Raspberry Jam Bars

 

• ½ cup pecans
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife (this could also be part almond flour)
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup raspberry jam

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil so that it overlaps the sides and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the pecans, flour, coconut, oats, salt, and baking powder. Blend until the mixture has a fine, sand-like texture. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, a few minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Place ⅔ of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, and spread it in an even layer. Spread the jam over the surface of the dough, leaving ¼-inch space between the jam and the sides of the baking dish so the bars won’t stick to the foil. Pinch off 1-inch clumps of the remaining dough and scatter evenly over top of the jam. The dough won’t cover the entire surface; that’s okay. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
4. Let the jam bars cool in the baking dish on a rack for about 15 minutes. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and onto the countertop. Pull the foil away from the sides to prevent sticking, and then let sit until completely cool, a few hours. Cut into bars.

Persimmon Muffins

3 cups fresh persimmon puree
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter or 1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour (or GF flour for gluten free)
2 t baking soda
1/2 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins or craisins

Make the puree by washing the persimmons, then remove the bad spots and slice the tops off using a sharp knife. Cut them in half horizontally, separating the top from the bottom, to find the seeds. After removing the seeds, use the chopping blade in a food processor to puree.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the puree and the butter or oil.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Stir these dry ingredients into the persimmon mixture. Do not over-mix! Stir in walnuts, raisins, or craisins if desired. The batter will be fairly stiff.

Coat each muffin cup with spray and spoon the batter in, filling the cups completely. Bake until they are golden brown, and the tops of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, 25-30 minutes. Rotate positions in oven if baking multiple trays at the same time. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Cool the tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins, and then cool another 20 minutes.

Makes 15 muffins.

GF/DF Pecan Sticky Buns

Prepare the filling and topping before the dough.

Topping:

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegan butter
2 Tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups pecans

Spray or grease a 9"x13" pyrex generously (this will not work with parchment paper). Chop the pecans. Add brown sugar, vegan butter, almond milk, and vanilla to a saucepan. Heat on the stove over low, stirring until the brown sugar and butter have melted. Stir in pecans.

Pour into the 9"x13" pan and spread evenly being careful not to disturb the spray/grease. Set aside.

Filling:

1 cup vegan butter
1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup cinnamon (start with 4 T, and add more if desired)

Melt vegan butter. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl from the butter. Set both aside.

Dough:

2 Tbsp. yeast
½ cup warm water

7 cups GF flour
1 cup cornstarch or arrowroot starch/flour
2 tsp. salt
3 cups almond milk
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
4 Tbsp. oil
4 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
6 eggs

Mix yeast in warm water and set aside for 5 minutes. 

Using a stand mixer, blend 6 cups of flour, starch of your choice, and salt using the regular paddle. Warm the milk, and add it and the oil, honey, and cider vinegar to the dry ingredients. Switch to the dough hook and mix. Beat eggs and add to yeast mixture. Add this to the bowl and mix. Add flour and continuing mixing until the dough pulls away from the bowl and the hook.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle. Spread with the melted vegan butter (filling instructions) and evenly spread the brown sugar cinnamon mixture to the edges. Starting at the short end, roll up the dough into a log. Using unflavored floss or a serrated knife cut 2" rolls off and place them in the 9"x13" pan.

Boil water and fill a 11"x17" pyrex. Place the 9"x13" pyrex in the hot water bath. Cover loosely with sprayed plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise for an hour+ in a warm place. Try not to jostle it. Refill with warm water as needed. 

When the rolls have risen, heat oven to 350°F. Cover loosely with foil tent to prevent over browning and bake for 40 minutes. Flip onto a sheet pan or serving dish. 

To save for later, wrap in foil and freeze after they have cooled. To reheat, place foil wrapped rolls in a pan to prevent the topping from leaking and heat in 350-400°F oven until warm.

Granola

Dry:

4 cups oats

2 cups nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)

1-2 t cinnamon

2/3 cup raisins or craisins

1/3 cup shredded coconut

1 t fine grain sea salt

Wet:

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup maple or agave syrup

1 t vanilla

Fold the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a liquid measuring cup and mix in the other wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Bake on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, checking every 5-10 minutes thereafter until toasted. Allow to cool completely before eating or storing. Chocolate chips can also be added after it has cooled.

Huevos Rancheros, Ham Hash, Refried Beans, Salsa, and Mexican Rice

Ham hash:
ham steak
golden potatoes
white onions

Cube ham steak and remove connective tissue and excess fat. Leave some fat for frying. Dice onions and potatoes. Pan-fry in Dutch oven until browned. Add olive oil if needed. Salt to taste. Set aside while cooking the Huevos Rancheros.

Huevos Rancheros:
corn tortillas
refried beans
fried eggs
salsa
queso fresco

Prepare refried beans and salsa in advance. Heat the salsa on low in a saucepan. Heat corn tortillas in a frying pan, with or without oil. Keep warm by wrapping in foil in a warm oven. Fry eggs, and crumble queso. Assemble tacos/tostadas beginning with the corn tortilla on the bottom, then spread a layer of refried beans on it. Place a fried egg on the beans. Top with a generous amount of hot salsa, and sprinkle queso and chopped cilantro on top. The ham hash is a traditional side. Mexican rice could also be eaten on the side.

Omit ham and bacon for meatless.

Refried beans:
1 1/2 cups dry beans (pinto or black, as desired)
3 cups of water
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 white onion
bacon fat
cumin to taste

Add the beans, water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Use the bean setting, and turn off to let cool until the lid can be removed without switching to "vent". Remove the excess liquid and save. Dice the onion and saute in the Instant Pot with the bacon fat. Add the beans and blend/mash with a potato masher, blender, or food processor. Add the excess liquid as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Mix in a dash of cumin and salt as needed to taste.

Salsa:
2 15-oz cans of good quality diced tomatoes, such as San Marzano or fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/5 lemons (can use limes, but if fresh fruit is unavailable, use a smaller quantity of vinegar rather than jarred juice)
1+ jalapenos (use at least one without adding the seeds for mild, but don't omit, or the flavor of the salsa won't be right)
1/4 t minced garlic
2 T minced white onion (fresh)
2+ teaspoons salt
fresh chopped cilantro (reserve some to top huevos)

Add one can of tomatoes to a blender, and squeeze in the lemon juice. Dice the jalapenos, and add with the garlic and onion. Blend and add 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Taste for acid and salt balance. If the flavor of the salsa is bland, add more salt and taste again. If still bland, add acid, and taste again. Keep going until it tastes good. If it tastes acidic, but the flavors aren't distinctive, just add salt until the taste is right. A lot of salt is needed to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes and bring out the flavors- don't hold back. Add the second can of tomatoes and balance again. By adding the second can towards the end, there is a buffer if you add too much salt or acid and the salsa doesn't get overblended unless you want a smooth rather than chunky salsa. Add chopped cilantro if desired. The salsa can be made a day ahead to let the flavors blend more.

Mexican rice:
1 cup long grain white rice
2 T oil
4-8 oz canned tomato sauce (can use tomato paste, but keep in mind it is more concentrated)
2 cups warm water
1 t chili powder
2 t calde de tomate tomato bouillon
1 t minced garlic

Mix the warm water, tomato sauce, and tomato bouillon so that it is ready to add to the rice.

Brown the rice in oil in a nonstick saute pan with a lid, stirring constantly. When golden, add the liquid, chili powder, and garlic, and bring to a boil while mixing. When it is boiling, remove from heat, and put the lid on the pan. When the burner has cooled to low/simmer, put the pan back on the burner. The rice should cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. 

When the 20 minutes is up, remove from the heat, and fluff. If desired, add peas and finely diced carrots, or tomatoes. Finely diced onions can also be browned with the rice. Allow to sit 10 minutes, and then serve. The key to the restaurant flavor is the tomato bouillon.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Crust:

• 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy butter substitute
  
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  

Filling:

• 3 cups pumpkin (or other winter squash) puree
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Cut in the remaining ingredients. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
3. Bake crust for 7-8 minutes
4. In the medium bowl, beat together all filling ingredients
5. When the crust is finished baking, remove from the oven and pour the filling on top.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanish.
   

Shakshuka

Olive oil for sauteing veggies
1 large yellow onion
2 green peppers
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch red pepper flakes or hot sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper
3 cans of diced tomatoes
6 large eggs
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Chop onion and bell peppers, and mince garlic. Saute until soft, add tomatoes and spices. Make "wells" in the sauce to break the eggs into. Add the eggs and cover until the egg whites just turn white. Serve and garnish with parsley.

Chile Relleno Casserole

6 jalapeno peppers
1/2 15-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb Oaxacan cheese
1/2 lb chorizo
fresh or dried oregano
1 T salt
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Char the jalapeno peppers, peel the blackened skin, cut in half and remove the seeds (use gloves or take care not to touch them). Cook the chorizo.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x11" pyrex with Pam, and arrange the peppers in the bottom. Place a strip of cheese in each pepper. Sprinkle the onion and chorizo over the top. Blend eggs, milk, salt, and oregano, and pour gently over the top. The recipe I based this off of called for a 1/3 cup flour and 1 t baking powder mixed into the eggs, which I skipped in favor of more of a souffle effect than a casserole.

Bake until the egg is fully puffed up, 30+ minutes.

Egg Casserole

20 eggs

½ cup flour

2 t baking powder

Dash salt

1 t dry mustard

1 ½ t thyme

32 oz cottage cheese

24 oz shredded cheddar cheese

2 medium zucchini, shredded

2 roasted red bell peppers

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, mustard and thyme, and blend well. Add the cheeses, chopped bell pepper and the zucchini and mix until just blended.

Grease two 9 x 13 pans and pour in the mixture. At this point you may refrigerate them overnight. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 20 to 30 minutes more. Serves 20.

Clafoutis

We made plum clafoutis from this recipe. It puffs up like the beginnings of Yorkshire pudding, but the thick egg mixture forms a custard, with the add-ins baked in. We used plums we had gotten at the farmer's market 3 weeks before, in desperate need of being eaten (wrinkly but otherwise good), for this one.

Plums
3 T fruit liqueur- we used pomegranate schnapps - the recipe calls for Vieille Prune de Perigord
6 eggs
1 t salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 375. Quarter the plums, and soak in the liqueur. While they are soaking, blend the eggs to frothy, add the cream, salt, sugar, and then sift the flour in. Use an immersion blender or electric mixer on high to blend.

Butter and flour the pan (select a pan size which will allow you to spread your plums in a single layer on the bottom). I will admit that the Pam flour product works really well for this. I swear they sweeten it, and it gives a nice crisp underside rather than a floury one. Place the plums in the pan carefully so as not to disturb the butter and flour and pour the liqueur over them. Pour the batter over the top. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and the custard has set.

Serve with powdered sugar sifted on top if desired.

I've seen a lot of recipes use milk rather than cream, making a thinner custard. The recipe linked above has a lot of ideas for variations on this- different fruits, liqueurs, custard versus cake, etc.

Update: we've made this with apple, and it was good, but not as good. I tried a sweet dessert wine in one. The overripe plums gave an amazing flavor to the 1st round. I would think that ripe or overripe stone fruits of any sort or berries would be amazing.

Savory Leek Bread Pudding

Smitten Kitchen's recipe

Applesauce

apples
water
cinnamon (optional)

Chop apples. Put in a saucepan with some water over medium heat on stove. Cover. When apples start sticking turn down to low and stir regularly. Make sure there's enough water, but not much is needed because the apples release their water. When the applesauce is the desired consistency (Dad likes his chunky), add cinnamon to taste. Serve hot or cold. Good luck waiting until it's cold.

Rice Pudding

2 cups uncooked rice, cooked
3 cups milk
1 egg
3 T cream or creamer or half-and-half
2 T butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t cinnamon to taste

Use leftover rice or cook the rice ahead of time. Put rice and milk in a medium saucepan on low heat. Beat the egg with the cream, and mix into the rice. Stir well. Add butter, sugar, and vanilla. Stir over medium-low heat until the rice pudding is the desired consistency. Stir in cinnamon. 4 servings.

Cranberry French Toast, Lorraine (Napa Wine Tasting)

l loaf cinnamon - raisin bread
6 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1 c half and half
1 can whole cranberry sauce

Topping:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Put slices in a 9x13 pan.  Mix liquid ingredients, pour over bread and cover.  Refrigerate overnight.
Mix topping ingredients.  Spread cranberry sauce over bread and crumble topping over all.
Bake 350 degrees for about 50 mins.

Pear Pie

2 Trader Joe's pie crusts, or pie crusts of your own making
5-6 pears
1/2 cup turbinado raw sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4-1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
1-2 T sweet wine (Riesling)

Prepare the pie crust. Preheat the oven to 350.

Cube the pears and mix with the dry ingredients. Pour the wine into the pie crust and add the pear mixture on top. Arrange the top crust however you like. Mine was supposed to be a lattice, but the crust was too defrosted, so it ended up being more of a modern cubist arrangement.

Bake until golden brown (well over an hour). Allow to cool at least to the point where it won't scorch your mouth. Eat with whipped cream and Mrs. Robinson's butterscotch caramel. Die.

Sweet potato waffles

We had sweet potatoes from the CSA to use up, and I was thinking of making a potato pancake or potato fritters type dish with them, when it occurred to me to make sweet potato waffles with our new waffle maker.

Honestly, this was over a month ago, and I cannot remember if I used the standard waffle recipe, or the following waffle recipe. I'm fairly certain it's the latter.

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (or a mix of APF and whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 3/4 cups milk
2 beaten egg yolks
1/2 cup olive oil
2 egg whites whipped till stiff

I used 3 or 4 sweet potatoes that had been steamed in the pressure cooker, then pureed, allowed to cool a bit, and added with the olive oil. I used a little less than 1/2 cup olive oil because I was worried that the sweet potatoes and oil would make for too much moisture, but the waffles did stick enough that I had to spray the waffle maker between each waffle, so the full amount of oil would probably be best. I used as much flour as necessary to bring it to the right consistency before folding in the egg whites.

I didn't want these to be sweet waffles, so I didn't put in the 1 1/2 T sugar and 1 t vanilla this recipe also calls for.

You mix everything together but the egg whites, and then whip those to peaks, and fold them in. Makes nice crusty waffles.

We had ours with a choice of monastery honey in clover and orange flavors, maple syrup, or treacle on top. They would have been really good with fruit as well.

Heather declared them to be the best waffles she's ever had.

Update: After much begging from Heather, I made these again, and this time I roasted the sweet potatoes. I don't think I'll do that in the future because I ended up losing some over-browned sections. I also used the immersion blender to mix the batter, and just pureed the potatoes in with the batter. I did the whipped egg white recipe with a cup of whole wheat flour, and this time had to add quite a lot more milk to get the right consistency. They were delicious, with melt in your mouth centers.

Potatoes and Eggs

How could this have been left out in the initial creation of the Zentner Family cookbook? For the first time in years, I had to call home to get a recipe for a childhood breakfast. Which of course went like this: "well, I don't have a recipe. Just saute onions and potatoes, and fry eggs over them."

Update: I've made this a couple times since, using either red potatoes, or turnips, with regular potatoes mixed in, from our CSA. I saute onions, finely dice the root veggies, and saute those. Mix in seasonings and herbs, and cook until soft. I have have smashed the potatoes as well, but it's not necessary. Crack the eggs over the top, and cook with the lid on until just cooked through so the yolk is still runny (if you like it this way).

King Arthur Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Cake:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 cup sour cream (if not full cup, finish with milk) or yogurt

Topping/Filling:

1/4-1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

chopped walnuts

Cream wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients together and fold into wet ingredients. Grease and flour a 9x9" pan, and pour half of the cake mixture in, flattening to fill the pan. Mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together, and then cut the butter in until moist and crumbly. Mix in walnuts if desired. Spread 1/3 of the topping on the batter in the pan, spread the rest of the cake batter on top, and then the rest of the topping. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until no longer jiggly.

Bread "Stuff"

Whole wheat baguette
Butter
Ham steak
Eggs
Shredded cheese
Oregano

Dice baguette into 1/2" cubes. Saute in butter. Stir in ham, then eggs, then cheese, then oregano. Scramble.

From Bobbie Herndon, made on a camping trip with the Zentners and Lenzes.

Apricot Rosemary Jam

4 cups apricots
3 1/2 cups sugar
fresh sprigs of rosemary or 1 t dried rosemary
3 T water

1. Wash (well if pesticides used, or remove skins- cut X on base, blanch, and peel) apricots. Cut in half and remove pits.

2. Place rosemary in the 3 T water in a medium saucepan. If fresh, just place the sprigs in the water. If dried, wrap in cheesecloth, bandana, or other lightweight fabric that won't bleed. I used a clothespin to close the baggie, which made it easy to lift it in and out of the water. Essentially, you make rosemary tea. Place a plate in the freezer.

3. Once the water is nearing a boil, remove the rosemary, and add the apricots. Lower the heat to medium low, or low. Pour the sugar on top, and mix gently. Stir every 5 minutes until the jam thickens, and then stir constantly to avoid burning the bottom. To test to see if the jam is the proper consistency, drop a few good sized drops on the frozen plate. If the jam runs easily, it is still too syrupy.

4. Place in jars (makes 1-2 pints), and either refrigerate for rapid consumption or can to send to faraway people. Let's be honest, if it is for personal consumption, it will not last long enough to make canning worth it.

Note: Heather states that this is her favorite jam. This can also be made with peaches.