April 21st, 2011
Last week, I promised to make a savoury dish for the next post, but I’d completely forgotten that Easter is just around the corner. And Easter calls for dessert!
This time last year, we went all out for the holiday, and made lots of white chocolate quail eggs to share with friends and family.
This year’s project came about much more spontaneously and is therefore less involved.
To me, Easter is all about custom. Although I grew up in a secular state (Soviet Union), we always celebrated the tradition of Easter by painting eggs, baking kulich and paskha, and sharing it all with close ones.
Sharing, that was always the most important part, for it’s no fun to cook sweet and pretty things when there is no one to eat them with.
This resulted in a wonderful exchange of culinary ideas. Every family’s kulich was always different. Some were tall, some short, with raisins or without, sprinkled or simply glazed. The same story applied to the eggs. Some dyed them with natural colours of beets and onion peel, some hand-painted them, and many of the eggs were so beautifully decorated, that peeling them was truly painful, like destroying artwork.
Perhaps that’s why every Easter, no matter how busy I am, I feel obligated to cook and share some kind of treat. But it’s a pleasant obligation, one that puts me in a festive mood.
This Panna Cotta is just as one would imagine it to be – creamy, silky, and delicate. It’s speckled with vanilla seeds throughout and coloured with wonderful flavours of mango, blueberry, strawberry, and coconut.
Just a little health aside – the base of this panna cotta is Irish moss, which is a type of red seaweed loaded with nutritional benefits. Yes, here we have an algae-based dessert that tastes good! It just reinforces my love for raw cuisine, and I promise that there is nothing seaweed-like in the flavour.
I made a variety of sauces, but my favourite by far was a green kiwi sauce with fresh mint leaves. Its tartness complements the smooth panna cotta with a sweet and sour bite.
Please enjoy and have a happy Easter!
Panna Cotta
(adapted from Living Raw Food)
4 cups coconut milk (see below)
1/2 cup Irish moss – thoroughly rinsed and soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
1 cup meat of fresh young coconut
1/2 cup raw agave syrup OR another sweetener of choice
seeds from 2 vanilla beans
1/2 cup coconut oil
To make coconut milk, soak 2 cups of unsweetened shredded dry coconut in 4 1/2 cups of purified water for 30 minutes. In a high-speed blender, blend the coconut and water until smooth. Strain through a nut-milk bag or cheese cloth and discard the solids.
In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients with exception of coconut oil until very smooth. Add the coconut oil with the blender still running and continue to blend to emulsify.
I added fresh mango puree (blended mango), blueberries, and raw strawberry preserve to achieve the desired colours.
Cover your molds with a thin layer of agave or maple syrup. Pour the mixture into the molds. If you decide to make the eggs or other 3D shape panna cotta, give the mixture a few minutes to thicken. Spoon the thickened mixture into the molds and, if using a 3D mold, invert them on top of each other. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours. When removing, the panna cotta should slide right out.
Minty Kiwi Sauce
3-4 kiwis
3-4 fresh mint leaves
preferred sweetener to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Spoon some on a plate, and place Panna Cotta on top of the sauce. Garnish with sliced kiwi and fresh mint leaves.
Tags: dessert, holiday, raw food, recipe
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December 23rd, 2010
The first time I tried macarons was at the Macaron Café in Midtown, Manhattan. I had seen many photos of them prior to that and always wondered if they were as tasty as they were pretty. And were they ever. Those macarons melted in my mouth and made my eyes close with pleasure. Even today, whenever I am in the area, I indulge and buy a box of six.
Since preparing healthier alternatives to old favourites is what I love, I decided it was time to conquer the macarons. And what better time to do it than the winter holidays? They are sweet, colourful, and overall cheerful – a wonderful treat and a nice gift.
For the flavours, I went with seasonal fruits like persimmon and pomegranate and two powders I had on hand – matcha and blueberry. Each created a beautiful colour, no artificial dye required.
We decorated our tree yesterday. It’s a beauty and fills the home with the smell of pine. Paloma was thrilled when she came home from day care and found the tree all lit up in our living room. She couldn’t stop singing this song, which is a traditional Russian jingle about the New Year’s tree.
The macarons were a success, everyone in the family enjoyed them with a hot cup of tea or two. The persimmon kind were voted the popular favourite.
This blog will soon turn ONE, sometime in January. We’d like to thank all of Golubka’s dear readers for the overwhelming support and wonderful feedback each one of you has given, either by commenting or simply stopping by and reading. Every one of your visits and comments is greatly appreciated. Thank you so very much!!!
Happy holidays! Stay happy and healthy!
Persimmon Macarons
1/2 cup fresh persimmon puree
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
In a blender, blend 2-3 ripe persimmons to the consistency of a smooth puree. Take 1/2 cup of it, reserving the rest for later use in macaron cream. In a food processor, combine the puree with the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a cookie cutter or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the “dough”. Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. If the dough is too moist and sticky to cut, place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes or dehydrate for 30 minutes prior to cutting. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or more, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
Pomegranate Macarons
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate puree
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
To make pomegranate puree, combine 1 cup of dried black mission figs (soaked for 2-3 hours) with 2 cups of fresh pomegranate juice in a high-speed blender to reach a smooth consistency. Take 1/2 cup, reserving the rest for later use in pomegranate cream. In a food processor, combine the puree with the rest of the ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a cookie cutter or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the “dough”. Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. If the dough is too moist and sticky to cut, place the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes or dehydrate for 30 minutes prior to cutting. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or more, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
Matcha Macarons
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tablespoon matcha powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until mixed thoroughly. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a small cup or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the “dough”. Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. The dough may be a little crumbly for the task, but it will stick together nicely after dehydration. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or less, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
Blueberry Macarons
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
5 teaspoon blueberry powder OR 1/2 cup fresh blueberry puree
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until mixed thoroughly. Spread evenly on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Using a small cup or shot glass, cut circular shapes out of the “dough”. Reform the dough that remains from the circles and cut out again. If using the blueberry powder, the dough may be a little crumbly for the task, but it will stick together nicely after dehydration. Dehydrate at 115F for around 8 hours or less, until dry on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
Macaron Cream
We used Artisana coconut butter for the base of the cream. Place the butter jar into warm water to soften the butter up. In separate bowls, mix the butter with the reserved persimmon, and pomegranate purees, matcha, and blueberry powder to achieve desired colors. Add raw agave syrup or other preferred sweetener to taste.
Tags: dessert, food, holiday, raw food, recipe
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November 21st, 2010
Oh Thanksgiving, how it snuck up on us this year. It seems as if just yesterday it was summer, and now there is a chill in the crisp blue air and we are entering the season of winter holidays. Our favourite.
Family, friends, cooking, sharing, and being grateful for it all are all the things that I adore the most. Which is precisely why I love Thanksgiving.
I realize that the holiday is about abundance and tradition. This colourful dinner is about a new, albeit delicious, abundance. The kind that will satisfy your belly, nourish your body, but won’t leave you reaching for the antacid drawer. As for tradition, here at Golubka we always try to push the envelope and come up with tasty and healthy alternatives. That is our own little tradition.
Begin with turkey-shaped tarts filled with caramelized onions, mushrooms, fava beans and pomegranate sauce. A great combination of hearty flavours.
Then, try a parsnip pasta – a winter root vegetable marinated in wine, and mixed with a creamy sauce of macadamia, sage and thyme.
Continue with vegetable skewers – any vegetables of your choice marinated in an aromatic mixture of oils, herbs, and spices. And what is Thanksgiving without a good cranberry sauce? Ours contains Irish moss, so that it can be presented on a plate in perfect little scoops. Just like ice cream.
And for dessert – pumpkin pie. A pumpkin spice crust filled with a coconut and carrot custard.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Eat well and rest well.
Veggie Kebabs
(You can use any vegetables you like)
2 each orange and red bell peppers – cut into different holiday shapes
1 package crimini mushrooms – cut in halves or quarters, depending on the size
yellow grape tomatoes
1 onion – cut into 1″ pieces
1 eggplant – cut into 1″ pieces
Marinade
(adapted from The Raw 50)
1 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 red bell pepper – chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt – to taste
1 cup fresh cilantro
Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Mix all the marinade ingredients, except the cilantro, in a blender. Add the cilantro and pulse to incorporate. Thread the vegetables on the skewers, and pour marinade over them. Place kebabs in the dehydrator to marinate at 95F for 2 hours or more.
Turkey Tarts
Tart Crust recipe here
Filling
(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
3 medium onions – sliced thinly
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup nama shoyu
1/2 cup brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
3 cups walnuts – soaked for about 2 hours
1 clove garlic – coarsely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
1 small red chili pepper
Cover onions with warm water and lemon juice for 30 minutes, drain and rinse thoroughly. Combine nama shoyu, vinegar, and syrup. Pour the mixture over onions, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving a little liquid, and spread on Teflex-lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 115F for 24 hours or until crispy. Blend the onions in a high speed blender with 1 1/2 cups of purified water, chili pepper, and a pinch of salt.
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and garlic with a pinch of salt to achieve tiny granules. In the food processor, add the onion mixture to walnuts and mix until a paste-like consistency is achieved. If needed, add water, salt and pepper.
Topping
(adapted from Raw Food/Real World)
1/2 lb king oyster, trumpet, or any mushrooms of your choice
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
3/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1 cup purified water
2-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 garlic clove – crushed
1 shallot – coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons black peppercorn
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 red chili pepper – coarsely chopped
1 cup shelled fresh fava beans OR green peas OR chopped asparagus (if you can get a hold of fresh fava beans, they look and taste the best in this recipe)
Clean the mushrooms and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Mix the syrup, vinegar, water, and a pinch of salt, and pour the mixture over the mushrooms. Crush the fresh herbs with the help of mortar and pestle. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of fava beans, in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie the sides of the cheesecloth together and immerse in the marinade.
If using fava beans, slice them lengthwise to make 2-3 pieces. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to assemble the tarts, drain the mushrooms, discarding the rest of ingredients in cheesecloth, and combine with fava beans.
Assembly
Divide the filling between tarts. Most likely you’ll have extra filling, which makes for an excellent spread. Finish with the topping, fresh pomegranate kernels, and pomegranate sauce.
Pomegranate juice
Score the skin of a pomegranate to make 8 parts. Fill a large bowl with water, and break the fruit into 8 pieces holding it under water. Separate the kernels from the skin and white parts under water. The kernels should fall on the bottom of the bowl, while the rest will rise on the surface. Discard the skin and white parts, and drain the kernels using a colander. In a high speed blender, carefully pulse the kernels, releasing the flesh and juice, but not breaking down the seeds. Strain through a fine strainer and discard the seeds.
Pomegranate Sauce
4-5 fresh figs OR soaked dry figs
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
salt -optional
splash of aged balsamic vinegar-optional
Parsnip Pasta
(adapted from Living Raw Food)
4 medium parsnips – peeled and sliced thinly with a spiral slicer, mandoline, or a sharp knife
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio OR other light wine
1/4 teaspoon saltIn a bowl, combine all the ingredients together and let marinate for a few hours at room temperature.
Macadamia Herb Cream
2 cups macadamia OR pine nuts – soaked for 1 hour or more
1/2 cup purified water
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio
1 small shallot – peeled and chopped
about 8 sage leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white truffle oil OR walnut oil
pinch of ground nutmeg
sea salt
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until very smooth. Add more water if needed. Adjust salt. Thoroughly coat the marinated parsnips with the cream.
Cranberry Sauce
8 ounces fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup Jerusalem artichoke syrup OR raw agave syrup
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Irish moss – soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until the sauce sets.
Pumpkin Pie
Crust recipe – same as pumpkin Halloween cookies here
Pumpkin tops – same as matcha Halloween cookies here and raw matcha chocolate (raw cocoa butter, agave, and matcha)
Filling
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup meat of young Thai coconut
1/2 cup Brazil nut milk OR any other nut or coconut milk
1/2 cup raw agave syrup
1/2 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup date paste
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup Irish moss – soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for several hours, or until set and ready to be spooned into the crust.
You can make pumpkin shaped pies by using 3d molds, or make a traditional pie by pushing the crust into shape in a pie dish and topping with the filling.After seeing some bad press on agave syrup, I started to try more alternative sweeteners like Jerusalem artichoke syrup. It’s less sweet than agave, and has a specific taste, but I really love it.
Tags: dessert, food, holiday, raw food, recipe, savoury
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