Pear, Apple and Fennel Salad and More Holiday Cookies

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving came and went in a blink of an eye. 'What comes next?", asked J. who can only tell time by the order in which holidays are approaching. I really wanted to tell him to enjoy the moment, to savor every second he has because time will fly soon enough. But again, I remember my own anxiety with time when I was a child. Soon was never soon enough.



We cooked, we ate and we enjoyed each others company this weekend. Thanksgiving morning we took the kids to the park. It was a beautiful morning and the streets were deserted. We had the park all to ourselves. "Let's really enjoy dinner" I told C.

It is easy for me to feel rushed at the dinner table with small children, especially when is just us. Just us might make it seem less important sometimes, but I was determined to sit down, enjoy and have a long conversation with my family, just like we used to do growing up. And so we did and it is the special moment I took away with me this weekend.



I spent Saturday morning baking cupcakes and more holiday cookies. C. asked to make his favorite pistachio sandies. Crumbly and soft, covered in melting powdered sugar. One of my all time favorites as well. I took some cupcakes to my friend Lena's house in exchange of some fresh greens from her garden.

Lunch was simple. I craved simple after all the heavy cooking and eating of the previous days. Thinly sliced apples, forelle pears and fennel with a simple apple cider vinaigrette inspired by Donna Hay's towering salads.



And so let the holiday baking continue...

Pear, Apple and Fennel Salad

makes 4 servings

2 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
4 forelle pears, thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup fresh watercress
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine water and the juice of 1 lemon. Thinly slice the apples, per and fennel and place the slices in the water immediately after to avoid oxidation. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Stack the sliced vegetables and garnish with watercress leaves. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the vinaigrette on top.


Pistachio Sandies

makes 2 dozen 1" ball cookies

4 oz (115 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (45 grams) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup (110 grams) superfine brown rice flour
2 Tbs (20 grams) tapioca starch
1/4 cup (40 grams) pistachios, chopped
pinch of salt
powdered sugar, for rolling

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together for a minute or so. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour, tapioca starch, salt and chopped pistachios. Mix until the dough comes together.

using a 1" ice cream scoop, scopp out the dough forming little balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 1" apart.

Bake at 350F for about 15-18 minutes until bottom lightly golden and when touched, they don't fall apart. Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Roll them in powdered sugar while still warm.

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And Let The Holiday Baking Begin...

I love this time of year. I have never been one to get caught up in the craziness of it all. I am a minimalist and I try not to overindulge when it comes to shopping. I like to keep things simple. But there is one thing that I love to do and that is to bake.

It comes back to my childhood when right around the beginning of December, the pastry shop and everyone in my family would start to gear up for all the seasonal baking that would happen all month long. Turron, intricate marzipan figurines, tarta de ponche and many other petits fours and cookies. All of them heavy on almonds and labor. Lots of labor.

We would help in any way we could and I vividly remember sitting down peeling kilos and kilos of raw almonds that my grandmother would blanch in-house. Something they do to this day. Blanch, peel and grind the almonds to make their own almond meal.



So now when Thanksgiving comes around, I start to get excited for all the baking. The old Gourmet and all the Martha Stewart magazines provide so much inspiration. Love browsing through past issues and getting inspired.

Here is an assortment of things we are baking. Mesquite meringue cookies with chocolate cream, pistachio and raspberry layered shortbreads, almond and raspberry linzers, milk jam cookies and many more.



And finally, Arielle is the winner of last week's book giveaway. Please email me so I can get your address. Thanks everyone for sharing your family recipes.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

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Sweet Potato and Crabapple Clafoutis for a Gluten Free Thanksgiving and A Giveaway

Although I moved to this country as a young adult, I briefly experienced Thanksgiving years before in my year as an exchange student in Colorado living with the Bryants. They took me in as one of their own and to this day, I consider them family.

I remember my first Thanksgiving with them with a house full of friends and food. I remember doing dishes with Jill and what seemed a neverending task. Belly full, laughing over the pile of dishes in the sink. It was magical.



Thanksgiving represents everything I enjoy about holidays and celebrations. Reflecting upon the good people and things we have in our lives, appreciating them and of course, the food. But not only food for the sake of food. Food as the excuse and as the glue that brings people together around a table. The cooking, the eating and the sobremesa. The conversation over dessert, who is going to make the coffee, the card games and even the pile of dishes.



There is one other family I have come to know well, who shares this same feeling of warmth, care and joy over food and family. I love watching Danny and Shauna interact in the kitchen while Lu plays with pots and pans. Their new book, "Gluten Free Girl and the Chef" is full of recipes that would be perfect for a Thanksgiving dinner or any other occasion, really. Recipes to share and make people come together. And not to mention they are naturally gluten-free. What an inspiration they are.

Danny and Shauna are on a mission to get the world cooking, and cooking gluten-free, nonetheless. So here I am joining them and many other bloggers, sharing our gluten-free recipes that would fit perfectly on any Thanksgiving menu. You can see the roundup in this beautiful post.

We love custards and puddings around here. A gluten-free clafoutis with sweet potatoes, crabapples and almonds. Slightly warm, creamy, with the aroma of a million vanilla bean specs and a dollop of whipped cream. A perfect autumn treat.



And to make things even more fun, Danny and Shauna have agreed to give away a copy of their new book to one of you dear readers. All you have to do is leave a comment telling us about your favorite Thanksgiving recipes. You have until Sunday November 21st at 6:00pm EST to enter and a random name will be picked as a winner. Good luck!



Sweet Potato and Crabapple Clafoutis

makes 1 10-inch pan or several individuals depending on the size

1/2 cup (140 grams) sweet potato puree (from about 1 roasted sweet potato)
1/3 cup (70 grams) natural cane sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (225 ml) heavy cream or coconut milk
2 Tbs calvados (optional)
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
1/4 cup (35 grams) superfine brown rice flour
2 Tbs (20 grams) almond flour
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
12 red crabapples
raw sugar
almond flour

In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet potato puree, sugar and eggs. Add the heavy cream, calvados, vanilla seeds, brown rice flour, almond flour, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Whisk all the ingredients together. Let the custard rest for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Place the crabapples in the baking dish and pour the custard over them.

Bake at 375F for about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the dish. It will set in the middle. Do not over cook it and it will be soft and custard-like inside. Sprinkle raw sugar and almond flour on top for added crunch.

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Scenes from a Weekend with Scallops and Lady Apples

The cold weather finally arrived this weekend. Everyone was talking about it on the street, at school, at the market... All waiting anxiously for Saturday morning when temperatures were supposed to drop into the 50's.

We woke up earlier than usual that morning and ran downstairs to open all the windows. J's face spoke a thousand words. "Does this mean it is going to snow?".



It was a beautiful weekend indeed. Some of my favorite kinds of days. Sunshine, bright blue skies with a chilly breeze. Jacket required. We spent the weekend thinking of ways to be outside. The park, the beach, walks around the neighborhood... and ways to cook comfort food.

I phoned my mom to ask her what she had made for lunch that day. "Sardines", she said. "They looked beautiful at the market". I suddenly wanted to run to the fishmonger and grab my hands on handful of glittering, fresh sardines. The smell of grilled sardines is just engraved in my brain.



Unfortunately, fresh sardines are a rare commodity around here. The few times I have seen them, they have looked rather sad and have traveled just too far to be any good. But I did spot some good looking scallops and thought they would be perfect simply prepared with a crust of breadcrumbs, herbs and bacon.



I found the first lady apples of the season, which reminded me how time flies. It seems like it was yesterday when my mom was holding a bowl of lady apples for me to photograph. It was right after M. was born. Our little M... she will turn a year in a few days. Hard to believe.

Lady apples are so delicious as they are. Crunchy when raw. The perfect compliment for the creamy coconut rice pudding I made. You know how much I love arroz con leche in all its variations, like this and this. This time however, I went for a quick and easy version that didn't require standing next to the pot for over an hour. Quickly cooked the rice and mixed it with coconut milk, whole milk, vanilla bean and lemon zest. Warm and fresh.



I'm off to New York City tomorrow where more cold weather awaits me. I love the city. I will be hard at work, but will definitely make time to eat and some play. Yes, please.

Roasted Scallops with Breadcrumbs and Bacon

makes 4 servings

12 scallops
1/4 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
3 Tbs olive oil
4 slices of bacon, finely chopped
pinch salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
2 Tbs white wine

In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, bacon and olive oil. Salt and pepper the scallops. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking dish and place the scallops on it. Top with the breadcrumbs mixture and drizzle some more olive oil on top. Pour the white wine in the baking dish.

Bake at 425F. Time will vary depending on the size.


Coconut Rice Pudding with Lady Apples

makes 4 servings

1/2 cup (100 grams) arborio rice
1 cup (225 ml) water
1 cup (225 ml) coconut milk
1 cup (225 ml) whole milk
1/4 cup (50 grams) natural cane sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
Zest of half a lemon
pinch of salt
lady apples, thinly sliced
pistachios, chopped
brown sugar for topping

In a small saucepan, combine the rice and water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes until water is absorbed by the rice. Add the coconut milk, whole milk, sugar, vanilla bean, lemon zest and salt. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes until it thickens.

Serve the rice pudding lukewarm with the apples, pistachios and brown sugar.

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Soothing Potato, Celery Root and Sunchoke Cream with Purple Potato Chips

When I took these photos last week, I had a different story to tell you. A story about autumn and potatoes. But things changed.

It all started last Friday when J. was complaining about a stomach ache. Then, on Saturday, this stomach ache turned into full blown nasty virus that had all of us bending over with pain. Even poor M. who is not quite one year yet, could not keep anything down. Needless to say it was a rough weekend.



Saturday, I could barely move, but I was the least affected of the four so I somehow managed to make some soup. Soup was the only thing I could picture myself eating. Not this exact one, as I had made and photographed this a few days earlier, but a second batch.

Celery root, sunchokes, potatoes, leeks, thyme, coconut milk... Creamy and light soup that takes no time to make to get us going. It seemed to be the only thing that really helped.



Sunday afternoon, C. and I managed to take alternating naps. I woke up after my two hour siesta revitalized. Nothing some sleep cannot help, no?.

I woke up to an anxious boy in a ninja costume ready to go trick or treating. "is it time yet?", he asked. I got up, took a shower, got dressed and miraculously felt like a new person.

We grabbed some of these leftover pistachio, oat and chocolate shortbreads, which I had been testing the week before and headed to our friends' house where it as all happening. Cookies went down great, but kids were looking for their packaged candy fix.

Oh how I love Halloween.



Potato, Celery Root and Sunchoke Cream with Purple Potato Chips

makes enough for 4 servings

3 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 leek, diced
1 medium celery root, peeled and diced
2 sunchokes, peeled and diced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 springs of fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 purple potato, thinly sliced
olive oil to fry

In a large pot, sauté the garlic and leeks in the olive oil for about 1-2 minutes. Do not want to brown them, just sweat them. Add the diced root vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and saute for another minute.

Add the chicken stock (enough to cover) and bring it to a boil. Simmer and cover the pot. Cook the soup for about 20 minutes and then puree it. Add the coconut milk and adjust seasoning.

In the meantime, slice the purple potato with a mandolin or a super sharp knife (mandolin works best). heat the olive oil and fry the potatoes for about 1 minute until they crisp up. Drain them on paper towels and season with salt and fresh thyme.

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