I Leave Them with Cookies and Milk

Today I leave for France where I will be teaching a 4-day food styling and photography workshop in the dream-like background of the Dordogne region.

Our workshop will be held at this amazing manoir. Can you guys believe this place? I cannot wait to swim in this pool. The weather is expected to be beautiful. We couldn't ask for better conditions.

However, this is the first time I will be traveling without my babies. It will feel strange not to have them with me. "I want to come with you amatxu" Jon said to me this morning when I drove him to school. He will be quite the traveler one day.



My parents are here taking care of the children while I'm away and C. works.

I baked lots of goodies for them this week. Chocolate and apple muffins, rice and coconut milk puddings with sauteed apples, red currant shortbreads, and multigrain chocolate and hazelnut cookies with a touch of sea salt. I left some of the cookie dough in the freezer for this next week, in case there are unexpected cravings. Are cravings ever unexpected anyway?

I promised them they could have cookies and milk everyday after school. It caused quite the excitement.



So I am off for now.

I will be back in a few days hopefully with photos from our workshop, Dordogne, and from a day in Paris.

Be good and see you soon!

Multigrain Chocolate and Hazelnut Cookies

Makes 20 cookies

2 oz (55 g) hazelnuts
8 Tbs (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (110 g) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) natural cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, room temperature
3/4 cup (105 g) superfine brown rice flour
1/4 cup (35 g) teff flour
1/4 cup (35 g) quinoa flour
1/4 cup (35 g) amaranth flour
1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca starch
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 oz (85 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or mini chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Bake the hazelnuts for 7 minutes. Remove them from oven and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts against the towel to remove their skins. Let them cool and roughly chop them. Reserve.

In the bowl of a stand mixer on medium high speed, mix the butter, brown sugar, and natural cane sugar with the paddle attachment until light, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix until combined.

Whisk together the superfine brown rice flour, teff flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, tapioca starch, salt, and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until dough comes together. Add the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate. Mix to combine.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment and roll into a log that is approximately 2 inches in diameter and 13 inches long. Chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

Cut the cookie dough into 1/2 inch disks. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicon mat. Space them 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before picking them up.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The dough can also be frozen tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.

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I Leave Them with Cookies and Milk

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What We Crave on a Rainy Day

Even though I love to travel and explore, I am really a homebody inside. I like to be home, gather my friends around me, and cook for them in the warmth of my kitchen. It is especially true these days as my parents are with us once again for a few weeks. It is crowded, noisy with children craving their attention, but most of all, joyous.

My parents really are the best house guests ever - my kids' faces say it all.



"Did you already make a list?" my mom asked over the phone as she was getting ready to board the plane. She knows I always have a grocery list - of course I do! I am always cooking and shopping for food. "I am craving soups" I told her a few hours later. She had just deplaned and I was already sharing my cravings for food. She agreed. I knew then we would be lots of soups.

We loaded up on celery root, fennel, sweet potatoes, different varieties of winter squash, legumes (we are making my favorite garbanzo and cabbage soup this week), apples, pears, and all things autumn on our first visit to the market.



The rainy weather for the past few days has been the perfect excuse to stay home and cook. Even the kids love to help out in the kitchen as Miren's new favorite activity is to whisk eggs for me. We let her sit on the kitchen counter while she beats the eggs for waffles and muffins, and Jon carefully stirs the soup. My mom guides them through the process. They seem to listen to her more than they listen to me. It makes me smile.



We cooked a celery root, fennel, and sweet potato soup that we served with almond and parsley pesto. It is one of my new favorites. I can never get enough of celery root.

Also caramelized onion, fennel, and purple potato tarts in a buckwheat crust. So delicious. This buckwheat crust recipe is from the book so I cannot share it with you just yet, but do make these tarts with whatever other crust you like. I beg you -- make them. You will thank me. So easy and so good.

For dessert, chocolate and pistachio cakes. We also made fig and red currant custard with hazelnuts. This one is sweet and really silky. Both are adaptations of recipes from the book. Believe me, I am recipe testing every chance I get.



My mom and I will continue with our obsession to cook. We cannot help ourselves. Are you the same way?

Oh and yes... I am still waiting for autumn to arrive. Sooner than later, please.

Celery Root, Fennel, and Sweet Potato Soup with Almond Parsley Pesto

Almond and Parsley Pesto

1 clove garlic
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 Tbs grated Idiazabal cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil

In the food processor, finely chop the garlic and almonds. Add the parsley and chop until it turns into a chunky paste. Add the Idiazabal and salt and process until combined. Drizzle in the olive oil while processing until it turns into a thick paste. Reserve.

Celery Root, Fennel and Sweet Potato Soup

serves 4 to 6

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 medium fennel bulb, diced
2 medium celery roots, peeled and diced
2 japanese sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
3 sprigs thyme
1 quart chicken stock
salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and fennel. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the celery root, sweet potato, potato, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring liquid to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Puree in a blender. Add water if soup is too chunky. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the soup with the almond and parsley pesto.


Purple Potato and Caramelized Fennel Tarts

makes six 4-inch tartlets or one 9-inch tart

1 batch of your favorite savory tart dough (see this or this)
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
3/4 tsp salt, plus more for topping
1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more for topping
2 sprigs thyme
1 lb (450g) small purple potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (with a mandoline)
Sprouts or microgreens, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F (200C).

Roll your tart dough to 1/4 to 1/8" thickness. Fill your tart pans with the dough. Chill the dough while preparing the filling.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fennel. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook the vegetables until tender and slightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Fill the tarts with the caramelized onion and fennel mixture. Top with the purple potatoes slices overlapping.

Bake the tarts for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and the crust is cooked. Sprinkle potatoes with a bit of salt and pepper and serve with some sprouts or microgreens. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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A Chocolate And Tahini Tart For Mikey

I woke up Monday morning to the sad news that Jennie Perillo's husband Mikey had passed away hours before. Suddenly, just like that, he was gone. The news left me paralyzed. I didn't know Mikey personally, but I thought about Jennie, their girls, and their family. I put myself in their shoes and could feel the pain almost as mine.



And today in Mikey's memory, the blogsphere is filling up with love-filled peanut butter pies -- his favorite. In Jennie's words "make a peanut butter pie this Friday and share it with someone you love. Then hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on"



We will be doing that with this chocolate and tahini mousse tart. No peanut butter in our pantry, but it doesn't matter, as it's all about love and what we are and what we have now -- Right now.







Our love goes to you and your family Jennie. You know Mikey is smiling.



Gluten-Free Chocolate and Tahini Tart



Makes a 7-inch tart



Chocolate Pastry



1 cup (140 g) superfine brown rice flour

2 Tbs (20 g) potato starch

2 Tbs (15 g) tapioca starch

2 Tbs (10 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbs (115 g) unsalted butter, cold and diced

1/2 cup (125 ml) ice cold water



Place the first five ingredients in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 times until the butter is cut into pea-size pieces. Add the ice water while pulsing. You might not need all of it so reserve a couple of tablespoons. The dough will not form a ball, but should stick together when pressed but not be too wet.



Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it a bit with your hand. Refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour.



Roll out the dough to about 1/4 to 1/8-inch thickness and fill the tart mold with it. If the dough cracks, don't worry, just pinch it back together. It might happen if it's too cold. Return the tart mold to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.



Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Cover the pastry with a piece of parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 20 minutes, remove parchment and beans, and finish baking for another 8 minutes. Let the tart cool.





Chocolate and Tahini Mousse



10 ounces (300 g) bittersweet chocolate, I used 64%

1 Tbs tahini

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream



In a heatproof bowl, melt the chocolate and tahini together over a water bath. Let it cool to room temperature.



Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add the cooled chocolate into the cream and fold together until smooth. Work quickly and make sure not to over fold it over the mousse will break. Transfer the mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and fill the tart mold, or simple spoon the mousse into the mold.



Chill the tart for 30 minutes and serve.

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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.

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Peppergrass, Sorrel and More Weekend Cooking

"Can you make pancakes for breakfast before going to the farmers' market?" asked J. as soon as I walked downstairs Saturday morning. He was up early. He knew it was the weekend and that a trip to the farmers' market was the first thing in order. Just like every other Saturday morning."Can I help?"

Our bellies full with chestnut and sauteed apple pancakes, my mom and I headed down to the farmers' market. It is always so nice to have alone time with her.



"Let's go see what Jody has this week" I told mom. "The padron peppers might be ready".

On the way there, we picked up eggs and my new wild strawberry plant, which I hope starts giving fruit soon (keeping fingers crossed).

We looked through Jody's stand. So many varieties of greens that is always hard to choose. The padron peppers weren't ready, but we spotted greens I have never seen before.

"Taste this". Peppery and lemony cress. "It's peppergrass" Jody told us. It was fresh and bright, similar to watercress, but different. We put that in our baskets as well as some sorrel, chervil, tender Bibb lettuce, and some heirloom carrots. "it will be great in a salad".



As we were walking back to our car, I reminded my mom of how my paternal grandmother, amama Dolores, never ate lettuce. Despite growing lots of greens in her own garden, she always said that lettuce was for the chickens. We laughed. We were definitely going to eat our greens.

At home we roasted potatoes and baby beets. Also made pesto with some of the peppergrass and sorrel, and slowly poached salmon with herbs in olive oil. It was a delicious salad indeed.

We ate it with a creamy tomato soup scented with sorrel, similar to this one.



For dessert we had dark chocolate and quinoa shortbread cookies. Soft and intense. I dipped them in some hemp milk in the middle of the afternoon. It hit the spot.



Salmon, Roasted Potato and Beet Salad with Peppergrass and Sorrel Pesto

Peppergrass and Sorrel Pesto

1 clove garlic
2 Tbs pine nuts
1 cup peppergrass
1/4 cup sorrel
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup olive oil

In the food processor, finely chop the garlic and pine nuts. Add the peppergrass, sorrel, and salt. Pulse until it turns into a fine paste. Add the grated parmesan and pulse twice to incorporate. Add the olive oil while machine running until pesto turns into a smooth paste. Reserve.

6 baby beets
6 baby golden potatoes, peeled and cut in half
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Toss all ingredients in a baking pan and roast at 425F for about 20-25 minutes.

2 (6 ounce) pieces of salmon
1/4 tsp salt
Fresh herbs (thyme, sorrel, parsley, etc)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup olive oil

Season salmon with salt on both sides. Tide the herbs around the salmon with butcher's twine. Over low heat, heat the olive oil in a shallow pan that will hold both pieces of salmon. Add the garlic. When it starts to form small bubbles around the garlic. Add the salmon and gently cook it for 6-8 minutes depending on the thickness. I half way cover the pot with a lid.

To assemble the salad, toss the roasted beets and potatoes with some of the pesto. Arrange peppergrass and sorrel leaves on a platter, season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1 Tbs lemon juice. Top with flaked pieces of salmon, beets and potatoes.

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Creamy Spring Buckwheat, Chocolate and Chestnut Pudding Cakes and Thinking About Japan

Today I feel lucky.

I look around and I am surrounded by my family, my children thriving, playing without a care in the world, like healthy children do. Seeing the images that come from Japan are heartbreaking. How we can lose it all in an instant. In the blink of an eye our lives can turn upside down. Such devastation.

As soon as I heard about the news on Friday, I thought of my friend Keiko and wondered how her loved ones would be doing. I tried to imagine how I would deal with such news from afar, just as she is. Then, she confirmed her family is well. A sigh of relief.

I could't write a post without acknowledging all those people who have lost it all, but also the stories of survival and hope.

We are thinking about them.



And as for our weekend, it was quiet.

I spent lots of time writing while C. and my parents took care of the kids. I am so thankful for the beautiful weather so we don't have to be cooped up indoors. Well, at least the kids don't have to and that is what counts, no?

And so I continue creating and editing. Feedback from my editor has been great so there goes another sigh of relief.



M. loved snapping fresh and plump sugar snow peas out of their shell. So sweet that she ate pod and all.

J. played hard to get, shying away from my camera. He was busy flying his new kite.



And then we cooked, we cooked a lot.

Like creamy buckwheat with peas, fennel and watercress or chocolate and chestnut pudding cakes.

Not bad, wouldn't you say?



UPDATE:

Here is a good list of resources of how we can all help through donations.

Also, Chika is hosting a sakura fundraiser here.

I have also donated to the International Medical Corps.

I will keep updating as I hear more.

Thank you.

Creamy Buckwheat with Peas, Fennel and Watercress

Serves 4

3 cups of water
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1 shallot, thinly diced
1/2 medium fennel bulb, diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup watercress
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
chicken stock, optional

Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and the buckwheat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Drain.

In the meantime, in a separate sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Sweat the shallots and the fennel until tender.

Add the cooked buckwheat, peas, mascarpone, parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper. If you feel it's too dry, add a little bit of chicken stock to lighten it. Serve immediately.

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Revisiting Old Favorites

We cooked a lot this weekend. Between all my recipe testing, mom's nourishing soups and C's barbecue experiment, we had enough food to feed an army.

"Do you want to come over for dinner Sunday night? Something very casual", I asked my friend K. It had been a few days since we had spoken and I really wanted to catch up. We can talk for hours. "I wouldn't miss it for a thing", she said.

We didn't have much time to make a dessert for Sunday's dinner so I started browsing through my recipe archives for a quick cake that I could serve with some cream and fruit. This chocolate and teff cake caught my mom's eye. "That one!", she said. A one bowl cake that is quick and super moist.

In our menu that night, we also had our version of niçoise salad with bonito from the Basque Country, potatoes, eggs, avocados and tomatoes, followed by chicken and chorizo paella.

And lots and lots of conversation. What I always look forward to.



Monday was a holiday and J. was home from school. He loves my mom's porrusalda or butternut squash and leek soup so he asked her to make it. Mine with a poached egg on top.

He also wanted his usual arroz con leche and I craved something light. Meyer lemon, almond and goat's milk custard, a variation of this recipe.



And so sometimes, nothing beats old favorites.

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