flirting with vegan sweets

Don't get me wrong, I love butter and eggs as much as the next girl, but when I saw this vegan recipe for almond jam thumbrints I couldn't help but be curious. I've been looking for a linzer-like cookie recipe for awhile (Jon? Are you listening? Where's that excellent xmas cookie recipe of your mom's you made?!! Still waiting! ;) and this one intrigued me.


Plus? They sound healthy! Bonus, no? No refined white sugar (you use apple juice and maple syrup), oat and barley or whole wheat flour, and chock full o' nuts.


This recipe was also dead easy. A two bowl-er and clean up was no sweat.


I ran out of raspberry so decided to make a full palette of delicious fruit flavors.


Not quite a 'thumbprint' per se but it gets the job done.


Aaaalmost ready. Best part is...the dough can be eaten worry free!

Almond Jam Thumbprint Cookies (originally posted on readymade.com)
- 2 1/2c. raw whole almonds
- 1 1/2c. oat flour
- 1 c. barley or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. fine sea salt
- 1 c. pure maple syrup
- 1/4 c. apple juice
- 1/4 c. canola oil
- 1 t. almond extract *
- fruit preserves of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whiz almonds in a food processor until fine, leave some chunky bits for texture.
3. Mix dry ingredients in medium large bowl
4. Whisk maple syrup, apple juice, oil and extract in a smaller bowl.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry, stirring to combine well.
6. Wet hands (as often as needed!) to roll dough into ping pong sized cookie balls.
7. Use the back of a wooden spoon to create a well for the jam, be careful not to poke thru the bottom.
8. Pipe jam into cookie wells. I used ziplock bags with the corners cut off.
9. Bake 25 minutes, remove cookie sheets to cookie rack, cool and enjoy!

WARNING!!! Do NOT nibble these until the jam has completely cooled or YOU WILL BE SORRY!!!! Don't say I didn't warn you ;)


* original recipe called for 2 tsps of extract but I don't like a heavily fake almond flavoring

You know it's summer when....

- Going outside is like stepping directly into a steam bath and you begin to 'glisten'

- Art shows and summer storms are inevitable (just got back from the Midsummer Festival for the Arts in Sheboygan WI)

- It's so hot you don't want to eat. Even ice cream makes you think twice

- Straws make everything better, ie - more festive

- Stone fruits are FINALLY in season!

I just whipped up a pitcher of roasted peach lemonade - aka - the lemonade so nice I had to make it twice (in the same week)!

(image copyright The Naptime Chef)

I stumbled across this recipe a little while back and pinned it to go back to later. I am SO glad I did. The cousins loved it and that was made with some seriously unripe peaches. Fresh lemonade is always a treat but adding the rich buttery flavor of roasted peaches makes it truly something special. The lovely color, the fuzzy velvet jackets slipping off of the warm peach flesh, the complex scent and flavor. Hands down a winner. Right up there next to Madame Claudia's Strawberry Vanilla Lemonade.

As fuzzi-mom and I were leaving town my aunt tipped us off to a truck full of peaches. Seriously. There's a company (Tree Ripe) that trucks up fresh peaches and citrus directly from the South and sells them in various parking lots primarily in WI and IL. Milwaukee's Menards just happens to host such a truck. We split a 25lb box of peaches because...

1 - there was no more room in my car!

(packing for my show in sheboygan, not totally loaded yet, lucky decides he's going too!)

2 - it was soooo hot that we were worried the peaches might die before we got them home

They are amazing! The ones we've been getting at the grocery stores have been a little lackluster and tasteless this year. Kinda wishing we had bought a whole box. I've never made a peach pie but these little babies are inspiration enough! Or, it may be time to make a batch of Late Summer Cupcakes again....hmmmm...mmmmmmm.

Roasted Peach Lemonade

(original post here) - I've done a little tweaking to taste, as can you - we like our 'nectar-like'

4 lemons or ~ 1c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (and pulp!)

1/2 c. + 1 T. sugar

6 c. water (or water and ice if serving immediately)

4 peaches

- Preheat your oven to 400F

- Halve the peaches and remove stones

- Lie the peach halves skin side down on a baking sheet and sprinkle tops with 1T. sugar

- Roast peaches ~25 min., remove, then let cool.

- While peaches are roasting prepare your lemonade (squish lemons, mix with sugar and water)

- After your peaches have cooled a bit, peel the skin off and process in a blender with ~1c. of the lemonade.

- Mix lemonade and peach mixture together, add ice if desired, sip and enjoy!

12 for me, none for you!

And so it begins. The holiday that's full of eggs, matzo, and more eggs. Yes, folks, it's Passover time again. The first seder was last night and full of fantastic traditional foods - the brisket, the fried matzo, the charoset, etc. I had hoped to try out a new recipe involving berries, chocolate sponge cake and marscapone (yum!) but a few hours before I re-read the recipe and noticed it said make 24 hrs in advance (oops!) So there was matzo crack :D and a passover apricot bar. Today was a chance to try something new...flourless fudgy chocolate walnut cookies, totally Passover friendly. And they are suuuuper delish. This is going to be a year round favorite, I can tell.

This recipe from food&wine.com is perfection as is. I usually feel a need to tamper with a recipe but I really enjoyed this from the get go. I might be uber decadent and throw in some chocolate bits next time. This is a perfect chewy browniesque dessert bite, enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups walnut halves (9 ounces)
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

• Spread the walnut halves on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and finely chop them.

• In a large bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in the chopped walnuts. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (be careful not to overbeat or it will stiffen). Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds.

• Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are glossy and lightly cracked and feel firm to the touch; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through.

• Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks to cool completely before serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Rockin' the Soups

This has been an awesome week for soup. I have been ON! and no clue why ;) The first one was the best batch of tortilla soup I've made to date. Recipe to come. The second was a Zesty Vegetarian Tomato Soup, served with a nice chicken caeser salad.

Disclaimer...I never really cared for tomato soup. My parents always used to have it when they made grilled cheese for the family. I seem to remember some friends in college dipping their sandwiches in ketchup. And it was good. So next time I was home I decided not to pass on the Campbell's tomato soup. And I enjoyed it. Then I discovered tomato basil bisque while in Switzerland. Swooon. And Amy's organic chunky tomato bisque when I returned home to the US.

I've tried a few attempts at tomato soup deliciousness and have been not so impressed. But the recipe I hacked this week was ALL THAT AND A BOWL OF SOUP! I'm even throwing in my bonus parmesan wafers. They look impressive, are super easy and really add some oomph to any tomato soup. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Zesty Vegetarian Tomato Soup
yield enough for 3 medium to good sized bowls

1 - 28oz. can whole tomatoes
~1 T. tomato paste
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 clove of a shallot, minced
1 T. butter + olive oil
1 - 14.5oz can veggie stock
vodka
red wine
basil leaf
cayenne pepper

Sweat onions, shallots and garlic in butter/oil mix til clear. Add tomato paste. Deglaze pan w/ vodka and reduce. Add can of tomatoes including the juice and veggie stock. Add a glug of red wine, basil and cayenne pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes. Cool, blend to desired consistency. Return to pot, heat and serve with parmesan wafers.

Parmesan Wafers
makes 8

1.5 c. coarsely grated parmesano reggiano (4 - 5 oz.)
1 T. flour

Put rack in middle of the oven preheat to 350F. Line baking sheet with non-stick paper. Make 4 mounds (about 3 T. each) and spread until they are 4-5" rounds. Bake until golden - about 10 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack using a wide spatula. Repeat. Can be made 2 days in advance and kept in airtight container at room temperature.

Cookie Cravings

Every once in awhile I get a craving for Subway's white chocolate chip chocolate cookie. Oh, heck. Who am I kidding? I often get cravings for many different types of cookies. But the Subway one is a killer.....I can't often find them at my local sandwich shop...so I decided to try and make my own.

After copious internet searching (2 minutes on google) I found out that most of Subway's (and many other restaurants) cookies are made by Otis Spunkmeyer. I found a 'copycat' recipe for my beloved cookies. I tried the recipe as is (except only made a half recipe just in case they turned out truly heinous...and added some regular chocolate chips as well. I just can't help tinkering!!!) and will try to tweak it a bit next time. It might also be helpful to have real deal cookie near by for a blind tasting. According to my tastebuds these cookies were a little overly sweet, maybe I'll use salted butter next time, less sugar or a bit more salt. The texture seemed ok. We'll see how they hold up over the next day or so.

Almost Subway's White Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookie Recipe
yield 1 and 1/2 dozen cookies

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. white chocolate chips
2/3 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F (175C)

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a different bowl. Stir into the butter/sugar mixture.

Fold in chocolate chips and drop by rounded teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes (I left them in the full 10 minutes) until set. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes then move cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Gobble Gobble Hey!*

Many families have passed down Thanksgiving traditions, my family's tradition is a recent one. I've started a new tradition, we use the holiday as a chance to try out new recipes on my captive audience...I mean, family. ;) Sometimes they're great, sometimes not so great. Then there are the few recipes great enough to hold on to year after year. Like Rachel-pi. Here's a list of the Thanksgiving 2010 recipes.

Rosa made a lovely Norwegian Mountain Bread. Oatmeal, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds? Yum. I simply had to try the recipe. You can find her recipe for this hearty loaf here. I also made a HUUUUGE pot of maple butternut squash soup with chef/friend John's recipe.


One of my favorite Thanksgiving recipe finds is this whole cranberry sauce (we also always make the Ocean Spray cranberry relish as well). This sauce is spiced, hearty and complex with bold fruit flavors. You can also make this recipe your own by varying the ingredients.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. dried fruit chopped
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 cap rum
1 orange, peel - process
1 apple, peel - dice
1 pear, peel - dice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Boil sugar and water til sugar dissolves. Reduce to simmer, add all ingredients. Cover and simmer for approx. 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, let cool to room temp. and serve.


Here's a keeper! Super delicious and super easy. Two of our favorite 'supers'. ;) Everyone loved this recipe, I hope you do too.

Herb Bubble Bread (Taste of Home Mag. - Oct/Nov 2010)

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. each dried thyme, basil, and rosemary - crushed
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 loaf (1 lb.) frozen bread dough, thawed

In a small bowl, combine cheese and seasonings. In another bowl, combine butter and garlic, set aside.

Divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll into balls. Coat balls in butter mixture, then dip in cheese mixture. Place in a greased 9"x 5" loaf pan.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Bake at 350F for 22-26 min or until golden brown. (cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly). Cool for 10 min. before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.


Lucky waits for me to take my eye off of the turkey for just a quick minute.


This year we tried something new with the bird...baking it breast down. Juiciest white meat ever!
Read the complete how-to article here.

There was stuffing, two kinds of cranberry sauce, sauteed green beans with carrots, mashed potatoes with chives, cilantro lime rice (recipe to come...one of these days), and turkey (of course!) with gravy. I'm saddened by my gravy attempts. I'd really love to find a great recipe. Any suggestions? Dinner was great....but let's not forget dessert!

We tried this cheesecake recipe a year or two ago and it was one of the ones good enough to hold on to. This holiday is not only about giving thanks but sharing. So, from my kitchen to yours...

Cheesecake Factory Style Cheesecake (this is two blended recipes...I can't recall which at this time)

crust
1 1/2 c. gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. pecans, processed
1/2 c. packed golden brown sugar
about 4 1/2 Tbsp salted melted butter (or more)

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 9 1/2" springform pan. Bake about 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

filling
1 c. sugar
3 (8oz.) pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can (15oz.) canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice

Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Add pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Beat until smooth and creamy. Pour filling into pie crust and bake 60 minutes until top darkens but is still slightly jiggly. Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temp., then refrigerate. Serve w/ whipped cream.

*My apologies to the Ramones. ;)

Bang!

Kiriel, of The Papillon Pantry, nailed it again! This pineapple bleu cheese soup is fantastic and totally 'fall-like', a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Like a liquid version of my bleu cheese and pear puffs with balsamic reduction syrup (recipe to come...one of these days).

I used my much loved Maytag Blue Cheese (mmmm Maytag Burgers) - that fuzzi-mom and I picked up at the Winter Farmer's Market - but I think it might have been a touch too strong. Next time I'll look for something a little less sharply flavored. Otherwise, the soup was smooth and flavorful. Kudos to Kiriel!


Pineapple and blue cheese soup
Re-post of Original Recipe by Kiriel of The Papillon Pantry

2 small onions
30g butter
60g blue cheese
480g pineapple (I was in a pinch so used drained pineapple in natural syrup)
2 cups chicken stock

Dice the onions finely and sweat in the butter until they go clear. Chop the pineapple into pieces (if using fresh pineapple make sure you remove the hard core) and add to the butter. Sweat until the pineapple has absorbed the butter and softened.

Blend the pineapple in a food processor or blender. Add the chicken stock and return to the pan. Simmer for about half an hour to give the pineapple more time to soften. Crumble in the blue cheese and remove from the heat. Stir to blend the cheese in but don't over stir - you want to discover lovely little nuggets of cheese as you eat.

fuzzishu and fuzzi fruits

This past Friday Studio 402 (fuzzishu + MRW studio) had our first annual open studio. In addition to oodles of fantastic art, in my humble opinion ;), there was some tapanade with bite, garlicky hummus, incredibly rich chocolate, and the unveiling of a deeeelish white sangria. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Studio 402 Sangria

4 (750mL) bottles white wine
1 L. bottle ginger ale
1/2 c. peach schnapps
1/2 c. brandy or cognac
1/4 c. sugar
assorted fruit cubes - peaches, mango, strawberry, kiwi, apple, starfruit, orange

Cut assorted fruit into cubes and place them in a bowl. Pour schnapps and cognac over fruit then sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate at least 30 min. Add wine and ginger ale. Refrigerate several hours/overnight. The longer it soaks the better it tastes. I used a sweet white wine. You can use a dry wine if you prefer

BYOC*, News and About Me...a little late.

Big news. Ugly Fruit is moving. Ok, well actually, no, the blog is staying right where it is. I, the IceCreamMonster behind Ugly Fruit, am moving. Time to leave the green green grasses of Switzerland for a new, different, smaller place. Yes, I am moving back to Iowa.

Quick background....even if it is a bit late......
Most readers (those who don't know me in real life) may not know (as I've been pretty hush hush personally speaking here) that I've been living in Europe for 3 years now. Some time studying in Milan and the rest of the time in Switzerland working as a watch designer. It's been a fantastic experience and I love Geneva all the way to the bottom of my little curled toes. However, it is a time of flux and change. Big things. New things. Exciting things. Scary things.

I have left my full time, monthly salaried, 5 weeks of vacation a year job in the heart of Europe to go back to the US (a little sigh) to be a starving artist, I mean, independent jeweler. And as sad as it is to leave, I am so excited for what the future holds, as well as being near my family again rather than visiting only once a year, endless books in English, and being able to find Pace picante salsa and baking powder at 11pm at the grocery store. For every perk of going there is some longing in leaving. I'll miss my daily fresh croissants and endless bread choices at Migros. The amazing view, no matter where you go and tiny jaunts across the lake in little yellow boat. My fantastic fanatic foodie group and the belly bulging taste tingling dinners we had. So much. Big sigh.

So, where does all of this intro lead us? To the party I threw this week, a BYOC* if you will. I had 3 bottles of champagne, 2 rose, and too many reds and whites to mention and what with the international move and all it was well past time to try and finish them all.


BEFORE

That's where everyone else came in. Despite the freakish tsunami like storm there was a good turn out and my foodie friends (Kiriel and Rosa) didn't fail to delight with the offerings they brought.

AFTER

Ever since England I had been dying to try my hand at the mushroom pate I had tasted. This soiree was the perfect opportunity. This is not one of the most attractive dishes, hence the lack of photo, but it is incredibly delicious and vegetarian (not vegan) friendly.

Mushroom Pate (found somewhere on the internet and changed a bit)

4 T. olive oil
3 C. (about 3 large onions) chopped onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 lb. mushrooms sliced
1 t. fresh thyme chopped
1/2 t. fresh rosemary chopped
1/2 t. fresh sage chopped
1/2 C. herbed bread crumbs
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
2 C. ricotta cheese
salt and pepper to taste (I also added a gratuitous amount of garlic powder)

Saute onions and garlic in oil until onions are soft. Add mushrooms and herbs and continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to release their juices. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs.

In a food processor, combine the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese and the ricotta cheese. Process until combined. Add the cooled mushroom mixture and process until the mixture is pureed smooth. Add salt and pepper (and garlic powder) to taste.

Butter a 2 qt. mold and put a piece of parchment on the bottom. Pour in the mushroom mixture. Tamp down to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 400°F. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cover the top with a piece of wax paper and place weights on top. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.

To serve: Remove weights, peel off wax paper and blot any excess surface juices. Turn out onto a platter. Serve with crackers and fresh veggies.

*BYOC - Bring Your Own Cheese...in this case I supplied the booze and wanted people to bring a few nibblys to balance it out. Also, FYI, if you ever want a super good turn out for any sort of event....FREE BOOZE...but you already knew that ;)

Apple of my...Nahhhh.

Hello bloglings. You may ask, why are you posting so late! (or early, depending on how you look at it) If you were noticing the time stamp at all, that is. Well, I have a penchant for starting complicated recipes much later than I really ought to. I started with the recipe below at a decent hour, figuring that baking apples before onions was a good idea. But I didn't plan on the hour and fifteen minutes of baking on the onion dish! You might think that those two dishes make for strange bedfellows but let me digress......

This past winter E came to visit (see grapefruit risotto post here - link coming), shortly after he returned to NY he passed along a recipe from the time he spent in Japan. I've been holding on to this recipe awhile and meaning to make it. Today I followed the advice, not of the mythical messenger, but rather the major shoe manufacturer and 'just did it'. See photo essay below (note: I will add a photo of the final product tomorrow when there's sunlight again. The photos after dark all turned out crap.)


It's a very simple recipe, make sure to slice your apples thin as can be for maximum coverage.


Every thing can be mixed by hand, which is a nice change from all of those 'whip for 10 minutes on extra high' recipes. Mmmm, yogurt.


Use your creativity to cover the bottom layer of batter in fun and unique patterns!

I had planned to decorate the top with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar but thought better of it and decided to try the recipe as is. The batter is delicious*, light, tangy, full of promise. The cake baked beautifully, toasty brown on top and springy to the touch. Although it's by all means a good and decent cake, it lacked something for me. If I were to make it again I would think about substituting the apples with something a little more hardcore....like apricot jam and dried apricot bits. Something to liven it up and give it some color. The cake ends up being a little more dense than I usually go for (I am a light and fluffy or thick and moist sort of cake lover), in fact it reminds me a bit of mochi and some of the more glutinous dessert offerings out there (rosa, hal and al, this recipes for you!) Do try it and let me know what you think.

Japanese Green Apple Cake

 2 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C veg. oil
1 t baking powder
2 eggs
1 C plain yogurt
2 tart green apples
 
-Preheat to 350F
-Peel apples and slice as thin as possible
-Mix oil, eggs and sugar in bowl.
-Add yogurt to mix and continue mixing, then add baking powder and flour gradually. 
-When well mixed (batter will be quite dense), spread half of the batter on a round baking dish that has been thinly coated in
butter and flour along the bottom/sides. 
-Cover the batter w/ apples, overlapping slightly. 
-Cover apples w/ remaining batter. 
-Bake ~50 mins or until golden brown.  
-Let sit until cool/lukewarm (gives the batter a chance to come together a bit)


The experiment I was sitting up and waiting to cool will be posted on tomorrow. It's 2.30 am practically and the foodblogger is tired! You'll just have to be delightfully surprised later ;)





*I know, I know. Bad blogger! Don't taste batter using raw eggs! You've been dually warned.