On a baking frenzy

I love the creative, spontaneous nature of cooking dinner each night, the free-flowing way vegetables enter the pan, followed by complimentary spices and sauces, inspired by the weather, a novel, or a recent trip. Sometimes, however, I require a little more structure. The focus, attention to detail, and precision involved in baking can be really therapeutic for me, especially when my life feels a bit out of my control. I think that's why my last four posts have all been about baked goods (and why I've been running my oven overtime). These confections bring comfort (a melty, steaming slice of banana bread with gooey chocolate chips), shared joys with friends (a basket of crisp coconut macaroons passed around the birthday table), and fill our souls (corn bread on a rainy Tuesday night, served up with BBQ tempeh and collards).

These past fourteen months I have researched, studied, written to, interviewed with, and visited dozens of graduate programs. The hundreds of hours preparing for exams, writing essays and talking with professors, as well as the astronomical costs of the application process have finally come to fruition. This summer, Alex and I will finally be moving to a town where he can pursue his passions with international sociology (including food systems and "green" economies) and where I can explore my interests in the law (workers' rights, environmental justice and civil rights.) After the many harried late nights on the subway plotting essay outlines on the back of advertisements found in am New York, I am finally DONE with the process! Last week, Alex and I officially accepted our offers from our respective graduate programs, and we will be relocating to our new town in just a couple of months.

The denoument of our quest to find "just one good option together" has finally played out, somewhat anti-climactically given the length of our seaerch. Just a couple of weeks ago, we visited the town to make certain it was the right choice, and after a day of torrential rain, the clouds parted for our first truly beautiful day this year. It was a warm welcome from our future home, whose brick townhouses smiled down at us. I snapped this parting shot from a passing window to remind me of the new town's charm. It will be hard to leave Brooklyn and her many offerings, but we hope to set up a more comfortable, greener home in our new place.
Until then, I will be scanning Craigslist each day for the best postings and coming home each night to vent my creativity in a spontaneous dinner concoction. This means, of course, that my baking run is most likely over :) On to light spring vegetables and delicate fruits, presented as purely and simply to showcase their natural beauty.

This recipe is my last from the oven for a while. Its flavors and textures are a perfect balance for a savory meal, and it will definitely make an appearance come autumn. Autumn, when I will once again see the swirling fallen leaves from a student's perspective. I can't wait.
Cheddar Corn Bread
(Adapted from Gluten Free Baking Classics)
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup brown rice flour
2/9 cup potato starch flour (no, that's not a typo, the recipe calls for 1 cup "mix" which is 2 cups brown rice flour, 2/3 cups potato starch flour, 1/3 cup tapioca flour, so I divided it by three)
1/9 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup milk minus 1 Tablespoon
1 large egg, well beaten
3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease muffin pan (makes 9) or 8" round cake pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix wet ingredients, then add to dry and stir gently to combine. Do not over-mix. Stir in cheddar cheese and pepper flakes.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes (pan) or 20 minutes (muffins). Remove from pan and serve immediately.

This is best warm and fresh, but leftovers can be sliced thinly and grilled with melted cheese or fried egg for a delicious brunch treat. We liked melting additional cheddar cheese inside, and served it with grilled BBQ tempeh and collard greens. I hope it brings you comfort too!

Gobbled up banana bread

Inspired by Gluten-Free Girl's awesome post about a recent dinner party with her friends, I decided to try a loaf of her sweet and cakey banana bread to see what everyone was raving about. It was absolutely the best banana bread I've ever eaten, and was the perfect snack for our impromptu road trip to Baltimore to check out grad schools (more on that later). Banana bread is the perfect disguise for the often light and crumbly gluten free flours because of its dense, moist texture and lush banana flavor. This is definitely a make-again, a nice gift for the holidays or for a little dinner party. Thank you Gluten Free Girl!
The gooey extra large Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips are my favorite, and the candied ginger adds an unexpected and spicy kick to the confection. I was out of the teff flour, so I improvised with brown rice and ground flax seeds. I don't think it compromised the integrity of the dish, so to speak.

Famous Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds (for texture and Omega-3s)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 large bananas)
1/4 cup yogurt (I used fat free vanilla and it was fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup crystallized ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan. Melt the butter on low heat. Set it aside to cool.
2. Sift together the flours and add xanthan gum, sugar, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, yogurt, butter, and extract in a large bowl until just combined. Now sift the dry ingredients into the wet, avoid over-mixing. Stir in chocolate chips and candied ginger pieces (I chopped mine to 1/4" bits). Smooth out the top of the loaf.
4. Bake about 45 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean and the top is golden. Let set 10 minutes before removing from pan, then cool before slicing. As GF Girl notes, it's pretty hard to wait.

Parchment Paper and Martha

There's something so clean, crisp, and correct about parchment paper. Its smooth waxy surface and the satisfying crunch it makes when torn are so inviting. While aluminum foil feels crass, plastic wrap trashy, and wax paper excessive, parchment paper is just...right. I didn't understand its uses and merits until I began really baking and following cookbooks several years ago. A meltdown (painful pun intended) with a batch of chocolate chip cookies and some wax paper was my wake-up call. Overnight, I became parchment paper's biggest advocate.

This month's Martha Stewart Living has a delicious recipe for coconut macaroons--featuring, of course, parchment paper--which just seemed right for this blustery nigh-on-spring Saturday afternoon. The crisp exterior and chewy insides of these little morsels are both light and indulgent. I made a double batch to bring to a friend's birthday party, wrapped in a brown paper box with dotted tissue paper.
I am huge fan of Martha Stewart, although I know many love to hate on her, but I really admire her sensibility, creativity, and vast knowledge of all things domestic. She's also incredibly outspoken and doesn't take any b.s. And she knows her cookies. Trust me, these are incredible! The crunch from the almond pieces and the little spots of coarse sea salt add a refined texture to this simple dessert. I highly recommend them, just in time for Passover, and they are super simple to make.

Martha's Coconut Macaroons
(makes 16)
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract (my addition)
Pinch coarse sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl until well combined.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well.
4. Form into 2 Tbsp-sized mounds (you can really pack it together in your hands) and place 8 on each cookie sheet.
5. Bake about 15 minutes until golden on the bottoms and sides.
6. Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.