Organic – Page 31 – morestomach

baked yeast s’mores donuts

Published on June 24, 2013June 23, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach37 Comments

it’s early morn,
8am.
well, early for Sunday.
roll over and
he’s sprawled out,
with child-like abandon,
vulnerable
adorable
kissable
accede to impulse –
kiss his cheek
the kind of kiss that
doesn’t take much thought
a take for granted kind of kiss
the kind that
you know will happen
again
and
again
and
again
like a habit,
like we’d kiss everyday
for the rest of our lives.

make way to the
tiny urban kitchen:
dishes from the evening before’s meal
piled high.
it’s a struggle
sometimes
to not succumb to the desire to
dine on throwaway
paper plates.

with kitchen cleared,
coffee cooling
set out ingredients for
breakfast —
a dessert really.
it’s a messy job,
one that requires
cleaning of more dishes,
of scrubbing counter tops
but with an end result like this,
it’s acceptable.

and when he finally
emerges,
slumber still clinging to his body
greet him with yet
another kiss
(we can’t ever get enough!)
(stop gagging)
and offer up a small delight
to fully waken him up.
because the rest of the day
beckons…

how do you like to spend your Sundays?

S’mores Donuts (baked & with yeast)
*listen. i didn’t taste a s’more until i was well into my late 20s. i was in West Virginia and i loved this so much that during the 5 day camping trip i had marshmallow and chocolate smeared all over my face and graham cracker crumbs in my hair the entire time. when i have a hankering for this i buy all the ingredients and in our urban living room dw puts it all together for me and torches it with a creme brulee torche. i won’t lie, this is more like a cake shaped in a donut form, but it is nonetheless delicious. because it’s a cake, it keeps well, covered, at room temp for a few days or in fridge. if you don’t have a torch, ~~i feel sorry for you,~~ it’s still good and gooey. (click on pic to enlarge & see the recipe, or the recipe follows with a few notes…)

donut ingredients
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 3 crackers whizzed in food processor, leftover can be used a garnish)
1 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup semi soft coconut oil
6 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut yogurt (So Delicious has a great Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup coconut milk

toppings:
melted vegan marshmallows, amount at your discretion
melted tempered dark chocolate, amount at your discretion

method:
preheat oven 350F
sift together dry ingredients in a bowl
in a mixing bowl, cream together coconut oil + sugar, add in egg + vanilla. add in the coconut yogurt. alternating between the dry ingredients and milk, add to mixing bowl. pour into prepared donut pans. bake for 10-12 minutes (aim for 11 minutes). allow to cool slightly in pan and then flip them out carefully onto wire rack and cool completely. repeat with remaining batter.

assemble by drizzling melted dark chocolate on top. allow to cool before drizzling the melted vegan marshmallows. again, cool slightly and then sprinkle on some graham cracker crumbs. torch it up if you want.

will keep at room temp, covered for a few days, or move to fridge.

pb + chocolate cakelettes

Published on June 17, 2013June 17, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

june is roaring in like a ferocious
Dragon.
as though it knows its time is
limited,
Summer is raising the
temperature,
washing over the streets
and sidewalks,
over us, and tossing up
heat like insult.

and so on the hottest
day of the season
thus far, i cranked on
the Oven
and baked for
Movita Beaucoup’s graduation
from baking school.

this is a celebration
for finishing school,
for the burn scars,
for the calories consumed.

and in true fashion, movita is hosting
another Cake-Off.
last year i made little
chocolate cakes
and lost.

this year i made little
cakes again.
i better effing
WIN.

please vote for me here.

pb + chocolate cakelettes
cakes adapted from tartelette
filling adapted from angry asian creations

*note: if you go to tartelette’s recipe it does have one piece missing in the method that caused me some minor anxiety. google is your best friend.

tulip paste:
4 oz coconut oil, right on the cusp of solid & liquid, tho leaning more twds solid, obvi.
4 oz powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature, approx 4 egg or 122 oz
4 oz all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 TBL cocoa powder

*note: this will make a buttload of tulip paste, i only made two sheets and the rest were turned into cookies.

cream the coconut oil + powdered sugar. i kept the coconut oil in the fridge and let it sit at room temp for a few minutes. work quickly because it has such low temp melt rate/threshold. add in the egg whites (*this was the piece that was missing). sift the cocoa + flour and then add to the mixture, don’t over mix. incorporate it just enough. pour into piping bag that’s been fitted with small plain tip. at this point, use right away or keep in fridge. remember, the properties of coconut oil is different from butter, it will get hard in the fridge quickly, but handle it for too long at room temp with your body temp hands and it will liquefy. (i learned this the hard way).

on parchment paper, in the actual baking sheet you’re going to bake the cake in, pipe design to your liking (delectable deliciousness has a great tutorial). i kept it simple, with just dots and lines. freeze, and keep frozen until ready to pour cake batter on top.

cake batter:
4 oz almond meal/flour
3 ozpowdered sugar
1 oz organic AP flour
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
1 oz organic sugar
1 oz melted coconut oil

preheat oven to 450F
in stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat both flours, powdered sugar and 4 eggs until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom. add yolk and mix until combined. set aside.

in another bowl, whip up egg whites until foamy and add the sugar in a steady stream, whip until glossy and peaks appear. fold meringue mixture into other bowl. stir in melted coconut oil and fold until well incorporated but careful to not deflate the meringue base.

remove baking sheet of tulip paste and pour batter on top. aim for as thin a cake as possible.
bake for 6 minutes. remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes and invert sheet onto platter or counter and peel away the parchment paper. (can be kept wrapped in fridge for up to a week or in freezer for a month)

using either pastry rings or cut up acetate strips (like when i used them to make dw’s mint chocolate cake) into 12″ strips and taped to make 5″ rings. cut strips of cake and fit into the makeshift molds/rings. fill with filling of your choice, allow to set in fridge for a few hours or overnight before removing from rings.

peanut butter cashew cream filling:
1 cup/5 oz organic raw cashews, soaked in warm water for 3-4 hours
5 generous TB organic peanut butter
1 TBL raw honey
splashes of non-dairy milk, i used so delicious coconut creamer to thin out

in cuisinart or food processor mix all ingredients until smooth and reaches desired consistency.

crunchy celery salad

Published on June 14, 2013June 19, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach7 Comments

it’s finally the weekend
i shouldn’t complain,
it was a short week for me.
we spent a long weekend in
Atlanta,
where we dodged raindrops
visited a big fish tank
and ate like royalty.

right now our abode
is a mess
(when is it not)
(i’m not much of a housekeeper)
there is laundry to be done
a kitchen light to be replaced
a bathroom needing cleaning
and a gutter to be fixed

instead, we’ll ignore all that
and focus on:
CSA pickups
a donut making morning
wedding invitation making
ice cream eating
movie watching
i just don’t know if we’ll have
enough time!

what are you doing this weekend?

in the meantime, i made this super quick
celery salad
that takes no time
at all.

crunchy celery salad
note: you will not use all the syrup/dressing. don’t feel like you have to.

bunch of celery, washed/cleaned and sliced on the diagonal
1 tiny or 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced thin
1 TBL sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup white wine (i used a pinot grigio, a reisling would be nice but any will do)
1/2 rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar

fish sauce and lime juice, to taste (the fish sauce is only optional, omit if keeping vegan)
red chili

in a mixing bowl add in the celery + red onion slices, mix with a tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt. put bowl in fridge for a few hours.

meanwhile, in a saucepan add the white wine + rice vinegar and 3/4 cup of sugar. reduce down until it’s like a syrup. allow to cool. about 15 minutes.

pour syrup over celery and mix well. for taste, add in a tsp of the lime juice and fish sauce, adding more according to preference. add in the red chili if desired.

best to eat this salad day it’s made.

lamb larb

Published on June 3, 2013June 12, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach16 Comments

many many (and many) years
ago
i lived in thailand.
it was during my
formative years
so please know
i will not be able to provide
any kind of reference for
the best street food
but i can tell you that
they really are the
land of smiles.

we have plans to honeymoon
there
with the goal of
this
until then, i console myself
with this salad

this really simple thai salad
can be prepared ahead of time
be served hot
or at room temp
any ground meat will do
and other than the random
cleaning of herbs
very simple to put together

what’s your favorite thai dish?

lamb larb

1 lb organic ground lamb
1/4 white onion (red would be better) thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
2 stalks of green scallions/onions, diced
handful of kale, washed & rough chopped (sooooo optional, omit if authenticity is your thing)
3 TBL lime juice
3 TBL fish sauce
dried red pepper flakes
1 thai chili
cilantro leaves and mint, washed & dried, amount according to preference
1/8 cup of toasted rice powder (recipe/instructions follow)

toasted rice powder

1/8 cup of rice or gluttonous rice

dry roast in pan over medium heat until turns a light brown. grind in spice grinder until powder-ized.

cook ground lamb in skillet with no oil, with a wooden spoon be sure to separate the big chunks. go for medium heat, if you go too high it’ll caramelize the meat and that’s not the goal. cook through. at this point, i usually strain the meat of any excess oil/fat. the dish is supposed to be juicy so i add water, it’s up to you. return the meat back to the pan, add in the green onions and kale (this is just *my* addition because i had an excess of the stuff in the fridge, this is very optional) and cook until wilted.

take off heat, add in the onion slices, mix it through. allow to cool and then season with lime juice and fish sauce. season according to taste, i went with 3 TBL of each but you can certainly add more or less. i also added a dash of red pepper flakes and diced thai chili for pretty color. right before serving i add in the mint and cilantro leaves and top with rice powder.

this dish can be served at room temp or hot, with lettuce leaves or sticky rice.

others who’ve made this:
shesimmers
wandering chopsticks

dutch oven bread

Published on May 28, 2013May 29, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach28 Comments

may is disappearing quickly,
much quicker and cooler than anticipated.
we’ve been traveling this season,
almost at a manic pace.

i must confess that i am
better suited for the quiet mundane of
A Set Schedule.

last week, for something to divert my attention from
work,
i began a series of confessions on
facebook,
ranging from the silly to the downright
mean.
i won’t divulge them here,
but i will share with you this one confession:
for all my desires for a happy gut,
soaking & fermenting,
sometimes i just want a quick & easy recipe
where none of that is required,
and so enters this recipe for bread.

while it does require an overnight rising,
therefore requiring some forethought,
it’s a very easy recipe
there is no kneading involved
but you will need a dutch oven.

june is shaping to be a usual summer month of berry picking and csas
it will shape in the everyday kind of way that happens only when you’re staying close to home
and i confess to reveling in the very thought of sameness.

what confessions would you like to share?
no worries, i won’t judge! 🙂

dutch oven bread smothered with garlic-herb olive oil
adapted from simply so good

3 cups organic AP flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast, i use red star
1 1/2 cups warm water, i just turn the tap on to warm

dump all ingredients into a bowl and mix with a fork or, you know, a handy dandy dough whisk. it’ll be a lumpy mess, not too wet or dry. cover with plastic wrap, leave on counter, forget about it for 18-24 hours.

when ready, heat oven to 450F. when it’s reached that temp, put dutch oven or cast iron pot in oven for 30 minutes. meanwhile, generously dust counter with flour. dump out the dough onto the counter and just shape into a mound or ball. cover with kitchen towel for the 30 minutes the pot is in the oven. when ready, put the dough into the pot (be careful to not burn yourself!) (edit to add: an option is to plop the dough on parchment paper and then plop into the pot. less chance of getting in contact with the hot pot!), cover and bake for 30 minutes. then remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes. remove bread and allow to cool on rack.

optional:
during the first 30 minutes of baking, in a sauce pan add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 generous tsp of dried herbs (oregano, dried thyme, or italian spices is fine) and 3 cloves of minced garlic. on med-low heat just allow the oil to warm through, infusing with the herbs and garlic. for the final 15 minutes of bake time, when you take the lid off the pot, with a pastry brush, brush the olive oil on top of the bread.

great for dipping, or if you have any leftover, make into croutons.