Short and Sweet

...is the lifespan of fig season.  Picked ripe from the tree, once you have your hands on some there is precious little time before they begin to spoil.  When fresh figs are available, I feel that I'm under the gun to get some and make something fabulous.  I bought two pounds of California Black Figs from Trader Joe's on Sunday night, because I had Monday off from the day job (more truthfully, the day, night, and weekend job).  I was originally planning on making Melinda Lee's Candied Figs recipe, thinking I could make a big batch and use them for Christmas gifts, but then I starting thinking about fig cake and Googling away for ideas.

What did I end up making?  I posted on Facebook that I had two pounds of figs and wasn't sure what to make with them, and two friends were kind enough to send suggestions.  The first idea was to top a pizza with figs, gorgonzola and pine nuts, and the other was to make preserves.  So I ended up making a fig, Gorgonzola and pancetta galette, fig jam, AND the fig cake.

Don't ask me to choose a favourite.  They're all delicious.  The galette was a wonderful dinner with an arugula salad, the fig cake is one of those rustic, good-for-anytime cakes with a perfume of fig and lemon.  It smells so Italian to me and with an espresso, topped the night.  The fig jam has citrus notes from both orange zest and a healthy dose of triple sec.   I'm tempted to make just a small amount of ricotta and have some crusty sliced bread topped with the cheese and jam.  Just so you know, National Fig Week is November 1-7.  Obviously, I couldn't wait that long to celebrate.

Fig, Gorgonzola and Pancetta Galette
(adapted from Saveur's Leek and Zucchini Galette recipe)

for the crust:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
4-6 tablespoons ice water

for the filling:

10-12 figs, quartered
1/3 cup onion, thinly sliced
4 slices pancetta, chopped
2/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
2 tablespoons butter

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles rough crumbs.  Add water tablespoon by tablespoon until dough comes together but isn't too sticky (for me it's between 4 and 5 tbs).  Form into a disc and refrigerate for an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter and saute figs and onions until onions are softened.  Remove from heat.  In smaller pan, cook pancetta until it just begins to brown.  (It will finish cooking in the oven.)  Mix figs, onion and pancetta together to let flavours mingle while waiting for dough to chill.

When dough is ready, on floured board, roll dough to roughly 1/4 inch thickness and about 12-14 inches round.  Add fig mixture to dough leaving about an inch and a half edge of crust all around.  Top mixture with crumbled Gorgonzola and fold edges up.  Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 45-50 minutes.

Fig Jam
(makes about a cup)

12-14 figs, cut in quarters
6 oz water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons triple sec or Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon orange zest
pinch of lemon zest

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly.  Lower heat and let simmer until mixture begins to thicken, about 25 minutes.  Stir frequently to keep jam from scorching.  Remove from heat and let sit.  Jam will thicken further.  You can use a potato masher to smash the fruit even more, if you like.  Store in refrigerator.  

The fig cake recipe came from the 'Lemon and Anchovies' blog and can be found here.  I followed the recipe exactly and still feel it doesn't need any tweaking.

A Taste of the Tropics

I have friends (Hi Cathy and Mike!) that packed up a couple of years ago and left Los Angeles for Austin, TX.  Rarely does a day go by where I don't miss them and still wish they lived here.  Selfish, I know!  I consider myself a lucky girl to have them in my life, even if they don't live 15 minutes away anymore.

One of the bonuses of living in Los Angeles is there being a good chance that you'll have a fruit tree in your backyard.  Though not nearly as numerous as the groves once were years ago before L.A. became so populated, you'll still find them.  I just noticed a couple of days ago that a house two doors down has a pomegranate tree (and they're looking close to ripe!).  I'm considering being a friendly neighbour and getting to know them and get some fruit off that tree.  But, back to my original point.  Cathy and Mike's backyard had fruit trees, including a guava tree.  Two summers ago, I came home after one visit with a massive amount of guava and not a clue as to what to do with it.  I finally decided on cookies, nothing fancy, but that would showcase the guava.  I had some desiccated coconut on hand and thought it would make for a tropical treat.  Those cookies were delicious and popular.

I still had guava nectar in the freezer and thought of those cookies last week.  I also had coconut, so I thought I'd give the cookies another go-round because I hadn't made them in well over a year.  Yeah, they are still fabulous.  But do me a favour, okay?  Don't tell the people I work with.  I don't always share.  This batch stayed with me, (except for a dozen that I did part with.  Hello, willing new tester!).  I know, I know...selfish!  I think you would be too.

Guava-Coconut Cookies
(Adapted from Thick White Cookies by Jean Pare in 'Company's Coming: Cookies')


1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup guava nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt


Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars  until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg.  Add milk, vanilla and guava nectar.  Mix until well-combined.  Combine all dry ingredients and mix to incorporate.  Add in thirds to butter and sugar until mixed in.  Turn dough onto floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thickness.  Use  whatever cookie cutter or biscuit cutter you like to form shapes.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to cooling rack.  Will make roughly 2 1/2 dozen 2-inch cookies.  


*You could probably use flake coconut, though I never have.  I like the desiccated coconut because it gives it a tiny bit of crunch.  You can also sprinkle sugar on top of the cookies before baking.  These will puff up considerably because of the cream of tartar, so unless you want little cookie pillows, do be sure to roll the dough out to 1/4 inch.  

I Did Say...

...I'd share photos if I made that peach cake I mentioned in my last post.  I most certainly did make that cake, 100+ degrees be damned.  Once again, the people I work with win big time, because they get the end results more times than not.  I can only imagine the amount of weight I would gain if I kept it all at home.  I am thankful for a group of appreciative guinea pigs for what comes out of the kitchen.

I don't know how much baking will get done this week.  The work schedule is going to be a crazy one, but I just finished reading Susan Herrmann Loomis' 'On Rue Tatin' and  copied two recipes from it.  No surprise that both are for cakes.

The house is smelling fabulous at the moment.  I'm making vegetable stock...just because.  Actually, I brought home two very large spaghetti squash from a friend's garden this past week and I'm going to try making a soup with one of them, hence the stock.  I also brought  home a large handful of cherry tomatoes.  I had come across this recipe on the Food 52 site (one of my new go-to spots on the 'net).  Candied tomatoes...just that was enough to pique my curiosity.  I didn't make the whole recipe because well...no good reason other than it was late.  I will try it soon.  But I will say the tomatoes are delicious.  I also made a sweet onion marmalade-ish condiment.  Seriously, I need to entertain.  I make all these nosh-y little items that just beg for a bottle of wine and good conversation to go along with this food.

Who's in?

It's Too Darn Hot...

...to be cooking this week.  I've seen the temperature inch up to 108 degrees for the past two days and it doesn't look as though it's going to get any better until the middle of next week.  So, I have discovered that I can easily live on antipasti platters....for multiple days in a row and multiple times in one day.  The most daring that I've been in the kitchen over the past few days has been making more ricotta (I am obsessed.) and pasta.  Believe me, it's not for lack of desire.  I found a recipe for a peach cake that I am dying to make.  I bought peaches the other night, but cannot bring myself to turn on the oven.  I may just say 'to hell with it' and turn the oven on tomorrow, with desire for peach cake winning out over the need to stay cool.  Perhaps a morning baking session?  I'll share the results.

But all has not been at a standstill in the household.  Some of you may know that I've been considering starting a food -based business.  I've spent quite a bit of time trying to answer the 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' question and I find myself coming back to food.  I went out with a friend last weekend and batting ideas back and forth finally narrowed my vision.  Then I went to a dinner party at another friend's house earlier this week and in talking with her brother, who told me repeatedly to 'follow my dreams,' it began to sink in.  As did the advice of not waiting for the 'right time' because there is no 'right time' and if I wait, I'll never do it.

I took a step forward on Wednesday.  I am going to learn everything I need to start this baby.  I'm going to write a business plan, find out what licenses and certifications I need, marketing....you name it.  I don't expect it to be easy.  But it's high time I take a jump into this world and try something new and big and scary.  What I have now isn't too much, but it's a beginning.  I'm calling it the front door.  Over time, the door will inch open little by little as my plan rounds out.  Let me introduce you to my new venture...hell, my new ADventure:

Semplice Gourmet

....and because the weekend just screams for some old school sounds....have a little Ella with your morning coffee:

It's a Science...

...baking, that is.  Exact measurements, ideal conditions...all hopefully leading to a gorgeous, crusty on the outside, light and airy on the inside loaf of bread to come out of the oven.  Have I mentioned that I was never a fan of science in school?  I was a much bigger fan of literature and art.  Maybe that's why I still haven't baked a loaf of bread that I've been totally happy with.  Sure, there's that photo of a nice looking boule I made last year in the header of this blog (right up there!).  I can do pretty darn well with scones, cookies, cupcakes, muffins and cakes.  But bread....bread is elusive to me.

I had such high hopes for today's attempt.  Armed with a brand new bag of flour, I was determined to knock it out of the park.  Greek Olive Bread....how could it go wrong?  It would have one of my absolutely favourite things in it....oil-cured olives.  Wrinkly, briny, oily and oh-so-good.  Half an onion.  I imaged the crust snapping loudly when I put a blade to it, still steaming from the oven heat.  Slathered in butter...it would be beyond delicious.

My first hint that something was amiss was how hard it was to knead.  Not just because I was trying to incorporate both the olives and chopped onions; it was unyielding, fighting my hands at every turn.  I managed to get it to a point where I thought it was acceptable to let it rise.  Fast-forward an hour and a half.  I looked into the plastic wrap-covered bowl.  It wasn't pretty.  But it rose, so I thought...well, maybe it won't be too bad.  Usually after its risen, it's malleable enough to give it a good punch or two and I can knead it a bit more.  Nope.  Not this time.  Barely was I able to work my fingers through the dough again.  I managed to make two slightly larger than softball sized loaves and let them bake away for 40 minutes.  They baked to a lovely golden brown, speckled with olives.  I even tapped one and heard the hollow thump that recipes say you'll hear.  When I cut one of the loaves open, it wasn't light and airy.  It was doughy and a bit dense.  It's not bad...it's just not good.  I'm tempted to take the one I haven't sliced and bat it around.  Or, had I thought about it, I could have made them golf-ball sized.  Then I'd be able to pack them into a big ole Ziploc bag, grab my golf clubs, head over to the driving range and whack the crap out of them.  Hell, at least my swing would get some practice.

I will perfect this bread-baking skill.  I didn't buy a 10-lb bag of flour for nothing.

That's them.  Not too pretty.

Eliopsomo/Olive Bread
From Modern Greek:  170 Contemporary Recipes from the Mediterranean by Andy Harris

Happily, if you want to try it yourself, you can find the recipe in Google Books.

South of the Border

...down Mexico way...thanks, Frank...but we're going a little further South to El Salvador.  I love discovering new foods that I've never heard of.  So many cultures, so much food to try.  While I may not like it all, I'm willing to give it a go.

I love finding new food websites out there in the world wide interwebz.  If you have a chance, do check out Food52.  Recipes, contests, shopping, and more are here.  I first discovered it when they were having their Best Gluten Free recipe contest and came across the recipe for Salvadoran quesadillas.  Posted by Sasha at Global Table Adventure, they looked amazing and delicious.  You also need to check out Sasha's website.  Her goal is to cook foods from 195 countries in 195 weeks, a daunting adventure that I am not soon to take up.  You will also easily get sucked into her site and find loads of recipes you'll want to make yourself.

These little goodies are not what you think of when 'quesadilla' comes to mind.  Instead of tortillas sandwiched with cheese and other fillings, they're little cakes full of butter.  Dense, cheesy, and a little nutty with sesame.  Sasha says they're eaten for breakfast in El Salvador.  I made them for brunch this morning and had one later in the day as a snack.  It will be difficult to not eat the whole batch at breakfast.  I'm looking at the leftovers now thinking 'just one more.'  But I'll be good....and wait for tomorrow morning.  Just me, a big steaming cup of coffee and those four little cakes.

Salvadoran Quesadillas
(Adapted from Global Table Adventure's recipe)
Makes 8

1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tin.  In a small bowl, combine the rice flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.  In larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light.  Add egg and mix well.  Add yogurt, cheese and flour mixture and mix well.  Spoon batter into muffin tin about half-way in each well.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  The edges will be golden brown.  Let cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

If you checked out the recipe on Sasha's site, you'll notice that I substituted both the cotija cheese and sour cream.  I plan to make these again with all the ingredients she used, but I don't think I missed out much by substituting.

Summer Staycation

Here we are.  Day 2 of my Summer Staycation.  After working 10 days without any time off in between, three of those days starting with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up call, and putting in a huge effort for a big project at the day job, to say that I was looking forward to my time off would be an understatement.  I started a countdown last week.

It's been fabulous so far.  I don't require a lot.  Day One started with breakfast in downtown L.A. with a dear friend.  Day Two actually got my ass back in the gym after only making it there once early in the week.  It also included a stop at the Salvation Army, where I scored a vintage 60's swing coat.  That coat is in near perfect condition and it costs me $5.40.  I also bought two creme brulee ramekins for .72c each.  They'll be perfect for photographing goodies.  I've been playing my Frank Sinatra station on Pandora all day, the breeze is blowing through the house, the day is gorgeous.

Lest you think the Staycation does not involve cooking, you are wrong.  Thursday night I made that amazing Cherry-Amaretto jam-syrup-chutney thingy that I made a few weeks ago (though this time with a mix of Rainier and Bing cherries), and yesterday I made ricotta...yes, again.  I fear that I am forever ruined and will never go back to store bought.  (Not that I have a problem with that!)  Smitten Kitchen's ricotta recipe is beyond amazing, with a 3:1 whole milk to heavy whipping cream ratio.  I tweak mine with lemon zest, which adds a nice zing to the creaminess.  I'm going to give a go at making Gjetost with the leftover whey.  Hell, maybe this will lead to a career as a cheesemonger.  Who knows?

Plenty more will be made this week, kids.  Stay tuned.

Ricotta and a whole lotta whey