Author Archives: kclever

Modern Baker Challenge – Espresso Walnut Meringues

My relationship with meringue goes a few decades back.  I hate that I can say decades and it’s accurate.

I first tried meringues in the traditional lemon meringue pie.  I thought it was just the most beautiful cloud of sweetness.  One evening when I was in 5th grade — circa 1989 (?), I decided I should surprise my mom when she came home from work with a lemon meringue pie.  Don’t ask me why but I got it into my head.

Mom worked evenings at the library from 6 to 9 which honestly felt like an eternity for us, especially when we were in elementary school.  Somehow I managed to gather all the ingredients and successfully followed the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook, so I could present Mom with the surprise she she made it home.  No, there was no pie crust involved — a frozen, pre-made pie crust was a staple in those days.  And, it wasn’t that we had fresh lemons around, but the liquid lemon juice in the faux lemon plastic containers magically had enough. I’m actually most surprised that I was able to successfully whip the meringue as it requires a patience, that is tested to this day, with a hand mixer.  There is no Kitchenaid in the Clevering household.  But, it was a success, and I think Mom was surprised.

We did attempt several things in the kitchen while Mom was working and under Dad’s “supervision.”  I remember Sara attempting to made fudge even though we didn’t have the fail safe- marshmallow creme. She was reading the directions in Betty Crocker about how to test the temperature of the boiling sugar.  In the end, fudge was never made, and the pan was barely salvageable.

But, the next foray with meringues came in college.  I was in love with the Moosewood’s Low-Fat favorite’s cookbook.  I was transitioning into vegetarian food and it was the “fear of fat” craze of the late nineties.  One of the recipes was for bake meringue cups fills with fruit.  I was having to much fun shaping the meringues via the plastic bag/frosting decorating technique that I never tried it with the fruit.  I just cared that it was “low fat.”

With that history, I was naturally intrigued by this meringue recipe.  It just might be the ONLY recipe in the cookbook that doesn’t contain flour — hey it’s GLUTEN-FREE!  But, this cookie was much more than I anticipated.  I wasn’t that excited for a chocolate flavored crunch of a cookie, but this is not your average meringue.  I was baffled why we were “folding” in the walnut and the sliced chocolate but the result was exceptional.  The center of the meringue were delicious bites of chocolate and the walnuts gave it an extra weight.  Delicious!

My meringues were on the soft side – probably because they were so big, but I almost liked them that way.  I baked them for 35 minutes, an extra 5 and was concerned about them being too dry anyway.

** also note that the directions list “remaining 1/2 cup of walnuts and sugar” which is a bit confusing because “the remaining 1/2″ modifies sugar and not the walnuts.  I reread the recipe a few times to make sure I hadn’t skipped a step, but you do fold in the entire 1 1/4 cup of walnuts all at once.

The ingredients

The egg whites  are always a challenge.  I followed the best directions and separated each yolk separately before adding to the mixing bowl.  It’s a good thing too because the second egg was a mess.

And patience and persistence pays off.

And folding in the ingredients.  It felt odd to layer it as directed but Nick knows what he’s talking about!

I decided to see which was better — foil or parchment paper.  I don’t think it makes a difference.

And, the final product – forgive the blurriness.  We’ll see how the folks at work like them.  They got a thumbs up from Paul who doesn’t typically think meringues count for much of anything.

New Water Filter! (Mavea Review)

Considering Portland recently was in the nation’s attention for its water reservoir being tainted by a childish prank, it’s no surprise I’m inclined to reach for the filtered water.  Yes, some stupidhead thought it would be funny to relieve himself in the Mt. Tabor water reservoir  – but per this story he thought it was sewage treatment plant – “no disrespect!”  The authorities tried to assure the fair citizens of the Rose City that the amount of contamination was inconsequential given the reservoir’s size, but the “yuck” factor won out.  The city drained the reservoir and for the most part I filter my water.

I actually don’t think it’s that necessary for me to always reach for the filter these days, though it has been in the past.  I spent a year drinking water that smelled like rotten eggs – thanks to the sulfur enriched wells in eastern Montana.  In my Seattle apartment — the hobbit-size attic of a 1920s Craftsman, the water had a bizarre red tint that always captured itself in the filter – fortunately.  Now, I think I just prefer my water cold, and I like the idea of cleaning it just a little bit more (see above and the “yuck” factor).

Traditionally I have always used the Brita – the classic design.  My primary complaint has only been the lid is ridiculous to pop back on after cleaning and replacing the filter.  The water has always been up to my less-than-exacting standards.  I’m also less inclined to replace the filter because I’m supposed to let it soak for an hour – or something like that.  After 10 years, I know it still seems to annoy me even though it shouldn’t.

A few weeks a ago, the Mavea water filter company asked us if we wanted to try out their new water system.  Their marketing campaign appeals to the yoga enthusiasts and “I want to be SO healthy” health nuts, closeted or not.  Water is one of the best things for you – we’re told.  So, why not make drinking water better?

As for the product, I must say it is aesthetically prettier than the Brita, but my poor Brita has been around for over 6 years, which probably says a lot in itself.  I do like Mavea’s 2 tone design and I really like the pour lid.

There’s no cumbersome plastic flap to flip and hold up.  Instead, it has this gravity, trapdoor device that drops open with the weight of water.  Indeed, a step up!  Of course there’s the actual lid which is my problem with Brita.  Fixed!  It pops right on without any frustration.


Also, you don’t have to let the cartridge soak. Just rinse!

But the taste?  I’m going to say it – not really that different.  I did a “blind” taste test — tap water, Brita, and Mavea.  While the tap water was set a 3rd place immediately, silver and gold appeared to be a toss up.  It seemed to depend upon the glass!  The tester liked the Brita first, in one lighter glass taster.  Then I switched them, and the lighter glass with the Mavea also won out.

So, it’s anyone’s guess.  Maybe it’s all about the glassware….

Disclosure: Mavea gave me this new water pitcher you see above.  No money has changed hands and while I believe in praise, only where it is due.

Roasted Red Pepper & Sundried Tomato Black Bean Soup

Of the eight or nine vegetarian cookbooks on my shelf, each probably has at least one black bean soup recipe.  And yet, I still decided to go it alone on this one.  I just have not been satisfied and while walking through the aisles of Safeway (yes, Safeway, I shop there and it’s not always organic), I just started throwing things in my cart that I thought would be good for soup:

Ingredients:

  • onion
  • roasted red peppers
  • sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 4 cans of black beans
  • vegetable stock

My thought was that all of these had such delicious flavors, they could mold into something tasty without a lot of extra effort.  This is beginning to sound like an intro of “the 5 ingredient cookbook” or even a plug for “Semi-Homemade” but sometimes shortcuts are there for a reason and sometimes you can go overboard overseasoning.

My first thought was to retain all the savory and flavorful oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.  I drained off the liquid and used that to sautee my onions.

It’s still just olive oil after all, and if I needed more to prevent sticking I had plenty of the regular stuff on hand.  I chopped up the tomatoes as well as the roasted red peppers (I drained those off first – disposing of the reddish, less flavorful water).  I let all of that cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, adding some minced garlic too.  I love garlic so I’d estimate it was nearly 6 large cloves.  After draining the cans of beans, those also went in along with the vegetable stock (approximately 4 cups).

I brought it all to a boil and then reduced the heat to a simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.  That seems to be what most recipes call for, so I thought I’d try that.  Everything is essentially cooked so it’s a matter of letting the flavors get to know each other.  Because I like the creaminess of soups, I decided to blend up about half into a liquid.  This was also a good way to blend the flavors together even more.

There were still a few good bits of tomatoes and black beans, surrounded by the creaminess – just the way I like it.  Sadly, there was little on hand for the “food styling” portion, but you get the idea.

Best Restaurant-Prepared Oatmeal EVER!

I have a distinct memory of walking into an IHOP with my family and asking for hot chocolate. The result was some watered-down packet from Swiss Miss.  It was quite the disappointment to real hot chocolate.  The kind you make by mixing cocoa powder and sugar to the best proportion and adding to warm milk. I still prefer this to the “double pump” hot chocolate of many coffee shops — you know, where they steam the milk (which is a lovely consistency, admittedly) and then just add a few pumps of Hershey’s syrup.

Similarly, oatmeal is treated the same way.  Of the many different options for oatmeal, it’s appalling that so many restaurant produce some instant oatmeal, sprinkle on a few raisins and call it good.  Let’s not forget what McDonald’s did – their “FMO” (aka fruit and maple oatmeal ).  I have yet to try it but even the ads can’t hide that it just doesn’t do oatmeal justice.

I’ve been known to eat a  lot of oatmeal.  When I was little, as in when I was an elementary schooler, I had to have so much melted butter there was a ring of it at the edge of the bowl.  I took a break for about 15 years and then fully embraced it.  There are plenty of varieties to flavor it up — bananas & walnuts, raisins & almonds, cranberries & hazelnuts, etc.  I’ve since expanded to steel cut oats, thank you Bob’s Red Mill (a longtime favorite of ours!).  I’d say I eat it, approximately 5 or 6 days a week – sometimes as a snack in addition to breakfast.  And to make it a little more intriguing, I call them “steel-i-os.”

For that reason and because restaurants do a deplorable job, I rarely order oatmeal out.  I’d much rather have a savory egg dish with lots of different vegetables.  However, I made an exception at Gravy, a well-known breakfast place on the hip and happening Mississippi Ave in Portland, Oregon.  It’s decadent and delicious at the same time as being wholesome and fulfilling.  It’s downright comforting.

The first layer is this warm, slightly tart layer of cooked fruit – mine was berries.  Then there’s the oatmeal – cooked to perfection.  The oats are still perceptible with a hint of nutty flavor.  Top it off with a caramelized sugar, like creme brulee.   For the looks, they added some more berries and a dash of powder sugar.  I could barely finish it.

Gravy on Urbanspoon

Look What I Found at the Market

O’Henry peaches are sweet though definitely not as sweet as my nephew…O. Henry.

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Sauvie Island Berry Picking

Is it Sauvies Island?  Sauvie’s Island? Or Sauvie Island?  It seems it was named after the french dairy man Laurent Sauve, who traveled from nearby Fort Vancouver in the mid-1800s.  The Sauvie Island Community Association has some interesting little tidbits.

The name makes no difference to me but it IS the location for some of the best berry picking, produce shopping, get outside and PLAY in the Portland Metro area.  The little island is just a 15 miles or so from my house, and just on the other side of the iconic St. John’s Bridge. The little community is idyllic in its own right.  I’ve picked apples out there, found pumpkins, completed a corn maze, and now some quality raspberry picking.  Granted, this post in a month overdue, but there are still plenty of u-pick options to be had… and the views of Mount St. Helens are just the same.

one of the vegetable patches

fresh cabbage anyone?

but really, this was the prize

literally, the fruits of our labor

just another day at Sauvie Island Farms, with a calm Mount St. Helens watching over

Thanks Sauvie Island Farms!

Tahini Salad Dressing – aka “Goddess Dressing”

My Aunt Barbara has a goddess garden.  Yes, to my 32-year-old self, she is still Aunt Barbara.  In fact, she’s known to many of my friends who met her as adults as Aunt Barbara or even Aunt B.  She takes her role as Aunt very seriously – cherishing it and reveling in it.  When I became an Aunt, I had a great model – no doubt.

And, she has a goddess garden.  Tucked away in the corner of their backyard, in the lush greenery afforded by the grey falls, winters, and springs of the Pacific Northwest, is her goddess garden.  She’s collected several central goddess figures from many different world religions – starting with Mary. Aunt B loves Mary.  She can tell you each and every one of them, but I can only remember Mary at this point.  She is non-discriminatory with her goddesses too.  She even had Cousin Jimmy (not her cousin, but her husband’s who is also baby boomer age – and still known to her and us as “Cousin Jimmy”) bring back a representative goddess from China.  My Uncle John thinks she’s just about done (he has more of a “plan” for the backyard) but then she’ll find another one.  With as a big heart as hers, she’ll find room for them all – I’m sure there are many more that could find a home in the greenery.  A-hem.  Open call for goddesses!

I’d imagine she’s also a fan of the goddess dressing – if not just for the name.  I’m, of course, referring to Annie’s Organic salad dressing,  Goddess Dressing.  The ingredients seem simple enough — I scanned a few recipes online before I left work, and so this evening I decided to have my hand at it.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of tahini

1/4 cup of olive oil

juice of a whole lemon

2 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of salt (to taste!)

1 tsp ++ of honey

1- 2 tablespoons of honey

Whisk all the ingredients together and use on your favorite salad or as a dressing in your sandwich.

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And, if you have any suggestions for goddesses for Aunt B, PLEASE add them in the comments below.  I’ll be sure to pass them along.  It sounds like she’s in need of a goddess from South America.

Fresh Peach Cheesecake

Again, another cheesecake.  Again, another office party.  Again a belated post from kclever…

August birthdays rolled  around this year, and since summer had YET to hit Portland, I wasn’t too afraid of the oven.  I say this because in those years of my childhood spent in Oklahoma, we were forbidden – or close to it – from baking or turning on the oven AT ALL in the summer. Sometimes there was a concession made if the baking was completed by 10am before the triple digit heat set in, but that would require an awful lot of planning and preparation. And, to my mother’s credit – it DID take a long time to cool down the brick house and you never knew what was going to put the A/C on the edge.

Though I’m not as draconian about my baking patterns today, I do appreciate how quickly an oven can heat up the house – especially when the “house” is a one bedroom apartment with few windows for cross ventilation and no A/C. It’s fortunate then, that I live now in the Pacific Northwest so 100+  degree days are very rare and far between.  I also like to think it’s fortunate for my co-workers because I AM more inspired to bake when it’s not too hot, although I don’t know that I would eschew baking for a birthday regardless of the thermostat.

And so, when I realized that my friends were sharing a birthday week, I decide it was time to dig out the cheesecake pan that has never failed me before.  I solicited their “likes” for a little inspiration and come up with a peach cheesecake.

Peaches here in Oregon – are like heaven.  Especially when ripe.  I’ve had many sad, unripe peaches.  That’s what happens when you try to buy “fresh” fruit in Oklahoma.  The rosy peaches look delectable and oh so promising in the grocery store, but then they never ripen. They get soft, but then they are mushy. Sad.  Very, very sad.  Fortunate for me, again, that I live where I do.  The farmers markets are teeming with fresh peaches right about now.

Taking a bite of a fresh peach reminds me of T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock” which we had to memorize in part for 11th Grade English.   I can’t help but think of the line, “Do I dare to each a peach?” Oh yes, yes, I do. They are delicious.

I found a recipe on epicurious:  recipe

Ingredients:

Crust
Plenty of 30 gingersnap cookies (about 6-8 ounces), coarsely broken
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling
2 lbs of peaches, peeled, pitted, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze
1/2 cup peach preserves
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 large peach, peeled, pitted, very thinly sliced

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind gingersnaps in processor to coarse crumbs. Add butter and blend until evenly moistened. Press crumbs over bottom and 1 inch up sides of 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Cool on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

For filling:
Combine peaches, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in heavy large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and peaches are juicy, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until peaches are tender and juices thicken, about 5 minutes. Cool compote.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Spoon half of cheese mixture (about 3 cups) into crust. Spoon peach compote over by tablespoonfuls, spacing apart. Pour and cover with remaining cheese mixture.

Place large piece of foil on oven rack. Place pan with cheesecake on foil.  (This is a great tip because in the past – I’ve  spent too much time cleaning the oven!) Bake until puffed, set in center, and beginning to brown, about 1 hour. Place hot cheesecake on rack; cool 5 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen. Place cheesecake, uncovered, on rack in refrigerator and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.)

For glaze:
Combine preserves and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until glaze comes to simmer. Strain into small bowl. Release pan sides; place cheesecake on platter. Spread glaze over top of cheesecake to within 1/4 inch of edge. Chill cheesecake until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Arrange peach slices in center of cake and serve.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

My berry stained hands were at work searching for a recipe on my smartphone.  Not long after picking strawberries the Davis Family Farm near Corvallis, Oregon, I was determined to make good use of the 5 lbs of berries we’d collected.

It’s the tail end of the strawberry season here in Oregon.  Granted, it was not the best time to be searching for berries either — the end of a sunny weekend, after all had been picked over.  I probably could have taken a few pictures of the trek – the picturesque mountains, the rows of plants, and then the “broken down car” at the corner of the field – indicating a left turn for strawberries.  But I did not.  Maybe next time when I go blueberry picking.

Oregon strawberries are nothing like the supermarket variety.  They are much smaller but so much sweeter. They are also more delicate and last not much longer than a day or two.  I had been gifted some rhubarb at work and was planning on a rhubarb crisp (which would not have been blog-worthy given Sara’s previously, well-received post here ), but the strawberries allowed a new dimension.

Because the strawberries are so small, it makes the process of hulling them a little more tedious.  Even after sitting just 5 hours, there were quite a few berries that no longer looked palatable.  Fortunately, it doesn’t matter how mushy they are in a crisp.  I followed the basic recipe from the food and wine website with a few changes.  The original may be found here.

Sadly I do most of my cooking on the evenings, so all pictures are a little weak.  Also, by the time it’s fresh from the oven I’m so tired and ready for bed I can’t be bothered to properly “plate” it.

Ingredients:

Filling

2 pounds rhubarb stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick (this was approximately 7-8 stalks)

1& 1/4 cups sugar

1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered (this was approximately 5-6 cups?)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

1 & 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1& 1/4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 & 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

(1) Preheat the oven to 375°.

(2) MAKE THE FILLING:  In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Rhubarb and sugar, pre-sweetening.

Strawberries – lots of work.

In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to the strawberries; discard any rhubarb juice. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice (if you have it, I did not…)  and vanilla to the fruit and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.

Filling, sweetened and ready for the topping.

(2) MAKE THE TOPPING Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the ingredients together until large crumbs form.

(3) BAKE IT Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for about 30 minutes longer, until the fruit filling is bubbling and the topping is nicely browned.

Baked and cooling… ready for tomorrow.

(4) EAT IT

Oatmeal Pancakes

If anyone’s been reading the blog regularly, it’s no secret the Three Clever Sisters love their sugar.  Though we grew up with a strict rule of no sweets before lunch (at least how I remember it), the sure-fire way to get around it was breakfast.  Of course we didn’t have the sugary cereals – honeynut cheerios was indeed a treat, but we were allowed to have pancakes/waffles/french toast + syrup from time to time.  I have a distinct memory of eating pancakes after one of my many childhood eye surgeries and craving the syrup and wondering if that meant I was “all better.”

Granted, the syrup we had in Oklahoma was not the high quality maple syrup of the Northeast.  It was Aunt Jemima, Log Cabin, corn syrup flavored with maple variety.  BUT, it was sweet and that hit the spot.

My love for pancakes continues, but of late I’ve had to limit my intake.  Problem being that I absolutely HAVE TO have syrup and cups of it to be satisfied with the “meal.”  Pancakes get larger, and so must the syrup consumption – so much so that by midafternoon, there’s a dramatic sugar crash.  As in splitting headache (rare for me), lethargy, and general crankiness.  The only way to avoid such a reaction was to cut out the pancakes altogether.  One small pancake with a dollop of syrup just isn’t the same, and so breakfast outings resulted in delicious scrambles with lots of veggies and feta cheese to mask the taste of eggs (don’t like eggs, love sugar, clear?).

Now, in the lovely Rose City with its self-absorbed, seemingly above it all eateries, I’ve sampled a few bites here and there (off other’s plates, natch) of heartier pancakes.  This seems to serve the gluten-free set with blue corn pancakes and oatmeal pancakes.  Perhaps because of the fiber involved, they don’t trigger the all-out sugar knock out as the buttermilk variety.

I took to the internet to find some recipes, but they all called for mixing up the ingredients and letting it “set” for a few hours or longer.  That’s just enough time for my inspiration to melt away or for it to be lunch time rather than brunch time.

Concluding that the “set up” time was to break down the oats, I decided I’d try my hand at a pancake batter with cooked oatmeal.  The result was acceptable but probably not ideal. The cooked oats were a little easier to combine with the batter but it was very very dense and difficult to flip because the oats were so very stubborn.

I persevered, however.  They were quite the sweet treat and when paired with a scramble, still no headache to speak of.

Ingredients:

2 cups of oatmeal
4 cups of water

1 cup of buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 TB melted butter

1 cup of flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of cinnamon
2 tsp of nutmeg

1 cup of dried cranberries
1 ripe banana, sliced

butter or oil-spray for pan

Cook the oatmeal according to directions in the four cups of water.  Let it cook to room temperature.


Combine the buttermilk, eggs, and butter.  Combine remaining dry ingredients of flour, soda, powder, and spices.  Alternating between the cooled oatmeal and dry ingredients combine with the buttermilk mixture, beating with a hand mixer.

Once all are thoroughly combined, stir in the cranberries and the bananas.  In a frying pan on medium to medium-high heat, pour 1/3 or 1/2 cup of batter into the pan.

Wait until it has set and then flip.  Continue with the remaining batter.    Not very pretty, but they still do taste good!

A balanced breakfast/brunch: