Pecan Kisses√

When I first arrived in Gainesville I became obsessed with sour oranges. My new friend Corky had a sour orange tree in her garden - a good orange tree turned 'native' after a hurricane. Her tree was full of oranges. She had been letting them fall to the ground and rot for many years. I experimented with sour oranges - cooking nearly everything that asked for key limes - and finding Sour Orange Pie (with a pecan shortbread crust) to be a hands-down winner. I couldn't get enough oranges. She stripped her tree and I filled my freezer with one cup portions of juice and grated rind so I wouldn't get withdrawals when the sour orange season was over. Here's the problem - I made so many dishes that involved egg yolks my fridge became literally overrun with egg whites. I don't particularly like meringues so I searched for a way to make a 'cookie' that uses up the exact number of egg whites that are left over after making a fruit curd or a sour orange pie!
Here they are! Divine little dairy-and-wheat/gluten free, meringue-like cookies. They use less than half the sugar of other similar recipes. Depending on how long you cook them they are crisp and crunchy (better than biscotti!), or soft and chewy! It is impossible to eat one of them. I have known grown men to eat 10 or more in one sitting!
This recipe makes about 40 tablespoon size cookies or about 60-80 small ones and is really quick and easy to cook up!

Ingredients
5 eggs (about a cup of egg whites) at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup soft brown sugar
2 cups of ground pecans (or 1 cup ground and 1 cup roughly chopped)

Turn the oven on to 250 degrees
Whisk the egg whites & salt till they form soft peaks.
Add the sugar gradually and carry on whisking until the peaks are stiffer (it's possible to get stiff whites with confectioner's sugar but the flavor isn't the same).
Fold in the pecans.
Line 3 cookie sheets or pans with lightly greased parchment. *
Drop even sized spoonfuls with half inch gaps (they shouldn't spread much).

Cook for 45 minutes (for chewy cookies)
Cook for one hour or a bit longer (for crisper cookies).

* Use a flavorless oil like safflower or sunflower or canola. I often don't bother greasing the parchment - once they are cool I peel off the paper carefully so as not to leave any on the cookies!

Sour Orange Pie√

This is key lime pie without the bitter edge, without the ghastly after-taste of citric acid that comes in every bottle of key lime juice and/or without the time-consuming work of squeezing a bagful of slippery key limes.

This is a pie to die for - it is utterly, exquisitely, eye-rollingly delicious. The crust needs a little work - it is a pecan, shortbread crust that is pretty damn good but I would like it to be a little crisper - a little more cookie-like, so that the juxtaposition between the crisp base and the soft filling create a kind of edible symphony! I achieved this one time but didn't make a note of the proportions I used. Grrr. The lovely orange flavors ring through more clearly than with a sweet orange and the rind colors it as well. One time I tried to intensify the color of the filling using prickly pear juice - I forgot that purple + white (milk) = pink and I ended up with the most disgusting looking pie in the world - the color of pepto-bismol. We ate that one with our eyes closed.

Ingredients for one 9-10" pie

The Pecan Shortcrust Base
6 oz flour
4 oz ground pecans (or chopped and toasted if you want a crunchy base)
5 oz brown sugar
6 oz cold unsalted butter
Turn the oven to 300 degrees
~Process the flour and butter lightly (or cut then rub the butter into the flour)
~Fold in brown sugar and the nuts~Add a little ice water to make it stick together~Pat into a buttered/floured pan. Use the bottom of a flat glass to flatten it gently.
~Bake for 45 mins or until light brown and smelling heavenly.

Set aside to cool for an hour or two. This helps with the final texture of the base – if you add the filling when it's still warm the base will be softer.

While you are waiting for it to cool you can separate the egg yolks from the whites and make a batch of Pecan Meringue Kisses!

Quicker, Easier Crust
2/3 cup rice flour
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter
pinch salt

Throw everything into a bowl and microwave on high for 30-45 minutes (until the butter is soft/melting). Beat it all until well mixed. Press into a 10" pan and prick with a fork.
Bake at 300 degrees for 45-55 minutes - until golden brown. Cool completely.

Quickest Crust of All
Of course you can use a pre-fabricated Graham Pie Crust and I often do ... they are just fine. I also squeeze a ton of oranges at once and freeze them in one cup batches so I can whip up a quick pie at a moments notice in a few quick minutes!!!

The Sour Orange Filling
5 large egg yolks
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of sour orange juice
grated rind of 2 oranges or lemons

Turn the oven to 350 degreesBlend all ingredients for 20 seconds or whisk like crazy for a good minute.Pour into the cake pan and bake for 25-30 mins (to set the pie and kill the salmonella!)
If you add more juice it will need to be cooked a bit longer.
When it puffs up just a little and bubbles start forming it is done.Finishing TouchesTop it with some berries - in an untidy, uneven pile, or arranged carefully around the edge so every slice gets one (or more!)
A sprinkling of flowers from the garden are lovely
A mandala of small edible leaves (mint, lemon balm or cranberry hibiscus are perfect)!

Eat It!This pie is delectable warm, delicious cold, even better the next day.
Serve it with cream and/or a raspberry coulis (fresh raspberry sauce), or chopped strawberries.It lasts a good week in the fridge (not mine!) but remember that the crust becomes softer over time.

Working Notes!
If you prefer your pies more tart than sweet then add the juice of one lemon to ‘brighten’ it.
There’s no way around the tin of condensed milk – it’s a strange ingredient for a whole food nut but it works like nothing else.
Switch out the pecans for walnuts or hazelnuts.
The rind adds color and deepens the orange flavors in the tart. You can omit it if you like or replace the orange with lemon rind.
If you use lemon juice or rind try a Meyer’s lemon (my personal favorite) which has a slight tangerine tang to it.
Use a 'rasp' to grate the rind - it's super quick and easy and you only get the aromatic outside i.e. none of the white at all.

Update - A Happy Accident
We went to Sabina and Zeeb's beautiful new house for dinner tonight and they made a yummy fondue. I took a sour orange pie for desert but forgot to separate the eggs - I just threw 5 whole eggs into the blender and whizzed them with a cup of sour orange juice, some meyers' lemon juice and a can of sweetened condensed milk. I had to bake it for longer to set it (about 45 minutes). Instead of the thin dense pie the whole eggs made a lighter, slightly custardy tart. It was absolutely delicious. Maybe more so ...




Perfection
I never make my own crust any more - the ready bought organic graham crusts are the best. I use 3 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs with 1 can of sweetened, condensed milk, 1 cup of sour orange juice, the juice of a lemon topped up to 1/3 of a cup with sour orange juice, the grated rind of 2 tangerines. This makes 2 pies to die for.
Baked at 350 for 20-25 minutes they are perfection warm.


Use a pan with a removable side if you make your own crust – we Brits call these spring-form – I’m not sure what they are called in the US.

Sour Orange Ice Cream√

A couple of years ago for Barb Esrig's birthday potluck I decided to make an ice cream to accompany the cake she had ordered a cake from Jenny's (the very best cakes in town *).
I started wondering about adapting the Sour Orange Pie filling to make into an ice cream. I looked on line for ice cream recipes that used condensed milk and eggs but none involved cooking the eggs. I didn't like the idea of making ice cream with raw eggs so decided to make a quick 'custard' with the milks and yolks and to use that as my base. I thawed a couple of sour orange blocks from the freezer and mixed them in. It could not have been easier - or more delicious.

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
pinch of salt

1 cup half and half
1 cup whole milk
2 cups sour orange juice1/4 cup orange zest

Put the half & half, milk, condensed milk, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat.

While it is heating whisk the egg yolks in a ceramic or glass mixing bowl and then pay attention to the pan, stirring fairly frequently to make sure it doesn't stick or burn.

When bubbles start to form around the edges, remove from the heat.

Pour 1/2 of the warm milk mixture onto the yolks in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.

Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and whisk again.

Heat the mixture over a low heat, and barely simmer, stirring constantly, until it thickens - or until it registers 165°F (about 5 minutes).

Strain the mixture into a large (ceramic or glass) mixing bowl and cool in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Cover it once it has cooled down otherwise the condensation will drip back into the custard and add 'water' to it.

Add two cups of sour orange juice and at least 1/4 cup of very finely grated zest (use a microplane, NOT a traditional grater).

Then freeze it of course - I use a machine that I pack with salt and ice - it works great but is a pain in the butt, fiddly, messy and incredibly noisy. If you do not have a machine then pour it into a tray and take it out of the freezer every hour or two at least 3 or even 4 times, whisking it like crazy each time otherwise it will freeze into a horrid, icy block.

The proof of the ice cream was in the eating and it proved to be a good one. Really good! So good that Ruth and Grace suggested I open an ice cream parlor. I can see it now: Miranda's Lemonade & Ice Cream Stand. It would open when I had freshly made ice cream in stock and close when I'd run out. I would make it from locally grown, organic produce (including organic milk/cream and eggs!) People would bring me fruit from their garden and they would get a pot of ice cream in return.
Notes: I am sure you could make it with all milk or all half and half or you could even make it with cream. It will be lighter and more refreshing with milk and get richer and creamier the more half and half and/or cream you use.

* Jenny's cupcakes are so fabulous that buying one is simply not possible. She is sometimes open in the evenings and on two memorable occasions Ellen and I found her open at dinner time. We had 3 cupcakes each. For dinner. At a certain age you cannot have a proper dinner and cupcakes and keep any semblance of control over your 'girl-ish figures'!

Perfect Pancakes√

These are the perfect Sunday brunch pancakes (although we Brits call these pancakes, in the US they are more commonly called Crepes). Trey and Ellen were on the golf course at 7 am this morning and I made sure to have ham and cheese and crepes cooking as they walked through the door.

The weather was perfect today … mid to high 60s and a clear blue sky plus no insects so I threw all the doors open. We sometimes call this the House of Doors … there are an unconscionable number of them: 3 sets of French doors (off the sitting room, the dining room and the spare room), double front doors, a side entrance to the offices, a side door into the garage, a back door to the outdoor shower from the guest bedroom – and of course the garage doors themselves. This represents quite a challenge when leaving the house. “Have you locked the doors?” is a loaded question as it can take several minutes to tour the house locking and locking and locking. On blessed Days Like This the open doors give me the feeling of living in a tree house. The smell of ham and cheese crepes and coffee reminds me of the streets of Paris. I couldn’t have been happier. An afternoon of gardening beckoned and so I made sure to tank up on protein for brunch!

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup chick pea (aka gram) flour *
• 2 large or 3 small eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups of liquids (more milk = a slightly heavier pancake) … I like an equal mix of water and whole or 1% milk (depending on what I have in the fridge)

Throw everything in a large bowl and whisk like mad. I never remember to sieve my flours so I invariably have to get out the hand blender to whiz out the lumps.

You can add more liquid i.e. until you have a thin and creamy consistency (way thinner than an American pancake batter).

Melt a very small knob of butter in a hot but not too hot pan (my preferred is an old, well-seasoned cast iron) by whirling it around the pan on the tip of a small sharp knife

Pour in ½- 1 ladleful of batter and immediately swirl it to cover the bottom of the pan. There should just be enough to cover the bottom of the pan i.e. there not be any extra batter rolling around … if there is then make sure you pour in less the next time

The pancake should immediately start drying out on top – holes should appear all over. You want to turn it when it’s a golden brown color – use a knife to peek at it’s underside to check. Use a big slice or flexible, large spatula to flip it … making sure the edges are all free and not sticking first.

As soon as you have turned it lay on one or two thin slices of ham (across the middle) and a couple of thin slices of cheese on top of the ham. After you have made and eaten a couple you will get the hang of making them with just the right amount of ham and cheese for your taste

Fold one third of the pancake (the third not covered with ham/cheese) over to the center and then fold the other third over so the ham and cheese are completely covered. Let it cook for about 1 minute altogether (depending on how the heat of your pan).

Turn the pancake and cook it for 10 seconds or so – long enough to heat the cheese and the ham through and start melting the cheese. That’s it! They should be made and eaten immediately … on Sundays people sit at the kitchen island and eat hot, yummy crepes as they come out of the pan!

If you cook them naked i.e. without ham and cheese then let each pancake cook for just a minute on the second side – until the underside is a golden brown color. I always make a big pile … as I make them I place them in a folded kitchen towel to say soft and warm.

They are delicious fresh or reheated with sugar and lemon or strawberry jam or bananas and yoghurt ... or anything you can think of! They are also brilliant the next day cold with a little butter and brown sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon or a smear of Nutella ….or with just about anything you would spread on bread!!!

* A note about the chick pea flour. This vitally important ingredient adds protein and a fabulous light texture to the pancakes. The Italians make super thin pancakes entirely with chickpea flour called Ligurian Farinata. The Indians make them also and often call them Dosas.

Lemonades√

This is the easiest, most delicious and refreshing of all home-made drinks. Make sure you have a jar or bottle of basic syrup in the fridge for visitors.

Basic Syrup
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Heat the water, dissolve the sugar in it and let it cool (heat destroys vitamin C) and add the lemon juice.
Store in the fridge and add still or sparkling water to taste and as much or as little ice as you like!
It couldn't be easier!

Remember - all the ones and double up for larger quantities.

Pretty in Pink
Take a pound of fresh strawberries, wash and hull them. Chop and simmer them in a cup of water for a few minutes. Blend or mash (a potato masher works great). Cool and sieve (you don't want any seeds or pulp). Let it sit for an hour i.e. until the pulp sinks to the bottom. Add one cup of clear strawberry juice to the lemon syrup for each cup of lemon juice.

Psychedelic Purple
The taste of the prickly pear is more subtle-it's the color that is absolutely spectacular. It's hard to believe it came from nature. You can grow your own if you live in a place where they grow - or you can buy them now in most supermarkets - especially ones specializing in south american foods. Cut 4 or 5 prickly pears in half and scoop their innards out into a pan. Use gloves. The prickles are tiny and barbed - they are a complete pain to find and remove. Add a cup or so of water and simmer until the fruit softens and breaks up. Smash with a potato masher. Push through a sieve to get the juice but not the seeds. Add a cup of prickly pear juice for each cup of lemon juice.

Notes!

Add more or less lemon juice to taste - one cup can be too tart for some and too sweet for others.

Use soft brown sugar instead of white for a wonderfully different flavor or half brown/half white.

Try agave syrup instead of sugar.

Add strips of lemon rind (no white pith - just thin strips of rind) to the hot water and leave in the syrup - the flavors will intensify. Fish the strips out after a day otherwise it can become too bitter.

Use Meyers' Lemons or Limes for a differently delicious flavor.

Add a handful of mint leaves to the hot water for a refreshing mint lemonade.

Prickly Pear Limeade is not such a nice color - the green turns it a muddy purple.

Grow your own stevia ... the fresh young leaves are a completely different kettle of fish (!) to the odd-tasting powders or liquids available at Wholefoods. Lemonade made with stevia will not keep - it needs to be made fresh each time.

Make a 'hardly any calories' Moroccan Mint Tea with fresh mint and stevia leaves. Throw a handful of each into a jug and pour over freshly boiled water. Steep for 5-10 minutes and serve warm in beautiful glasses or cold with ice.

Sour Orange and Mango Coconut Ice Creams√

Maggi came to stay for two simultaneously hot and cold days. The weather was steamy hot and the food, drinks and her visit were all super cool. We are in the middle of a model, living out of two rooms with just half a kitchen and a couple of smally window a/c units but this didn't matter a jot - we cooked up a storm and talked each others' heads off.

We had a small pay-per-view fest to accompany the ice creams: Frost/Nixon (surprisingly entertaining), Gran Torino (funny, touching and very very clever), Slumdog Millionaire (not sure I understand what all the fuss was about). The Sour Orange Ice Cream is brilliantly tart and bright - a spectacular palette cleanser at any time! The Mango Coconut Ice Cream is more sweet and sumptuous. Together they are incredible!

Sour Orange (Tart Lemon) Ice Cream

1 cup sour orange juice (strained) plus the juice of 1 juicy lemon OR 1 cup of lemon juice
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half (or light cream)
Tiny pinch of salt

Heat the sugar slowly in the milk until dissolved
Add everything else and freeze.
I don't like to add the zest - it's adds a confusing bitter note.

Mango Coconut Ice Cream (vegan)

1 large can sweetened mango pulp (1 lb. 14 oz. or 850 g) *
1 medium can coconut milk (13.5 oz. or 400 g)
1 tablespoon toasted coconut (fine/unsweetened) or more to taste
juice of 1 juicy lime
1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
1-2 tablespoon/s triple sec **
Tiny pinch of salt

Throw everything into the ice cream maker and freeze away!

I layered these two into a bombe - two layers of each, alternating ... the tart lemon/orange contrasting and complementing the smooth mango very nicely thank you.

* Alphonso is the best ... the King of Mangos ... it has an incomparable color (dark orange) and flavor. You can find cans of these in Indian or Asian stores. Canned Kesar mango pulp is also fabulous.
** The triple sec is optional. If you want to avoid alcohol you would need to add a bit more sugar (or agave syrup) to taste.

Figgy Frozen Yogurt√

This sounds just saw awful ... an ocean from its actual divine deliciousness. Imagine a creamy, sweet, smooth ice cream shot through with tiny seeds crunching delightfully in the background. Calling it Fig Ice Cream doesn't make it sound much better and since I made it with yogurt not cream 'n' eggs I can't really call it ice cream.

This week the temperatures soared into the high 90s (feels like the high 100s because of the 100% humidity). We are in the midst of a remodel and half our house is in storage plus we are living out of two rooms. The a/c is off for a month and while we are thankful for a couple of window a/c units they are just about keeping us cool enough. When I get desperately hot I stand in front of the freezer with the door open. It's delicious for 10 seconds or so, or until the eco-police in my head start yelling at me to shut the bloody door.

To ease my guilt (and to get closer to the cold stuff) I decided to root around amongst the tupperwares to see whether there was anything vaguely interesting and came across a big tub of fig puree, an overflow from a huge pot I cooked up and pureed last year after a successful farmer's market foray.

I defrosted it and for every 2 cups of puree I added 1 cup of whole yoghurt and about 1/2 cup of simple syrup (1 cup of sugar + 1 cup of water heated until the sugar dissolves). Figs are so sweet they don't need much extra sugar. Of course, those with sweet teeths can add more sugar to taste and those who want a creamier ice cream can add more yoghurt (or cream). I used Brown Cow yogurt and carefully included all the cream from the top.

Randi and Corky dropped in and we turned the fans on and stuffed our faces with ice cream until we felt cool enough to take the dogs for a walk.

A Grown up Meatloaf√

My experience with meatloaves have often been disappointing. They have been heavy, ketchup soaked affairs reminiscent of overcooked burgers. I could never see the point.

This evening we happened to have three different kinds of ground meat in the fridge - 4 lbs altogether. I felt compelled to try and make a better, more grown up kind of meat loaf and I am happy to say I succeeded! This is a light, moist meatloaf full of flavor. It was absolutely delicious with a pile of buttery mash and a bottle of unfiltered, wheat beer.


I used roughly equal quantities of turkey, pork and beef but you can use anything as long as you use two or preferably three kinds of meat. It really does make a difference to use several kinds of meat. For every pound of meat add the following - doubling, trebling, quadrupling the quantities for two, three or four pounds of meat.

1 smallish/medium onion - finely chopped
2 sticks of celery (including the leafy tops)- finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic - chopped
1 small zucchini - grated
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 cup matzo meal (or breadcrumbs or crackers)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Coleman's mustard powder (optional)
1 tsp dried thyme or any other dried herbs (or a tbsp of fresh)

Melt the onions and garlic in the oil on a medium heat for 10 minutes or so - until they are transparent (be careful not to brown them). Add the celery and the zucchini and saute for another 5-10 minutes.
Throw all ingredients into a big bowl or pot and with clean hands schmoosh everything until they are all fully mixed ... until the meat and sauteed veggies and all dry and wet ingredients are all fully incorporated.

Form into a tidy mound on a greased aluminium sheet on a baking sheet.

Pour 1/2-1 cup of pasta sauce ... I used a spicy Siciliana sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees until 160 degrees (about an hour) then let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

While the loaf was cooking I made a sauce with the rest of the jar of Siciliana sauce, half a jar of Bonesuckin' Sauce and some Worcestershire sauce, simmering it until it reduced and thickened. If you don't have Bonsucking sauce to hand then you can use any other bar-b-q sauce on your pantry shelf!