Tag: whole grain

Posted on

Fancy-sounding french pastries for casual weekends

Woah woah look at me go! Another post in less than a month! On a ROLL.

I have wanted to make a gâteau basque for ages, but kept forgetting to actually make one when it came time to bake something. I’m so glad I fixed that…. these are delicious. Called a cake but in reality more like a cookie/tart/jammy pastry, it’s essentially two layers of pastry dough sandwiching a jam or pastry cream filling. They are from the southwestern Basque region in France and gained popularity in the 18th century.

I did modify mine somewhat, so it’s not completely traditional – mostly because I wanted to use things I had at home and avoid a trip to the market, but also because I like to keep things refined sugar free when at all possible.

So, that being said, this is not exactly a traditional gâteau basque, but it IS delicious. I filled mine with fig preserves (more fruit than anything else) instead of the more traditional black cherry jam or pastry cream. I love pastry cream but was feeling lazy so that is for next time (believe me, there will be a next time).

I also happened to have that jar of fig preserves kicking around so this seemed like a good place to use it. This also means that I made what is essentially a giant fig newton! I’m not mad about it though, I loved those growing up and this tastes like an exceptionally better version. While I’m on the metaphors here, it could also be likened to a large, fancy pop tart?

The pastry is crumbly but sturdy, as these are made to be eaten by hand. I added a little almond flour to mine, another departure from tradition, but I like the consistency. This is another one of those pastries that sounds ver ver fancy but is so easy to make, especially in a stand mixer (which I did use, and would recommend if you have one).

Extremely excellent with coffee. I also tried it with ice cream – you know, for SCIENCE – and can confirm that is also an exceptional way to eat it. Especially in lieu of pastry cream.

Let’s see, what else is new… In non baking news, I’ve been trying to make one new savory dinner thing a week, to get myself out of my usual dinner cooking rut. It’s mostly working I think, I have discovered a few new things that are very good, including adding chile crisp to my stir fry sauce and also doing a chile crisp baked tofu.

In recent plant news, Bert the Bird has been going ape and has put out several new leaves! Always an exciting event in my household.

Hopefully everyone is recovering from the time change… go and make yourself something delicious to make up for that lost hour. Happy March!

Gâteau Basque

Lightly sweet, crumbly, shortbready pastry sandwiching a jammy filling. Perfect to eat out of hand with a cup of coffee. Yield: one 8″ pastry; serves several. Whole grain, refined sugar free. Lightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan/NYT Cooking, here.

What you need:

1.75 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c almond flour, packed
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 c +2 tbsp unsalted butter (1¼ sticks), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
1/4c coconut sugar
scant 1/4c cane sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fig butter/fig preserves
1 egg, beaten with a splash of cold water, for glazing

What you do:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Working with a mixer (use a paddle attachment if you have one), beat together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla; the mixture should be smooth. Add the flour mixture all at once, then pulse the mixer to begin incorporating it. Mix on low until blended. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather into a ball, then divide in half.

Shape each piece into a disk — the dough will be sticky — and put each between sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a round just a bit wider than 8″. Keeping the dough sandwiched between the parchment, refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or for up to 3 days).

When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8-inch-by-2-inch round cake pan. Remove the dough from the fridge, and leave on the counter until pliable, about 10 minutes. Peel away the paper.

Fit one round into the pan; if it breaks (mine definitely did), just press the pieces together. This isn’t really an exercise in perfection – mine was very uneven. Either fold the extra dough over and onto the base or trim it. Spread about ¾ cup of the jam over the base, leaving a 1-inch border bare and adding more jam, if needed.

Top with the second piece of dough, lightly pressing down around the edges and, if you can, tucking the dough under a bit. Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect; the dough is soft, and as Dorie says, the layers fuse in the oven like magic.

Brush the top with the egg wash, and use the tines of a fork to etch a crosshatch pattern.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer to a rack, and let rest for 5 minutes, then carefully run a table knife around the edge of the cake. Unmold onto the rack, and then quickly and carefully turn the cake over onto another rack, crosshatch side up, so that it can cool to room temperature. Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 2 days at room temperature.

Posted on

Cranberries two ways, for the holidays that snuck up on me

Dang wow it’s December already! Where has fall gone?? The holidays completely snuck up on me – I made this pie for Thanksgiving and meant to post it closer to the actual holiday but… here we are. Better late than never.

I’m ALL ABOUT that demerara sugar snow

Nothing too crazy new over here – still full of plants, still swimming in the bay (uh, it is less than pleasant this time of year, full disclosure. motivation is looowwww), and already feeling full up with holiday plans. My full December calendar is giving me the heebie jeebies, even though it’s full of fun things – the introvert in me is very happy to sit here with my book on a saturday night and NOT go out. Also it’s raining today, which is just heavenly. More of that, please.

This might be my new favorite pie – FULL of cranberries for the cran lover in your life. It’s got just enough sweetness from the apple and holiday spices from the nutmeg and cinnamon, but a slight thyme twist for a little something extra. Excellent with ice cream or a drizzle of half and half over the top.

I’m sharing what is essentially the same recipe twice here – two variations on a theme. The pie itself I made for Thanksgiving, and I just pulled the galette version out of the oven a few hours ago. I love a galette for a casual bake – not that the pie is that much more work, but the galette is definitely a less fussy cousin. Also requires a bit less time, and is somewhat more scalable if you want a smaller yield (though leftover pie is probably the greatest thing known to man besides almond croissants, so…. )

I did not get ‘glamourous, half cut into’ pie shots. this will have to do..

Hopefully I’ll get a few more things up here before the actual holidays! We shall see – given the state of my calendar, I might not resurface until January… but I’ll try. Either way, more than happy to share this very festive and very delicious, perfectly wintery pie with my corner of the internet – I hope you love it as much as I do! (It got rave reviews from Fave Human also so, that should probably be ‘we’ and not ‘I’!)

hello from the hooman behind the blog + fave hooman

Happy baking, and happy December!

Cranberry Thyme Pie, Two Ways

Perfectly tart, perfect for those who LOVE cranberries. The thyme adds a slightly savory, fun twist – this is excellent with ice cream. Refined sugar free and whole grain. I provided an alternate recipe here – there is both a traditional, double crusted 9″ pie, as well as its less fussy cousin, the galette. Both are delicious and serve several. Pie filling is adapted from Food52, here.

for the crust

2.5 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c fine cornmeal
1 scant tsp fine sea salt
heaping 1/4 tsp nutmeg
8oz unsalted butter (2 sticks), cubed & cold
4-6 tbsp ice water

for the filling:
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups whole cranberries, fresh or frozen (two 10-ounce bags)
1 apple (I used honey crisp; any baking apple will do)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon half and half/cream/milk and a pinch of salt)
Demerara sugar, for finishing

In a large bowl, stir together all the filling ingredients. Let sit while you make the dough.

In a food processor (or by hand, but I actually love using the food processor for this dough; it comes together in a snap and keeps it from getting overworked), pulse together flour, salt, and nutmeg. Add in cubed butter, and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add in ice water – I start usually with four tbsp, then add a tbsp at a time until the dough comes together in a ball.

I like to roll this dough between two sheets of parchment paper for ease. Divide it in half and and roll it out – I typically don’t chill this dough (blasphemy!) because I find it works just fine without. You’ll roll out a circle that’s slightly larger than the top of your pie plate, to make for crimping excess – you should aim to have about a 1″ overhang. Lay the dough into the dish, tucking the edge underneath and crimping it as desired. Do whatever you want with the top crust! Shapes, traditional top crust, lattice, whatever. I used a small star cookie cutter for this one. Once the bottom crust is in, stick the whole dish into the fridge for 5-10 minutes while you make the filling and roll out the top (helps prevent shrinking but honestly I almost always forget to do this and my crusts are fine… so… shrug. it’s good to do if you remember). No need to cover since it’s not in there very long.

In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over the dried cranberries, covering by about an inch. Allow them to plump while making the remaining filling. In a food processor, combine the chopped thyme, coconut sugars, salt, tapioca starch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process until the thyme is fully blended. Pour all this into a large bowl. Use the same food processor bowl to briefly process 2 cups of the whole cranberries to a rough chop; add them and the remaining 2 cups whole cranberries, to the thyme mixture.

Peel the apple and shred on the large holes of a box grater. Drain the plumped dried cranberries of excess water, but do not press or squeeze them out. Add the shredded apple and the drained dried cranberries to the bowl with the rest of the filling and mix well. Stir in the vanilla extract and egg, and mix well. Pile in the fruit – typically you can fit much more than you think you can – you’ll want it to be slightly convex on the top, to account for the fruit decreasing in volume as it cooks. Lay on the top crust pieces, and put back in the fridge to chill while the oven preheats.

Preheat the oven to 425. Brush the top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar for sparkly crunch. Bake for 20 minutes at 425, then lower the temp to 375 and bake another 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling like crazy. Remove from the oven and let cool for several hours, preferably more, before slicing and serving (I made mine the day before). Keep leftovers in the fridge, covered – keeps well for about 3 days after baking, assuming it lasts that long.

Also made a far less fussy galette, with the following modifications:

Crust:
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 oz butter (1 stick)
3-5 tbsp ice water

Same method as above, but makes a single crust for a free-form galette.

Filling:
1 bag (12oz) of fresh cranberries
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp fig preserves
demerara sugar + egg wash (see above) for finishing.

Preheat oven to 425. Make the single crust using method above. Spread an even layer of fig preserves across the dough surface, stopping just short of the edges. In a large bowl, stir together cranberries, thyme, apple, coconut sugar, and vanilla. Pile fruit onto the preserve-brushed dough, folding up the edges and crimping them at the creases (juice may escape anyway but it’s a rustic pie so who cares!) Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 35 minutes, until juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown. Remove and let cool for a bit before digging in, or not… also acceptable to plop a scoop of ice cream on the top of it and eat it out of the sheet pan. Keeps well overnight at room temperature.

Posted on

Bluebeard the PIErate

Okay okay several weeks late but I love this guy too much not to share – the yearly pie donation for the Lamplighters gala fundraiser!

Mom gets credit for naming him Bluebeard, hahaa. He thinks he’s so cute.

He also sold for $70 this year, which is a new high! Very exciting.

I’m including process photos for those who like this sort of thing – I make these in stages, typically. Bottom crust first so it can chill in the fridge overnight, then the top crust that also chills overnight. Pie gets assembled and baked first thing the morning of the gala, usually around 6am so it can bake and cool fully before I have to transport it at 1p.

Per usual, this is made with wild blueberries. Not only are they sold in 3 pound bags at whole foods (extremely convenient), they are also smaller than normal bloobs so the top crust design sits flat; important with this level of detail. Obviously some of it sinks into the bloob soup but I feel that just adds to its charm. I also had a very nice lyft driver this year who took the turns and downhills with care, which I very much appreciate. Pie transport is no joke.

Et voila!

Let’s see what else is new….

I have been making the apple cake I posted previously on repeat! It’s SO GOOD and SO EASY. I’ve adapted it for a refined sugar free version with coconut sugar – am working on one that is all maple since that’s my preferred. Stay tuned!

grainy, 7a photo taken post-swim

Still swimming, though the it’s DARK when I get in and barely light when I get out. Makes for some beautiful sunrise swims though, and the bay is oddly peaceful when it’s dark out. No, it’s not all that creepy either, for those who are wondering. I can’t see my hand in front of my face in the water when it’s light out anyway so what’s the dif? Also is noticeably colder in the last two weeks and I found a not-small hole in my favorite sleeveless wetsuit (DANG IT) so maybe the universe is telling me it’s time to switch back to longsleeves… hmmm…

sunrise turret!

I guess I’m accidentally timing this post right for halloween! He fits right in.

We made haunted houses at work for happy hour to practice model-making skills because, architects. This is what architect playtime looks like… not a contest but if it was, we’d be winning muahhaha:

Happy Halloweekend!! I hope there is pie.

Posted on

unintentional summer blogging hiatus

HELLO!

Wow, dang – apparently I unintentionally took the summer off from posting anything! I can’t believe it’s already Labor Day weekend (and my birth month! Yay!)

Doesn’t mean I haven’t been baking though – pretty much have had some variation of a stone fruit galette on endless repeat. Last one was a super yum version with peaches, blackberries, raspberries & a little bit of marionberry jam (courtesy of my pacific northwestie fam). I haven’t made anything really new – have been falling back on either my favorite cookies or some version of something fruity. I’ll include the recipe for the peach one down below; it was a winner for sure.

We had our company summer picnic last weekend, and it turns out galette is perfect picnic food – I was a little concerned it might be too messy, but it disappeared in a flash and was relatively easy to transport, etc. Definitely recommend.

For those of you who read this to keep tabs on me, I apologize for the delinquency!! (hi, other favorite pacific northwesties! I love you & miss you!) Let’s see, what happened over the summer…

Camp went very well! Minimal covid and wildfire smoke, maximally happy campers. Not much more I could ask for. Plus, I personally had a great session so obviously that’s a win too.

Not too long after that, C and I did our annual trip over to Connecticut to see his fam, eat lobster and do beach things (not mad) – had my once-yearly lobster roll, paddleboarded every day and swam a ton. It’s a bit warmer than the bay ;)

orange because the sunset was extreme
o yes
the sunsets absolutely do not disappoint

Speaking of which, still doing that of course, even though I live a bit further away now… less convenient, so I can’t swim on my in office days, but I’m still averaging about twice weekly. We’re in the season where the bay water feels soooo good; still obviously cold but not so much that it gives you an ice cream headache. The seals come out to play this time of year too – there are two who are always in the same spot and sometimes they come swim laps with me. So cute.

when in doubt: go swim.

Side note – I just looked up and there’s a ladybug on the inside of my turret window! That has to be good luck, right?

Plants still flourishing – latest acquisition is a bird of paradise I named Bertie; he seems to be adapting well to his new digs in the turret. Finally got everything hung up (or sorta, mostly) and am still loving the not-so-new apartment.

bertie! also known as bert the bird.
I don’t think i have enough greenery yet… also am in process of getting a larger rug.

Anyway… I’ve been so busy, I kinda expect I might not be on a super regular blogging schedule anymore, but I’ll be using it as motivation to make more interesting things and not just make endless galettes :)

Happy long weekend!

half assed lattice from last month… I got annoyed by it halfway through…

Peach, Blackberry and Marionberry Galette

Not too sweet, perfect for stone fruit season. Yield: 1 galette, serves several and keeps pretty well overnight for breakfast the next morning. A Wait are those Cookies original. Whole grain; refined sugar free (depending on the jam used).

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add vanilla and ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together – I usually start with 3 tbsp and then add 1T at a time from there. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s pretty forgiving dough – 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. If you are rolling immediately, roll it out into a circle or rectangle about 1/4″ thick.

or the fruit:

peaches, sliced (I used roughly 3 medium sized ones)
2 c blackberries + I added a few raspberries after baking; totally unnecessary (I just liked the color)
2 tbsp marionberry jam (any other dark jam will do if you can’t find it!)
1 tbsp half and half or cream, for brushing on the dough + turbinado sugar and slivered almonds for finishing

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 turbinado 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 :)

Posted on

Happy 2022!

Hi hello!

Wow it’s been an AGE. I didn’t mean to go this long without posting, but I actually didn’t bake as much as usual over the holidays and I also enjoyed some well deserved time off, so that meant I was outing-and-abouting more than I was thinking about new things to bake. C’est la vie!

I spent a week up in PDX with my parents – such a great week. Workout, eat, make more food, snuggle cat, read, puzzle, rinse, repeat. It snowed while I was up there too, which made for an extra magical holiday.

those tiny paws are wrapped FIRMLY around my heartstrings all the way from pdx
Thea is a champion head-butter

We did do some baking – mom and I made apple/blueberry/date rolls (adapted from this recipe; filling is basically just a compote of those three things cooked down with a bit of cinnamon and butter) plus of course cookies and a really delicious galette with pears and marionberry (rule number one: when in Oregon, eat ALL THE MARIONBERRIES)

Came back, unpacked and repacked and headed up the next day to ski with the fave human for three days over New Years! Hands down best new years and best skiing I’ve had in several years. The conditions were literally amazing; we skied nearly three full days and the snow was incredible for all of it. 10/10 recommend for best way to spend new years!

Then I came back, and a day later officially started a new job! See, told you there was a lot going on. I moved to LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects (LMSa) as their marketing manager and I am verrryyy excited to be working for a firm that is mission-driven and so focused on sustainability. Wheee!

So now I’m a week into my job and settling back into a (new) routine after a few weeks off, which means it’s time to get back on the regular baking schedule! This weekend’s crisp was a product of the eternal “what do I have on hand that I can use in order to avoid a trip to the market” game – and I’m not sorry with how it turned out! I love these crisps for how adaptable they are. This one is gluten free, vegan, and only has a few tablespoons of maple in the entire thing, making it very breakfast/snack friendly. I’ve made endless variations of this previously – this one is cranberry and apple with a cinnamon crisp topping, perfect for winter.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season – happy 2022 from my kitchen to yours!

plants hiding off-camera

Apple, Cranberry & Cinnamon Crisp

Gluten free, dairy free, vegan & refined sugar free. Yield: 1 8-9″ crisp; serves several! A Wait are those Cookies original. Lightly sweet, perfect for wintery breakfast, dessert and anything in between.

For the filling:

4 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped into cubes
1 c fresh cranberries (or frozen)
1 tbsp tapioca starch
zest and juice of one lemon
1 tbsp maple
1/4 c water

For the crisp:

1 cup old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats for a gluten-free crisp)
½ cup firmly packed almond flour
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c flaked unsweetened coconut (optional, good if you have it!)
2 tbsp maple syrup
heaping ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1.5 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c coconut oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 350.
Toss apples and cranberries 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 tapioca starch, maple, water until combined. 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 flour, chopped walnuts, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Mix in the maple, vanilla, and coconut oil, stirring until everything is mixed thoroughly.

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..)

Posted on

Monochromatic & delicious galette

Hi blog friends!

I’ll freely admit I haven’t felt very blog-y lately, probably because I have been moping about having two metatarsal stress fractures in my left foot. Ew, ugh. I’m in a boot for minimum 3 weeks but probably more like four…. I go for a checkup with the podiatrist on Wednesday so we’ll see. Crossing fingers and trying to be so good about staying off it but OY I just wanna run around! At least I can still swim, thankfully. That is fully keeping me sane (plus I have mastered chair cardio with I’m sure looks ridiculous but is actually decently effective.)

sad reality. yes, I was very careful when I got up on the chair

Alright though, enough whining. I got to spend time with my bestie Ashley who came down to visit me from Idaho (hi Ashley!!) and we made up for the four year hiatus by talking pretty much non-stop.

hooray, a drive-able vista point! we drove out here so I could look at something other than my walls for a minute

I also made this monochromatic, toasty fall galette to share with C this weekend; we ate it over a few board games and nearly finished it in under 24 hours. Actually, as I write this, it’s probably completely gone, ha.

I love anything fig, but there’s something about the combo of apples + figs with rye + hazelnut that’s a real winner. I kept going back to trim off slivers. I know it’s not the most colorful thing I’ve ever made, not by a long shot – but it’s delicious, and simple.

I hope all of us have weeks that are like this galette…. full of delicious things, and simple.

Apple & Fig Galette with a Rye & Hazelnut Crust

Whole grain & refined sugar free (the fig jam I use is fruit sweetened, but there’s also so little per serving that I wouldn’t sweat it if it wasn’t) – full of late fall flavor and so simple to throw together. Excellent by itself or with ice cream! A Wait are those Cookies original, riffed on approx 1000 times. Yield: 1 galette, serves 4-6 (or just two, ha)

for the crust*:
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c dark rye flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1/4 c hazelnut meal
1/2 tsp sea salt
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

*the rye and hazelnut make this dough a little softer and stickier than straight whole wheat – make sure you roll it between parchment. I found it to be fine to work with immediately after making (ie no need to chill it in a disc before rolling) but if it’s giving you problems, stick it in the fridge for a bit to relax.

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, rye, cornmeal, hazelnut meal, and sea salt. 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:

apples, peeled & thinly sliced (I used three of them – 2 granny smith & one lady alice)
3 tbsp fig jam (I have some fruit sweetened preserves that I like; but anything will work)
1 tbsp half and half or cream, for brushing on the dough
coconut sugar for sprinkling

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, 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 :)

Posted on

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 :)

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Galette and Vacation

Hello!

It’s been a minute… I was in Connecticut for two weeks for an actual VACATION, which was amazing: full of swimming, sand and shellfish. I actually didn’t do a whole ton of baking while I was gone – just a few batches of cookies. I actually really enjoyed having time off to do literally nothing other than be active and read my books.

We did all kinds of fun things like a lobster bake (I’d never eaten a whole lobster, so that was a fun adventure); swam in the sound every day and made friends with jellyfish (HA. NOT. Why do they always seem to find me?!) and ate the once-yearly obligatory lobster roll.

Photos are better anyway so I’ll just leave it at that!

In other news, now that I’m back… I made galette! Since stone fruit season is in full swing, I want to take advantage of it. This is an endless riff on the usual galettes that I make, only this one has a mostly-dark rye crust , which is a little different than usual.

I have endless recipe variations posted here so I’m not going to add another today – today’s galette is essentially a variation on this one – the only thing I changed was to use 3/4c dark rye, 1/4c whole wheat, and 1/2c cornmeal in the crust.

If you want one that is grain and gluten free, I suggest this crust; if you want to do peaches, that’s an easy sub of course.

Happy Fogust! Keeping this short today since I want to go run around outside before all the fog goes away (I know, I’m weird that way.) Have a great weekend!