There Is Always Chocolate In The Summer

Summer is usually all about fruit for me. Peaches, apricots, cherries, melon, and a array of sweet and tart berries. I turn them into tarts, muffins, sorbets and ice cream... Sometimes even into savory dishes. But one can only stay away from chocolate for so long. I try, believe me -- with no result.







I spent a lot of time at home last week working on the finishing touches of the manuscript. "What is new?" you might be wondering. So does everyone else in my life.



"Maybe you should get some fresh air?" my mom tells me everyday over the phone. "Go for a walk and get some fresh air" I'm counting down the days when I get to do that with her.



One more week and I will be back home.







I have been revisiting some of the recipes in the book. Baking them over and over again and seeing that they work every time gives me a sense of peace. I can get very obsessive about details and when I think of a recipe that was tested a while ago, I tend to think "What if it doesn't work!". I panic. Then I jump into the kitchen.



Last week there were many chocolate recipes. I craved them. The intensity and richness.







I made my favorite dark chocolate and hazelnut cake. Very moist... almost the texture of a brownie. It works every time.



I also made chocolate pots de creme with raspberries and currants. You can find a similar recipe here. And with leftover chocolate tart dough, I made a chocolate, black and red raspberry, and currant galette.



I certainly got my fix.







In a few more days, I will be done. My manuscript will be in the hands of my editor and there will be a big sigh of relief (mine, of course). Then we will be off to the Basque Country for some quiet family time, food, and another Robin Food show.



But for now. I must return to my book.... with a slice of chocolate cake right next to me.

Summer Heat

I love summer.

As far as I can remember, it has always been my favorite season (well... maybe right after autumn). I love its colors, the fruit, the long and lazy days, sunshine, water... But Florida is hot. Really hot, which means outdoor activities are kept to a minimum. Instead we try to find ways of staying busy indoors and take abundant trips to the pool.

We also make lots of ice cream.

I will share this recipe with you soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to say hello.

Hope summer is good to you!

When Coriander Made It Into Our Ice Cream

It is hot. In the 100s hot.

I am counting down the days when we will be traveling to Vermont and later to the Basque Country. Meanwhile, we continue to eat cherries and all sorts of berries by the handful.

And then, there are ice creams and sorbets.



"Can you help me pick these green seeds from this cilantro plant?" I asked Jon a few weeks ago. "See the flowers? That means there will be no more cilantro leaves". "Is the cilantro dead?" he asked with a concerned look on his face. "No, not dead, but we will not be cooking with the leaves now. Instead we will use the seeds".

I love a beautiful flowering cilantro plant. So delicate and dainty.

We collected the green coriander seeds and laid them out to dry. I add them to anything these days.



Last week, I received a new book in the mail. A book dedicated to all things ice cream. Just what I crave at the moment.

Written by Jeni Britton Bauer, who owns Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in Columbus, the book is photographed by Stacy Newgent whose work I have admired for a long time. I sat down with it over the weekend and bookmarked nearly every page.

Then I came across the coriander and raspberry ice cream.

Instant swoon.



Inspired by this flavor combination, I quickly began making my own version. Coriander-scented cheesecake ice cream with chunky raspberry sauce swirled all throughout.

I toasted the coriander seeds that Jon had helped me pick weeks before and steeped them in the milk. Subtle, but enough to make the cheesecake ice cream pop.

I couldn't stop licking the spatula.

Could you?



On Sunday, after we went swimming and while everyone relaxed, I cooked a batch of fruit en papillote (remember this one?) with vanilla bean, a touch of grated ginger, and lemon thyme.

Red and golden raspberries, frozen red currants, red velvet apricots, and rainier cherries. So light and fragrant.

Served the fruit with the coriander and raspberry swirl cheesecake ice cream.

A dollop of cream. Extra raspberry sauce on top.



And the leftovers? The leftovers were turned into milkshakes.

Miren approved.


Coriander and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream

Raspberry Sauce

2 cups (260 g) raspberries
3/4 cups (150 g) natural cane sugar

Place raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat until thick, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Coriander Cheesecake Ice Cream

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
3/4 cup (185 ml) whole milk
8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz (225 g) crème frâiche
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs (125 g) caster sugar

In a small skillet, toast the coriander seeds over medium high heat until fragrant. Coarsely crush them (do not turn them into a fine powder).

Combine the coriander and milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a light simmer, turn off the heat, and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Strain and discard the seeds.

In the food processor, pulse the cream cheese, crème frâiche, sugar, and milk together until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour.

Churn the ice cream in your machine according to manufacturers instructions. When it is finished, swirl in half of the raspberry sauce and reserve the rest as a topping. Freeze until solid.

How To Stay Cool

Summer approaches and the heat is already getting to me.

This is the time when all I can think about is fresh fruit, chilled soups, salads, and lots and lots of sorbet pops.



I bought the first saturn peaches of the season a few days ago. They are nature's candy, if you ask me. (I seem to say that about all fruit, don't I?). Soft, full of water, and sweet. We have been enjoying them sliced for breakfast every morning.

"Let's make an orange and peach smoothie" Jon asked. It hit the spot after we came back from a swim.




It has been so hot that I barely turn on the oven at home. We grilled outside and I made a few salads with ingredients from the farm.

The kids and I went to pick tomatoes at the farm early in the morning. I guided them on which ones to pick and they quickly got the hang of it. Even as early as nine in the morning, it was unbearable to stand out in the sun, and we left quickly, just after saying hello to the baby goats and chickens.



Back at home, we turned the tomatoes into a mid morning snack. Drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, and a touch of pink salt.

For lunch, a refreshing red lentil, salmon, radish, and fennel salad inspired by a recipe I had seen at Elle à Table.

"No dessert?" C. asked. "It's too hot to bake" I replied.

All I got was a look.



So I pulled out some mulberries from the freezer and made a quick batch of mulberry, millet and poppy seed cakes. And to take advantage that the oven was on, I ended up baking a galette with leftover tart dough from a recipe for the book, saturn peaches,and raspberries.



And summer is almost here.

Mulberry, Millet and Poppy Seed Cakes

Makes 18 cakes

1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tbs tapioca starch
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup melted ghee
1/2 cup mulberries (mine were frozen)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the first nine ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until incorporated. Fold in the mulberries.

Pour the batter into muffin molds lined with baking papers. bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Red Lentil, Salmon and Fennel Salad

Serves 4

1 cup red lentils, rinsed several times
8 ounces sockeye salmon
5 Tbs olive oil
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
6 radishes, thinly sliced
Arugula
Watercress
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover them with cold water plus 1 inch. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot, and cook the lentils for 8 minutes until they are al dente. Drain them and rinse them in cold water. Reserve.

In a medium saute pan, heat 1 Tbs of live oil over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn it over and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes longer depending on the thickness. Turn onto a clean plate and let it cool. When cool enough to handle, flake it with a fork and reserve.

In a large bowl, toss together the red lentils, salmon, fennel, radishes and greens. Make a quick vinaigrette with the dijon, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well and serve in glass jars.

Spring & Its Tutti Frutti Crumble

It was about two months ago when I received a phone call from Loren, my uncle in law. Loren and Jan live in Wenatchee, Washington where they are surrounded by cherry and apple orchards. "I am going to send you a few cherry blossom branches" he said. "Cherry blossom branches? But how?".

A few days later a package arrived in the mail. Tightly wrapped and with very specific instructions, there were four cherry branches. "Cut the ends and place them in water. They will bloom in a few days".

And indeed they did. Tiny little white flowers that reminded me of the blossoming trees back home.



This little gesture planted a seed in my mind. I got excited about the idea of being able to see these trees in person. "We should take a trip while my parents are here and visit cherry blossoms. It would be a wonderful family vacation before they leave" I suggested to C.

I knew the kids would love it.

I really wanted to go visit Loren and Jan in Wenatchee, but a trip to Washington state was just not practical considering it takes a whole day to get there and back. "How about Washington DC?". And so we found the National Cherry Blossom Festival.



We spent last weekend there. at "George Washington CD" as J calls it.

I welcomed the wintery cold.

Beautiful flowering trees all around the Tidal Basin. Dad and I walked around the entire basin by ourselves. He had his arm around my shoulder just as he used to do when we were kids. I cherished every second of it.



Then back home, I dreamt of the wild poppies that grew in the field next to our school and blossoming apple trees.

I received my copy of Heidi's "Super Natural Cooking". I had been waiting so anxiously since I had pre-ordered it months ago. Beautiful as I expected and filled with recipes I want to cook and eat.

"Look at that crumble" I said to my mom as we were flipping through the book. Heidi's tutti frutti crumble filled with berries, oats and poppy seeds. I made a gluten and dairy free version on Saturday for our last dinner with my parents. It was delicious, light and the perfect way to put an end to a wonderful visit. I miss them already.



And then, I have to thank all of you for your kind words and excitement over the workshop in France this upcoming October. Stephanie is working on some additional details as we speak (she is in France at the moment!), and then, we will post a brief notice a few days prior to opening registration to the public.

Thank you and stay tuned!

Tutti Frutti Crumble

adapted from Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Everyday"

1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1 Tbs potato starch
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1/2 cup gluten-free oats
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (do not microwave it, melt it over water bath)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until it comes together. Divide the dough into three parts and form patties. Freeze them for 10 minutes.

1 1/2 cups diced strawberries
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups golden raspberries
1 Tbs cornstarch
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
1/4 cup Beaujolais

Toss the first five ingredients together in a bowl. Let the fruit macerate for 10 minutes. Add the wine and gently mix.

Transfer the filling to a 10" pie plate or divide it amongst individual ramekins. remove the crumble patties from the freezer and break them over the fruit leaving some chunkier pieces.

Bake at 375F until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.

The Growing Season

It may be a shock to some of you to know that our growing season is actually coming to its peak. Despite some freezing temperatures earlier this month, we have had fairly mild weather that has allowed for crops to grow and flourish. Our farmers market is full of tomatoes, peppers and strawberries.



"Would you want some of our candy beets? They are ready to be harvested", emailed my friend Lena on Friday night. "Sure!".

I was excited to show my mom the beautiful little garden that Lena's boys have put together this year. It was full of beets, peas, greens and squash. The tomatoes were still a bit green, but I brought home a bag full of candy beets and pea shoots.



These kids really blow me away with how they are dedicated to looking after this garden and so knowledgeable at such a young age. Impressive. It reminds me of how lucky I feel to have grown up surrounded by nature and agriculture the way I did. It has showed me so much.

Speaking of where I grew up, El sent me a link to a recent show about the Basque Country. You could take a look if you would like to know more about where I come from.



Sunday morning, my mom, M. and I headed to the farmers market where we found beautiful local ingredients that will go into recipes for the cookbook.

We arrived home hungry and anxious to eat some of the gorgeous tomatoes. I roasted them with some olive oil, thyme, chili flakes and sea salt. Made a quick pesto, toasted breadcrumbs with olive oil and garlic and tossed it all with quinoa pasta. So fresh and ready under 20 minutes. My kind of meal.

For dessert, chocolate and raspberry financiers. A good Sunday lunch indeed.



Chocolate and Raspberry Financiers

Makes 12 financiers

1/2 cup (110 grams) unsalted butter
4 egg whites
1/2 cup (105 grams) coconut palm sugar
1 cup (100 grams) almond meal
2 Tbs (15 grams) cocoa powder
4 oz (110 grams) raspberries, fresh or frozen

In a small saucepan, heat the butter until foamy and the milk solids start to brown on the bottom of the pan. It will smell like roasting nuts; about 5 minutes. Strain the brown butter into a clean bowl and cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, almond meal and cocoa powder. Add the cooled brown butter and whisk until all is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Line a muffin pan with baking papers, place the batter in a piping bag with a round tip and pipe it into cups. Fill a little bit less than half way. Press raspberries into the batter. Bake at 350F for about 18-20 minutes.