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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The Manuscript and the Scones that Will Take Us Home

"I feel like I am forgetting something" I emailed my agent Judy on Thursday. I had just submitted the manuscript for my cookbook to my editor. It was time to celebrate, yet I felt as anxious as ever. "Yes, you forgot to celebrate!" she wrote back. I laughed.



So true.



After months of working on this manuscript as if it were my third child, I am done. I have created it, now it's in someone else's hands. Of course there will be revisions and edits, but the recipes are set, the images captured, and the stories told. And here is a small sample of the images you will find in it.







These props will finally have a home and some order.



C. will thank me.



I am looking forward to the promise of time off with my family back in the Basque Country. I am ready to relax, cook with my mom, drive along the coast while stopping for a pintxo or two, pick apples from my uncle's orchard, and sit under ancient oak trees while the children play.







The last thing I baked this weekend were scones. Three batches of them to be exact; until my oven finally gave up. It has had enough. Almost like life telling me it is time to stop baking compulsively.



I got it. It's time to stop.



We will take these with us on the plane. Full of black raspberries, red currants, quinoa, and oats.







I leave you with this recipe and soon I will be back from images from our trip. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying your summer with your loved ones, cooking, and eating away.



See you soon!



Black Raspberry, Red Currant, Quinoa, and Oat Scones



adapted from Dorie Greenspan



makes 10 (2-inch) scones



1 1/3 cup (140 g) gluten-free oats

1 cup (140 g) superfine brown rice flour

1/3 cup (70 g) natural cane sugar

1/3 cup (45 g) quinoa flour

1/3 cup (40 g) tapioca flour

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Zest of 1 lemon

10 Tbs (140 g) unsalted butter or non-hydrogenated shortening (I used shortening)

1/2 cup (125 ml) unsweetened almond milk ( you can use whole milk)

2 eggs, divided

1/2 cup black raspberries

1/3 cup red currants

Demerara sugar, to sprinkle on top



Put the butter or shortening in the freezer for 30 minutes.



In a large bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients. Take the butter out of the freezer and grate it into the dry ingredients using a box grater. If you don't have a box grater, then just cut it into small pieces (no need to freeze) and work it into the flour. Coat the grated butter with the flour and spread it throughout.



Whisk 1 egg and almond milk together and add it to the flour mixture. Fold using a spatula or your hands until flour moist. It will be lumpy and chunky. Just press it together with your hands. Add the black raspberries, red currants, and fold.



Transfer the dough to your work surface and knead a few times until it comes together. Pat to a disk that is about 3/4-inch thick and cut scones using a 2-inch cookie cutter. Place the scones on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.



Bake at 400F (200C) for about 18 minutes or until golden. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before lifting them. Serve while warm. They can also be frozen for up to 1 month.

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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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A Summer Lunch For Two

When I was a little girl, I loved day trips. Sometimes it was the beach, other times the countryside. I loved packing lunches and even then, I expected to have multiple courses and snacks to munch on throughout the day. In retrospect, I think food was actually the thing I looked forward to the most, more so than the destination itself.



A few days ago, as I was completely submerged in writing, I looked up at my computer screen. "It is 4 o'clock and I have not left the house all day!" I thought. Seems to happen often these days.

Kids arrived home shortly after. They craved my attention, but my mind was elsewhere. It is hard to come out of your head when you have been in it for so many hours, isn't it? I asked the babysitter to stay a bit longer and I decided to go for a run to clear my head.

I thought of those day trips and the outdoor lunches in the summer heat. Sometimes even on the side of the road, close to a stream, or under an oak tree. I remembered my dad cutting melon slices for all of us while my mom finished her lunch. An array of small plates and nibbles always followed by a tart or shortbread we took from our family's pastry shop.



The following day, I woke up knowing I still had lots of work to do, but thought it would be fun to prepare a quick meal Miren and I could eat outside. Partly for her, but mostly for me. Just to get a break and some fresh air.

We had ripe heirloom tomatoes that I blended into a gazpacho with cucumber, scallions, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of avocado oil. Toasted gluten-free bread, rubbed juicy tomato all over it, and topped it with shaved Idiazabal. Miren's favorite.

We also enjoyed a simple salad with greens, berries, and pan seared salmon. And for dessert, plum and currant crumble.

"One for you, one for me."





Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup

Serves 2

3 medium heirloom tomatoes, stem removed and diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
3 scallions, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
small bunch of oregano
2 sprigs thyme
salt pepper
avocado oil, to garnish
2 slices toasted bread
Idiazabal or Manchego cheese, shaved

Puree all ingredients in the blender and chill for 1 hour.

Serve with toasted bread rubbed with tomato and shaved Manchego cheese.

Salmon and Berry Salad

Serves 2

8 ounces wild-caught salmon (mine was Coho)
2 cup mixed greens (frisee, baby romaine, watercress, arugula, parsley...)
1/4 cup yellow raspberries
1/4 cup blackberries
1/4 cup red currants
1 scallion, sliced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for salmon
salt and pepper

In a small saute pan, cook the salmon for 2 minutes (depending on the thickness) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Flip over and finish cooking for another 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, toss together the greens and all the berries.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Drizzle the vinaigrette over salad. Season with salt. Toss to combine and top with seared salmon pieces.

Red Plum, Currant, and Almond Crumble

Serves 4

1/2 cup (70 grams) superfine brown rice flour
3/4 cup (70 grams) almond meal
1/3 cup (70 grams) natural cane sugar
5 Tbs (70 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 red plums, pit removed and sliced
1/4 cup red currants
1/4 cup white currants
1 Tbs natural cane sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400F (220C).

In the food processor, combine the first four ingredients and pulse until it forms a crumbly sand. Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.

Toss the rest of ingredients in a bowl. Divide amongst 4 (8-ounce) bowls. Top with crumble.

Bake for 30 minutes until filling bubbling and crumble is golden.

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A Summer Lunch For Two

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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!

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Summer Heat

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