Savory Honey Scones by Tea Expert Lisa Boalt Richardson

A good cup of tea can be transcendant, warming chilled bones, soothing frayed nerves, or settling a tired body after a busy day. It is shared with a good book, over good conversation, or when in presence of royalty. The many methods of enjoying tea can take us far beyond the comfort of our own kettle. China, Morocco, France, England, Kenya, and Russia are all tea-drinking countries with their own unique serving traditions and tea preparations. Lisa Boalt Richardson’s latest book, The World in Your Teacup: Celebrating Tea Traditions, Near and Far
illuminates the rich culture of tea around the world. For each of eight different countries, you’ll learn about the culture and history of tea, how tea is served there, how to prepare tea in the style of the country, and which foods (recipes included!) can accompany the tea.
Stunning photographs by Lauren Rubinstein, one of Atlanta’s premier food photographers, illustrate the wide variety of teas and accompanying menus eaten all over the world.

Savory Honey Scones

2-1/4 teaspoons rosemary, finely chopped and divided
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups semolina (I'm trying gluten-free all-purpose flour for all the flour in this recipe)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
6 ounces soft goat cheese
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix 2 teaspoons rosemary with all the other dry ingredients. Add goat cheese to the dry ingredients and set aside.
Whisk together honey, half the cream, and egg. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms.
Form the dough into a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and separate the dough into 2 equal portions and pat each portion into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 16 wedges. Separate and arrange wedges on a baking sheet.
Brush tops with remaining cream and sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Place in oven and bake 1o to 12 minutes or until golden brown. It is yummy to serve these with butter, honey, and/or softened goat cheese! Makes 16 scones.

Food fact! Lisa Boalt Richardson is a Certified Tea Specialist, and was one of the first fifteen people in the world to be honored with that title. She currently travels the country to speak at conferences and special events. Lisa uses her expertise in tea and marketing to consult with tearoom owners on strategies to increase visibility and business, and has trained many hoteliers, tearoom management, waitstaff, and culinary students in the art of proper tea service. Contact her at 678.-867-2088; http://www.lisaknowstea.com/.

Exquisite Mother's Day foodie gifts she'll actually want!

Mother’s Day is a wonderful excuse to receive gifts reflecting your favorite food passions. Rather than the same-old, these treats from RegionalBest.com look unique and special. I don't tout products I haven't tried, but these look tempting enough that I simply must post--if only as a hint!

For the Gluten Free Mom

Caren Wize, chef and owner of Truly Wize Bakery, makes delicious all natural, gluten free products that are beautifully packaged in eco-friendly gift boxes. We recommend Assorted Macaroons, the extra rich and moist Gluten Free Brownies, and the fruit flavor filled Whoopie Pies.

For the Chocolate Lover Mom

Roni-Sues Chocolates of New York City offers several truffle collections, including the Cocktail Truffle Collection, unique handmade truffles featuring a variety of classic cocktails like the Manhattan, Mojito, Dark & Stormy, Mimosa and Margarita. They’re made with the finest local ingredients and some include tequila, coconut rum, bourbon and sweet vermouth. In addition, Roni-Sue’s exclusive Regional Chocolate Collection features a variety of flavors each very different and unique to represent regional flavors throughout the United States, such as blueberry, cherries jubiliee and pecan pie.

For the Garden Lover Mom

Artisanal Shortbread from Simply Nic’s in New Jersey is available in luscious varieties like Rosemary, Lavender and Cardamon Candied Ginger. Artisan Baker Nicole Bergman gets fresh rosemary from local farms, and gardens in and around Princeton, NJ. She harvests rosemary from the herb garden that Littlebrook Elementary School’s Garden Club (in Princeton, NJ) plants, as part of the Princeton School Garden Cooperative.

For the Breakfast Lover Mom

If mom is a coffee or tea lover, you can’t go wrong with Kohana’s Best Coffee Sampler, a selection of Kohana’s best roasted coffees, or the Flowering Teas Sampler from Great Lakes Tea and Spice. The teas are absolutely gorgeous served in a clear class pot or cups.

For more great ideas check out RegionalBest's Gift Guide.

Kid-Proof Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins

Like many children, my preschooler Joseph loves music and singing. He is always game for interactive songs, such as B-I-N-G-O and Old MacDonald. In fact, if any song happens to pose a question of any kind, my son is quick to "holla back," as it were. At the beginning of a track on a disc we have about farm life, the vocalist asks, "What is your favorite vegetable?" Joseph didn't miss a beat: "Fruit!" he exclaimed. Then she asked, "how about string beans?", to which he replied, "I like jelly beans!"
Hmmm. It wasn't so long ago that I introduced my little newborn to his first veggies, laying the foundation for a lifetime of healthy nutrition. Have I strayed so far from my mission? Where and when did my son learn to like jelly beans more than string beans? Not to be defeated, there has been plenty of exploration of veggies at our house, which, as it turns out, can be lot of fun with an almost-four-year-old. The word "zucchini" is, in itself, a mouthful of fun to say. Put "cinnamon" in front of it, and you've built quite a tongue-twister! My son very proudly baked these muffins, executing every step from hand-grating the fresh zucchini, to measuring the flour, vanilla and spices, to dotting each muffin top with a pecan. "I'm a chef!" he declared. Sure, why not?

3 cups fresh zucchini, grated
2/3 cups unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cup organic brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch sea salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
12 whole pecans, or 1/3 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the grated zucchini and the melted butter. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and blend. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add all dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture. Bonus antioxidants! If your kid will eat them, fold in 1 cup dried cranberries. (Note: Our goal was to foster a positive experience with a green vegetable. Forgoing convention, we dumped all ingredients into one giant bowl and mixed. The muffins were in no way negatively affected.)
Lightly coat your muffin pan with a little butter or canola oil spray. Using two spoons, equally distribute the muffin batter, filling the cups completely. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden, and the tops bounce back when gently pressed (about 25 minutes). Set on rack to cool for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from the muffin pan and let cool another 10-12 minutes. Makes 12.

Food Fact! Pecans offer a variety of forms of vitamin E, a natural antioxidant. Just a handful of pecans each day may decrease the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. According to Nutrition Research (August 2006), the vitamin E in pecans "protect blood lipids from oxidation. Oxidation of lipids in the body---a process akin to rusting--is detrimental to health. When the "bad" (LDL) cholesterol becomes oxidized, it is more likely to build up and result in clogged arteries."
More than just a vitamin E dynamo, pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, several B vitamins and zinc. A good source of fiber, pecans are also a high-quality source of protein that contain very few carbohydrates and no cholesterol.

Christmas Fruitcake, Past and Future

This is the first year my mother hasn't made her traditional fruitcake. For well over 40 years, she has, just as her mother before her, fashioned an enormous batch of fruitcake to be enjoyed at home with a slice of sharp cheddar, proffered at holiday parties and open houses, presented Christmas Eve, and divided and sent internationally to all willing (or accepting) of such a treat. One such person was, until this year, me.
Just having said that, I'm suddenly forced to question whether the torch has been unexpectedly passed. Am I, next and only daughter in line, now burdened to take up the annual task of soaking spices, candied or dried fruits and nuts in booze and going on the look-out for accommodating recipients?
That's certainly the tough part. According to a recent poll, the holiday cake (also used as and referred to as "wedding cake") boasts a 40 percent approval rating, yet most North Americans seem decidedly anti-fruitcake. I think I may have answered that poll. The sentimentalist in me would have asserted a preference for it, but the reality is that I'd rather eat chocolate. The late Johnny Carson once joked that there really is only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family. Others quip, "if you have to choose between hemlock and fruitcake, hemlock is painless."When I weigh the amount of work and expense involved in carrying on the tradition with my relative ambiguity towards it, I'd just as well go without. On the other hand, I'm a sucker for all things Christmas, and I'm usually wild about fruit and nut (and alcohol-soaked) desserts. In the early 18th century, fruitcake (called plum cakes) was considered "sinfully rich," and outlawed entirely throughout Continental Europe. What if, just what if, I could create a Christmas cake that sinfully aroused the holiday spirit in all who would partake?

Here is my own mother's recipe:

3 cups mixed candied fruit
2 cups golden raisins
1 l/2 cups each of the following:
--candied cherries
--candied pineapple
--chopped almonds (My mom prefers to use roasted pecans.)
1 cup candied citron peel
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup orange liqueur or orange juice (Mom uses half juice and half Triple Sec.)

Lightly grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, or 4 mini loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine mixed candied fruit, raisins, cherries, pineapple, almonds (or pecans) and citron peel. Toss with 1/2 cup of the flour and set aside. Stir together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter with sugar until fluffy, then beat in eggs, one at a time, add almond extract and beat well. Then combine the butter/sugar mixture with the flour mixture and the liqueur/juice. Fold in the fruit mixture. Turn into prepared pans.
Bake in 250 degree F oven for approximately 2-2 1/2 hours, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Note: If using the small pans, it doesn't take quite as long to cook.)
Be careful not to overcook because it can dry out very easily. If it is well wrapped, it keeps several weeks in the fridge. Before the advent of refrigeration, fruitcakes were stored in wine-, brandy- or liqueur-soaked linens to keep them from growing mold, and also improve flavor. Makes 2 loaves, or 4 mini loaves.

Food Fact! Fruitcake dates back to Roman times, when it was prepared with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins mixed into barley mash. During the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were added, and crusaders and hunters were reported to have carried this type of cake to sustain themselves over long periods of time away from home. In the 1400s, Mediterranean trade of dried fruits arrived in England, and the fruitcake began to take root. By the 1700s, a ceremonial type of fruitcake was baked at the end of the nut harvest and saved and eaten the next year to celebrate the beginning of the next harvest, hoping it will bring them another successful harvest. With help from sugar from the American Colonies, between 1837 and 1901, fruitcake became exceedingly popular. Apparently, Queen Victoria waited a year to eat a fruitcake she received for her birthday because she felt it showed restraint, moderation and good taste. Fruitcake is also well-known as wedding cake. Rather than eat the cake at the reception, it is English custom for unmarried wedding guests to put a slice of the cake under their pillow at night so they will dream of the person they will marry.Fruitcake is also recognizable in the form of German stollen, also eaten at during Christmas holidays, and paneforte, a chewy, dense Italian fruitcake.

Need a New Electric Range? Enter Samsung's Christmas Cookie Contest!

If you have children–or if you were ever a child yourself, and I’m guessing you were–you have a favorite family Christmas cookie recipe. (We love gingerbread people!) Perhaps your mom or Grandma used to whip up some culinary wonder with brown sugar, chocolate, or a beautiful mountain of icing?

Even if, for some crazy reason, you don’t have a favorite cookie, sit down with your kids and have fun devising the ultimate cookie, based on your kids’ ideas and favorite flavors, shapes and textures. Bust out that reindeer apron you received last year at the office gift exchange, and let’s get baking!

AllRecipes.com is hunting down the best Christmas Cookie recipe, and they’re offering a Samsung Electric Range Oven and three Samsung Digital DVD Camcorders to get it. Hey, even if you don’t win a prize from Samsung, you may even win $100 cash just for voting on the final four!
Low on cash? See what you can make from the ingredients already in your home. Not only will you wind up with some tasty treats (or you can send them to your children’s classroom holiday parties, to church, or bring them to work), but you’ll also learn about your kids:

• Do they follow directions, or prefer to make it up as they go?
• Is one a neat freak, cleaning up after every granule of sugar, while the other instigates a flour fight?
• Are they willing to explore ways to make the recipe healthier?
• What about mixing and combining decorative colors and designs–is your child the consummate perfectionist or the free spirit?
• Or simply hungry for sweet treats?
  
  
  Take a picture of the most fabulous of your creations and enter the contest here. Good luck and happy baking!

Heavenly (and Easy!) Apple Crumble Pie

Who doesn't love apple pie? This recipe is the great equalizer; it is impressive and flavorful, yet easy enough for a guy in college to make for his homecoming date. As much as I love to cook, I'm no Rachel Ray, stumping for the camera while explaining step-by-step how to make a dish. It's my own private affair; I disappear into the kitchen, and no one is the wiser until I present them with a plated offering. However, when I was in the final weeks of pregnancy with my first child, our good friends Jim and Paula came to lunch. Jim is a fabulous, elegant and daring chef, and while that may have intimidated me, at the very last minute I decided to make an apple pie for our dessert (there is no accounting for pregnant women and their cravings!) As my husband and I chatted amiably with our friends, I stood at the counter casually making the crust from scratch while Paula helped peel the apples. The pie bubbled and baked as we ate our lunch, and---served piping hot from the oven---was positively heavenly. Could I have a future on Food Network? As long as I'm cooking for friends! For best results, use a mix of Granny Smith apples with your favorite variety. Click here for the advice on choosing the best cooking apples.

Make one (9 inch) home-made pie crust
1 cup flour (you can use all-purpose, but I prefer whole-grain pastry flour)
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cold water.

Blend all ingredients and press evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. Prick bottom of crust with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.

Pie filling
Preheat over to 400 degrees F.
5 cups apples, peeled, thinly sliced and cored
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a medium-size bowl, mix all ingredients except apples. Arrange sliced apples in the cooked pie crust in spiraling layers, alternating layers with the sugar and spice mixture.

Crumbly topping
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour (use all-purpose or whole-grain pastry flour)
3 tablespoons butter

Mash these three ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon this loose, crumbly mixture over the top of the pie, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until apples are soft and top is lightly browned. Serves 6-8.

Food Fact! Apple pie has an intriguing history. According to What's Cooking America, apple pies or tarts have shown up, in one form or another, since the Middle Ages. As early as 1381, apple pie didn't contain sugar and the pastry (referred to as a "coffyn") was generally not meant to be eaten. Sugar was very scarce and extremely expensive. Naturally, when sugar became more readily available in the sixteenth century, the crust was then intended for eating. A mid-sixteenth-century cookbook describes an apple pie recipe as follows: "To make pyes of grene apples, take your apples and pare them cleane and core them as ye wyll a Quince, then make youre coffyn after this maner, take a lyttle fayre water and half a dyche of butter and a little Saffron, and sette all this upon a chafyngdyshe tyll it be hoate then temper your flower with this sayd licuor, and the whyte of two egges and also make your coffyn and ceason your apples with Sinemone, Gynger and Suger ynoughe. Then putte them into your coffyn and laye halfe a dyshe of butter above them and so close your coffyn, and so bake them." When I read this, I imagine both my Scottish pastor's accent, and Captain Jack Sparrow---as ye wyll ynoughe.

(Check out my recipe for Autumn Harvest Raw Apple Pie!)

Autumn Harvest Raw Apple Pie with Almond-Date Crust

It's time once again for the two-hour-long drive away from the beach, to Oak Glen, Calif.'s fertile, rolling hills and valleys where apple orchards line the roadside like sentries, keeping watch over citified pickers of ideal candidates for the perfect apple pie---Fujis, Jonagolds, Macintosh, and Granny Smiths. If we're lucky, mysterious low-lying fog will swirl and obscure our view, offering a spine-tingling welcome to the Halloween season.

I'll post two absolutely wonderful apple pie recipes which have absolutely nothing in common--other than apples, of course! This first rendition is raw--yes, unbaked--and it rivals the most luscious and delectable of cooked varieties. It is dense, rich, sweet and aromatic with cinnamon, and suitable for low-carb, gluten-free, low-glycemic and vegan diets. I usually use 2 or 3 types of apples for this pie; your choice of apple variety is your signature. There is also room to play with the crust. While almonds and dates combine beautifully, you are invited to try walnuts or pecans, or substitute dates for raisins. (If you aren't a raw foodie, and you are no stranger to butter and sugar, check back soon for my baked version!)

Basic Almond Date Crust
1 3/4 cup almonds, soaked 8-12 hours
1 1/2 cup date pieces or chopped dates or raisins
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon

In a medium-size bowl, soak almonds 8-12 hours in enough water to cover the nuts. After soaking, dry nuts briefly (30 minutes) in the sun or or a dehydrator (30-60 minutes). In a food processor, process nuts until evenly ground. Then, add dates and process until finely ground, adding water, vanilla, and cinnamon while processing. The crust will appear slightly damp and will hold together. Immediately press into pie plate.

Filling
10-12 apples (peeled and cored), cut in chunks
2 cups dates, pitted (medjool are recommended)
1 cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons flax meal (or substitute psyllium husk powder)

Pulse apples, dates and raisins in a food processor or put through a juicer. (Depending on the size of apples used, this should yield at least 6 cups of mixture. If it doesn't, add more apples.) Add cinnamon, then gradually sprinkle in flax meal or psyllium and process until thoroughly mixed. Immediately pour into pie shell. Cover and refrigerate.

Food fact! Raw food (like many things that are worth waiting for) takes time. Certainly, this dish is somewhat time-consuming, so I suggest you make a weekend of it! Spend Saturday scouring the orchards for apples; It's fun, great exercise and often there are seasonal festivals with music, period costumes and demonstrations. Soak the nuts over night, then on Sunday morning, rinse and dry the nuts. Prepare the pie, and chill for the afternoon, finally serving your masterpiece at dinner! Still seems like a lot of work? Get the kids to help, and use the time together for a short history lesson about how food was gathered and prepared when Grandmother (or Great-Grandmother) was young.

Carrot Pudding (Gajur Halvah)

This rich carrot dessert, which is popular throughout Northern India and Pakistan, became an obsession of ours when I was pregnant with my oldest son, Joseph. We made numerous visits to our then local Indian restaurant, Punjab Palace in Riverside, California, and when little Joseph began eating solids, spicy Punjabi dishes were among his favorites.

When my mom was here last week, we drove back to the old neighborhood for a Punjabi feast and to say hello to owner Raj. One bite and my Indian comfort food had me ooohing and aaahing once again. My mom was quickly seduced by Gajur Halva, a dessert deserving of a medal (Best Use of Carrots?) I completely understand; when we first discovered it, we quickly went to work preparing it at home. For a few months, you could count on finding a batch in our fridge, and it was our go-to dessert when we entertained guests.

4 cups peeled and finely grated carrots (or 10 medium)
4 cups milk
2 cups cream
1 cup honey (or 1-1/2 cups brown sugar)
1-1/4 cup almonds, blanched, peeled and finely ground
4 tablespoons sweet butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 teaspoon rosewater (optional)

In a large saucepan combine carrots, milk and cream, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; stir constantly so the mixture does not stick or scorch. Reduce heat to medium-low and, stirring frequently, cook until it is thick enough to coat the spoon and is reduced in volume by about half. This will take approximately 1 1/2 hours. Add the honey or brown sugar and raisins, and continue cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes. Add ground almonds, butter and cardamom and continue cooking and stirring for at least 10 minutes more, until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. It should have the consistency of heavy pudding. Turn off the heat and stir in the rosewater.
Heap the mixture into a shallow serving bowl. The flavor of halvah is fullest when it is served just slightly warm or at room temperature.
To prepare it as a candy, when the mixture is pulling away from the sides of the pan, increase the cooking time until it becomes even denser; after the rosewater has been added, turn it out into a 7x11-inch pan lined with lightly buttered wax paper. Pat it down firmly and smooth the surface with a fork. Refrigerate until cool and firm, then cut the halvah into squares or triangles.

Food Fact! Carrot Halvah is an ancient culinary delight. Poet Rumi extolled its virtues in the 1300s: "A villager who had come to town as a guest of a townsman was given some halvah. He ate it with relish and then said: 'Townsman, I had learned to eat nothing but carrots. Now that I have tasted halvah I have lost my taste for carrots. I won't be able to have halvah whenever I want, and what I had no longer appeals to me. What am I to do?' When the villager tasted halvah, he was inclined to the town. The townsman had captured his heart, and he had no choice but to follow in pursuit of it." --13th century Persian poet Mowlana Jalaladdun Rumi.

Punjab Palace Cusines of India 10359 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, Calif. 92505. Reservations: 951-351-8968.

Classic Cream Pie

To me, this luscious cream pie might be renamed, "Treaty NAFTA Pie." Evoking both Sunday dinners in Canada at Grandma Bobbie's house and Mexican-style flan, this dessert's flavor unites periods of my life as a child growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, and the years I lived in San Diego only 20 minutes north of the Mexican border on a NAFTA visa before I got married. I'm also can't help but notice the word meringue virtually connects the northern and southern borders: "Meringue" as in beaten egg whites and sugar, and "merengue" as in Latin dancing (OK, merengue is actually Haitian in origin, and meringue is a French word. Please excuse the writer who loves to play with words.)
I wonder if Grandma was exercising her Presbyterian faith when she served this dish to my mother's high school boyfriend when she invited him home to dinner? (See Food Fact below.) I know my Californian husband fell in love with it when she made it for him, and my children are certain to carry the torch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Graham Pie Crust
Mix together:
1 1/4 cups graham crumbs (I use crushed organic baby crackers)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
Set aside 1/4 cup of mixture for sprinkling on top of pie. Line a 9-inch greased pie plate with mixture and chill.

Filling:
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix all Filling ingredients. Cook in saucepan until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Pour over crust. Beat egg whites until very stiff, adding gradually the sugar and the cream of tartar. Spread over top of pie and, finally, sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of graham mixture. Bake until light brown, approximately 30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

Food Fact! Graham crackers were named for Presbyterian minister Reverend Sylvester Graham, who believed an unhealthy diet led to sexual excess. He touted the merits of a high-fiber, vegetarian diet and promoted the use of homemade, unsifted wheat flour instead of refined white flour. Some sources assert Reverend Graham created the original Graham Cracker in 1829. Several bakers tried to market the crackers but it wasn't until 1898 that the Nabisco Biscuit Company had any real success. Today, Nabisco makes them with bleached white flour, a fact that would have the good minister turning in his grave.

Apple Whiz

Any recipe with the word "whiz" in the title obviously predates the Food Network. My mom Jane scribbled this recipe when CFPL's Bill Brady recited it over the radio one morning when she was yet a stay-at-home-mom---decades before anyone coined the acronym SAHM---and she has relied on it ever since.

A family staple, as children, my brothers and I would excitedly call out our favorite accompaniment when she served it warm from the oven: I liked a scoop of vanilla ice cream. My father insisted on grating cheddar cheese over it, but mom now suggests drizzled butterscotch sauce. (Funny, that was never offered when we were little.) Good baking apples can be found nearly year-round, and this recipe's tried-and-true flavors win favor as a warm brunch dish, or apres-leaf-raking or snowball fight treat. (See Food Fact below for apple variety suggestions.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a greased pie plate, mix together:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar (turbinado would work well; Or, substitute 1/2 cup agave)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 apples, sliced (might I recommend this!)

Pop in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
p.s. If you're looking for a great off-the-shelf butterscotch sauce, I came across a good one while visiting Camden, Maine last Fall. It's Stonewall Kitchen Spiced Rum Butterscotch Sauce.

Food Fact! The very best choices for baking apples include Cameo, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Rome. Pippin, Gala, Braeburn, Northern Spy, Gravenstein, Rhode Island Greening, York Imperial, and Winesap. Taste and texture are the two most important qualities to consider in a baking apple. The best varieties offer a little bit of resistance (maintaining hint of crunch) and are not too sweet, since most baked-apple recipes call for sugar, which both flavors and helps thicken the juices of the apples as they cook.
Granny Smith is a reliable, easy-to-find choice which holds up during baking and can take a lot of extra flavor from sugar and spices. Gravenstein, Braeburn, Fuji and Pink Lady Apples are all crisp and sturdy, as well. Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, despite their promising names, are not good choices for baking, and neither are Gala and Cortland, since they tend to become mealy.

Peach Abracadabra

This foundation for this delectable peach recipe was a grand-prize winner in a recipe contest, sent in from Lois Schlademan of Stow, Ohio, and was created by Lois's mother in the 1940s. I've altered the procedures and ingredients for maximum flavor and improved presentation and, with a tip of my hat to the Schlademan family, respectfully concur that this dish "deserves a seat alongside cobbler and crisp in the pantheon of simple American fruit desserts."
The Abracadabra Moment: This mystifying recipe begins with a ramekin placed upside down in the center of a pie plate. Sliced peaches encircle the ramekin, and are then drizzled with a lovely mixture of brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. A buttery cake dough covers the peaches, and then this unusual dish goes into the oven. Once cooled, the pie plate is flipped over to reveal tender peaches nestled into a crumbly biscuit-cake. And where is the creme brulee-like syrup? In the ramekin, warm and ready to be poured over each serving!

Choose peaches that are neither very ripe nor rock-hard. They should give a little when squeezed.

Peaches and Syrup
6-8 medium peaches, peeled, cored and cut into half-inch slices
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt

Dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
6 tablespoons milk

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
1. For the peaches and syrup: Combine brown sugar, water, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, liqueur (if using) and salt in medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts, about 5 minutes. Place a 6-ounce ramekin (or custard cup) upside down in the center of a 9-inch pie plate. Arrange peaches in a circle around ramekin. Pour syrup over peaches.
2. For the dough: In food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-mixed. Add butter and pulse until flour mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Place mixture in a medium bowl.
3. Fold milk into flour mixture, pressing mixture against sides of bowl to form dough. On lightly floured work surface, roll dough into 9-inch circle. Lay dough directly over peaches and ramekin and press dough so that it fits snuggly around them, but do not attach dough to pie plate.
4. Bake until top is golden brown, about 25-28 minutes. Cool on rack for 30 minutes.
5. Place a large-rimmed serving plate on top of the pie plate and very quickly invert onto serving plate to avoid losing any of the syrup. Serve with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche, pouring syrup over each portion. Serves 6-8.

Serve your Peach Abracadabra with a great cup of coffee. New Vienesse Dark Roast Blend from Joffrey's
Food Fact! The modern botanical consensus is that peaches originate in China, and were introduced to Persia along the Silk Road before Christian times. Around 300 B.C., the Greek philosopher Theophrastus named them Prunus persica, believing they came from Persia. Its English name derives from the Latin plural of persicum malum, meaning Persian apple; In Middle English, it melded into peche, much closer to what we call it today. When selecting peaches, look for those with a cream-to-gold undercolor. The amount of red on peaches depends on the variety, and is not always a sign of ripeness. Look for fruit that has a well-defined crease and a good fragrance. Unripe peaches have a green undercolor and will never ripen.

Cantaloupe Curls with Spiced Wine

When I was little, I used to be confused by the many words attributed to melon varieties. I could never remember (and am still occasionally vague) which cool, textured ball is the cantaloupe and which is the honeydew. Or, the "muskmelon", as my mom used to say.
My mother used to serve either honeydew or cantaloupe as dessert during summertime in our sunroom, windows open to catch the evening breeze. We ate our crescent-shaped slices with a combination of fork and knife, followed by spoon to catch all the remaining juices. Watermelon, on the other hand, seemed in a class by itself. Once sliced into requisite triangles and arranged on a platter, no reprimand ever resulted from grabbing it and running outside to eat it barefoot in the grass, juices streaming down the arms and chin.
This lovely summer recipe is a grown-up version of cantaloupe-as-dessert. I've adapted it from Gourmet magazine's August 2004 issue. The beauty of the presentation is simply the use of an ice cream scoop, to create long curls.

Simmer together in a 1-quart heavy saucepan:
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 Turkish or California bay leaf
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, crushed (optional)

Simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup (10-15 minutes.) Remove from heat, and set saucepan in a bowl of ice and cold water. Discard the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, halve 2 ripe, chilled cantaloupes, discarding seeds. Use an ice cream scoop (not one with a lever) to scoop out curls and divide among four bowls along with juices. Just before serving, drizzle each serving with about 1 tablespoon of cooled spiced wine.
Note: Spiced wine can be made 1 week ahead and chilled in an airtight container.
Serves 4

Food Fact! A cantaloupe by any other name is still a cantaloupe. Cantaloupe refers to two varieties of muskmelon (Cucumis melo) a species in the family which includes nearly all melons and squashes. It is named reticulatus due to its net-like (or reticulated) skin covering. In Australia and New Zealand, it is called "rockmelon" due to the rock-like appearance of the skin of the fruit. A whole medium-sized cantaloupe is only about 188 calories.

Raw Brownies with Icing!

Sugar is a stranger at our house. A lover of all things dessert, you would guess otherwise, but I have found countless "alternatives" for ooey-gooey, sinfully delicious and satisfying treats. I put alternatives in quotations, because, in truth, what is available in the produce department is delightfully sweet, complex in texture and wildly versatile. The real deal.

When I was nineteen, overweight and eating junk, I came across this cookbook on macrobiotics. Lovingly written, this book changed my entire outlook on food, and in many ways, my body. It also retrained my palate to find a simple apple sweet to the taste, and soon after refined sugars became headache-producing. Anyway, that was, ahem, 18 years ago. While I'm not exactly macrobiotic now---I'd say I'm more, "if God provided it, it must be OK; If any ingredients were produced by industrial chemists, it must not be"---my very favorite type of cooking is raw food, rivalled only by my lust for (almost quizzically, now that I think of it,) French cuisine: the full-fat, rich-sauced, beautifully-prepared variety.

Anyway, above all, I adore raw desserts. I fantasize about existing on them alone. It was during one such fantasy that I came across this lovely little recipe that is so easy to make and so deceptively wonderful, that I just have to share. Not only is it made with only "good" fats, but it is also low-glycemic*, gluten-free, flourless and vegan.

Get out your food processor, and toss in:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Special note: Good food requires good ingredients. Treat yourself to some Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Green and Black's makes a nice organic one. Navitas makes Raw Cacao Power, perfect for the purist. (The extra cost for your luxury cocoa splurge is justified by your savings in flour, eggs, butter and milk!)

Grind these ingredients until they resemble potting soil, then pat firmly into an 8x8 pan.

Next, use your blender or hand-mixer to blend the icing:
2 avocados
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup cocoa powder (see Special Note above)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
dash salt
dash cinnamon

This icing is to die for!! Don't tell anyone that you're using avocados to make chocolate icing, they might just gag. But, one taste and you will never look at an avocado the same again. In fact, this icing recipe makes much more than you really need; consider it a bit 'o love from me to you.

Ice your brownies, lick the spoon, and place in the freezer to set (1 hour). Since this is, essentially, a bunch of healthy fruit and nuts, feel free to nibble on a brownie on your way into work in the morning---and let me know how they turned out! Makes 12.

Other ideas: I'm going to try substituting organic almond or peanut butter for the walnuts, to create a "chocolate-peanut butter cup" version.
*To make this ultra-low-glycemic, replace the dates with prunes.

Food Fact! What is cocoa powder? Cacao nibs are ground to extract about 75 percent of the cocoa butter, leaving a dark brown paste called chocolate liquor. After drying again, the hardened mass is ground into the powder known as unsweetened cocoa. The richer, darker Dutch cocoa has been treated with an alkali, which helps neutralize cocoa’s natural acidity.

Raw Strawberry Pie!

Summertime, and the livin's easy. OK, it's only Spring, but strawberries are everywhere now, begging to be taken home and savored. Growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, I had to wait until late June for strawberry season. Even though I've resided in Southern California for more than 10 years, when those juicy little beauties hit the stores each Spring, I think I've hit the jackpot.

The problem? Perhaps it's still a little too early, but over the past few weeks of visiting the little organic farmer's market near our home, I've notice the full sweetness of the fruit has yet to be revealed. But I can't resist. (Neither can Little Joseph who makes an immediate beeline to them!) My solution? Transform them into something as grand as the beautiful fruit deserves, something that will treat the tongue the berry's later-season potential---without adding any refined sugars, of course!

Below is a raw recipe that is not only yummy and kid-friendly, but high in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, antioxidents and is a decent source of protein and vitamin E. If you have an artful hand for arranging sliced strawberries, it makes a pretty dish for a brunch or dessert. Even though it calls for two (high-glycemic) bananas, I minimize the overall glycemic load by replacing the dates with pitted prunes.

Special note: Our little neighborhood organic farmer offers a one-two punch of good nutrition; while organic is most always a better choice (who wants to eat pesticide, after all?) much must be said for supporting your local farmer. See this wonderful article written by John Cloud for Time magazine about the organic-vs.-local debate. OK, now let's get eating!

Raw Strawberry Pie
First, make the Pie Shell:
3/4 cup raw almonds (or 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup cashews)
1.25 cup soft, pitted dates
1/2 tsp. vanilla

It is very important to first grind the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Then, add the dates and vanilla, and blend well. Press thinly into a pie plate (from center to the outside rim) to form the shell.

Then, blend the following ingredients in food processor or blender until well mixed:
7 or 8 large ripe strawberries
5 soft dates, pitted
2 bananas, fairly ripe
1 Tbs. agave nectar

Next, cut 1 pint of fresh strawberries into quarters, fold into binder and fill shell. Decorate with sliced strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly before serving.

Food Fact! Agave nectar is a low glycemic, liquid sweetener harvested from the agave plant. The agave plant grows in the semi-arid soils of Mexico. Historically, the juices (nectar) were fermented to make tequila. Agave nectar (syrup) is about 90% fructose. It is sweeter than table sugar and it is all natural.

The Best Chocolate Cake for Lovers of Real Chocolate

I absolutely love chocolate. To me, real chocolate begins at 70% cocoa; I especially favor the mid-to-high 80 range. I like it dark, I like it beautifully-made, and I like to taste the intricate notes imbued by the cacao beans’ country of origin. And even then, I like to compare the differences between soils and shared crops within a given region. I like to eat chocolate the way other people drink wine. And I know I’m not alone—you’re here, curious and likely hungry.

This recipe is adapted from Michel Montignac’s wonderful book, Slim Forever - The French Way. It offers a rare opportunity to transform the world’s best chocolate into an astonishing (I mean, mind-blowing) cake, without detracting from the chocolate’s inherent flavor and character. I say “rare” because this cake has the consistency of a mousse or cheesecake, although it is dairy-free and sugar-free—and flourless (wheat- and gluten-free). The best part? You can have your cake and eat it too; Montignac places all chocolate with 70% or more cocoa at a GI of 25.

Change My Life Forever Cake
Begin with just over a pound (16.5 ounces) of the best 70% or higher chocolate you can find. Click here for recommendations.
1. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round springform pan with baking parchment. (The collar lining the side of the tin should rise above the top of the pan.)
2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
3. In a double-boiler, melt 11 ounces of chocolate, broken into pieces.
4. Separate 10 eggs. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the egg whites until peaks form. Do not overbeat.
5. Remove the melted chocolate from the pan and let cool 5 minutes. Gently stir together the beaten egg yolks and add to the melted chocolate. Add a couple of tablespoons of the beaten egg white and stir just to combine. Quickly and gently fold the rest of the egg white until the mixture has the consistency of a souffle or light mousse. Do not overmix.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan and bake for 8 minutes exactly. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool 30 minutes; then refrigerate, covered, 12 hours or overnight.

To finish, take the cake out of the refrigerator and turn it onto a large plate. Melt 6.5 ounces of chocolate in a double-boiler as described above. Pour a thin film over the top of the cake. Chill in the fridge 15 minutes. To serve, dip a sharp knife in the hot water and use to slice the cake.

Still need coaxing to trade in candy bars (with empty nutritional calories, piles of sugar and often less than 10% actual chocolate, doing little more than rotting your teeth)? Check this out.To emphasize my adoration of great chocolate, I’ll make this offer: if you live in Orange County, I’ll bake this cake for you myself, with your choice of either Scharffen Berger or Valrhona (or a mixture of each) and deliver it to your door for 40 bucks. How do you like them apples?

Food Fact! Chocolate is packed with high-quality polyphenol antioxidants that may reduce the risk of developing heart disease and/or having a heart attack.

Tasting Dark Chocolate

Planning a Chocolate Tasting Party? Or maybe, like me, your passion for good chocolate borders on religious fervor. (TGiC? Or how about, WWCD?) This info is complete and perhaps overly-detailed; as a busy mom of two boys aged one and three, it is difficult to find a moment without background noise (particularly of the “crying baby” variety.) Does it stop me from enjoying my choccy? Hardly. I also like the notes about allowing the piece to slowly melt in your mouth. It’s so Paul McKenna, but also may be eye-opening. Just how fast do we eat our food, especially when it’s a treat? Or when chasing babies? Ok, Dig in!

1. Find a location free from background noise, such as television, music, a crying baby, road traffic noise or just talkative friends etc. Being able to concentrate as intently as possible will facilitate flavor detection.
2. Clear your palate. This means that your mouth should not contain residual flavors from a previous meal. Eat a wedge of apple if necessary. This is crucial in order to taste the subtleties of chocolate’s complex flavor.
3. Make sure that the piece of chocolate is large enough to accommodate full evolution of the flavor profile. A piece too small may not allow you to detect every subtle nuance as the chocolate slowly melts. The important thing to remember is that flavor notes gradually evolve and unfold on the tongue rather than open up in one large package. So remember, don’t think small here. 10g should be a minimum starting point.
4. Allow the chocolate to rest at room temperature before tasting. Cold temperatures will hinder your ability to detect the flavors. Some even advise that you rub the chocolate briefly between your fingers to coax the flavor. This procedure is optional.
5. Look at the chocolate. The surface should be free of blemishes such as white marks (called bloom). Observe the color and manufacturer’s job at molding and tempering. Does the chocolate appear to have been crafted carefully? The bar should have a radiant sheen. Chocolate comes in a multifarious brown rainbow with various tints, such as pinks, purples, reds, and oranges. What do you see?
6. Break the piece in half. It should resonate with a resounding “SNAP!” and exhibit a fine gradient along the broken edge. This is quality stuff!
7. Smell the chocolate, especially at the break point. The aroma is an important component of flavor. Inhaling will prime the tongue for the incoming chocolate. It also gives you a chance to pick up the various nuances of the aroma.
8. Place the chocolate on the tongue and allow it to arrive at body temperature. Let it melt. Chew it only to break it into small enough pieces that it begins to melt on its own. After all, we’re tasting and not eating! This step is crucial, for it allows the cocoa butter to distribute evenly in the mouth, which mutes any astringencies or bitterness in the chocolate.
9. Observe the taste and texture. As the chocolate melts, concentrate on the flavors that are enveloping your tongue. Melting will release more volatile compounds for you to smell. Close your eyes, take notes, enjoy this moment of bliss, and bask in contentment. Texture can be the most obvious clue about the quality of a chocolate. Low quality chocolates will have a grainy almost cement-like texture.
10. Now the chocolate is nearing its finish. How has the flavor evolved? Is the chocolate bitter? Heavy? Light? Was the texture smooth or grainy? Do any changes in texture and flavor occur? Take note of how the chocolate leaves the palate. Is there a strong reminder lingering in your mouth, or does it quickly vanish? Note any metallic or unpleasant flavors in the finish. This is a sign of stale or lower quality chocolate.
11. Repeat the process with a different chocolate. The comparison will highlight the subtle flavor notes in each chocolate. By sure to cleanse your palate thoroughly before tasting each different chocolate.

Notes on bloom:
The formation of whitish spots, or bloom, on chocolate is due to a separation of some of the fat in the chocolate. While it affects the aesthetics of the chocolate somewhat, it isn’t harmful to eat or use chocolate that has bloomed. Bloom is related to heat and humidity, so store chocolate in a cool, dry place free of odors.
The above is adapted from WikiHow.com’s article, “How to Taste Dark Chocolate.”

Need fabulous chocolate recommendations? Check out the Unassuming Foodie Gourmet Food Source!

Can't Get Enough Raw Chocolate Brownies

This raw brownie recipe is sticky and fudgey and oh-so-yummy---and kid-friendly, of course! To be honest, I haven't shared even a square of my latest batch with my boys. They get to eat all sorts of things that mommy can't have without losing her waistline in the process---namely gluten. This lovely little recipe is gloriously low-glycemic, made with only “good” fats, and is gluten-free, flourless and vegan. And so easy!

Get out your food processor, and toss in:
1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Special note: Good food requires good ingredients. Navitas makes Raw Cacao Power, perfect for both the raw purist and chocolate connoisseur. Or, treat yourself to some Scharffen Berger cocoa powder. Green and Black’s makes a nice organic one. (The extra cost for your luxury cocoa splurge is justified by your savings in flour, eggs, butter and milk!)
1/2 avocado
1/3 cup agave nectar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
cinnamon to taste

Grind all ingredients, then pat firmly into an 8×8 pan and place in the freezer to set (1 hour.) If you like a fruit and nut chocolate bar, this will certainly satisfy.

Food Fact! Almonds reduce your risk for heart attack and heart disease. A Loma Linda School of Public Health study showed those who consumed nuts five times a week had a 50% reduction in risk of heart attack. Further, some varieties contain rhizveritrol (the anti-inflammatory agent found in red wines and thought to be responsible decreasing instances of heart disease even among those with diets rich in animal fats---sometimes referred to as the French Paradox.) The fat in nuts is unsaturated, "good" fat and there is no cholesterol in these fats.
Diabetes and Hypertension suffers rejoice! Cocoa is rich in flavanols, which are one class of polyphenols; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that eating dark chocolate (with 70% or greater cocoa offers 500mg polyphenols) is associated with improved insulin resistance and sensitivity and decreased systolic blood pressure, whereas white chocolate (offering 0mg polyphenols) has no effect.