July 8th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
It’s time for apricots, that sweet part of the summer when the sun gets bright enough to make their delicate skins blush.
I have a habit, partly encouraged by this blog, of making at least one celebratory dish for a fruit in season, especially if it’s a fleeting one. I feel a bit late on this, and if you haven’t had your good dose of apricots yet, you might want to soon. Next thing you know, you’ll have to wait until next summer.
Here is what we did with our share. A classic, simple summer tart with a nut crust and white cream, only the apricots are combined with lavender, and encased in a jelly-like orange and honey glaze to make things a tad more exciting.
I made it yesterday, and more than half of the tart is already gone. Paloma alone ate three slices.
Now to the giveaway, we are really excited about this one.
Our friend Elena has a natural skin care line, Wholistic, and they’ve finally launched their online store. You hear about all-natural products so often, only to find out that the all part has been greatly exaggerated and skewed. Wholistic skincare is actually all-natural, handmade with organic ingredients, free of synthetics and chemicals. It’s a true commitment, making such pure stuff of the best possible quality, and what Elena has come up with is truly admirable. We are so proud that Wholistic was one of the few companies selected by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to be listed in their Market Shift report.
Skin is our biggest organ, and it readily absorbs anything you put on it, just like our stomach when we eat. Wholistic products are made with food-grade ingredients and are actually safe to eat.
Aside from the purity issue, this skincare is serious joy for all senses, addictive really. We are giving away my personal favourite, the Rose Hydrating Mist, which is refreshing, smells amazing, and is perfect for the summer. Just leave a comment here until 7/15/12, 12pm EST, and we’ll pick the winner then.
Lavender Apricot Tart
(Makes one 8-inch tart)
Honeyed Lavender Apricots
5-6 ripe apricots – thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1/4 cup raw honey
Arrange the apricots on a Teflex-lined dehydrator tray. Mix lavender and honey together in a small dish. Gently warm this mixture placing the dish in a larger bowl with hot water. Sprinkle or brush the apricots with lavender honey. Dehydrate at 115F for 2-4 hours.
Crust
1 cup almonds – soaked overnight
1/2 cup cashews – soaked for 4 hours
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup soft dates – pitted, more if needed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed and sticking together when pressed between fingers. Then evenly press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form and create an about 1 1/2-inch wall on the sides.
Vanilla Cream Filling
1 1/2 cups cashews – soaked for 4 hours
1/2 cup meat of fresh young Thai coconut
1/2 cup almond milk – homemade if possible
seeds of 1vanilla bean
1/2 cup light agave syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Fill the tart crust and place in a freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Once the surface is firm, arrange the apricot slices on top.
Orange Honey Glaze
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
about 1/4 cup (1/4 ounce) Irish moss – thoroughly washed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until completely smooth. Pour over the apricots on the tart and refrigerate until firm.
Tags: apricot, dessert, lavender, raw, recipe, vegan
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June 24th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems that the shorter the season of a certain food, the more magical it appears. It’s true for figs, cherries, summer tomatoes, and most other jewels of the earth, really. It’s certainly the case with fava beans, those brilliantly green peas of the giants.
Seeing them in stores here in Florida is such a rare occasion, that when I recently ran across favas, I wanted to come up with a fun and bright salad to properly celebrate them.
I’ve heard about the surprising combination of vanilla bean and balsamic before, and finally decided to try it out in the dressing for this timbale. The two make for a very interesting vinaigrette – slightly sweet and incredibly fragrant. If you are a balsamic lover, increase the amount of it in the dressing, as I tried to keep it light.
I also thought it would be fun to present the salad in the form of timbale, it definitely makes the eating experience more special.
We just got back from San Francisco – talk about falling in love all over again. Plenty of fresh fava beans at the markets there, along with the sweetest of cherries, peaches, apricots, and a myriad of the most otherworldly greens. We’ll have a Travel Notes post up next week. Meanwhile, enjoy the favas.
Fava Bean Timbale
(serves 4-6)
1 cup fresh fava beans – shelled and peeled
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
2 medium cucumbers – peeled, seeded and cubed
1 cup purple cabbage – finely shredded
lime
8-10 radishes – cubed
handful cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons chives – finely chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds – unhulled and optionally toasted
zest of 1 orange – optional
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
I used raw fava beans in this recipe, but you can also blanch the shelled beans in boiling water for a minute before peeling them. Corn can also be boiled, as opposed to raw, for 4 minutes and then rinsed under cold water before cutting kernels off the corn ear. Chop fava beans into 2-3 pieces each. Mix them with corn kernels, tarragon, and a generous pinch of coarse sea salt, leave to soften.
Place the cucumbers in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to release juices. Mix cabbage with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime juice, massage for a couple minutes with your hands and set aside.
Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon each balsamic and apple cider vinegar
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
drop of sesame oil (optional)
sea salt and pepper
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Assembly
In a bowl, combine all the vegetables with the cubed radishes and the rest of the timbale ingredients. Pour in about one third of the vinaigrette, mix to incorporate. If making a timbale, place the ring mold of the size you like (I used 2 1/4-inch in height and 3 3/4 in diameter) on a plate and pack the salad inside the mold. Place a jar filled with liquid on top and let it stand for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the mold and repeat the process to make more timbale. Drizzle with remaining dressing, garnish with chives and sesame seeds. Serve with microgreens or any fresh salad greens.
Optionally, you can also serve timbale as a salad, without molding it. In this case, simply slice the cucumbers and radishes and leave fava beans whole. The rest of the recipe stays the same. Serve in a purple cabbage leaf for a nice presentation if you like.
Tags: fava, raw, recipe, salad, savoury, tarragon, vegan
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June 10th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
This one is for all the recent graduates. Congratulations, it’s quite an accomplishment, what you did! We have our own grad in the family this year. My older daughter just completed four tough years at design school, and I wanted to make something very special to celebrate.
I often get asked about making a raw cake. Not a cheesecake or tart, but a proper layered Cake, capital C and all. This was just the occasion to tackle that.
Daisies have been blooming everywhere recently. Their yellow, festive middles, surrounded by a crown of delicate white petals always put the biggest smile on my face. I got the idea to use the daisy as a decorative element for the cake, as a symbol of spring and the newest of beginnings.
We’ve got five berry-filled layers of the gentlest texture, cloud-like and airy on your tongue. Then the whole blueberries interject with bursts of cooling freshness.
Paloma was completely enamored with the coconut daisies when I was making them, following along with the whole process, eager to have a taste. Lately, she has been taking much interest in the kitchen, and of course that warms my heart. Paloma made her own mini daisy cake and ate it, too.
Recently, we had the honor of contributing a recipe to a sweet little cookbook called Frugally Delicious. The book focuses on delicious cooking on a budget and is full of tasty recipes from many wonderful blogger contributors. It is honest, beautiful in its simplicity, and full of variety in the recipe index. Hop over to the book’s site to learn more.
We are giving away one copy of Frugally Delicious. Simply leave a comment to this post between now and Sunday, June 17th at 12pm EST to enter the giveaway.
Wild Blueberry Daisy Cake
(makes one 2 level round cake, first level – 6″ diameter x 4″ height, second – 3″ x 2″)
Cake Batter
12 ounces soft dates – chopped
1/4 plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil- melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 cups plain almond pulp left from making almond milk
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
In a food processor, blend the chopped dates into a paste, add little bit of water if needed. Don’t worry if the paste is not completely smooth. Add coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Continue mixing. Add the almond pulp, blueberries, lemon juice, and mix well to incorporate. Do it in two batches, if your food processor can’t handle the whole amount. You should end up with soft and light to touch cake batter. If your almond pulp is too wet, add a little more of it to your batter. If too dry, add some blueberries, or a splash of almond milk.
Blueberry Frosting
3 cups cashews – soaked for 2 hours
3 cups almond milk
1/2 cup light agave syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract or seeds of 1 vanilla bean
small pinch of salt
wild blueberry powder (optional) – to taste
1 1/4 cup coconut oil – melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients with the exception of blueberry powder, coconut oil, and blueberries until very smooth. If using, start adding the blueberry powder, to achieve the desired shade of purple. You can also use fresh blueberries to add taste and colour instead. Add the coconut oil at the end to emulsify. Reserve about 2 1/2 cups of for frosting the cake. Transfer the rest to a bowl and mix in the fresh blueberries.
Assembly
Separate the cake batter into four parts – three even ones and one for the small second level of the cake. If using a springform, lightly grease it with coconut oil. If using a cake pan without a removable bottom, line it with plastic or cake wrap. Spread one portion in the bottom of the pan in an even, flat layer. Top with a thick layer of frosting with the fresh blueberries. Put in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or until the cream is firm. Spread another layer of cake batter on top of the cream, following with the second layer of cream. Freeze for another 1-2 hours and finish with the last layer of cake batter. Put the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
For the small second level, repeat the same steps, with only one frosting layer in between two layers of batter.
Frost the large cake first with the reserved frosting. Arrange the small cake on top and frost it. Arrange the daisies on top of the frosting. Keep refrigerated.
Coconut Daisies
These flowers were made by blending the meat of a young Thai coconut with a small amount of coconut water in a high speed blender. I didn’t measure the precise amounts, just eyeballed them. Then, I added dried shredded coconut and some agave and blended until I achieved a smooth, thick mixture. Then spread the mixture on Teflex-covered dehydrator trays, dried for an hour or until the surface became dry and I could cut out the flowers with a cookie cutter. After cutting, I left them in the dehydrator for another couple hours, until completely dry and easily separated. Towards the end of the dehydration time, I squeezed some fresh mango puree in the center of each flower, using a piping bag.
Tags: almond, blueberry, dessert, raw, recipe, vegan
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June 5th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
We’ve talked about our love for leisurely weekend breakfasts before. Make it outdoors and surrounded by friends and family, and you’ve got the best morning anyone can wish for.
Natalie is one of those people who has the great taste and passion for hosting all kinds of gatherings – breakfast or not. The cozy little garden in the backyard of her family’s urban home is where we had this breakfast. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect spot.
Pear and Avocado Smoothie
A table full of bright and nourishing foods, children running around, plenty of laughs, sunshine, and a weekend ahead – that is the ultimate breakfast experience.
Gluten Free and Vegan Bagels
Ever since our Valentine’s Day event, I haven’t been able to get the idea of using rose in food out of my mind. Its scent and intoxicating taste truly take me to a kind of magical fairy land with every bite. No wonder rose is so widely used in aromatherapy – it definitely has a side effect of happiness.
This time, I decided to make a yogurt parfait with layers of rose and lavender – another love of ours. Of course, you can incorporate any flavours you prefer into this recipe. Blueberry, strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla – it all sounds wonderful to me.
Now close your eyes and imagine layers of fragrant rose yogurt, interlaced with milder ones of lavender, plenty of fresh berries, and some crispy buckwheat and cocoa nibs to complete the experience. Dreamy.
Coconut and Sun-dried Tomato Creme Cheese
On a different note, we’re ready to say goodbye to our good camera friend Canon 50D (body only), which has captured plenty of delicious dishes and moments on Golubka. We bought it brand new in July 2010 and have been treating it with much love and respect ever since. Sold.
Rose and Lavender Parfait
6.5 oz (about1 1/2 cups) meat of young Thai coconut
1 1/4 cup coconut water
1/4 cup purified water
3/4 oz Irish moss – thoroughly rinsed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1/4 cup cashews – soaked for 2 hours
4-5 tablespoons light agave syrup or another sweetener of choice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch of sea salt
3-5 tablespoons dairy-free acidophilus (optional)
1/3 cup coconut oil – melted
Blend 5 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) of coconut meat and all of the coconut water in a high speed blender until a smooth coconut milk is formed. Reserve 1 cup for later. Blend the remaining coconut milk with the purified water and Irish moss until very smooth. Add the reserved 1 cup of coconut milk and the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of coconut oil. Blend thoroughly, adding coconut oil at the end to emulsify.
dried ground culinary rose petals – to taste
100% pure steam-distilled essential rose oil (optional) – one tiny drop
dried ground culinary lavender flowers – to taste
100% pure steam-essential lavender oil (optional) – one tiny drop
fresh berries of your choice
buckwheat crisps
cocoa nibs (optional)
dried rose petals and dried lavender flowers for decoration (optional)
Divide into 2 even portions. Add the ground rose petals and lavender (I used about 4 teaspoons each) and one tiny drop of pure rose/lavender essential oil, if using. Blend to incorporate. Add any flavour and colour you like if you choose to replace the rose and lavender, or leave it plain. Spoon into glasses, alternating the flavours, fresh berries, crisps, and cocoa nibs.
Gluten Free and Vegan Bagels – same recipe as here. This time I added ground coriander and sesame tahini (to taste) to the basic recipe.
Coconut Cream Cheese – recipe here. Sun-dried tomatoes added this time.
Tags: coconut, lavender, parfait, raw, recipe, rose, vegan, yogurt
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