Celebrate Spring!

The weather might still be iffy, the air chilly, and your nose sniffly, but today it is officially SPRING!  So the vernal equinox gives you as good an excuse as any to plan a nice meal that celebrates the season, as spring brings to mind all manner of new shoots, budding growth and delicious green things to create a fresh and delicious feast.

We are still waiting for the first asparagus to appear in the Pacific Northwest, the peas have just sprouted, fall-planted favas are just beginning to flower, and strawberries are a looooooooooong way off.  There are, however, other springy seasonal foods that abound in garden and market right now.  Roots and greens that overwintered might include: parsnips, turnips, kohlrabi, sunchokes, carrot, kale, leeks, broccoli raab, mustards, and green garlic.  Tender plants that you or the farmer transplanted early and nurtured through the calamity of February might include radish, lettuce, arugula, bok choi and beet tops. Not to mention the weedy and wild delights like dandelion leaves and buds, chickweed, and nettles.  Even some hardy herbs might be raising their leaves in defiance of the hail and gale - I have lovage, salad burnett, parsley, chives, oregano and marjoram ready with verdant delights.  You might also have rosemary, thyme, tarragon, and/or chervil in your midst (these are on my planting list this year).  So see?!  Many seasonal delights abound for a springly feast.

But you need not restrict yourself to what is purely available RIGHT NOW outside your front door.  Lovage for one reminds me of celery, so that would be a nice, fresh and crispy accompaniment.  Harvesting a few small leaves from my garden doesn't prevent me from buying a full head at the store, or from a farmer that more foresight than I and has one available for market this early.  The first, frost-kissed artichokes are arriving from California, tender and scrumptious wrapped in rows of blistered leaves.

With that being said, dreams are not of sugar plums in my head,
but a crispy crunchy salad with a bracing vinaigrette!
What should accompany such a verdant spring delight?
Eggs are a great choice this time of year, symbolizing new life.
So should it be a frittata? Ricotta tartlets? Deviled eggs work too.
What says spring to you?

So to celebrate, here is my idea for a weeknite spring-time feast.  Always subject to change of course - how will you celebrate spring?

Black Sheep Creamery Fresh Milk Cheese with Honey and Vanilla

drizzled with vanilla fig balsamic vinegar 

served on New Cascadia multigrain boule

Spring Salad of Radish, Watermelon Daikon, Dandelion Buds, Celery and Celeriac on Butterleaf Lettuce

served with lovage-caper-mustard vinaigrette 

Spinach, Roasted Oyster Mushroom, Leek and Feta Frittata

served with some nice white wine

Happy Spring Eating!

For some happy spring delights in the garden, check out Gardening in the Round

Lovely Lilikoi

While in Hawai’i recently, I got to indulge in one of the seasonal treats of the Island winter – lilikoi. While not botanically different from purple passion fruit, lilikoi a.k.a. yellow passion fruit, has slightly larger fruits with more tartness.  You won’t be able to grow lilikoi anywhere that it drops below 40 degrees F, making it a special tropical treat (many thanks to Irene for sharing!).

The tartness of these fruits coupled with the many seeds makes lilikoi less desirable for fresh eating but fantastic for juicing.  From here you can make jelly, sorbet, or vinaigrette, but we think its true calling is to become Lilikoi Martinis! You’re shocked, I know.

Depending on the size and your powers of extraction, it takes 10 or more fruits to make one cup of juice.  Irene had gathered probably two dozen or so and we got about 3 cups worth of the precious elixir. The key is to be patient and give the juice all opportunity to separate from the pulp. Fortunately, it is easy to recruit a ‘stirrer’ for this process, as the other hand is left free to hold a wine glass, a camera, or whatever one fancies.

While I can’t grow a lilikoi in Portland, there are two passion flower vines that are hardy enough to withstand our climate, either of which could also be ‘juiced’ according to the same protocol.  Until I have my own vine that bears fruit, I’ll just have to dream about lovely lilikoi.

Lilikoi Juice

1) Get out a large, fine mesh strainer that fits over an appropriately large glass bowl or measuring cup (glass makes it easier to see when the juice is touching the bottom of the strainer, but you could use any non-reactive vessel that is big enough). The idea is to have the strainer fit completely within the bowl but be suspended by it, so that no juice gets lost out the sides and the whole thing isn’t too tippy.  We used an 8 cup/2 quart/2 litre pyrex measuring cup, with an 8” diameter strainer.  This set up comes in handy for many other events in the kitchen, so it is worth investing in. Also get a medium sized stainless, glass or ceramic bowl for pulp discards.

2) Prepare a clean glass stoppered bottle or lidded jar to hold the finished juice.  We used a Grolsch beer bottle – the kind that has the stopper mechanism attached.  Chose something that will make it easy to pour the juice out of, but avoid plastic if you can as it can contribute flavors/odors from the last thing that was in it.

3) Cut the lilikoi fruits in half and scrape the pulp and seeds into a blender carafe.  When you get 2-3 cups of pulp accumulated, pulse on low 4 – 5 times to break up the pulp a bit, but not so much as you start pulverizing the seeds.

4) Transfer the blended pulp to the mesh strainer (that is over a bowl) and stir gently with a spoon to move the pulp around and let the juice escape into the vessel below.  When juice is only sporadically dripping out, transfer the pulp to another bowl but don’t throw it out (yet). 

5) Continue steps 3 & 4 above until you have used all the lilikoi and reserved all the spent pulp.  If the juice in the bowl touches the bottom of the mesh strainer it will slow/stop the accumulation of juice.  If this happens, suspend operations temporarily and pour off the juice into the prepared bottle from step 2. Resume.

6) When all the lilikoi have given their tangy innards to the cause, return all of the used pulp to the strainer and stir to release any remaining juice.  Then while still over the catchment bowl, find another bowl that just fits inside the strainer and use it to push down on the pulp to really squeeze out every drop of goodness (it keeps dishes to a minimum if this is the same bowl as the one that you have been putting the reserved pulp into, so some prior test-fitting might be in order). Don’t push so hard that you wreck the strainer. Pour off any additional juice from the catchment bowl into your bottle.

7) Ta-da… You are now the proud possessor of lilikoi juice!  Make yourself a martini – you've earned it! The juice will keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for a week or more.  Freeze for longer storage.

*The waste pulp makes great compost, just beware that you might get some volunteer lilikoi sprouts in the pile too – which might not be a bad thing!

Lilikoi Martinis

Serves 1 | easily doubled

Once you've made the juice, this is relatively easy! The absolute best is to use juice that has not been put into the fridge yet - it retains this beautiful floral perfume that is especially intoxicating.  

Fill a martini shaker 1/3 full with ice. Shake briefly to help breakup the ice, then open and add:

• 2 oz good vodka
• 1 oz lilikoi juice
• ½ to 1 oz simple syrup* (or to taste)

Shake vigorously and strain into martini glasses.  Double everything to make two if your shaker allows – your friends will be very appreciative!

Now sit back and enjoy the sunset…

*To make simple syrup, add equal parts sugar and water to a pan (1 cup of each is lots). Heat to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool and store in a covered bottle in the fridge, where it will last a loooooong time.  Discard if the liquid becomes cloudy or smells badly, which are signs of mold.

How to Make Substitutions Without Loosing Your Mind - Part 2

A Veg Turkey From: http://why-veg.com/tag/vegan/

Two of the dishes that may be the hardest to successfully replace or recreate at the VGF holiday table are: a satisfying main dish and stuffing.  Compounding this problem is that to many, this is part of/the whole/the only reason to be having this dinner anyway.  But don’t despair!  Being open to replacing the traditional roast meat and it’s breadcrumb stuffing, rather than recreating them, leaves many more avenues open to experiencing delicious (and usually more healthful)  alternatives. 

Alternatives?! No, I am not saying that instead of ham you should be happy with a beancurd and kale casserole.  Rather, I mean being happy with a dish that fulfills all of the scrumptious functions of, let’s say a roast turkey, can be had without, let’s say, relying on the main dish being sculpted like a turkey. Personally, I find the ‘fake drumsticks’ and the like to be deeply disturbing (and keep in mind, I still eat meat, occasionally – the hubbie is the veggie; see the first post for details). 

So, I guess that is my long and drawn-out point: you can recreate or replace.  If you desire the meaty chew and the slather-it-in gravy attributes of the roast beast, then by all means make a main that has those qualities (see homey & substantial below).  If you really just want a meatless main that is visually appealing and elegant enough to win over {your significant other’s} {special people}, go for a version of the ‘elegant & contained’ option below.  Breading/Stuffing/Dressing will be covered in 'Part 3'

Making a Meatless Main

Press-In Crust ready for filling

For something elegant and contained, try a savory tart or individual tartlets.  A lovely seasonal combination of chanterelles,leek and kale (and one of my favorites) is great place to start, but any of your favorite vegetables roasted or sautéed could take their place using the same press-in crust.

Shmeat Loaf with Mmmm mushroom gravy

For something homey and substantial, try a meatless loaf that can be presented more like a roast and served with traditional accompaniments like gravy and cranberry sauce.  Shmeat Loaf is a crowd pleaser, for vegetarians and omnivores alike – it and the Mmmm mushroom gravy are both vegan(!) too, but you’d never notice.  You can make this ahead of time too and just reheat in the oven the day of your feast.

For something comforting yet refined, try a layered dish of grains and vegetables in a pretty oven-to-table dish.  While calling it a ‘casserole’ conjures up images of Tuesday tuna surprise, more sophisticated dishes like the classic Italian tiella di verdura sound as special as they taste.  I found just such a recipe in Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook that I’m dying to try.  Here is a very similar version, albeit without the rice (which you could easily layer in, or substitute with millet or quinoa).

Eggplant Timpano

Or the slightly more labor-intense but parcel-perfect Eggplant Timpano featured in this Tuesday’s FoodDay in the Oregonian.

Somewhere between comforting and contained is the tamale, a Mesoamerican staple of the Christmas table.  Tamales consist of a filling, either sweet or savory, surrounded by a corn-based dough and them steamed in a leaf wrapper (corn husk, banana or plantain leaf) which is removed before eating.  The sky is the limit when considering fillings so these can be very fun to experiment with.  There is even a local food cart, Koi Fusion, that is making tamales with an Asian twist, filling them with longbeans, daikon, short-rib and some fabulous spices.  I know the short-rib is less-than-vegetarian, but you get the point.

The ingredient list is short, and their only need a small tweak to make vegetarian or vegan as you like.  The corn base is actually masa, a special treatment of dent corn (as opposed to sweet corn) with lime to remove the husks and, as it turns out, unlock some of the bound nutrients in the kernels.  Most well-stocked grocery stores now carry masa, a common brand is Maseca which also makes a blend of masa especially for tamales, though this is not crucial and you can use just masa (I don’t know what makes them different).  Traditionally made with lard, you can substitute vegetable shortening, coconut oil or vegetable oil to make them vegan. We are making these today, so I will post it soon!  If you have access to a copy of The Veganomicon by Moskowitz & Romero (truly, the vegan bible) I am using their recipe as a base – you can find it on page 59.   Otherwise try this recipe from Vegetarian Times

 Note: They mention that ‘masa for tamales’ contains fat, presumably they mean of animal origin, and so to use plain masa instead.  The ingredient list on my bag of Maseca for Tamales states only: “selected corn treated with lime”. If you are unsure however, uses plain masa.

For the first in this series, check out Part 1 - aka 'The Crazy Season is Upon Us'

The Crazy Season is Upon Us

As the happy commotion of late summer activities made way to the blazing glory of fall, I find myself now contemplating the dying light of December(!). How quickly we find ourselves at the precipice of the shortest day, and headlong into ‘the crazy season’ in more ways than one.  ‘Tis the season to remember the important things in life: friends & family, a warm meal, shelter from the storm.  So as you gather round to celebrate, give thanks for this day: the present.

I am thankful for all the wonderful meals that I have had the pleasure of sharing with friends and family over the years.  I am grateful too that many loved ones have graciously adapted their favorite recipes to accommodate JJ’s and my restrictions with meat and wheat, among other things.  Whether you are new to the substitution game, or just stumped on specifics, making holiday dishes allergy friendly might be easier than you think.  Here are a few of the most common encounters: breadcrumbs, chicken stock, and the magic that is bacon.

How to make substitutions without loosing your mind - Part 1

Breadcrumbs

Conventional Subs

• GF Breadcrumbs are more widely available now in many specialty grocery stores
• If you have GF bread around, toast the slices until dry and then pulse in a food processor
• As long as the favor was not the failed part, I keep the results of ‘bread experiments’ sliced up in the freezer, and then thaw for making into crumb or croutons as needed

Creative Subs

Popped Amaranth

Depending on the function the breadcrumbs are fulfilling, numerous other ingredients, or combinations thereof, could be successfully employed:

• Topping/Crunch/Coating: quinoa flakes, slivered or sliced almonds, popped amaranth
• Body/Moisture Absorption: cornmeal/polenta, almond meal, GF flour like brown rice, or simply cooked rice or another GF grain; any of these could also be combined with some veg starch, such as potato or tapioca, especially if making a patty or loaf

Animal Stock/Broth

Chicken/Light Broth

Option 1 – Premade Vegetable Stock – good quality is important!

My favorite pre-fab veggie broths are from Wolfgang Puck (which I can't seem to find anymore) and Field Day Organic.  I've tried others and they can be exceptionally anemic and/or salty.  That being said, unfortunately the low-salt versions tend to also suck.  You can add a little poultry seasoning to reinforce the idea of ‘chicken’ if you like.  You can make your own veggie stock too, and I applaud you, but don't have the time myself, nor the freezer space to do this regularly.

Option 2 – Bouillon cubes

Good bouillon cubes are by Edward & Sons or Rapunzell.  Using bouillon you can get a little closer to the flavor right off the bat, with Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n 

Option 3 - Substitution

Depending on the recipe, you could sub all or part of the stock called for with water, white wine (diluted if necessary), or even a splash of rice wine vinegar.  Use your judgment accordingly when augmenting water as a substitution – I’m not telling you to make ‘chicken noodle soup’ with a bottle of wine!  Whatever you choose, amping up the spices can help to make up for any deficit in flavor.

Beef/Dark Stock

'Mushroom Liquor' from soaking dried ones

Option 1 – Premade liquids

Pacific Foods brand is ok for vegetable stock, but where they really shine is with their mushroom broth.  Mushrooms in general have great umami flavor that helps to give depth.  Using the soaking liquid from reconstituting dried mushrooms is another great option too, just be sure to strain it through a coffee filter or paper towel to catch any grit.

Option 2 – Bouillon cubes

Go for Edward & Sons Not-Beef bullion cubes.

Option 3 - Unctuous Onion Base

UOB - Unctuous Onion Base

Make a batch with this recipe, then thin it with a mixture of red wine and vegetable stock.  Let it simmer, the longer the better, to cook the alcohol out of the wine and allow the flavors to marry.  Add any spices you desire – bay leaf, black peppercorn and herbs complementary to the rest of your dish would be a nice start.

The 'secret' to veggie bacon flavor! Smoked paprika

Pork Products

Bacon

Flavor – smoked paprika, liquid smoke mixed with maple syrup, smoked salt

+ Texture – For a bacon-y base, sauté

• mushrooms, swiss chard stems &/or cubed firm tofu in
• caramelized onions, garlic, and
• a healthy dose of either smoked paprika or the liquid smoke & maple syrup mix, salt & pepper
• add a splash of veg stock

Swiss Chard stems - don't throw them out, make bac'n!

And you will have delicious smoky nuggets!

If you have neither paprika nor liquid smoke, try finishing the above with smoked salt before serving.  The grill can also impart vital smoky flavor – combined with a salty sweet glaze, you can get close to why all the reasons people love bacon.

Sausage

Tomato sauce with soyrizo

Flavor – many Italian seasoning mixes that contain fennel can really mimic the flavor that sausage imparts to a sauce (such as Williams-Sonoma Italian Sausage Seasoning). Another option is Montreal steak spice, or try a diy srasoning mix by combining:

• 2 T hungarian or sweet paprika
• 1 T coarsely crushed fennel seeds
• 2 t each of dried thyme, oregano, ground coriander, and garlic powder
• ¼ t – 1 t crushed red pepper flake depending on the desired level of heat

Mix together thoroughly and store in an air-tight jar. Use by the tablespoon (About 2 T for 1 lb of 'shmeat' or 30 oz of sauce).

+ Texture - Try commercially available ‘soyrizo’ or a like product, which tastes like spicy Mexican chorizo.  Read the label to ensure that the product is also gluten-free, most are.  Other options are to include one of the seasonings above with Quorn meat-free grounds, crumbled firm tofu, and/or ground or diced mushroom (especially portabello, porchini, shitake or crimini) which will give you a good texture and flavor approximation.

Hope this gives you some ideas on how to substitute for meat and/or wheat in your holidays dishes, and throughout the year.  For tips on how to reinvent some traditional side dishes in the VGF fashion, check out last year's post:
Very Good Food for the Holidays: Side Dishes Reconsidered

Or Check Out Part 2 of this 'series' - Making a Meatless Main

Fun with Bitters

I was bestowed with a gift of bitters for the holidays from my sweetie (I asked for them, so it’s a good thing!) and have been having fun experimenting ever since. While bitter flavors are generally underrepresented in the west, they are an important part of the kitchen and nutrition arsenal none the less.

Bitters literally “wet” the appetite by stimulating the production of digestive enzymes from the mouth (saliva), stomach (acid), and liver (bile).  Many greens and other things you eat have bitter constituents, such as collards, endive, dandelion, mustards, and kale; even artichokes, Seville oranges, coffee and good dark chocolate are bitters.  If you’ve ever had a sazerac in New Orleans or a negroni before dinner, you have partaken in some lovely cocktails featuring bitters. 

Leonetto Cappiello Campari poster c.1921 art.com

To become bitters plants are either infused into alcohol (or sometimes glycerin) or their essences distilled into it, to impart their unique flavors and nourishing properties.  Concentrated amounts were and are still used medicinally, whereas the most common bitters on the market today are used more as digestifs and aperitifs.

The campari used in a negroni is a secret mixture of herbs, fruit and (traditionally) carmine dye to impart its deep red color.  Likewise, many other bar staples have a bitter quality imparted by one or more specific herb: Absinthe (wormwood), Tonic water (quinine), Angostura (gentian) … even our own Oregon Grape is a potent bitter that might make a lovely addition to a cocktail someday!

Where tonic & campari are used in relatively large volumes, Angostera bitters and other such brands (such as Fee Brothers & Scrappy’s) are used by the dash.  This is also the case with the bitters that I am now playing with. 

We are down to one bulb - so sorry about the lighting!

The two sample packages I received include: aromatic, lavender, celery, orange, chocolate, cardamom, and grapefruit bitters, while Scappy’s also makes root beer and lime bitters.  I have seen mint & peach also from Fee Brothers, and that is just the beginning.  Shops such as The Meadow on N Mississippi have so many flavors & varieties that it boggles the mind that there are so many small-batch crafters of bitters!

So far we have come up with the following little ditties, all of which would make wonderful virgin concoctions to keep with any new year’s resolutions to imbibe less, or if the new year has brought a new gift that requires a seat back “on the wagon” (congrats Nicky!).  Just omit the booze entirely, or substitute more flavored or plain soda to make up the difference in volume.  Or to get a gin-like flavor, try pouring in a little juniper dry soda.

New Years Even with tequila & chocolate bitters

A note on dry sodas: the “dry” here is similar to why you would call a certain wine dry – namely, it is substantially less sweet.  I like the Seattle-based Dry Soda Co.’s adventurous flavors, and less-is-more mandate.  Each variety has only four ingredients and weigh in at around 55 calories (40-70) and come in fun flavors like rhubarb, lavender, juniper, vanilla bean, lemongrass, wild lime, blood orange and cucumber. Visit the website for the flavor profiles that feature food pairing suggestions and cocktail recipes.  http://drysoda.com You can find these at many well-stocked grocery stores in the Pacific Northwest, including New Seasons & Freddy's.

Once you start with bitters, you’ll find yourself adding them to all sorts of drinks and even start sneaking it into salad dressings, marinades and whatnot for an extra little bite!  A votre santé!

Some Easy Combinations to Try...

Floral Gin like G’Vin Floraison or Bombay sapphire | lavender dry soda | lavender bitters

Crisp Gin like Aviation, New Amsterdam or Plymouth | rhubarb dry soda | celery bitters

Good Tequila like Avion Resposado or Corralejo Resposado | slightest lime squeeze | chocolate bitters (you could also try the grapefruit or lime bitters)

Celebrate citrus season with a Campari & OJ

Bourbon like Makers Mark | chai tea | orange bitters

Campari | juice of one valencia orange | orange bitters

(Cheap) Sparkling Wine | grapefruit fanta | grapefruit & cardamom bitters (this concoction of Tricia's shouldn't work but it does!)

(Not as cheap) Sparkling Wine | aromatic & lavender bitters

Water | fresh-squeezed lemon | aromatic bitters

Other ideas: Wake up a dirty martini or a bloody mary with a good shot of celery bitters, try spiking cold herb tea/infusions with a dash of bitters...fabulous!

Add aromatic bitters to herbal teas for a kick

Intrigued by Bitters?  Check out...

Scrappy’s Bitters http://scrappysbitters.com/ - Recipes are grouped by flavor

Campari Cocktails http://www.campari.com/int/en/cocktails/list/

Mendiants and the Sugar Cookie Meltdown

This holiday season a couple of my friends had the idea to get together and make sugar cookies to give as gifts.  Well actually one wanted to bake, and the other designated herself “quality control”.  In preparation of the event, I combed through a myriad of resources on just how to construct a gluten-free sugar cookie.  This ended with me testing quarter-sized batches (the last thing I needed was 40 disaster cookies!) of three recipes – one from Bette Hagman’s GF cookbook, one vegan recipe from my Almond Flour Book, and one “normal” recipe from Real Simple magazine that I adapted to be gluten-free with some guesswork.  I baked them before everyone arrived, and then solicited critiques for samples of each.

Well, for some reason the seemingly benign 4-ingredient almond flour cookies were actually quite awful, the ones from the GF book were grainy and chalky from so much cornstarch.  GF Flour blends that you see written usually overdo the starch, which is why I tried a simple adaptation of a regular recipe – but I must have calculated wrong for the scaled down version because I couldn’t even roll them out they were so sticky.  AND to add insult to injury, the kitchen was a complete disaster. 

The kitchen got cleaned, Tricia made her traditional (wheat flour) sugar cookies, Kim sampled, the kitchen exploded and was cleaned again, and we all drank champagne – tomorrow is another day.  Besides, aren’t sugar cookies just a vehicle for frosting?

Well, the next day every imaginable surface was once again cluttered with every sort of baking ingredient and accoutrement, and another batch was produced.  They weren’t bad, but they weren’t very good either.  JJ declared them decidedly not good if you could have the real thing instead.  I snapped.  Call it holiday-induced stress, call it frustration, or call it fed up with having to modify everything to the n^th degree to bend to all the food restrictions in this house, but I lost it and had a full on sugar cookie melt down. 

When the storm clouds subsided and the blue air began to clear, I realized that I don’t even like sugar cookies!  I didn’t eat them even when I could!  They were not one of my cherished holiday baking memories, nor were they particularly in line with my food philosophy.  In fact – they are composed entirely of ingredients that I don’t even keep in my house and are quite diametrically opposed to.  But somehow I drank the Christmas kool-aid and decided I just had to make sugar cookies – and make it work for non-GF folk on top of that.

After having my sugar cookie melt down, I went back through my collection of recipes for something that was naturally VGF and had some redeeming nutritional value – when I came across mendiants.  A mendiant (mon-‘dee-on) is a time-honored French confection composed of a chocolate disk studded with nuts and dried fruits.  These represented the four mendicant or monastic orders of the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans and Carmelites – traditionally symbolized by raisins, hazelnuts, figs, and almonds respectively.  

While hazelnuts are very local (99% of all hazelnuts produced in the U.S. are from Oregon) I didn’t have any on hand at the time… and thus my mind, and creativity, got to wandering.  Looking at the accoutrements that I had purchased already for the ill-fated pastries, I started to formulate some options that would take one’s palate on a global journey.  Most are based on classic flavor pairings, using the mendiants as a not-so-classic vehicle for their delivery.  And of course I got on a roll and came up with six varieties that I just had to make.  I encourage you to let your pantry transport you to far-off places and devise some combinations of your own.  Just be true to yourself - that's the lesson here.

North Pole

{ walnut | dried cherry | white chocolate chip | cherry candy cane }

St. Nick

{ pecan | almond | dried cranberry | crystallized ginger }

Big Island

{ macadamia nut | toasted coconut | candied hibiscus | ‘alaea sea salt }

Persia

{ pistachio | Turkish apricot | green cardamom & rose petal sugar }

Umbria

{ pine nut | espresso bean | home-candied lemon peel | coarse cane sugar }

Yucatan

{ dried mango | popped amaranth | cacao nibs | chipotle & cinnamon dust }

All the flavors below rest in a base of 72% cacao pure dark couverture chocolate.  If you see couverture on the package, it means that the chocolate is high in cacao butter, which makes the molten chocolate creamier and easier to work with.  If you were a painter you would call it more “open time”.  Don’t fret if you can’t find/don’t have couverture chocolate, you may just have to work with fewer chocolate dollops at a time to keep them from solidifying before you get the goodies on.  Try six at a time either way, and go from there once you get the hang of it.  If they do harden prematurely, either use a little more melted chocolate to help the bits stick, or carefully remove the unadorned chocolate and place back in the bowl to melt again. 

Being small and uncomplicated, choose the best ingredients that are available/you can afford and choose a chocolate that is at least 70% cacao solids; unless you and your recipients are real crazy chocolate fans, don’t go over 85% cacao solids as this can be pretty bitter.  These treats are naturally vegan, gluten-free as long as you check the ingredients in the chocolate – the good quality stuff shouldn’t have any milk solids in it, and the first ingredient should definitely not be sugar.  Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and full of heart-healthy flavenoids that help prevent the buildup of plaque in arteries, with immune boosting and cancer-fighting qualities[i] ta boot!  So you can feel good about indulging in a few pieces.

The nuts should be fresh – bulk bins can be good for this if they have a high turnover (and you can sample for quality assurance).  I roasted all the nuts to enhance the flavor, except for the pistachios, which seemed to take on a strange flavor once roasted so I left them alone.  The dried fruit that I found were all unsulphured, which means that the apricots weren’t that vibrant orange that you might be used to, but did mean that people with a sulphite sensitivity, like my mom, could enjoy them too. 

Making Mendiants

Start by prepping any of the dried fruits/nuts/ingredients that you want to use for your mendiants.  Ingredients for each variety are listed below, but the process is the same regardless of which you make.

I put parchment paper on sheet pans and my cutting boards to receive the chocolate.  This worked well and really, any portable flat surface will do.  You want to be able to move them somewhere cool to help them firm up, while also clearing up work space in the kitchen to make more mendiants.  I put them down in the basement and they only took an hour or so to firm up to the point where they could be removed from the parchment – which I then reused.  Give them a solid 12 to 24 hours if you can before packaging them to be sure.

Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water, taking care that the water is not touching the bottom of the pan above.  Or you can fashion your own out of a sauce pan and a glass or metal bowl, as long as the bottom of the bowl is sufficiently suspended that it does not touch the water when it is boiling.  The reason that you don’t want the water touching the bottom in either case is so the chocolate doesn’t burn. 

Place the bottom pan with the water in it over high heat until it reaches a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Into the top pan/bowl goes the chocolate.   If your chocolate is in a solid bar, break it up into coarse pieces with your hands or a knife.  The smaller the pieces, the more contact with the bowl, the faster they will melt.  I like to buy E. Guittard chocolate because it comes in small disks that melt nicely without needing this step.   Put the chocolate into the top pan/bowl, stirring it occasionally to help it all melt. 

Ta-da!  Now you can remove the pan/bowl with the chocolate from the heat – I like to put it on a kitchen town to catch any condensation and keep it from dripping on everything else.  If the chocolate tightens up, just put the pan/bowl back over the simmering water to get it soft again. 

Now take a small spoon and place dollops of chocolate on the parchment paper, swirling them out a little with the back of the spoon if you like – when you add the nuts and such they will spread a little, so leave about a ½ inch between the chocolate on all sides.  Depending on how much chocolate you use, you can get anywhere from 80 - 120 pieces from 1 lb (500 g) of chocolate.  If you make six varieties, that means about 13 - 20 pieces of each.  You can easily scale this up or down depending on your needs.

Add the nuts, dried fruit, and any other tidbits to the disks, then make more chocolate disks until it is all used up!  Easy as that.  It’s hard to estimate the quantity that you will need, but you can always throw the extras together for some holiday trail mix.  I’ve included estimations for you for the ingredients in each variety.

North Pole

{ walnut | dried cherry | white chocolate chip | cherry candy cane }

Prep work:

• Toast walnuts in a single layer in a heavy bottom pan, or on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Break into smaller pieces as needed to fit the disks (quarters work well). 1 quarter each.
• Ready dried cherries and white chocolate chips (regular or vegan). 1 each of both.
• Choose a candy cane made with all natural ingredients if possible – cherry is used here, but other flavors could work too.  Crush the candy can in its own packaging or bag with a rolling pan, heavy pan or meat mallet into bite sized pieces. 1 each.

St. Nick

{ pecan | almond | dried cranberry | crystallized ginger }

Prep work:

• Toast almonds in a single layer in a heavy bottom pan, or on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F until golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.  Repeat with the pecans. 1 almond and 1 quarter pecan on each.
• Ready the dried cranberries. 1 each.
• Chop the crystallized ginger into manageable pieces if they are large. 1 chunk ea.

Big Island 

{ macadamia nut | toasted coconut | candied hibiscus | ‘alaea sea salt }

Prep work:

•  Toast macadamia nuts in a single layer in a heavy bottom pan, or on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F until golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.  Repeat with the coconut flakes for 1 min. 1 mac nut and 3 flakes on each.
• Rip the candied hibiscus into strips from petal tip to base, following the natural lines of the flowers. 1 petal, or about 1 sixth of a flower on each.
• Ready ‘alaea sea salt, or other coarse salt, such as pink Himalayan or kosher salt. 1 pinch each

Persia 

{ pistachio| Turkish apricot | green cardamom & rose petal sugar }

Prep work:

• Shell the pistachios, if they aren’t already shelled. 1 each.
• Cut the apricots into quarters. I prefer Turkish ones, as they are unsulphured and have a deep, molassesy flavor, but use what you have.  1 quarter each.
• To make the green cardamom & rose petal sugar, place into a spice grinder/old coffee grinder

• ~ 8 whole green cardamom pods
• ~ 1 tsp of rose petals
• ~ 2 T of coarse cane sugar
• Pulse until incorporated.  Taste and adjust quantities to your liking.  Letting it sit for a half hour in a lidded jar will help the aromas to perfume the sugar thoroughly.  1 heavy pinch on each, or about 1/8 tsp.  Place this on the chocolate before the other bits to help it stick.

Umbria 

 { pine nut | espresso bean | home-candied lemon peel | coarse cane sugar }

Prep work:

• Toast pine nuts in a single layer in a heavy bottom pan, or on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F until golden and fragrant, about 2minutes. 3-5 on each.
• Choose good quality espresso beans, or your favorite dark roast coffee bean. 1 each.
• Candy your own organic lemon peels (find the recipe here), or go with store bought.  Chop into 1” or so sections if they are too long. 1 - 1” section, curled over, on each. 
• Ready some coarse cane sugar or sanding sugar.  I don’t buy a lot of sugar, so I went with organic. I pinch on each.

Yucatan 

{ dried mango | popped amaranth | cacao nibs | chipotle & cinnamon dust }

Prep work: 

• Cut dried mango into manageable pieces.
• Pop the amaranth in a heavy pan (find theinstructions here).
• Ready the cacao nibs.
• To make the chipotle and cinnamon dust, place into a spice grinder/old coffee grinder

• 1 whole dried chipotle chili, stem removed
• 1 large stick of Mexican cinnamon, broken to fit
• Blitz until incorporated.  Let the dust settle first before opening! Don’t get your face in there right after lifting the lid like I did or you will get a big snort of chili powder – and ensuing coughing, sputtering and sneezing.    1 heavy pinch on each, or about 1/8 tsp.  Place this on the chocolate before the other bits to help it stick.

Where to find it

Most of the fruits, nuts and other ingredients featured here can be found in any well-stocked grocery store.  However you may need help with the following (in order of appearance): 

• Candied dried hibiscus – these often come from Mexico, or other tropical locales where hibiscus grow; try Trader Joe’s, international food markets, Latin markets, or online such as through amazon.com
• ‘Alaea sea salt – this is synonymous with pink Hawai’ian salt; find it in the KTA on your next trip to the Islands, or try a high-end grocery store like Zupan’s, a delicatessen such as Foster & Dobbs, or a salt shop such as The Meadow.
• Rose petals – these are featured in many Mediterranean and Persian cuisines, especially in Tunisia and Iran; find them in large international or Mediterranean markets, or any place with a large bulk herb/spice section such as New Seasons or online through Mountain Rose Herbs  
• Cacao nibs – these are pieces of the raw, unprocessed cacao nuts and are pleasantly bitter, crunchy, and loaded with antioxidants; find them in high-end grocery stores, delicatessens, or online through  Mountain Rose Herbs - I lucked out and found Scheffenburger cacao nibs at Grocery Outlet, so keep your eyes peeled!
• Dried chipotle chilies – these are fantastic added to beans, chilli, or marinades, so buy a bag and experiment; find these in any large grocery store with a Hispanic food section, such as Freddy’s, or Latin food markets.   
• Mexican cinnamon - this is softer/more crumbly than traditional cinnamon sticks which is part of why I prefer it, as well as having a somewhat sweeter taste; find it  in any large grocery store with a Hispanic food section, such as Freddy’s, or Latin food markets. It is usually in with the dried chilies, so pick some up when you get your chipotles.

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[i] Glassman, Keri, M.S., R.D., CDN. 2010. The O2 Diet. Rodale: New York, NY. 218 pp.