BANANA CORNMEAL PANCAKES

Whether or not you had an inadvertent overnight guest, take a few minutes and flap some jacks this morning. Pancakes aren't complicated, and if you make them a semi-regular part of your morning routine (say, perhaps, a weekend tradition) you'll find you know the formula by heart in no time. I threw some bananas into the mix, but if you don't have any on hand, skip 'em. Pancakes ahoy!

INGREDIENTS

View fullsize

• 2 Bananas
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 cup Milk (alternatives will work)
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Safflower Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Corn Grits
• 1/2 cup Millet Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder

BUSINESS

1. Mash bananas in bowl, whisk in egg, milk, sugar, oil, and salt.
2. Stir in grits, millet flour, and baking powder.
3. Heat griddle over medium-high flame and ladle batter onto surface.
4. Cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes, until bubbles appear around edges, then flip.
5. Cook for another 2 minutes, then remove to plate and enjoy. 

RED WINE BROWNIES

Though I'd love to take credit for these brownies, I must bow my head to the inimitable David Lebovitz. He published this recipe for brownies in 2011 and I've been making them ever since. The batter is drop-dead simple with one caveat: you must beat it for at least a minute (as he states). The structural alchemy that occurs during your fervent whisking is what makes these brownies irresistible. They normally emerge from the oven with a crisp top but this time I've taken them for a ride with red wine and raspberry jam, baking a sticky-sweet layer on top of the bitter chocolate. 

Adapted from David Lebovitz

INGREDIENTS

View fullsize

• 6 tablespoons (85g) Refined Coconut Oil
• 8 ounces (225g) Bittersweet Chocolate (at least 65%), chopped
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup (150g) Sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3 tablespoons (30g) Corn Starch
• 1/2 cup Raspberry Jam
• 3 tablespoons Red Wine
• 1 tablespoon Corn Starch (yes, again)

BUSINESS

1. Grease an 8 or 9-inch square pan. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the coconut oil, chocolate, and salt in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth.
3. Remove the chocolate mixture from the stove, pour it into a medium sized mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time.
4. Sift the cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons corn starch over the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Beat the batter vigorously for at least on minute, until it is no longer grainy and nearly smooth. It will pull away from the sides of the bowl a bit. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the raspberry jam, wine, and 1 tablespoon corn starch.
6. Pour the raspberry mixture over the chocolate batter and slide the dish into your oven.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the jam is dark and thick and the edges of the brownies are crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing.

MATCHA CUSTARD

It's remarkable how many times I change a dessert when menu planning. What began as chocolate cupcakes with ginger sabayon morphed three times until it ended up as mossy green ramekins of matcha custard. I love the herbal note to end a meal, it feels complete. 

INGREDIENTS

View fullsize

• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup Almond Milk
• 2 tablespoons Matcha Green Tea Powder
• 1 Vanilla Bean, split and scraped (or 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract)
• 3 Eggs
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt

GET BUSY

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 ramekins or one large casserole dish set on top of a dish towel in a large baking pan (more on this later).
2. In a sauce pan combine the coconut milk, almond milk, matcha, and vanilla bean scrapings over low heat. Whisk until the matcha is incorporated into the milk (no clumps allowed)
3. Fill a tea kettle or another sauce pan with water and bring it to a boil. You’ll need this later.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt until pale yellow and slightly thickened.
5. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and drizzle it slowly into the egg mixture, whisking all the time. If you pour too quickly you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. 
6. Pour the custard base through a strainer and then ladle it into each ramekin, roughly 2/3 cup per dish. Set the filled ramekins on top of the towel in the baking pan. The towel helps to prevent burnt bottoms.
7. Slide the baking pan into your oven and then pour the simmering water in the pan, around the ramekins. Be careful to keep the water out of the ramekins and fill the baking pan until the water is about 2/3 up the ramekins. This will help evenly bake the custards.
8. Bake the custard for 28-32 minutes or until the custard is gently set. It should tremble ever so slightly when you give it a tap on the side.
9. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow them to cool for an hour on a rack. Then cover them tightly with plastic wrap and set them in the fridge to chill.

SESAME-OATMEAL CRISPS

A good cup of tea needs a strong biscuit, and my green tea custard is no different. These cookies have a touch of ginger and a handful of black sesame seeds to ring in the Chinese New Year. Mix the dough with your hands, save a spoon.

INGREDIENTS

View fullsize

• 1 cup Oats
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup Millet Flour
• 1/3 cup Black Sesame Seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 ounces Coconut Oil

BUSINESS

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl mix all ingredients with your hands. Squeeze and massage the mixture until there are no visible clumps.

3. Press the crust into a 9-inch pie dish (or some equivalently sized glass baking dish). Bake the cookies  for 15-20 minutes or until just brown around the edges. Remove dish from the oven and cut it into slices while it's still hot. Let it cool before removing from dish.

APPLE COBBLER

Screw pie, I want cobbler. Cobbler is easy (I’m never one to turn down an easy date). I cook the apples in a skillet a bit with sugar and spices before pouring them into a baking dish, it speeds up their time in the oven. And for the crust? Whip out your food processor and dump in the ingredients for this biscuit dough. It comes together in a few minutes and is easy to scatter on top of the tender apples.

INGREDIENTS

    Apple Filling

• 6 Green Apples, peeled and sliced thinly
• Juice of one Lemon
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup Coconut Oil
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg

   Biscuit Topping

• ¾ cup Brown Rice Flour
• ¾ cup Millet Flour
• ¼ cup Tapioca Flour
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 4 tablespoons Shortening
• ¾ cup Milk (a non-dairy alternative will work)

GET BUSY

1) In a medium saucepan, combine the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat until the  liquid is syrupy and the apples are soft but not mushy, about 20 minutes.

2) While the apples are cooking, heat your oven to 450 degrees.

3) In a food processor add the brown rice flour, millet flour, tapioca flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and shortening. Pulse until it is the texture of sand.

4) With the food processor running, pour the milk in slowly. Pulse the dough until it forms a loose ball.

5) When the apples are ready, pour them into an 8×8 baking dish.

6) Sprinkle the dough over the apples, roughly, it doesn’t need to be even.

7) Put the dish in your oven for 13-15 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned.

8) Remove from the oven, let cool for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy!