Rainier Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Butter Financiers

It was a few days ago when I was browsing the pages of ELLE à Table that I found an article written by Clotilde about how to make financiers with nut and seed butters. "Brilliant!", I thought. A great way to make a cake not only gluten free, but also dairy free.



I have been eating handfuls of pumpkin and sunflower seeds in between meals for extra protein and good fats. I carry little baby food containers with seeds, hummus, bags of cut vegetables and fruit wherever I go. Being on the go is the hardest thing on a strict diet if you are not organized, that is. So every morning, I think about all the places I must be and plan snacks accordingly. It is the only way I can survive, because, I'm always, always, hungry.

So when I read Clotilde's article, I immediately pulled out my old Moleskine notebook with all my recipes and quickly started adapting my basic financier recipe to incorporate homemade pumpkin seed butter.



Cherry season has also arrived. I think stone fruits are one of my favorite fruits (although I tend to say that about every fruit when the season arrives). The first Florida peaches also showed up at the farmers' market a couple of weeks ago. I must admit I paid an insane price for one peach, about $2. I had to have a taste of one and I considered it a treat, just like a cone of ice cream or a specialty coffee. A delicious, sweet peach.



The little cakes are perfectly moist and have wonderful texture. I love the cherry on top as it makes them that much more fun to eat. Rainiers have the most beautiful color, don't they?



Before, I go, I want to let you know I will be teaching a food styling and photography workshop in Seattle on Saturday, July 3rd from 10am to 12pm. It will be a review about my philosophy, how I work, my process, my inspiration with some hands on practice. As of now, the workshop is sold out, but if you are interested, you can email me to be added on to the waiting list.

It should be a fun one and I really have to thank Viv for organizing it and Jeanne who will be baking her famous gluten free breads and desserts for all of us to shoot and of course, eat. Can't wait!

Rainier Cherry and Pumpkin Seed Butter Financiers

Makes about 12 small cakes

4 egg whites
115 grams sugar
80 grams almond flour
30 grams quinoa flour
pinch of salt
50 grams pumpkin seeds, toasted
30 grams olive oil
Rainier Cherries

Toast the pumpkin seeds and when cool, grind them to a fine powder in a food processor. Add the olive oil while processor running to form a paste. Set aside.

Whisk together the egg whites and the sugar. Add the almond and quinoa flours and the salt. Whisk to incorporate. Add the pumpkin seed butter.

Pipe the batter into the baking cups and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. Place a cherry on top of each financier and bake for another 15-18 minutes until lightly golden on top.

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Strawberries, Sheep's Milk and a Tart

One of the things I miss the most about Spring time in the Basque Country is ewe's milk. Every year around April or May, it was the time when my uncle's ewes would give birth. We would go watch them in the afternoons as they grazed around the pastures behind his house.

This is the time we enjoyed fresh, raw milk for a few months. Jars of homemade mamia with honey were our dessert of choice. Maybe a little compote once in a while, but we mostly kept it plain.



And even to this day, years later, my uncle continues taking care of his sheep and every Spring, the same craving returns. I cannot stop thinking about fresh sheep's milk.

I have been searching for a supplier in our area, but it seems like that is an impossible task. Perhaps Florida doesn't have the grass and terrain needed to raise sheep. I wish I could drive up to New England or California and bring some back with me.



For those of you who have never had sheep's milk, it is rich and contains more protein, more milk solids and yes, fat than cow or goat milk. It is creamy and sweet and in my opinion, milder than goat milk. Such a distinct flavor and I miss it terribly.



Our market does carry a brand of sheep's milk yogurt, which is great and used it in this super simple strawberry and sheep's milk frozen yogurt that I made with strawberries from our farmers market. Only four ingredients and the result is refreshing and so creamy.

The tarts were a last minute treat for the day my parent left to go back home. Strawberries with hazelnut frangipane and quinoa pate brisee.



My parents have been great house guests the last few weeks and I can't wait until I see them again this summer. We will definitely miss them.Oh this summer, I can't wait. So many travel plans and so little time.

Strawberry and Sheep's Milk Frozen Yogurt

500 grams strawberries, hulled and sliced
125 grams sugar
Juice of half a lemon
350 grams sheep's milk yogurt

Toss the sliced strawberries and sugar together in a bowl. Let the strawberries macerate in the refrigerator for s couple of hours or until the juices start to release and sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and puree the entire mixture. Whisk in the sheep's milk yogurt and freeze in ice cream machine. Store in freezer.

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Wild Mulberry, Cherry and Pistachio Clafoutis... the First of the Season

I have always loved this time of year. As a kid, the end of May and beginning of June were always an exciting time. The weather unpredictable ("hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo"), but the first signs of summer would start making their first appearance. Morning dew on the grass on our walk to school, the first strawberries and cherries at the market. It was the anticipation of the three months of vacation ahead of us. Time spent outside, at the beach or going hiking.



Going back to my childhood, I remember the times later in the summer (actually closer to the end of summer), when we used to pick blackberries from a wild bush close to my house. Close to the train tracks surrounded by rusty metal and imminent tetanus shots. We spent hours there with buckets eating and picking berries for jam.



Last Sunday, we found wild mulberries at the farmers market. Mulberries that grow wild behind one of our farmers' yard. I couldn't believe it. I haven't had a wild mulberry in years. We picked a couple of pints and enjoyed them like candy. Mano a mano.

The first cherries of the season also appeared this week and of course, I had to go with a classic. A clafoutis with mulberries, cherries and pistachio meal. Also, gluten free and casein free as I used coconut milk and cornstarch.



We ate the clafoutis on Mother's Day when we had a gigantic BBQ pit for our entire neighborhood. It was one of those almost unbearable hot Florida afternoons. We set out camp outside with big umbrellas, lawn chairs and a hose. BBQ and hose must go hand in hand. The kids played in the water for hours, we nibbled on BBQ all day, drank homemade ginger ale and had clafoutis for dessert. Ah, summer!



Mulberry, Cherry and Pistachio Clafoutis

Makes 9" pan (I made an 8" one plus 3 small ramekins)

2 cups mulberries and pitted cherries
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 Tbs pistachio meal
3/4 cup coconut milk (or whole milk)
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
Zest of 1 lemon
Ghee for brushing the ramekins (or room temperature butter)

Brush pan with softened ghee or room temperature butter. Heat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the cornstarch and whisk until dissolved. Add salt, pistachio meal, coconut milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk until all incorporated.

Pour into pan and bake until set and edges are golden brown.

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"Behind The Bar" with Design*Sponge

I love when I get to style and shoot fun stories for Design*Sponge, so I was thrilled when Alyssa and Ryan contacted me to do a little piece for "Behind The Bar". If you didn't know, Alyssa and Ryan are the owners of one of my favorite e-shops, HORNE. This place is my weakness!



I have to admit that I am not very familiar with mixology and I feel like styling drinks is a bit different than food, but I had to give it a shot.

I was thinking about what drinks would be fun to serve for friends in a hot summer night. I remembered the first time I tried homemade ginger ale and how fun it was to make it. It is fermented, fresh and spicy. Since it is the season of beautiful strawberries, I made a strawberry consomme by macerating fresh strawberries with sugar until all their juices and essence are release. The perfect pairing for an outdoor get together. Try it and let me know what you think.



Thank you Alyssa and Ryan for thinking about me. You can view more photos (including one of my little M.) and read the entire story here. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes

This morning, as we were eating breakfast and getting ready for school, my little 3 year old turned around and said to me, "amatxu, these strawberries are better than candy".

I know it sounds silly, but anyone with a little one must know how good it feels to hear such words. Good parenting often times goes unnoticed and we don't always get the praise that we deserve (or we would like to think we deserve). It certainly rarely ever comes from our children. So this morning I felt that perhaps after all, after all the guilt and doubt that I feel as a mother, I might be doing something right.



Cooking and baking are such a big part of my life and I feel it's my mission to instill that in my children. After my diagnosis, I am also having J. tested for food protein sensitivities such as gluten and casein. Of course, I really hope he doesn't inherit my genes, but if he does, I want him to know that he will not have to give up everything he might consider as a treat in his life.

As I was rubbing a long swab against the inside of his cheeks, he asked "why do I need to have this done, amatxu?". I told him how we are checking to see if some foods might make him sick and he responded, "I can't have any more cake?". Although I explained to him that was not the case, that thought roamed around in my mind. When he came home from school, I told him to pull up his chair up to the counter. We were making cake.



To me, nothing beats the simplicity of some classics such as a lemon cake with poppy seeds. So fresh and fragrant. I took Claudia Fleming's lemon and lavender cake recipe and made it into a gluten and dairy free version by adding arbequina olive oil, millet flour and superfine brown rice flour. One of my new favorite gluten free flours.

The cakes are soaked in a lemon syrup while still warm out of the oven. Made my little boy happy as can be.



Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes (Gluten and Casein Free)

5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract (gluten free)
1 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
2 Tbs tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1 cup olive oil (I used Arbequina)

Lemon Syrup
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Whip the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract for about 5 minutes until they are light and thick.

In a bowl, whisk together, the flours, xanthan gum, salt and poppy seeds. Fold the dry into the whipped egg mixture. Be gentle not to deflate the batter too much.

Take about 1/2 cup of the batter and whisk it with the olive oil. Incorporate this to the main batter and fold gently.

Pour into baking cups and bake at 350F for about 18-20 minutes.

In the meantime, make the simple syrup by boiling the lemon juice and sugar. When the cakes come out and are still warm, poke holes on the top and brush them with the lemon simple syrup until well soaked.

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