Passion Fruit Mousse

 

We have a HUGE passionfruit vine in our backyard and it goes crazy throughout the year. I actually feel bad when I end up throwing some of them away because I know they're so expensive at the market. So I found this recipe for passion fruit mousse and I try to make it as often as I can. It needs a ton of passion fruit (like 20-25 of them, though you can use store-bought unsweetened passionfruit juice concentrate as well).

If you're using fresh passion fruit, prepare your 1 cup for the mousse by blitzing the pulp for a few seconds in a blender or Nutribullet. This loosens the membranes, which cling all the seeds together. Once blitzed, you can pass it through a sieve to get the juice. Use the back of a spoon to rub the seeds and push out as much juice as you can through the sieve. You should be left with a scoop-able spoonful of almost-dry black seeds once you're done. I did this in a few batches with the sieve directly on top of the measuring cup.

You'll have some bits of broken up seeds (which is totally OK by me) but if you're totally not into that, you can skip the blending and just push as much juice through the sieve as you can.

Passion Fruit Mousse

Adapted from Olivia's Cuisine

1 1/3 cups (290g) heavy cream, cold
1 can (397g) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (265g) passion fruit pulp or unsweetened juice concentrate

1/3 cup fresh passion fruit pulp (with seeds)
3 Tbsp granulated sugar

Blend together the cream, condensed milk and passion fruit pulp in a blender for 3 minutes. Pour into dessert cups or ramekins (or small deli containers, as shown above). Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Garnish with passion fruit topping; directions below).

In a small pan over medium-low hear, cook together the fresh passion fruit pulp and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook until topping thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Spoon evenly over the top of the passion fruit mousse. Cool to room temperature before topping mousse.

Topping can be made ahead of time and then refrigerated until needed. 

Blueberry Bundt Cake

This is a bit of a late post but behold my first bake of the year! Melissa Clark's blueberry bundt cake from the New York times. The cake was pretty dense but moist and the glaze was awesome. I felt like I was glazing a donut/doughnut (not that I've done that before).

It's a great cake if you have blueberries that are just getting a little too ripe because you cook them down for the glaze. In a pinch, you can always use frozen berries. And it's a huge cake so it'll last you the entire week! Make sure you use a bundt pan that's large enough, or use two loaf pans.

Blueberry Bundt Cake

From Melissa Clark

Serves 10-12

3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract or bourbon or brandy

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

1/2 cup (120mil) sour cream

1/2 cup (120 mil) whole milk

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup blueberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 cups (245g) confectioners/powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly brush the bundt pan with butter and then sprinkle sugar throughout, tapping out the access.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. 

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing between eggs. Beat in the extracts/alcohol/nutmeg/zest in whatever increments you are using them in.

Add half the flour mixture, then the sour cream, then half the flour mixture and then the milk. Make sure you don't over beat. Remove bowl and use a spatula to fold in blueberries. Scrape into pan(s).

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging - just make sure it's not wet. Take care not to overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then unmold carefully and cool completely.

In the meantime, cook berries with lemon juice until berries burst. Use a fork to smush into a jam. At this point, you can strain it for a perfectly smooth glaze but I like it "rustic" with some of the skin. Stir in the sugar to make a thick but pour-able glaze. If it seems too thick, stir in a bit more lemon juice or some milk.

Pour glaze over cake and let set 30 minutes before serving.

Optional replacements: any increment of vanilla extract, almond extract, bourbon and brandy to make 2.5 tsp total. Yogurt or buttermilk to replace sour cream or whole milk.

Moelleux of Fruits (Almond Cake)

 

Take a look at this cake. It's so versatile. It was SO GOOD and SO EASY to put together. I was shocked at how good it was! Make it with whatever fruits you have in your refrigerator - the original recipe called for stone/summer fruits but I used the figs from our backyard. 

Just a disclaimer: figs release lots of syrupy juices. Do not crowd them. I did that with a tart and it looked gorgeous before baking ... but it came out a wet mess! I can't wait to try this with pears, peaches, nectarines, a handful of berries, etc. 

Feel free to make adjustments to the almond meal and flours. The original recipe called for 3/4 cup almond meal and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour but I ran out of almond meal ... and then I ran out of all-purpose flour ... so I made do with that I had. But the ratio was fantastic. The sugar on top created a nice caramelization on the top, esp at the edges of the cake.

Moelleux of Fruits (Almond Cake)

Adapted from David Lebovitz

6 figs (or other fruits; enough to half and slice into 3/4-1" thick wedges)
1/4 cup almond meal (I ground my own almonds - 1 cup almonds with 1 Tbsp sugar)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp almond extract)
1 Tbsp coarse granulated brown sugar, such as tubinado sugar (or in my case, three packages of Sugar in the Raw which I took from a coffee shop)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan with butter or non-stick spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the different flours, baking powder and granulated sugar with a silicon spatula. Add the room temperature butter and mix it in with the spatula until it's broken up into little pieces and thoroughly mixed - it should look shaggy and kind of like wet sand with small bunched chunks in it. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract. It's fine if there are small pieces of butter visible.

Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out the top with the silicon spatula. Arrange the fruit prettily on top of the cake - if using stone fruits or pears, place the wedges of fruit on their sides in concentric circles, snugly against each other. Press them gently into the batter, about 1/4 inch down. Avoid putting the fruits right up against the sides of the pan, to leave some room for the batter to rise.

Sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the top and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, approx 1 hour. Start checking around the 45 minute parm. Remove from the oven and set on a cooling rack. If any fruit juices have bubbled up and stuck to the sides of the pan, run a knife around the outside of the cake, which will help it release later.

After 15 minutes, then remove the springform portion while the cake is still warm.

Berry Buckle Cake

The cake you see above was made with fruit that would have been abandoned! And the thing I absolutely hate the most is wasting food (and cockroaches, but that's another story). There's something about wasting food that makes me angry. Maybe it's all the hungry people in the world or the thought of wasting hard-earned money.

In any case, we bought some blackberries at Sprouts and after one berry, M refused to eat any more because we didn't get a good batch - they were admittedly very sour. He wanted to trash them but I said "NO, I'll just turn it into cake!" So I used a recipe from Half Baked Harvest to make our blackberries edible again.

Berry Buckle Cake
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Serves 8

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 stick salted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon zest
2 clamshells/pints fresh blackberries (or any other berries, about 2 cups - I used two clamshells because I wanted to use the berries up and because blackberries are larger)

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp salted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350degreesF and spray a 9" spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, gently combine berries and lemon zest.

In a large  bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Once thoroughly combined, add the butter, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix just until combined, being careful not to over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with the berry mixture in an even layer.

Make the crumble by whisking together the flour, light brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until moistness is distributed and a crumbly mixture forms. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the berries.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out nearly clean. Let the cake cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Chicken with Cranberries and Potatoes

I love buying cranberries during the fall, especially since it used to be hard to find fresh cranberries. Sometimes I get overzealous and find myself with a few extra packets of cranberries when the season is over! So what to do but continue to cook with them? I usually throw the packages in the freezer and pull them out as needed.

I love using the baby tri-colored potatoes shown above, simply because they're pretty. The medley of colors in this dish is insane and would make a great presentation for an dinner party, or just a cozy dinner with your family/friends. The fact that it's one pan is also helpful!

Roasted Chicken with Cranberries and Potatoes
adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Serves 4

4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 Tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp butter
1 lb tri-colored baby potatoes, halved
4 carrots, chopped into 1" pieces
1 cup white wine or chicken broth
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Trim extra fat/skin from the chicken. Rub with 1 Tbps olive oil, thyme, rosemary, garlic and lemon zest. Really get in there with your hands and make sure everything is evenly and thoroughly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large oven-safe skillet, heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sear chicken skin-side down until golden, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from skillet.

Add butter, potatoes, carrots and a pinch of salt/pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Pour in wine and deglaze. Scrape around for all the pan bits and flavors. Simmer for 5 more minutes, until reduced slightly.

Remove from heat and nestle in chicken. Squeeze lemon juice all over.

In a small brown, toss together cranberries, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle cranberries over the chicken and transfer pan to oven. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked and potatoes/carrots are tender. Serve hot.

* if you are me and love flavors AND your chicken is a bit on the oily side, you can make ANOTHER dish for the next day. We ate the chicken and veggies but didn't use any of the "sauce" at the bottom of the pan because the chicken fat, butter and oil combination made it a bit greasy. I scooped out the chicken and veggies, leaving as much of the sauce behind as I could.

I bought another pound of tri-colored potatoes (halved), 10-15 brussel sprouts (halved), 3 carrots (cut into 1" pieces), and 1/2 onion (sliced) ... and tossed all those together with the flavor bits and chicken fat at the bottom of the skillet. There should be plenty to go around but if you need to, add a couple more tsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then roast in oven for about 30 min or until tender, stirring once halfway through.

Two dishes for the price of one, and just as pretty. I loved it! Feel free to use whatever veggie combinations you would like, including cauliflower, turnips, butternut squash, etc. OR my other new favorite thing to do is roast leftover crudite platters from parties! Most of the time, there is so much food that the crudite platter is barely touched. Everything is already basically cut up so you can just throw and roast. But feel free to cut into more manageable pieces for stuff like baby carrots, celery and radishes (which I've also discovered is great when roasted).

The Walking Dead S2E10 - Blueberry Pie

The first episode of The Walking Dead after the mid-season hiatus was a bit slow, and people were disappointed. However, I don't think the show is about nothing but gore, violence, and zombie attacks ... though there are plenty of those elements as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the post-apocalyptic world brings out the person you really are - whether that's maternal, selfish, violent, etc. I'm sure Shane did portray himself the way he does now when he was a cop with Rick before the invasion started, but look at him now. And Andrea! Don't even get me started on that psycho, selfish, stupid bitch.

I had a lot of blueberries in the fridge so I decided to make a blueberry pie! For several different reasons: (1) blueberry filling looks pulp-y and gore-y; (2) they were on sale at the market a week or so back and I went a little overboard in "stocking up" on them; (3) I've never baked a fruit pie before and I know Boyfriend enjoys pie a lot.

Look, instead of a lattice-top pie crust, I covered it with hearts! I felt it was very creative on my part and was very pretty. I hope Boyfriend was super impressed. He ate 1/3 of the pie straight off, even though I recommended that it cool down for a few hours first. I think he waited about 45 minutes. I'm kinda proud of myself. But dinner was not just blueberry pie ... there was also ginger soy chicken thighs and cumin-scented roasted carrots.

Ginger-Soy Chicken Thighs
from myrecipes.com

1 Tbps olive oil
6-8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/2 cup ginger preserves
2 Tbps low-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken and cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add preserves, soy sauce, and garlic to pan; turn off the heat. Bring to a boil (it'll only take a few seconds) and stir to combine. Return chicken to pan and turn to coat with sauce. Serve over rice, making sure to get some sauce with the chicken to mix in with the rice.

** You can find ginger preserves in the English foods section of the grocery store.

Blueberry Pie
adapted from various sources

1 9-inch pie crust
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 Tbps cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbps lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 Tbsp cream or milk

Preheat oven to 425F. Place bottom crust within the pie tin and trim to fit. Mix blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and zest together thoroughly in a large bowl and fill in the crust. Beat together the egg and milk. Brush the sides of the crust with the egg wash.

Cut shapes out into the top crust, whether in hearts, stars, or whatever cookie cutter shape you have. Lay them over the blueberries, making sure the pieces overlap slightly (so they stick together during baking), making sure you can see bits of the blueberry filling underneath. This way the pie can steam. Cover the top with egg wash, making sure it doesn't pool into puddles.

Let pie chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes, then remove and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, to catch any fillings that may bubble over. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350F and bake for another 35-40 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown and the filling is thick. Cool on a wire rack for 3-4 hours before cutting/eating, to let the flavors meld together.

Between the chicken, carrots, rice and blueberry pie it was a very well-rounded meal. And we watched BOTH the Oscars and the Walking Dead - thank god for having TV on Eastern time. Didn't feel like watching Comic Book Men though; I think we're over that show.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Winter is the time for cirtus ... oranges, lemons, meyer lemons, grapefruit, pomelos ... there are a variety of options. However, my favorite is still lemon cake. Actually lemon meringue pie (without the meringue part) is good too, but most of the time there is a TON of sugar in it and that doesn't appeal to me as much.

Strangely, I never used to like lemon desserts of any kind. They say your taste buds change every seven (or was it ten) years, and suddenly you start loving foods that you used to hate, etc. This must be true, because the past year or so I've started to dislike tomatoes in raw/salad format, when I used to really like them before. Strange.

Anyway make this cake if you have any lemons sitting around, you won't regret it. I took some over to Susie's while visiting her adorable baby and she couldn't stop eating it (Susie, not the baby). If you have some meyer lemons, definitely substitute it in! I did and it was amazing ...

Lemon Yogurt Cake
adapted from Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 eggs
Grated lemon zest from 2 lemons (regular or Meyer)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the grapeseed oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Take a fork and prick holes all over the cake and then pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in for five minutes. Invert the cake out into a plate and let it cool.

The Walking Dead S2E1 - Bucatini with Clams, Fennel, White Wine and Thyme Breadcrumbs

Ahh The Walking Dead. I hope everyone out there watches this show. I watch a variety of shows such as Top Chef, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Glee, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Revenge and American Horror Story ... but this is the ONLY show that Boyfriend and I make time for together - and most importantly, in real time. We do watch other shows together such as Community, Parks & Recreations, 30 Rock, Game of Thrones, and Terra Nova, but these are often a taped/downloaded recording since I'm basically hogging all the prime TV time for my shows.

The much anticipated season 2 of The Walking Dead was broadcasted Sunday night on AMC. Did you watch? If not, you can even catch up on season 1 very quickly - it was only six episodes. I guess they didn't commission an entire season because they didn't know how viewers would respond. Needless to say, it was a smash hit, especially to followers of the graphic novel (umm like Boyfriend). Since we had just wrapped up a whirlwind week of car shopping, more car shopping and then car purchasing, I busted out dinner from the Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook. As you can see from the top picture, I put dinner on the [coffee] table with 1 minute 10 seconds to spare. Woot for me!

Bucatini with Clams, Fennel, White Wine and Thyme Breadcrumbs
adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques
Serves 6

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbps extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbps fresh thyme leaves
1/2 sprig rosemary
2 chiles de arbol, plus 1 teaspoon sliced
2 cups red onion, diced
2 cups fennel, diced
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
1 lb bucatini, spaghetti or linguini
3 lb Manila clams
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 Tbps unsalted butter
1 lemon
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Clean the clams by placing them in a large bowl filled with cold water for 10 minutes. Add a small handfull of cornmeal or a splash of milk to encourage them to spit out any sand. Every few minutes, give the clams a stir. Drain and return to the bowl.

Combine breadcumbs and 1 tablespoon thyme; drizzle with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Using your fingers, toss the breadcrumbs to evenly coat with the oil. Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven over high heat for two minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup olive oil, toss in the rosemary sprig and crumble in the 2 chiles de arbol with your fingers. Let them sizzle in the oil for 1-2 minutes and then turn down the heat to medium. Add the red onion, fennel, bay leaves and remaining tablespoon of thyme. Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and several grindings of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are translucent and soft.

Once the water is at a hard boil, season with salt and drop in the pasta.

Add the cleaned clams to the vegetables and stir to coat well. Pour in the wine and cover the pot. Cook until the clams open, about 5 minutes or so. After a couple minutes, lift the lid, gently stir the clams to help redistribute the heat, and re-cover the pan.

When all the clams have opened, remove the pan from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the clams to a large bowl or rimmed baking sheet. Discard any clams that haven't opened. Remove half the clams from their shells (this step may be skipped).

When the pasta is al dente, reserve one cup of the pasta water, and then drain the pasta. Return the dutch oven to medium-high heat, and add the pasta to the vegetables, tossing the noodles well. Cook 3-4 minutes to reduce the juices and coat the pasta. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water (I did not have to do this). Stir in the butter, a big squeeze of lemon juice, the sliced chile, clams, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a couple grindings of black pepper. Toss well and taste for seasoning.

To serve, pile the pasta into a large bowl/platter and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

* You can play according to your tastes, but I was able to cut back on the olive oil about 30% (for example, using 1/3 cup olive oil to cook the veggies in instead of 1/2 cup). The resulting pasta was still extremely flavorful and not dry at all, so use your own descretion. At least olive oil is good for you!

Summer Fruit Salad
Serves 6

9 figs
1 ripe peach
1 ripe nectarine
1 ripe plum
1/2 cup blackberries (I used raspberries)
8 oz arugula
1/3 cup Marcona almonda

Dressing
2 Tbps minced shallot
2 Tbps sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp salt
3 figs
6 Tbps exta virgin olive oil

Combine shallot, vinegar and salt in a small bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. With a mortar and pestle, pound the figs into a paste. Combine with shallot/vinegar mixture. Whisk in the olive oil to make a dressing. Taste for balance. I had to add in a bit of sugar for the acidity.

Half the figs. Cut the peaches, nectaries and plums in half, remove the pits and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Combine all the fruit in a large bowl and drizzle with half the dressing, some salt and some fresh ground pepper. Toss very gently. Add the arugula, some more salt and fresh ground pepper and toss gently again. Add enough dressing to coat the fruit and arugula. Scatter almonds over (I skipped this part) and serve on a large platter.