Manhattan food tour

We had 27 hours in Manhattan. So were determined to make every meal count. Starting with dumplings and osmanthus bubble tea in Chinatown. Interlude with Alan Partridge (probably the most I've ever laughed in a film screening). Then Dirt Candy in the East Village for enthralling vegetable-inspired food (mushroom mousse; all ways with beans; aubergine tiramisu with rosemary candy floss; jalapeno hushpuppies to make up for unfortunate three-legged-chair-to-the-floor incident). And chilled herbal tea into the night. The following day brunch at The Butcher's Daughter (Nolita?), with magical juices (watermelon, fennel and lavender), hot cacao, freshness and fabulous bathroom. Then snacks on the Highline Park - bread (fennel, golden raisin and semolina) from Amy's Bread (The Village) and an ice lolly (apple chai) from People's Pops. Beautiful weather all the way - so pretty and perfect.

Butternut butter

I saw this butter recipe and it sounded super simple. Pumpkin season is upon us ('Pumped for Pumpkin at Dunkin'')- two butternut squashes in the CSA last weekend to emphasise the point. Right now I am into it; I'm sure the novelty will wear off eventually... Anyway, I gave the recipe a shot, with mixed results, but whatever I'll eat it.

1 small-medium butternut squash (~800g)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
60 ml water
35 g brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp ground cloves*
1/4 tsp ground allspice*
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg*
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon*
1/2 tsp ground ginger*

Heat oven to 350F. Cut the squash in half lengthways, deseed and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake for 60-90 min, until soft when poked. Let cool until handleable, then remove the skin and put the flesh into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and whizz until smooth. Transfer to a pan and simmer gently, covered, for ~20 min until thick.

*all together = pumpkin spice


This tastes great but the texture didn't work for me - perhaps I should have roasted the squash longer; perhaps the other way up; perhaps add more water... It was very thick all the way through, and basically set in the fridge, and was kinda lumpy - not silky smooth like pumpkin butter I've eaten before (make sure to use actual blender not stick one).

Kale and walnut pesto

leaves of 4-5 kale leaves, bigger veins / ribs removed
small clove garlic, peeled
handful of walnuts
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt

Put the kale leaves in a blender cup and add the other ingredients. Blend until all the big pieces are gone.


This was interesting. S didn't like it - said it was too bitter. I disagreed. Obviously it isn't basil pesto but it is pretty good nonetheless - that distinctive raw kale flavour goes well with walnuts. It stayed a very deep, vibrant green even after storing in the fridge for a couple of days - the colour doesn't seem to get oxidised and turn brown, unlike with basil.

Leeks, thyme, white miso

A rescued these leeks from the compost pile. But they were perfect. I cooked them like this.

2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped
4 leeks, washed and sliced into ~1/2 inch rounds
1-2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2-3 tsp white miso
salt+pepper

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with a lid. Add the garlic and leeks and cover. Cook gently for 20-30 min, adding the thyme halfway through and stirring the miso through 5 min before the end. Stop when the leeks are soft, and taste for seasoning.

Zwetschgendatschi (Bavarian yeasted plum cake)

As soon as S saw the plums I harvested the other day, he said 'Zwetschgendatschi'. And I said '?' - the word is quite a tongue twister, and I knew plums as Pflaume and quetsch as squeeze... But then he sent me this recipe, and it seemed like a perfect use for the plums. Apparently these plums are the type of plum you most often see in Germany, and in the South they are called Zwetschgen. Some friends are having a nostalgia-themed equinox party tonight, and this seemed an appropriate thing to take along: my family had plum trees in the garden when I was growing up, so the process of harvesting, preparing and eating plums is nostalgic for me, while this particular yeast-doughed plum cake is quite nostalgic for S as he hasn't eaten it since he was living in Germany more than ten years ago.

I did a little research and found that Zwetschgendatschi comes with a few variables - the dough can be yeasted or can be more like a pastry or tart dough; the base can be flavoured with lemon rind or the topping with cinnamon; a streusel or crumble topping can be added on top of the plum layer. I consulted S and he favoured keeping things yeasted and simple: the only flavours in this version besides the mildly bready base are plum, toasted almond and brown sugar. I pretty much followed the recipe he sent me.

Classic version
(makes one baking tray's worth: mine was 34 cm x 23 cm and technically a roasting tin)

300 g plain flour (plus a bit more for dusting)
2 tsp active dry yeast
50 g sugar
100 ml lukewarm almond milk
50 g fake butter (at room temperature)
1 medium egg (at room temperature) - or 1 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 2.5 tbsp boiling water
a pinch of salt
~700 g Zwetschgen (damson or prune plums)
~2 tbsp demerara sugar
50-75 g flaked almonds

Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the yeast in the well, sprinkle some sugar over it and pour enough lukewarm milk in to cover the yeast. Stir briefly, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and put in a warm place for 15-20 min, until the yeast starts to bubble.

Add the rest of the milk and sugar, butter, egg and salt. Knead until the dough forms a smooth ball, then continue to knead for ~5 min (?). If it is too sticky sprinkle with flour, but try not to add too much flour. Cover the bowl again and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile prepare the plums: Cut in half lengthwise, remove the stone and then cut each half lengthwise again to make quarters. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 355F (180C). Line the baking tray with paper (or brush with oil). Roll the dough out on a clean, floured work surface until it is about the size or the baking tray, then carefully transfer it to the baking tray and pull into shape.

Arrange the plum quarters in overlapping rows, cut side up. Sprinkle evenly with demerara sugar and flaked almonds (use as much or as little as you like, to your taste). Put in the oven and bake for 25-30 min, checking after 20 min to make sure it is not too dark underneath. Remove and let cool in the tray before cutting into squares.


Gluten-free vegan experimental version
(makes 4 mini tart-sized ones in a muffin tin)

50 g TJ's gluten-free flour mix
25 g ground almonds
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
tiny pinch salt
12.5 g sugar
12.5 g fake butter
25 ml almond milk
1/4 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 3/4 tbsp boiling water
3 plums, quartered as above
~ 2 tsp demerara sugar
1-2 tbsp flaked almonds

Heat oven to 355F. Mix flour, ground almonds, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Make a well and add butter, milk and linseed mixture. Mix with a fork and then with your hands until it comes together into a pliable dough. Line muffin cups and press the dough into the bases / up the sides. Arrange the plum quarters on each (I found three quarters per cup fitted), sprinkle with demerara sugar and flaked almonds, and bake for 20-25 min.


Both were great. The classic one was awesome in its lack of intense sweetness (I could perhaps have been a bit more generous with the sugar but I liked it like this). S said it was authentic! And we both liked it - the bready part was slightly sweet and nicely risen, and the juices from the plum soaked in slightly to the bread base and to the almonds, making for a delicious thing somewhere inbetween a sweet bread and a cake - think typically German in the not-too-sweetness, the extensive use of fruit / nuts and simple flavours. The plum flavour really sung out because of that - the almonds and bread just served to complement their gorgeousness. The GF base was not as fluffy but stuck together well and the taste effect was similar. And they were cute in their little paper cases.

Note: this reminds me of Mum's apple cake that I attempted to make here. Perhaps another go at that is in order: I have some apples...

Harvest: quick autumn muffins

I had four and a half pounds of beautiful, black, egg-shaped plums with yellow flesh (harvested Wednesday night in Winter Hill, up a ladder under the Harvest Moon). They are confusing me, actually: they seem to be the variety known as 'damson plums' or 'Italian prune plums'. But they are not what I knew as damsons (the small, sour plum relatives that make the most wonderful jam). Anyway, they are delectable as well as beautiful, and well-suited for baking as not too sweet. I had a few things hanging around the kitchen hoping be consumed: the plums; also some apples and about a cupful of Chimay... It occurred to me to use the ale in baking - its maltiness could lend a dark note similar to the treacle in the apple-caraway muffins I love. Ale plus ginger, pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar (a little, not a lot), wholemeal flour and autumn fruits = quick and easy muffins, full of fall.

(makes ~12 muffins. I used half plums and half apples and halved the batter just before adding the fruit)

12 oz apples or plums (weight measured after coring / stoning)
6 oz plain flour
4 oz wholemeal flour
2 oz sugar
1 oz demerara sugar (plus ~3 tbsp for topping)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecan pieces
2 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 5 tbsp boiling water
1 1/2 oz (72 g) grapeseed oil
175 ml ale, heated and cooled

Heat oven to 375F. Chop the apples or plums into ~2 cm dice. Mix the flours, sugars, spices, baking powder, salt and pecans in a large bowl with a fork. In a separate, small bowl combine the linseed mixture, grapeseed oil and ale. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined. In the final few strokes add the fruit. Spoon the mixture into a prepared muffin tin and bake for ~25 min, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

(measurements are all over the systems, oops).

Fresh tomatillo salsa

A gave me some tomatilloes from his garden. They were probably the ripest tomatilloes I've ever seen - bursting out of their husks. I think the only thing I've ever eaten made with tomatilloes (besides this sauce, where I actually subbed green tomatoes) is a fresh, green salsa (Mexican salsa verde) served with tamales and all sorts of other Mexican eats. I like that sauce, so I decided to try and make it.

6-8 ripe tomatilloes, husks removed and fruit washed

1-2 tbsp chopped sweet onion

1/4 clove garlic

1-2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 medium green chilli, halved and seeds removed

good pinch of salt
squeeze of lime juice

Put the onion and garlic in water and set aside for 5 min. Quarter the clean tomatilloes and put them in a blender. Drain onion and garlic and add to the blender. Add coriander, chilli, salt and lime and blend to make a coarse paste. Taste for seasoning and eat with whatever you like.

We ate this with chicken of the woods sauteed with sweetcorn, paprika flatbreads, guacamole and rice with lime zest and coriander. It all went down very well: fresh and tasty summer-meets-autumn food.