Nathan & Nora’s Infinite Playlist

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I just started watching “Upload”on Amazon. It’s a sci-fi comedy series set in a completely automated future in 2033 centering around Nathan Brown, a handsome and eccentric coder who meets his untimely death in a self-driving car accident. In this universe, in lieu of dying, people can choose to “upload” themselves and their memories online to an afterlife-like cloud game owned by super-corporation, Horizen. You essentially live in this afterlife universe where you can “buy” In-N-Out combo meals, talking therapy dogs, and live in elite lake view accommodations, with the appropriate funds, of course, and “live” amongst other fellow upload-ers and still communicate with the living (and have VR sex with them, too). Every uploader has a Horizen-employee handler “angel” that assists them whenever prompted. Nathan’s “angel” is Nora, a helpless romantic from New York who is falling for Nathan, hard. And it appears, Nathan might be falling for her, too, despite having a still-alive super-controlling girlfriend, Ingrid (who is solely responsible for Nathan’s account and honestly is just terrible). To avoid anymore spoilers, I won’t go into it anymore, but it’s definitely worth a watch.

Portland just experienced its first weekend of summer-like weather, and I’m just not ready for it. I’m still enjoying the mild 60s temps where I can wear a peignoir to bed, but still have a light blanket if needed. Just before we hit near 90-degree weather, I cooked up this rich chocolate zucchini cake with creamy two-ingredient chocolate frosting. I stan this cake and Nathan and Nora’s VR relationship.

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake w/ Chocolate-Coconut Frosting
Yields two 9-inch cakes
Recipe by A Streetcar Named Devour

FOR THE CAKE

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
1/2 cup gluten-free almond flour
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3 cups zucchini, grated (about 2 large zucchini)
1 cup coconut oil, melted
1 3/4 cup coconut sugar
4 flaxseed eggs (4T flaxseed + 10T water)
1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt
1 1/2t pure vanilla extract
1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

METHOD
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and dust with flour. Set aside.

Sift and combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Place grated zucchini in a blender and blend till creamy.

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and oil then add in the blended zucchini. Add in the flax eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Cream till fully incorporated.

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients without over-mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Evenly distribute the batter into the two pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, depending upon your oven’s settings.

FOR THE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole-fat canned coconut milk
1 package (10 ounces) vegan chocolate chips I like these
1/2t kosher salt

METHOD
Place the coconut milk and chocolate chips in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Mix with a rubber spatula till completely melted and incorporated. Add in the salt. Place melted chocolate mixture into a bowl and allow to cool in the refrigerator. The frosting is ready to whip when it’s no longer pourable (from 1.5 to 2 hours).

Once the mixture is ready for whipping, place it in an electric mixer and whip till light and fluffy (about 5 mins). Frosting is ready to use (or lick from the spoon, your choice)!

Fifty Shades of Glaze

vegan doughnuts, A Streetcar Named Devour

Yes, they’re real and they’re spectacular.

Let’s talk about Book Club. Not generally speaking; the 2018 rom-com, Book Club. Starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen, the film follows these life-long best friends, (now in their 70s ) navigating their post-menopausal, post-divorced, post-widowed, and post-sexless marriage lives. (Side note: Did you know that Jane Fonda was 81 when this film released?! Yes, 81! She looks amazing.)

The friends are in a book club, and their next book is Fifty Shades of Grey. The story continues with them reading the book while finding love, rekindling love, reigniting love and rediscovering their self love. Some may say it’s cheesy, but I’m a sucker for any rom-com, and I found it lighthearted and endearing. The scenes between Fonda’s character, Vivian and former flame, Arthur (played by Don Johnson), clearly have incredible on-screen chemistry. Or the adorableness that’s Steenburgen’s, Carol, performing a tap-dancing number as her husband (a very hilarious Craig T. Nelson) rides in a motorcycle singing Meatloaf’s, “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).”

Original image by Apartment Story + June Pictures

I went to see this movie in theaters with my fellow rom-com loving friend, Lindsay when it first came out. I cried. I’m unsure if she did. But I definitely cry watching movies. I’m an empath. It happens.

I watched it again recently (it’s currently steaming on Amazon Prime.) I still enjoy it. With all of this extra time on my hands, I wanted to make time-consuming yeast-raised doughnuts. Fridge foraging is a trending hashtag on social media right now, as many of us are in self-quarantine and socially distancing. I discovered that I had almost three bottles of black sesame seeds in my pantry, so I wanted to make doughnuts with them. I found a recipe on Belly Rumbles, and made a couple of edits and vegan-ized it. I replaced the miso glaze in her recipe with matcha glaze (another ingredient I have plenty of in my pantry). And black sesame + matcha go together like peanut butter + jelly. Wouldn’t you agree?

“To even be holding this book is embarrassing.” -Sharon (Candice Bergen)

Black Sesame Doughnuts with Matcha Glaze

Yields about 1 dozen

Recipe slightly adapted from Belly Rumbles

FOR THE BLACK SESAME PASTE

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
4T date syrup (or honey if not vegan)

METHOD
Toast the black sesame seeds in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Swirl the pan, making sure all sides are toasted evenly. Toast till fragrant. Turn off burner and set pan aside to cool. Place seeds in a mini processor or coffee grinder and blitz till completely ground. In a bowl, mix with your liquid sweetener. Set aside.

FOR THE DOUGHNUTS

INGREDIENTS
¾ cup milk, warmed to 100-110 degrees
3T active dry yeast

¼ cup sugar
2 cups AP flour, plus more for dusting
2T flaxseeds + 2 1/2T water mixed together
¼ cup black sesame paste
Fryer oil

FOR THE GLAZE
3T soy milk (or other dairy-free option)
Pinch of salt
2T vegan butter, melted
2T food-grade matcha powder
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

METHOD
In a small bowl heat your milk to 100-110 degrees. Add in the yeast and 1T of sugar. Whisk to combine and allow to rest in a warm spot for about 10 minutes. There should be a layer of bubbles upon resting.

“I would like to introduce you to Christian Grey” -Vivian

In a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add the sugar, flour, flaxseed, water, black sesame paste and bubbled yeast mix. Beat on low speed for about 5-7 minutes. It’s done once the dough is smooth.

In a large lightly greased bowl, add the dough ball and secure with plastic wrap. Set the bowl aside where it’s warm. Dough should rest for about an hour (depending on your home temperature). You’ll know it’s ready when the dough has doubled.

“I do like the idea of romance.” -Carol

Turn your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another 5 minutes. Then roll the dough to about 1-1.5cm thick. Use a doughnut punch cutter. Continue to roll out the dough scraps and punch out the doughnut rings till you have no more dough. You should get about 9-12 doughnuts in total.

“We are too old.” -Sharon

“But it does say right here, ‘for mature audiences'” -Carol

“Yeah, that certainly sounds like us.” -Diane

On a parchment-lined sheet tray place the cut out doughnut rings and holes, and top with plastic wrap on loosely. Put the tray somewhere warm to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Dough should be doubled in size when it’s ready.

Stimulate your mind.

Fill your deep-fryer or a large sauce pan half way with oil over medium heat till it reaches 350°F. Fry the doughnuts but don’t overfill the pan. Flip after 30-50 seconds on one side and finish with 30 seconds on the other. I like using wooden chopsticks to do the flipping, but you can use a stainless steel spatula if you don’t chopsticks on hand. Doughnuts should be golden brown when they’re done.

Allow doughnuts to drain excess oil on a cooling rack lined with a larger sheet tray underneath. While doughnuts are cooling make the glaze.

Add all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together till smooth and a think but pourable consistency.

Dip the top of doughnuts in glaze and return to the cooling rack to drain and dry. Repeat with the rest of the doughnuts.

Enjoy. These are perfect with a cup of hot coffee, or my new favorite Dalgona coffee.

“Drink up. Hoist that glass. Happy reading, ladies.” -Vivian

A Love That Spans Centuries

Photo by A Streetcar Named Devour

Original photo by Aimee Spicks/STARZ

I stan a ride-or-die couple. And I’m currently obsessing over Starz-streamed series, “Outlander.” If you haven’t watched yet, the story revolves around our two main characters, Claire (a time-traveling WWII nurse from England), and an 18th Century Scottish Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser. I won’t delve too much into the storyline, but these star-crossed lovers will do whatever it takes to protect each other. It’s a love that spans centuries.

The Linzer Torte (the original form of this tasty treat) is actually much older than our fictitious Scottish Jacobite, and dates as far back as the 17th Century in Linz, Austria. (The oldest known recipe is from 1653!) The name originated as “Helle Linzer Plaetzchen” which in German literally translates to “bright Linzer cookies.” The much easier to make version is the sandwich cookie, with its characteristic cut-out shape exposing the fruit jam and is lightly dusted with confectioner’s sugar. This version is gluten-free and vegan.

==
Gluten-Free + Vegan Linzer Cookies

Recipe slightly adapted from About to Sprout
Recipe yields about 8 cookie sandwiches

Photo by A Streetcar Named Devour

INGREDIENTS

2.5 C almond flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

4T coconut oil, melted

1/4 C date syrup

1/2t fresh lemon juice

1ea lemon, zested

1t pure vanilla extract

1/2t Kosher salt

1/4t Baking soda

1C Jam, fruit preserve of choice (my fave store-bought are from Crofter’s)

1/4C powdered sugar for dusting

METHOD

Combine all ingredients into a bowl. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle in a bit of almond flour till it’s pliable but not too dry.

Mound dough onto a flat surface and shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 20 mins.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line 2 sheet trays with parchment paper.

Once dough is chilled, unwrap and place between two pieces of parchment paper.

Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 16 cookies (using a large heart-shaped cookie cutter) and place 8 of those cookies on the parchment-lined sheet tray. (You may need to re-roll your dough to get more cookies.)

Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter inside the larger hearts. If you don’t have a smaller cookie cutter you can free-hand it like I did.

Place onto sheet tray, making sure cookies don’t touch (they’ll spread a little).

Bake for 8-12 mins depending on your oven. Mine were done at 8 mins, so keep an eye on them and pull out once they’re a nice golden brown.

Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

TO ASSEMBLE
Line cookies with the base of the cookie bottom sides up and spoon about 1T of fruit preserve. Top with double-heart cookie half to expose the jam.

Top with a light dusting of sugar.

Continue reading →

Let’s Twist Again (Like We Did Last Summer)

I need to get back into yoga. My body is constantly telling me I need to stretch and to weight train more. The aches + soreness associated with having a job where I’m on my feet 10+ hours a day, where I’m going up and down stairs all day is taking its toll. I average anywhere between 3-5 miles in steps alone by just being in the confines of the building. (That’s upped to 5-8 miles a day during our peak season!) On busy summer days (where the restaurant averages 2-hour wait times and lines stretch around the block like the ones in Disneyland) my body is wrecked from moving up and down and all around. I’m a bit older now (40 is getting closer and closer!) and I’m not as spry as I once was. So I’ve decided that yoga and weightlifting is a priority in 2020.

Another priority? This matcha and black sesame + dark chocolate babka. It is as heavenly as it sounds. The deep nutty and cocoa aromas from the toasted, ground black sesame seeds, and the full-bodied slight umami flavors from the matcha powder with the bittersweet chocolate is a lovely taste combination.

Babka is a dense cake comprised of yeasted dough that’s filled, rolled and cut in half vertically, then twisted and baked to perfection. I highly recommend upping your baking game by trying this easy to follow recipe if you are new to the beauty that is babka. Of course, I veganized it, sourcing a handful of recipes and testing combinations of each one. The recipe below gave me the best results. Share your babka experiences, tips and tricks below!

VEGAN Matcha Babka With Black Sesame + Dark Chocolate Filling

Recipe slightly adapted from Fix Feast Flair + The Little Epicurean

Yields 1 babka loaf

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MATCHA BABKA DOUGH

1/2 cup soy milk, plus extra for brushing
3.5 g active dry yeast
344 g all-purpose flour
64 g non-dairy, unsalted butter (I like Earth Balance) at room temperature
25 g coconut sugar
2 flaxseed eggs (2T flax + 5T warm water)
1/3 t pure vanilla extract
2 T matcha powder, cook-grade
1/2 t kosher salt
Oil for coating bowl

FOR THE BLACK SESAME SEED FILLING

6 T non-dairy unsalted butter (like Earth Balance or Melt), room temperature
1/4 c coconut sugar
1.5 T maple syrup
4 T black sesame seeds, toasted lightly and coarsely ground
1/2 c miniature dairy-free dark chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life)

METHOD FOR THE DOUGH

Heat the milk till the thermometer reaches 100-110°F.
Whisk the warmed milk and yeast in a medium-sized bowl. Then whisk in 1/2 cup of the flour. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes.
Combine the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed till light and whipped fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add in half of the flax eggs mixture for about a minute. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Add in the rest of the flax mix and whip on medium for another minute. Add the vanilla. Stir for 30 seconds.
At the lowest speed, slowly add in the rest of the flour and matcha powder till almost combined, and then mix in the yeasted milk for another minute. Then add the salt. Mix on low till the dough starts to pull away from the bowl and it’s fully incorporated. About 5 minutes.
Lightly coat a large bowl with a neutral oil and place the dough in it. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm area for about 1-2 hours, depending on the temp of your house. (You’ll want the dough to double in size.)

METHOD FOR THE BLACK SESAME FILLING

Heat the sesame seeds over medium-high heat and toss occasionally till the seeds start to give off a toasted aroma (you’ll know it when you smell it). Turn off the heat.
Place the seeds in a food processor, blender or coffee grinder till completely ground.
Using a paddle attachment on a standing mixer, combine the butter, sugar, syrup, and toasted sesame seeds. On medium speed, whip till combined. Place in the refrigerator till you’re ready to assemble the babka.

ASSEMBLY

Once the dough has doubled in size, place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out starting in the middle and working your way out. Roll the dough to a 12×16 rectangle.
Use an offset spatula to evenly spread the sesame filling into the dough. Sprinkle a generous layer of chocolate chips on top.
Line an 8” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
Starting at the short end, roll the dough tightly. The seam should be at the bottom of the roll.
Cut the ends off of both sides using a sharp serrated knife.
Gently cut the roll in half lengthwise, from top to bottom.
With the cut sides up, twist the halves over and together. Cross the left end over the right, and then carefully lift the right side over the left again. Repeat till all sides are intertwined.
Carefully place the dough twist into the prepped pan. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Remove towel. Brush the babka with soy milk.
Place in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes (depends on your oven) and till a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When done, carefully remove from oven and allow to cook for about 15 minutes on a cooling rack before serving.

Why do you build me up? Buttercup?

Desserts in teensy weensy jars and ramekins are so darn cute. This veganized recipe doesn’t require any baking–it’s foolproof and just needs about 2 hours in the fridge to set. That’s right. No butter. No cream, eggs. Nada. You might ask, how does this taste so good without all the dairy? And I’ll say, you won’t even miss it.

Xx Kelly Rae

Chocolate Vegan Pots de Creme with Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumble
Serves 8
By Kelly Rae — A Streetcar Named Devour

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBLE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup cashews (or whatever nut variety you have in your pantry)
1/2 cup pitted dates
1 Tablespoon coconut flour
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

METHOD
Pulse together in a food processor till crumbly.

FOR THE POT DE CREME

INGREDIENTS
2 cups silken tofu (do not use firm tofu)
8 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, melted (I use Enjoy Life)
3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 Tablespoon espresso powder (King Arthur Flour makes the best! I got mine via Sur La Table)
1/4 cup cashew milk (or any plant-based milk of your choosing)
1-3 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional, if you like a sweeter pot de creme)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted and for sprinkling

METHOD
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, making sure not to burn it.

Place all ingredients into a blender and zap till thoroughly blended.

Divvy up into different-sized ramekins or Mason jars, depending on how many portions you need. Layer the graham cracker crumble in between layers of the chocolate puree.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to fully set.

Serve with toasted shredded coconut. Boom.

Bagels for Days

bagellede

Bagels are such a versatile treat–you can pretty much top them with anything and they’ll be delicious. Cream cheese, jam, peanut butter, avocado, lox, pesto, seriously anything.

Here’s a super-easy recipe via Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Homemade Bagels
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Yields 6-12, depending on size

INGREDIENTS
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
2 and 3/4 teaspoons Instant Yeast
4 cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt

FOR THE WATER BATH
2 quarts water
1/4 cup honey

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon + 3 teaspoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons raisins
egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 Tablespoon of water

METHOD
Quickly whisk in the yeast into the warm water till completely
dissolved. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed the flour, sugar, and salt for about 30 seconds. With the mixer continuing to run on medium speed, slowly drizzle the bloomed yeast mixture, making sure to scrape out any undissolved yeast with a spatula, getting all of the yeast into the dough.

Turn down to low speed and mix until all the flour has been well incorporated into the dough. The dough will look choppy; once you get it to this point, bump up the speed to medium and mix for 8 minutes. Once done mixing, the dough will be super stiff, that’s OK.

mandrake

(Mine somehow managed to resemble the mandrake root in Pan’s Labyrinth. Creeeeepy.)

panslab

(Note: If you’re making cinnamon and raisin-flavored bagels, section off about 1/3 of the mixture and hand-mix the raisins into the dough.)

Otherwise, remove from the mixing bowl and shape the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place into the bowl, turning the dough ball to coat all sides with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and place in a warm area of your kitchen to allow the dough to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dough should to be noticeably larger.

bagdo

bagdo3

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or SILPAT mats if you have them. Place a wire rack over a third baking sheet.

To shape the bagels, gently punch down the dough if you notice any air bubbles. Turn it out onto a clean surface and divide the dough into 8 equal-sized pieces.

bagcut

Shape each piece into a ball and place 4 balls onto the two lined baking sheet. Then, hold up one dough ball and press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole, widening it. Cover the shaped bagels with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest as you prep the water bath.

bagrolled

bagrolled2

bagrolled3

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

To prepare the water bath, fill a large, wide pan with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring the water to just-simmering. Once simmering, add in the bagels, about 2-3 at a time, making sure not to overcrowd them. Cook the bagels for about 1 minute on each side, then transfer each bagel to the cooling rack.

To prepare your optional toppings: Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel, then sprinkle each with your desired toppings.

sesbag

sesbag2

sesbag3

Place the bagels on the lined baking sheets, and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to get an even coloration. The bagels should be golden brown and delicious.

Remove the cooked bagels from the oven and to cool for about 20 minutes before enjoying.

bagel2

(Cook’s Note: You can freeze your bagels in an airtight bag. Refrigerated bagels will keep for about 7-10 days.)

(Editor’s Note: All movie screenshots in this story are property of Estudios Picasso, Tequila Gang, Esperanto Filmoj, Sententia Entertainment and Telecinco.)

West Toast

It’s so crazy to think about how much of your life can change in one year. 1 year. Last Thanksgiving I spent the entire night working as a cocktail waitress at a thankless job. It was by far the WORST job I have ever had. Luckily, I only stuck around for a month.

At last week’s Thanksgiving, I spent it with some truly awesome friends. We had a delicious meal and plenty of libations. Being away from your family during the holidays is oftentimes hard, but when you have amazing friends, it’s not that bad at all.

My contribution to our Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving meal are these mini Guava and Cream Cheese Tartlets (Pop Tart knockoffs), but they’re soooo good. The filling was inspired by this AMAZING Cuban bakery in LA that I used to frequent, called Porto’s. Their Pastelitos de Guayaba (Guava Pastries) are a reason in itself to visit if you’re ever in LA.

The guava filling can be made at home, but I was a bit lazy this time around, and just visited my local Latin American food market and purchased this GOYA Guava Paste package. For $3 it’s a steal. And it’s so good, guys.

Guava Cream Cheese Tarlets
(Pastelitos de Guayaba)
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg (plus 1 egg for egg wash)
2 tablespoons milk

METHOD
Using a food processor, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt, working the butter in till the mixture holds together when you press it with your fingers. The mixture will be just a tad bit lumpy, with specks of butter still visible. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and add the egg and milk, mixing till everything is cohesive.

Split the dough in half. Shape each half into a rough 3″ x 5″ rectangle, smoothing the edges. If making the dough ahead of time, you can refrigerate for up to 2 days; allowing the dough to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before rolling out.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Place the first half of the dough on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″.

Trim off the edges; save the scraps and set them aside, along with the 9″ x 12″ rectangle of dough.

Proceed by rolling out the other half of the dough, and cut it as you did with the first half.

Place a rectangle slice of the guava paste and cream cheese onto the center of each marked rectangle.

Lightly beat the last egg, and brush the outer corners of the surface of each pastry dough. Place the second sheet of dough atop the first, using the tines of a fork to press firmly around each pocket, sealing the dough on all sides.

If you have dough scraps, press them together into a ball, then re-roll them out. Repeat the rolling and cutting of the dough according to the size of the dough and fill them if you’re able to.

Gently transfer the tarts to a lightly greased or parchment-lined sheet tray. Lightly brush the tops of each tarlet, and then place into your oven.

Bake the tartlets for 15 to 23 minutes, or till they’re a light golden brown.

Curd UP!

Pomegranate-Lemon Curd
Yields about 2 cups
Recipe Slightly Adapted from Baking A Moment

INGREDIENTS
1/8 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon water
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pomegranate, juiced
3/4 cup water
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

METHOD
Whisk together the first five ingredients into a small bowl till smooth.

Place the juice from the pomegranate, water and the lemon juice in a pot over medium-low heat, and bring to a simmer.

Slowly pour in about a 1/4 cup of the heated juices into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to combine. Add another 1/2 cup of the hot liquid, whisking till the egg mixture is warm to the touch.

Carefully pour in the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the remaining hot liquid, whisking constantly. Cook the mixture gently, stirring constantly to avoid lumps and adjusting the heat temperature accordingly.

Whisk in the cold butter and lemon zest, then transfer the mixture into a bowl to cool.

Serves well as a filling for cake or this Aebleskiver recipe.

General Custard

This Spanish-style flan recipe is super easy to make. I love using this recipe to accompany this Filipino Halo-Halo dessert recipe.

Spanish Flan
Serves 4
Recipe slightly adapted from AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1, 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
kettle of boiling water

METHOD
Preheat your own to 350 degrees F. Place your ramekins (or whatever vessel you’ll be cooking your flans in) into the oven on a sheet tray to warm up.

Heat a medium-sized sauce pan to medium-low, then add the sugar until it’s caramelized and brown.

While your sugar heats up, mix together the eggs and milks in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside.

When the sugar becomes syrupy, turn off the heat and immediately pour into your warming ramekins.

(Cook’s Note: Heating the ramekins beforehand helps the caramel maintain its heat and not harden immediately.)

Carefully pour the custard mixture into the filled ramekins. Then place the ramekins into a large, shallow ovenproof pan. Fill the pan with the boiling water about 1-inch from the base of the ramekin. Cover with foil and place into the oven for 40 minutes.

Check for doneness, then allow to cool completely. When serving, completely trace the outside of the flan with a knife and then invert the ramekin onto a serving plate.

Call Me Miss Honey Lavender Stracciatella

I’ve been binge-watching LogoTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race for the past month. All seven seasons. It’s an addiction I’m very happy to admit. I love me some drag queens and especially love me some RuPaul.

(PS: How has she not aged an ounce?! Get it, mama Ru!)

I remember watching RuPaul’s talk show (The RuPaul Show) on Vh1 in the late-90s. I was in middle school when it aired, and was so enamored by Ru. What a talent, I thought; you couldn’t keep your eyes off her. I was a fan of hers then and am an even bigger fan of her now. The Drag Race competition show is such a guilty pleasure of mine. I watch it while I’m getting dressed for work, while I’m cooking, and when I unwind after getting off from work. And while most shows lose their luster after each season, Drag Race does quite the opposite: it gains more fans and attention with every year.

When I was deciding to make a new ice cream for this week’s post I immediately turned to my mini garden I’ve been working on for the past 3 months. One of my favorite things I’m growing right now is lavender. The aroma is so soothing and delicious; I so desperately have been wanting an excuse to cook with it.

My idea was to create a honey lavender ice cream with a twist–add some chocolate. Dark chocolate and lavender go so well together, I didn’t want to turn down the opportunity to pair these flavors for this ice cream flavor. And instead of simply adding chips, I wanted to make a stracciatella-type ice cream. The soft, mellow taste from the lavender ice cream immediately reach your taste buds, and then these quick yet small bursts of chocolate melt in your mouth and add a lasting finish. Both flavors are undeniably perfect together, much like RuPaul and Michelle Visage!

And how great of a drag queen name is Honey Lavender Stracciatella? It’s mine now!

Honey Lavender Stracciatella Ice Cream
Yields 1 quart

INGREDIENTS
4 cups whole milk, divided
3 Tablespoons lavender buds, dried
6 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup 60% dark chocolate chips (or bar cut into chunks)

METHOD
In a small pot, heat 2 cups of the milk till just-scalding.

Place the lavender buds in a separate medium-sized pan (preferable shallow).

When the milk is scalding, quickly remove from the heat and pour into the shallow pan with the lavender buds. This will “shock” the lavender and immediately extract all of the essential oils you want to obtain to get the greatest amount of flavor. Turn on the heat to medium-low and whisk occasionally to avoid scorching. Add in the honey and salt. Allow flower buds to steep in the heated milk for about an hour, adjusting the heat if it gets too hot or cool.

In a separate mixing bowl, place the egg yolks and whisk rigorously till thickened. Add in the sugar and continue to whisk to thicken.

After the lavender/milk mixture has steeped for about an hour, strain the milk with a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the flowers. Return half of the milk into the shallow pan, turning the heat up to medium. Place about 1/4 of the strained milk slowly into the egg/sugar mixture. This is called “tempering” the eggs. You’re essentially heating up the eggs very slowly avoiding to curdling them. Whisk and slowly add in more of the lavender/milk liquid until the mixture is warmed.

Then add the egg yolk/milk mixture into the shallow pan, incorporating it with the rest of the heated lavender/milk base. Whisk the mixture constantly, making sure not to overcook the eggs. Adjust the heat and/or remove the pan from the heat to maintain an even cooking temperature. Once the mixture has thickened to the point where the mixture coats the back of a spoon, it’s done. Immediately transfer to a shallow bowl and place on top of an ice bath to cool down.

(Cook’s note: If you see the sides of the pan start to “cook” you’ve overcooked your eggs and must immediately remove from the heat and strain the mixture and place in an ice bath to cool down. When you overcook the mixture you’ll end up with a scrambled egg-tasting ice cream base, or even worse, scrambled eggs!)

Once the mixture has cooled down, remove from the ice bath. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to cool down for an additional 3 hours, overnight if possible.

Pour your ice cream base into your ice cream maker when you’re ready to churn it. Follow churning process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

When you have about 30 minutes left of churning, set up a double boiler, and place the chocolate chips into a heat-resistant bowl to melt the chocolate.

While the ice cream is churning, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate. The circular motion from the churning will create “shards” from the chocolate once it’s frozen. Which is exactly what “stracciatella” means in Italian:,“little shreds” or “little tears.”