Meringues

Bake up a batch of these "cookies with personality" for a fun dessert that kids and adults will enjoy.  This recipe makes a beautiful, not too sweet meringue.  I like to serve them when the berries are in the markets (as in now!) -- they really dress up a berries and cream dessert.  The guests at my last dinner party got to choose their custom mix of accompaniments ranging from berries, of course, to ice cream, sorbet, lemon curd and freshly whipped cream.  (They're also good plain!)

Meringues
makes 10 cookies

3 egg whites from large, cage-free eggs

1 cup granulated sugar
optional garnish:  sliced almonds or lavender

1.  Preheat oven to 200 F, if baking same day, or 300 F if using the overnight method described below.  Fill a saucepan that will make a water bath for the work bowl from your mixer with a couple inches of water and bring to a boil on stovetop.  Once boiling, lower heat to simmer.

2.  Put egg whites into work bowl from your stand mixer and whisk in the sugar using a hand whisk.  Place work bowl in the saucepan water bath and whisk egg white mixture until sugar dissolves and the mixture is quite warm, about 5 minutes.  Remove work bowl from water bath, dry outside of bowl and place in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment.  Whisk on high for 15 minutes until mixture is cool and pillowy.  

3.  Line a baking sheet pan with a Silpat liner or parchment.  Drop the meringue in 10 mounds on the lined sheet pan and sprinkle with sliced almonds or lavender (or leave them plain).  Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 200 F then turn off oven and leave meringues in the oven for an additional hour with the heat off.  Meringues will stay fresh and crispy at room temperature for several days.

Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips

• Overnight Method:  Start with oven preheated to 300 F, when you put the sheet pan with meringues in the oven, turn oven off and leave meringues in overnight to cook them to perfection.
  
• Serve meringues with ice cream, sorbet, whipped cream, lemon curd, any or all, and fresh berries for a fantastic dessert.  (Blueberries are especially delicious with lemon.)
  
• I was inspired to make these after swooning over the window display at Baker & Spice in London.  Their cookbook, Baking with Passion is lovely.  
  

Asparagus Appetizers with Soy Vinaigrette

I've had this recipe in my stash since my single girl days -- something I clipped from Self magazine. These asparagus appetizers are loved by men, women and children, and have served me well through the years, pepping up the pot luck faire everywhere from poolside to girls' night to sailing with the boys. Make them for you, yourself and you too -- they keep well in the fridge for a couple days.

Asparagus Appetizers with Soy Vinaigrette
serves 4 - 6

1 bunch organic asparagus, rinsed in water

Soy Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons organic tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, ideally expeller pressed

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sake or dry sherry

pinch of unrefined sugar

optional garnish: 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1. Blanch asparagus in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes until tender-crisp, then immediately shock in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Remove from ice water and dry asparagus on a clean towel.

2. Put vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar or glass measuring cup and shake or whisk to combine. Drizzle some or all of the vinaigrette over asparagus and toss to coat. Transfer to serving platter and optionally sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Amy's Kitchen Coach Tips

• To prepare the asparagus for blanching, rinse in water and snap the ends off each spear by holding just below the tip with one hand and at the end of the stem with the other then bending the spear. The asparagus will break naturally at the tender/fibrous boundary.
  
• Tamari is a wheat free soy sauce. Either tamari or soy sauce work well in the vinaigrette. (Vinaigrette is also excellent on chicken salad.)
  

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter

I realize that I've missed the season for these little gems, but I decided to post anyway as a tribute to what the last couple months have been like for me...too busy, too fast, a blur.  So now it is May.  The end of May.  I'd better get this posted before it is officially Summer.

I like finding new ways to prepare old standbys.  Shredding the sprout instead of serving it whole or halved results in a completely different vegetable eating experience.  By shredding the leaves, you create a lot of surface area which really gets the caramelization going as you cook, which is a very nice thing when you're dealing with brown butter.  

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter

serves 2 - 4

1 dozen fresh brussels sprouts, rinsed in water

1 - 2 tablespoons organic, unsalted butter
1 - 2 tablespoons pine nuts or split hazelnuts (optional)

sprinkling of fleur de sel or sea salt

1. Cut each brussels sprout in half lengthwise, then place cut side down and slice thinly, top to bottom using a chef’s knife.  You will have a mound of shredded brussels sprouts.

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add butter and let it brown to a nice golden color.  Add brussels sprouts and toss.  Cook for about 5 minutes, add the pinenuts (or hazelnuts) and cook about 5 minutes more, until sprout leaves are wilted and starting to caramelize.   

 Sprinkle with salt and serve.  

Lemon Curd with Agave Nectar

Lemon curd is an indulgence, do doubt, but make it with agave nectar to bring the sugar hit way down. There are many recipes and methods for making lemon curd out there, some quite complex in the timing and temperature over the stove. It doesn’t have to be that hard. I’ve adapted my recipe from the Joy of Cooking because I like the rich, but not too buttery outcome and it is easy. Enjoy!

Lemon Curd with Agave Nectar

makes about 1 1/2 cups

3 or 4 lemons, juiced through a strainer to yield 1/2 cup strained lemon juice

3 large, cage-free eggs

4 tablespoons organic, unsalted butter
1/4 cup agave nectar

pinch of sea salt

1. In medium saucepan, whisk lemon juice, eggs, agave nectar and a pinch of sea salt until light in color.

2. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes.

3. Strain lemon curd through a sieve into a glass jar for storage. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Kitchen Coach Tips

• Serve lemon curd with berries and cream for a light dessert. (Blueberries are especially delicious with lemon.)
  
• For some carb fun, serve lemon curd with a fabulous (but small, of course) scone. Since we’re on the topic of carbs, you can also use lemon curd to fill a layer cake or fruit tart.
  
• Any lemon variety will do. If you have access to Meyer’s, they are especially delicious.
  

Popcorn

Natural popcorn with heart healthy olive oil.  

No microwave.  No bag of chemicals.  And no, not “fat free”.  Just crispy, salty, deliciously aromatic and satisfying popcorn.  Fun for movie night.  A great snack to share with friends when you’re enjoying a little wine.  Be brave.  Pop some corn...“sizzle-sizzle, sizzle-sizzle, sizzle-sizzle, POP!” 

Popcorn
makes 8 cups

organic popcorn

peanut oil

sea salt and olive oil for finishing

1.  Get out your trusty 2 or 3 quart saucepan, one that has a lid that fits.  Pour in a tablespoon or so of peanut oil - just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Add popcorn kernels to cover bottom of pan in a single layer, cover and set over medium high heat on the stovetop. 

2.  Listen for the popping to start and when it gets going rapidly, lift the pan a bit off the burner and shake it to get the unpopped kernels heading toward the bottom.  Return to heat and when the popping slows and/or the popcorn starts pressing off the lid, pour popped corn into a large ceramic or wood bowl (looks, feels and tastes better than metal).  Toss with sea salt and drizzle with a flavorful extra virgin olive oil.

 

Kitchen Coach Tips

• Make sure your popcorn is fresh for best ‘pop’ and flavor.  Check the bin area of your grocery or look for a packaged brand like Arrowhead Mills.  Store your popcorn kernels in an air tight container.
  
• Popcorn is high in fiber and makes a great no-sugar snack.
  
• Drinks with a tart or bitter edge are delicious with this popcorn.  Spike your favorite spicy ginger ale with some pomegranite juice and a hefty squeeze of lime.
  

 

Barley & Oat Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Pecans & Agave

Reduce the sugar and get a more tantalizingly sweet cookie. Who would have guessed? This is what I discovered when I used an organic Demerara cane sugar and replaced half of the usual amount with some agave nectar. Add pecans, and what’s not to like?

Barley & Oat Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Pecans and Agave
makes 36 cookies

1 cup unsalted organic butter
3/4 cup organic Demerara cane sugar (try Florida Crystals)
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 cage free eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups barley flour
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup ground organic flax seed meal
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks (try E.Guittard 61% chocolate wafers)
1 cup pecans, roasted until fragrant then cooled

1. Mix the usual cookie way: cream butter, sugar and agave nectar. Add eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk flours and leavening -- this step is important with oat flour, as it tends to clump. Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar mixture, mix to combine. Stir in chocolate chunks and pecans.

2. Get out your plastic wrap. Aim to make 3 logs with your dough. The dough is somewhat loose, so when you put some on the plastic wrap use the plastic to help you squeeze and roll the dough into a 10-12 inch long, couple inch in diameter, log. (It doesn't have to be exact, you're just getting yourself set up for easy "slice and bake" later.) Transfer dough logs into the refrigerator.

3. When you want to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet pan with a silpat liner or with a sheet of baking parchment paper. Unwrap chilled dough log and slice every inch or so, trying to get 12 cookies out of each roll. Put the dough slices on the lined sheet pan, approximately 20 per pan. (Put remaining dough back in the refrigerator until its turn to bake.)

4. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let cool on sheet pan for 5 minutes, then move cookies to a cooling rack.


Amy’s Kitchen Coach Tips

• Seek out a Demerara that is organic and unrefined, like Florida Crystals. The crystal size is larger than your usual sugar, even unrefined ones, and it works great in this cookie. If you’re like me, you’ll love how the larger crystals stay in tact and give you a crunch of sweetness in the cookie.)
  
  
• When you’re torn between “nuts” or “no nuts”, get some of each by portioning one or two rolls of dough into their plastic wrap logs before you add nuts to the remaining dough. Everybody’s happy.
  

Raw Kale Salad with Quinoa

Fresh flavors. Seasonal greens. Creamy goodness without dairy or mayo. I've been adapting raw food "salads" to the contents of my produce box and what I feel like having on hand for a quick and tasty meal. The results make me wonder why I never thought of this before! Greens, even sturdy ones like dino kale, don't have to be cooked to be good. And the real beauty of this salad, is that it gets better the longer it sits. (I don't know how long, as it never seems to last more than 2 days in my house.)

Raw Kale Salad with Quinoa

serves 2 - 4

1 bunch organic Dino Kale (aka black Tuscan kale), washed, stalks removed, leaves sliced thinly

3 small lemons, juiced to yield about 1/3 cup lemon juice

½ small red onion, sliced very thinly

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon agave nectar

¼ teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt

2 cups cooked quinoa (see Kitchen Coach Tips below)

1 avocado, peeled, pit removed, and diced into 1/4 inch dice

Place the kale and onion in a large ceramic bowl and drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil and agave nectar. Sprinkle with salt and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add cooked quinoa and avocado and gently combine. Cover and place in refrigerator to let the kale relax with the lemon juice awhile.

Amy's Kitchen Coach Tips

• Cook quinoa just as you would rice in a rice cooker!
• Be sure to rinse quinoa with water a few times before you start cooking. The seed produces a soapy flavored residue as a deterrent to pests -- it is harmless to us, but doesn't taste very good -- so just put the quinoa in a bowl of water, swish and pour off the water two or three times.
• This salad is at its best about 4 hours after mixing, but stays tasty for a couple days
• (Count your lucky stars if you live near a friend with a Meyer lemon tree! They are great in this salad. (Thank you Andrea!))