The second recipe test for Hannah's new book - turned out awesome - it's super easy to make: a sweetened coconut crust with a filling of sweetened cherries with a bit of almond essence.
Very tasty - I thought the crust would be crispier instead of chewier, but it lasted several days before soaking up the juice from the cherry filling. It was delicious at all stages!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
VooDoo Doughnuts
VOO DOO DOUGHNUTS: The doughnut mecca for vegans with a nice selection of vegan cake doughnuts with all kinds of crazy toppings. On my first visit to Portland last weekend, I insisted my dear friend take me there straight-away the next morning so that I could get a big box to take home.
The menu is pretty funny - it has crazy names for doughnuts like "triple chocolate penetration" (yikes) and "Memphis mafia." Click through to look at the larger size of the image.
They seemed to be low, so I just asked for a box of a dozen assorted doughnuts and ended up with this lovely selection of yummy items.
The first doughnut I ate was covered in crushed Chick-o-Stick candy. And, of course - I couldn't resist buying the t-shirt with their slogan "The magic is in the hole."
My friend had to get a "maple bacon" doughnut - which he said was better than the last time when the bacon was overcooked and crispy. Eww.
But, he looked pretty happy with it - but not as happy as Jon was to have vegan doughnuts and beer at the Trappist with me when I got home on Sunday.
The menu is pretty funny - it has crazy names for doughnuts like "triple chocolate penetration" (yikes) and "Memphis mafia." Click through to look at the larger size of the image.
They seemed to be low, so I just asked for a box of a dozen assorted doughnuts and ended up with this lovely selection of yummy items.
The first doughnut I ate was covered in crushed Chick-o-Stick candy. And, of course - I couldn't resist buying the t-shirt with their slogan "The magic is in the hole."
My friend had to get a "maple bacon" doughnut - which he said was better than the last time when the bacon was overcooked and crispy. Eww.
But, he looked pretty happy with it - but not as happy as Jon was to have vegan doughnuts and beer at the Trappist with me when I got home on Sunday.
RESULTS: Panopoly of Persimmon Chutney
The results: I confess. I got myself into trouble with the first two recipes. I don't know what I was thinking though I did run it by my friend Eric to eyeball it and didn't hear back from him before I started.
Next time, I think I will just press the persimmons in the ricer - that way I don't have to worry about scraping the skins and will get more juice and reduce the amount of chunks in the chutney.
Chutney #1 turned out nice and sweet with a good bite. Next time - I would halve the apricots, apples and raisins. I upped the amount of persimmons because they were lost in the mix.
Chutney #2 is lemony with a kick, the red pepper chunks held up but it was still way more.
Chutney #3 is citrusy-gingery-tart, might need a bit more cooking time - I will heat it up before canning it tonight and add the pomegranate seeds last.
Revised recipes below, I will make reduced quantity versions to post later:
Persimmon Chutney #1 - chunky, fruity, tart
25 ripe Hachiya persimmons, pulp only
6 c apple cider vinegar
6 c brown sugar
1/2 c ginger, minced
2 T chili powder
1/4 c mustard seed,whole
2 T coriander seed, crushed
3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cinnamon stick, whole
1 T whole cloves
8 c water
1.5 pounds dried apricot, chopped
3 3/4 c chopped onion
3 T finely minced garlic
4 chopped apples
1 c golden raisins
3 c raisins
1. Combine all ingredients except persimmons, vinegar & sugar, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft, stirring frequently until nearly all the juice is gone.
2. Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced.
3. Add the persimmon and simmer until tender and the chutney has come together into a chunky mixture, breaking up any large pieces of apple or onion as you go.
4. Simmer about as needed. Really long time because it's like 2 gallons of chutney you big dummy. Next time - less apricot, apples and stuff.
Persimmon Chutney #2 - salty/spicy
20 persimmons, pulp only
2 c apple cider vinegar
3 c sugar
2-3 large preserved Moroccan lemons (don't you have any in your fridge?)
1 red bell pepper, large, chopped
1 white onion, chopped fine
3 T red chili flakes
2 T fenugreek seed
1/4 c finely chopped raw ginger
1 T chopped garlic
1 c raisins
Combine all, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, stirring frequently until reduced. Taste & adjust spices, vinegar & sugar as necessary.
Persimmon Chutney #3 - sweet/spicy/citrus
15 persimmons, pulp only
2 c brown sugar
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
3/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 c pomegranate seeds
8 limes, juiced
3 c water
1 c dried cranberries
3 c red onion or scallion, chopped
6 small green pears, chopped
3 lg jalapenos, chopped
1/4 c fresh grated ginger
1. Combine all ingredients except persimmons, pomegranate seeds vinegar & sugar, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft.
2. Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced.
3. Add the persimmon and pomegranate seeds. Simmer until thick.
This one had very few changes and actually fit in one of my pots. When I reheat to can it tonight, I'll add the pomegranate seeds.
Next time, I think I will just press the persimmons in the ricer - that way I don't have to worry about scraping the skins and will get more juice and reduce the amount of chunks in the chutney.
Chutney #1 turned out nice and sweet with a good bite. Next time - I would halve the apricots, apples and raisins. I upped the amount of persimmons because they were lost in the mix.
Chutney #2 is lemony with a kick, the red pepper chunks held up but it was still way more.
Chutney #3 is citrusy-gingery-tart, might need a bit more cooking time - I will heat it up before canning it tonight and add the pomegranate seeds last.
Revised recipes below, I will make reduced quantity versions to post later:
Persimmon Chutney #1 - chunky, fruity, tart
25 ripe Hachiya persimmons, pulp only
6 c apple cider vinegar
6 c brown sugar
1/2 c ginger, minced
2 T chili powder
1/4 c mustard seed,whole
2 T coriander seed, crushed
3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cinnamon stick, whole
1 T whole cloves
8 c water
1.5 pounds dried apricot, chopped
3 3/4 c chopped onion
3 T finely minced garlic
4 chopped apples
1 c golden raisins
3 c raisins
1. Combine all ingredients except persimmons, vinegar & sugar, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft, stirring frequently until nearly all the juice is gone.
2. Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced.
3. Add the persimmon and simmer until tender and the chutney has come together into a chunky mixture, breaking up any large pieces of apple or onion as you go.
4. Simmer about as needed. Really long time because it's like 2 gallons of chutney you big dummy. Next time - less apricot, apples and stuff.
Persimmon Chutney #2 - salty/spicy
20 persimmons, pulp only
2 c apple cider vinegar
3 c sugar
2-3 large preserved Moroccan lemons (don't you have any in your fridge?)
1 red bell pepper, large, chopped
1 white onion, chopped fine
3 T red chili flakes
2 T fenugreek seed
1/4 c finely chopped raw ginger
1 T chopped garlic
1 c raisins
Combine all, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, stirring frequently until reduced. Taste & adjust spices, vinegar & sugar as necessary.
Persimmon Chutney #3 - sweet/spicy/citrus
15 persimmons, pulp only
2 c brown sugar
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
3/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 c pomegranate seeds
8 limes, juiced
3 c water
1 c dried cranberries
3 c red onion or scallion, chopped
6 small green pears, chopped
3 lg jalapenos, chopped
1/4 c fresh grated ginger
1. Combine all ingredients except persimmons, pomegranate seeds vinegar & sugar, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft.
2. Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced.
3. Add the persimmon and pomegranate seeds. Simmer until thick.
This one had very few changes and actually fit in one of my pots. When I reheat to can it tonight, I'll add the pomegranate seeds.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Panopoly of Persimmon Chutney Recipes
You know what they say about a watched pot, right? Well, persimmons are the same way - they are somewhat persnickety and as they slowly ripen 1-2 at a time, I was worried I'd never have enough ripe at one time to make chutney or jam.
Sure enough, a girl goes away for a fun weekend in Portland to visit her pals and returns to find nearly 50 water balloon squishy ripe persimmons (only one got moldy, thank you muchly!).
A review of persimmon chutney recipes and ingredients I want to use revealed this: there aren't a lot of persimmon chutney recipes out there that excite me and none of them are built for large quantities of persimmons calling for 1-4 persimmons at most.
C'mon people - we're talking serious home canning volume here! In the fine tradition of this blog, I spent some time composing some chutney recipes. I will test them tonight and modify the final recipes after adjusting to taste, but here are the three main contestants:
Persimmon Chutney #1 - chunky, fruity, tart
15-18 ripe Hachiya persimmons, pulp only
6 c apple cider vinegar
4 c sugar
1/2 c ginger, minced
1 T chili powder
1/8 - 1/4 c mustard seed,whole
2 T coriander seed, crushed
3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cinnamon stick, whole
1 T whole cloves
5-10 c water
2 pounds dried apricot
3 3/4 c chopped onion
7-10 cloves chopped garlic
4-5 chopped apples
3 3/4 cups golden raisins
3 c raisins
Persimmon Chutney #2 - salty/spicy
15-18 persimmons, pulp only
2 c apple cider vinegar
3 c sugar
2-3 large preserved Moroccan lemons (don't you have any in your fridge?)
1 red bell pepper, large, chopped
1 white onion, chopped fine
3 T red chili flakes
2 T fenugreek seed
1/4 c finely chopped raw ginger
6 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 c currants
Combine all, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, stirring frequently until reduced. Taste & adjust spices, vinegar & sugar as necessary.
Persimmon Chutney #3 - sweet/spicy/citrus
15-18 persimmons, pulp only
1 c unrefined white sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 c rice wine vinegar
1 c pomegranate seeds
8 limes, juiced
1 c dried cranberries
3 c red onion or scallion, chopped
6 small green pears, chopped
5 small red chilis, chopped (or jalapenos?)
1/4 c fresh grated ginger
Thoughts? Observations? Recommendations? Let me know before 7pm when I am going to be in the kitchen putting pots to bubble!
Sure enough, a girl goes away for a fun weekend in Portland to visit her pals and returns to find nearly 50 water balloon squishy ripe persimmons (only one got moldy, thank you muchly!).
A review of persimmon chutney recipes and ingredients I want to use revealed this: there aren't a lot of persimmon chutney recipes out there that excite me and none of them are built for large quantities of persimmons calling for 1-4 persimmons at most.
C'mon people - we're talking serious home canning volume here! In the fine tradition of this blog, I spent some time composing some chutney recipes. I will test them tonight and modify the final recipes after adjusting to taste, but here are the three main contestants:
Persimmon Chutney #1 - chunky, fruity, tart
15-18 ripe Hachiya persimmons, pulp only
6 c apple cider vinegar
4 c sugar
1/2 c ginger, minced
1 T chili powder
1/8 - 1/4 c mustard seed,whole
2 T coriander seed, crushed
3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cinnamon stick, whole
1 T whole cloves
5-10 c water
2 pounds dried apricot
3 3/4 c chopped onion
7-10 cloves chopped garlic
4-5 chopped apples
3 3/4 cups golden raisins
3 c raisins
- Combine all ingredients except persimmons, vinegar & sugar, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft, stirring frequently until nearly all the juice is gone.
- Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced.
- Add the persimmon and simmer until tender and the chutney has come together into a chunky mixture, breaking up any large pieces of apple or onion as you go.
- Simmer about 5 minutes more, as needed.
Persimmon Chutney #2 - salty/spicy
15-18 persimmons, pulp only
2 c apple cider vinegar
3 c sugar
2-3 large preserved Moroccan lemons (don't you have any in your fridge?)
1 red bell pepper, large, chopped
1 white onion, chopped fine
3 T red chili flakes
2 T fenugreek seed
1/4 c finely chopped raw ginger
6 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 c currants
Combine all, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, stirring frequently until reduced. Taste & adjust spices, vinegar & sugar as necessary.
Persimmon Chutney #3 - sweet/spicy/citrus
15-18 persimmons, pulp only
1 c unrefined white sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 c rice wine vinegar
1 c pomegranate seeds
8 limes, juiced
1 c dried cranberries
3 c red onion or scallion, chopped
6 small green pears, chopped
5 small red chilis, chopped (or jalapenos?)
1/4 c fresh grated ginger
- Combine all ingredients except persimmons, pomegranate seeds vinegar & sugar, bring to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until soft.
- Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced.
- Add the persimmon and pomegranate seeds. Simmer until thick.
Thoughts? Observations? Recommendations? Let me know before 7pm when I am going to be in the kitchen putting pots to bubble!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Fall Farmer's Market Cooking Class at Millennium
Photos are up from the Fall Farmer's Market Cooking Class at Millennium - in this photo, Chef Eric Tucker demonstrates how to assemble a rustic galette filled with braised greens.
Matt's Log Cabin Quilt
Finally done - I'll have to go back to get better photos in more favorable light...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Adopt a Turkey!
ADOPT A TURKEY!Thanks to Urban Vegan's post on the Farm Sanctuary's Turkey Adoption Program, several people I know are going to get Turkey Adoption Certificates for their birthdays!
If you're still looking for places to donate for charitable tax deductions, Farm Sanctuary is a great organization to consider.
Even though Prop 2 passed in California, the treatment and slaughter of turkeys is still a widely cruel and inhumane practice. Check the FS site for more details on turkeys.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Persimmons & Mushrooms
PERSIMMONS: I'm still up to my ears in persimmons - they are ripening about 2-3 per day now. I'm going to make fruit leather and the Excalibur is humming along, drying slices of persimmon into sugary, translucent, chewy treats. Even though I slice the persimmons at 1/8" to 1/4" - they still dehydrate down quite thinly.
MUSHROOMS: Nothing yet! Trips to the Oakland Hills and Lagunitas yielded some mushy oversize oyster mushrooms - at least Veronica got to see some mushrooms on her first trip out! Hoping to find porcini on Sunday - we just need another splash of rain and hopefully they'll be pinning and pop.
CALLING ALL PORTLAND BLOGGERS! If you could pick one Portland vegan restaurant, which would it be? VooDoo Doughnuts doesn't count.
MUSHROOMS: Nothing yet! Trips to the Oakland Hills and Lagunitas yielded some mushy oversize oyster mushrooms - at least Veronica got to see some mushrooms on her first trip out! Hoping to find porcini on Sunday - we just need another splash of rain and hopefully they'll be pinning and pop.
CALLING ALL PORTLAND BLOGGERS! If you could pick one Portland vegan restaurant, which would it be? VooDoo Doughnuts doesn't count.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Ladybug bacchanal
James and I went for a hike today and came upon part of the trail that was dripping with ladybugs - millions of them. Click through to see the other shots and look at some of the large versions of the photos...
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Fall Harvest Cooking Class at Millennium
Hey folks - check out the Fall Harvest Cooking Class at Millennium. The classes are a lot of fun - I will be there on Sunday and hope to see you there!
Fall Harvest Cooking Class
Sunday November 9th, 2008
10am-3pm (approx), $135/person
With a plentiful Thanksgiving upon us & nary an inspiration for a holiday menu, let chef Eric teach you a few new tricks... Optional opportunity to meet the farmers that provide for Millennium & it's guests: join Eric Saturday November 8th @ the Ferry Building for a guided tour through the Farmer's Market. Gather up your produce for the week & talk about the finishing touches to the class's menu the following day...10am @ the CUESA information booth located in the front of the building, just below the clock tower.
Fall Harvest Cooking Class
Sunday November 9th, 2008
10am-3pm (approx), $135/person
With a plentiful Thanksgiving upon us & nary an inspiration for a holiday menu, let chef Eric teach you a few new tricks... Optional opportunity to meet the farmers that provide for Millennium & it's guests: join Eric Saturday November 8th @ the Ferry Building for a guided tour through the Farmer's Market. Gather up your produce for the week & talk about the finishing touches to the class's menu the following day...10am @ the CUESA information booth located in the front of the building, just below the clock tower.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Persimmon Harvest
Today, James and I picked about 137 pounds (he weighed them) of Hachiya persimmons. They aren't quite ripe - I'll be spreading them out on newspaper on the floor in my spare room. Hannah is getting a flat rate box with 10.5 lbs of them this week. I'll be making chutney, jam and attempting some dehydration experiments... photos coming soon!
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