Tag Archives: Orange

Roasted Beet-Orange-Fennel & Shallot Salad Which My Seven Year old Loves

I have a love-love relationship for beets. As a child, the only way I could get them was found at the salad bar at a restaurant I affectionately called, “Tom & Tates.” I guess you could call me the oddball kid in the family (perfectly in the middle), who choked down dry lima beans, gladlyContinue reading “Roasted Beet-Orange-Fennel & Shallot Salad Which My Seven Year old Loves”

Vegan Kale Salad with Creamy Spicy Cashew Dressing

For Father’s Day, I prepared a slow roasted pork ribs along with this salad. Nothing quite like giving Ben a hearty Paleo Pork ribs with homemade barbecue sauce. And nothing like me trying to push the veggies on him. His take on most veggies is he eats them because he knows he should, not becauseContinue reading “Vegan Kale Salad with Creamy Spicy Cashew Dressing”

Cashew Cardamom Brioche with Orange French Toast: Mother’s Day

It’s the glory of second trimester, while Spring is bountiful with early sunshine & late sunrises whispering of Summer on the move.  While the majority of the nation has seen weeks upon weeks of high temps, it is our little Pacific Northwest corner still bundled, crossing fingers that the sun will stay out long enoughContinue reading “Cashew Cardamom Brioche with Orange French Toast: Mother’s Day”

Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies with Orange Zest

Ben & I are entering into our first time counseling gig.  I humor myself calling it a gig.  We have the privilege of serving as a guiding couple to three non-married & non-engaged couples through our church’s pre-engagement course.  
It’s a 10 week class, where the couples answer lots of questions, fill out family history background & work through a lot the hidden dimensions of marriage.  They get to see whether this significant other is compatible for them to make the big step of engagement.  And I realize a “pre-engagement” class sounds rather odd compared to the widely known, “pre-marital.”  

Cardamom Orange Cookies

The other day I heard these words from my very imaginative daughter’s mouth, “Put in some nutmeg, then cinnamon & CarDAmom in the crisp!” She was playing with her kitchen stuff, while replaying the time we made the P.A.C. Crisp together. It was a proud moment as a mama & lover of all things culinary…my almost three year old remembering the key ingredients to make a crisp “pop.”

Not only does she remember these sorts of things, but her delight in food is music to the ears. After baking the Cardamom Orange Cookies with her help, she eagerly awaited their arrival out of the oven (don’t you love how kids are really saying & doing what we as adults restrain). Once it was cool enough to handle, I put some of the citrus glaze on top and asked, “Is there any little girls who would like a Cardamom cookie?” She ran up & volunteered herself for the feat. Upon the cookie entering her mouth (as she is with most food she enjoys), the sounds of satisfaction like, “MMM…OH MY…(another)MMM, this is DElicious!” And so forth.

She has never been shy vocalizing her love for good food. When she nursed she let out big “MMM’s” and her first tastes of solids are equated with Bob Wiley eating Faye’s handschuked corn. I love this about her, which makes baking with her all the more enjoyable. I also love that she knows what cardamom is & how orange zest pairs well with it. So, in honor of cardamom and all things that go, “MMM,” I hope you’ll make these over the holidays to share (but don’t feel too bad if you eat more than you give away).

Cardamom Orange Cookies (printable version)

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious. I chose to take out the roll & cut method and simply rolled them into a log & cut slices from them instead. YUMMY!

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom (I used a mortar & pestle to grind the cardamom from the pod)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Citrus Glaze

  • juice of one orange
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • splash of orange oil essence (or extract)
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest

Make dough:
Whisk together flour, zest, cardamom, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and cream. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Put the dough on parchment paper.

Mound the dough together and roll into a log. Once you get a basic log shape, position the dough in the middle of the parchment. Then, take the parchment that’s north of the dough and cover it over the dough. Take a bench scraper and push the edge of it at the base of the parchment covered dough, trying to make a concentric log. Roll the log so the parchment covers the whole thing and twist the edges. Refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.

Cut and bake cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Remove firm dough. Unroll the parchment so the dough is still sitting on top of the paper. Place on a cutting board. Cut the dough into 1/8 inch. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart.

Bake until edges are golden-brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then slide cookies, still on parchment, onto a rack to cool completely.

Make Icing:

Combine powdered sugar, juice orange, orange zest & splash of orange oil (or orange extract). Glaze atop cookies.

Cranberry-Orange Crostata

It’s been extremely cold outside lately.  I took my oldest with me to the grocery store and just walking from the car to the store, I was regretting my decision to leave my gloves at home.  But what got me was what I witnessed on our way home.  A middle school aged boy walking home with shorts, lightweight sweatshirt & basketball jersey.  Seriously?!  I checked the temp stat once I got home…31 degrees, but feels like 21.

This makes me happy knowing we have heat in our home, a pot of chicken stock cooking, beds that are “just right” (I’ve been telling a lot of Goldilocks these days) and a family that is in anticipation during this Advent season.  I was reminded yesterday about the need to believe again.  Believe in the unseen & seen.  To believe what continues to turn up empty.  So, as Ben is sick in bed and me listening to the rhythm of the dishwasher, I will continue to hope.

And I think part of that hoping is tied up with food.  We look forward to events to share life with one another, but also the food involved in the communal feast.  This crostata or galette (there pretty much the same thing) is a delightful Holiday feast with the flaky crust, tangy cranberries, zest of orange & cardamom to bring it all together.

Cranberry Crostata or Galette (printable recipe)

I made this for a dear friend after she had her first baby.  The crust is one I have used to make mini pecan tartlets, which is from The Pampered Chef.  When I made it, I doubled the crust, in order to make another for later.

Ingredients:

Crust

1/2 cup butter

1/2  cup cream cheese

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 beaten egg

turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Filling

2 cups frozen cranberries or fresh

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

zest of one orange

juice from one orange

2 tablespoons Triple Sec (or Cointreau)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Crust: Combine all ingredients into a food processor to combine until it forms a ball.  You could also beat your butter & cream cheese in a mixer, then add your flour.  Separate into two equal disks.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Filling: Combine all of the ingredients into a pan over medium heat.  Stirring to combine and wait till it starts to bubble.  Turn to low heat and allow the cranberries to pop.  Some of the cranberries will keep their form, while others will not.  It will thicken up a bit, around 15 (if frozen) minutes.  Taste to see if it needs more sugar.  You still want the sour tang, but not overpowering you that you’re in a constant pucker face. Take off heat.

Assemble: If you have a pizza peel, then you could put some parchment on it and roll out your pastry dough on top.  I have a pizza stone in my oven at all times & I simply slide the parchment with galette onto the stone.  If you don’t have either of these, then put the parchment paper on a jelly roll sheet or cookie sheet.  Roll it to 12 inches.  Pour all of the cooked cranberries in the middle of the rolled out dough.  You should have about a 2-3 inch circle of dough without cranberries on it.  Carefully, fold up one part of the dough onto the cranberries.

Then, going counterclockwise, continue making folds with pleats, until you get to the last fold of dough.  Brush your beaten egg over the dough & sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.  OR…till the pastry puffs & is a lovely golden color.  Let it cool for around 25 minutes before you slice into it.