Emerging Green

 

I think I've made it clear how eagerly I have been waiting for the arrival of spring. And even though we had some sleet over the weekend, I think we can finally say that spring IS here. I planted my pots of herbs a week ago and, except the basil, they have been outside since then. The leaves are getting bigger every day, the grass is green and flowers are beginning to blossom. 

We just spent a relaxing two days about an hour north east of here and spent lots of time exploring and strolling along the St Croix River. I did not take any pictures but made sure to breathe in the pine scented air and soak in the emerging green. The air was cool, but vibrant green skunk weed and marsh mallows were bursting with life along the edge of a gently trickling verdant stream. Turtles sunned themselves on rocks while swans dipped upside down to eat pond delicacies. We watched all kinds of songbirds flit through the trees and took walks along the banks of the river.

Coming home this morning, I noticed that the leaves on the trees are already bigger. The air today is humid, smells like a different season and is supposed to reach temperatures that are decidedly more summer than spring. For weeks I've been looking longingly at other people's photos of spring wherever they are and I am so glad now to see it here when I step outside.

English Muffins

When I think about my frequent compulsion and delight in make food from scratch, I always return to my interest in connection and transformation. I like taking an active role in knowing not only where my food comes from but being deeply involved in making it. And this making is a transformative process. I often think that, to some, I might appear a little crazy as I try to make more and more food in my own kitchen when it is so easily available in store bought form. This makes me think that I have to sell the idea, to convince you and others, by saying how it's actually really easy or it will save you money or it just tastes better. I'd love for you to try making more food from scratch, especially if you've never done it or if you do it a lot and want to try something new, but I'm actually not very good at a sales pitch.



Although I almost never buy them, English muffins are a wonderful breakfast treat. I've tried making them a few times in the past several years but they never seemed as good as the nook and cranny full ones I could buy. As much as I love the satisfaction of pulling it out of my own oven, sharing something I made by hand, there are times when homemade might fall short. Especially if you live with someone who nearly always prefers the grocery store versions that he grew up with, it might not matter that something homemade is healthier or more flavorful.



In the past month, I've tried a couple of different English muffin recipes and come to realize that there is another layer to the satisfaction of homemade. Instead of believing that just making it myself is enough, I realize that often it is worth it to pursue the best I can make. This may happen over years or over trying a few recipes, or stumbling right away on something so good. And that's another beauty to making it yourself: you can try it again and again. After the plates are emptied or the first batch gets eaten you have a blank slate to try another version, change the flavors, or find a new recipe that might get you closer to the results you want.

I am far from being a perfectionist but I'm realizing that I want to keep honing my skills. The goal is not to just try making English muffins because I've never done it but to enjoy really good English muffins if that's what I want to eat.




Homemade English Muffins
Adapted mostly from this recipe but also inspired by this one.
English muffins are often cooked on a skillet on top of the stove, but it can be easy to burn the outside while the inside stays uncooked. This recipe gives them a quick trip in the oven where they should be perfectly cooked. At first I avoided this recipe because of the extra potato step but it really helps the muffins get the perfect texture. Although this recipe seems long, there is not a lot of hands on time so don't let that keep you from great homemade English muffins.

1 medium yukon gold potato
1 1/3 cups water (11 ounces) at room temperature
8 ounces all purpose flour
8 ounces whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoon yeast (instant or active dry yeast -- both will work fine)
6 tablespoons water at room temperature

oil for the bowl and your hands
flour to keep the dough from sticking when shaping
coarse cornmeal for dusting the baking pans

Peel the potato, cut it into small pieces and boil in a pot for about 10 minutes. When the pieces of potato are soft, drain the water and mash the potato. You should have about 1/2 cup mashed potato. Let cool completely.

Once the potato is cool, place it in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add the 1 1/3 cups water, all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, honey, salt and yeast. Mix on low speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and sticky. Turn off the mixer and let it rest for about 5 minutes. 

Start the mixer on low again. Let it mix for a minute or so and then begin adding the additional water, 2 tablespoons at a time. After each addition, mix until the water is evenly incorporated, scraping the dough from the hook and sides of the bowl as necessary. Once you have added all 6 tablespoons, continue mixing until the dough is even and smooth. It will be quite wet and stretchy.

Oil a bowl and scrape the dough into it. Cover it will a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise. After 30 minutes, it is time to turn the dough. Oil your hands to keep them from sticking. Uncover the bowl and reach your hand to the dough across from you picking up the dough on the far side of the bowl and folding it over to the side closest to you. Turn the bowl a quarter turn, pick up the dough on the far side of the bowl and fold it over again. Repeat this two more times until you have gone all the way around the bowl. Cover and leave the dough for another 30 minutes. Turn the dough again in the same way. Cover and let rest for one more hour. By now it should have increased in size and become inflated and bubbly.

Now, you can cover the dough so it is airtight and refrigerate it over night or continue making the English muffins. For the next step, generously flour your work surface. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and dust them with coarse cornmeal.  Oil or flour your hands since the dough is very sticky. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half. Set half the dough aside. Divide the other half of the dough into 6 equal pieces. Take one piece at a time and roll it between your hands to shape it into a round disk. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat this with all six pieces of dough, placing them evenly apart on the baking sheet. Divide the second half of the dough into 6 pieces and do the same. Cover the baking sheets with tea towels and leave them to rise until they have doubled in size. This will take about 1 - 1 1/2 hours if the dough was not refrigerated and 2 - 2 1/2 hours if it was. 

About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake the muffins for 8 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven, flip over each muffin and bake for 8 more minutes. Let the English muffins cool on a wire rack. Slice in half and toast or serve as you like. You can freeze the English muffins or keep them refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.

What Do You Want to Cultivate?

I'm working on the 2014 Seedling Design calendar and clearly I am thinking spring (and summer) and doing my best to bring it to life in fabric. This particular calendar page to be was inspired by a question that one of my yoga teachers asked: What do you want to cultivate?

This simple question has so many meanings, especially as we embrace the new season and savor the first few warm days. The emergence of spring is a reminder that new beginnings are always possible and also that growth will continue. It encourages me to dust away cobwebs, plant seeds, and pay attention to the little changes all around me.

Setting aside the immediate desires to be more productive in my work and to grow my business, I am trying to focus on the big changes that are happening in my life. We've been collecting and preparing the things we (think) we will need to be ready for our baby. In the near frenzy of trying to clean the house, wash and organize tiny clothes, finish some work, and fill the freezer with quick and healthy foods, I have only just returned to considering what I want to cultivate in my life now and in the coming months.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by everything there is to know and need and learn in this process. Instead of letting fear take over, I keep reminding myself that I want to cultivate trust. Trust in myself, that I can do what needs to be done and figure out the things that seem hard or uncertain. Trust that Ray and I will be able to work together and be a solid team in this process. Trust in the people around us who can help us with challenges that might arise.

When we plant seeds in the ground they hardly need anything extra to grow. With the support of sun and soil and water they gradually emerge to their true potential. Its hard to believe that we all have what we need inside of ourselves, too, but if we focus on what we want to cultivate in ourselves and our lives then these things will grow.

So tell me, What do you want to cultivate?

Mango Salsa

In the early third of my pregnancy I lost my usual enthusiasm for vegetables. Then winter set in and I was still not very inclined to eat fresh greens. Maybe it is the recent days of sunshine, the promise of truly warm days this weekend, or my body finally waking to spring but I've finally become eager to eat more fresh vegetables. Cucumbers and grape tomatoes and salads of all kinds have been almost irresistible. While I love to eat what is local and in season, at the end of a long winter I find myself craving a blast of fresh, juicy, and colorful food. While I know that greenhouses around here must be nearly overflowing with seedlings ready to be planted and grown into amazing produce, this time of year there is very little local produce to be found. I know how lucky I am to be able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables right now and I do my best to use them wisely and enjoy them thoroughly.

Right now, somewhere far away, mangoes are in season. Their taste reminds me of breakfast in Costa Rica. In April, three years ago, we were there and most mornings we woke up and ate breakfast at a long wooden table in an open air room, surrounded by other volunteers, the sounds of morning in the rain forest, and the gradual rising of the heat of the day. Its amazing the way that tastes can take us to far away places and times and suddenly I am remembering vivid details. A bit of mango and I can almost feel what it was like to be in that climate again.

I turned some of my mangoes into a very simple salsa. You hardly need a recipe but if you are still waiting for spring produce and you find yourself near some mangoes, I recommend indulging in this brightly colored, flavorful treat.

Mango Salsa
Eat it with tortilla chips, on top of quesadillas or any other way that you enjoy salsa. If you like your salsa spicy, add minced jalapeno pepper to your preferred taste. This salsa would also be excellent with the addition of chopped avocadoes.

2-3 medium sized ripe mangoes
1 small red onion
1 cup fresh cilantro
Juice of half a lime
Salt and cumin 

Peel the mangoes and remove the fruit from the pit. Chop the fruit into small pieces. Finely chop the onion and cilantro. Mix the mango, onion, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl. Add salt and cumin to your taste. Mix together and taste to adjust seasonings. Makes about 2 cups of salsa.

Almond Flour Donuts

 





Despite the importance of friendships, it is always hard, getting older, to know how to hold friends close and when let go. Friends are scattered across the country and the world. Some I know will always be part of my life and others may be more temporary, but no less meaningful. I try hard to keep in touch with the friends I don't often see, but sometimes I wonder whether or not that effort matters.  In elementary school days, when best friends were easily made and sometimes just as easily traded, it was often the superficial things that seemed important. Now differences in lifestyle, work, marital status, children, and location don't define our friendships. Instead we focus on the points of connection. We care about their lives and feel warmed by the way they embrace us where we are.

These days Ray and I often find it a challenge to get together with friends. Everyone is so busy that we have to plan way ahead and study the calendar to find a time that will work. Too often it seems easier to do our own thing rather than reaching out to people we care about and whose company we enjoy. We love our friends dearly. We love that when we can gather together these little pockets that make up our community and bring them together.

As we prepare to welcome a baby into our life, we have been blessed to have many friends who have eagerly shared their enthusiasm and support in this process. Friends with babies and children of their own, those who hope to start families soon or have been waiting and hoping it will happen for them, and friends who never want their own children but are happily welcoming ours. Ray and I often marvel at how lucky we are and fervently hope we can share some of the good things that have come to us with our friends who are wishing for their own good fortune. We try to support and root for their dreams and give as much to them as they have generously given to us.

A while ago I mentioned to my friend Emily that I wanted to try this donut recipe but I didn't have a pan for baking donuts. She sent me one for Christmas and when she came to visit this weekend I knew there had to be donuts. These treats were just the start of a weekend of good friends, good meals, a day of sunshine, and a baby shower for Ray and me hosted by our friends Kara and Avi and attended by a great group of people. Sweetness all around.



Baked Almond Flour Donuts
Adapted from this recipe and this one. 
These might not remind you of classic donuts, but they are light, cake-y, and just sweet enough which makes for a delicious combination. They are incredibly easy to make and they bake very quickly. You could whip up a batch right now, even if you don't have a donut pan I think they would bake just fine in muffin tins. They can be flavored with spices or citrus zest. I iced some of them with my homemade nutella and glazed the others with a lime zest and powdered sugar glaze. Options and variations are listed in the recipe below.

1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, butter, (or oil of your choice) melted
Optional additions: vanilla or vanilla bean, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, zest of one lime, lemon or orange. 

Optional toppings: nutella, melted chocolate, 2 tablespoons lime, lemon or orange juice combined with enough powdered sugar to make a spreadable glaze, shredded coconut, powdered sugar. Or anything you wish!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dump the almond flour, salt, and baking soda into the blender. Whisk together the eggs and honey and add to the blender. Pour in the oil or butter. Blend until smooth. Pour into greased donut pan (or muffin tins) and bake for 10 minutes. Makes 6-8 donuts, depending on the pan you use.

Hard to Resist

One of the things I enjoy about working from home is the occasional blurring of lines between what I might consider work and what is more geared toward home "work." Sometimes I feel like my kitchen is a laboratory with various projects underway. While I work at my desk or sewing machine in the other room, there might be bread rising on the counter, beans soaking before cooking for dinner, ingredients waiting to be made into a meal, and of course dishes that pile in the sink as the day goes on.

Most days, I am in and out of the kitchen, not spending much time there until late in the afternoon when I usually prepare dinner. When I find myself getting more involved in the kitchen than I usually do during the day, I feel a bit like I'm putting on a lab coat, instead of an apron, and performing experiments. I am clearly not a scientist, but as I dabble with kitchen experiments and tend to food in progress there are always new possibilities and I am endlessly intrigued.

This week I finally got to a recipe that has been in the back of my mind for a long time. Even though I never think to buy Nutella, I have been wanting to try making it. The first time I tried hazelnut and chocolate together was during my semester in Italy. The chocolate bar was cheap but the combination of the rich chocolate and the distinct flavor of hazelnuts was captivating. I ate many more of those chocolate bars before I came home. While Nutella has great appeal, in reality I often find it too sweet and shiny and not as appealing as it should be. This homemade version is also quite sweet but hard to resist. I don't plan to make it regularly but it is no longer a mystery and I have some ideas for using it which I hope to share next week.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and the LA Times.

2 cups hazelnuts
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons (or more as needed) neutral vegetable oil (you could use hazelnut or peanut oil, I used grapeseed)

Toast the hazelnuts until they are browned and fragrant. Let them cool for a few minutes and then rub off the skins. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and run for several minutes, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary until the hazelnuts have turned into a smooth, oily nut butter. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt and process to combine. Add the oil and continue processing. Ideally you will have a smooth, spreadable, spoonable paste but if this does not happen right away, add more oil to achieve the right consistency. 

The spread will keep for a few days at room temperature. Refrigerated it will keep longer, though it will thicken slightly. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

It is Worth the Wait

Writing my newsletter this week got me thinking about the small changes that, over time, add up to something big. Searching for signs of spring among the snow and gray, I've noticed that the birds are singing as they always do this time of year. The much longer days, filled with birdsong, are signs that the spring is surely on its way even if it's hard for me to see. Sooner or later snow will melt, green shoots will poke out of the ground, leaves will sprout and slowly but surely the world will go from gray to green.

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, I think its important to remember the way that slowly, small things add up. A few minutes of writing each day won't immediately yield a novel, but this time is still an important part of the process. You have to take many mediocre photographs to get one good one. Like a garden growing from seeds, attention and care are required before you can harvest anything and reach the results that you want.



Bread baking, too, is a process of many small steps that gradually end up as a warm loaf pulled from the oven. Practice, a bit of patience, and sporadic attention eventually coax the flour, water, and yeast into something you can slice and eat. Of course, you could find instant gratification in a ready to eat loaf at many bakeries and grocery stores. But you will rarely get a fresh warm loaf like the one that you can make in your own kitchen. As I keep telling myself about the arrival of spring, it is worth the wait.

I haven't made a loaf of raisin bread in years but since I seem to be indulging most of my baking desires these days, when it crossed my mind, I knew I had to get some raisins.This cinnamon raisin bread has, perhaps, the nicest texture of any loaf I've made. It is soft yet very sturdy. Perfect for slicing for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, toasting and spreading with butter or enjoying as is. The recipe has several steps, but none of them take much time and, over the course of a day, you will make two incredible loaves of bread.



Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Adapted from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum (This book is a great resource if you want to learn more about bread baking and has tons of information. I tried to slightly simplify the instructions here)

There are a few options when making these loaves: you can use all white flour instead of white and whole wheat but as usual I love the flavor and texture with whole wheat flour added. You can omit the cinnamon sugar swirl and just add raisins though the swirl is not overly sweet and tastes so good. I definitely recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe since it is much easier to measure the flour accurately by weight. The recipe uses instant yeast which does not need to be proofed in water. Since I bought a large bag of instant yeast I have been using that in all recipes requiring yeast and it works really well. You can make this recipe in one day or over a couple of days, depending on whether you refrigerate the sponge overnight.

For the sponge:
12 ounces (2 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons) unbleached white flour
14.3 ounces (scant 1 3/4 cups) water
1.5 ounces (2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) honey or sugar
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast 

For the flour mixture:
11 ounces (2 cups plus 3 tablespoons) whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Make the sponge: combine flour, water, honey or sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir until smooth.
Mix the whole wheat flour and yeast and dump that on top of the sponge to cover it, but do not mix it in. Cover the bowl and let rise for 1-4 hours at room temperature or cover with plastic or an airtight lid and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you have reached your desired rising time, stir the flour into the sponge to create a shaggy dough. Then add:

4.5 ounces (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 teaspoons salt

Using a spoon or your hands, stir the butter and salt into the dough. When it is mostly combined, begin to knead the dough until it comes together. If there is extra flour that cannot be incorporated, sprinkle that onto the counter and knead the dough on the counter for about 5 minutes. It will be sticky but should become much smoother as you knead. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes so that it will become less sticky and be easier to work with.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes more, until it is very smooth and stretchy. If it is still very sticky you can add a little more flour. Let the dough rest for a few minutes then add:

5 ounces (1 cup) raisins

Knead in the raisins as much as you can but know that they will become more evenly distributed after the first rise. Return the dough to the bowl (lightly oiling the bowl if you wish), cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.

After the dough has risen, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Gently press the dough to form a rectangle. Fold each short end of the rectangle toward the middle (like a business letter) and and then form the dough back into a ball. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before rolling and shaping.

For the cinnamon sugar spiral:
2.6 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten

While the dough is chilling, grease two loaf pans and stir the sugar and cinnamon together. After the dough has chilled, place it on the counter and cut it in half. Gently press or use a rolling pin to make one half of the dough into a rectangle about 7 1/2 inches wide, 14 inches long, and 1/4 inch thick. Brush the surface of the rectangle with the egg and sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the egg wash, leaving a half inch margin around the edges. Beginning with a short end of the rectangle, roll the dough in a tight spiral. Pinch the ends and side together so that the edges are completely sealed. Tuck the loaf into the prepared pan, squishing a little if necessary to get it to fit. Repeat the spiral with the other loaf.

Cover the loaves and let them rise for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough is close to the top of the pan or slightly above it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the dough has risen and the oven is ready, place the loaves in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread should be about 211 degrees F when checked with thermometer.

Remove the loaves from the pans and let cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing. The bread will keep for a few days on the counter or can be frozen for eating later.