired of the views on my walk home from work:

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I love that I can get these amazing sunset panos from my roof!

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And of course, there was dessert! A low-key one for this last weekend; C and I may or may not have eaten this all in two sittings. To be fair, there was a hike in there also that was nearly 6 miles and a lot of stairs, sooo…. ahem.

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This is rapidly becoming one of my staple desserts, along with my go-to cookies. It’s SO easy and flexible, and super delicious. It reminds me a bit of a grown up pb&j – only with almond butter and a lack of cloying jammy sweetness. Not to mention that it’s great for so many dietary preferences or allergies! Gluten & grain free, refined sugar free (it’s nearly sweetener free; only 2 tbsp of maple in the whole thing), dairy free, vegan, paleo! Woooohoo for inclusive desserts!

I find that I love it best straight out of the fridge for maximum chewy coldness, but it’s still great at room temp. Of course for science research C and I had to eat it with ice cream – highly recommend. Its nutty base dough/crumble tastes very reminiscent of an almond cookie, and is complemented perfectly by the sweet-tart chia jam in the middle. Suffice it to say, we’re big fans over here, and I hope it brings you as much joy :)

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I can feel myself starting to gravitate towards more involved baking projects as the nights come earlier and the days get shorter… it makes me turn inward and seek out cozy things like blankets, tea, and the oven. Not that I don’t usually seek out the oven, but you get the idea.

Happy October!

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Berry & Almond Butter Crumble Bars

Gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, grain free / paleo, vegan! A direct riff off of the blueberry bars that I posted a few weeks ago, here, where were in turn inspired by the Roasted Root, here! Yield: 1 8″ pan of bars, round or square, your choice. Super simple; these come together in about five seconds and bake up in just over 30 min, so they make a perfect last minute snack, dessert, or breakfast ;)

For the berry filling:

1 raspberries (I used frozen)*
1 c blackberries (I used frozen)
splash of yuzu or lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp tapioca flour
1/4 c chia seeds
1 tbsp vanilla

*can be made with all raspberry (or all blackberry!) – I was just trying to use up what I had

In a small saucepan, heat berries, sea salt, and tapioca until just barely boiling, 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chia seeds & vanilla; let cool.

For the crust & crumble:

2 c almond flour
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp maple
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/4 c almond butter
1/3 c chopped almonds
Black sesame seeds
Coconut flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 and line some kind of 8” pan with parchment – this is the least fussy recipe ever, so square, round, tart pan, etc – whatever you have is fine! I used an 8” round cake pan. In a large bowl, stir almond flour, vanilla, salt, maple, almond butter and coconut oil together. Reserve half a cup and stir in the almonds, sesame seeds & coconut (this will be the top bit) – set aside. Press the rest of the dough into the base of the pan, and bake for 12-15 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and top evenly with berry mixture. Crumble the rest of the reserved topping on the berries, and bake for another 23-25 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown and the berries are bubbly. Remove and let cool completely before serving. It’s also fabulous cold – I made mine the night before serving, refrigerated overnight and served straight out of the fridge – highly recommended. Leftovers keep well covered in the fridge for a day or two but I dare you to have any ;)

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September 7, 2017

Sometimes dessert is just messy and comical

BEWARE THE BLOB!

I had to laugh when I took this out of the oven. I’m not sure if it was due to the humidity or what, but when I made cream biscuits this time, instead of staying all nice and biscuit-y shaped, they all just decided to merge and become… the BLOB!

You can kind of see the divisions between the biscuits (there are technically 8 of them), but I still cracked myself up when I took it out. Not to mention the very red berry juice making its escape over the sides…

Add to that the explosion of berry juice that occurred in my oven – thank heavens for precautionary foil; I only had one really (quite large) entrepreneurial drip escape its confines and end up on the oven floor – this is one of those desserts that definitely tastes better than it looks! Although if you’re going for comic value… well…

Also not helped by some odd overcast light this morning when I was trying to photograph before running off to the office.. sorry for the slightly off photos. If I promise it’s delicious, will you believe me?! I wouldn’t virtually feed you subpar food, promise.

Regardless of what it looks like, this cobbler is a great excuse for using up the last of summer berries – no more white shoes for you! It’s after Labor Day! Not that I really ever follow that rule, or even own white dress shoes…

A few things from late-summer life lately:

Anyway. You really don’t need an excuse to make cobbler, so what are you waiting for? Go create a blob of your very own! But… don’t say I didn’t warn you…. BEWARE THE BLOB!

Hehe.

Summer Berry Cobbler with Meyer Lemon Cream Biscuits

Lightly sweet and (barely) naturally sweetened, and perfect for showcasing the last of summer’s berries. Strawberries, blackberries and raspberries play perfectly with meyer lemon, present both in the filling and in the cream biscuits. Whole grain and refined sugar free. Adapted from the rhubarb ginger mint cobbler I made awhile back, here. Yield: 1 9″ cobbler; serves… several. Or two. Your call!

For the filling:

4 c strawberries, quartered (unless they’re really small, in which case halved is fine)*
~1 c mixed blackberries & raspberries**
zest of 1 meyer lemon
juice of 1 meyer lemon
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c arrowroot starch

*Basically, you want as much fruit as you need to fill your pan of choice. This about does it for me in my 9″ pie plate; I need a larger dish though since mine totally overflowed this time… whoops

**I bake straight from frozen (usually I buy mine when on sale & freeze them for later); fresh would also be fine

For the cobbler topping:

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c whole grain spelt flour
zest of 2 meyer lemons
2 tbsp meyer lemon juice
2 tsp coconut sugar + a little extra for brushing the biscuit tops
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 c heavy cream (I prefer Straus because… it’s the best!), divided + a little extra for brushing the biscuit tops

Preheat the oven to 375, and grab a 9″ pie dish (or an 8 by 8 pan would be fine too I’m sure; so would a cast iron skillet if you’d rather) Just make sure whatever you use is deep enough! Not that I speak from experience…. Stick some foil on the rack below the rack on which you’ll bake the cobbler, just in case of drips.

In a large bowl, toss together strawberries, raspberries & blackberries, maple syrup, arrowroot, lemon juice & zest, and vanilla. Let sit for at least 5 minutes — easiest to do this while you put together the cream biscuit for the cobbler topping.

For the cream biscuits: in a large bowl, stir together whole wheat and spelt flours, lemon zest, coconut sugar, baking powder and sea salt. Stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice until combined – the dough will be sticky & rather wet (but DELICIOUS). Spoon large dollops of dough onto the top of the cobbler – I used a large spoon and got about 8 biscuits; you can make them smaller if you like! Brush with a bit of extra cream and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Mine obviously all became one big blob, but whatever. Delicious.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the cobbler is beginning to go golden around the edges, and the fruit is bubbling (or the juices runneth over…). A thermometer (if you have one) is useful here – the internal temp of the centermost biscuit should be 200F. Let cool before serving – awesome either warm out of the oven, or room temp later – with ice cream either way, obviously. AND it’s even better for breakfast the next day; leftovers keep well, covered in the fridge.

August 22, 2017August 22, 2017

Late summer stone fruit shenanigans

Can someone explain to me how it’s already the latter half of August? That went FAST, yeeshh.

At least I’m still getting my fill of stone fruit – pluots are amazing right now, I just found peaches on sale, and options are endless. AND it’s not so beastly hot right now, which means I can actually haul my loot home and bake with it and not give myself heat stroke in the process. I’m a happy girl!

A few other pictures of life lately…

I highly recommend this crisp, not only because it’s crisp which is basically the easiest thing ever but also because its insanely customizable. Can find pluots? No prob. Use peaches! Or nectarines. Or any other stone fruit that calls you. I’m loving the basil in here for some earthy freshness against the sweetness of the fruit, so I can’t in good conscience let you leave that out (also it’s summer, which means basil is going gangbusters. Get on that!)

Keeping it short and sweet today – Go hang out in your kitchen for the approximately 10 minute it takes to throw this together (okay, maybe a bit more if we include slicing up fruit), round up a loved one and enjoy the late summer bounty. Your sense of general wellbeing will thank you!

Pluot, Apricot, Blackberry and Basil Crisp

Gluten free and whole grain, vegan, dairy free, and refined sugar free. Perfect for the late summer bounty of all the stone fruit – pluots, apricots and berries do the tango with a bit of basil thrown in for good measure. Peaches also work nicely here – I’ve also done a version with a few plums, peaches, and blackberries. Yield: 1 9″ crisp, serving sizes are up to your discretion ;)

3.5 c assorted pluots, sliced*
3 small apricots, sliced*
1 c blackberries
juice of one meyer lemon
zest of one meyer lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 heaping tbsp fresh basil, chopped

*a combination of peaches and pluots works nicely here too

For the filling, you basically need enough fruit to fill your pie plate of choice. My approximate measurements are listed – I usually just cut it directly into my pie plate and estimate from there.

For the crisp:

1 c rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
1/2 oat flour
1/2 c almond flour
large pinch of sea salt
1/2 c raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/4 c coconut sugar
6 tbsp coconut oil, solid
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350, and select your 9″ pie plate or 9×9 pan.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, oat flour, almond flour, sea salt, almonds, and coconut sugar. Cut in the coconut oil, using a fork/your fingers/a pastry cutter if you’re feeling fancy — I used a fork and my fingers and it worked just fine (crisp is exceedingly forgiving). Stir in vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, toss together pluots, apricots, and blackberries. Add lemon juice and zest, maple, vanilla extract, and chopped basil, and toss to combine.

Add the pluot-berry mix into the prepared pie plate or baking pan, top evenly with the crisp. Pop the whole thing into the oven for 45-50 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crisp is lightly browned and… crisp!

Serve with your fave vanilla ice cream/non dairy of choice (whipped coconut cream would also be good here), and store any leftovers covered in the fridge. Makes EXCELLENT breakfast the next day – the crisp solidifies a little in the fridge and omg it’s good. Besides, who is going to pass up crisp for breakfast?! Not this girl.

March 27, 2017March 27, 2017

Wait… no citrus?!

Hold the phone. NOT CITRUS?!

…

Surely you must be joking.

Don’t worry, my love affair with all things citrus hasn’t ended, it’s just taking a week off so I can give apples some love. Apples haven’t really featured heavily in my desserts of late, so this is a nice change. Besides, apples, honey and almonds all pair so nicely together.

This cake is a riff on the honey cake with blackberries & hazelnuts I made back in the fall, and this one once again reminds me of something you’d eat in the Shire – skillet and all, it’s very Tolkeinesque. Which of course appeals to my extraordinarily nerdy nature…

Besides that, it’s light, delicious and comes together in a snap. I used a combination of apples since I love the tartness of Granny Smith but wanted a more complex flavor – Fujis are in here too.

Excellent for dessert with some ice cream, and of course for breakfast alongside eggs & kale. Cake for breakfast? Sure, why not – it’s a great source of Vitamin E and healthy fats, plus it’s grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free and dairy free so everyone wins.

Besides cake, a few snaps of what’s been occupying my time lately:

More SF series, of course.

No filter on this next one — I couldn’t believe how bright it was!

Enjoy your cake! It tastes best in good company :)

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Apple Honey Cake with Blackberries and Maple Almonds

Gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, dairy free, paleo depending on your definition. Light almond honey cake studded with apples and topped with blackberries (mo’ fruit!) and mapled almonds. Yield: 1 8″ skillet cake; serves 2-8. Recipe is a riff on the honey cake with hazelnuts & blackberries, here. Note: I’ve adapted this recipe over time to fit my 8″ cast iron skillet perfectly, hence the odd measurements. Feel free to make this in a 9″ cake pan or skillet, just keep in mind the bake time will be less & you’ll have a slightly shorter cake.

For the cake:

1.5 c almond flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
heaping 1/4 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
1/3 c honey (I use raw usually) – runny and thick honey are both fine
1/8 + 1/16 c coconut oil, melted
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2″ pieces (I used a mix of Fuji & Granny Smith)
1 apple for topping, sliced into 1/4″ thick wedges + 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
Cinnamon for topping

Peel, core and chop 2 apples, and set aside. Lightly grease your skillet or pan of choice with coconut oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 325.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Add in eggs, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, and stir until all ingredients are just incorporated. Stir in 2 chopped apples. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set aside momentarily. Cut up the last apple, slicing it into 1/4″ wedges and toss it with the tbsp of melted coconut oil. Fan these out across the top (this is totally optional of course), and sprinkle a little cinnamon on them. Bake for 60-65 minutes (if you left the apples off the very top of the cake, your bake time will be slightly less – check at 45), until the top of the cake is lightly browned, firm, and a tester in the center comes out clean. You can cover the cake with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking if the cake is browning too fast. Remove and let cool before topping & serving.

For the maple almonds

1 c slivered almonds
1/4 c pure maple syrup
pinch of sea salt

Heat an empty saute pan (not nonstick) over medium heat; once heated, add maple (it will bubble and fizz) and hazelnuts. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously until the maple has caramelized. The nuts will feel a little soft, which is fine. Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet, pour out the nuts and spread them out a bit. They will harden as they cool. Store in an airtight jar at room temp for as long as they last which is realistically about five minutes.

For serving: top cake with blackberries and maple almonds! Slice and serve, especially good with vanilla ice cream. Store any leftovers covered, in the fridge for a few days.

December 12, 2016December 12, 2016

Meyer lemons: sunlight in food form

More citrus! ALL THE CITRUS! Why stop now? It makes my kitchen smell like sunshine, and besides — meyer lemons are in season (at least on the trees I have access to, ha) and they essentially embody sunshine in one little package.

Which means they were featured for the last round of dessert shenanigans! In two forms, both in a soufflé-cake-pudding hybrid and some lemon curd because you really can never have too much lemon.

I love December things! Lights, pretty houses, giant trees, and dessert. And tree elves doing yoga, obviously.

More drawing, of course.

But, back to the dessert (since I know that’s why you’re all here anyway!) — Light, refreshing and full of lemon flavor — this hybrid soufflé-curd-pie-cake-pudding is damn delicious. Perfect for the wintertime when the pop of citrus brightens up grey days and makes your kitchen smell like sunshine! Also perfect when you want dessert and need a break from the usual heavy desserts of the season.

Happy holidays! Hopefully you’re enjoying the season with loved ones and eating everything delicious.

Meyer Lemon Soufflé Curd Cake with Lemon Curd, Maple Blackberries and Mint

Paleo, gluten & grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free. Yield: 1 9″ pie dish, serves 2 (just kidding. Only kind of…) — it actually realistically could serve up to 6! But only if you feel like sharing.

For the lemon curd (best to make ahead and refrigerate), lightly adapted from What the Fork:

4 eggs
zest of 2 meyer lemons
1/2 c meyer lemon juice
1/3 c honey
1/2 c coconut oil
large pinch of fine sea salt
heaping 1 tsp of vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together eggs, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt, and coconut oil. Continue to cook the curd over medium-low, whisking constantly, until it thickens. It should be about the same consistency as pudding after 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat once thickened, whisk in vanilla extract, and strain (I use a mesh strainer and a flat spatula for this) to remove any errant zest chunks. Once cool, store in airtight jars in the fridge. Keeps for a week or two, but I doubt it will last that long!

For the soufflé cake, adapted from 24 Carrot Kitchen, here:

4 eggs, separated
scant 1/2 c full fat coconut milk
1/4 c maple syrup
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 2 meyer lemons
1/2 c meyer lemon juice
3 tbsp coconut flour
large pinch of fine sea salt
mint leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a 9″ pie dish.

In a non-reactive bowl (I like to use the bowl of my stand mixer), use a hand mixer or the raw power of your biceps to beat the eggs whites until they’re glossy and hold soft peaks. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, coconut milk, maple, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Whisk in coconut flour and salt. Gently fold in the egg whites until fully incorporated. Pour the batter (it will be relatively thin) into your prepared pie dish and bake for 30-35 minutes. The filling should be set and the top should be lightly browned — if it’s browning too fast, cover the top with a bit of foil. This cake is designed to have a pudding-y layer at the bottom, so be careful not to overbake. Let cool before serving.

While the cake is baking, toss a bag of thawed (or fresh, if you’re lucky) blackberries with a drizzle of maple or honey, and let marinate in their juices until ready to serve.

Serve this deliciousness in a bowl, since the cake won’t slice all that neatly anyway and it makes a gloriously delicious mess when served with extra lemon curd, blackberries, mint leaves and a little vanilla ice cream.

October 14, 2016

Tolkienesque Cake for Dessert and Elevenses!

Welcome to the Shire!

Happy circumstances dictated that a Tolkeinesque dessert was in the offing (sometimes, you just need themed desserts)… as such, this one was directly inspired by the Hobbit: besides Beorn’s honey cake being mentioned in the Hobbit itself, blackberries and hazelnuts just seem like they’d be something you’d stash in your knapsack during your travels, right? And hobbits seem like the type to have cast iron skillets. So there you go. ALSO this cake is not only dessert but also does double duty for Elevenses (I can attest. I actually ate it for elevenses / brunch / breakfast / lunch, as part of a very complete, Hobbity spread).

In other news, I went to the opera on a random Tuesday the other week because, why not?

More drawing!

And more cake.

It’s rainy and drizzly today and as such is perfect cake and indoor fun weather; I highly recommend this one. It’s somewhat like a light variation on pound cake, and the blackberries / hazelnuts make for a great textural pairing. Plus ice cream. Obviously. They may not have had ice cream in the Shire, but let’s face it: everything is better with a bit of cream, right?

Yes, the blackberries in the pictures are frozen — they were subsequently thawed and honeyed and drizzled and got all juicy and delicious, but for ease of transportation, that happened after the photos.

So! Cake! And a nice revisit to the land of the Shire; I was a little overdue. Be warned, the maple hazelnuts are supremely addictive…. don’t say I didn’t warn you ;)

Honey Almond Cake with Honeyed Blackberries and Maple Glazed Hazelnuts

Lightly sweet cake that is somewhat akin to a lighter pound cake, topped with tart-sweet blackberries and crunchy hazelnuts. Hobbit-y dessert perfection that also happens to be gluten free, grain free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and arguably paleo (depends on what sweeteners are on your okay list). The cake is adapted from Cookie and Kate, here! One confession: I’m a crazy baking person and for Hobbit authenticity and size preferences I wanted to make this in my 8″ cast iron skillet, which meant that I made a 3/4 recipe of a a full 9″ pan. I will be posting my altered measurements here; if you bake it in a 9″, it will just be a slightly shorter cake (apologies for some of the funky measurements!)

For the cake:

1.5 c almond flour (not meal), firmly packed
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 + 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
2 eggs, beaten
scant 1/2 c runny honey
1/8 + 1/16 c melted coconut oil
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325, and lightly grease cast iron skillet or pan of choice with coconut oil. Toss a little almond flour in the bottom to finely coat. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla. Pour wet into dry, and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake on the center rack of the oven for about 38-40 minutes. I checked mine at 30 and put it back in for 8; it was perfect at 38. The top should be golden brown and firm to the touch, and the center shouldn’t jiggle when lightly shaken. Remove from the oven and let cool before topping and serving.

For the honeyed blackberries:

1 bag frozen blackberries, or fresh if they’re in season
1 tbsp runny honey

Thaw blackberries, if frozen, and toss with the honey…. and that’s it! Let sit for a few hours if you have time — they get extra juicy that way.

Maple Glazed Hazelnuts:

1/4 c pure maple syrup
1 c roasted hazelnuts
sprinkle of sea salt

Remove most of the skins from the hazelnuts by rubbing them together; it doesn’t matter if there are skins left, but I try to get rid of the majority. Heat an empty saute pan (not nonstick) over medium heat; once heated, add maple (it will bubble and fizz) and hazelnuts. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring continuously until the maple has caramelized. The nuts will feel a little soft, which is fine. Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet, pour out the nuts and spread them out a bit. They will harden as they cool. Store in an airtight jar at room temp for as long as they last which is realistically about five minutes.

For serving: Top cake with honeyed blackberries & glazed hazelnuts, and preferably ice cream.

Store leftover cake in the fridge; covered with foil in the original pan is just fine. I’m here to attest that this cake is fabulous the next morning for breakfast!