Pastel de choclo

Il n’y a pas longtemps, j’ai repensé à ce plat que j’avais mangé chez mes parents il y a plusieurs années, avant même de rencontrer l’Ingénieur, je crois. (Alors bon, grammaticalement, il faudrait dire « de nombreuses » au lieu de « plusieurs », mais ça ne me rajeunit pas.) Ils avaient un excellent chef cuisinier à l’époque, et c’est lui qui avait préparé ce plat, dont j’oubliais alors le nom. J’avais essayé de le décrire à l’Ingénieur, mais j’avais l’air de lui parler d’envies de femme enceinte ou de la bagatelle de Rachel Green, tellement les ingrédients ont l’air disparates! Du bœuf haché et des raisins secs dans le même plat… Et puis, complètement par coïncidence, je parlais à ma mère et à ma sœur (alors en voyage au Portugal) de pastel de nata, puis ma mère est passée au pastel de choclo. Et voilà, c’était ça, un pastel de choclo. J’ai donc cherché une recette sur Google, pour m’arrêter sur celle-ci, et je l’ai faite.

Le pastel de choclo est un plat traditionnel chilien (mais je ne prétends pas que ma recette soit traditionnelle!). La version dont je me rappelais contenait du bœuf haché et des oignons en plus d’amandes et de raisins secs, le tout recouvert d’une couche de maïs un peu sucrée; celle-ci contient en plus du poulet et des œufs durs, et je l’ai servie avec des olives à côté (parce qu’apparemment qu’elles sont traditionnelles aussi, mais je ne les aime pas). En gros, pensez à un pâté chinois qui serait parti faire un voyage à l’étranger. La version ci-dessous est la mienne.

3 oignons de taille moyenne, hachés
3 c. à soupe d’huile végétale
2 lb. de bœuf haché
2 c. à thé de cumin
1 c. à thé + 1 c. à thé de sel
½ c. à thé de poivre
3 tasses de grains de maïs (frais, en conserve puis égouttés, ou surgelés et dégelés)
¼ tasse + ¾ tasse de lait entier sans lactose
¼ tasse de beurre sans lactose ou de margarine
1 c. à soupe de sucre
2 c. à soupe de basilic finement haché (je l’ai oublié)
½ tasse de raisins secs
1/3 tasse d’olives (je les sers à côté pour ceux qui en veulent)
4 œufs cuits dur, en morceaux
1 tasse de poulet cuit et effiloché

Faire sauter les oignons dans l’huile jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient tendres et translucides, 5 minutes.

Ajouter le bœuf haché, le cumin, 1 c. à thé de sel et le poivre. Faire cuire, en brassant et en émiettant le bœuf, jusqu’à ce que ce dernier soit bien cuit. Retirer du feu et réserver.

Mettre les grains de maïs dans le robot ou le mélangeur avec ¼ tasse du lait. Mélanger pendant 1 ou 2 minutes, jusqu’à ce que le maïs apparaisse crémeux.

Faire fondre le beurre dans une grande poêle. Ajouter 1 c. à thé de sel, le sucre et le mélange de maïs. Ajouter le ¾ tasse de lait restant et mijoter, sans arrêter de mélanger, jusqu’à ce que le mélange épaississe, environ de 5 à 10 minutes. Retirer du feu et ajouter le basilic.

Préchauffer le four à 375 °F.

Drainer le liquide du mélange de bœuf, au besoin, et placer le bœuf au fond d’un plat de 3 ou 4 litres (le même plat où vous feriez votre pâté chinois, quoi). Parsemer le bœuf des raisins secs, des olives (si vous en voulez), des œufs durs et du poulet. Étendre le mélange de maïs de façon à ce qu’il couvre les autres ingrédients. Saupoudrer du sucre en poudre. (Si vous ne pouvez pas vous empêcher de penser au pouding à l’arsenic, surtout dans un plat salé, nous pouvons être amis.)

Faire cuire au four de 30 à 45 minutes, jusqu’à ce que le tout soit bien chaud et que le maïs soit doré. Servir tiède.

Vanilla Lavender Cupcakes

I tried these vanilla lavender cupcakes. I was mostly interested in the coconut milk frosting, which I actually found really good! Once it was refrigerated, it actually set up nicely and the consistency was such that I could have piped it on the cupcakes. The cupcakes also contain sea salt instead of table salt or kosher salt, which I found to be an unusual choice for this type of baked good, but it gave the crumb some interesting contrast in both taste and texture. If all you are interested in is the lavender flavor, you can use wheat flour for the cupcakes and make a lavender buttercream (with lactose-free butter or a butter substitute) instead of a coconut frosting.

For the cupcakes
1 cup (120 g.) chickpea flour
½ cup (70 g.) brown rice flour
2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ cup vegetable oil (such as safflower, sunflower or grapeseed)
2/3 cup cane sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup almond milk (or lactose-free milk of your choice)
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract)

For the lavender frosting
2 (13.5-oz.) cans coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted and cooled
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. dried organic lavender, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 °F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, arrowroot powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the oil and sugar on medium speed until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute; mix in the eggs, almond milk, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula (I just kept using the paddle attachment), add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. (In theory, there’s no need to worry about overmixing, since there’s no gluten in this batter.)

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin molds and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely, at least 2 hours.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the lavender cream. Remove the coconut milk from refrigerator, turn the cans upside down, and remove the bottoms of the cans. Carefully drain off the coconut water (reserve for smoothies or other uses) and scoop the solidified coconut cream out into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat together the coconut cream, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla, until smooth and creamy. Fold in the dried lavender. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Frost the cupcakes with the lavender cream. Sprinkle the tops with extra lavender for garnish.

Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Bread with Pecans and Chocolate Chips

This bread is exactly what I like to eat for breakfast. It’s a bread like a banana bread is a bread, which is to say more of a loaf cake than actual bread. (The last banana bread I tried was a complete disaster, too, so I needed a sure thing.) I used pecans because this is about the only baked good in which I enjoy nuts, but you could omit them if you wanted. It’s also the kind of recipe where you could swap sweet potato for the carrots or pears for the apples, and you could add raisins or other dried fruit. The Little Prince called it “chocolate chip bread” and liked it so much that he cried when it was finished! Luckily, the recipe yields two loaves and I’ve got the second one stashed in the freezer for later, so I’ll surprise him with it.

Note that to yield 4 cups of shredded fruits and vegetables, I used 1 medium zucchini, 1 large carrot and 1 large apple, but even then I didn’t measure precisely.

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat, as always)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. all-spice
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 1/3 cup white sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ sticks butter or margarine, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups total grated zucchini, carrot and apple (see note above)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease and line two 2-liter loaf pans.

Grate your zucchini, carrot and apple (I did this in the food processor). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer), add the sugars and eggs and mix. Add the melted butter and vanilla and mix. Stir in the flour in 3 parts, then add the zucchini, carrot and apple mixture. Add the pecans and chocolate chips. Stir until well combined. Divide between the pans.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50 to 70 minutes.

Weekday Salad with Chicken

We’ve had a new schedule since September, one that requires me to make dinner ahead on Mondays because the Little Prince and I come home a tad after 6 o’clock and want to eat pretty much as soon as we walk in the door. So it’s not a good night to make something that must be served immediately, but I’ve found that something like quiche works well because I can just reheat it in the microwave (or, if the Engineer makes it home early enough, he can pop it in the oven to warm it up). Also, since the Little Prince doesn’t like quiche these days, I call it an egg-and-cheese tart whenever possible! I tried a vegan tofu quiche with spinach and squash from Coup de Pouce, but was less than impressed. I also tried a vegetarian Swiss chard and raisin quiche from the same magazine, but found that the crust was overbaked and the solids in the filling had fallen to the bottom, so despite the fact that it was pretty good, I don’t think I’ll be making it again. This is still my favorite. I once made a pot of beans to serve as a side to beef stew from the freezer. Another great option was BBQ beef tacos, which helped me use up the three (!) opened bottles of barbecue sauce in the fridge.

I wanted to share this recipe, though, a salad with chicken and lots of vegetables that is easy to assemble ahead of time. It’s also the kind of recipe that I could see myself eating after a week on the road every summer! I used this method to cook the chicken breasts, but any way is fine, and rotisserie chicken would be great too. You could replace the chicken with a cooked grain for a vegan option or add some lactose-free goat cheese while you’re at it. It turns out that this made a LOT of food; after layering the salad in a glass bowl and getting a 7-layer-dip effect, we ended up dumping everything in the biggest metal bowl in the house so that we had room to actually toss the salad.

For the vinaigrette
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. whole-grain Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp. sesame oil (or flavorful nut oil)

For the salad
1 medium tomato, diced
½ medium English or hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped
20 snap peas (3 oz.), cut into thirds
10 small radishes, stemmed and quartered
1 small carrot, peeled and finely grated
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup roasted nuts, such as pine nuts or slivered almonds (optional)
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or chia seeds
1 large handful arugula or mixed greens
2 or 3 grilled chicken breasts, sliced or shredded

Whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon, and salt together in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and sesame oil, and whisk until emulsified; set aside. (I do this in a glass jar with a lid.)

Chop, dice, grate, and mince to your heart's content, piling each vegetable in a large bowl as it is prepared (see note above). Add the parsley, chickpeas, nuts, and seeds and toss to combine.

Pour the dressing over the chopped vegetables and toss to coat before serving (the salad will keep in the fridge even with the dressing, though delicate greens might wilt a bit).

Gâteau-beigne à l'érable

J’ai trouvé cette recette dans Coup de Pouce. C’est un bon gâteau, je trouve, mais l’Ingénieur et surtout le Petit Prince ont été tellement enchantés que je me dois de le partager!

Pour le gâteau
1 tasse de beurre ou de margarine, à la température de la pièce
1 tasse + ½ tasse de sucre
4 œufs, jaunes et blancs séparés
¼ tasse de crème sure sans lactose
1 ½ c. à thé d'essence d'érable
3 tasses de farine
2 c. à thé de poudre à pâte
½ c. à thé de sel
¼ c. à thé de bicarbonate de sodium
1 tasse de substitut de babeurre (lait sans lactose avec 1 c. à soupe de vinaigre)
3 c. à soupe de sirop d'érable
1 c. à soupe d'eau chaude

Pour la glace à l'érable
2-3 c. à soupe de sirop d'érable
1 c. à thé d'essence d'érable
1 tasse de sucre glace tamisé
½ c. à thé d'eau (environ; voir note plus bas)

Pour le gâteau
Préchauffer le four à 350 °F. Graisser et fariner un moule à gâteau à cheminée (de type Bundt) de 10 pouces de diamètre.

Dans un grand bol, à l’aide d’un batteur électrique, battre le beurre avec 1 tasse du sucre jusqu’à ce que le mélange soit léger. Incorporer les jaunes d’œufs, un à la fois, en battant. Incorporer la crème sure et l’essence d’érable.

Dans un autre bol, à l’aide d’un fouet, mélanger la farine, la poudre à pâte, le sel et le bicarbonate de sodium. Incorporer les ingrédients secs à la préparation au beurre en trois fois, en alternant avec le babeurre et en battant jusqu’à ce que la pâte soit homogène.

Dans un autre bol, à l’aide du batteur électrique (utiliser des fouets propres), battre les blancs d’œufs jusqu’à ce qu’ils forment des pics mous. En continuant de battre, incorporer le reste du sucre, 1 c. à soupe à la fois, jusqu’à ce que le mélange forme des pics fermes et brillants. À l’aide d’une spatule, incorporer le tiers du mélange de blancs d’œufs à la pâte à gâteau en soulevant délicatement la masse. Incorporer le reste du mélange de blancs d’œufs de la même manière. Verser la pâte à gâteau dans le moule à gâteau préparé. Lisser le dessus.

Cuire le gâteau au four préchauffé de 40 à 50 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’un cure-dent piqué au centre du gâteau en ressorte propre. Mettre le moule sur une grille et laisser refroidir pendant 20 minutes. Démouler le gâteau sur la grille (dans mon cas, il en est resté un peu collé au fond du moule, mais le glaçage a aidé à camoufler le tout). Glisser une feuille de papier ciré sous la grille. Dans un petit bol, mélanger le sirop d’érable et l’eau. Badigeonner toute la surface du gâteau de ce mélange. Laisser refroidir complètement.

Pour la glace à l’érable
Dans un bol, mélanger 2 c. à soupe du sirop et l’essence d’érable. Ajouter le sucre glace et mélanger jusqu’à ce que la glace soit lisse et coulante. (Au besoin, ajouter le reste du sirop ou jusqu’à ½ c. à thé d’eau, quelques gouttes à la fois, pour obtenir la consistance désirée. Dans mon cas, la glace était trop liquide dès le départ, alors je recommande de commencer avec 2 c. à soupe de sirop.) Verser la glace sur le gâteau refroidi. Laisser reposer pendant 15 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que la glace ait pris.

Orange Sweet Rolls

I found this recipe on Epicurious, and it had a nice background story. (I’d never heard of them before, but they’re apparently famous in some parts of Alabama.) I made these for breakfast on a weekend, though I baked them the night before. I baked them directly in a greased muffin tin, but you could use paper liners if you want. These rolls are very sweet, so I suggest serving them alongside fruit for breakfast; otherwise, they’re also good as a snack or even a dessert. Enjoy!

For the filling
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (I used margarine)
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1 pinch of ground cardamom (optional)

For the rolls
3 Tbsp. warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast (about 2 ¼ tsp.)
2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, room temperature
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil, cooled, or vegetable shortening
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 2/3 cup cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

For the filling
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, sugar, orange zest, salt, and cardamom, if using, in a large bowl until fluffy. Set aside.

For the rolls
Pour 3 Tbsp. warm water (105 °F–115 °F) into a small bowl. Add yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar and whisk to combine. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg yolk, orange juice, oil, salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar in a large bowl. Add 1 2/3 cups flour and yeast mixture. Beat until dough just comes together. (At this point, I switched to the dough hook and didn’t need to knead by hand.) Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead several times with floured hands until smooth, about 5 minutes (dough will be sticky).

Spray a clean large bowl with nonstick spray. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a towel and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray. Roll dough on a well-floured surface to an 1/8"-thick rectangle about 17x14". Spread filling over dough, leaving a ½" border on all sides. Starting on 1 long side, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Cut into 12 equal pieces (if it's difficult to cut, chill 15 minutes). Transfer cut side up to prepared muffin tin. Cover with a towel and let sit in a warm, draft-free place until risen, 30 minutes, or chill overnight. If chilling, let sit at room temperature 2 hours to rise before baking. (If I were to bake them fresh in the morning, I’d actually let them rise 30 minutes the night before, then refrigerate them and let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats.)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Bake rolls until lightly browned on top, 15–18 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then invert onto a platter to serve.

Sweet Potato Fajitas

These sweet potato fajitas don’t look like much, but they were absolutely awesome. They come together quickly on a single sheet pan, the sweet potatoes are a really satisfying filling, and there’s a tangy lactose-free crema to go with it – I also added some guacamole to round things out (and it was a much better use of my avocados than this toast with hummus and roasted tomatoes). This is one of those perfect meals that is more than the sum of its parts. It was a delicious lunch, but it would be good for a light dinner, too. I hope you try them!

For the fajitas
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. smoked paprika
2 pinches ground cayenne pepper
1 large sweet potato (about 1 lb.)
8 to 10 small flour or corn tortillas
2 medium bell peppers
1 medium sweet or yellow onion

For serving
1 cup plain lactose-free Greek yogurt (lactose-free sour cream would work, too)
finely grated zest of 1 medium lime
juice of 1 medium lime, divided
kosher salt
guacamole, salsa, lime wedges (optional, but recommended)

Arrange 1 rack in the middle of the oven and 1 rack below it, then heat to 475°F. Stir the oil, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, and cayenne together in a small bowl. Transfer 2 teaspoons of it to a large bowl and set both aside.

Peel the sweet potato and cut it in half crosswise. Cut the pieces lengthwise into ½ -inch-wide slices. Cut the slices lengthwise into ½ -inch-wide planks or batons (they should look a bit like steak fries). Place the planks in the large bowl and toss to coat in the spiced oil. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and spread into an even layer (save the bowl; no need to wash it). Roast on the middle rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stack the tortillas on a large sheet of aluminum foil and wrap completely in the foil; set aside. Core, seed, thinly slice the bell peppers, and add to the now-empty sweet potato bowl. Thinly slice the onion and add to the bowl. Drizzle with the reserved remaining spiced oil and toss to combine.

Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven, flip the sweet potatoes, and then push them to one half of the baking sheet. Add the bell peppers and onions to the other half of the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Place the baking sheet back on the middle rack and place the foil-wrapped tortillas on the lower rack. Roast until sweet potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, make the crema. Place the yogurt, lime zest, and 2 teaspoons of the lime juice in a small bowl, season with salt, and stir to combine.

When the vegetables are ready, drizzle with the remaining lime juice, toss to combine, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with the warmed tortillas, lime crema, and toppings.

Stone Fruit and Almond Tart

In the June issue of Bon Appétit, this was called an apricot and almond galette (with the qualifier “one-hour” added on the online version). That being said, it’s not a galette, it’s really more of a rustic tart; and I made it with plumcots, since I couldn’t find apricots, and I think you could substitute any stone fruit as long as you cut them to the right size. Since my plumcots were bigger than apricots, I quartered them instead of halving them, and I’d do the same to plums; peaches should be cut into 6 or 8 pieces, I’m guessing. This was a great summer dessert! (In unrelated news, I’ve yet to find a good formula recipe for stone fruit crumbles, another good summer dessert; I tried a crumble with dates and sunflower seeds in the topping – hated it – and used this formula for the filling – fail. I’ll try again next summer and stick to tarts for now.)

½ cup almonds, preferably blanched
⅓ cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
½ tsp. almond extract (optional)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch of kosher salt
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
12 apricots (about 1¼ lbs.), halved, pitted; or other stone fruit, quartered if large

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425 °F.

Pulse almonds and sugar in a food processor until very finely ground. Add egg and pulse to combine. Add butter, almond extract (if using), vanilla extract, salt, and 1 Tbsp. flour; pulse until almond cream is smooth.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface just to smooth out any creases. If you’re using a package of pastry that has 2 sheets (as was the case for me), stack and roll out to a ¼"–⅛"-thick rectangle. If your package contains a single 16x10" sheet of puff pastry, halve it crosswise and roll out one half on a lightly floured surface until rectangle is ¼"–⅛" thick; save remaining half for another use. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Fold over edges of pastry to make a ½" border around all sides. Prick surface all over with a fork (this keeps the pastry from rising too much when baked and helps it cook through). Spread almond cream over pastry, staying inside borders. (Chill dough in the freezer for a few minutes if it becomes too soft to work with.) Set apricots, cut sides up, on top of almond cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake tart until pastry is golden brown and puffed, 15–20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 °F and continue to bake until pastry is deep golden brown and cooked through and apricots are softened and browned in spots, 15–20 minutes longer.

Fresh Raspberry Scones

I got this recipe on Not Without Salt, though Ashley Rodriguez adapted from her book, Date Night In. I love scones, even if it seems to me that no one can agree on what a proper scone should be! These are made with fresh raspberries, and the dough is easy to work with in the sense that you can make it in the food processor (as I do), in the stand mixer, or by hand – though it is sticky to work with. I made them vegan by using Earth Balance sticks and coconut milk (instead of the butter and cream, respectively). The dough spread a bit once it was in the oven, and the edges were a bit burnt, but they were delicious. I really enjoyed these!

2 cups (270 g.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped (optional; I used vanilla bean paste, with the wet ingredients)
½ cup unsalted butter or margarine, diced into ½-inch cubes, chilled
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. lactose-free cream or coconut milk, divided
1 to 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries
3 Tbsp. turbinado or granulated sugar

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean seeds, if using. Pulse a few times to combine and break up any clumps.

Add the butter, scattering it over the flour. Pulse 15 times to break up the butter. The mixture will look sandy, with some larger pieces of butter throughout.

Pour 1 cup of cream over the dough and pulse an additional 20 times. Add the raspberries and pulse just a couple more times to combine. The dough will look crumbly and dry.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and use the palm of your hand to work the dough just until it holds together. You don’t want to overwork the dough, as this can make it tough. Gather the dough together into a 6- to 8-inch round (for making wedge-shaped scones) or a rectangle (for cutting out round biscuits).

Use a brush or your fingers to spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream in an even layer on top. Sprinkle the extra sugar on top of the cream. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

Cut the dough into the desired shapes and then place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until deep golden along the edges.

Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. These are best served the day they are baked, but they freeze well, too.