When in doubt, bake it out, right?  

On Tuesday night,  I received word that I was passed up for a job that I really, really, really wanted.  I had applied for what seemed the perfect position for me, a gal who loves everything about wholesome, mindful food, nearly two weeks ago and had been anxiously awaiting a response since the application deadline last Monday. I told all of my friends about it and they all agreed it was a perfect fit. Everyone was rooting for me.  I felt good, confident almost. My horoscope said it was likely I would take a new position. Even the cosmos were on my side! I had high hopes, like sky high. 

But, alas, I was passed up. Rejected. A gracious email wished me the best of luck and within 45 seconds, my two-week nail biting odyssey of hope was complete.  Am I bummed? Yes. Defeated? No. 

So, now what? 

Well, now, we bake a cake. The Buttermilk Cake of Rejection. 

Was it 9:00 at night when I decided to do this? Yes.  Did I care? No. 

It was a completely sound solution to disappointment, in my opinion. Much better than, say, getting wasted and drafting an email expounding on just exactly what these people were missing out on complete with drunken grammatical errors  like, "You don't know a good locawhore when you see one!"  

That would've so happened five years ago. 

Instead, I gathered up the local peaches resting on the countertop, pulled out my favorite cookbook and commenced baking my consolation prize, the Buttermilk Cake of Rejection. 

The recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour, buttermilk, a small amount  of butter and a hefty dose of lemon zest. I used muscovado sugar to add a deep molasses kick to the cake. I also thought it nice to add a drizzle of honeyed brown butter. What the hell.  

Even with the modifications, the cake isn't overly sweet. The peaches maintain a subtle tartness and juicy integrity making it the star ingredient, as it should be.  The muscovado sugar is less pronounced than I thought it would be, but left little pockets  of caramelization that were a treat to find. The honeyed brown butter became the nutty component and dare I say, a little bit of the naughty component too. It was rich and nutty and seeped into the spongy pockets left by the peaches. Although moist, the cake had a nice crunch around the edges from a sprinkling of sugar over top. 

All of sudden, with each passing bite, rejection didn't taste all that bad. Actually, it was rather peachy. 

Buttermilk Cake with Peaches and Honeyed Brown Butter
 adapted slightly from Super Natural Everyday

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
1/2 cup muscovado sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Zest of 3 lemons, grated'
6 local peaches, sliced thin
3 tablespoons coarse raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom of  an 11-inch tart pan with parchment paper and butter the fluted edges. I used the remnants of the saucepan in which I melted my butter for the recipe and used my fingers to rub the edges with butter. 

Whisk together flour, baking, powder, muscovado sugar and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Add the butter(the butter should be cooled, but still liquified) and lemon zest to the buttermilk mixture and stir until combined. 

Fill the tart pan with batter and make sure it spreads evenly across the pan. Add the sliced peaches and sprinkle with large-grain sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

The original recipe called for a 20-25 minute bake time, but my oven encouraged a longer bake time. I would recommend going at least 25 minutes and then continue checking on the cake every few minutes after that. 

Honeyed Brown Butter
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons honey

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat and let it heat in the saucepan until it begins to become fragrant and amber in color. Once the butter browns, remove the top layer of milk solids by skimming it with a spoon and discarding. Pour brown butter into a small bowl and stir in honey, allowing it to dissolve into the butter. Drizzle over warm cake. 

You can adjust the sweetness by increasing or decreasing the amount of honey as well as the intensity of the brown butter by how long you let it cook. 

I love how inspiration in the kitchen can stem from most anywhere.  It can be a smell reminiscent of childhood or an unexpected ingredient at the market.  Other times, it is a new technique, alluring blog post or curious venture into a new cuisine. 

This time, it was a teeny tiny discovery during my last trip to the Metrolina Antiques Show. 

I was with my scavenging soul sister, Nikki of Not Made in China, for the big show and we spent three hours rooting around in antique lover's paradise. We both scored some old wooden textile spools (see what else Nikki found that day here)  and then I deviated into cookware, a burgeoning collective interest of mine.  I love the rustic detail of antique bakeware with its tarnished metal like battle scars, denoting earned experience.  

I arrived at a table littered with objects, metal and wood scattered like wildflower seeds across the surface of the table. I began moving and touching the antiques, picking things up, examining with a glance and quickly setting them aside, moving on to the next piece. Grabbing, picking, looking, digging, feeling and then.... 

 ...I found it.  A small container holding the most miniature and complete set of cookie cutters.  The seller said it was missing its top but, to me, it wasn't missing a thing.  I had a new bakeware find and inspiration for my next kitchen adventure. 

I decided on shortbread. Buttery, crumbly shortbread. With lavender, my current star herb. I've roasted chickens with lavender, made lavender syrups to drizzle over my ice cream, still working on a tapioca pudding recipe with lavender and now,  lavender shortbread cookies. Miniature lavender shortbread cookies. 

I decided to use a recipe by Joy the Baker that uses natural cane sugar and a hefty dose of butter. Shortbread cookies should nearly melt in your mouth with their crumbly texture. That's how you know the butter is doing its J-O-B!

There were audible squeals of delight coming from the kitchen and several verses of this made-up song, "Mama's little baby loves shortbread, shortbread..."  

I know its not the right words, but you get the idea. If these cookie cutters had cheeks, I would pinch them. So effing cute. The best part is that when you have miniature cookies, a little dough goes a long way. The worst part is that those miniature cookies can be eaten by the cookie sheet-ful without the slightest idea that you may have just consumed a whole stick of butter by yourself.  

Remember mini-snickers bars? It never feels sinful because they're small and then you've gone and eaten twenty. Yikes!  Sneaky and small, but dammit they're cute. 

After baking these little cuties, I got inspired to make something equally cute to hold the shortbread babies. I had a few muslin bags in the cupboard and pulled out my stamps and a pencil with a fresh eraser and went to town. See picture, bottom right.  

 Actually, I think I may have stumbled upon my wedding favors. Muslin bags aren't expensive and the stamping took no time at all. Plus, these cookies can be frozen to be used for a later date. I can make them ahead of time. 

These cookies may have a story to tell after all. 

For the complete recipe, click here.  Happy Thursday! 

I'm not vegan, but I like their style.  A while back I made this raw version of a cheesecake for a vegan dinner I was attending.  It got rave reviews from our veggie friends and I put a checkmark by my mental list of desserts to revisit for my own raw creation.

Quick fun fact: The Mister and I embarked on the raw food experience a few years ago and we both still admit that we never felt better. During that time, I went all out (as is typical of me) and created a raw foods pantry stocked with plenty of vegetables, nuts, agave and funky gadgets like a spiralizer. I also bought a few raw cookbooks because, well, one can never have enough cookbooks. My pantry is still stocked similarly today, only with a few more items that include our cooked food regimen.  

The one thing that never ceases to amaze me about raw food living is the caliber of desserts that are created and how things like cashews can turn into something like cheesecake. That I am enthralled by desserts should surprise no one. Raw. Not raw. Half raw. Raw-ish. If it's dessert, I'm digging it. But, I digress.  Back to this "cheese"cake.  

Why did I call it an almost raw "cheese"cake?  Well, see that top chocolate layer? I went ahead and made a chocolate ganache which required 3/4  cup of cream (doh!). 

So, my raw cheesecake became my raw-ish cheesecake instead. For my vegan and raw friends, this cake can be made minus the chocolate ganache and with a different sweetener like agave.  For a different topping, I might choose a fresh raspberry puree and melted dark chocolate (no added cream) drizzle.  I guess I could have done that too, but chocolate ganache is where the recipe took me and who am I to deny the recipe gods? 

Okay, okay, raw cheesecake.  Some of you might not be familiar and wonder, how the heck does one make a raw cheesecake without cream cheese and granulated sugar and the love? 

Well, most raw desserts are termed raw because they involve pure ingredients that are not cooked or heated above a certain temperature. That's right. There was no baking involved with this dessert. Only toasting and blending and love. 

Most raw cheesecakes riff off a similar base of soaked cashews, oils and a sweetener of some sort. I used cashews, honey, coconut oil, cacao powder and lemon juice. I found the lemon juice gives the cheesecake it's cheesy tang. The use of a really good blender is key too. That is what allows the mixture to acquire the silky look and feel of a cheesecake. It really is astounding to watch such simple ingredients transform into a decadent dessert. 

I chose a hazelnut date crust which is just that, hazelnuts and dates. Nothing else. It is sweet and nutty and compliments the chocolate perfectly. The "cheese"cake itself is sweet, but not too sweet and the chocolate ganache adds richness. I sprinkled Murray River Sea Salt over top the ganache for a little salty with my sweet. The Mister loved it which is a testament to the dessert. He wasn't too keen on the one I brought to our vegan dinner party, so I wasn't sure if this one would make the cut. But, it did.  Like butter baby! Or, rather, no butter baby! 

Almost Raw Chocolate "Cheese"cake with Hazelnut Date Crust
(adapted from Roost Blog Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Cheesecake)


For the Crust:

• 2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
  
• 10 dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened large coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and arrange hazelnuts into a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until nuts become fragrant. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool enough to touch, about 5 minutes. 
Remove skins from hazelnuts by simply picking up  a handful and gently rubbing together. The skins should easily come off.
Sprinkle coconut flakes onto the bottom of 9-inch springform pan. This will prevent crust from sticking. Then, pulse skinned hazelnuts and dates in food processor until they are well incorporated into a fine crumbly mixture. Pour mixture into bottom of pan and press into an even layer to form the crust. 

For the filling: 

• 3 cups cashews, soaked for at least three hours
  
• 3/4 cup honey
  
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
  
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  
• 1 cup raw cacao powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Then, in two batches, pulverize the mixture in a high-speed blender until silky. Pour the mixture over the crust, top with wax paper, cover and put into the freezer for at least one hour. 

NOTE: If you do not have a blender, you can use the food processor for all the necessary mixing. For best results, a high-speed blender does the trick. Also, I recommend two batches because I tried one batch and triggered the auto-matic overload shut-off feature on my Vita-mix. I almost blew the motor out. Yowza. 

For the ganache: 

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
  
• 8 ounces of good chocolate (I used a mixture of dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate) 
  
• Sea salt for sprinkling 

Finely chop chocolate and place in a mixing bowl. The finer the chocolate is chopped, the better it will melt. Set aside. Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium high heat until it begins to bubble around the edges. Once it begins to bubble, pour half the mixture over chopped chocolate and let it sit for a few seconds. This will lessen the temperature shock to the chocolate. Gently whisk the chocolate until it melts. Pour remaining cream over chocolate, allowing a few seconds to rest, and then whisk in. The chocolate should be smooth and glossy. If chocolate begins to separate, try whisking a splash of cold cream to restore its elasticity. 

Pour chocolate ganache over frozen cheesecake mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle sea salt over top and place cheesecake in the refrigerator to allow ganache to harden in place. 

To serve, allow cake to thaw slightly before slicing. 


P.S.- This is one of my first attempts at developing a recipe that is my own. I would greatly appreciate feedback on those of you who try this recipe out. This is all new to me and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading!! 

I get a little giddy this time of year when farmer's markets begin to explode with produce and sweet, delicious fruit. I'm like a kid in a candy store, grabbing armfuls of whatever looks good, hoping I don't run out of cash before I get my fill. Strawberries are returning in a big way and I received my first basket from a friend who harvested strawberries from her own garden and kindly left me a basket on my doorstep.  The sincerest thank you I can give is making something special with such a lovely haul. I've never roasted strawberries before, but was inspired by my one of my favorite cookbooks and author, Heidi Swanson, and a recipe I read last summer when I first purchased the book and began picking off the recipes one by one. 

Roasted strawberries or as I like to call them, strawberries in the style of Jackson Pollock are rich and artful. The Mister thinks they resemble a murder scene. I think they are poetic. Heidi Swanson takes her strawberries and dresses them up with a little port and balsamic vinegar. I roasted my first batch and tried them with balsamic vinegar and tarragon. Then I got thinking about jam. And ginger. 

After a few iterations in my kitchen on a rainy day, I settled for strawberries roasted in a ginger syrup for sweetness and spiked with fresh ginger juice for a  spicy end kick. A little lemon juice adds brightness to the jammy concentration of strawberries. The syrup cooks down with the natural fruit juices and becomes an oozy puddle of flavor and stunning color. Poetic berries meet their delicious demise. 

My first inclination with any concentrated berry is to put it over vanilla bean ice cream. Like so. It's my go-to combination.  Next, after dessert  is breakfast.  How awesome would this be over some french toast with a little powdered sugar? This may still happen.  Then, of  course, the jam is money over bread and cake. Take your pick.  I'm working on an olive oil cake recipe, so I had a readily available vessel for my jammy jam. 

Roasted Strawberry-Ginger JamMakes approximately 1 cup of jam 16 ounces strawberries, hulled
4 tablespoons ginger syrup (recipe below) 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice, about 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and juiced
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice


NOTE: If you do not have a juicer to extract fresh ginger, you can opt for a microplane grate to achieve the same flavor without imparting massive chunks of ginger to the mix. 

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
Hull each strawberry and cut in half or smaller, depending upon the size. Set aside berries. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together ginger syrup, oil and salt. Pour over berries and toss gently, then pour onto baking sheet arranged into a single layer. The original recipe called for 40 minutes of roasting time. I roasted mine for approximately 45 minutes. I watched for the juices to thicken to a syrup-like consistency and was careful not to let them burn. 

Once roasted, pour warm berries into a small bowl and stir in ginger and lemon juice. This can also be the time to add fresh herbs like tarragon or basil. Berries can be eaten warm or cooled and stored in the fridge a week. 

Ginger Syrup (from Bon Appetit Magazine) 
Makes approximately 1/2 cup of syrup
1/3 cup raw sugar (I used evaporated cane juice) 
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup water

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow syrup to steep for 15 minutes. Strain the ginger out and discard. Use immediately or cover and chill the syrup for later use up to one week. 

OMG! Is it really Thursday already?  I returned Tuesday afternoon from an impromptu Easter visit with family in Knoxville and then I blinked and it was Thursday. Holy smokes! I need a time lasso. 

Since time is of the essence, I thought I'd share  a  healthy and easy recipe that's ready in a pinch. These little egg cups are a great solution for hurried weekday breakfasts and the mix-in possibilities are endless. I like to make these ahead of time, usually at the beginning of the week, and then warm them when I'm ready to eat. 

My most recent batch was filled with onions, red and green peppers and a touch of cayenne, but you can use just about anything.  

Ingredients
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 large, free-range eggs
1 tablespoon coconut oil 
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onions until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the peppers and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add cayenne. 
3. While the onions and peppers cook, whisk the eggs in a large bowl and set aside. 
4. Once the onions and peppers are done, let cool slightly and then add to the bowl of whisked eggs. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Coat a muffin pan with coconut oil. Alternatively, you can use non-stick spray to coat the muffin pan. Using a ladle, pour the mixture into the muffin cups. 
6. Place muffin pan in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until they puff up and turn golden brown. Use a small knife or spatula to remove the eggs from the pan and serve with your favorite condiments and a side of fresh fruit. 

If I had more time, I would have made a fresh salsa verde to spoon over top or something of comparable deliciousness. This morning, I drizzled my trusty condiment, green Tabasco, over the egg cups and served them with a side of fruit.  You can  add herbs, cheese, meats and whatever else you like. Dill comes to mind. And bacon, mmmm bacon.  I stuck to simple vegetables since I've been trying to behave myself. That whole "walking down the aisle with all your friends and family watching"  is keeping me on the straight and narrow. Kind of. 

Well,  I hope these simple egg cups  help you maximize your time on those busy mornings when everything has gone buck wild. It'll be one less thing to worry about and if you're anything like me, you need breakfast to keep you from mutating into an evil three-headed, slobbering devil woman. 

P.S.- I have a few recipes in the queue that I am really excited about. I  hope to get those to you soon, time willing.  Happy Thursday!