March 5th, 2016
It’s been a long time since I first thought of making curry ice cream, and I finally got around to it this winter. I thought this was a good time to share it, for those of you in seasonal climates, feeling the first signs of spring among the remaining chill of winter. You might associate ice cream with balmy weather, but the many spices in this recipe provide an earthy, invigorating, and overall warming effect.
I have a friend who’s lived most of her life convinced that she strongly dislikes Indian cuisine, especially any dishes having to do with curry. Things have changed for her recently, after taste testing many curry-centric dishes in my kitchen, which I have, somewhat strategically, asked her to try. For better or for worse, I’m the type of person, who often makes it their goal to get people to like whole food-based ingredients they have rejected. That might be one of the reasons I have this blog! To end the story, my friend has grown to not just like, but love curry, and she now frequently makes it at home. She has also turned out to be the number one fan of this ice-cream, so this one’s for her.
This story might be proof of the theory that any type of food can be delicious if made from scratch, with the right ingredients and attention. It also reminds me to keep trying foods I think I dislike, in hopes of developing a taste for them.
This ice-cream was a big hit among those who tried it. The mingling of sweet and savory, creamy and spicy makes for a bold and complex flavor. And you might be thinking this same thing at this point – it would be interesting to try making curry ice cream with no sweetener, to serve next to savory dishes. I will certainly be doing that one day soon.
Curry Coconut Ice Cream
Note: If you are looking for a trusted source for buying your spices, Mountain Rose Herbs is an excellent online herb and spice shop, stocking all the freshest, organic spices you will need for this recipe and beyond.
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 whole cloves
3 green cardamom pods
2 black peppercorns
2 cups coconut milk
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1-inch fresh ginger root – peeled, sliced and crushed with a knife
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon xanathan gum or 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1. Toast whole dried spices in a medium, heavy-bottom sauce pan over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant. Coarsely crush spices in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Return to the pan, add coconut milk, turmeric and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the heat to a slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes, partially covered. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. If you have a high-speed blender such as Blendtech or Vitamix, pour milk with spices into the blender, add maple syrup and xanathan gum/arrowroot powder and blend until smooth. If you have a regular blender, strain the milk and discard spices. Add strained milk into the blender with maple syrup and xanathan gum/arrowroot powder and blend to combine.
3. Place the mixture in the refrigerator and let chill thoroughly, preferably overnight. Churn in an ice-cream machine for 20-25 minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop into a container and freeze for at least 4 hours. When the ice-cream becomes hard, let it soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Tags: curry, dessert, ice cream, vegan
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February 20th, 2016
A seven year old’s palate, at least my seven-years old’s palate, is completely unpredictable. There have been many times when I’d cooked up something along the kid friendly lines of muffins, pancakes, pizza, or chocolatey anything, convinced that Paloma will eat some, only to see a frown and hear around ten melodramatic versions of ‘I don’t like it.’ Just as often, she’ll surprise me with falling for flavors that I never thought she’d like. Last summer, during our long stay in Russia, Paloma discovered parsley and became obsessed with snacking on whole parsley leaves, frankly leaving me speechless. Lately, Florida farmer’s market Romaine lettuce sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or pizza topped with a mound of rainbow chard have been among those unexpected favorites.
I have a variation of this polenta recipe I developed for the new cookbook, with a different grain. The dish is full of amazing flavors, but ones I thought to be too sophisticated for a child’s palate. I was wrong once again, when Paloma not only ate the polenta for dinner the night I made it, but became completely fixated on eating it every day, asking for it each time she came home from school.
Since then, ‘polenta’ has become quite a hot item in our house. I’ve been experimenting with different grains and toppings, and this version came out on top. Creamed, lemony millet is topped with nourishing green vegetables and beans. The vibrant colors of the dish speak for its flavor – also zingy, sunny and comforting. I use chard stems along with the leaves in this recipe, which I cannot stand to see thrown away. They just need a little extra cooking time to be delicious.
Enjoy the weekend!
Creamy Millet Polenta with Rainbow Chard and Chickpeas
1/2 cup dried chickpeas – soaked overnight
1 medium onion – halved
3-4 garlic cloves – crushed with a knife
6 cups water
sea salt – to taste
2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil or ghee – divided
1 cup millet – soaked overnight
juice of 2 lemons – divided
2 tablespoons olive oil – divided
1 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons sweet miso paste
1 tablespoon mustard
1 garlic clove – minced
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 large leek, white and pale green parts only – sliced
1 bunch rainbow chard – leaves separated from stems, stems chopped, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1. Drain and rinse chickpeas and place them into a medium soup pot together with onion, garlic and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and let cook, partially covered, for about 30 minutes or until completely soft. Add salt at the last 10 minutes. Drain chickpeas, reserving the broth. Discard onion and set chickpeas aside. Pour the broth back into the pot and keep it hot.
2. Drain and rinse millet. Add to a food processor and grind until partially broken down, but not completely smooth.
3. Warm 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add millet, stir to coat. Add 1/2 lemon juice, stir in for about 30 seconds until absorbed. Add 3 cups of hot chickpea broth and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until polenta is creamy. Stir frequently to prevent clumping. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee and tamari. Cover and keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, mix together miso paste, mustard, garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the rest of the lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
5. In a large pan, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add cumin and stir around until fragrant. Add leek, saute for 5 minutes, then add chard stems, salt and pepper and saute for another 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add chickpeas, stir to coat and warm through. Add chard leaves, 1/4 cup hot chickpea broth and the miso dressing. Stir until chard leaves are wilted and everything is coated evenly.
6. Distribute the polenta between bowls, top with the chickpea-veggie mixture and serve hot.
Tags: chard, chickpeas, gluten free, leeks, millet, miso, polenta, vegan
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February 6th, 2016
Recently, I’ve been working on developing very light, very mildly sweetened, mousse-like dessert recipes for the new cookbook, and this White Chocolate Blood Orange Mousse Tart is an example of my experiments. I have a weakness for anything soufflé or custard-like, and I’ve grown quite sensitive to the overly sweet treats that monopolize our world, so this tart turned out to be the dessert of my dreams.
It’s blood orange season and I can never miss the opportunity to take advantage of the fruit’s photogenic nature. In addition, I just got my hands on a fresh batch of the most fragrant raw cacao butter. Being that orange and cacao is one of the most heavenly pairings known to man, I had to combine the two.
Irish moss will always be my number one thickener of choice, but because it’s so difficult to find for so many readers, I’ve decided to familiarize myself with the more widely available option – agar-agar. Agar is another sea vegetable based thickener, available in most health food stores, and I use it in this recipe to achieve a mousse-like consistency.
The texture of the mousse is very light and airy, accompanied by the intoxicating aroma of cocoa and subtle notes of citrus. Blood orange juice contributes the most gentle pale pink color, one that makes me stop and stare for a little too long. You’ll love the crust as well – it’s tender, buttery (with no addition of butter), and thin – all to go along with the delicate nature of the filling. Enjoy!
White Chocolate Blood Orange Mousse Tart
makes 1 9-inch tart
Notes:
1) I highly recommend using homemade almond milk here, as it is one of the few and main ingredients. Homemade almond milk is much creamier than its store-bought counterparts, and the creaminess is important to the texture of the mousse.
2) You can choose to omit the crust and serve the filling on its own, distributed between ramekins, as shown in the photo above.
for the crust
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
3-4 tablespoons ice cold water, divided
1/2 cup coconut oil – cold and solid, plus more for oiling the springform – at room temperature
3/4 cup oat flour (I use ground rolled oats)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
pinch sea salt
for the filling
3 cups homemade almond milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
pinch sea salt
3 tablespoons agar-agar flakes (I like these)
2 1/2 oz raw cocoa butter – shredded
zest of 2 blood oranges
1 cup blood orange juice
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract – optional
to make the crust
1. Combine chia and 1 tablespoon cold water into a paste in a small bowl, keep refrigerated. Prepare a 9-inch springform by covering the bottom with parchment paper and generously oiling the parchment and the sides of the form with coconut oil.
2. Combine all the flours, coconut sugar and salt in a food processor, pulse to mix. Add refrigerated chia paste, pulse to incorporate. Cut coconut oil into cubes, add to the flours and keep pulsing until the mixture resembles sand.
3. Add 2 tablespoons cold water and process until the mixture comes together when pressed with fingers. Add 1 more tablespoon of water if necessary. Take care to not overproces.
4. Press the crust mixture against the bottom and sides of the form evenly, leaving about 1/2 inch of the sides uncovered at the top. The crust will be very thin to be to compliment the airy and delicate blood orange mousse. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F. After 30 minutes in the fridge, cover the crust with parchment paper, weight it down with baking beans and blind bake crust for 20 minutes. Remove beans and paper and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden. Let cool.
to make the filling
1. Combine almond milk, maple syrup, salt and agar-agar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Lower heat to a slow simmer and cook partially covered for 5 minutes, whisking periodically, until agar flakes dissolve.
2. Remove from heat and add shredded cacao butter. Cover and let melt for about 5 minutes.
3. Add milk and cacao mixture to a blender, together with blood orange juice and vanilla. Blend to combine, for about 20 seconds. Taste and add more maple syrup, if needed. Add orange zest and pulse a few times.
4. Pour the mixture into a large heat proof bowl and let cool for about 30 minutes, whisking occasionally. When cool, pour mixture into the baked crust and refrigerate until completely set.
5. Carefully remove the spring form. Decorate tart with orange slices and/or zest. Slice one piece of the tart at a a time and serve immediately.
Tags: agar-agar, almond milk, blood orange, dessert, gluten free, orange, tart, vegan
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