Chocolate-Cranberry Quinoa Cookies

Quinoa, oats, nuts, and dried cranberries in a cookie makes them breakfast appropriate, post-workout ready, and diet friendly. And they are sweet enough that kids like them too! Whatever type of people are in your family, this is a cookie that works for all.
 
Sneaking protein-rich quinoa into baked treats boarders on genius, in my book anyways. I like a little bit of 'healthy' wherever I can get it.

Dark chocolate chunks and plump dried cranberries give them a definite sweetness. Almonds are toasted before used, to intensify their crunch and flavor.

They bake up nice and chewy, and make about two dozen very substantially sized cookies. I had two after a long run, which satisfied both a sweet tooth, and a need for a bit of carbs with staying power. They should keep well for a few days, but I doubt they will last that long.

Quinoa, what else can we sneak you in?

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Dried Plum and Oat Muffins

Who can resist a perfectly crumbly, gently sweet, wholesome breakfast muffin? And when that very same muffin promotes a certain, um, regularity..well, that is the added benefit of including both prunes and oats in the same muffiny package.

Prunes get a bad rap in the states. Abroad they don't seem to have attained the same stigma of being just a bowl of something old and wrinkly next to grandma's bedside. Rather they can be a welcome addition to baked goods. 

Anywhere raisins are present, chopped prunes can be used for a bit more tangy sweetness and moisture.

In these muffins, toasted almonds give a bit of texture. Oats and a mix of white and wheat flour make them ideal for brekkie. Orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg give it a bit of zing. And it's all quite healthy with honey and Greek yogurt added into the mix. 

Careful when they are warm, their addictiveness hides how filling they are. Perfect for a post-run / workout bite too!

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Banana Nut Muffins with a Maple-Bourbon Glaze

Some might splash in a little Baileys in their morning coffee. Jokes all around of tapping into ones Irishness. Living as an American abroad, I sometimes find myself tending to downplay such Euro familial connections, and instead, head straight for what America stands for. This morning, that happened to be maple syrup and bourbon. 

Yes, banana nut muffins livened up with some mapley-bourbon goodness. 

The muffins are fairly straightforward, with only a hint of maple and bourbon. But the glaze that transpired a few hours later, well, that makes them worthy of bringing to work.

For the first time, I used a bit of gelatin in a glaze. I think it helped the structure a bit. If you've got the extra ten minutes to wait around for it to 'bloom' in the water, I say give it a go. Otherwise, skip it, and the glaze should be a bit thinner, but still work out if the muffins aren't traveling far.

The deep maple-bourbon flavor marriage is grounded with a bit of whole-wheat flour and oats. Absolutely toothsome, and not overly sweet. Out. of. this. world.

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Pistachio Cheesecake with Cardamom-Orange Glaze

There are no words. There is only cake.

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Mandarin Cake with Amaretto Crumble

"..and she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China.." Suzanne, Leonard Cohen.

Some weekends deliver that perfect setting of quietude usually found only early in the mornings. And when that introspective peacefulness can stretch over the course of the weekend, well, when it can do that, it is something to be savoured.

It can happen on a particularly grey and rainy weekend, or when one feels a cold coming on and they've been admonished by colleagues to stay tucked in bed until Monday. And it can happen especially when seeing a very close friend with whom silence is just as pleasant as anything else that can fill a room.

When that kind of weekend wraps itself around you, it's nice to have cake. Not luxurious eye-poppingly decorated cake meant for guests. But cake meant for tea. Simple cake that can be had with a quick rummage through the kitchen. A bowl full of mandarins and a half package of amaretti cookies inspired this light and brightly flavoured afternoon treat.

A good amount of milk is used, and it almost has a sponge-cake-like feel. So light. So bright. Perfect for whiling away the afternoon sipping black tea in white tea cups, discussing with a like-minded soul on who gave most life to the song Suzanne: Leonard Cohen's original or Nina Simone's version. I'm a Cohen girl myself, but can't deny that Nina brought an extra something to it.

Whatever the topic lazily discussed, this cake makes for a good weekend nibble.

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Chocolate Pavlova with Caramely Bananas & Mascarpone Cream

Christmas morning is the perfect time to justify a leisurely dessert-like brekkie. And it seems to me that the messiness of pavlova certainly mirrors the disarray of little ones rushing down the stairs Christmas morning. I don't know about you, but for me, Christmas mornings are as relaxed and comfortable as a holiday gets. No one minds if they don't look their best in front of mom's camera when there are gifts to unwrap and gasps of surprise to be heard.

While Pavlova is usually thrown together with summer berries (as in last summer's strawberry-basil pavlova) it can take a winter turn as well with the addition of chocolate in the meringue base. Sauteed bananas are coated in caramel and a sprinkling of nutmeg, and a mascarpone cream sweetened with maple syrup simply resounds of breakfast.

And did I mention it's all spiked with a wee bit of Baileys Irish Cream? Good Christmas morning!

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Turkey Stuffing {with Mushrooms, Sage, and Bacon}

For those of you thinking about the upcoming American turkey day, let me share my favourite stuffing recipe of all time. It stars mushrooms, bacon, sage, and hazelnuts, and couldn't be tastier.

I made it years ago for Thanksgiving with a Czech family, but a few weeks ago I decided it should have another showing. No special occasion, just a hankering for those fall flavours (like I hadn't had enough with the squash-sage-shiitake-bacon risotto sized for an army!)

The stuffing was a bit labour intensive for the average lunch, to be honest, so I served it along some simple lemon-thyme chicken legs and brussels sprouts. 

The mushrooms used were simply the ones that looked the best at the Brno market. In Czech, they are called Václavka obecná, in English, honey mushrooms. There's an excellent write-up of them over at Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. He explains that although they are not highly regarded in the mushroom world, they are traditionally found in Eastern European cuisine. He then makes a batch of Pierogis out of them - bookmarked and will be trying soon!

Another source of info, including where they can be found in North America: The Mushroom Expert




This year, I won't be celebrating Thanksgiving  in the Czech Republic (since whole turkeys, cranberries, and canned pumpkin are not exactly common, and anyways, it's a regular working Thursday over here.) However, I am looking forward to the visual smorgasboard of all the turkeys, stuffings, and pies that make their way to the tables of food bloggers and their families. Cameras ready!

Local walnuts - might make a nice seasonal alternative to hazelnuts

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The (Chocolate Chip) Skillet Cookie

Well, it's official. The skillet cookie has finally had a showing in my kitchen. A brief showing it was though - gobbled up immediately by myself and my partner in crime.

I've seen variations of the skillet cookie weave in and out of food blogs for the last year or two. The classic chocolate chip variety was my gateway cookie last night. The evidence is long gone by this point, so I'll be starting this week cookie free. The glory of the skillet cookie is the speed and ease of preparation. Ten minutes, two dirty bowls, and in the oven it goes. The cast iron skillet does away with all the putzy rolling-out-balls business and swapping out cookie trays every ten minutes. Just pat the batter into the pan, cook 35 minutes, try to wait as long as humanly possible to cool, and eat with abandon. Eat like nobody's watching.

 
Careful, though. Normally, with a cookie-shaped cookie I am semi-consciously aware of how many I'm eating (left over from childhood I presume, when we had a 3-cookie-a-day policy: one for each hand and one for the mouth.) The skillet cookie allows for no such counting. Slice at your own risk.

Being an American expat living abroad, I had a single precious bag of chocolate chips stashed away, and I wanted a rich, classic recipe to do them justice. So we went Martha Stewart style. Partly because her recipe shows them baked in a white Le Creuset, which I've been lusting over some time. But mostly because I wanted some Americana in my belly, and fast, and I knew for this, Martha's recipe would be perfect. Crispy on the outs, gooeylicious in the middle. This thing is seriously dangerous!

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We Are Broken, but Back! {And with Viennese Cake: Sachertorte}

It has certainly been some time. Why, all of September and half of October flew by since the last post. And when I finally did check in, my whole blog was broken!!! Well, the pictures at least.

It turns out if one fiddles with the 'Blogger' pictures in Picasa web albums, it affects the pictures on the actual blog as well. This is news to me. So please be patient as I slowly restore the pictures that have gone missing. I must admit, part of me has been cowering under virtual blankets afraid to look at the wreckage of the the big black gaping holes (with very threatening symbols no less) where my photos used to sit. Those angry exclamation points and triangles were just too much to bear.

Sachertorte from my kitchen. Bulbous, but scrumptious.

And of course I've been busy as well. That's how life works. September in the world of a teacher is absolutely...well, one can imagine. Rather than come back with apologies though, I think it much more foodbloggish to come back with cake! Viennese Sachertorte: the original, and the one from my kitchen.

In the middle of the September new-class chaos, I also took a holiday with my mum. She flew out from Wisconsin, and since she's visited Czech Republic before, we decided to check out some other places. Since Vienna is adored by both of us, we started with a couple days there staying smack-dab next to the outdoor food market - the Naschmarkt.

But back to the cake. Sachertorte is a Viennese legend. It originated in the Hotel Sacher over 175 years ago, and versions of it are sold in cafes across Europe. The original can only be had in Vienna, and I believe also their hotel in Salzburg. In the past, I've always arrived at Hotel Sacher's Café during their busy time. Morning, mid-day, evening, it's always been packed with people. But this time, we tried a late evening approach - ten or elevinish. Seats were procured and cake was had.

And I don't know if it's the elegant 'S' icon on every pane of glass in the cafe, or the Sacher Hotel chocolate seal atop each slice of cake, but it just tasted better than any other Sachertorte I've ever had. And there have been many.

Compared to American cakes, the sweetness of Sachertorte is quite understated. Yet the smooth chocolate icing and the apricot glaze between the layers gave it the sugar edge my taste buds badly craved. Then again, to balance that out, the whipped cream served along side was also unsweetened. But then, the mug of Hot Sacher Chocolate I ordered tipped the sweet scale over again. It seems to me that Sachertorte has held onto it's popular position in Central Europe for so long precisely for this sweetness balance.

THE Original Sacher-Torte

After having had the real thing, it dawned on me that someday I might move away and not be within driving distance of Vienna, and more importantly, of its cakes. I had better learn to create some semblance of flavours and textures that mimic the original. I read up a bit and decided the recipe from Kaffehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague as found on Epicurious would do the trick. I read the reviews and followed the recipe, only baked it at a lower temperature (350°) for 45-50 minutes (rather than 400° for 35 minutes, as other reviews had suggested.)

The result is pictured at the top of the post. Not nearly as elegant as the Sacher Original. And to be honest, this was my second attempt. (The first turned into the biggest cake disaster I've ever lived through. Entire thing went to the trash. It was completely my mistake. When beating the egg whites and sugar together I used a wooden bowl, rather than glass, and those whites would not turn into anything resembling firm peaks!)

The cake bakes up with quite a domed arch shape. Since the whole thing should be sliced in half, the top should be sliced evenly flat too. And cutting off those excess top bits should give you enough for a hearty taste-test as well.

The apricot glaze is just lovely, and it pays to brush it onto the cake layer with a big rubber pastry brush, slowly, so it can sink in to the cake. Oh, and somehow my version ended up receiving chopped toasted almonds on top - not usual on a Sachertorte. But almonds suited the chocolate and apricot/rum glaze, and what's more, I really didn't find the glaze visually appealing. It turned out a bit too thin. It might be worth experimenting with a different chocolate glaze than the one in the recipe, which is perhaps too basic.

While it's a bit of a do-ahead cake (best to bake the night before, to be glazed/assembled the next day) it doesn't keep very long. Even well-covered in the fridge it seemed to dry out quickly. It's a great cake to share. Although, come to think of it, every cake is theoretically made for sharing. But the drying-out concern makes this one particularly destined for sharing, and not guilting it's way onto your plate for days on end.
Disclaimer: I may have too-much-cake-in-the-kitchen trauma.

Vienna Tips

(For a very nice Vienna write-up, check out post from earlier this year at What's for Lunch Honey?)

St. Stephan's Cathedral

A great, great, great place to stay is right next to the Naschmarkt at Wombat's City Hostel. It's newly built with private rooms as well as dorms. Very nice and clean kitchen facilities...makes eating straight from the market so easy!


If cooking for yourself is not appealing on holiday, there are plenty of cute cafés tucked between the rows of veg at the market. And for a sweet fix while walking, duck into the Schoko Company shop (in the middle of the market area) for a wide selection of über-creative chocolate creations, especially ones by my fave Austrian producer, Zotter.

Beyond the Naschmarkt are plenty of museums and other attractions depending on one's interests. Yet, one place absolutely anyone can find worth visiting is Prater (Wurstelprater) - the amusement park.

Firstly developed in the late 1800s and reconstructed after the war, Prater is the amusement park with atmosphere. Classic rides, games, and nostalgic images abound...go at night and you won't be disappointed!

A few more Vienna pictures can be found in this Picasa web album.

Next food stop on the mum-n-daughter holiday: Rome. Psst...there will be artichokes!

Dobrou Chut'/ Enjoy.
-- Jo

Puff Pastry Strawberry Napoleons

I swear I eat more fruit than just strawberries.

In fact, there's a heap of freshly picked apricots on the table since morning. Yet somehow this will be the third strawberry post up this summer. First there was the elegant strawberry glasses with ricotta cream, then the splitting-at-the-seams strawberry pavlova with mint syrup.

Now up to bat is the classic brunch - Strawberry Napoleons - made easier with puff pastry.

I snapped a scant few pictures before gobbling them up, but I figure one picture is enough to toss up a quick recipe post. Really, though, I just wanted to share the fantastic ricotta cream one more time, because it is seriously that good. Same flavours as before, but much heartier, what with three layers of flaky dough. Think of this as the sturdy-legged cousin to that waify strawberry-purée-in-a-glass dish. Both are immensely satisfying, but in a night vs day kinda way.

And I promise, something besides strawberries will be coming soon!

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I Met Him in a Cherry Tree...Part 2 (& Strawberry Pavlova Recipe)

Continued from Part I

...I gasped. He was cuuuute!  

 I wanted nothing more than to fold him up and stick him in my pocket. Unfortunately, some fruit needed picking, so it was back to work for the moment. 

Ensuing days found me constantly in his path - quite literally. I did everything in my power to end up picking cherries in the same row, so that one day I could 'casually' wander over (carrying my 6-plus-foot ladder under my arm, mind you) and holler up to him - 

'So do you want to hang out some time?' 

(Embarrassingly unclever, I do realize, but in my silly-girl-nervousness state, that's all I could muster up, despite days of planning this very moment.)

He says: Uhhh, what does it mean, 'hang out?' 


Fuck. Phrasal verbs. Really? He doesn't know 'hang out'? What did they teach in English class in the Czech Republic? Well, certainly not phrasal verbs, I thought.

Once we got that all sorted out, and he vigorously agreed to 'hang out' with me that evening (his head-bobbing nearly threw him off his ladder), I 'casually' walked away. After a few steps: 'Josie!'

My heart briefly considered skipping a beat, but no use, as it was not my beloved - rather the voice of the orchard boss. 'Josie - this way!' he yelled.

I had 'casually' walked the wrong way down the cherry row. This did not exactly go unnoticed by the above-mentioned beloved, especially while turning around, what with that six-plus-foot ladder pinched under my arm.

Returning to my camp site, I furiously prepped for that 'nonchalant american cool' I so eagerly wanted to convey. He still jokes about the orange clown shoes (his words),which were actually authentic Berber loafers picked up in Morocco (my words), in which I arrived.

The impromptu date involved a dictionary, pen and paper, and wildly gregarious hand-gestures. We were in a small town with little else to do but to draw maps of our hometowns and teach one another the dearest and the nastiest of all phrases in our language. 

Within the year, we left New Zealand, and I moved to his county ('My Republic' he called it), and I have been teaching boat-loads of phrasal verbs ever since.




New Zealand = Aotearoa = land of the long white cloud = pavlova = damn fine dessert.

Pavlova.

What a funny name for a dessert. My Czech friends were a bit suspicious...hmmm, sounds Russian, they said. Well, I had to dig into the lore a bit, since when I was in New Zealand it was drummed into my head that the Pavlova is as New Zealand as can be. Then I start seeing it pop up on all sorts of Australian blogs as a -what?- classic Aussie invented dessert?! The internet tells me that it was named after a Russian ballerina, but by a Aussie or a Kiwi chef in the early 1900s is the big debate. 

I really didn't want this dessert to be too sweet, so my recipe here uses limited sugar for the strawberries and cream. Basically, it's just enough to do the job extracting the strawberry juice and flavouring the whipping  cream. But the sweetness should really be understated to let those fluffy meringue layers shine. 

The meringue itself has the added kick of a bit of allspice. It really marries well with the basil syrup. For a more traditional pairing, the basil could easily be replaced with mint, and the allspice with a some lemon zest. But I like the offbeat allspice/basil zing. It provides a little earthiness to an otherwise sugar-spun and  fairy-light mouthfeel.

It was my first meringue attempt, and I spent the morning pouring over two of my fave cookbooks (in terms of explanations and techniques) - Cook with Jamie and French Lessons. 

Both these books are excellent sources on dessert techniques, among other things. I'm not sure the confidence would have been flowing as much as it was without them. I must say, making meringues was really fun in a science-experimenty kind of way! 

Note that this cake does not keep well for the next day. Share generously and that won't be a problem anyways! It's great made the morning of some get together, keep the meringues on the counter and the berries, syrup, and cream in the fridge. Assemble just before people arrive.

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I Met Him in a Cherry Tree...Part 1 (& Cherry Clafoutis Recipe)

I was in a cherry tree when I heard him for the first time.

"Hey, honey! What's your name?"

My head swiveled round. This cheeky opening line had to be directed at me. I was the only girl in that row of cherries. Tall above the branches, perched on a ladder, admiring the stellar panorama that New Zealand had to offer, I had been minding my own business - trying to pick fast, fill my buckets, and make some decent money that day. 

Or, at least enough money to cover the campsite fee, some organic lamb for dinner, a few beers (Speight's 'Old Dark' for you kiwi-readers), and enough petrol to traipse about elsewhere on the South Island that weekend.

 

Maybe it was the heat of mid-day, or the boredom of dealing with my own thoughts for too long, but I answered his call.

"Who me?"

"Yeah!"

"It's Josie."

And so it began. Small talk flew over the tree tops. I climbed down my ladder. I stood at the bottom of his. I noticed his odd, brown, leather work shoes. He began to descend. A baseball hat cast a deep shadow over most of his face. I gasped. He was cuuuute! 

 

To be continued...

For those who haven't come accross Cherry Clafoutis before, let me just say it is one brilliant use of cherries. No pitting involved, as leaving the pits in is a French tradition which is said to add to the depth of flavour. Real vanilla, eggs, cream, and toasted almonds tossed over top make for the perfect finish to a summer meal.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Sometimes the mundane is what makes life so enjoyable. It's important to remember to be kind to ourselves, slow down, and enjoy what each day has to offer. Sounds a bit trite? Sure. Yet who among us can't use another reminder to lay off the pressure on ourselves, and our loved ones, just a bit. 

Lemon poppy baked goods are nothing earth shattering, but they are comforting and uplifting. It remains one of my all-time fave flavour combos, which makes sense given that, among waves of food trends, lemon poppy seed cakes, muffins, scones, and waffles still flatter the pages of food magazines and cookbooks year after year. 

To test out my new oven thermometer (purchased due to my hair-pulling gas oven which has a dial with unmarked lines - no numbers, nothing - to set the temperature) I decided I needed to give another crack at the lemon poppy seed muffin. You see, the challenge is to balance the sweetness. Many recipes I've tried fall into one or the other extreme on the sweetness line. These muffins should be suitable for breakkie, yet sweet enough to snack on during that mid-afternoon energy slump. 

And wouldn't you know, I finally hit upon that balance. Maybe it was that oven thermometer that inspired some extra thought and vigilance while hammering out the recipe, or maybe karma just decided it was my morning for a treat. Whatever the case, I can finally share that sought-after recipe. It makes a batch of muffins plus a pan of mini-muffins (better for sharing, or sticking in the freezer for later.) I think raw sugar is the key to maintaining the sweetness balance, but there is a sugary glaze that I made and used over half the muffins...the ones intended for later in the afternoon.

Check out more scrumptious bites at Sweets for Saturday.

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