Fresh Cranberry muffins with orange zest and nutmeg

After several very chilly days, this morning was sunny and warm enough to skip the wool coat I've been wearing lately - and the weather and it being a Sunday morning, I was in a baking mood.

Let's see:  apples, oranges, bananas and an avocado in the fruit bowl.  Fresh cranberries in the fridge, ah-HAH.  A perfect morning for these fresh, colorful and perky cranberry muffins!

It's interesting to remember these were my son's favorite muffins for quite a while.  Most of my other muffins were full of butter and cream, milk and yogurt, but these cranberry muffins were the ones he loved.  Much later he discovered he was dairy intolerant , which of course explains it - but even though I don't have a problem with dairy products, I love these for the tang and color of the cranberries and the hint of orange.  Definitely a festive start to Thanksgiving Day breakfast!

To make:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease two Texas size muffin tins with vegetable shortening.

3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
the zest from a large orange
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
2 extra large eggs

Measure flour, baking powder, sugar and nutmeg into mixer bowl.  Mix briefly.
Add the canola oil, orange zest, orange juice, and eggs and mix.
Stir in the cranberries by hand until well blended.
For large Texas size muffins, I use two scoops of batter using an ice cream scoop - for normal size muffins I would use 1 large scoop plus a tablespoon of batter per muffin.
Place muffin tins in the upper third of the oven and bake for 25 minutes (if you use frozen berries it will be longer) or until tops are golden and firm when gently pressed on top.
Remove to a cooling rack for ten minutes, then run a dull knife around each muffin and gently set to cool on the cooling rack.

This makes about 10 Texas size muffins.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

fresh cranberry rounds for breakfast

Last night I made those tangy, delicious fresh (or fresh but frozen) cranberry muffins everyone loves so much, but especially ME. I mix the whole frozen cranberries into a fresh orange juice batter and bake them up in my cherished Texas-size muffin tins -8 muffins means some for me, some to share. Lately, though, I've been trying to tame the hungry monster by slicing the muffins horizontally, into three or four rounds, and only eating half. They toast up beautifully, and slicing them this way means I eat just a little less.

Beautiful day here, warm enough for just a light fleece jacket, and if you look up, there's a sunny blue sky!

Makes 8 Texas size muffins or 24 rounds ( tea party!).

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease two Texas size muffin tins with vegetable shortening. Set aside.

3 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 t. baking powder

5 T. canola oil

the zest from a large orange - about 2 1/2 t.

1/4 t. nutmeg

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

2 extra large eggs

In mixer bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking powder. Mix briefly.

Add the canola oil, the orange zest, the nutmeg, eggs, and fresh orange juice and mix well, then add the fresh or frozen cranberries and mix until well blended.

Using a regular size ice cream scoop, place two scoops of batter into each muffin opening . It should be about 3/4ths full of batter.

Bake for about 40 minutes, if using frozen berries - less if the berries are fresh.

Let cool in tins for ten minutes, then using a dull knife, loosen the sides of the muffin and remove to a cooling rack.

When completely cooled, slice horizontally into three or four rounds. These don't really need any butter, but you can gently toast and slather it on if you'd like. These freeze very well.

Happy February!

morning glory muffins and the January thaw

What an odd few weeks. We have almost no snow on the ground - a surprise for this time of year, but, no, I'm not complaining! Standing on the bridge (photo just above) showed the brook running well, with snow barely covering the rocks. Unfortunately, there is plenty of ice on the driveway, and I see an awful lot of folks walking around with neon-green casts on their arms; walking can be difficult without cleats.

More freezing rain is expected tonight, and I thought I'd lay in a store of Morning Glory muffins to tide me through the hours of sanding tomorrow. Do you know about morning glories? Coconut shreds, grated fresh carrots and apple, applesauce and raisins tossed with canola oil and eggs and cinnamon, mix, bake, enjoy. I didn't realize I had run out of raisins, so this batch is sadly raisin free, but don't forget them!

Makes 10 Texas size muffins, or 20 regular size muffins.

To make:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease two Texas size muffin tins, or regular size muffin tins (enough for 20)

In your mixer bowl place:

2 cups grated fresh carrots

1 1/2 cups sweetened or unsweetened coconut

3/4 cup raisins, dark or golden

1 apple, peeled and grated

1/2 cup applesauce

zest of one lemon

2 t. vanilla

1/2 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 t. cinnamon

Mix well, and then add:

1 t. baking powder

3 t. baking soda

3 1/2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

Mix well. Using an ice cream scoop, place two scoops of batter for each muffin into the muffin tins, or one scoop per muffin if you're making regular sized muffins.

Pop into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins have risen and are firm to a gentle touch. Remove tins and cool for 5 minutes or so, then remove muffins carefully and set on a cooling rack.

Extras freeze beautifully - enjoy!

ground turkey with apricots and sage

After several weeks on antibiotics for a sinus condition, my diet consisted mostly of toast and tea, juice and yogurt. Within a day of stopping the medication, my appetite came roaring back, and this was what I made. A juicy turkeyloaf studded with soft apricots, and lots of fresh sage and thyme.

I usually throw in a few tablespoons of bread crumbs when I make a meatloaf, but I'm trying to make a few gluten-free recipes with my 5 year old granddaughter in mind, so I chopped up fresh mushrooms instead. This is definitely going in my favorites file.

I I used 93% lean turkey, and split the mixture between two 3.5x5.5 inch ceramic loaf pans. As you can see, the mixture shrunk about an inch after cooking. There are quite a bit of juices when you first take them out of the oven, but they are reabsorbed as they cool.

Ground turkey with apricots and sage:

To make:

About 10 apricots, snipped with scissors into quarters

1 pound ground, 93% lean, no antibiotics, turkey

1 T. slivered fresh sage

1/2 t. thyme

salt and pepper to your taste

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1 small egg

6 medium white mushrooms, medium chop

1/2 cup medium chop parsley

Preheat oven to 350F

Oil two small ceramic loaf pans with olive oil.

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix until completely incorporated.

Divide the mixture and pat into pans, smoothing the tops.

Bake for about 35 minutes and remove to cool. (The cooking time may change depending on the loaf pan or pans you use).

Great for leftovers, and freezes well!

You might also like the fresh chicken meatloaf I made a while ago. Enjoy!

spinach and mushroom soup and a mushroom walk

Yesterday I took a long walk in the woods , on the hunt for mushrooms, not for eating, but the wonder of those astounding fungi. I still buy those plump white mushrooms at the store, saute them a bit in butter or olive oil, and eat on toast: heavenly. The sea sponge-like mushroom above is known as a "coral" mushroom, and I'm told they're not good eating 'shrooms, but I find Mother Nature amazing - who would have thought this was a mushroom?

When I came home, I made up a spinach and mushroom soup that was light, but filling, along with an open face sandwich with sauteed mushrooms. What a perfect September lunch!

Spinach and mushroom soup

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1/2 cup diced potato

about 2 1/2 cups water , or half stock, half water

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

hefty pinch of thyme

a pinch of nutmeg

a pinch of hot pepper flakes

1 t. butter or olive oil

4 medium white mushrooms, quartered

4 cups loosely packed spinach, destemmed if needed

kosher salt to taste

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Place potatoes, garlic, and onion in the water/stock and simmer until the potato is soft.

Add the nutmeg, thyme, hot pepper flakes, butter or oil, and mushrooms. Cook briefly.

Add more water if needed, then add the spinach. With the back of a spoon, pack down the spinach as it cooks down. After the spinach has wilted and cooked, turn off the heat and cover. Wait ten minutes, then uncover and stir.

Puree with an immersion blender or regular blender and taste for seasonings.

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What I'm reading:

Cold Mountain ( also watching the movie again)

Hope you're enjoying September!

composed salads: salade parisienne

Today is beautiful - warm and summery with a slight breeze, so what better way to announce lunch on the terrace than this composed salad?

Composed salads ( or plated salads) are usually served chilled, or at room temperature, with small amounts of varied , swiftly blanched vegetables, a hard boiled egg, some fish, chicken, or meats, a few olives, and a few slices of tomatoes or new radishes. A vinaigrette ( in this case, dijon mustard) is drizzled on the chicken or fish or beef, and the vegetables are gently tossed in a tiny amount of the vinaigrette before serving. It's a perfect way to use up your odds and ends in the fridge, and it's a delight to those of us who are grazers - lots of choices, not too many carbs, and an unhurried meal.

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Sauce Moutarde: Dijon mustard vinaigrette

2 T. dijon mustard

boiling water

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. minced fresh herbs ( I used tarragon)

Spoon the mustard into a small bowl and add the hot water in droplets slowly, whisking all the while .

Whisk in the olive oil the same way - by droplets, whisking well after each addition until it thickens and emulsifies. In the photo above, I've just added the olive oil and am about to whisk it in.

Whisk in the salt and pepper, the lemon juice, and the minced herbs.

Use a tiny amount to just barely coat cooked vegetables , or dribble a little on top of cold meats or fish.

Cover the leftover sauce and keep in the fridge.

Plate suggestions:

baby potatoes, cooked until just tender and sliced

fresh radishes

cornichon pickles

just tender green beans, cooked and quickly dipped in cold water

hard boiled eggs

olives

diced or sliced tomatoes, whole, if using cherry tomatoes

leftover salmon or chicken

tuna chunks

brocolli sprigs, cooked til barely tender, then dipped into cold water

zucchini spears or rounds, barely cooked, or zucchini ribbons, uncooked

After cooking or blanching, place a small amount of the vinaigrette in a bowl and lightly coat the vegetables you're using before plating.

Arrange the vegetables in a pleasing way around the plate and serve with a little bowl of the sauce.

Enjoy your day!

crackly ( and dairy-free) spice cookies

What an odd couple of days. Three days ago it was 2 degrees, and it felt as though it never warmed up that day. The next day, it was back to 20 degrees, and the day after that it snowed and rained. Yesterday I ended up being stranded at home, because the dirt roads were so slick with ice I couldn't drive back down the hill, after buying the Sunday paper in town. The town trucks said I could either be stranded in town, or at home, so when I chose home, they led a sanding procession to my house, which they said would last 25 minutes before icing up again. So did I bake and cook and wrap, listening to Christmas music and jingling a bell at Miss Domino? I did not. I vegged out on the sofa, reading the Sunday paper, then football ( which I still don't understand), and then a series of sappy holiday movies.

Today I finally whipped out that recipe I've been wanting to make , from Suzanne Lombardi, founder of the Dancing Deer Baking Company in Boston. This very New Englandy spice cookie is a lot like a gingersnap, but with more cloves and nutmeg, and it is delicious. Paired with ginger ice cream or sandwiched with cream cheese frosting comes to mind, but sprinkled with a little sparkling sugar and served with tea works for me just fine. It's also a very sturdy cookie, so it would be fine for mailing or packaging in those cello bags for giving. Enjoy! ~

This makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

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Preheat oven to 350F.

Fit two baking sheets with foil or parchment.

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2 1/4 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

pinch of kosher salt

2 t. cinnamon

2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

3/4 t. ground ginger

1 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling.

3/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup molasses

1 large egg

Mix the flour, spices, and salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.

In mixer bowl, combine the sugar, canola oil, and molasses and mix for 5 minutes.

Add the egg and mix again.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in four batches to the flour/spice mixture. It should come together in a ball - if it's dry, add water, a few tablespoons at a time, JUST until it forms a ball.

Using a small ( I used a one and a half inch) ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheets, about 12 to a baking sheet. Press gently with two fingers on each ball to flatten it slightly. Sprinkle with regular sugar or sparkling sugar., or diced sugared ginger ( see above).

Bake one sheet at a time in upper third of oven for 11 minutes, let cool, then remove with a spatula to a cooling rack. Bake the second sheet.

If you are packaging these, let cool completely for an hour, then package as you wish.

Enjoy!

panzanella ( italian bread salad)

What a beautiful salad! Chunks of fresh, fresh cucumber, red or yellow peppers, thinly sliced shallots, and parsley and basil marinate overnight in a zesty, sparkling dressing of red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, capers, and anchovies tossed with slightly stale Portuguese, French, or Italian bread. If anchovies scare you, don't worry - you can't even taste them, unless you triple the amount ( which I do). Even then, I add one or two fillets on top. If you're heading into fall and winter recipes, toss this together, marinate, and inhale the scent of summer. This is a wonderful salad for packing for work, as a side to dinner, or well, just anytime. ( I had it for breakfast! How could I not, after inhaling that fantastic cloud of deliciousness?)

This tends to be a toss-together recipe, but I'll try to make a real recipe here.

*Note: I use V-8 juice for the marinade, now that our summer tomatoes are gone. If you have really good home grown, sun ripened tomatoes, just cut up a handful , toss in the blender, and strain the juice onto the bread salad.

Italian Bread Salad ( Panzanella)

Serves 3 or 4.

3 T. red wine vinegar

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

3 anchovy fillets, diced ( I use 6)

1 T. capers, drained

kosher salt

freshly cracked pepper

1 t. dried basil, or 1 T. fresh slivered basil

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

about two cups cubed slightly stale bread ( make it a nice quality Portuguese, French,or Italian bread)

1/2 a red or yellow bell pepper, roughly diced

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups chopped, seeded tomatoes or halved grape tomatoes

1 large shallot, peeled and sliced very thinly, or 1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced thinly

3 T. roughly chopped parsley

4 T. V-8 juice or strained juices from chopped tomatoes

In a medium bowl, place the red wine vinegar, the anchovies, salt and pepper, garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, basil, and the capers. Smush with a spoon, and mix well.

Add the bread chunks, the red or yellow pepper dice, the cucumber and tomatoes, the shallot or red onion, and the parsley. Toss several times. Drizzle the V-8 juice or tomato juices on top, and toss again. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight.

In the morning, toss the ingredients together, taste, and add more salt, pepper, basil, or capers and anchovies as you wish. Feel free to add little mozzarella balls, scallions, or Italian canned tuna, canned in oil - or?

Enjoy!

creamy polenta saves the day

I began feeling odd four days ago. That tight, headachey feeling in my head. The flickering feverish feeling that wouldn't go away, even after hot showers with lemon verbena scrub, or peppermint and thyme baths. Three days ago I made some lovely sardine toasts, with Thai sardines and hot sauce. I couldn't even think of eating them. Then I made roasted walnuts with rosemary and hot peppers, salt and thyme. I scraped them into a jar and put them in the cupboard. The more I couldn't eat, the hungrier I got.

*

That's when I remembered polenta. Creamy, wonderful polenta made with roasted chicken broth and finely ground cornmeal, which I've been eating for three days now, graduating from a baby rice cereal texture, to a hardier almost-polenta-cake. I even added a little cheese today.

I've watched a lot of the Cooking Channel, new to me. I fumed over a horrible book about politics and agribusiness called The End of Food, and could only breathe when I got to the last chapter, one that airily mentions locavores, farmers markets and organic farms, dubiously. I looked out the window a lot. Now that I'm on the mend, I'm back to scribbling down recipes for Thanksgiving and hoping for an oozy, cheesey and veggie laden forkful of omelet.

*

Creamy Polenta with roasted chicken broth and cheddar

Makes 2 servings or so

2 cups roasted chicken broth or stock

1/2 t. kosher salt

3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal

1 t. butter or olive oil

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or parmesan (optional)

Bring the broth or stock, salt, and oil or butter to a boil.

Slowly, very slowly, whisk in the cornmeal, tablespoon by tablespoon. If you dump it in quickly, it will clump up and will be inedible.

Keep stirring the polenta for another five minutes, adding the cheese, if you're using it.

Pour into a shallow bowl and eat.

You can also make little cakes by oiling ramekins, and pouring the polenta into them.

They can go in the fridge, covered, then unmolded and fried in a skillet for breakfast.

Be well!

A year ago :

Gingerbread Witch hat cookies

2 years ago:

Halloween doughnuts

thyme and mushroom soup with pepper biscuits

What a gloomy, rainy morning! While yesterday was sunny and cold, it was a perfect day for long walks and the last glimpses of the fiery maple trees. Today is a perfect day for my favorite mushroom soup, mellow with thyme and perky with a pinch of cayenne. I don't use any fillers in this soup - just mushrooms, chicken or vegetable stock, and lots of thyme.

Two days ago I had seen a recipe on Chezus for savory scones with parmesan and black pepper and I thought it would go well with this soup. I halved the recipe, and added a little bit more buttermilk so they were more like biscuits . Delicious! And halving the recipe gave me just enough biscuits for serving with the soup, with no leftovers.

Makes 2 or 3 servings of soup:

a 10 oz. package of mushrooms, sliced ( about 2 1/2 cups)

2 or 3 T. unsalted butter

1 T. olive oil

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 t. dried thyme

1 T. minced parsley

pinch of cayenne pepper, or 1/4 t. hot pepper flakes

kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

In a skillet or large saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil, then add the mushrooms. You may need to saute the mushrooms in two batches. Saute until the mushrooms are brown and nutty.

Add the stock, thyme, cayenne or hot pepper flakes, and parsley to the mushrooms.

Simmer for five minutes, then take off heat.

Using a blender or immersion stick blender, puree the soup.

Taste carefully and add salt and pepper as desired.

Parmesan and Black Pepper biscuits

Makes 5 biscuits

Preheat oven to 375F

Fit a piece of parchment or foil to a baking sheet.

1 cup King Arthur all purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1/4 t. kosher salt

3 T. cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

5 T. buttermilk

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

several turns of freshly cracked pepper

(about 1/2 t.)

Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to a food processor and pulse .

Add the butter and pulse until incorporated into the flour.

Add the cheese and pepper, then the buttermilk.

Pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball.

Pat down dough into a small square, then trim the edges - I use the trimmings to make another hand formed biscuit.

Cut into small biscuits using a sharp knife. Mine were about 2 1/2 inches square.

Grind pepper on top of biscuits and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until tops are golden and biscuits are light when picked up.

Enjoy the day!

sunny cranberry orange muffins

Apologies for the delay between posts - I was a bit under the weather with summer flu and holytoledo joint pain . Ever since getting Lyme disease in 2001 I get this kick out of nowhere once in a while, that reminds me all too much where my joints are:)

But today? It may be sprinkling rain outside, but making these muffins always makes me smile. I came across the last bag of frozen cranberries and realized it had been much too long a time since I made these cheerful and colorful cranberry -orange zested sweeties. If you don't have cranberries, I'm wondering : what about fresh raspberries? Definitely a possibility!

This recipe makes about 6 Texas size muffins, or close to a dozen smaller muffins.

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To make:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease muffin tins.

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3 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 t. baking powder

5 T. canola oil

1/4 t. nutmeg

3/4 cup orange juice

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

2 eggs

zest from one orange ( about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and nutmeg into the mixing bowl.

Add the canola oil , orange zest, orange juice, and eggs and mix.

Stir in cranberries.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin cups, using two scoops for Texas size, or one scoop for regular muffins.

Bake for approximately 25-35 minutes: if using frozen cranberries, your baking time will be a little longer. The tops should be somewhat firm when gently pressed.

Remove to cooling rack. Remove from tins after about 15 minutes.

Enjoy the day!

dairy-free Italian Olive Oil cake with orange zest

I hope you had a wonderful Easter! I spent much of it making a birthday cake for my son, whose birthday is the first of April ( yes, he's an April Fool), who came to visit late in the day with his very lovely (and serious) girlfriend. I'm glad I had something to do - I was feeling a little nervous about meeting someone who may very well become part of the family.

My son developed a milk allergy last year, so, even though he asked for the traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting , I couldn't do it. I remembered his days of pain last year after partaking of several helpings of cake and frosting. So I made this wonderful Italian Olive Oil cake, and jazzed it up with a dairy-free frosting from Cybele Pascal's Allergen-Free Baker's handbook. For a little more tang, I also made a lemon glaze that I brushed on while it was still warm. The frosting was just fine, but I missed the butter and cream cheese taste . The recipe called for vegetable shortening, and all I had was Crisco, but adding lemon juice and a little soymilk made it pretty tasty. Finding a good vegetable shortening is on my grocery list. You can also just dust the cake with confectioner's sugar, using a small sieve and shaking all over the cake. Strawberries or orange slices are a pretty garnish, too.

The cake:

from Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker

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Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease an 8" cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment , otherwise it sticks.

1 large orange

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup light olive oil or half virgin olive oil , half canola oil

3/4 cup plain or vanilla soymilk

1 1/2 cups King Arthur flour

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

pinch of salt

*

Grate or microplane the orange and squeeze out tablespoon of the fresh juice .

In mixer bowl, add the zest, orange juice, and eggs and mix.

Add the sugar and mix very well, then add the olive oil or olive/canola, mixing til creamy.

Add the soymilk, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix very well.

If the mixture is very soupy, add another tablespoon or so of flour.

Scrape into prepared cake pan and bake for 50 minutes.

Let sit on cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Run a dull knife around the pan. If the cake doesn't come out easily, gently pry around the cake with the dull knife. Remove parchment circle, and turn cake rightside up.

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Lemon glaze:

4 T. fresh lemon juice

4 T. sugar

Warm in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, then brush on the cake.

*

Dairy-free vanilla frosting:

In a mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment mix:

1 cup dairy free vegetable shortening

pinch of salt

1 T. fresh lemon or orange juice

3 cups confectioner's sugar

2 T. soymilk

1/2 t. vanilla

Whip until the frosting is fluffy .

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You might also enjoy: New York Lemon Cake

a winter breakfast: Finnish fruit soup

Ah - a lovely brisk walk on snowshoes this morning - which ended when I dropped the camera in the snow. The sun was up, the temperature was perfect (15 degrees), and making the Finnish fruit soup reminded me to dust off my snowshoes and get out into winter.

This recipe was given to me by an amazing Finnish woman in West Barnstable who ran a summer bakery/cafe. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw their website and her name! Mama Ojala, I'm sending you a big hug many years later from your former kitchen helper and dishwasher.

Although fruit soup is a delightful winter dessert, usually served room temperature or slightly chilled, I do like it for breakfast, warmed and topped with a spoonful of yogurt. Because you usually have dried fruits in your pantry(you do, don't you?), it's quick to make, and definitely healthier than chocolate cake! The light syrup that results from simmering apricots, prunes, and currants is infused with a spicy flavor from the cardomom, lemon, and cinnamon sticks.

How to make about 4-6 servings:

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup dried, pitted whole prunes

3 T. dried currants

3 T. golden or dark raisins

3 cups water

2 cardomom pods, crushed with the side of a knife

2 T. red currant jelly (optional)

1 T. finely diced crystallized ginger (optional)

1 slice of fresh orange

2 cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 apple, peeled , cored, and thinly sliced

1 T. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, combine the apricots, currants, prunes, raisins, 3 cups water, cinnamon sticks and cardomom pods, and the lemon juice, currant jelly, and orange slice.

Bring to a boil, then turn off heat, cover and let sit 1/2 hour.

Add the apple, bring to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes, making sure you have enough liquid so the fruit doesn't scorch.

Strain the juices into another saucepan, then mix the cornstarch with the water.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the strained juices, and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 to ten minutes.

Gently add the cooked fruits , heat a little longer, then remove from heat.

Store in a covered bowl in the fridge .

raising a cup of spicy chai to the New Year

A Happy New Year to all! Is anything better than the first day of a brand new year? The year stretches before us, pristine and optimistic; another day to get it right, I often think to myself. Or, another YEAR to get it right. I wish the very best good fortune and health to all.

This morning, I decided to skip the usual two cups of French Roast and stir up a pan of spicy chai instead . I'm delighted I did - the spiciness of cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger slices, cloves, black and red peppers, and the subtle scent of cardamom pods warmed me right down to my toes. I think I could get used to this calming wake up, rather than the high octane coffee I usually drink far too much of.

I think this could easily be made dairy free by using rice or soybean milk , for those who are lactose intolerant.

Adapted from The Herb Companion

3 cups cold water

4 teaspoons loose black tea

8 cardamom pods, crushed with a knife blade

5 thin slices fresh unpeeled ginger root

8 whole cloves

3 black peppercorns, whole

pinch of red pepper flakes

4 two inch pieces of cinnamon sticks, split with a knife blade or broken up

1 cup milk

3 T. sugar

a 4 inch piece of fresh orange peel

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon sticks, cover the pan, and remove from heat. Let steep for several minutes.

Return pan to heat, uncover, and bring to a boil.

Add the tea, the cardamom pods, ginger slices, cloves, peppercorns and pepper flakes, and orange peel, the milk, and the sugar . Cover the pot and remove from heat. Steep for 5 minutes.

Using a fine strainer or sieve, strain the tea into cups. Discard the spice solids, and garnish with long cinnamon sticks.

Featured on TasteSpotting! Yay!

* What I'm reading:

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

carrot & ginger soup (potage carottes) - and the top 10

It wasn't that I ate a lot of rich food this holiday - it's just that I was making ginger stars and anise cookies , and the cinnamon roasted walnuts every day, it seems. There were always leftovers, and I couldn't resist nibbling.

So last night I was happy to make this light, but rich creamy carrot soup - no cream, no butter, just the warm bloom of fresh ginger and the earthy smoothness of fresh carrots. Served with a quick olive and rosemary focaccia, it was a perfect supper.

Carrot and fresh ginger soup:

Serves about three.

2 cups water

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 t. thyme

1 1/2 cups organic carrots, peeled and sliced

1 stalk celery, washed and sliced

1 heaping T. peeled, diced fresh ginger root

salt and pepper

1/2 t. dill

In a saucepan, bring the stock, water, thyme, carrots , ginger and celery to a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Remove from heat and puree, using an immersion blender or regular blender.  You may have to add an extra cup or more of water or stock if the soup is too thick.  It should be very smooth and well colored.

Stir in the dill, and taste carefully before adding salt and pepper.

(Drum roll, please) - here are the top ten posts of 2009!

Coffeecake muffins

Veggie salad

Fresh apple gingerbread

Not Julia's ratatouille

Ginger stars

Italian Anise cookies

Julia's Leek and Potato soup

Creamed onions

Grilled chicken with citrus marinade

Quick and spicy Mushroom soup

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italian anise cookies for Christmas

Nothing like a soft little snowstorm to get in the mood for Christmas! While the ice storm we had last December still sits lurking in our memories, this snowfall was delightful - soft and fluffy, and very pretty. It also reminded me to start deciding which Christmas cookies to make this year. I snatched up The Boston Globe magazine from last Sunday, where I remembered seeing a recipe for cute little lemon-glazed anise "snail " cookies.

Now, I do realize anise is a love or loathe spice, but happily, I'm in the love department. It has a strong licorice aroma and a milder taste. The recipe called for anise extract, which I didn't have, so I toasted and ground a teaspoon of anise seeds - but I would use the anise extract next time for a bolder anise flavor.

I made a few adaptations ( more flour, more lemon juice, clementine juice instead of orange juice), and I made a tray of tiny cookies using my smallest ice cream scoop, as well as the snail cookies. I liked them both, so you can go either way. And another bonus? They're dairy free.

Adapted from The Boston Globe magazine recipe from A&J King Bakers:

To make:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 1 T. sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 ( or more) anise extract or 1 t. toasted & ground anise seeds

1/4 cup clementine juice, or orange juice

1T. baking powder

3 (plus or minus) cups King Arthur flour

The icing:

1 cup confectioners sugar

fresh lemon juice to make a very thin glaze

anise seeds or clementine zest for tops

Preheat oven to 350F.

2 cookie sheets, UNgreased

In mixer bowl, beat the eggs and oil until foamy. With mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, then the vanilla, anise extract or seeds, and clementine or orange juice. Add the baking powder and mix in the flour until the dough is stiff.

Pinch off about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a short rope - about 6 inches. Coil the rope on the baking sheet neatly into a circle. Or, use a mini-ice cream scoop and scoop onto cookie sheet. The cookies don't really spread, so you can set them fairly close together.

One sheet at a time, place in oven for 12-14 minutes. When first sheet is done, remove to a cooling rack and bake the second sheet.

Mix up the thin glaze and brush on the warm baked cookies. Sprinkle with a little lemon or clementine zest, and a pinch of anise seed if you wish. The warmth will release that wonderful cloud of anise aroma.

Continue with the second sheet of cookies , ice, and let cool.

Happy December!