Thursday Tips and Tricks

Utilizing tips and tricks you've learned along the way makes the cooking process infinitely more fun in that "I know something you don't know" way.

In honor of it being Thursday and my eternal devotion and love for alliteration, let's exchange our favorites today.

Suffering from rock hard brown sugar?

Put a chunk of it in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Then heat in microwave at 30 second intervals until soft.

So, you had a fabulously chic party weekend and overdid it on the wine purchasing?

Pour leftover wine into an ice cube tray and freeze. Then store for recipes that call for it. You can put the cubes directly into the pan when needed and they'll melt beautifully.

What cooking tips put a little pep in your step?

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Clarification of a Coconut Variety - Macaroons

Good morning dear ones. I hope you rested up because today, we're learning.

Get pumped.

There are macarons. And then, there are macaroons.

Despite what you may hear otherwise, these are two entirely different treats, each lovely in their own particular way.

And, as a matter of fact, it is a medium-sized pet peeve of mine when people reference them interchangeably.

Macarons are a French delicacy made of egg white wafers whipped into submission and sandwiched with delicate almond flavored fillings. (see picture behind my title).

Macaroons are coconut heaven.

Macarons are terribly sophisticated and almost nauseatingly sweet.

Macaroons are not so sophisticated but they're adorable and delicious and I like them better.

They are slightly crunchy on the outside and smooth and almost creamy in the center. Actually, they're awfully similar to a desired falafel texture.

I'm sure they would've made a lovely addition to a healthified Valentine's Day. Fail.

Mmmmacaroons
Servings: approximately 2.5-3 dozen
Inspired by a strong craving for coconut and Oh She Glows

Ingredients
2 2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, separate from above
2/3 cup maple sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons coconut milk, almond milk, or milk of preference

Chocolatey Goodness, Optional (but I'll definitely judge you if you don't)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
toppings of your choice - crushed nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, sprinkles, cocoa powder, sea salt

To Do

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

In a food processor, process the living daylights out of the 2 2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut until it forms a butter consistency. This will take approximately 7-10 minutes and you'll need to scrape down the sides of the processor intermittently.

Once completed, mix newly created coconut butter and remaining ingredients in a medium sized

**regarding the milk - depending on your climate, you will need between 2-3 tablespoons. You want the consistency to be moldable but not sticky. Less liquid will make for a flakier cookie and more will make for a denser cookie. You really can't go wrong.

Place tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto lined baking sheets. They do not need too much room between them as they don't expand.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottom is a pretty golden brown.

Let cool to completion on rack

While the cookies are cooling, melt the 4 ounces of chocolate in a double broiler or microwave until silken.

Lay out a sheet of wax paper

Individually dip macaroons in melted chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. Repeat.

Sprinkle chocolate-ized macaroons with any and all toppings of your choice

Devour

Vogueing

round and round the coconut goes

I swear this happens. Somewhere around minute 3, you'll call me a liar, but then you'll apologize around minute 7 and we'll be friends again.

This happened. My finger may or may not have been in cahoots with my mouth and swiped through above molasses waterfall approximately 3 seconds after this picture was taken.

Silpat is a life changing, silicon based liner that keeps your pans clean and your cookies perfectly golden on the bottom. It's worth the investment, but parchment paper is always a nice substitute. Just make sure you never ever use wax paper in the oven. Wax melts. Think candles. Think disaster.

Just chillin'

You could get fancy and use white, semi sweet, or milk chocolate as well

voila

All dressed up and nowhere to go...but a belly.

Analysis

These delicious little treats will set you back a mere 50 calories and 3 grams of sugar sans chocolate.

But who would ever do that?

With the chocolate and toppings, you're looking at approximately 75 calories and 5 grams of sugar per macaroon.

Both versions are dairy free (assuming you don't use animal milk), gluten free, and raw.

What do you want to see next?

Check out the poll in the upper right hand corner.



Home

I've been staring at this screen now for approximately 30 minutes straight, give or take.

I took a small break around minute thirteen in search of coffee and gum. It was a complete failure of an expedition but that's besides the point.

I suppose this is what happens when I do something like take off to Israel at a moment's notice for two weeks.

I have conservatively five hundred million things to share and am still working on regaining all my brain cells after two weeks of little sleep and mass stimulation.

I still owe you my delicious delectable healthy treat for the long gone Valentine's Day.

Obligatory sneak peak. My parents claim to have devoured them in attempt to fill the void in their hearts caused by my absence. I call that a lousy excuse for eating three dozen chocolate covered macaroons. Note: these lose the whole 'health factor' when you eat 20-30x a recommended serving.  

In the meantime, while I finish collecting brain cells and regain my ability to sleep during standard human hours, I'll regale you with images of my new obsessions.

Thus far I have three.

1.

Readers, meet halva.

Halva, meet readers.

Commence love affair.

When I was little, my mother told me never to judge a book by its cover. Sadly, I can't help it, but I implore you to apply said philosophy to halva.

Don't judge it by its appearance.

It's a defense mechanism slyly devised to ensure only those 'in the know' become swift addicts.

Halva is sesame paste and honey combined with additional flavors in a most magical way.

"What could possibly be so magical about something so simple?", you may ask. Allow me to take the opportunity to reply - "Everything. Everything is so magical about something so simple".

My favorite thus far is the nut and dried fruit variety. It's crumbly and sweet and dissolves ever so perfectly.

I'll be scouring the web for recipes because even after filling up a good portion of my suitcase with treats for me the family, my supplies are diminishing quickly.

2.

As you may or may not know, my standard level of energy is on par with most people's heavily caffeinated level.

As such, I typically try to avoid stimulants at all costs.

Not for my benefit, but out of courtesy to others.

However, after subsisting on sub-human levels of sleep for three days, the coffee gods came down from the heavens and bestowed upon me the life-changing powers of Turkish coffee.

It's thick and creamy and while it is incredibly strong, the bitter notes that accompany strong American coffee are entirely absent. Especially when you plop a piece of dark chocolate in the middle.

And, number three...

What amazing treats have you found outside your own region?

Stay tuned for macaroons, a battle of hummus, and hopefully, a slightly more coherent me.

Bon Voyage

Good morning lovely ones.

I'm off bright and early to the land of milk and honey.

But never fear because I'll be writing as often as possible with new favorite food finds, and most importantly that last healthy Valentine's treat.

It does not disappoint.

xo
L

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Berry Crumble, A Story of Redemption

Good morning blogosphere and a happy Friday to you all.

After a dose of much needed beauty sleep, I'm ready to redeem myself from my strawberry shortcake sized failure.

As I mentioned yesterday, when all else fails, go with what you know.

I know crumbles.

I know that if I take the perfect amount of flour, sugar, butter and berries, I can create a bubbly crunchy masterpiece.

Sometimes I even get a little wild and throw in some cinnamon too.

I know. What a rebel.

I think that oftentimes, in an effort to match the richness of a chocolate sweet, people fudge up (pun intended) a treat of the non-chocolate variety.

This is unnecessary.

Allow your non-chocolate dessert to become what it is meant to be. 

Don't be a conformer.

Conformers are boring.

Non-chocolate desserts don't have to be.

My crumble was born to be a bubbly, slightly sweet and tart hug of a treat.

It's so sophisticated in its simplicity. Kind of like Jennifer Aniston's hair. It looks au natural and thrown together, but you know it takes a serious expert to look so "girl next door".

Think of my crumble as your "dessert next door".

I think we've had enough metaphors for the day, don't you?

Just make my crumble.

Very Berry Crumble
Servings: 2

Ingredients for Berries

3 ounces fresh blueberries
3 ounces fresh blackberries
1/4 cup frozen cranberries
Zest of 1 clementine (or about 1 teaspoon orange zest)
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Juice from 1/2 a clementine (or about 1 teaspoon orange juice)
Juice from 1/4 a lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon sugar
dash of salt
1/2 tablespoon flour

Ingredients for Crumble

5 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

To Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place berries in a medium sized bowl

Add in zest, juice, cinnamon, sugar, salt and flour and stir gently to combine. (from the Ingredients for Berries list). Be sweet to your berries. They're sensitive.

In a separate, small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, salt, flour, oats, and sugars. (from the Ingredients for Crumble list).

Add in diced butter and combine until little marble/pearl/pea sized balls appear. You may do this with a mixer with a paddle attachment, a food processor on pulse, a pastry cutter (my preferred method), or your finger tips.

If using your fingertips, take care not to smush it all together. Your goal is to combine it without overworking it or heating the butter too much.

Split berry mixture between two ramekins, filling just up to the top without overflowing. You may also do this in a casserole dish but it will be less romantic and you may ruin Valentine's Day. kidding.

Put ramekins on lined baking sheet.

With a large spoon or your hands, completely cover the berries with the crumble mixture. Put on way more than you think it needs.

The berry crumble will need approximately 30-35 minutes. It will bubble, and may overflow. The crumble on top of the berries will begin to turn golden.

Once the berry crumble is finished, let it cook on a wire rack or even on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before serving.

This is really quite simple, if the crumble is still bubbling, it will most likely burn your mouth. That would be wretched. Don't do it.

OPTIONAL: You will still have some of the crumble mixture left over.

Line another baking sheet and spread the leftover crumble on the bottom.

The leftover crumble you put on the baking sheet will only need approximately 10-15 minutes. Keep your eye on it.

It will most likely need to be stirred around with a wooden spoon or spatula a couple of times to avoid burning.

Take the leftover crumble out of the oven and let it cool for the remainder of the berry crumble's bake time. It will harden and you can crumble it on top of the berry crumble as you go for additional crunch. Or save it for later to put in your ice cream. Or you can toss it in the trash, but just remember, there are starving children in Africa.

Ingredient Options:

If you do not have any of the above berries, this is not an issue. Substitute in your favorite whether it is strawberries, huckleberries or raspberries.

You may also substitute in diced pear or apple for the cranberries.

If you're not a cinnamon fan, you may substitute in cocoa powder, nutmeg, or even pumpkin pie spice.

Adding a tablespoon or two of dried fruit or chopped nuts is also delicious.

Vogueing:

I have not forgotten my prerequisites - there is red in there.

Jazzed up berries.

crumblies pre-pea/pearl/marble-sizing

a berry berry good time

If you pile it really high (as you should), some pieces will most likely ooze over the side. I have two comments regarding this - 1. sometimes, imperfection is beauty. This is one of those times. 2. line your baking sheet with parchment paper

Berry crumble...just hangin'

A word of caution: you'll note the crumble is still cooling on the pan. You'll also note a certain someone (namely, my mother) getting a nice big hunk of a bite. Because she birthed me, I'm going to spare her the mortification of photographic proof of the "I burned my mouth because I don't have any patience when it comes to crumble" dance that occurred approximately 30 seconds after this photo was taken. Sometimes, I'm a really good daughter.

Clearly that didn't phase her. Nothing comes between my mamma and a crumble. Nothing. Got it?

What chocolate?

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

Aerial view. See that little blip of a red dot on that whipped cream? That's a heart. There, I hit 2 out of my 3 Valentine's Day treat qualifications.

Goodness be had.

Crumble, my daddy's way. I think I made up for the strawberry shortcake debacle.

There you have it. I accomplished what many thought was impossible.

A beautiful, rustic, seductively luscious Valentine's Day treat with not a drop of chocolate in it.

Now, to be clear, I'm not encouraging chocolate-less behavior on a regular basis. That would be vulgur.

But, if you're going to go rogue, you can't do better than my berry crumble.

What's up next? Valentine's Day healthified 2.0.