Birthday Cake Season! Garage Band Cake.

It's birthday cake season, which always means busy times but also a lot of fun. Aaron is fickle...

We designed an awesome "grown up" spiderman cake, but then he decided he was less into Marvel and more into DC comics (I think I have that right)... but then he decided that he wasn't into comics anymore. Instead he was into Angry Birds - so I went and got a grass piping tip. Then he wasn't into Angry Birds and so this went on, over the course of 2 weeks everyday it was something different....until he landed on Garage Band. This could very well be the case of dumb luck, since he landed on Garage Band the day of my deadline for his cake. Guitar cakes are relatively easy so I couldn't be happier! Chocolate, with chocolate mint frosting and truffle filling. The underlying fondant is orange, then I brushed on copper around the edge, topped with black piping gel. I covered the black fondant pieces in clear piping gel, which made a shiny finish like an electric guitar.

The flame effect on it is done by mixing gel color in piping gel (I made my own), and brushing it on with a foam brush.

Of note - we tried both Satin Ice fondant and Duff brand fondant. Both were about $5 a lb and I used 1 1/2 lbs. on the cake with plenty of scraps. I thought both were easy to work with - so so much easier than marshmallow fondant! However, I didn't like the taste of the Duff brand. For the white border I just used candy melts, which I will NEVER use again, it kepts setting up unless I piped very fast - resulting in uneven lines. Next time I will just make a buttercream. Alas the licorice that most people use is not gluten free.

Gingerbread houses 2011

Just finished scrubbing down the house that is the aftermath of making gingerbread houses, and the kids had a blast. This is all them and very very reflective of each child.

Aaron: Fort Knox (there is even gold coins inside): Note nothing but chocolate!

Isaiah: Ornate and colorful.

Gabriel: Well - decorating = consuming. Aparently he doesn't like star mints.

Christmas wreath mini donuts and a product review - TJs Concorde

It truly is a wonderful time of the year. Not the most wonderful to me - that is spring, but I have to say that I am more excited about Christmas this year than I have been in awhile. Along with that goes baking. We've made salted caramels, truffles, no knead bread, molasses cookies, pecan caramel bars and up next are gingerbread houses. So much fun!

Here are some cute little Christmas Wreath mini donuts. I didn't love the donut recipe from King Arthur flour - it was a bit dry and bland. I think I may not buy into the concept of baked donuts. I have made gluten free cake donuts that have worked very well, I don't have pictures of them, but I used this King Arthur recipe. Instead of all-purpose flour I used 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/3 cup millet flour, 1/3 cup cornstarch, 1/3 cup tapioca starch and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. To decorate as wreaths simply die your glaze green and pipe on frosting ornaments. Another variation would use green dyed coconut. I was making it for kids, so stuck with glaze, but the coconut is adorable.

On another note, I recently picked up a Concorde pastry from Trader Joe's. This is a fairly traditional French pastry that is often gluten free. Comprised of layers of chocolate meringue and mousse, it is a decadent treat. The TJs version was decent. It reminded me a lot of the products you can get in France at Picard. It isn't going to fool anyone into thinking it comes from a proper bakery, but I wouldn't pass up a slice. The meringue is light, if a bit dry. The mousse creamy and dark, a bit sweet, but probably what most people would like. The chocolate is vanilla and floral in taste.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Rogan Gohst and Roasted Coriander Cauliflower

I am sure I have mentioned that my kids think they are either Mexican or Indian. We live in the heart of Indian food heaven. Many regions of India are represented, an we have found love in the familiar chicken tikka masala to my favorite eggplant curries, from naan and roti to dosa and adai, from biryani to tamarind rice. But one drawback to living here is that we never make Indian. It is just to easy to get...

But we have a CSA for our meat and we get fantastic cuts of meat from Marin Sun Farms. Sometimes we get a big hunk of goat or goat chops. I really love goat, but many people don't. At least they are afraid given the foreign idea of eating goat (note that most of the world eats goat happily). We don't often serve goat for our Sunday Dinners, so one Sunday when Jason was on call I decided to make a quick rogan gohst using goat chops.

I used a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey and cooked it in my pressure cooker. Thirty minutes later we had a beautiful dish which even enticed my kids to eat their brown rice. (I will never understand what they have against the clearly superior grain). I served it up with cauliflower tossed with cumin, coriander, salt and oil, roasted with its own greens.

Rogan Gohst
Adapted from Madur Jaffrey

2 1" chunks fresh ginger grated, or I used the equivalent jarred crushed ginger from Indian grocery

8 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
5 tb vegetable oil
2 lb boned goat shoulder or lg, cut into 1" cubes. Note that the cut has a lot of fat, so buy more
10 whole cardamom pods
2 whole bay leaves
6 whole cloves
10 whole black peppercorns
1 stick cinnamon
2 md onions, peeled, finely chopped
1 ts coriander seed; ground
2 ts cumin seeds; ground
4 ts red paprika
1 ts cayenne pepper, gounnd
1 ts salt, to taste
6 tb plain yogurt
1/4 ts garam masala (your favorite)
1 ds fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high flame. Brown meat cubes in several batches and set aside in a bowl. Put the cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait until cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on color. This just takes a few seconds. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry for 5 minutes or until the onions turn a medium-brown color. Put in ginger and garlic pastes and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and the salt. Stir fry or another 30 seconds. Add the browned meat cubes and the meat juices. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and stir and fry for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Stir and fry for another 3-4 minutes.

Now add 1 1/4 cups water and bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in all the browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot. Pressure cook for 30 minutes and release naturally. Then remove meat and boil down juices until the consistency you desire.

Road Trip! Lillie Belle Chocolates and Rogue Creamery

I swear I didn't know about the foodie dream stop when I pricelined the hotel. I swear I didn't when I made the decision to take the planned road trip to the Oregon Coast in two days - HONEST! But I certainly wasn't dissappointed when I mapped nearby food to our winning hotel to find one of my favorite US chocolatiers and their neighboring cheese artisan. Suddenly our road trip was looking very very nice...

We had to stop at the Jelly Belly factory on the way up and arrived a few minutes to late for my chocolate and cheese. I could wait until morning...maybe... to bide the time we had a gluten-free pizza a Kaleidoscope in Medford. But this post is about chocolate and cheese, not pizza.

Bright and early in the morning I took out the running stroller and the boys scooters and we took off for a short morning jaunt on a chocolate and cheese adventure (amid truckers perplexed gazes wondering what strange women runs with three kids in tow from a hotel)...

The Lillie Belle shop is a small one room shop, with full windows peering in on tempering and enrobing machines, chocolate molds and copper kettles so you can see the small production. It was not running that Saturday, but I could talk the kids through the process. They have adorable chocolate and candy scultpures that engrossed the kids (luckily Gabriel did not take off a chunk). But the highlight is their chocolate.

The Lillie Belle lavender salted caramel is one of my all time favorites. They aren't shy with the lavender, but it isn't too overpowering, the texture chewy but not sticky and the rich caramel perfectly complemented by the generous salt. They also sell a Smokey Blue Cheese truffle using the neighboring Rogue Creamery's smoked blue (below). It tastes like a complex chocolate cheesecake. Both of these I have had and enjoy, but imagine my drooling, kid with sticky hands pressed up against a candy store window demeanor when I say all the creations of these talented artists.

The boys just had to buy the "Don't Eat This Chocolate" bar after trying a small chunk in the store and then blowing smoke out their red tinged ears. It is a spicy blend of chilis and was Jason's treat from the trip. The lovely chocolate velvet almonds cooled the impact of the chocolate, and the sampled vanilla cream tasted like a fine marshmallow. I bought a box of chocolates for the road. I adored the pistachio cup and the marionberry cordial. In fact, there was no chocolates I didn't like, although I didn't love the texture of the aporkalypse bacon studded chocolate.

After getting our fill at the chocolate shop, we headed over to the cheese shop next door. The folks there were truly lovely and allowed us to sample every cheese we could in the store. Isaiah entered the store swearing that he did not blue cheese. He left a fan of them all. Each blue cheese is a bit different than another, some saltier and brighter, some deep and a bit sweet. The Caveman is pungent and a bit numbing. I really enjoyed the Flora Nelle, which had an almost floral flavor. Not usually a fan of Gorganzola, I actually enjoyed their version. The boys loved the smoked blue, happily loading it on their tomatoes for a bacon-like goodness. We picked up some cheese curds for the car ride, but since we were there on a weekend they were not producing that day. 

The shop carries cheeses from other creameries, but we didn't try those. They also have a line of cheddars. Most of them have ales in the, so they are not gluten-free. Isaiah liked them if you want to take a 7 year olds word for it! The shop allows you to view the cheesemaking process and has an informative video. In addition, they have all you need to build a picnic or build a lovely gift basket. 

We enjoyed our trip so much, it was our stop on the way back... To buy gifts of course...

Sunday Dinner: 10 July 2011

Tonight I bring back the return of Sunday dinners. This time, a fond farewell dinner to dear friends that have we have enjoyed many Sundays over the past four years. I was reminiscing over our dinners for the past few years. At first, honestly it was a way for a CSA host to get rid of excess meat and veggies. I would panic about the amount of food in my fridge if we didn't have some kind soul come eat it for us. But over the years it has become a cherished way to form friendships, maintain old connections, and engage in anything from light banter to deep philosophical or spiritual discourse. It is when we say goodbye to friends, we realize how special these times are.

Course one: Grilled broccoli, shaved red cabbage, pickled fennel, cumin seed

Agretti, Cardoons and Favas - oh my!

There are many reasons why people join a CSA - the freshness, the cost, supporting local farms... but some do for adventure. In all fairness this Mother's Day dinner was brought about by both the CSA box from Mariquita farm and extra orders from the Ladybug Buying Club, which distributes extra bounty from Mariquita. (You don't have to be a CSA member to order). That impulse to place an extra order though is the fault of many years in our CSA.

See, 10 years ago that "oh my" following agretti, cardoons or favas was one of fear. Our broccoli, carrot and potato diet was based on what the grocery store stocked, but the CSA brought new veggies - we didn't have a choice and we grew to loathe choice. Just tell me what is fresh and tasty and we'll figure it out. And figure it out is what we did... so that this week the idea of three veggies off the beaten path just made my Mother's Day. Did I endure three boys whining for lack of peas and sweet potatoes...no way! They fought over these Italian beauties...don't underestimate your kiddos.

If you are wondering what these veggies are, see Mariquitas lovely description and recipes for agretti, cardoons, and fava beans. Cardoons took a bit for us to master - most say to use in creamy sauces, but we prefer to peel them, blanch them, then cook thoroughly with lemon. I love agretti simply sauteed in tacos or asian noodles - just about anything. Favas get the same universal treatment. I set up an assembly line, we cook the whole batch and keep them in the fridge to throw in pasta, tacos (I eat a lot of those), or on their own. Even Gabriel can peel them..and I can prove it...

OK now for the actual dinner...served, gasp, family style in one course!

Fava beans, sauteed agretti, steamed black forbidden rice and toasted almonds

 Cardoons with preserved lemon and black bean puree

Top Sirloin Roast (for the wee laddies)

 Pavlova with Strawberries, Lemon Balm Vegan Ice Cream, and Lavender Honey Ice Cream