homemade:: croutons

This time of year we have salads every day - our garden is brimming with greens and we love that. And for variety and flavor, I like home made croutons.

We don't eat a lot of bread, but we do like having a good loaf of sourdough or home made grain bread for toast, sandwiches and ... croutons! We usually go through half the loaf before it is getting stale. Perfect for croutons. We like the seasoned super flavorful crunchy big croutons, and this recipe is just that.


Croutons fall into the category of recipe that is ever changing, not exact, always flexible. You like less seasoning, your bread has more moisture this batch, you have certain herbs on hand, etc. Just tweak it and find just how you like it.


::ingredients::

2 cups cubed few day old bread
1/4 - 1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil (depending on how dry the bread is)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
a few cloves of very finely minced fresh garlic
Seasoning mix:: Use what you have/what you like.

Here is what I most often use::
Up to 1/4 cup of dried herbs. Mine usually includes garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil. I also love a pinch of yellow curry powder , Spanish paprika, or a few crushed red pepper flakes if I want some spice. I use some of our own dried herbs from the garden, and also love the garlic & herb blend we find in bulk at our local Italian Deli.

Cut about 2 cups of few day old bread into cubes. We like 1"+ chunks, you can do smaller if you like. The better the bread, the better the croutons. We like using sourdough, rye, baguette, focaccia. GF bread works great too.


Put the bread in a large bowl. Mix the olive oil and freshly minced garlic in a small bowl. Pour over the bread and toss quickly - keep stirring and tossing until all the bread is coated. If it seems dry, add a little more. Don't skimp on the oil - these are not the break your teeth dry cardboard croutons - good olive oil saturation really helps keep them crunchy but yet easy to eat, and it needs to be moist enough for the herbs to adhere to. Working quickly sprinkle the salt, pepper and herb mixture in, tossing as you go.

Spread onto a pan and toast at 400ºF for 10-20 minutes. Once again, it depends on how dry/stale your bread was. Turn and stir gently at least once. When the croutons are crunchy remove them from the oven. Let cool and store in air tight container.

strawberry elderberry ice cream.

We love to make cold treats in the summer. Granita, sorbet, ice cream, frozen custard...all have their place. My favorite quick make ice cream recipe is really just that - quick and easy to make. It is not the mild fruit flavor of most ice creams - this is triple the fruit and 100% of the flavor. It isn't too sweet either, and it really tastes more like frozen strawberries and cream than ice cream. Perfectly delicious.

::ingredients::

1 pound hulled strawberries
juice and zest of half a lemon
9 Tbsp raw honey
5 Tbsp elderberry syrup
1 cup whipped cream, chilled
1 tsp vanilla extract or scraped seeds from half a vanilla bean
a few grates of fresh nutmeg (optional)


In a food processor* pulse the strawberries, honey, vanilla, lemon juice and elderberry syrup. Don't liquefy, just pulse so that the strawberries are chunky but not huge.
(*You can just macerate in a bowl with pastry cutter or fork too.)

By hand or with a kitchen aid whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.


Fold the puree of strawberries into the whipped cream, including all the liquid. Add the lemon zest.


Pour into your ice cream maker and run for 20-30 minutes. Transfer into a freezer container to set.


This is the most simple ice cream - and has such an intense strawberry flavor (and color!) that nothing can compare. Being such a simple recipe it is super easy to put together and have in the freezer in no time at all. Leaving more time for summer fun.

I used heavy cream for this recipe, but you could use coconut milk too. You won't get the light whip cream air from the coconut, but will still have the nice berry flavor. If you use regular sugar instead of honey let it sit in the bowl with the strawberries/vanilla/syrup/lemon juice for a bit to dissolve before pulsing. If you don't have elderberry syrup you can substitute - rose water would be wonderful - or just leave it out.

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homemade:: coconut milk

We have been making our own almond milk for a while, and I decided to start making coconut milk recently as well. I like the flavor it adds to coffee and chai, and making my own has been really easy. You can of course grind up a whole coconut but that is a lot of work! I used dried coconut, as that is what is easy to find, stores more long term, and I always have it in the pantry!


::coconut milk::

1 1/2 cups organic shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract, or 1/2 of a vanilla bean scraped
4 cups filtered water
1 Tbsp raw honey

1. Add the coconut to the water and soak for 1-3 hours.
2. After a few hours add the vanilla and honey to the liquid, stir, and then place half of the mixture into a good quality blender.
3. Mix on high for a few minutes. I found that I had the best results mixing for a minute, letting it sit to settle for a minute, mix for a minute, repeat until it is creamy/frothy and mixed well.
   
4. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer (use a rubber spatula to push through gently).
5. Repeat with the second half of the liquid.
6. Store in the fridge and use as needed. You might need to shake before using.

I baked with the solids left in the strainer-- I made coconut pound cake. That recipe is for another day.

Coconut - Most regular dried coconut on the market is treated with sulfites to keep it white. So, be sure to get unsweetened organic coconut. I usually use Lets Do...Organic because they don't use any enhancers/extenders/preservatives or sulfites and it is available at my local co-op. "Shredded dehydrated coconut maintains all of the fiber and the macro-nutrients present in its fresh form; this includes a the highly-prized medium-chain fatty acids, only found in such concentrations in the coconut."

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lemon balm ginger honey

We grow a lot of herbs in our garden for a lot of reasons. There are so many uses - culinary, medicinal, companion planting, and just plain pretty. Using the herbs we grow is something we are always working on expanding - learning more, trying more, gaining knowledge and experience.

I love medicinal honey. I don't know about your family, but getting children to drink a bitter and/or strong tasting tincture just isn't going to happen. With honey though, so many of the benefits of the herbs are available combined with so much good from raw honey.

Now, I am not a master herbalist, but there are so many excellent books out there with recipes and information and we often make salves, balms, oils, vinegars and honey. We use the power of herbs for eczema, tummy aches, coughs, colds, allergies, fatigue, headaches, stress and more. Doesn't get better than that!

I have a son who always is very intense and affected by what is happening around him, and he gets tummy upsets often. So, this honey is ginger lemon balm. This is a great honey - and a super easy place to start. This is such a great all around honey that you could make it just for flavor and add to your tea, but it also is good for soothing stomach aches, and helps with stress.


lemon balm ginger honey

1 cup local wildflower raw honey
1 cup lemon balm leaves, fresh (pick in morning, new leaves)
2" nub of ginger, chopped


In a saucepan, gently warm your raw honey and stir. DO NOT boil or overheat the honey. We are only raising the temp just enough to activate the oils in the herbs. Add the herbs and ginger to the honey - keep on very very very low heat for 10-15 minutes. Pour into a pint jar. Stir, and be sure all lemon balm is covered and not sticking out the top (or it will turn brown).


Seal and set in a dark spot for a week or so.


After a week you can strain the herbs out of the honey and store. If your house is cool and the honey is hard, just gently heat again (low! just enough to get fluid) and strain. Or, you can leave the herbs in it, and strain what you need as you go. The smell is wonderful, and my boys love in lemonade. I love it in tea.

| About Lemon Balm | About Ginger | About Raw Honey |

Don't forget--children under one year old should not be given honey!!!

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There are so many great herbal books out there - the one I have found myself reading and referencing this spring is Homegrown Herbs. It has nice photos, is up to date, and easy to read!





Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs










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rhubarb custard pie

Being rhubarb season means that I'm always on the hunt for new recipes to try. I know we have our favorites, but we don't want to "get sick of it", so to speak. This weekend I made a rhubarb custard pie - making a variation on a recipe I found in Saveur and using my old stand by flaky crust recipe. It is SO GOOD. Mild, tangy, not too sweet, not too tart, crispy crust with soft custard and bits of rhubarb. Just great. I have a feeling I'll be making this a few more times this season!


::Rhubarb Custard Filling::

2 cups thinly chopped fresh rhubarb
1 1/4 cups turbinado sugar
seeds from 1/2 a scraped vanilla bean (or 1 tsp good vanilla extract)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp cream

Make your pastry crust (see below).

Toss the chopped rhubarb into bowl with 1 cup of the sugar. Let it sit until the rhubarb releases its juices - an hour or so will be about right. Strain the rhubarb - save the juice/liquid too.

For the custard beat the eggs with the cream and 1/4 cup remaining sugar, stir in the vanilla and dried spices.

Stir in the rhubarb juice that you strained.

Sprinkle the rhubarb slices into the pie crust, pour over the custard mixture.

Bake at 350ºF until it is set but not overcooked - about 30-40 minutes. Let cool & slice!

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::Pâte Brisée - AKA flaky pie crust::

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tsp sugar (for sweet dish, omit for savory like quiche)
4 oz. COLD unsalted butter

3 to 6 tsp of ice water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.

Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter (or pulse in food processor) until it resembles course meal.

Add the ice water a bit at a time, mixing as you go until the mixture just starts to come together.

Gently roll into a ball (don't knead).

Wrap it up, flatten into 1" thick disc and put into the fridge for 20+ minutes to chill.
Roll the dough out gently and then press into your lightly buttered pie plate, crimping edges.

This does not need to be pre-baked, just add your filling and bake. This works for any recipe that needs a flaky crust. Makes one 9" pie crust.

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This is really good with some freshly whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream. YUM.

rhubarb syrup :: rhubarb soda

It is that time of year...rhubarb time! I try to make a bit of everything with it so that it can last us through the year. Frozen, jam, compote, chutney, syrup...combined with some of the decadent freshness that is the seasonal treat like rhubarb ice cream or granita or baked honey glazed rhubarb. The house has the constant rhubarb and honey smell this time of year and it is a good thing.


We have a lot of cold and wet this week (frost tomorrow night?) so it is for home and kitchen puttering. Yesterday I made one of my favorite things. Rhubarb syrup, this year with ginger and cardamom. SO GOOD.


::Rhubarb Ginger Syrup::

8 C chopped rhubarb
1.5 cups honey
sliced fresh ginger (2" knob)
2 cardamom pods, cracked - seeds only into pan (optional, but it is good!)
1/2 vanilla pod scraped (or 1 tsp good vanilla extract)
2 cups water
(If you want it to look pink, add a slice of fresh beet)

Combine everything in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 30-40 minutes.

Run the mixture through a fine strainer (or cheesecloth) that has been placed over a large bowl. Strain until most of the liquid is in the bowl. Give a little press on the solids with a spoon to extract more syrup.

Pour the syrup into a clean bottle, cap or cork the bottle and refrigerate. It will store for quite a long time in the fridge.

The solids make a nice rough jam or are fantastic added to baked goodies (just remove ginger slices), so if you want you can put them in a clean jar and keep them in your refrigerator and use as needed! I'm making muffins this morning with it.

What to do with it? I love using it to make rhubarb soda. Or add a little to lemonade (my boys love this) or iced tea. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream. Or ... vodka and a sprig of basil would be good!

Of course the first thing we did with the syrup was make rhubarb soda. We don't drink store bought carbonated beverages/sodas, but having a rhubarb ginger soda is a real treat - and sweetened with only honey.

::Rhubarb Soda::

Ice
Syrup (for a pint canning jar glass I fill to about 1/4)
Club Soda
sprig of fresh basil (optional)

Put the syrup in over the ice and then gently pour the club soda over. Lightly crush the basil and stir in. It is so so so so so so good!

More rain and cold this week, and more rhubarb in my kitchen!

::good stuff::

I like adding ginger to just about everything. It has so many beneficial properties and also has fantastic flavor. Ginger is known to help with stomach issues - stomach aches, gas, nausea, even motion and sea sickness! Ginger has anti-oxidant properties and fantastic anti-inflammatory effects. It is a good immune system booster as well. Ginger is so concentrated with active substances, you don't have to use very much to receive its beneficial effects!

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dandelion season.

Spring is here. And with that comes fresh greens from the garden as well as foraging for all kinds of good things nature has to offer. One of the closest and easiest things to forage is dandelions. I don't have to go far at all. I can find them in my own yard. Yesterday we had a sunny morning, a hot day ahead, and lots of dandelions in bloom.


To pick dandelions is easy - we needed a few quarts of flowers for several recipes, so we just plucked the heads right off. It is best to pick the dandelions early in the day - before full heat and before they wilt or close up. I know this is pretty obvious, but only pick from organic lawns -not anywhere that has been sprayed - and best to stay back from busy roads or where you know animals (dogs) have been doing their business.

What we wanted was enough dandelions for lemonade!


We found a really good recipe here via a Facebook friend - but since I am biologically incapable of ever following a recipe exactly I have my own version. ;)

1 quart of fresh dandelion flowers
3 lemons, juiced (organic best so you can use the rind too)
2 limes, juiced
1 knob of ginger (thumb sized), thinly sliced
honey to taste
filtered room temperature water


After picking the flowers rinse and drain them in cold water. Add them to a 1/2 gallon canning jar. To that add the juice of the lemons and limes, as well as a few (clean) rinds left from the squeezing, the ginger and the honey. Fill the canning jar with room temperature filtered water.


Let it steep for a few hours. From there strain it and chill!

A loves it plain (and cold!).


G loves it with a little elderberry syrup. "Pink" lemonade.


Both are delicious!

We have some more time in this dandelion season and are working on batches of dandelion vinegar, oil and a salve. Dandelions and their greens just have so much good stuff in them it is worth it all. And if you are looking for some other ways to eat the flowers - check out these recipes. Dandelion Fritters over at Clean. And Dandelion Cookies at 5 Orange Potatoes. Yum.



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