Archive for the ‘Fat Free’ Category
Trio of preserves
Jams and marmalades this season
Black berry jam:
It is the end of the season here, and I picked up 2 lbs of blackberry at 1/2 the usual price!
Rinse, crush, and add 1 lb sugar. Add juice of 1 lemon reserving the zest. Cook on medium until candy thermometer reads 220 F. Switch off flame, add zest of the lemon and proceed to can.
Flour, salt, yeast …
Homemade bread
I have been struggling with making bread off and on for the last decade. I had given up but Mark Bittman’s “no-knead” bread got me going again. After several attempts that resulted in uncooked center, I think I have found my mojo … It is no Acme but works fine accompanied by soups and in recipes like bread puddings and garlic bread.
My favorite breakfast: A slice of thick cut Acme sourdough – lightly buttered (would have mentioned a smear of clotted cream in my past) with a dollop of bitter orange marmalade and cup of Blue Bottle coffee…
Tasty oatmeal – morning dessert
Breakfast oatmeal served with caramelized figs, toasted walnuts and homemade orange marmalade
I decided to give oatmeal a try after watching Alton Brown.
Before steel cut oatmeal became part of my daily diet, I had unsuccessfully tried several instant oatmeal versions. The steel cut variety is actually tasty. The grains are bigger resulting in chewier texture and the flavor is distinctly nuttier. Here is my dessert like version that is tastier than AB’s.
Chocolatey chocolate biscotti
Chocolate biscotti
Here is a link to our favorite chocolate biscotti recipe from David Lebovitz. When had along with an excellent cup of coffee (e.g. Blue Bottle), this is chocolate and coffee heaven.
We rarely make variations on this one but for this batch, we used dried apricot kernels (source: Trader Joe’s).
Skin to seed of tomatoes – part 3 – Green tomatoes
Green Tomatoes
I can’t beat my local Farmer’s market in quality of heirloom tomatoes but in Bay Area, where green tomatoes are non-existent in the marketplace, growing your own tomato plant has this added bonus.
Wait to for the tomatoes to achieve their full size. Pick when still green and very firm.
In Indian cooking, green tomatoes are used like ripe ones – only difference is in color of the curry and tartness. Here are couple of multi-purpose (and cross-cultural) fat free recipes using green tomatoes.
