Spelt Biscuits

Use freshly ground spelt flour for a hearty take on the biscuit.

Spelt Biscuits
from So Good and Tasty

3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 1/2 cups spelt flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar (alternatively you can use buttermilk), set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your hands, rub in the butter into the flour mixture until you have roughly little pea size bits.

Stir in the milk mixture with a wooden spoon. You should have a shaggy doughy mess, don't worry if it seems dry at this point. Dump everything out onto a clean surface and knead the dough 10-15 times just until all the flour is worked in.

Flatten the dough out into a 1" thick circle and use a biscuit cutter to make neat rounds of dough. Gather together any remaining dough scraps and repeat until you have 8-10 biscuits cut out. Place them on a baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve warm.

Garlic Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin has to be my favorite cut of pork. This recipe was very simple and full of flavor. My pork looks undercooked, but I did check the temperature to ensure it was high enough.

Garlic Dijon Pork Tenderloin
from Handle the Heat

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Dijon style mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the tenderloin in a shallow baking dish.

Combine the olive oil, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, rosemary, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub the mixture evenly onto the tenderloins. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer registers 155°F. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into thick slices and serving.

Ginger Cake

I love ginger, so I've been dreaming about making this cake forever. It is delicious and I suppose like a gingerbread cake.

Ginger Cake
from Epicurious

4 ounces fresh ginger
1 cup mild molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup coconut oil, melted
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs, at room temperature

Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 3-inch round cake pan or a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper.

Peel, slice, and chop the ginger very fine with a knife (or use a grater). Mix together the molasses, sugar, and oil. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.

Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan, stir in the baking soda, and then mix the hot water into the molasses mixture. Stir in the ginger.

Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. Add the eggs, and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the cake springs back lightly when pressed or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top of the cake browns too quickly before the cake is done, drape a piece of foil over it and continue baking.

Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper.

Fermented Pickles

These fermented pickles were easy to make and are very tasty. I was determined to make my own pickles this summer when I discovered the brand I had been buying had food dye in it.

Fermented Pickles
adapted from My Humble Kitchen

about 24 small 4"-5" pickling cucumbers
6 cloves garlic, ends removed and smashed
6 bay leaves (2 bay leaves per jar)
2 1/2 Tbsp pickling spice - see below
fresh dill, cut into smaller sprigs
6 Tbsp kosher salt

Properly clean 3 quart sized mason jars.

Gently clean and remove flower ends from cucumbers.

To each quart sized mason jar, stack the bottom with as many cucumbers as you can fit.

Divide the pickling spice between the jars.

To each jar, add 2 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves.

Add a good amount of dill to each jar, then fill each jar with as many more cucumbers as you can fit. Do not allow the cucumbers to go up into the band area. Make sure there's 1" headspace between the top of the jar and the lid.

On the stovetop, heat 1 quart of filtered water with 6 Tbsp of salt until it dissolves. Once the salt dissolves into the water, remove from heat. Add 1 1/3 cups of the salt solution brine to each jar.

Fill the remainder of the jars with enough filtered water to cover all the ingredients.

Place a lid on each jar and give it a good shake to mix the water and salt brine solution. Make sure to check after shaking that all the ingredients are submerged. Place the jar in a cool dark place.

After one week, open the jars to allow the gases to escape. Close up jars and return to a cool, dark place.

After two weeks, move the jars to the refrigerator. They will last at least 6 months.

Pickling Spice

1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp whole allspice
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp whole cloves

Combine ingredients.

Rye Waffles

Rye Waffles with Black Raspberry Sauce
from Naturally Ella

2/3 cup rye flour
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup regular or greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup black raspberries (or substitute blueberries)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat waffle iron and preheat oven to 200˚.
In a bowl, combine rye flour, wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, molasses, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour some of the batter into a waffle iron and cook according to iron’s instructions. Remove from iron and place on a baking tray. place tray in oven and keep waffles warm while making the rest.

While waffles cook, combine black raspberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer until ready to use.

Gazpacho with Croutons

Gazpacho
from Ina Garten

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.


Croutons

stale, crusty bread
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cut bread into crouton-sized cubes. Place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, salt and a little pepper. Toss to coat. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add bread and stir occasionally, cooking until croutons are browned.

Key Lime Pie Gelato

Key Lime Pie Gelato
from Cookin Canuck

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Key lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers, frozen

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and cream and heat over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the outer edge of the pan, stirring occasionally. While the milk and cream are heating, whisk together egg yolks and then add in sugar, continue to beat until pale yellow.

When the milk and cream have reached 170º F temper the egg yolks by adding a cup or two of the hot cream to them and slowly while constantly whisking. Add the mixture to the pan, pouring slowly and whisking. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon and reaches 185º F, without allowing it to boil.

Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any possible lumps. Slowly add in lime juice, vanilla extract and lime zest. Cool slowly to room temperature, stirring every so often, and then cover and refrigerate until cold.

Once the gelato mix is cold, freeze it in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Stir in frozen graham cracker crumbs and transfer immediately to an airtight container. Freeze until firm and serve.