Pandemic Practice

my garden
my ancestors
my breath
the seeds
the earth beneath my feet
the squirrel, the bird, butterfly, and bee

these are my teachers, my family, my sangha
i carry them with me
lightening my burden, my mind, and my path

Backyard Banana Bread

Years ago I planted a raja puri banana and this is the first harvest!  They're unexpectedly good–a little tart, a little sweet, a little firm–just a really excellent little banana.  I've got a whole big bunch ripening.  We're eating them in our breakfast, I'll be freezing a lot of them, but because of COVID-19, I'm not seeing very many people to share them with.

This is based on my mom's recipe.  Don't mash the bananas too much or it takes forever to bake.

1/2 cup safflower oil
1 cup rapadura and/or evaporated cane sugar
2 backyard eggs
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup oat flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or your mix of favorite flours)
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp sea salt
1 cup lightly mashed very ripe banana
1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips or blueberries or mulberries (optional)

Beat oil, sugar & eggs. In a separate bowl, shift together dry ingredients. Alternate mixing in dry ingredients with the banana, sour cream & vanilla. Mix in the nuts & chocolate chips.  Bake in a greased & floured loaf pan at 325 degrees (convection) for 60-100 minutes until firm in the center.

Variation:

Add crisp topping before baking: 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 3 tblsp cubed cold butter, 3 tblsp rolled oats, 1/2 tsp ground flax seed, 1/2 tsp hemp seed, 1/2 tsp chia seed, beat together until homogenous

Decadent Orange Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I only make these once a year, to celebrate the new year.  Invite friends and family: this recipe makes 12 medium-sized rolls.  This dough works best when made early in the morning for a late morning breakfast.

Dough:
¾ cup milk
¼ cup yogurt (or sour cream or buttermilk)
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup evaporated cane sugar
2½ teaspoons yeast
1 egg
3¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a small saucepan on medium-low, heat the milk, yogurt and butter until the butter is melted and the milk is between 105° and 115°. Stir in half the sugar and the yeast. Bloom the yeast for 5 minutes. Add to mixing bowl, and whisk in the egg and the remaining sugar. Add the flour, salt and cinnamon. Using the hook attachment, mix on low speed for 4 minutes.

Place batter in a greased bowl and turn to grease top. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours until it doubles.  

Kitchen tip:  Speed up the rise by turning your oven into a proving drawer with a pan of boiling water set on the bottom shelf.  Best proving temp is 70-115 degrees.

Filling:
1 stick butter (room temperature)
2/3 cup brown sugar (rapadura if you can find it)
2 rounded tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

an egg white

Whip the sugar, cinnamon and butter until smooth. On a floured surface, roll the dough out in a rectangle, roughly 8x12 inches, about ¼ inch thick.  Spread on the butter mixture, leaving an inch strip bare at the top of the rectangle.  Sprinkle the pecans. Gently, but tightly roll the rectangle into a log, brushing away any flour as you roll.  Brush the bare strip with egg white to form a seal.  Cut into 12 slices and place in a buttered Pyrex 9x13 baking dish. Let proof for 40 minutes. Bake at 375°(325° for convection) until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.  

Serve warm, topped with cream cheese frosting:

1 stick butter (room temperature)
6 ounces neufchâtel or cream cheese (room temperature)
5 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ rounded teaspoon sea salt

zest of an orange

Whip all ingredients together in a mixer until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Loquat Chamoy

Flipping through the latest Edible SD magazine, I turn to the last page and see a simple, short recipe for chamoy.  I'm not a huge fan of sweet-spicy but my little brother and sister love it, so I thought I'd whip some up for them.

It seemed odd to me that their recipe called for apricots, which are not easily or often grown in San Diego.  With a plethora of loquats on my trees and multiple jars of freshly jammed loquats in my cupboard, it struck me as the perfect use for them.  Being ubiquitous here, currently in season, and, while not native, a big part of my Mexican culinary heritage, it's an obvious choice.  So here's my version:

4-6 loquats, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup loquat preserves
zest and juice of 3 small limes
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4-1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (to taste)
3/4-1 teaspoon cayenne chile powder (to taste)

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Makes about 1 cup.

Serve on fruit sorbets, fresh fruit, fruity drinks, shave ice, cheesecake, tostilocos...

Vanilla Loquat Preserves

A great crop on my favorite loquat tree this year!  I'll be making a few versions of this jam this month:

16 cups loquats (seeded and quartered)

4 cups sugar (or less)
1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract (or see other variations)

Remove the blossom end of the loquats, seeds, and cut into quarters.  In a large enameled pot (or other high heat tolerant, non-reactive pot), mix the loquats with sugar and lemon juice and let sit for at least a half hour.

On high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, to gel point (could be 20-60 minutes - test a small amount of jelly on a plate you've kept in the freezer; return the plate to the freezer for 1 minute.  If the jelly wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is done.)  Stir in vanilla extract.

If you're canning, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Makes 9 cups.

Variations:
Instead of vanilla, try 16 leaves rose geranium, zest of an orange, or 1 teaspoon cardamom added when you bring it to a boil.

Lavender Mulberry Preserves

Looking at and smelling the lavender growing next to my mulberry tree made me think their delicate flavors might be nice together.

Lavender in foods can be tricky.  Too little and you can't detect it, too much and it tastes like soap.  To avoid overpowering flavors I always use fresh lavender.  It's quite subtle in this recipe:

6 pounds fresh mulberries

4 1/2 cups sugar
24 springs of fresh lavender, tied together in a bouquet garni
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons calcium water (comes with Pomona's universal pectin powder)
2 tablespoons pectin powder

Rinse mulberries and clip the little stem off (this part takes forever).

In a large enameled pot (or other high heat tolerant, non-reactive pot), mix the mulberries with sugar and lavender and let sit in the fridge for 8 hours.

Put mulberry mix on high heat.  Stir in the lemon juice and calcium water.  Slowly sprinkle in the pectin stirring it in as you goes so as to avoid lumps.  Boil, stirring constantly, to gel point (test a small amount of jelly on a plate you've kept in the freezer; return the plate to the freezer for 1 minute.  If the jelly wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is done.)

If you're canning, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Makes 12 cups.

Variations:
Try a different herb instead of lavender, such as sage, mint, lemon verbena, or rose geranium.
Instead of lemon juice, use 1/4 cup white or dark balsamic vinegar and eliminate the herb.

Mulberry Preserves with Homemade Pectin

In the past, I have not been patient or experienced enough to get mulberries to the correct jam consistency.  Mulberries don't have enough pectin on their own to jam, I've always wanted to make my own pectin, and I had a couple pomelos hanging around.  So this year, I did a bit more research, used the turbo burner on my stove to get the temp up and voila!  Success!

4 pounds fresh mulberries
homemade citrus pectin from half a pound of pith
2 7/8 cups sugar
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice or vinegar of your choice)

Rinse mulberries and clip the little stem off (this part takes forever).

In a large enameled pot (or other high heat tolerant, non-reactive pot), mix the mulberries with sugar and let sit in the fridge for 8 hours.

Put mulberry mix on high heat, add pectin and vinegar, and stir frequently to 220 degrees or to gel point (this part can take awhile - be patient to get to that gel point)

If you're canning, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.