An Ode to my Grandmother

My 102 year old Grandmother died recently and left a vast legacy of love, warmth and delicious recipes behind. I loved her German coffeecakes the best but this recipe for Plum Kuchen is my all-time favorite. It is yeasty and substantial yet moist and light - all at the same time. And oh-so-PLUMMY ! Mine is not quite as magical as hers but it reminds me of her and her wondrous baking skills all the same. This is a truly unique recipe worthy of the extra time it takes.


German Plum StreuselKuchen

2 1/4 teaspoons or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105–110°F)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup sugar , divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt -at room temperature
1 large egg, warmed in shell in warm water five minutes
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened, divided
3/4 pound firm-ripe Italian prune plums (about 4 small), halved and pitted

Streusel topping : 1/2 cup flour , 1/2 cup sugar , 1 stick of butter

Stir together yeast and warm water in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about five minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Add two cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, yogurt, egg, zest, and vanilla to yeast mixture and mix at medium-low speed 1 minute. Beat in one stick of the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and shiny, about five minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.) Scrape down side of bowl and sprinkle dough with remaining two tablespoons flour. Cover bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.Beat down dough and set aside.

Spread remaining two tablespoons butter in bottom of an 8- or 9-inch pie pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar.Press dough into pie pan evenly. Cut each plum half or into five or six slices and arrange in one layer in concentric circles in dough ( or however you like ). Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Can be refrigerated before baked , if desired.

Make streusels with 1/2 cup flour , 1/2 cup sugar, 1 stick of butter ( cold) broken into pea-sized bits . ( this is easier to do with bare hands - incorporating all until it is crumbly - if it gets too mushy add to fridge for a few minutes .)

Add streusel topping before baking - spread evenly on top of plums.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Bake until kuchen is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for a good 30 minutes in pan.

Best eaten the same day but i love it even a few days old & cold straight from the fridge- it changes texture but this is not always a bad thing !

Preserving the Past

Well , it is the beginning of Harvest season here in Virginia - when the fruits and vegetables of the summer season are at their peak and the Autumn berries and root vegetables are coming into their own.

It was a difficult growing season this year , with our alternate wet season and then drought . A lot of my plants rotted earlier on in the season and late in the summer , withered and died. What did survive , held its own and has proven itself worthy of permanent residence in my new garden.
Gardening in Virginia is much different than in New England from where i hail.

For one there is an incredibly long growing season here - but not without its own challenges. Keeping a garden alive , thriving and fruitful here has proven to be a challenge . There are more pests to contend with for one - and they are ever-present , not so seasonal as in Massachusetts. As i am an Organic gardener this means hyper-diligence in pest control . I find myself handpicking loopers and aphids on a daily basis ( to help out the ladybugs and parasitic wasps that thankfully thrive here, too.) Not a job for the squeamish . And i have to hide them from my two year old son who loves ALL insects and lovingly refers to them all as ' bees' . He knows not of the insect caste system nor the term ' pest' . I will let him revel in his Shangri-la a little longer before recruiting him for 'squash' duty !

But i digress - the real reason for this post is to celebrate the greatness of the heirloom tomato - in all her striped and mottled glory. How hardy are these lovely orbs of succulence ! They survived all the plights of lesser more modern hybrids - blossom end rot , et all. and actually thrived this summer.
They have provided my kitchen with endless sources of delight. Whether sliced raw and warm off the vine with a fresh buffalo mozzarella and tender basil leaves, a rich olive oil drizzled on top ,making the freshest salad of the season or sliced and toasted on top of buttery english muffins in the morning with steaming mugs of cafe au lait - these rubenesque beauties are the very epitome of all that is good about summer. I hesitate to even cook them into a sauce - they are that good - just as they are - straight off the plant. Some of my favorite were "Mr. Stripey- a pale red with fine green striping , a pink beefsteak tomato named "Aunt Ginny's Purple and of course the popular "Brandywine" which is so dark it is almost purple. All of them delicious and worthy of a spot in any garden.
I have grown many varieties - old and new over the years and my heart always ends up with the Heirloom varieties . Not only important to preserve for ecological diversity but for the history of farming and this country's ancestral roots which spread out across the globe and back. It is important to remember where our food comes from . A new book on that very subject addresses this "agrarian blindness" that proliferates modern America ( and the world ) to great effect. It is called Kitchen Literacy : How we lost the knowledge of where food comes from and why we need it back- by Ann Vileisis . I highly recommend it.

Another good reason to grow your own Heirloom vegetables is that they almost always taste better and make for better cooking and preserving due to the fact that shipping long distance and shelf life aren't an issue. These are meant to be grown and enjoyed locally. It is also fun to see the amazing array of colors and shapes available in the vegetable world . Think primary colors versus an artist's palette. And by collecting your own seed after the harvest is done you will ensure another year of abundance in your own garden. Most hybrid seed is sterile , this is rarely the case with heirlooms.i saved seeds from my dill , bronze fennel , cilantro, thai basil and parsley so far ( see above) and i will be collecting beans, squash and tomato seeds in a few more weeks . I will let the last of the harvest go to seed and then dry on the vine before i gather them before the first frost .

Here are some useful links to get started on your own heirloom garden .

The Seed Saver's Exchange

Halcyon.com

The Fruits of My Labor

This is the first harvest of my garden for the year . A lovely,vibrant English cucumber , a pale striped Caserta zucchini squash , Blue Lake green beans , Cherokee wax beans , Purple Queen beans , grape tomatoes and a handful of blackberries. They are arranged on a handmade Seminole basket i received from a friend many moons ago.

My garden is 100% Organic and i have very little trouble with pests as i have quite a few helpful birds, insects and arachnids that help keep them at bay. When i have aphids galore i find a good squirt with the hose does the trick . As a last resort i use a bio-degradable organic garden soap but i am not so sure it doesn't hurt the helpful bugs so i only use it when in dire need. I find hand -picking helps , too. While i am out admiring my handi-work it is easy enough to toss a beetle ot two to the hungry birds trying to feed the newest clutch of hatchlings.


I must give some credit to my two year old son , as well . He helped to plant the Heirloom seeds that produced such lovely fruit . I hope to instill a love of the earth and gardening in him that will stick . It is in my blood , my family has a long line of farmers and Native gardeners in its history but my Dad and his love of gardening ( and willingness to share it with me as a young child ) is what sealed it in my heart to this day . A seed planted early is guaranteed to sprout roots.
Thanks , Dad .

New Favorite Organic Dairy Foods

These two 'Super' foods are delicious , tangy and unbelievably good for you i can't believe they can help you maintain a healthy weight , too. Recent studies have proven that dairy can help burn fat as part of a healthy low-fat diet.

Kefir is that ancient food of the gods from the Caucuses that keeps the old folk living into the hundreds of years. It is available in several lowfat versions as well as whole milk .
It makes a mean smoothie , too.


Skyr is an Icelandic delight akin to Greek yogurt but even better AND it has a whopping 16 grams of protein per serving , zero fat and is thick and creamy enough to be used as a dessert.

I am so happy to add back some dairy to my diet . I am slightly lactose intolerant and have pretty much stuck to organic yogurt so it is nice to have new options.
(Thanks Whole Foods ! )

I now eat both of these everyday and highly recommend them .
They adapt well to recipes and are luscious just as they are , too.

Sage and Mint Tea

Botanical images from Botanical.com

Steep an equal handful of fresh sage and fresh peppermint leaves in boiling water for 5-6 minutes . Add honey to taste.

I am in the process of weaning my two-year old son and this tea is traditionally used to help dry up a nursing mother's milk but is truly delicious and refreshing and will not harm anyone who does not fit the above description. That's why i share it here .
A sympathy cup , anyone ?
A cup of hot tea seems to help soothe my sadness...

Pure Comfort Food

This is a dish that i dream about on cold, winter nights.
It takes a few additional steps but is oh , so worth it . It is good to make when you are bored or lonely or even sickly. I dragged my miserable achy body out of bed to make this last night and never regretted the effort it took .
Goodbye , flu here come the troops ...


A word to the wise - don't over work the dumpling dough if you like fluffy light, melt in your mouth dumplings and use all organic produce if you can for a really outstanding dish.

Chicken & Herbed Dumplings


Ingredients

for stock -

1 4-6 lb. organic or free-range chicken ( make a HUGE difference )
2 bay leaves
1 tblspoon of Crazy-mixed -up salt ( this is my secret ingredient)
a handful of peppercorns
the tops of one bunch of celery ( with leaves)
4 carrots , unpeeled
2 onions chopped into quarters, unpeeled
Fill a large stockpot with water to cover chicken adequately

simmer all of the above for an hour or more until chicken is almost falling off the bone
(on medium-low heat - NOT boiling )

Cool and strain , reserving liquid which is now the stock for the base of this dish, carefully removing chicken carcass and stripping to remove all of the meat.

for the chicken stew -

In a large enameled casserole stock-pot Heat the following ingredients :

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
5 large celery ribs , chopped
4 large carrots , chopped
1 large onion , chopped
when softened add 2 tablespoons or more of flour to coat and heat until lightly browned
add enough vermouth to deglaze the bottom of pan then-
add enough stock to fill three quarters of the pot , add the reserved chicken , a good handfull of chopped fresh parsley and 1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas, stirring until well mixed

to make the dumplings -

Mix 2 cups of flour , 1 teaspoon salt , 1 tablespoon of baking powder , chopped herbs of your choice ( about 1/2 cup) - add 3/4 cups whole milk , 1/4 cup buttermilk and three tablespoons of butter that have been heated and stir into dry ingredients , folding carefully to keep mixture airy . Dollop into simmering stew and cook for 15-18 minutes covered .

Voila !
Comfort for the cold , weary and infirm ( and just plain sick of Winter folks )

For Your Sweetheart

Creme Brulee

9 egg yolks 3/4 cup superfine white sugar plus 6 tablespoons 1 quart heavy cream 1 vanilla beanPreheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Pour cream into a medium saucepan over low heat. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean down the middle, scrape out the seeds and add them to saucepan. Bring cream to a brief simmer, do not boil or it will overflow. Remove from heat and temper the yolks by gradually whisking the hot vanilla cream into yolk and sugar mixture. Do not add hot cream too quickly or the eggs will cook. Divide custard into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins, about 3/4 full. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill pan with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until barely set around the edges, about 40 minutes. You may want to cover loosely with foil to prevent browning. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Transfer the ramekins to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours. When ready to serve - Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each chilled custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above surface to brown the sugar and form a crust. Garnish with cookies and fresh fruit, if desired. Serve while still bubbly and warm ... recipe adapted from Tyler Florence