Creamy Tofu Spread with Strawberries and Chives

Tofu is tasty. Eat it.

Lately I have been trying, searching my brain for something to write about. So bear with me, I'm probably just gonna spout off some stuff, totally rando.
I am so envious of those bloggers who constantly have new material to bring all with pretty Photoshopped pictures, witty stories and recipes. All the time. More than weekly. It's kind of insane.

T tells me, "Mariel, are the people who post multiple times a week going to school? Do they work full-time? Are they starting a business with a gig every weekend and classes to develop and teach?" This is when I say, probably not, but their blog is their full-time job and everyone's journey is different, right? I have a shit-ton of things going on and it leaves my little blog a little lonely. 

la, la la, la la.

When I attend an event that I have also been asked to cater dessert for and then I see each little plate is cleaned off, I feel amazing. Because not only did I make dessert, get it there on time with food in perfect condition, and set it up perfectly because I am a professional, I also have to wear a dress and do my hair and its kind of exhausting. But this is when I can feel proud of myself. I did it. Planned, prepped and executed.

You know what's awesome? When people say my dessert changed their life. I understand that the statement is wildly hyperbolic-BUT it is so gratifying. "I'm so glad you liked it", I say and then I give myself a little mental high-five. 

I'm really looking forward to my Summer Night Tastings. More on that, later (Winky-face)

Writer's block is terrible. Thoughts just bounce 'round and 'round...

Hey, want a recipe for a yummy, healthy snack? Here you go...

Strawberry and Tofu Crostini
This snack is packed with flavor, and color. It is a great springtime treat but it can also be made with other fruits like pears, apples, mangoes or tomatoes. Serve it with pita chips, celery and a handful of walnuts or almonds to make a tasty, savory snack. Makes 12

Tofu Spread
6oz. Silken Tofu
4oz. Neufatchel Cheese
1-2 Tbsp. Chives, chopped
In a food processor, blend the tofu and cheese until creamy and smooth.
Other ingredients
12 slices of Whole Wheat Baguette, sliced & toasted 1 pint of Strawberries, sliced 1/4” thick
1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon of Chives, chopped
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Assembly
Place crostini onto a platter, spread the tofu and cheese among 12 slices of baguette. Arrange strawberries on top. Drizzle the balsamic and the olive oil all over the crostinis and top with chopped chives. Finish with cracked black pepper.

Strawberries with Rhubarb Compote and Rice Pudding

Oh, I love strawberries.

Its the only fruit I wait for every single year and being farther South in the Bay Area, we get beautiful, bright and crisp strawberries. Over the years, I've developed quite a few recipes with strawberries and for the most part, I'll take them any way I can get them...

Fresh, lightly dressed with citrus syrup.

  Pureed, strained and poured over a slice of cake.

    Frozen in chunks, surrounded by ice cream and served in a waffle cone.

        Simply eaten, one by one out of a green, plastic basket, still cold by a light rinse in water.

Recently, I have really come to also love rhubarb. Probably, only because I have learned to cook it properly. First of all, you need to discard the leaves. They're dangerous, beware.

Rhubarb is almost inedible without a very generous dose of sugar, but there are so many ways you can cook it and my favorite is by making a simple compote.

This is my last recipe posting for my "recipe project". I have found that because I collect baking and pastry cookbooks, I was making something with a generous dose of sugar every week. In an effort to maintain my health and my matronly figure, I must pare down this project and share recipes, like this one that have really been my go-to, must make this, must eat this recipe. I never meant to abandon this project, but the amount of sugar I was buying and consuming was getting outta hand, even for me!

The Wine Lover's Dessert Cookbook by Jennie Schacht and Mary Cech is a gorgeous book I got at Powell's during a work trip to Portland, OR and I fell in love with this recipe. I met Jennie at the IACP Book and Blog Festival where I bought her most recent book, I Scream Sandwich. These are both great books and excellent additions to my collection. Now the recipes:

Rhubarb Compote with Strawberries-Makes 2 cups

2 cups     Rhubarb, Cut into 1/2 inch, diagonal slices. (If the stalk is wide, cut it in half then, slice)

3/4 cup   Sugar

1/3 cup   Water

2 Tbsp.   Lemon Juice

1/2         Vanilla Bean, scraped (optional)

1/2 cup   Fresh Strawberries, diced

1.  Combine rhubarb, sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla bean in a medium saute pan. Allow the sugar and water to mix completely with the rhubarb. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

2.  Simmer slowly for about 12-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is bright pink, and soft. Allow to cool completely and chill for at least 30 minutes.

3.  Stir in diced strawberries. Serve slightly chilled.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding (Adapted from The Wine Lover's Dessert Cookbook)

*The original recipe uses heavy cream, whipped, added to the pudding at the end and I have left it out.

1/2 cup       Arborio rice

3 to 4 cups  2% Milk

1/3 cup       Sugar (start with a little less than 1/3 cup sugar and keep adding to taste)

Pinch of Salt

1/4              Vanilla Bean, scraped

In a heavy saucepan, combine  rice, 3 cups of milk, sugar, salt and vanilla bean. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, keeping it at a lively bubble. Stir every few minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the milk, but is still tender. Stir in up to one cup of milk as the rice simmers to keep the pudding soupy; it will thicken as it cools. Serve warm with Rhubarb Compote and Strawberries.





What Week Is It? Vegan Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding



Vegan Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding with Apricot Jam



Uh...

yeah, I have no idea what week I'm on with this project. It's for a good reason though...

I have had an incredible burst of inspiration while looking at my books their recipes that I just ran loose around my apartment kitchen whisking and whipping and piping and writing recipes on random sheets of paper that I have around here...somewhere, I think.

I have been a very busy girl, actually. I turned 30 on Valentine's Day, alright 31but February was filled with a lot of really cool stuff for me and I have felt very blessed.

As a birthday gift, my fiancee got me a seat in a food writing workshop that inspired some new ideas for our cookbook. After, I had a drink with a friend that I had since high school who a few years ago reached out to me about my experience in culinary school. I had her come work with me at a restaurant I was working at and shortly after she had attended and graduated from culinary school and found a job at a bakery, baking bread. Bread requires a completely different breed of culinary professional (one that is not me). But I can certainly eat it. She brought me a few loaves and I made with one of them a Broccoli and Cheese Strata. I got the recipe from Brunch! by Gale Gand. Basically, I had this loaf of delicious hearth bread and I made savory bread pudding and it was definitely savory and a very hearty meal. If I'd had some in the fridge, I would have topped it with some goat cheese.



I bought another book this month too. Little Paris Kitchen  by Rachel Khoo. I had my parents over for breakfast on Sunday, and I made egg white omelettes with hollandaise. It was a delicious breakfast and I think what made it really special was the toast we made right before we started eating for Teresa and my 8 year anniversary. Love.

Somewhere in between all that, I developed a recipe for Vegan Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding. It certainly does not taste like its made from silken tofu and it is as delightfully rich as any chocolate pudding.

Vegan Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding       Makes 4, 4oz cups

11.5oz    Silken Tofu, divided

4 oz        Chocolate, melted and cooled + 2 Tbsp. Sugar

4 oz        Peanut Butter + 2 Tbsp. Sugar or a few squeezes of honey

1/4 cup   Apricot Jam

1.  In a small food processor, pulse 7.5oz of tofu and slowly add the melted chocolate. Continue to process until it is completely smooth. Spoon into bowls.

2.  Create a layer over the chocolate with the apricot jam.

3.  In the same processor, combine the remaining tofu, peanut butter and honey/sugar (or both) and process until smooth.

4.  Top the apricot jam with the peanut butter pudding. Dust with cocoa powder.

I am kind of behind with this project, but I hope you enjoy this recipe. Try it. Its delicious.

Cookbook Project Weeks 2-5: Soft Pretzels

I'm the kind of girl who will buy herself something pretty when she gets the case of the gloomies. Of course the stomach flu that both T and myself came down with just took us down and it was a straight week of the high-grade fever gloomies-hence the dress. I really thought that in the first month of this project I was going to fall behind which made me feel even more awful. And I did, just not with the baking, moreso with the posting. So please excuse me.
For my second week, I made Olive Oil Pound Cake from Alice Medrich's Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts. I buy my olive oil from this great local store and this particular variety was blood orange flavor. I whipped up this incredibly quick pound cake and served it with lightly whipped cream and blackberries. This book also inspired my new OriginalCinn class on March 1st at Whole Foods in Cupertino--Simple Sweets and Everyday Baking where you will not only get some great recipes, but the science and technique behind making staple desserts you can whip up in no time.
The third week of January, before it got really gloomy in this house, I made Scallops with Linguine, Avocado and Lime from Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist. I actually have a signed copy of this book from a demo she did in San Francisco. I watched her cook, got her to sign my book and I feel deeply in love with her southern accent. She is flawless... right, sorry, well this dish was incredible. I never thought I'd like this combination but like the rest of the recipes in this book, it has amazing flavor.

Then there was the return of the NHL. There was a 3 month lockout which meant no hockey. For my hockey-loving fiancee, this was pretty much torture. But now that I was back from flu-hell, I made a super snack for our first game. I got this recipe from my Good Housekeeping book and looking around, its not really available anymore...unless you want to pay $120 for it, which I don't really recommend so here's the recipe. It will make some really tasty soft pretzels. I served it with Cheddar Beer Sauce and it made for a really great first game snack. Go Sharks!!!

Soft Pretzels

2 cups Warm Water (about 115 degrees)
1 packet Active Dry Yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar
4+ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Kosher, Sea Salt or Coarse Pretzel Salt

1. In a large bowl, add 1 1/2 cups of warm water and sprinkle in the yeast and sugar. Let it sit for 5 minutes or until it becomes foamy.
2. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt and mix until combined. Gradually add the remaining flour until it becomes a soft dough and is no longer sticky.
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until firm and elastic. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl, turning the dough over so the entire surface is greased. Cover bowl with plastic and set in a warm area to double in size. This will take about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease 2 large cookie sheets. Punch down the dough and cut, one by one, 18-24 inch long strips.
5. Combine the last 1/2 cup of water and baking soda. Stir to dissolve.
6. Shape dough into loop-shaped pretzels and dip into the baking soda. Place the pretzels on the sheet, 2 inches apart and sprinkle with salt.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes, rotating the pans about 12 minutes into baking, until browned. Cool for 10 minutes and serve warm.

Oh yeah, then I made ice cream. Oh delicious ice cream from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. By this point, I have developed more recipes than I have found in a book, but I owe it all to this project. I didn't just make Lemon Ice Cream...I added a blueberry swirl that I scented with lavender. Whenever I get asked the question, "What's your favorite thing to make?" I always say Ice Cream. Because you can do a million different things with it, but its still ice cream. I am a happy girl with ice cream!

Thanks for reading this awfully long post. But I've been up to a lot of baking! Cheers.

52 Books and 52 Recipes

I have 52 cookbooks.
Most of them are baking and dessert related. But as I have told you before, I love them, all kinds...

So this year, as a little project, I'd like to make one recipe out of each book I have, each week for a year. Yes, Ive seen the movie and I'm very aware of the similarities. But, these are MY books. I selected each one (well some were given as gifts) for very specific reasons. The most recent one was 'Laudree Sucree' and it showed up in a little box, which truth be told is kind of a bitch to get the book out of, but I selected it for the celebrity, for the beautiful color green it is and for the really incredible recipes in it.
I thought, "Well, I have so many of these books, and I want to cook from each of them!". But I couldn't decide which one first, so I asked my fiancee who told me she'd gladly pick the dishes she wanted me to make from each book. Tough job, isn't it?
She picked 'Power Foods' first. Its from the editors of Whole Living Magazine which I picked because I was judging it by its cover. Its a picure of ripe, delicious tomatoes on toasted whole grain bread with tofu spread sprinked with basil, chives and cilantro and coarse salt. Oh deliciocity! I read through it and it had really great "recipes" which are more like vegetable pairing suggestions because all of the ingredients seem to be just oilve oil, salt and pepper and herbs. And berries. So here I go, cooking, baking and writing.
The first recipe is, drumroll...ok stop...is

What is your favorite cookbook?

Papaya Berry Yogurt Parfaits
Ingredients: 1 piece of fresh ginger, 5 tablespoons of honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 large papaya, 1 cup fresh blackberries, 1 cup fresh raspberries, 2 cups plain yogurt, 1/4 cup finely chopped mint plus sprigs for garnish, 1/2 cup granola, either homemade or store bought.

1. Grate ginger into a bowl with the, lemon juice, mint and 2 1/2 tablespoons honey. Add papaya and berries, toss gently to coat.
2. Stir the remaining honey and zest into the yogurt.
3. Spoon half the fruit into 6 glasses, then half of the yogurt, then half of the granola. Repeat and top with granola and mint sprigs.

Salted Butter Brownies. Hella.

San Jose, CA

I had forgotten how much I love my city. I feel like because I have been here all my life that it had shown me everything that I needed to see. Bill’s in Willow Glen for brunch, perpetual traffic on Tully Road, Silicon Valley wives at the gym on Tuesday afternoons and the constant shadow of San Francisco looming over us like the ultra-cool teenage sister to San Jose’s geeky fourth grader. But over the last few years it seems as though the internet burnouts have turned SJ into somewhat of an indie melting pot. Smaller businesses have popped up with a really eclectic community built from it.

My deepest apologies, San Jose-I had completely disregarded you. Like salted butter in the pastry kitchen, you too are often overlooked as a real force. Today I will laud salted butter, exalt salted butter, because there are certain applications in baking where using it will highlight flavors. Cocoa in your brownies and brown sugar in your chocolate chip cookies will taste so much better if you eliminate the salt in your recipe and use salted butter.
A chocolate cake for example will definitely need unsalted though because cakes are lighter and too much saltiness will over power the flavor and texture. Using it in a pineapple upside down cake however will make your sweet, sweet pineapple taste gorgeous with that slight savory flavor of the salted butter. Anything that is very sweet, or with a high ratio of sugar will fit the profile to use this forgotten fat. Then you get to call it something cool and exclusive because you are in the know, like:

Salted Butter Brownies -Makes: Hella
(Adapted from Good Housekeeping-Baking)

1 ½ sticks Salted Butter


8 oz Dark Chocolate (65%-72%)

2 cups Sugar

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

5 ea. Large Eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour

Preheat oven to 350°
1. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a 4qt saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar then the eggs. Mix until well blended.
4. Stir in flour just until combined and there are no lumps.
5. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge of the pan comes out clean.
6. Cool completely and cut into 24 pieces.

Clementines in Spiced Syrup-Thanksgiving Desserts

I've been thinking about this flavor combination for a few weeks.

I was asked to do a Thanksgiving dessert table and wanted to offer something a little different than the usual pumpkin pie or sweet potato thing with marshmallows-which I'm now being told is a side dish...weird.

So the other day, meandering through the aisles at the grocery store, I saw those little cups of mandarins in syrup and thought that a lovely, light little dessert in a cup would be a nice change in the regular line-up of dessert-A little bit of citrus, a little bit of spice and a little bit of cream with some pomegranate jewels thrown in there for color and browned butter crumble for texture.