Category: Food

Feed Two Birds with One Scone

Early victories in the kitchen were hard-won for me because, quite frankly, I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t know how to bake before going vegan, didn’t seek schooling on how to after, and to this day, I’m still not keen on following recipes. My parents suffered through some truly abysmal creations that could only loosely be described as “food.” One of my first notable successes came in the form of a simple scone, too easy to mess up even if I tried.

Cobbled together from odds and ends on hand, dried cranberries punctuated the rough, triangular biscuits, while thin flecks of orange peel appeared as faint confetti just beneath the surface. Barely sweetened, crisp, yet tender and buttery, I suppose they were special because in a way, they weren’t. There was no mystery, no magic to them, but something made them particularly compelling, both for the maker and the eater. Instant gratification; reliable satisfaction.

My mom, also known as my original number one fan, was effusive at the first bite. (In hindsight, I’m sure she was overjoyed that it was just finally something edible.) It became her go-to request, sometimes taking the form of hearts on Mother’s Day or rectangles arranged to spell out an “M” on her birthday, but always the same, year after year: Cranberry-orange scones.

Having committed the recipe to memory from repeated use, I realized with horror that it never got its fair time in the spotlight here on the blog. Finally, almost two decades later, I’d like to celebrate my mom’s birthday today by doing just that. Happy birthday, mom! As tradition would have it, these scones are for you.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)6 Comments

Wordless Wednesday: Omakase

Sushi

Smoked Beet Nigiri: Nitsume sauce, wasabi, shiso, sesame snow.
Carrot Gunkanmaki: ‘Battleship sushi’ topped with roasted carrot yuzu kosho foam.
Asparagus Inside Out Roll: Salt/sugar cured asparagus, avocado, daikon, sprouts, kelp caviar, and spicy aioli.



Abalone Mushroom Sunomono

Shredded and marinated abalone mushroom, accordion-cut cucumbers, wakame, daikon sprouts, and a tosa vinaigrette.

Cauliflower Karaage

Marinated cauliflower fried in a light yuzu kosho tempura batter, and served with yuzu aioli and dusted nori.

Soba Noodle Mazemen

Ramen made with buckwheat noodles, nuka-pickled veggies, charred Tokyo negi, soy-pickled shiitakes, koji-cured carrot, tofu misozuke, and tempura wakame.
Hot dashi, seasoned with a caramelized aromatic tare, poured table side.

Strawberry Matcha Cheesecake

With macerated strawberries and matcha meringue.

Fancy Plants Cafe and Catering
613 W Briar St
Chicago, IL 60657

 
 

 

 

Hannah (BitterSweet)1 Comment

Once In a Blue Moon

Only once in a blue moon does one find a cookie so fetching, so beautiful and flavorful, so irresistible that it might become a new staple on the highly anticipated annual Christmas cookie platter. Classic recipes passed down across the generation don’t crumble in the face of passing trends. Newcomers try to work their way in at the edges, but they rarely have staying power beyond one holiday season, maybe two at best.

Allow me to introduce your new baking tradition. Almond crescents have stood the test of time, appearing in a multitude of European patisseries under the title of vanillekipferl, migdałowe półksiężyce, kupferlin, and more, depending on who you ask. Melt in your mouth shortbread cookies with a snowy dusting of confectioner’s sugar, there’s no unseating this sweet staple… Until now.

Blue matcha, though actually made with powdered butterfly pea flowers rather than green tea leaves, adds an alluring hue along with subtly nuanced flavor. Placing greater emphasis on the nutty aspects of its namesake, almond butter and almond extract provide a much bolder bite than the typical blend. Anyone who thinks that all shortbread sweets are bland will have to reevaluate their assessment after even a tentative nibble.

A step above the basic butter cookie, the dough couldn’t be more accommodating for any deadline or level of expertise. No chilling, no rolling, no cutting; just mix and bake. Best of all, they can be fully prepared well in advance and stored in the freezer until the time for gift giving arrives… Or cravings strike. Let’s be honest, they’re possibly even more delicious straight out of the deep freeze, with just a touch of refreshing frost lending surprisingly authenticity to the aesthetically pleasing icing sugar.

Astronomically speaking, a blue moon has nothing to do with color. If it happens to looks blue, looming high in the night sky, it’s because of dust in the atmosphere. These treats are made of even more precious stuff than moon dust, which fully delivers on the promise in every regard.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments

Miraculous Olive Oil

The legendary oil that fueled the original Hanukkah miracle, burning brightly for eight days on end, was most certainly olive oil. Capable of wonders both big and small, historically and still to this day, it’s an indispensable staple that’s saved me from all variety of culinary plights. Just as the biblical story exhorts, a little bit of extra virgin olive oil goes a long way.

Why is this the obvious, and only rational choice? While it doesn’t last forever, kept in a dark and cool place, tightly sealed bottles will stay just as fresh for up to a year and a half without any preservatives, high-pressure canning practices, or refrigeration. Plus, it can handle the heat. Contrary to popular belief, extra virgin olive oil does indeed have a high smoke point (400° F), so it can handle anything from a light sauté to a deep (and deeply flavorful) fry. You can bake with olive oil, as well.

Extra virgin olive oil is made by sheer force, extracted by pressure without heat or chemicals. It represents quality you can taste. Virtually free of acidity(below 0.8%,) each oil is judged by experts, who must agree that it meets the high flavor standards to bear the official designation of “extra virgin.” Each bottle that makes the grade must exhibit the presence of nuanced fruity, bitter, and spicy notes, in every bold drop. If these signature components aren’t all in perfect, harmonious balance, it won’t receive the esteemed rating, and you’ll never suffer the injustice of a subpar specimen.

European extra virgin olive oil in particular is held to some of the highest standards. The olive tree has been revered in Europe since antiquity. Over thousands of years, farmers have evolved hundreds of cultivars and optimized them for different environment conditions and terrains to produce the most flavorful yields.

Beyond its legendary piquancy, aroma, and zest, extra virgin olive oil can literally shed a light on the darkness of a largely overlooked holiday practice. The fabled tale of the Hanukkah miracle is more than just mythology, after all. Even without a fancy vessel or ornamental candles, my menorah burns as brightly as ever this year, powered by oil alone. If you have wicks and olive oil, you can make one from scratch in a matter of minutes, too!

Just make sure you save a little drizzle for dessert. While balsamic vinegar often gets all the attention as an unconventional ice cream topper, lending a savory, tangy twist to the usual old frosty scoop, I happen to love the richness that this golden-green elixir adds instead. Vanilla would be most traditional, but what’s to say it doesn’t pair just as well with a luscious spoonful of giandua (hazelnut-chocolate) ice cream, melting luxuriously to mingle with the oil itself?

Quality staples are worthy of a celebration everyday, but especially for the holidays, splurging on really good extra virgin olive oil will taste like a little miracle in every dish.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)12 Comments

Sweet Dreams

Tossing, turning, mind churning, sleep doesn’t come easily for the majority of people these days. Everyone experiences the frustration at least intermittently, staring at the clock counting down the minutes until daybreak, unable to force a hard reboot. The importance of a good night’s sleep can’t be overstated, even more so than exercise or even healthy eating. Without a solid 6 – 8 hours of deep sleep under your belt, the simplest tasks become herculean endeavors.

I’m one of those people that’s tried everything. From aromatherapy to prescription meds, striking the right balance is more of an art than a science. Everyone, every body, is different, which makes the path to a proper night’s sleep winding, full of dead ends, and often isolating.

Melatonin has been my only relief, although I’ve built up a considerable tolerance to it over the years. Whereas 2mg is more than enough for most people, it takes 10mg, or more, to keep me peacefully tucked in, even if I’m already tired out. Just like the multitude of factors that join in concert to create ideal sleeping conditions, it takes more than one hormone to complete the cycle. CBD, already a noted daytime supplement in my medicine cabinet, is here to help.

There’s more to CBD than just oils and tinctures, of course. New to me is the concept of a CBD-infused bath bomb, combining the spa-like experience of a relaxing soak with the efficacy of a therapeutic treatment. Your skin is your largest organ, and thus a powerful tool for absorbing cannabinoids. Even if you don’t have a bathtub, a simple foot soak will yield equally satisfying results, instantly assimilating essential oils and CBD like a sponge. A bath bomb is a full-body topical application that allows for unparalleled all-over relief.

What makes the biggest difference in my sleep routine, however, is CBD oil blended with my good friend melatonin, plus other beneficial herbal extracts such as chamomile, valerian root extract, passionflower, cascade hops, and lemon balm. This is the harmonious fusion found in a bottle of CBD PM, which starts doing its magic about 30 minutes before bed.

A light mint flavor helps conceal the more grassy, vegetal notes of hemp, but all I could think about after the first dosage were pillow mints.

It’s no struggle to get this medicine down, but a spoonful of sugar still doesn’t hurt. Soft, sweet, melt-away morsels that actually help settle the restless mind, these pillow mints are classic treats with a tiny modern twist. Using CBD oil instead of mere peppermint oil adds flavor with function.

Smooth and rich like old-fashioned butter mints but even creamier, they won’t dry out like the dusty pellets usually left sitting in the candy dish. Easily double the recipe to make them en mass and have enough to share, or cut it in half if you’re not totally sold on the concept. Try one or two before bedtime, and I promise you’ll become a believer. These are the stuff that sweet dreams are made of.

For the key ingredient, CBD PM, use promo code MOMSMEET to save 15% on your order at cbdmd.com. Offer ends March 31, 2020. Free shipping on all orders.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)3 Comments