Your pancakes will never be the same again. In fact, banish all traditional notions of the current state of your Belgian waffles, French toast,  yogurt and museli, and oatmeal and get used to what they should be. 

Meet BLiS infused maple syrups crafted by Chef Steven Stallard who creates these artisan syrups with some of the finest, freshest sap from old-growth maple orchards in Michigan. Stallard takes this amber-hued nectar, cooks it down to a thick, rich consistency and then  ages it in Kentucky bourbon barrels or infuses it with redolent Tahitian vanilla beans.

Pour (literally pour because this stuff is unbelievable) the Bourbon Barrel Matured Pure Maple Syrup over a thick stack of pain perdu, or drizzle over a plump piece of grilled salmon. This is a serious syrup with notes of honey, charred oak, vanilla and spice.

The Tahitian Vanilla Infused Maple Syrup is redolent with sweet, floral aromas. Slather a buttered bowl of morning oatmeal with the thick nectar and top with chopped walnuts for crunch, pair with homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert, or unabashedly eat a few spoonfuls at any point in the day that might call for a pick me up. It will make you smile—advice from an admitted addict.

If you need any further convincing, one of America’s greatest and most revered chefs, Grant Achatz of Alinea fame, named BLiS as one of his top picks for ingredients in Saveur magazine’s “Chef’s 100 picks for 2011”. Need I say more?

Photo: Owen Franken for The New York Times

Modern Flavors Transform a Purim Pastry Tradition: The New York Times, Dining & Wine, March 16, 20111

In the early 1990s designer Theo Williams and Alessi crafted an answer to my childhood ceramic nightmare honey pot with a wooden dowel. The lid was always glued shut, so we had to micrewave the whole mess each time we wanted honey on toast.

This glass and stainless steel beauty was one result of the Memory Containers metaproject coordinated by Centro Studi Alessi. The theme of the workshop was to design with the idea of a new relationship between man and nature.

Proof again that Mother Nature always wins when it comes to design. The honey pot, honey pot can sit proudly on your counter top…minus the sticky lid.

Simple and straightforward, the raw, unfiltered honey from an apiary in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, is a stunning example of why you should angrily protest the flavorless, pasteurized, cooked, filtered honey on your grocery store shelves.

Thick, yet beautifully fluid, the rich floral character of Ballard Bee Company honey is maintained to glossy perfection by beekeeper Corky Luster who launched this “urban pollination company” in 2009. Presently he has 60 beehives at his home and has placed others throughout the neighborhood.

Decidedly worth the $1 per ounce price; find it online at BlackbirdBallard.com. Don’t be afraid to just spoon it into your mouth…no one is looking.

Theoretically I understand the concept of Lent but, raised a good Protestant who dutifully renounced religion in a pair of beat up combat boots at the ripe age of 13, I have never truly appreciated the concept of giving up something I love for anyone or anything.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire Catholics, Buddhists, ascetics, and others worldwide who renounce some of the great pleasures of life for a higher purpose. I genuinely wish that I had reason to sacrifice, but suffice to say that I enjoy sin a little too much.

For those of you giving up meat, alcohol or anything other than sugar for lent, Mexican culinary heritage offers you one of life’s most bountiful indulgences: capirotada.

This Mexican bread pudding is a traditional Lenten staple made from toasted bread (French or other crusty-style loaf) that is soaked in a thick spicy syrup, rich sugar, gooey cheese (added protein for those giving up meat), plump raisins, and walnuts. The syrup is usually made with piloncillo, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Culinary scholars claim that capirotada dates back almost 400 years considering that all of the key ingredients were popular in breads and cakes during the 17th century. The components are all part of the rich symbolism of the Passion of Christ, making the dish a poignant reminder of the suffering of Christ on Good Friday.

Bread = the body of Christ
Spiced Syrup = his blood
Raisins = nails of the cross
Cinnamon sticks = the wood of the cross
Melted cheese = the Holy Shroud

A little, ahem, creepy if you aren’t Catholic and have a lively imagination, but as far as I am concerned, the combination of flavors is enough to get over any transubstantiation problems I might have.

Feel free to play a bit with the following recipe. If you can’t find piloncillo simply substitute brown sugar. Add a variety of dried fruits in place of the raisins (cranberries, cherries, etc.), and, if you haven’t given up alcohol for Lent, by all means add a dash of Grand Marnier or rum to the mix. I won’t tell a soul.



Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding)

measure

1 24-inch loaf of French bread, cubed and toasted (about six cups)

2 cups of brown sugar or 16 ounces of shaved piloncillo

2 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup of walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1/2 cup of raisins

1/4 cup of butter, melted

prepare

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally butter an eight-inch by eight-inch cake pan.

2. To make the syrup boil the sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves in a small saucepan for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3. Place half the bread in the prepared pan, drizzle it with half the melted butter and toss to coat.

4. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the syrup over the bread and toss to coat. Layer with cheese, walnuts, and raisins.

5. Disperse the rest of the bread on top, and drizzle the remaining butter and syrup over the bread. Each piece of bread should be coated in syrup and butter.

6. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes to set.

* Serve warm with softly whipped cream. Or cool and save for breakfast. How could a day get any better than waking up to a steaming mug of joe and a thick, cold slice of this spicy, sweet bowl of Lenten love?

Change is coming.

New York Times, March 8, 2011

“Mr. Jones, 30, and his wife, Alicia, 27, are among an emerging group of people in their 20s and 30s who have chosen farming as a career. Many shun industrial, mechanized farming and list punk rock, Karl Marx and the food journalist Michael Pollan as their influences. The Joneses say they and their peers are succeeding because of Oregon’s farmer-foodie culture, which demands grass-fed and pasture-raised meats…” continue reading.

In six days (March 8) hoards of revelers will descend on New Orleans for Mardi Gras, the ultimate in unabashed partying and debauchery. Instead of indulging in massive quantities of alcohol during the day/evening/night, followed by mimosas and beignets for breakfast, I will have to (once again) channel my desire to defect to New Orleans with a few recipes that pay homage to the infamous celebrations.

Yesterday as I was thumbing through the March 2011 issue of Bon Appetite my eyes fixed ontoc this lassic Louisiana dessert, Gateau de Sirop, a dense cake, which takes its name from the cane syrup that gives the cake a distinctive punch of deep sweetness.

The key to this cake is to use the best cane syrup you can find. And, according to Louisiana cuisine experts, Steen’s 100% Cane Syrup, itself a southern icon is, hand’s down, the best.

Steen’s has a colorful history beginning in 1910 when C.S. Steen’s sugar cane crop was subject to an early freeze. Instead of throwing in the towel on his investment Steen, his wife Lillian, and mother immediately began pulping the cane and smashing it into cane juice using horse-powered rollers.

Barring the horses, today the syrup is made in small batches and in a similar fashion. It is extracted from the sugar cane and then boiled down until it is thick and luscious.

Steen’s is the only company based in Louisiana that still produces traditional cane syrup. Slow Food USA added the company’s liquid asset to its Ark of Taste, a “catalog of more than 200 foods that are in danger of extinction.”

Someday I will make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Although each year I move further and further away from the ability to (without shame and utter humiliation) bare my breasts for beads. Meanwhile I continue to pay homage to Louisiana foods like this simple cake.

Serve with ice cream drizzled with more of the syrup. It is spectacular with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, particularly chicory coffee, another one of my New Orleans favorites.

Gateau de Sirop
adapted from Bon Appetite, March 2011

measure

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups 100% pure cane syrup (such as Steen’s)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup sour cream1 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
additional 100% pure cane syrup
powdered sugar (optional)

prepare

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of salt into a medium bowl.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until smooth (don’t try and beat the butter until it is soft or it won’t provide the fluffy aerated quality you want to ensure a tender cake). Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time and then 1 3/4 cups cane syrup.

4. Add the evaporated milk and sour cream. Note that it is ok if the batter looks a bit curdled.

5. Add the mixed dry ingredients to the bowl and beat on the lowest speed until just combined. Transfer the cake batter to your prepared pan.

6. Slide the cake into the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely clean, about 50 minutes. If there are even a few crumbs that stick to the toothpick, put the cake back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

7. Cool the cake on a rack, run a knife around the edge and remove the cake from the pan.

8. Beat the whipping cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Cut the cake into squares, place on individual plates, (or arrange on a platter for a party or gathering). Spoon the whipped cream on top or on the side and drizzle the whole plate with additional cane syrup.

Photo by: Laure Joliet, SoloStocks.fr

Dreaming of sunshine. Not just everyday sunshine, but rather a screaming hot sun, beating down, creating a shimmer in the air—the kind of sunshine that penetrates  to your very core. The kind of sun that is found in Provence during the blistering summer months.

While the image of Southern France can seem a bit overwrought (particularly in the middle of an absolutely freezing and difficult winter), consider that there is a reason travelers loves this region of Europe so much. My goodness it is truly a place of indescribable beauty, simplicity, and absolutely stunning food.

On one visit I discovered Nougat de Montélimar, one of the finest local delicacies that I ate seemingly pounds and pounds of, and likely caused a cavity or two. At once light, airy, and chewy, with a distinct flavor of local wildflower honey and a toothsome crunch of bright pistachios and fragrant almonds, this nougat is…indescribable.

The recipe is quite simple, but use a candy thermometer, and make sure you have a stand mixer, which has the power to beat this confection into frothy glory. It is a little time consuming and definitely takes a little practice, but what is more perfect than a slice of a beautiful summertime confection on a cold snowy day?

Nougat de Montélimar
adapted from thekitchn.com
makes a 9x13 pan of candy to divide into pieces

note: Before you make the Nougat, be sure you have wafer paper or rice paper on hand. If you can’t find it locally, you can find it online through many different pastry sites such as SugarCraft.com.

measure

2 pounds (about 4 cups) almonds
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
2 1/4 cups honey
2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

prepare

1. To roast the almonds and pistachios, spread them out on a baking sheet and place in a 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to make sure they toast evenly.

2. Spray the pan with cooking spray and line it with wafer paper (sometimes called rice paper).

3. In a double boiler (fill a medium saucepan a third full of water and then place a smaller saucepan within that one. The bottom of the small pan sits in the water that is being heated) heat the honey, stirring constantly.

4. In another pan, heat the sugar until the thermometer reads about 255-260 degrees F. Once it reaches the right temperature, add it to the honey (being careful not to burn yourself!). Keep the heat constant and continue to stir the mixture until it reaches 280-290 degrees F.

5. In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (but don’t overbeat or they will get dry and deflate) and then drizzle the honey/sugar mixture a little at a time. The mixture should begin to thicken almost immediately as it cools.

6. Keep the mixer at medium to high in order to beat all the air and fluffy chewiness into the candy. It will begin to form a ball around the beater and have the consistency of a thick chocolate chip cookie dough with the stickiness of taffy after 6-8 minutes. At this point add the warm nuts and the powdered sugar.

7. As soon as the nuts are mixed into the batter, pour it into the prepared pan. It will be thick and you might need an extra hand to get it out. Try coating a wooden spoon with cooking spray to help with the stickiness.

8. Smooth the batter and cover it with a sheet of wafer paper. Use a rolling pin to smooth out the pan, the candy will begin to harden almost immediately so get it smooth as quickly as you can, it won’t be perfect, you want it to look lovely and rustic. Allow it to cool at least 4 hours or overnight or.

9. Once cool, unmold the nougat onto a cutting board and slice through in strips and then slice those into the desired size. Wrap the pieces in cellophane or wax paper and they’ll last quite a while.

notes:

* you can also experiment with adding chocolate chunks, currants, lemon peel, other kinds of nuts, etc. This is just the classic recipe that you can use as a jumping off point.