Wishful Thinking

I've been doing a lot of wishing lately. Wishing for summer. Wishing for a job. Wishing for Portland and an even better job. Wishing for some messages in my Etsy mailbox. Wishing for sweets.


Ok so that last one is relatively achieveable. After all, I did just make cookies. But there are certain sweets, parts of Christmas, memories I wish to recall. Traditions that just aren't the same any more. Childhood that can't be reclaimed, yet adulthood that can't come fast enough.


Story of my life.


And then there's cherries. And marshmallows. Both of which I'm suddenly craving. And can't have. Cherries - the juciest, frehsest ones - aren't in season at Christmas (though they should be - they are the perfect festive-looking fruit)
Marshmallows - are hard to find - and, more importantly, make - vegan.


Allow me to take you on a sensual adventure through the seasons.

The joys of summer are endless. The warm breezes blowing through my hair like fairy dust. The sunlight invigorating my senses like comfort food. The farmers markets that are, too late, making their way to Connecticut. The hours swimming in sea-blue water of soy sauce. One of the best things about summer is the bounty of sweet, juicy fruit that is available locally. Best of all are the cherries. Their glossy, blood-red skin blushes in embarrassment of its beauty. The perfect handles, woody, thin and black; stick straight up, waiting for me like impatient children. A gentle clink can be heard as they tumble gently into a bowl like calm waves. Snatching one for myself, I finger the skin of silk between my fingers. I sink my teeth into the awaiting flesh, a gentle snap allowing the juice to avalanche, the delicious blood rushing evidence down my face. My teeth clinks against the boulder blocking the path to deliciousness, and I must restart; attacking form a different angle. The smell of summer envelops me now, and I polish off the fruit like an ice cream cone. Reaching for another, I let it dangle by the stem; one last dance in beauty before it falls into the taste trap, feeling bad, since this one is the queen bee. Golden and unique, with a hint of sass. If not for its blood spot, its one blemish, I might have left it alone. But no, the destiny is set, my mouth watering with the thought of a unique experience. Already exhaling the scent of cherry wood and berries, and my though tingling as the sweet river of juice slides across it. A holly jolly treat in deed. If only they weren't a seasonal treat!

http://www.cjolsoncherries.com/

Now we skip to winter. And what does summer have in comon with winter? Clouds. Increasingly more of them as the gloom of winter sets in. I love swallowing clouds. Moist, sweet, fluffy, flavorful clouds. That is marshmallows.Pillowy and delicate, they cast a spell on me. One minute i'm diving in - the next I've eaten a pile of them. Melt-in-your-mouth, yet inexplicably sturdy. White as snow, plush pink, chocolate brown. Any way you make them, I'll eat them. Or at least, I used to. I no longer get the luxury of a marshmallow spell, but instead have been virtually been zapped of my animal eating powers instead. Well okay, of my own choosing. And a happy choice its been I add.

But that still doesn't mean I don't want my marshmallows - one of the few treats that, temporarily, make the winter okay. Floating on top of cocoa like a boat gilding across a glassy ocean, they complete the picture.

And yet, my marshmallow cravings have been given the cold shoulder. All thanks to gelatin. Oh sure, there's agar. But making marshmallows with agar is like building a snowman out of white, icy powder- it'll work, but it definitely won't be the same. Someone has excelled, but for an arm and a leg and leaving my beliefs of homemade whenever possible behind. Plus I inherently want to know how to be able to make just about everything delicious.

They made a superhero out of EnerG egg, can't vegan gelatin be next in line?

Oh, and let's not forget the snow pudding to be served in t-21 days. What's to do about that?

http://www.sophistimom.com/homemade-marshmallows/

But alas, I don't have either cherries or marshamllows right now. I just have a fridge stocked with leftovers of a delicious "Sans Coq au Vin" feast, and a boxful of Almond Sandnuts ready to go to the vegan cookie swap tomorrow. Maybe that will make Christmas more real? Or maybe a dusting of snow? No, forget I ever said that- no snow. 50 degrees is perfectly fine with me. Though I suppose as long as my oven is cranking out goodies, I'm happy.

Almond Sandnuts. Soon to be on a passionbakes Etsy shop near you!

Tarts, Tests, and Tantrums

Ah finals. Hate them!

Reasons why I hate finals:

Stress.

Long weekends that only serve to make you stress more.

Knowing that you really don't have anything to worry about but you do anyway

A professor who thinks his study guide is a gift, but really just confuses you more

Buses that don't seem to care about being on time

Scantrons that should never have been invented

Teachers who don't seem to remember why you can't use Scantrons.

An overwhelming desire to scarf down every sweet thing in site in hopes of relieving your stress.

Oh yes, finals. Three times per year is three times too many.

But the one thing that might make finals a little better is knowing that a nice long breaks lies just 24 hours in the future. And even better, this break involves one great holiday- Thanksgiving.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving, and in need of emptying out the refrigerator of all my farmers' market finds, I decided to combine a few classic fall flavors into one great holiday pie. Of course, it's not even seven days away yet and, three days after making this delicious dessert, it's nearly gone. That's stress and a lack of breakfast eats for you!

Now go get ready and make this pie / tart / dessert / whatever you want to call it!

Pickin’ Pie

Note: I think next time I will caramelize or partially cook the apples before putting them on top of the squash filling (and will bake the filling for 30-40 minutes instead of 20 so that it doens't over-bake). The way I did it this first time, the apples came out kinda chewy.

Crust

132 g. sugar

18 g. molasses

120 g. flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

60 g. rolled oats

76 g. Earth Balance stick margarine, cut into cubes

2-4 tbsp. apple cider

1. Combine sugar, molasses, flour, baking soda, slat, vanilla and oats. 
2. Cut in margarine with your hands, rubbing it until you get small, pea-like pieces of fat.
3. Add enough cider to bring the dough together into a workable dough.
4. Form dough into a disk, wrap and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9” pie plate with high sides or a 9” cake pan.
6. Roll dough out to about a 10” disk (easiest way is between plastic wrap). Transfer to the greased pie plate. Dough should come about 1/2 to 1” up sides.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until browned and firm to the touch. Meanwhile, prepare squash filling.

Squash Filling

2 cups butternut squash puree (from about half a small, roasted squash)

2 cups apple cider, cooked over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup

1 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

5 tbsp. tapioca starch

1 tbsp. coconut oil or shortening

8 . Combine all filling ingredients in a blender, pureeing until completely smooth and evenly distributed.

9.Pour into baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare apples.

Apples

3 medium, semi-tart, firm apples (ex. Empire), peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced

3 tbsp. brown sugar

the juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp. tapioca starch

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

10. Toss apples with all other ingredients. Let sit for at least 10 minutes (can do ahead of time and keep in fridge)

11. When filling is starting to set, remove pan from oven and arrange apples in a single layer on top. I arranged mine in sort of a rose pattern, overlapping apples slightly in rings, but you can do it however you like it best.


12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until apples have begun to brown.


13. Remove from oven and cool completely. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Great with banana "ice cream" (especially pumpkin-flavored)! Get the basic recipe here! Also great for breakfast!!!!

Oh and by the way: If you like all the great, creative treats I've shared on my blog, please check out my Etsy page! Thank you!