Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins (Bolo de Ananas)

Pineapple? Definitely not local.

But neither is the World Cup, which just started today in Brazil.

Here’s why I am talking about soccer at the moment: My husband, Marc, who played it as a tiny human all the way into his adulthood thought I should dedicate a post to the World Cup.

So obvious. You know, after all, this is a food blog. I write about things like rhubarb tarts...pot stickers...soccer.

You can write about what the players eat!  Marc said. They probably have team chefs. They probably eat well. No, wait. Each player is probably bringing his own personal chef. Write about that!

I have to admit, I rolled my eyes. And, semi-banished all of that from my thoughts.

Then, while driving to pick up my son from Toddler Camp, I heard a story about Team USA’s relatively new head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann. It was actually pretty interesting.

The reporter spoke about the changes Klinsmann has made including ordering blood analysis for the players and bringing in a neuroscientist to emphasize the need for players to engage in purposeful and deep practice.

The reporter then began discussing how the players treat their bodies “like a temple.”

Well. If that's the case, I don’t believe any of Team USA's players will be eating these delicious muffins. Which means more for us regular, non-elite-athlete folk. Perhaps we can make up for not treating our bodies as temples by eating these cakes with deep and purposeful concentration.

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World Cup...Muffin In A Cup? It is worth debating the merits of both.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will certainly strengthen our ability to enjoy every morsel.

Which is totally okay with me.

The Bolo de Banana is a typical Brazilian cake made with ripe bananas and dark brown sugar. Here, I’ve used pineapple instead and a touch of rum. I've also added a generous amount of allspice. Peppery yet fruity and highly aromatic, allspice is one of my favorite flavors to pair with the brightness of pineapple.

May whatever team you are rooting for play with deep concentration and meaning.

You, on the other hand, should go and make these tender little cakes…right now.

Bolo!

Pineapple Upside-Down Muffins (Bolo de Ananas)

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray, for your muffin tin
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
Half a fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into thin slices

Muffins
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon allspice, ground
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 large eggs at room temperature
3 Tablespoons whole milk
3 Tablespoons light or dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
Position a rack at the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Place 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon brown sugar into each muffin cup. Bake until mixture is melted, about 5 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Place two pieces of pineapple in bottom of muffin tin and two slices along the sides.

Make the muffins: Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, milk, rum and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then add the egg mixture. Stir until just blended. Take care not to over mix, as this may result in toughness (very sad). Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Fill them as full as possible. Tap the muffin tin a few times on your counter to help the batter reach into all the nooks and crannies between your pineapple.

Bake until the center of a muffin springs back when you press gently. This will take about 18 minutes. Loosen the muffins with a knife and immediately invert the tin, unmolding the muffins onto a wire rack. Cool briefly, then of course, devour…with purposefulness, of course.

Best eaten the day they are made. This shouldn’t pose a problem if there is anyone who has been hovering around (like a husband with a sweet tooth or a toddler) due to the delicious smells emanating from your oven. 

Adapted from Mani Niall's wonderful, Sweet!

Fresh Strawberries with Roasted Spiced Nuts and Seeds

Hey Strawberries! You’re back! And I sure am glad.

I picked up some beautiful ‘Hood’ strawberries from Spring Frog Farm at the Holistic Homestead's farmer's market stand yesterday. They were juicy, sweet and everything I expect the perfect strawberry to be.

After savoring a bunch directly from the basket, I decided to dress them up a bit just for fun.

Growing up in our family of Chinese immigrants, we weren’t big on dessert. No whipped cream, stacked napoleons, baked profiteroles. There was nary a meringue to be found.

Instead, we had fresh fruit after our meals. Usually succulent San Bernadino navels, nibbles of tart, floral kumquats and other local citrus.

With six kids around, there was no time for dressing up fruit or much else, anyway. For us, the fruit we gobbled down already tasted delicious on its own - peeled, segments separated, our hands sticky with fresh juice and oils from the citrus zest.

For my newly-acquired berries, I wanted the dress up to be fairly simple. I thought about Morrocco. I wanted some nuts, seeds and honey. Maybe I would also add some spices.  

I used some local honey and hazelnuts I had and added in the richness of pine nuts. Ground pepper and coriander seemed like they could become fast friends with the strawberries.

This is what came out of my experiment. It is a tasty and easy recipe to fiddle around with on a relaxed weekend day.

Use any nuts or seeds you have on hand. Adjust the spices. Play!

Fresh Strawberries with Roasted Spiced Nuts and Seeds and Honey

Ingredients

Half a pint of fresh strawberries, quartered 
3 tablespoons hazelnuts (or any other nuts and seeds of your choosing) 
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
½ teaspoon coriander, ground
2 teaspoons thin honey
Lemon zest for garnish, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place quartered strawberries in small bowl.

Prepare baking sheet by placing small piece of parchment or silicone mat on pan. In another small bowl, combine nuts, seeds, butter, pepper and coriander. Place mixture on baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake for 7 minutes.

Remove nuts and seeds from oven. Pour honey over to combine.  Cool slightly then spoon over the strawberries. 

Garnish with lemon zest if desired.

Enjoy this sweet and tart, floral and peppery concoction immediately. The pepper lingers on the tongue, an echo of the delicious flavors of which you have just partaken.

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Not a morsel left. It was that delicious.

Vietnamese Beef Rolls

The woods are busy with activity this time of year. Long-legged fawns are foraging with their mothers. Rabbits bound by low-growing stag ferns. The barred owl who lives close by swoops and dives between trees at dusk. Warblers join with the finches while the pileated woodpeckers punctuate the chorus with their staccato sounds. 

Walking through the woods the other day, I was listening. So much life. So much going on.

Somehow, it made me hungry.

As I rounded the uphill trail on the way home, this is what I hoped to stumble across.

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Ingredients for a feast.

I didn't find it in the woods, so I walked across our front lawn, past the pair of young deer who were staring at me. When I got inside, I made these rolls.

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Fold the sides in, then roll tightly. No one likes a loose roll that will fall apart.

There is nothing more refreshing in warm weather (finally!) than biting into something cool, crisp and full of quietly rambunctious flavors. This is the Vietnamese Beef Roll.

We’ve had the good fortune to be the temporary caretakers of our neighbors' kitchen garden while they are in California for several weeks. The garden has been abundant with baby lettuces, spinach and red romaine, among other things.

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Sexy lettuce!

Red romaine...have you seen the stuff?

If not, you must run out immediately to get some. I urge you to know its beauty. It is nothing less than remarkable. 

These rolls have been a good way for us to use the early Pacific Northwest bounty well. They are so easy to make too.

Other than cooking the beef, which you can do ahead of time, there is absolutely no stove top time involved. 

You can use leftovers, as well as chicken or pork if you have that instead. All you have to do is cut up your veggies, pickle the carrots (easy peasy) and roll it up nicely.

Cut your roll in half on the diagonal, dip it in a little sauce. Take a bite.

Magical as the woods this time of year.

Vietnamese Beef Rolls

Ingredients

Two small sirloin steaks or other lean, boneless beef
Lettuce leaves of your choice (Red romaine and butter lettuce are nice)
Cucumber
A medium carrot
Mint leaves
Basil leaves
Cilantro leaves
Round rice paper (banh trang)

¼ cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dark toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons honey
Small red chili pepper
1 teaspoon Fish sauce (I like Red Boat brand), or substitute salt.

Instructions
Cooking the beef: Season steaks with salt and pepper. Set aside while you your heat oven to 500 degrees (you may also cook the steaks on your outdoor grill instead). Place a cast iron skillet in the oven.

When your oven reaches 500, remove the skillet and put it on the stove top, over high heat. Place steaks on skillet for 4 minutes to sear. Move pan into oven for another 4-5 minutes, depending on how cooked through you want the meat to be. Rosy pink is nice. Remove from oven when meat has reached your desired level of doneness. Remove beef from pan and allow the meat to rest while you work on the veggies and sauce.

Preparing the Veggies: Halve the red chili pepper, scrape out the seeds to discard and chop the chili finely. Place in a small mixing bowl. Add the rice wine vinegar, honey, fish sauce and sesame oil and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Peel cucumber and carrot if you wish. Cut cucumber into matchsticks. Julienne carrots. Place carrots in the pickling mixture you have already made. Allow carrots to pickle for at least 20 minutes.

Wash lettuces and herbs. Tear mint and basil into small pieces.

Slice rested beef into thin slices.

After the carrots are pickled, place everything on a counter or tabletop so that all ingredients are at the ready for assembly. Place a plate with some warm water in it on your work area.

Dip one sheet of rice paper into the warm water to soften. It will still seem slightly stiff when you remove it, but will continue to soften as you work with it.

Place lettuce leaves on paper wrapper first. Add a slice or two of beef. Top with pickled carrots, cucumber, herbs.

Fold sides (left and right) slightly over filling. Roll from bottom end to top, rolling as tightly as possible as you go. Make sure to keep your filling tucked in on the sides. If for some reason the ends are not holding together, wet slightly with more warm water. 

Roll as many as you'd like to eat and/or serve.

The pickling brine for your carrots also doubles as your dipping sauce.  Easy!

Now go eat!

Note: This is fun to do with a group of friends or family. Everyone can fill each roll the way they want and eat as much as they want. Play around with the filling if you want. Today, for instance, I also added Sunflower Sprouts from our CSA. That added a nutty taste.

Rhubarb Tart with Bay Leaf-Infused Cookie Crust

Yes, it may seem a little late in the year now to talk about rhubarb, but my neighbor’s mom recently gave me some after telling me she hated it and didn't know what to do with it. For a moment, as she handed me the hated stalks, I felt offended for all rhubarb-kind as I am actually a fan. But then I got over it, walked into the house and promptly stuffed all of it into our fridge’s veggie bin.

I almost forgot about it.

Then, during one of those rare moments when I do actually sit down in front of the TV, I happened to see the first episode of Derek on Netflix and realized I had to do something with that rhubarb.

Did you see that episode?

Derek is a sweet, developmentally delayed fellow who works as an aide in a small retirement home called Broad Hill. He’s played by the British comedian, Ricky Gervais. You’d think that this might be a recipe for a TV show of bad taste or ill-humor or both, but it actually has a lot of heart, starting with the character Derek himself.

That surprised me.

Anyway, back to the bit about rhubarb. During episode one, Derek gets very excited about the dessert being served at the home that day. He recalls that it’s Monday, his "absolute favorite day" because Monday means rhubarb crumble and pudding! He goes to fetch his dessert, puts it down for a moment and then promptly sits on it. (Oh no!)

It is all over his pants. And while everyone is laughing, poor Derek has lost his serving of rhubarb crumble and pudding.

Well, I think he might enjoy this dessert. The filling is custardy and tart with rhubarb and the addition of lemon juice. Lemon zest adds a floral note.

The crust is actually a coconut and oat cookie dough sweetened with Lyle’s Golden syrup and pressed into a tart tin. Bay leaves have been infused in the butter for the dough, leaving a nice bit of the herbal.

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One large tart is grand but individual tarts are cozy.

It’s a simple-to-make dessert that’s full of heart. Like Derek.

Hope you enjoy it!

Rhubarb-Lemon Tart with Bay Leaf-Infused Cookie Crust

Makes six individual tarts or one large tart.

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (3 3/4 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 ounces (8 tablespoons/1 stick) unsalted butter, in 6 pieces

5 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons Lyle's golden syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water

Filling

8 ounces rhubarb, cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ cup water
6 large eggs
¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons superfine (baker’s) sugar
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup lemon juice (approximately what you’ll get from one large lemon)
Zest from one lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, coconut, sugar and salt.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Place bay leaves in the butter and cover for at least 15 minutes or longer , depending on how prominent you want the bay leaf scent and flavor to be. Reheat gently and add golden syrup stirring together.

Place the baking soda in a small bowl and stir in the boiling water. Stir the baking soda mixture into the butter mixture. Then, stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture to combine. Press dough into your tart tin(s). Make sure there are no cracks or holes or else your filling will leak later on and that's a sad thing.

Place parchment on top of the crust and add weights (dried beans are nice). Bake for 5 minutes. Set aside while you work on your filling.

For the Filling:

Place rhubarb in a small saucepan and add the water. Cover and cook on low for approximately 20 minutes, until rhubarb is very soft. Puree and press through a strainer. Set aside ½ cup of the strained puree.

Mix eggs and sugar together, beating lightly for a few seconds. No need to be overly enthusiastic, as you don’t want the mixture to become frothy. Stir in rhubarb puree, lemon juice and cream. Pour the mixture through a sieve. Stir in lemon zest. Pour filling into tart shell. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The filling will still be a bit wobbly. Remove and allow to cool.

This tart enjoys playing dress up with a dollop or two of barely-sweetened whipped cream.

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All tarted up...

Crust lightly adapted from Bojon Gourmet, filling inspired by Nigel Slater.

Pork and Chive Pot Stickers with Dandelion Greens

When I was growing up, pot stickers were an exotic thing to me. The "Chinese" food we ate in our house was almost entirely of the Cantonese variety. There were some small exceptions, like the jars of smokey, wok-stirred chili oil that my aunt from Shanghai would make. Pot stickers - a northern Chinese or Taiwanese specialty called jiaoze, were something we only had on occasion and never at home.

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Chinese hands, rolling out dough. 

There were infrequent trips to the Taiwanese dumpling place outside of Cantonese Chinatown where we lived. Bottles of vinegar and dark soy sauce sat on the tables. My mouth always started watering as I got ready to dunk the puffy, crispy dumplings into the vinegar and soy dipping sauce. So good.

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Thin, but not as thin as a wonton skin.

When my mom comes to visit a few times a year now, we make wontons, the Cantonese cousin to the pot sticker. We put together massive quantities that require every able-bodied person in the house to help. We eat many then freeze as many to consume slowly until the next time “Po Po” (grandmother) comes to visit.

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Half a tablespoon of filling per dumpling is plenty.

Our most recent group cooking effort included pork wontons seasoned with coriander, cumin and turmeric. We get adventurous and step outside of the usual taste parameters around here when it comes to meat wrapped in thin dough skins. These got eaten before my brother suggested we try serving them in a cream sauce.

While wontons are light and ethereal, cloud puffs that float to the top of a clear, clean-tasting broth, potstickers are made of thicker, egg-free dough. The bottoms brown to a crisp before water is added, creating billows of steam that cause the tops to puff and the meat filling to cook through. The liquid cooks off, reinforcing the bottom crust.

Good pot stickers are moist, crispy and chewy. Just a few will fill you up. They are satisfyingly of the earth while wontons are of the sky, for the dreamers among us. In some ways, potstickers are the complete opposite of wontons. The yin to the wonton’s yang.  

Start from the middle, make one pleat then work to the right, adding two more pleats. Cute, huh?

Lately, I’ve been craving potstickers. And, I was thinking about how my mom would use garlic chives that we kids would forage from along the railroad tracks behind our house in northeast L.A. I had no idea what these greens were called as I yanked them from the sandy soil. To me, they were stinky and unruly looking weeds.

Our mom cooked with them unapologetically. Back then, we didn’t care that there was brake dust, creosote vapors, or god knows what else on our greens. They grew freely and were, well. Free!

I’ve included a liberal amount of regular chives here, since they are growing in our garden. They aren’t anywhere near as pungent as the flat-leaved garlic chive variety of my childhood. So, I've added some actual garlic to the mix. 

I've also included some of the slightly bitter dandelion greens we "weeded" out from under our plum tree this morning. Nothing wrong with some free greens, right? Especially if they are nutritious and tasty.

The filling is thus slightly onion-y and definitely garlicky, with a bitter edge to round out the pork's richness. Pot stickers indubitably of  the earth. 

Also included are directions for making the dumpling skins. I urge you to make them instead of buying them. Homemade definitely tastes better here and this soft, pliable dough is easy - and even dreamy, I'd dare say - to work with. 

Hope you enjoy these earthly dumplings as much as I did.

Sorry dreamers, there will be a recipe just for you soon!

Pork and Chive Pot Stickers with Dandelion Greens

Makes 40 to 50 pot stickers – enough for a party or to freeze

Ingredients

Filling

7 cups finely chopped napa cabbage
1 cup finely chopped dandelion greens
½ cup finely chopped chives
1 pound ground pork (a little fat helps make the dumpling juicier)
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Dough
2 cups boiling water
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil for pan frying (sunflower, grapeseed both work)

Instructions

For the filling:
Combine the cabbage, dandelion greens and 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Place the cabbage and greens in a kitchen towel, gathering it together. Wring as much water as possible out. This will help the filling come together better.

In another large bowl, combine cabbage, dandelion greens, pork, chive, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, remaining salt and egg. Mix gently but well.

For the dough:
In a large stainless-steel bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the boiling water slowly and in small increments, stirring in between additions until a ball is formed and the dough is no longer too hot to handle. More or less water may be needed, depending on the day’s humidity. Knead dough on a floured work surface for at least 15 minutes. You may also use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for 7 minutes instead. Form dough into a ball and place it in the same bowl covering it with a damp towel. Allow to rest for 1 hour.

To make the wrappers, add a generous coating of flour to the work surface. Divide dough in half. Shape one half into a log (I roll it between my hands forming a “snake”) until it is about 1 inch in diameter. Cut into ½-inch pieces. Stand each piece on its cut end and press down with the palm of your hand. Roll into circles 3 inches in diameter and 1/16th of an inch thick.

Fill the wrappers:
Place about ½ a teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold in half to form a half-moon. Seal the top center of each dumpling by pressing between your fingers. Starting there, make 3 pleats going from the middle toward the right. Repeat, going toward the bottom left. Press your dumpling gently to flatten the bottom.

To cook:
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. When oil is hot, add the pot stickers with their flattened bottoms down. It’s helpful to place them in rows going in one direction. These dumplings enjoy snugging together, so let them. Cook undisturbed on medium-high for five to six minutes. Then, add about ½ cup of water and immediately covered (or you will be getting a steam facial!). In another minute, lift the cover to check water level. You want to make sure about 1/8 of an inch of water remains. If not, add more water. All pot stickers to steam until water has evaporated, up to 10 minutes. If your water evaporates before the pot stickers are done, add water in ¼ cup increments. If the opposite occurs and the pot stickers seem done but liquid remains, drain the liquid and put the pan back on the heat to evaporate any remaining liquid.

Allow pot stickers to recrisp on the bottom, another 2 to 3 minutes. Cook the pot stickers as above in batches.

You may serve the pot stickers with a dipping sauce made by mixing together equal parts soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and a spot of toasted sesame oil. Sometimes I also like to mix in a bit of honey or sugar.

And there you have it: Jiaoze!