As a Virginian, I have a strong love for Southern breakfast fare. Grits ? Yes please. Sausage gravy ? Even more yes. Biscuits ? Hand them over. All of them. When my friend suggested we make buttermilk biscuits at our next brunch, I immediately thought of gravy (as this is my typical reaction to almost everything). We ended up with a gigantic spread of food–homemade biscuits with gravy, sauteed kale and apples, pomegranate-applesauce I had made the night before, fried eggs, and sliced kiwi (more vitamin C than oranges, and so tasty !).

So here’s the gist of what I’m about to share with you: 1. We discovered how to make the most amazing, realistic vegetarian white sausage gravy.  2. applesauce is a great way to use up mealy apples, and it tastes even better after it’s been refrigerated overnight. All of these recipes are easy to double or triple, and everything from the applesauce to the biscuit dough can be made days in advance and then baked/reheated/served when necessary, which makes it perfect for feeding Thanksgiving guests over the next few days !

As I’ve said before, it’s easy to start feeling down when the weather turns cold, and having good friends, good food, and good prosecco to keep you warm and smiling is essential to surviving.

Vegetarian Sausage Gravy
In a cast iron skillet or deep saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat.  Once melted, add the sliced leeks and minced garlic. Cook until the leeks are wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the sugar to help carmelize the leeks–once they begin to brown (a few more minutes), add the sliced mushrooms. Cook until the juices from the mushrooms start to evaporate and all the vegetables are soft–about 10 minutes. Add the chopped sausage and cook for about 3 minutes, then use a wooden spoon to smash the sausage until it is fairly uniform–do not over-smash–you definitely want some larger pieces of sausage to remain in the end.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and flour until smooth. Add into the skillet/saucepan with salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture come to a boil, then bring the temperature down to low, letting it simmer for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is thick. This happens quickly and can burn to the bottom of the pan, so keep an eye out ! Here it is right before it gets down with the thickness:

Once done, stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, and spoon over biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits
(recipe from Joy of Cooking, makes about 15 biscuits)

Preheat the oven to 450. In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until the consistency resembles coarse crumbs, and the butter is about pea-sized. Make a well in the center, and add the buttermilk. Mix to combine to a shaggy dough–if it seems a little too dry, add in more buttermilk a tablespoon at a time.

Turn the dough out onto a floured table and knead for about one minute. Then using your palms, gently press the dough until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or an inverted cup about 2 inches in diameter, cut out rounds of dough and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Let cool slightly before serving with delicious sausage gravy !

Pomegranate Applesauce
This is an incredibly vague recipe. I totally winged it, so bear with me. Basically, use however many apples you feel comfortable using based on what you have on hand or how much you are trying to make–I used about 7 small-to-medium sized apples and made about 8 servings of applesauce. Peeling the apples is also up to you. I like apple peels and they are a good source of fiber, so I kept mine in. How you choose to seed the pomegranates is also your choice–to ensure getting the maximum amount, cut down each raised bump on the fruit, then break into segments and submerge into a bowl of water to separate the seeds from the white membrane. I wasn’t too concerned about mine because they were on the verge of death, so I just cut them into chunks and pulled them out by hand as best I could.

In a pot, combine apples, water, and honey over medium heat. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and add the pomegranate seeds and cinnamon. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are almost completely mushed/saucy (in texture, not attitude). Stir in the lemon juice and continue to cook until your desired consistency is reached–I like mine with some rogue little chunks of apple, so I took mine off almost immediately after adding the lemon. For a really saucy dish, continue to cook on low for another 15 minutes.

All in all, this brunch had everything you could ask for. The meal was the perfect balance between nutrition and indulgence, and there was just the right amount of booze, caffeine, and things to satisfy the sweet tooth. Best of all, there was great company. What a perfect way to kick off a week of even more eating, indulgence, and loving people ! Take that, winter blues !! And if I don’t appear until afterwards–Happy Thanksgiving, everyone !

-K

I guess the good thing about not having a lot of free time is that I try harder to spend the time I do have doing things I like. I’ve been playing the piano again, and baking every chance I get. I’ve made 400 billion types of cookies in the past few weeks, and as the weather starts to change, I’m switching out my go-to Summer and Fall recipes for things a little more Winter-friendly. It’s finally time to start going through molasses like water, and to stock the cabinets full of cinnamon sticks and cloves. Most importantly, it’s time to start making as many delicious, warming treats as possible to avoid the onset of the Winter blues. What better way to kick off the turn of the season (and the victory of a non-terrifying president !) than with a delicious twist on the classic snickerdoodle. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the chaidoodle.

As I type this, the first snowflakes of the season are starting to fall, and my tiny, one-bedroom apartment is starting to smell like cardamom, butter, and cloves. And to be completely honest, I’m sort of writing all of this just to keep myself from devouring every cookie on the cooling rack right now (it’s barely working). These are probably the best cookies I know how to make, most likely because I use smittenkitchen‘s recipe as a base, and that lady seriously can do no wrong. So…even if you don’t like snickerdoodles (leave now), even if you don’t like cookies at all (seriously who are you), even if you don’t even like baking (….uh),  you should make these just for the fact that they warm up your house, smell like heaven, and will take up the time you would have spent crying over how cold it’s about to get. The chai spice isn’t overwhelming, and they still have the familiar, nostalgic comfort of a traditional ‘doodle. I made the right choice. Now it’s your turn.

Chaidoodles
(recipe adapted from smittenkitchen, makes 3 dozen cookies)

Start by combining all the spices in a small bowl, set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt). Take a spoonful of your spice mix and combine with the dry ingredients. Set this bowl aside, too.

In yet another bowl, cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar until light and fluffy (with my hand mixer it took about 6 minutes on medium-high speed–if you have a stand mixer with a paddle attachement, it’ll take less time). Add the eggs in one at a time while mixing, followed by the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients all at once, using a mixer just to combine, then using a spatula or your hands to gently fold/knead it into a solid dough. Pop that sucker in freezer for 30 minutes, or the fridge for an hour (dough can be chilled overnight if you want).

While the dough is chilling, add the remaining 1/4c of sugar to your spice mix and combine. Then preheat the oven to 400 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment or by greasing it (I use butter).

Once the dough is chilled and the oven is preheated, roll the dough into one inch balls using your hands. If the dough is too sticky, get your hands slightly damp. Roll each dough ball in your sugar-spice mixture until evenly and generously coated, and place on the baking sheet. Each sheet should hold about 12 cookies.  Gently press each ball with the palm of your hand to flatten it the tiniest amount–they don’t flatten much while they bake, so you want to give them a little headstart, but you definitely do not want to squish them. They should still look round.

My oven is small so I only did one tray at a time, but you could do two so long as they were spaced out in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the tray, then bake for another 5-7 minutes–the cookies should have started to crack on the top, and the centers should be set. They won’t be very brown, and that’s ok. Remove the sheets from the oven, let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to continue to cool. Or transfer them to your mouth and never look back.

You will have leftover sugar-spice mixture, and you should use it in everything. Add it to waffle and pancake batters, stir some into homemade hot cocoa, or sub part of it for regular sugar in a brownie recipe…the options are endless and beautiful. Store what you don’t eat in an airtight container, separating each layer of cookies with a sheet of wax paper. They will stay good for about a week, but I normally give them away or eat them before they have the chance to go bad.

It feels good to be back. My writing is a little rusty, and I’m excited to share more excellent foods with you ! I’m off to go shove cookies in my coat pocket’s to make my walk to work a little more bearable. Happy first snow !

-K

After a much needed and amazing vacation to my home in Virginia and to the home of my wonderful ladies in San Francisco, I am back to the grind. Hot, early mornings making muffins and weirdly-shaped batards in the kitchen of Bakery Normand has given way to job hunting as the owners have decided to shut the bakery down on September 1st for good. I have mixed feelings. I’m so happy for Bob and Patty, my bosses, and the owners of Bakery Normand. They’re going to have their first normal Thanksgiving and Christmas in over 30 years. They’re going to sleep in on Tuesday morning, and stay up late on Monday nights ! In closing the bakery, they are setting themselves free from a routine that has probably become stale and challenging as the years go by. But now I feel like I’m losing a part of the identity I established for myself after graduating college. My first baking position, my first good job–the first job I was ever excited to go to and to tell people about–is about to be gone. I’m searching all over town for new food jobs, hoping I can find something that is as fun and special to me as my time at Bakery Normand has been. I’m so thankful that Bob and Patty are letting me and my other coworkers go with as much respect and compassion as they have always had for us, but it is still a big pill to swallow.

So between working hard, disorienting myself with a bit of excellent travel, taking my boyfriend to the ER (he’s fine), and losing my job, I’ve been a little more than stressed. And despite the heat, all I really have wanted to do this past week is bake and keep myself from worrying.  Enter cobbler.

As a native Virginian, I have had my share of experiences with the stuff. I remember eating peach cobbler in Winchester, Virginia when I was little. Mostly, I just remember people saying “peach cobbler” with their Southern-tinged accents. Now, people’s idea of what a cobbler is seem to vary, but let’s make this clear. It is not a crumble. It is not a crisp. There is no oatmeal thing getting sprinkled on top. Cobblers are a Southern treat, so obviously there are biscuits involved. Warm, bubbling, gooey fruit with light, cakey, and slightly sweet biscuit dough dropped on the top. It is PERFECT. Perfect enough to turn the oven on in my non-air conditioned house.

I’ve been keeping good with the dairy-free thing. I obviously went to Tartine when I was in San Francisco and I popped a lactaid pill and did what I had to do–I.ate. everything. Including this brioche bread pudding with fresh strawberries and streusel.

It was amazing, and worth it, but now that I’m back home, I’ve been trying my best to only take the no-moo pills when it’s an absolute, Tartine-level emergency/treat. So I tried to find dairy-free cobbler recipes on the internet, but the biscuit part never seemed like it’d come out right. I turned to my trusty friend, the Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, and altered a blackberry cobbler recipe to have less sugar and no dairy. I switched out the blackberries for a mixture of plums, and local blueberries and peaches. I made two dishes of it yesterday, and one may or may not be gone. And I may or may not have eaten most of it.

Fruit Cobbler
(recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book’s blackberry cobbler)

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a 2-quart baking dish, or two 1-quart baking dishes.

Start by making your vegan “buttermilk.”  Add the lemon juice to the almond milk, stir and set aside to thicken. Then, melt your Earth Balance/butter, and place in the fridge to cool.

Make the filling–combine sugar, flour, lemon zest, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Add the fruit and toss until each piece is coated. Pour evenly into the baking dish/es and begin the topping.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, “buttermilk,”  melted Earth Balance/butter, and maple syrup. Pour that into the dry flour mixture and fold together using a spatula just until the mixture comes together into a dough.

Using a spoon (or a heart-shaped tablespoon–see above), drop the biscuit batter evenly on top of the fruit–it is not supposed to cover the entire top, so don’t worry if it doesn’t. Because it probably won’t.

Pop the sucker/s in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, and the fruit is ragin’ and bubblin’. It’ll take 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool as long as you can stand, and make sure to reheat it once it’s cold or refrigerated. Serve along side some yummy (dairy-free !) ice cream at night or with a cup of good coffee the next morning.

I said it once, I’ll say it again: sometimes all it takes is a little butter and sugar to make your worries melt away!

-K

I also discovered a few weeks ago that I have a lactose sensitivity. On the one hand, I’m really happy–I know what’s been making my stomach hurt for years, and that’s a huge relief. Plus, I can eat small amounts of dairy without it being too bad, and sheep/goat’s milk cheeses are still totally fine. On the other hand, my love for gooey pizza and butter-laden croissants has made the transition hard.

So I woke up this morning, weeded the garden, poured myself a big jar full of home-brewed floral tea, and decided to make a clafoutis. Having spent the past few weeks baking under strict guidelines, I wanted to make something for myself, using my own instructions and ingredients.  I bought a ridiculous amount of fresh, local raspberries and blueberries yesterday, and it just seemed right. I love clafoutis, and I adapted my go-to recipe to use less dairy so my stomach can enjoy it as much as my mouth.I used almond milk instead of regular milk, and used maple syrup where most people would use vanilla, because I love the combination of maple and raspberry.

I know that baking in the summer can be a pain, but some things are just worth the pain/sweat/etc. This is one of those things.

It’s somewhere between a cake, a giant pancake, and custard. It’s great as a breakfast or dessert, at any temperature at all, by itself, or with a heaping side of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

Summer Berry Clafoutis
(recipe adapted from sweetsugarbean)

Preheat the oven to 375. Put the butter in a 10 inch cast iron pan, and put it in the oven. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, almond milk, and maple syrup together in a large bowl. Then add the flour, salt, and sugar. Whisk together vigorously (but not for too long !) until most of the lumps are out and the ingredients are incorporated.

By this time, the butter should be melted in the cast iron. Remove the pan from the oven, swirling the butter around so it coats the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan, then put the berries on top, arranging them to your own liking–I just kinda throw them in.

Sprinkle some sugar on top, and put the pan back in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the pan from the oven once done and let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into slices, and serve !

-K

Baking.

After an unreasonable amount of tears on Saturday, I woke up on Sunday ready to do something pleasant. And what better way to improve a Sunday than with a breakfast so delicious and sinfully good that it could easily be a dessert ?! I’ve figured it out, people. There is no better way to squash post-grad blues (or perhaps a life crisis, break-up, or even a bad hair day) than making cinnamon rolls. I used a recipe from my William Sonoma Baking book as a base line, changing things up and adding in all my favorite treats–I wanted this to be mine, and I wanted it to be everything I could imagine in a cinnamon roll. Best of all ? Cinnamon rolls use a yeasted dough, which meant hours of my morning were devoted to this bready, gooey, sticky treat, rather than to my less-than-cheery thoughts. By the time they were baking in the oven, filling my house with the most amazing smell, I had completely forgotten why I was so sad in the first place. So that’s it–I have made magical, mood-changing cinnamon rolls, and I encourage you to try them, no matter how you feel.

A FEW DISCLAIMERS:
1. If you want these as soon as you wake up, I HIGHLY recommend you make them the night before and then pop them in the oven at 300 for 10-15 minutes in the morning. They take about 3 hours to make from start to finish, so plan accordingly.
2. These are not good for you. Don’t worry about it, just don’t eat 6 of them in one day. They’re supposed to be indulgent. I know corn syrup is technically the devil, but that’s okay. If you have an allergy or really don’t want to use it, you can mix 1c of sugar with a 1/4 of water (combine over medium heat on the stove, let it come to a boil, then remove from the heat)–then take a 1/2c of that and use it instead of the corn syrup. The leftovers will keep in your fridge for a few weeks.
3. You will end up with leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture. Put it in a tupperware and save it for late-night cinnamon toast or another batch of rolls !
4. I’m pretty sure this is all subconsciously happening because of Alex’s delicious-looking breakfast buns.

Orange Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat your oven to “warm” or 200 degrees. Once it gets there, shut the oven off and leave the door closed to trap the heat. This is where your dough will rise when the time comes.

Combine the warm water and 1 tsp of granulated sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let stand for 2 minutes. Swirl the bowl around, then let stand for 5 more minutes, or until foamy.

Take the 1 TBSP of butter and rub it on the bottom and halfway up the sides of a large bowl. Be generous. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine 3 1/2c of flour, the remaining 1/2c of granulated sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center–pour the yeast concoction, egg yolks, and warm milk in there. Mix together slowly and gently until the dough can be formed into a ball–it’s okay if it’s shaggy for now. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead gently, adding no more than 1/2c more flour to keep it from sticking. The recipe said knead it for 10 minutes “until smooth and elastic,” but mine only took about 3-4 minutes of kneading until it was at that point. Over-kneaded bread is the worst thing ever, so I quit while I was ahead.

Form the dough into a smooth ball, then place in the buttered bowl and roll it around until it’s coated in delicious butter. Cover the bowl with a dish towel (a clean one, plz), and place in your pre-warmed oven with the door ajar until it’s doubled in sized–about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, mix together 3/4c of your brown sugar, 2 TBSP of melted butter, and the corn (or sugar) syrup until it forms a uniform, goopy paste. Using a spatula, spoon it equally into two 9″ round pans and spread it evenly over the bottom of each pan. In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the brown sugar with the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.

Once risen, gently press your fist into the dough a few times to release excess air. This is technically called punching the dough, but what did it ever do to you ? Nothing. So be nice to it.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a 10 by 18 inch rectangle, making sure the dough is a uniform thickness. Coat with 2 TBSPs of melted butter–don’t forget the edges ! Sprinkle the walnuts evenly on top, using your palms to gently press them into the dough. Then grate the orange zest on top. (At this point you should preheat your oven to 200 and turn it off again to prepare for the next rise).

Now take your sugar and spice mixture. At this point I put half of it in a tupperware and set it aside for future use. Sprinkle the rest on top of the dough. How much you choose to use depends on your sweet tooth, but use at least enough to coat the entire rectangle.

Starting with the longest side of the rectangle facing you, roll the dough into a tight tube. Williams Sonoma recommends cutting off the raggedy edges and throwing them away, but I put them in their own little pan and baked them up–just because they’re ugly doesn’t mean they’re not delicious !

Cut the roll into 14 equal sliced rounds–floss is the best tool for cutting them nicely, but a sharp knife will do the trick. Place 1 round in the middle of each 9 inch pan, and place the remaining slices around them. Cover each pan with a towel and put them back in your open, warm oven for another hour.

Once risen, brush the rolls with the rest of the melted butter. Preheat the oven to 350, and bake them for about 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the goo at the bottom is bubbling. Once the pans are cool enough to touch, place a wire rack over each pan and flip so the rolls are inverted and out of the pan. Let them cool just until they are bearable to touch, then eat !!

It’s all about the little things that make you happy.

-K

I will try to post something soon. My busy schedule as of late has made me lose track of regularly updating this little guy. Besides working, going to the gym, and catching up on my reading list, I’ve been falling in love with my new bicycle and our newly acquired Super Nintendo. I never said they were good excuses, y’all.  Anyway, this blog thing takes serious diligence, and I’ve been slipping up lately, which isn’t something I want to be doing. Now that the weather is getting nicer and the farmer’s market is starting to bring some of my favorite vegetables (and some unfamiliar ones that I’ve been trying !), I’m gaining more inspiration for the kitchen. I’m excited to share my findings ! Let me know if you have any tips for getting out of a culinary-slump, too !

Until then, I’ll try harder not to accidentally delete everything that matters. NOT MAKIN’ ANY PROMISES. Ugh.

-K

Spring rolls !

When it comes to food, I have a few crosses to bear. The first, as I explained in my breakfast quinoa saga, is that I’m determined to prove that healthy food is delicious. The second thing I’m set on demonstrating is that simplicity can be DELICIOUS. Caprese salad, anyone ?! TOAST ?!? Simplest things, tastiest rewards.

Spring rolls are super easy and relatively quick to make–once you find the few “special” ingredients you need and julienne some vegetables, it’s just a matter of putting everything together and digging in. While there are probably 100 different things you can put in spring rolls, we chose Mal’s usual/superb combination of cellophane rice noodles, carrots, cucumber, peanuts, and cilantro. In the future, I’d love to swap out carrots for daikon or jicama or use mint instead of cilantro. Seriously, you can really do whatever floats your boat, so long as it’ll fold up inside the wrapper.  We ate ours with soba noodles and homemade peanut sauce, but they’d also go well with stir-fried vegetables and tofu if double-noodles is too much for you to handle. Baby.

Mal’s Spring Rolls and Peanut Noodles

Start by cutting the carrots and cucumbers into small matchsticks (julienne, if you will). Set them aside. Then, bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove, and cook the cellophane noodles according to the directions on the package–they take about a minute to cook, so keep your eye on them ! Once cooked, drain the noodles and run cold water over them to cool. They need to be cool enough to touch or else you’ll be suffering through the entire process of putting the rolls together.

Set up a little spring roll production station (or mise en place. I am just busting out all the french techniques over here). Have your noodles in a bowl, and put your vegetables, peanuts, and cilantro all in their own separate piles. Fill an empty baking dish or sheet pan with about an inch of water, and place that next to your piles. Now it’s time to assemble the rolls !

Place one or two spring roll wrappers at a time in the water-filled baking dish until they are soft and flexible–about 30 seconds to a minute. Place the wrapper on a plate. Grab a small handful of noodles, and place them in the center of the wrapper. On either side, add between three and four pieces each of cucumber and carrot. Then sprinkle cilantro and peanuts over the top of the noodles. Now comes the folding. Fold the bottom end up over the filling. Then fold up either side. Here’s the trickiest part. Using your fingers to keep the filling tight and in place, begin to roll the spring roll forward until it’s completely tucked over into a small…roll. Or eggroll shape. Or baby burrito. If that is too complicated to understand, please let me know and I can post a little video ! Basically you want to create the tightest and most efficient pocket for all your delicious fillings. If you find a better way to do that, by all means try it that way ! There also may be directions printed on the wrapper packaging. If your roll doesn’t want to stay shut, dabbing a little water onto the seal will help it stay closed. Repeat this process (soaking the wrapper, filling, and folding) until you have used all your vegetables or wraps. We used a store-bought sweet chili dipping sauce to dunk our rolls in. If you feel ambitious enough to make it, by all means go for it ! Otherwise, it can most likely be found in your average grocery store !

Now, onto peanut noodles. If you are planning on making these two dishes together as we did, I’d recommend making the peanut sauce first, then assembling the spring rolls, then cooking your soba/udon noodles. That way everything comes together pretty quickly and nothing has to sit around for too long.

Making the peanut sauce is pretty simple. Start by putting the sesame oil and chili flakes in a small pot or pan over medium heat. Let that cook for about 4-5 minutes so the oil gets infused with all of that spicy goodness. Remove from heat and dump it in a bowl (strain if you don’t want the chili flakes, or leave them in for an extra kick).

Add all the other ingredients, stirring vigorously–the peanut butter tends to seize up when combined with everything else, so feel free to pop it in the microwave or put it in a pan over low heat for a few seconds just to help it thin out. Adjust the spices as desired/needed.

Once that is done, cook the soba or udon according to the directions on the package–boiling water, wait a few minutes until its soft(er), drain. You know the drift. Pour the noodles back into the pot and add the peanut sauce. Stir to coat the noodles. If you have leftover veggies/nuts/cilantro from the spring rolls, feel free to toss them in with the noodles.

So there you have it. Simple AND delicious.
-K

After a weeklong break, I am back ! Last week was crazy–between planning my birthday and working a full schedule to accomodate the busyness of Easter at the bakery, I certainly had my hands full. I had a wonderful  birthday on Saturday filled with the best foods and friends, and the most lazy Sunday of all time. Now I’m back, refreshed, and ready to share some delicious cheesecake knowledge.

Cheesecake is something I only make once or twice a year. I love it SO much that I refrain from making it more often because I will seriously go through half of a cake in an evening.  Plus it’s kind of a long process, so getting the motivation to actually make one can take months. I figured my birthday (the big 2-3) would be the perfect excuse to make one, though this particular cheesecake  put me through the ringer. While I was making it, my rinkydink hand mixer started smelling like it was about to explode. I let the batter sit and soften while I did other things, hoping a softer batter would mean less work for my worse-for-the-wear mixer. But, oh no no, that didn’t help. As soon as I turned it on, the terrifying pre-fire smell came back. So then there was a brief hiatus where my emotions got intense, and my roommate ended up running out and returning with a new Kitchen Aid hand mixer ! (!!!!!)

I ripped it from it’s packaging and finished the cake, only to discover I didn’t have any tin foil. To really do a cheesecake right, you should wrap the springform in foil, then submerge the pan in a water bath while it cooks. I wasn’t willing to leave the batter sitting around anymore, so I went without. The cake cracked and looked a little browner than usual on the top, but it could easily be hidden under a layer of caramel or chocolate. It also didn’t rise quite as high as normal, probably because the batter sat around so long while my mixer tried to die. But it was my birthday cake, so I wasn’t too concerned about the look of it as long as it tasted delicious. And it does ! And the proof is in the 4-5 slices that I’ve eaten since Saturday.

My cheesecake is a mix of several different influences–I rely mostly on a great recipe from tartelette, but also pull ideas from my father’s turtle cheesecake, and my own ideas. The cheesecake itself comes from tartelette, the flavoring comes from me, and the use of Nilla Wafers for the crust is my dad’s secret, so it has become mine. It’s delicious, just trust me.

Birthday Pillow Cheesecake
(adapted from tartelette)

Start by making the crust. Preheat the oven to 350.

Place the wafers in a plastic bag. Think about someone who did you wrong. Now, using a rolling pin or food processor, smash the bejesus out of the wafers. I’m not too particular about getting every cookie smashed evenly–bigger pieces give the cake a little crunch in the end ! When you are satisfied with your crushing, pour the crumbs into a bowl and set aside.

Cut the butter into uniform chunks and add to a small saucepan over medium heat. Brown the butter–let it melt and give the pan a swirl every now and then to prevent the butter from burning as it continues to foam. Once you see brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan and the foam starts to subside (5-7 minutes), take it off the heat and pour it on top of the crushed wafers. Add the vanilla, then combine all the ingredients gently with your hands. Press the crumb-butter mixture into the bottom of the springform, making sure it is evenly distributed. Then pop it into the oven to bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the pan from the oven to cool, and turn the oven down to 325 while you begin the cheesecake.

Before you start, let me stress this: make sure your cream cheese and butter are soft. You will overbeat the batter if your ingredients aren’t soft enough to combine easily.

Put the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla into a large bowl. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, making sure not to overbeat the batter in between each egg.

In another bowl, whip the egg whites first on medium speed for about two minutes, then on high speed for another three to four, until stiff peaks form. Once they are whipped, immediately pour them into the batter and gently fold them in to incorporate. Pour the batter into your springform pan, and smooth out the top with a spatula.

At this point, you should wrap your springform with aluminum foil and place it in a ovenproof pan. Carefully add enough water to come up about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up the springform, then place in the oven to bake. Let bake for 1 and 1/2 hours. Then turn off the oven, crack the door, and let the cheesecake continue to cook and cool for another 30 minutes. This helps prevent it from cracking, though mine did either way ! Let the cake cool at room temperature before lightly wrapping it and putting it in the fridge. Put it in the fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours if you are in a rush or very impatient) before serving. Trust me, it’s worth it.

The lemon in the batter plays up the tangy-ness of the cream cheese without being overwhelming, and the vanilla in the crust and batter gives the cake a light, refreshing flavor. Everyone that tried it commented on the amazing consistency, which is super light (like a pillow, go figure !) but still cake-y. After all, cheesecake should still remind you of a cake–I’ve never liked those thin, dense cheesecakes. And after trying this one, you probably won’t either !

Enjoy the cheesecake, the Spring, and my new food gallery !

-K

This breakfast is one of my “told you so” dishes. Quinoa is by far my favorite grain, and one of my favorite foods. As a vegetarian, it being a complete protein on its own is also a key factor in my loving it so much.  Though it comes in three colors, I prefer the red. It has more of a crunch than white quinoa, and I love the way it ends up looking–deep red and brown and gorgeous.

The quinoa and the apples are both cooked in almond milk to give them a creamy texture and nutty flavor. The only sweetener used is a few teaspoons of honey, and a mix of warm, earthy spices like cloves and cardamom take this breakfast to a new level, while still making it familiar and accessible to even the pickiest, no-nonsense eaters. It’s easy to make, and is a great way to use up any leftover quinoa from a previous dinner !

Breakfast Quinoa with Spiced Apple Compote
Put quinoa, water, and 1/2c almond milk in a pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in another pot, add the apples, the other 1/2c of almond milk, honey, and spices over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium-low. I tried to take a photo, but, unsurprisingly, a cinnamon-colored liquid just looks brown and weird under stove lighting. Just trust that it looks and smells amazing in real life.

Let both pots cook for about 10-12 minutes–if the apple mixture is looking a little too thick, thin it out with a tablespoon or two of water and return to the heat. When the liquid in the quinoa is almost completely absorbed (a little liquid is okay), and the apples are soft. Spoon the quinoa into a bowl, then use a slotted spoon to put the apples on top. Spoon some of the compote sauce over top until it reaches the sweetness and consistency of your liking. Feel free to add more cinnamon or honey, some chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, or some ground flax !

This is the kind of thing you can adapt in any number of ways–switch up the fruit, replace the almond milk in the compote with orange juice–you can use any kind of quinoa you want, or even try it with bulgur wheat. It’s a great, protein-packed, nutritious breakfast that’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Easy to make and even easier to eat, this breakfast dish is quick, tasty, and a great way to start your morning. Enjoy !

-K

Spring also means that the farmer’s market is just weeks away from bursting with new produce for me to load up on week after week.

Enter zucchini bread. Tasty, moist, and requiring little-to-no preparation to eat (maybe a quick pop in the toaster and some butter on top), zucchini bread combines the light flavors of spring and summer (zucchini, apples) with the warm flavors of cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla that are sure to lure you out of bed on the darkest morning. Most recipes for zucchini bread call for about 2/3 to 1 cup of oil.  And while I am known to throw endless amounts of butter into something, I decided to create my own recipe that uses apple sauce instead of oil. Best part about this Spring-y recipe ? It takes about 10 minutes to assemble, and then you have over an hour to relax outside while it bakes and fills your house with the smell of sugar and cinnamon.

Zucchini Bread
(adapted from various recipes, mostly from allrecipes.com)

Butter and flour a 9×5 loaf pan, then preheat the oven to 350.  Next, grate the zucchini and set aside.

In a bowl, beat the eggs. Next add the applesauce, both sugars, and vanilla and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices). Then gently stir into the wet mixture until uniform.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for an hour and ten minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle of the loaf (check around an hour, all ovens are different !). Let cool, then cut into thick slabs and eat !! A perfect Spring treat, especially when paired with a brown-sugar mint julep and an afternoon on the porch.

-K