Aren’t these the cutest things?

If you’ve heard of Aebelskivers, also known as ebelskivers, you may have also heard of Solvang, California, a Danish village located on the Central Coast.  Danish colonists founded the village in 1911, which has retained a Scandinavian flair ever since.  My [...]]]>

Aren’t these the cutest things?

If you’ve heard of Aebelskivers, also known as ebelskivers, you may have also heard of Solvang, California, a Danish village located on the Central Coast.  Danish colonists founded the village in 1911, which has retained a Scandinavian flair ever since.  My sister and I drove down there a couple months ago to check out the windmills, cheese shops and year-round Christmas stores, and took the time to enjoy a plate of these delicious pancake balls with raspberry jam.  Aebelskivers are kind of like a cross between a pancake and a doughnut.  When fresh, they have a delightfully crispy exterior and a slightly sweet interior, and are served sprinkled with powdered sugar.  You can also fill the balls with jam, Nutella, fruit, and other fillings.

Chris grew up with Aebelskivers, not because he has Danish heritage, but because through visiting Solvang several decades ago, his grandmother acquired an aebelskiver pan, and started a tradition of making the pancake balls on family camping trips.  So when Chris found a cast-iron aebelskiver pan at the local Goodwill, he snapped it up immediately.

This weekend, instead of our usual Saturday-morning pancakes, we made a batch of aebelskivers.  And they were not just exciting as a novelty, but really good as well.  The crust is crisp and golden, and the insides are fluffy and flavorful.

The recipe we used has the pancake balls subtly spiced with cardamom, which gives them a slightly lemony, nutmeggy flavor.  To turn the balls, use a skewer to loosen the batter around the sides.  Poke it through the middle of the batter right down to the bottom, and turn the entire pancake ball gently 1/4 turn.  The center of the pancake ball should still be runny and the batter will run out, filling the extra space.  After a minute or so, turn the ball 1/4 turn again so that the original bottom of the ball is now on the top.

You can get your own aebelskiver pan on Amazon – here’s an aebelskiver pan from Lodge and a rather cheaper pan from Norpro.

My husband reminded me that these are a lot like the takoyaki balls we enjoyed in Japan (we also had the opportunity to cook them at a Japanese inn).  They are indeed made in a very similar way, but the aebelskivers are rather larger and fluffier.  And they don’t have octopus in them, or shaved fish flakes, mayo and soy sauce drizzled over top.  Takoyaki are very good too…but very very different.

Aebelskivers – Danish Pancake Balls
Adapted from Sunset

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted butter plus extra

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl (dry ingredients). Then mix together the next 5 ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

Heat cast-iron aebelskiver pan over medium heat until it sizzles when a bit of water is dropped onto pan. Turn heat down to medium-low. Grease holes in pan by brushing melted butter on with a pastry brush. Fill holes with batter, being careful not to over-fill them, as batter will puff up slightly as it cooks.

Once a crust has formed (about 1 min), loosen the batter from the sides of the holes with a skewer. Poke the skewer into the center of the batter right down to the pan, then pull skewer up the side of the hole, turning the entire ball 1/4 turn. Batter will spill out to fill the hole in the pan. When the crust is set, turn once again to form a complete ball. Cook for a minute or two until entire ball is golden-brown all over. Using the skewer, remove from pan. Repeat with the rest of the batter, greasing the holes with butter between each batch.

Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and a dollop of raspberry jam.

You know what?  These muffins are good.  Real good.

What you don’t see in the picture are the four muffins I’ve eaten already.  And it’s been less than 12 hours since I made ‘em.  Must…not…eat…another…one…  Aghhh!  I can’t win this fight.

Thankfully, they’re supposed to be healthy, [...]]]>

You know what?  These muffins are good.  Real good.

What you don’t see in the picture are the four muffins I’ve eaten already.  And it’s been less than 12 hours since I made ‘em.  Must…not…eat…another…one…  Aghhh!  I can’t win this fight.

Thankfully, they’re supposed to be healthy, so I don’t feel too bad about myself.  Yep, these muffins have cornmeal, oatmeal, and flax meal in them, and they taste YUMMY!  They’re moist, healthy, and delicious, with a complex flavor from honey as a sweetener and the genius addition of lime zest.

They have less fat added than usual muffins, just 1/4 cup of heart-healthy canola oil, and a bright kick of antioxidants from organic blueberries!

They come from this cookbook that I picked up at the bargain rack at Barnes&Noble.  I don’t always find good books there, but the James Beard Foundation Award was quite a recommendation.  And it was pretty bargain-priced.

I made hardly any changes to the recipe.  I just subbed blueberries for the raspberries, and flax meal for the wheat bran.  Flax meal does have a bit of an aftertaste, so you might want to go the wheat bran route if you don’t like it.

Multi-Grain Blueberry Muffins
Adapted ever so slightly from The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook

1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup low-fat milk or soy milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup wheat bran or 1/8 cup flax meal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup (scant) canola oil
zest of one lime
1 egg
3/4 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix oats and milk together and microwave on high for about 3 min until oats are cooked. Or cook them on the stovetop if, like me, you don’t own a microwave.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, wheat bran/flax, baking powder and salt. On top of the combined dry ingredients, dump the cooked oats, honey, oil, lime zest, and egg. Mix just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

Grease a 12-hole muffin tin or line with muffin liners. Divide batter into muffin holes. Bake 16-18 minutes, or until gently browned on the top and a tester inserted into muffin comes out clean.

Cool and enjoy! (They’re really good warm).

Behold, it is time for good cheer!

What better way to show your loved ones how much you care than by stuffing them full of cake?

I was drawn to this cake by one interesting component – cornmeal.  I don’t know about you, but I love cornmeal. [...]]]>

Behold, it is time for good cheer!

What better way to show your loved ones how much you care than by stuffing them full of cake?

I was drawn to this cake by one interesting component – cornmeal.  I don’t know about you, but I love cornmeal.  So does Chris.  Surprisingly, Chris doesn’t like whole kernel corn, though.  He says it’s just a whole lot of nothing and can’t understand why people like it.  Me, I’m indifferent.  But cornmeal, now.

I always find it intriguing when cornmeal is worked into sweet baked goods.  It seems to make them a little more substantial, a little more rustic, and I feel just the tiniest bit less guilty eating them.  I know that really doesn’t make sense, because this cake contains a stick and a half of butter and 6 egg yolks, but it does.  It just doesn’t seem so bad.

Now the cake.  It was good.  I liked the crunch of the cornmeal between my teeth as I bit into it, and the combo of orange zest and cranberries is always a winner.  It made a dense, moist cake, punctuated by bursts of tart cranberries and the slightly gritty texture of the cornmeal (that doesn’t sound good, I know, but it is).  So I’m not raving about it, but I liked it.

It was definitely a bit too sweet.  I’d reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup, at least.  Especially with something as hearty as cornmeal, you almost want the cake to be a little bit savory.

Cornmeal Cranberry Cake
From Giada deLaurentis

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar (reduce this if you like)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow fine cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup orange zest (from 2 large oranges)
1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time while beating. Mix in vanilla extract.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Mix in little by little into the eggs/butter mixture, until incorporated.

Fold in cranberries.

Scrape into a buttered and floured 9-inch round cake pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until cake is golden on top. Let cool before removing from pan.

When I was going to college at the University of Toronto, I used to drop by my local Second Cup every now and then for a nice big latte and a lemon cranberry muffin.  It just hit the spot on blustery snowy mornings, and fueled [...]]]>

When I was going to college at the University of Toronto, I used to drop by my local Second Cup every now and then for a nice big latte and a lemon cranberry muffin.  It just hit the spot on blustery snowy mornings, and fueled me for the 20 minute walk across the icy campus to my classes at the very furthest end of the university.  Sometimes, instead of going in the mornings, I’d spend a few hours in the coffee shop sipping my coffee and munching on my muffin, researching papers all afternoon (hooray for free wifi).

Tim Hortons also had a lemon cranberry muffin, and though it didn’t have the nice crisp cap of the Second Cup muffin, it had a deliciously fluffy cake-like consistency and was almost always gone by the time I got to the Tim Hortons on the south end of campus.

A good lemon cranberry muffin is just one of the best parts of winter.  And despite the fact that it was probably 80 degrees out today on the Central Coast, cranberries are in season, and I’m stocking up.  A few bags of cranberries thrown right in the freezer will last me through till spring, so I’m anticipating plenty of cranberry goodness all through the winter.

Check out the colors of this gorgeous muffin.  I used a yogurt cake base, because every since I made this lemon yogurt cake by Orangette, it has become my go-to lemon cake recipe.  It’s moist and fluffy, with a fine crumb, perfect as a base for poppy seeds or fruit (or both).  I love the tart cranberries as they explode in your mouth!  After making the muffins, I felt they needed a little extra sweetness, so I made a lemon simple syrup that I brushed over the top of the muffins.  But you could just increase the sugar slightly, or sprinkle sugar over the top of the muffins before baking them.

I had a little extra batter left over at the end, so I made a giant muffin (or a mini loaf) in a buttered ramekin.  I actually love the look of the ramekin muffin and think that a set of these little cups with muffins baked into them would make a great Christmas gift.

Lemon Cranberry Muffins

½ cup plain yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
pinch salt
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup oil
2 cups fresh cranberries

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix the yogurt, sugar, salt and eggs together in a large bowl.  Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract.

2.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir together until moistened.

3.  Add oil and mix, mix, mix until batter is smooth and homogeneous.  Fold in cranberries.

4.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean.

Lemon Simple Syrup

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a small saucepan, heat the lemon juice and sugar together gently until all the sugar dissolves.  Brush over muffins.

Back in my single days when I had just arrived in China, fresh from college and ready to teach English, I hadn’t a clue about baking. I don’t think I had ever baked anything in my life except peanut butter cookies and a failed, [...]]]>

Back in my single days when I had just arrived in China, fresh from college and ready to teach English, I hadn’t a clue about baking. I don’t think I had ever baked anything in my life except peanut butter cookies and a failed, stone-heavy yogurt cake. All through college in Toronto I had survived on stir-fries and cheap take-out from the Chinese BBQ place downstairs (they would give you a big styrofoam box of rice with slices of BBQ pork and duck on top, and douse it with a generous ladleful of sauce. The sauce was the best. That $4.25 box of meat and rice could last me a couple of meals, if there was enough sauce to go with the rice).

But when I arrived in China I discovered that my roommate Andrea was a talented cook, who loved to putter around the kitchen and decorated her room with creative paper cutouts – a domestic soul, something I wasn’t really used to among my friends from Toronto.  She was from a town and family where, apparently, they taught you to cook.  I was a skill-less city girl, ready to rough it in China. I didn’t realize then that I would grow to love cooking, baking, and decorating too (though that took another couple of years, when I got married)!

Andrea taught me to make this banana bread in our tiny little Chinese kitchen. We had no oven, just two flukey toaster ovens. One of them was tiny and would never fit a loaf pan inside, and the other one’s lower element was broken. We had to cover our brownies with foil to prevent the top from burning before the bottom was done. But it worked. And now, I figure that if I can bake banana bread in a toaster oven in China, I can bake anything.

Andrea’s aunt developed this banana bread recipe, experimenting with all the ingredients to get the perfect balance of moistness and flavor. It became a treasured family recipe that Andrea graciously shared with me. It’s a super easy, classic quick bread recipe, one that even I, a total noob, learned in a jiffy.

I’ve made a few changes over the years – I’ve grown accustomed to less sweetness, so I reduced the sugar a bit, and I’ve started making it with part whole wheat flour and olive oil – but the framework of the recipe is the same.  Sometimes I like to toss in a handful of dried cranberries, but you can do it just plain or add walnuts if you like.

Andrea’s Best Ever Banana Bread
Makes 2 medium loaves

4 ripe large bananas
4 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar + 1 tbsp
1 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can sub part with whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking soda
dash salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, olive oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and 1 ½ cups sugar. Mix together thoroughly.

2. In a small cup, mix the baking soda with some of the flour. Then dump all of the flour, with the baking soda, and salt, on top of the wet ingredients. Stir until everything is well moistened.

3. Butter two medium loaf pans. Pour the batter into the pans and sprinkle tops of loaves with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 60 minutes or longer, until a tester inserted into loaves comes out clean. Depending on your oven, though, you’ll want to check these at 50 minutes to be sure – there’s nothing worse than overcooked banana bread!

Well, it’s a windy, blustery day that is leaving our patio plants in disarray.  One of those days where you feel autumn is in the air and you want to curl up with a hot cup of chai and a warm cinnamony snack.  Speaking of [...]]]>

Well, it’s a windy, blustery day that is leaving our patio plants in disarray.  One of those days where you feel autumn is in the air and you want to curl up with a hot cup of chai and a warm cinnamony snack.  Speaking of chai – I love tea, but what on earth happened to saucers???  I mean, where am I supposed to leave my soggy tea-bag if I want to reuse it for a second cup?  I have to get out a separate salad plate to put my tea bag on while I’m drinking my first cup of tea?  Seriously, they don’t make cups like they used to.

Confession – before I made this zucchini bread, I had never eaten zucchini bread before. So I had no idea what it was supposed to taste like. Now, I’ve discovered that I LOVE zucchini bread! It’s like carrot cake, but with delicious, in-season and dirt-cheap zucchinis (69 cents a pound at my local grocery). Keep the skin on, and you’ll get even more vitamins and minerals (zucchinis are a good source of Vitamin C, folate, potassium, Vitamin A and beta-carotene).

The base recipe for this bread was a Paula Deen recipe (what? It was the first recipe that came up on Google, ok?), though I’ve modified it quite a bit.

(Long list of alterations coming up; skip this paragraph if that’s boring for you) I swapped the water for buttermilk and replaced some of the white flour with whole-wheat. I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and reduced the sugar by a whole cup while at the same time swapping half of the white sugar for brown.  I kind of hate nutmeg (sorry nutmeg lovers!) so I upped the amount of cinnamon, omitted the nutmeg, and added a teensy bit of ground cloves.

The result is a deliciously moist cake that is not too sweet, perfect for making…Zucchini Bread French Toast!!! An absolutely delicious way of eating zucchini bread.

In fact, my craving for zucchini bread french toast is so strong that I’ve got another batch of zucchini bread in the oven right now.

For those of you who are blessed with gardens overflowing with zucchini – I’m jealous, and this is a perfect way to use up your veggies. Though of course, if you have a garden overflowing with zucchini, I’m sure you’ve already made a gazillion batches of zucchini bread, and you’re rolling your eyes right now saying, “so what, zucchini bread, whoo hoo”.

Well, try it as French toast and let me know what you think. I adore it. The egg forms a crisp crust on the outside of the bread and the inside of the bread is meltingly moist and soft with cinnamon and spice. Serve it with sliced strawberries and bananas, and the whole thing is worthy of a déjeuner chez Cora’s (a French Canadian chain of breakfast restaurants – yay Canada!).

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from a Paula Deen recipe. You can, of course, add walnuts or pecans if you wish.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium zucchinis, grated (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
4 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle lemon juice on the grated zucchinis to keep them green.
2. Combine the zucchinis, olive oil, eggs and buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, sugars, and salt.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir together until moistened and more or less combined.
5. Pour into 2 greased medium loaf pans. Sprinkle loaves with remaining tablespoon white sugar. Bake in oven for about 1 hour (check at 50 minutes), until tester inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread French Toast
Serves 2

4 slices zucchini bread
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
salt

Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt. Dunk the zucchini bread slices into the egg mixture before frying on a non-stick griddle over medium heat, about 2 minutes per side until golden brown.

Serve with fresh fruit and honey or syrup.

Guys, guys…I am so excited!

It all started a couple days ago when Chris and I were at Marshalls and saw…guess what? This 5.5 quart Le Creuset French Oven!!! I know, at Marshalls! It was…well you know they’re never dirt cheap, but this [...]]]>

Guys, guys…I am so excited!

It all started a couple days ago when Chris and I were at Marshalls and saw…guess what? This 5.5 quart Le Creuset French Oven!!! I know, at Marshalls! It was…well you know they’re never dirt cheap, but this was definitely a bargain. If any of you are near the Marshalls in Arroyo Grande, head over there – they might still be there. They had about 5 or 6 of them last weekend. Of course they might all be gone now…but who knows?

So after picking up this dream item in a beautiful fire engine red, I headed home to test it out. Guess what was the first recipe that came to mind? Okay, yes, it was Beef Bourgignon. But guess what was the SECOND recipe that came to mind? The beautiful loaf you see below. NO KNEAD BREAD.

I’ve always been intrigued by the concept behind no-knead bread. A wet dough, baked in a dutch oven, that magically comes out crispy on the outside, and light and airy and tender on the inside. Could it be possible? For the longest time I couldn’t try out the recipe, first because I was living in China and owned only a toaster oven and a single hot plate, and then because I had no dutch oven or other heavy casserole. Finally! My day has come!

I still can hardly believe that I really baked this loaf of bread. It hardly seemed to take any effort. For those of you not familiar with no-knead bread, basically the steps go like this. You take some flour, some warm water, salt and just a little bit of yeast. You mix it all together to make a wet, shaggy dough. You let this gooey mixture rest in a warm place for oh, about 18 hours. When it’s risen and full of little bubbles, you gently fold it down on itself, shape it into a ball, and let it rise 2 more hours. Then you bake it in a preheated dutch oven, first covered, then uncovered for the last half hour. Baking it first in a covered oven gives the crust the moisture it needs to become thick and crispy, while baking it with the cover off browns it and crisps it up the rest of the way.

Beautiful.

I was impressed with my first try. The only thing I might do differently next time is…well, I didn’t salt it well enough. Which is fine if you put some salted butter on it, but while the texture came out perfect, the taste of just the plain bread was just an iota bland. I didn’t measure out one teaspoon like I should have. I just sprinkled and guesstimated. My bad.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to making bakery-quality bread in my own kitchen! Thank you, Le Creuset. Thank you, Marshalls. Thank you, Jim Lahey and Matt Bittman.

No-Knead Bread
From Jim Lahey and Matt Bittman’s recipe

3 cups bread flour
1 5/8 cups lukewarm water (I just went slightly over the 1 ½ cup mark)
¼ teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt

1. Mix together all of the above ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for the next 12-18 hours, preferably 18.

2. When dough is ready, it will be riddled with holes and bubbles and expanded to over twice its former size. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, and gently fold the two sides over (like a brochure). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest another 15 minutes.

3. Dust a kitchen towel (not terry) with flour and place in a bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it, seam side down, into the cloth lined bowl. Cover with another cloth. Let rise in a warm place for another two hours, until doubled.

4. Half an hour before dough is finished rising, preheat the oven and place a dutch oven or other heavy casserole dish, with the cover on, in the oven to heat up.

5. Carefully remove the hot casserole from oven. Turn the risen dough ball into the hot dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove lid and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until browned.

6. Let cool on a rack before cutting into it. Listen to the crackle of the crust as the steam escapes. That means a crispy crust.

Okay guys, just a disclaimer.  I’m not usually a fan of low fat “diet” foods – as in, I believe in eating healthy, but to deliberately make a dish just because it’s low-fat?  Ugh.  But say for example, you made a key lime pie yesterday, [...]]]>

Okay guys, just a disclaimer.  I’m not usually a fan of low fat “diet” foods – as in, I believe in eating healthy, but to deliberately make a dish just because it’s low-fat?  Ugh.  But say for example, you made a key lime pie yesterday, and found yourself with four egg whites standing around today, and you’re hungry, and what?  Say what?  Oh an egg white omelet, you say?  Well, don’t mind if I do.

Surprisingly, this didn’t end up tasting anaemic and low-fat at all.  With a few really flavorful ingredients, like herbs and well, just a teensy bit of cheese, this simple dish was quite a treat.

By the way, have you noticed how the word “omelette” sounds so much more romantic than “omelet”?  I prefer the frenchified spelling as it makes me feel like I might have this in an adorable bistro in Paris sometime.  I lived in France for a couple years as a child, but I was too young to appreciate the culinary wonders I was exposed to on a daily basis.  I did learn to love a) French flan, b) pain au chocolat, and c) a brioche slathered with butter and jam.  Or Nutella.  Other than that, my cravings veered more towards the frites and children’s meals options.  Sigh…oh the wasted years.

Anyways, if you want to try this omelette, or omelet, or whatever, I promise you that it will pack a lot of flavor without a lot of guilt.  Everyone wins!

Herbed Egg White Omelette
Serves 1

3 to 4 egg whites
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme…though if you’re using rosemary or thyme you might want to rein it in a bit to not overpower everything)
1 generous tbsp grated Parmesan
1 generous tbsp crumbled Feta cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Beat egg whites lightly.  Stir in the herbs and season lightly with salt.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a stick-resistant skillet over medium heat.  When pan is hot, reduce heat to low.   Pour in the eggs.  I like to stir it a little at this point, letting the uncooked egg run under the cooked bits, just to get it more evenly cooked.  When eggs are about 60 percent done, stop stirring so they can set in an omelette shape.  When omelette is almost set on top, sprinkle on the cheeses and a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.  Carefully fold omelette in half.  Let cook until cheese starts to melt, maybe just a few seconds more, then flip to the other side for another few seconds.

Grab a plate and carefully transfer the hot omelette.  Serve with salsa and whatever else you prefer!

Hello loyal readers!  Thank you for being patient with us as we traveled through East Asia and went through a major move from China back to the United States!  We have been in a whirlwind of events in the last few weeks – spending two [...]]]>

Hello loyal readers!  Thank you for being patient with us as we traveled through East Asia and went through a major move from China back to the United States!  We have been in a whirlwind of events in the last few weeks – spending two weeks in Japan, then a week in Hong Kong, and finally flying back to Southern California.  We’re back here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, so you can expect a lot more cooking in the future now that I’ll have access to a real kitchen.

A post detailing the highlights of our trip to Japan is coming soon.  In the meantime, the apple tree at my parents-in-law’s house is bearing clusters of delicious, slightly tart fruit, and I had to make an apple pie to celebrate the season.  Yes, apple trees do grow in Southern California, though only certain types are adapted to the warmer climate here.

I’m amazed by the sheer variety of fresh produce that is available in Southern California.  I mean, not only is the food industry’s transportation system amazing, but there is just so much available locally and seasonally.   My in-laws’ have grapefruit ripening slowly on the tree, loads of lemons, persimmons soon to be ripening, not to mention the large numbers of apples.  Now THAT is local!  Straight from your own backyard!  That is something that as a Canadian living in a big city, I did not have the opportunity to enjoy, especially during the frigid winter months.

The crust was a tried-and-true recipe from this cherry pie that I made earlier this year, and the filling was somewhat adapted from this apple pie at SimplyRecipes, and turned out really well.  It’s hard to go wrong with tart apples, a bit of cinnamon, sugar, and allspice, baked until bubbling and juicy.

Apple Pie

Crust
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cubed
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ice water (or more)

Pie
3 lbs apples (I used about 5 good sized ones)
3/4 cup white sugar (or a mixture of white and brown)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp flour

Egg Wash
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a bowl place the flour, sugar, salt and cubes of chilled butter.  Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until largest pieces are about pea-sized.  Add ice water little by little while mixing dough.  When dough holds together when you squeeze it, it’s ready.  Gather into a ball.  Divide into two equal balls, wrap in plastic, and chill in fridge while making filling.

Peel and cut apples into chunks (I cubed mine to see how it would turn out, which made my pie kind of lumpy looking, so you might want to just slice them about 1/3 inch thick).  Toss with sugar, cinnamon, allspice, flour and vanilla.  Let sit while you roll out dough.

Take out one ball of dough and roll out into a 12-inch circle.  Fit into pie plate.  Mound pie shell with filling.  Take out the other ball of dough and roll into a slightly smaller circle.  Place over pie.  Fold edges over and crimp to seal.  Make a few slits in the top crust to let steam out.

Mix egg yolk with milk and brush over top crust of pie, but not the crimped edges.

Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.  Then lower temperature to 350 F and bake for another 30-40 minutes.  Pie is done when juices are bubbling and crust is browned.

A Spanish tortilla is a beautiful thing. Crisp golden coins of potato, the fresh taste of spring onion, all cooked together in a cake held together by eggs. Yum! It’s all my favorite breakfast foods rolled into one, in a neat and [...]]]>

A Spanish tortilla is a beautiful thing. Crisp golden coins of potato, the fresh taste of spring onion, all cooked together in a cake held together by eggs. Yum! It’s all my favorite breakfast foods rolled into one, in a neat and portable package. Chris and I had this for brunch the other day and it was just right – the potato makes it substantial; the eggs give it richness without weighing it down. Oh, and did I mention that it’s one of the easiest things to cook EVER? And that it’s a perfect afternoon snack? And that I can imagine myself as a Spanish grandma cooking this on my vintage range for my school-age grandchild? Ohhh yeah.

Basically, you slice a couple potatoes thinly and fry them in a bit of olive oil until they’re tender and golden. Then, while they’re still warm, you toss them in with 4 beaten eggs and some chopped spring onion, a pinch of salt, and let the mixture sit until the eggs thicken up just a tad. Pour the whole thing into a skillet and cook until the eggs set around the edges. Then – oh and this is the impressive bit – you slide the whole thing out onto a plate, and invert it back into the pan. Poof! A perfectly round golden omelet. I can’t say the symmetry doesn’t appeal to me.

I adapted this from SimplyRecipes, but reduced the number of eggs. I wanted the potatoes to shine a bit more, and well, I felt a little guilty about 6 eggs for a party of two. I also didn’t bother to lay the potatoes out in the pan in a scalloped pattern – I just dumped the whole thing in and it turned out rather pretty.

I love pretty things.

Anyway, I’m sorry I’ve been a bit slow posting lately, but Chris and I have been working out of town 3 days a week, leaving me less time to shop for groceries. I’m aiming to get back to 2 posts a week, at least. This weekend, I’m planning to make a few yummy things to share with you all.

In the meantime, make a Spanish tortilla! You’ll be glad you did.

Spanish Tortilla
Adapted from SimplyRecipes

2 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold works well)
4 large eggs
2 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil

Slice potatoes thinly. Fry in olive oil until tender and browned.

Beat eggs. Add warm potatoes and green onions. Stir around and let sit 5 minutes to thicken. Pour into skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until edges are set. Slide omelet carefully onto a plate and invert back into skillet. Cook for another minute or two until browned on the other side.

Slide onto a plate and cut into wedges. Serve!