The Season of Pink Apples and a Cake

We arrived back in Florida this past weekend after having one of the best summers in years. It was one of those times where it seems like the stars were aligned perfectly for us. The weather and the mood were everything I needed to disconnect and then, reconnect once again.



One of the things I was most excited about when we were home were all the apple trees ready to be picked. Anywhere we drove, the roads were lined with trees full of bright pink, red and green apples. From a far, they even sparkle in the sun. So beautiful.

I pointed them out to everyone and it's amazing how people take such things for granted. I did too when I lived there not so long ago. And now, I have a new appreciation for them. I believe photography opens one's eye to little things. Light and details suddenly take another dimension and priority.



I told you about my uncle Javi's garden and how much I love visiting there. We picked kilos of apples, pears and different varieties of plums. I watched my uncle make the most amazing jam with Claudia plums that he later used to fill some sable cookies for the pastry shop.

Early one morning, I called my aunt Agurtzane. “Can I come photograph the sheep today?”. “Of course!”, she replied. They are indeed my favorite subject and in our family any excuse is a good one to set up an impromptu picnic.



We brought the apple and walnut cake I made with the apples we had picked a couple of days before and had some cheese, membrillo, chorizo, jamon and of course some wine. We sat under a large tree and talked for hours. Then put on our wellies and headed down to where the chestnut trees are to look for mushrooms.

My dad and all of my uncles are avid mushroom hunters and pickers. It is almost considered a sport here and it is a tradition that is passed down generation after generation. I cherish the memories of going hiking with my dad looking for mushrooms and I really wanted J. to experience it.



The recipe for this cake comes from my mom. It's her super easy and versatile yogurt and olive oil cake. It literally is one container of yogurt, 2 yogurt containers of sugar, 3 containers of flour... And it works every time. We sauteed some apples in butter and sugar and added some walnuts to the batter. It was a good addition to a perfect mid morning picnic with family.



Apple, Walnut, Yogurt and Olive Oil Cake

makes 1 bundt pan

Note: these measurements are using a 125 ml container of yogurt, which I have found that is the standard size both in Spain and the US. I will refer to the 125 ml container as measure. I really need to give you an exact metric/US measure but in the meantime, I wanted to share this.

1 measure (125ml) plain yogurt
1 measure demerara sugar
1 measure sugar
4 eggs (3 if they are extra-large)
1 measure light olive oil
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 measures gluten free flour mix or all purpose flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum if using the gluten free mix
1 Tbs baking powder
pinch salt
handful of chopped walnuts
2 pink apples
2 tsp butter
2-3 Tbs sugar

Butter and flour the inside of a bundt pan.

Slice one of the apples thinly. Heat the butter and 1 Tbs sugar in a pan. Add the slices of apple and cook for a minute on each side. The sugar doesn't have to caramelize. Let the slices cool slightly and then line the bottom of the bundt pan with them, overlapping slightly.

Dice the other apples and cook them in the remaining butter and sugar. Let them cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour mix, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugars, eggs, olive oil, vanilla seeds and cinnamon. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and mix. Fold in the chopped walnuts and sauteed apples.

Pour batter into pan and bake in a 350F (180C) oven for about 30 minutes or until done (depending on the size of the pan)

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The Season of Pink Apples and a Cake

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Rainier Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Butter Financiers

It was a few days ago when I was browsing the pages of ELLE à Table that I found an article written by Clotilde about how to make financiers with nut and seed butters. "Brilliant!", I thought. A great way to make a cake not only gluten free, but also dairy free.



I have been eating handfuls of pumpkin and sunflower seeds in between meals for extra protein and good fats. I carry little baby food containers with seeds, hummus, bags of cut vegetables and fruit wherever I go. Being on the go is the hardest thing on a strict diet if you are not organized, that is. So every morning, I think about all the places I must be and plan snacks accordingly. It is the only way I can survive, because, I'm always, always, hungry.

So when I read Clotilde's article, I immediately pulled out my old Moleskine notebook with all my recipes and quickly started adapting my basic financier recipe to incorporate homemade pumpkin seed butter.



Cherry season has also arrived. I think stone fruits are one of my favorite fruits (although I tend to say that about every fruit when the season arrives). The first Florida peaches also showed up at the farmers' market a couple of weeks ago. I must admit I paid an insane price for one peach, about $2. I had to have a taste of one and I considered it a treat, just like a cone of ice cream or a specialty coffee. A delicious, sweet peach.



The little cakes are perfectly moist and have wonderful texture. I love the cherry on top as it makes them that much more fun to eat. Rainiers have the most beautiful color, don't they?



Before, I go, I want to let you know I will be teaching a food styling and photography workshop in Seattle on Saturday, July 3rd from 10am to 12pm. It will be a review about my philosophy, how I work, my process, my inspiration with some hands on practice. As of now, the workshop is sold out, but if you are interested, you can email me to be added on to the waiting list.

It should be a fun one and I really have to thank Viv for organizing it and Jeanne who will be baking her famous gluten free breads and desserts for all of us to shoot and of course, eat. Can't wait!

Rainier Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Butter Financiers

Makes about 12 small cakes

4 egg whites
115 grams sugar
80 grams almond flour
30 grams quinoa flour
pinch of salt
50 grams pumpkin seeds, toasted
30 grams olive oil
Rainier Cherries

Toast the pumpkin seeds and when cool, grind them to a fine powder in a food processor. Add the olive oil while processor running to form a paste. Set aside.

Whisk together the egg whites and the sugar. Add the almond and quinoa flours and the salt. Whisk to incorporate. Add the pumpkin seed butter.

Pipe the batter into the baking cups and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. Place a cherry on top of each financier and bake for another 15-18 minutes until lightly golden on top.

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Rainier Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Butter Financiers

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Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes

This morning, as we were eating breakfast and getting ready for school, my little 3 year old turned around and said to me, "amatxu, these strawberries are better than candy".

I know it sounds silly, but anyone with a little one must know how good it feels to hear such words. Good parenting often times goes unnoticed and we don't always get the praise that we deserve (or we would like to think we deserve). It certainly rarely ever comes from our children. So this morning I felt that perhaps after all, after all the guilt and doubt that I feel as a mother, I might be doing something right.



Cooking and baking are such a big part of my life and I feel it's my mission to instill that in my children. After my diagnosis, I am also having J. tested for food protein sensitivities such as gluten and casein. Of course, I really hope he doesn't inherit my genes, but if he does, I want him to know that he will not have to give up everything he might consider as a treat in his life.

As I was rubbing a long swab against the inside of his cheeks, he asked "why do I need to have this done, amatxu?". I told him how we are checking to see if some foods might make him sick and he responded, "I can't have any more cake?". Although I explained to him that was not the case, that thought roamed around in my mind. When he came home from school, I told him to pull up his chair up to the counter. We were making cake.



To me, nothing beats the simplicity of some classics such as a lemon cake with poppy seeds. So fresh and fragrant. I took Claudia Fleming's lemon and lavender cake recipe and made it into a gluten and dairy free version by adding arbequina olive oil, millet flour and superfine brown rice flour. One of my new favorite gluten free flours.

The cakes are soaked in a lemon syrup while still warm out of the oven. Made my little boy happy as can be.



Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes (Gluten and Casein Free)

5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract (gluten free)
1 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
2 Tbs tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1 cup olive oil (I used Arbequina)

Lemon Syrup
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Whip the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract for about 5 minutes until they are light and thick.

In a bowl, whisk together, the flours, xanthan gum, salt and poppy seeds. Fold the dry into the whipped egg mixture. Be gentle not to deflate the batter too much.

Take about 1/2 cup of the batter and whisk it with the olive oil. Incorporate this to the main batter and fold gently.

Pour into baking cups and bake at 350F for about 18-20 minutes.

In the meantime, make the simple syrup by boiling the lemon juice and sugar. When the cakes come out and are still warm, poke holes on the top and brush them with the lemon simple syrup until well soaked.

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Baking with Persimmons and Some Childhood Memories

When I spotted the first persimmons of the season this past week, I almost broke out in laughter thinking about my childhood memories associated with them. Not all good, believe me.



Although I grew up surrounded by persimmon trees (we call them kakiak or caquis in Spanish), this was not a fruit we ate or knew how to cook with. Instead, the over ripe fruit would always end up smashed on the ground making a jam-like pathway on our way to school everyday.

My school was right next to a convent were the priests had their own vegetable garden and tons of fruit trees; persimmons amongst them. The trees were lined up right next to the sidewalk so when autumn came, boys loved climbing up and getting the hardest persimmons to use as shooting devices against us girls. I remember having many, many persimmon-impact bruises on the back of my legs. Thank goodness I can look back and smile.



If you have never had a persimmon, you must know that there are two types, which have different characteristics. The Hachiya persimmon is the variety I grew up with and unless they are very ripe, they are almost inedible when raw. They have an oval shape and are mainly used to make jams and cook with. The Fuyu persimmons on the other hand, are flat like a tomato and can be eaten raw like any other fruit. Some have large seeds inside, but some don't.

I was surprised to find that everyone of my friends that walked into our kitchen this week asked, "what are those?". I was surprised of how unknown they seem to be to some. I suppose their childhood memories don't include persimmon fights.



Growing up, I don't ever remember my mom baking any extravagant desserts, mainly because we grew up in the family pastry shop and we had abundant leftover brioche and pastries everyday. But I do remember her lemon, yogurt and olive oil cake that called for one yogurt container of this, three yogurt containers of that... So I took that idea and adapted it to include almond flour, muscovado and the traditional yogurt and olive oil. This makes such a moist cake and can be made alone or with basically any fruit.

The cool temperatures have also arrived in South Florida and at night I have been craving creamy desserts like these mascarpone and marsala sabayon verrines with pistachio and almond crumble and poached persimmons. I thought I lost my sweet tooth during the first months of this pregnancy, but I believe it is back and these did the trick.



Persimmon Upside Down Yogurt and Olive Oil Cakes

Makes about a dozen 3" cakes

2-3 Fuyu persimmons, thinly sliced
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs sugar

275 grams flour
30 grams almond flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
7 grams baking powder
pinch of salt
4 eggs
200 grams sugar
40 grams muscovado
Zest of 1 lemon
250 grams plain yogurt
225 grams light olive oil
2 persimmons, small dice
Squeeze lemon juice

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and sugar together. Add the sliced persimmons and cook until softened about 3-4 min on each side. Place them on the bottom of the cake pans and let cool. Proceed with cake batter.

Cut the two other persimmons and toss them in lemon juice.

In a large bowl, combine flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs with the sugar, muscovado, lemon zest, yogurt and olive oil. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the diced persimmons.

Pour batter over the caramelized persimmons (make sure these are cool). Bake at 350F for about 15-20 min until golden brown and when knife is inserted, it comes out clean. Let the cakes cool before unmolding.


Poached Persimmon, Mascarpone and Marsala Sabayon and Pistachio Crumble Verrines

Makes 4-6 large verrines

Poached Persimmons

400 grams water
200 grams sugar
4 Fuyu persimmons, medium dice

Make a sugar syrup with the water and sugar by bringing them to a boil. Slowly poach the diced persimmons in the syrup until softened, about 10 minutes. Note that the persimmons might still keep "a bite" and not become completely soft if they are not very ripe.

Mascarpone and Marsala Sabayon

3 egg yolks
50 grams sugar
25 grams marsala
110 grams mascarpone
70 grams heavy cream, soft peaks

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and marsala together in a medium bowl. Place this over a double boiler and cook until it thickens while constantly whisking. Make sure the water in the water bath is simmering not boiling.

When the sabayon thickens, remove from heat and whisk in the mascarpone cream. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Then fold in the soft peak heavy cream.

To assemble the verrines, layer pistachio crumble, poached persimmons and the sabayon.

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Caramelized Pineapple and Olive Oil Cake... and a Short Camping Trip

As I mentioned on my last post, we were going to spend the weekend camping near Lake Okeechobee. The weather had been terrible all week with the usual summer afternoon thunderstorms. I wasn't completely sure that camping was going to be a good idea but we decided to be adventurous and see what was going to happen.

We left on Friday after work. The skies were blue and scattered thunderstorms were forecasted for the weekend. We started driving west when I spotted some nasty looking clouds ahead of us. We could see lighting strike not too far from us and I started to really worry. Surely, a mile later, we were driving through the worst storm I have ever been through. Lighting, thunder, torrential rain, baby screaming in the back and we are towing a travel trailer. I was ready to turn around right then. This scenario lasted for about half an hour.



When we arrived at the campground, it was not what we had expected. We were hoping for some thick, Florida wilderness, but this seemed like a mobile home park right next to the highway. I couldn't believe my eyes. The place looked abandoned. Not a soul. We tried to just forget about everything and headed for the pool. Rain started again. Ran for shelter and that's where we spent the rest of the evening.

Saturday morning we had about an hour of pool fun but by mid morning the sky started to turn black again and I just couldn't spend another afternoon and evening inside a trailer in a concrete campground. So we left and never got to enjoy the cake I had made for this trip but I did manage to take a couple of photos of my little boy and his beloved trucks.



This was a long story to tell you about this cake we never really got to enjoy while camping. It was an almond and olive oil sponge that I wanted to serve with grilled pineapple and a bit of cream. I love grilled fruit.

I took these photos before we left since I knew I wouldn't be able to take decent photographs while camping. But not only that, we never ate it. When I made it at home, I caramelized the pineapple with a bit of demerara sugar. I was really looking forward to some grilled pineapple...

Olive Oil Sponge
Makes quarter sheetpan

3 eggs
110 grams sugar
1 Tbs lemon zest
100 grams olive oil (I used Arbequina)
90 grams whole milk
110 grams cake flour
10 grams baking powder
50 grams almond flour

Pineapple rectangles
Demerara sugar

Whip the eggs, lemon zest and sugar to thick, ribbon stage. Slowly stream in the olive oil and the milk. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and almond flour and mix only until combined.

Batter will be relatively thin. Pour the batter in sheetpan or individual molds and bake immediately in a 400F degree oven for about 10 minutes until slightly golden brown.

Once the cake has cooled, cut rectangles. Cut pineapple rectangles that are the same size as the cake. Place the pineapple on top of the cake, sprinkle demerara sugar on top and burn it with a blow torch.

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Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines and a Giveaway

I sprained my knee last night. My son woke up at 2am and as usual, he wanted to come downstairs so I could rock him back to sleep. As I was walking down the stairs, I slipped and fell on the floor. Luckily, I had my hand behind his head and he did not get hurt. But... I did. I have been limping all day and yes, I should go to the doctor, but I'm going to wait to see if the swelling goes down with rest.

I wanted something comforting. Something to go with my cinnamon tisane. My son was resigned to the idea that we were not going to be able to go outside much today because ama cannot walk very far, so he was good and let me bake some madeleines. One of my favorite sweet treats. I tried a new recipe with lemon zest and olive oil and it really worked well. They really had good "domes" just like I like them.





While I was sipping my tea, I thought "any excuse is good to bake and give". My friends always ask me what I do with all the stuff I make. "Do the three of you eat all of it?" . Well, I always save some for C to try and of course my curly haired boy always has to "snatch" a little bit of whatever I am making, but honestly, most of the treats I make end up in our neighbors', co-workers or lucky stand-by's bellies.

Today, sitting on the sofa with my leg resting on a pillow, I thought "why not share some goodies with the readers I have managed to capture in these three months?". Every time I bake, write and photograph something for this blog, I look forward to reading your comments and see what you have to say about what I made. Hey, I love compliments, what can I say!





So next week, I will be giving away two boxes of freshly baked lemon and olive oil madeleines. All you have to do is leave a comment briefly explaining what was going through your mind when you started your blog. What inspired you? What were you doing the day you sat down in front of the computer and created an account? I'm always curious about what drives people. And if you don't have a blog but like to read food blogs, don't worry, please let us know what interests you; what makes you read a blog over another one. Is it the photographs, the challenging recipes or easier recipes, articles, personal stories..


You have until Sunday March 30th at 3pm EST and I will announce the lucky winners' names that following Monday. Due to the delicate nature of the goodies and to preserve their freshness, I can only ship in the US (sorry rest of the world...).




Thank you for reading!

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Chocolate, Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel

Chocolate, arbequina olive oil, fleur de sel and crusty baguette


Do you ever feel like you wake up one day and life is telling you something? Signs, signs, signs... everywhere. This is what happened to me a few days ago.

I haven't had a chocolate sandwich or "bocadillo de chocolate" as we like to call it, since I was 18 or so. It used to be our afternoon snack when we were kids. We got out of school at 5pm and our mothers (because all kids had this) had chocolate bocadillos waiting for us. Dark chocolate inside a piece of crusty baguette wrapped with aluminum foil. That was our afternoon snack and everyone loved it.

I think I remember the last time I ate a "bocadillo de chocolate". I say, I think, because my memory has been failing lately but my last recollection of eating one of these is when my friends Amaia, Jill and I were travelling through Europe in the summer of 1992. We had just graduated from high school and we went on a two week backpacking trip across Western Europe. We were young and broke so we slept in youth hostels, on the train and on park benches. We ate bread (lots of it), yogurt, fruit... anything we would find at the local markets and lots and lots of chocolate. I mean, we were in France and Belgium and Switzerland... what else would we eat but chocolate, right? So bread and chocolate was an everyday staple. That's my last memory of eating chocolate bocadillos.

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a food blog out of the Basque Country called Sukaldean. Fun food blog by accomplished cookbook authors Hasier Etxeberria and David de Jorge. And what was the first thing I saw? You guessed it! Chocolate bocadillo but this time with olive oil and sea salt. "Wow!" I thought to myself... "I have to make that soon!". But life got busy and I didn't. A few days later, I went to Tartelette's blog and what did I see? A baguette she made for the Daring Baker's February challenge stuffed with a bar of chocolate! It seems like Helen and I have been sharing the same brain lately. I couldn't control myself so today, I ran to Paul, got some good crusty bread and made myself this bocadillo.






Green & Blacks 70% organic chocolate



I used Arbequina olive oil from Hacienda Queiles which is mild and fruity. The first time I ever tried this olive oil, it was at Akelarre in San Sebastian. It was so fragant and unusual. It tasted just like bananas, I thought! I got the name of the producer from the maitre d' and a couple of days later, I bought myself a small bottle. It goes perfectly with the chocolate.

As for the salt, I used fleur de sel from Ile de Re that my friend and former pastry chef Sebastien brought back from France for me a couple of years ago. I know, I know... it's been a while but I've been saving it for special occasions like this one.

Chocolate, Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel Bocadillo

1 crusty baguette
2 70% cacao chocolate bars
2 tsp organic arbequina olive oil or any good quality extra virgin olive oil you like
Couple of pinches of fleur de sel

Cut the baguette in half and toast it under the broiler. Remove it from the broiler, drizzle some olive oil and place the chocolate on top of the bread. Place it back in the broiler for 5 seconds so the chocolate warms up a bit but remember that we don't want to melt the chocolate! Remove from the oven and finish it with the salt.

Open your mouth big and eat right away!

I want to thank Sukaldean and Helen for bringing back these wonderful memories!

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