dessert Archives | Page 46 of 55

I have developed a bad habit involving forgetting to put away or use particular items . For instance, I’ve had my tape measure sitting by the door of my closet since I hung a shelf in it almost a month ago. Yet, there it sits. Wow, that was embarrassing to admit… When I do notice it, I think about needing to put it up, then twenty other thoughts enter my head and I move on. And there the lonely tape measure sits. I’m not sure why I do this sort of thing. Maybe there’s some psychological explanation for it. Or, maybe it’s laziness. Now that I think about it, I’m almost one hundred percent positive it’s laziness.

I’ve had sort of a similar experience with garbanzo bean flour. I bought some a while ago intending to try to experiment with it. But there it sat in the pantry. I think part of the reason for its neglect was that my first experience with it wasn’t pleasant. The raw dough tasted bean-y in the most unpleasant way possible. And, the finished product was not much better. This pretty much put me completely off of the flour. It was a shame because I had bought the Flying Apron’s Gluten Free & Vegan Baking Book right before that incident and many of the recipes relied on garbanzo flour.

I decided to read through the book again recently and make it a point to just go ahead and bake with the damn flour. I started off with the scones from that book, making a plain vanilla version that I dressed up with a rather simple glaze. They weren’t bad but they didn’t exactly have that true “scone” texture. They seemed like more of a soft biscotti or cookie, but overall they were pretty tasty. I was able to detect a slightly bean-y aftertaste but this is most likely because I’m so sensitive to the taste. I decided to attempt a tea cake next and share my own adaptation of it here with you. I’m still not completely sold on garbanzo flour, but I figured I would see what your opinions were if you’ve baked with it. I think it works well with assertive flavors (like citrus, spices, or chocolate) that will mask any bean-y flavors it may impart in baked goods.

This tea cake isn’t too complicated in terms of the ingredients needed. In the version in the book, the recipe only uses brown rice flour and garbanzo flour, but I found I needed to add a bit of arrowroot to help thicken the batter a bit. I added some thinly sliced pears to the top of the cake, but this was mostly for aesthetic reasons. If you leave the pears off, I would recommend making a simple lemon glaze for the top. Or, simply dust the top with a bit of powdered sugar. This makes 1 regular sized loaf but it would easily work in a few mini pans to make it more manageable. Store extra loaves in the freezer until needed.

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I’ve been trying to be more mindful about reading, or rather remembering to read. I know that sounds silly, but it is so easy to get caught up in other things and simply forget to pick up one of several books I have on my nightstand. My “to read” queue currently consists of a mixture of yoga books and food writing. I suppose that tells you all you need to know about my interests or perhaps what kind of person I am. Or perhaps not.

My current read is MFK Fisher’s An Alphabet for Gourmets (originally published in 1949). I’ve been taking it outside on the patio with my breakfast and tea to enjoy the cool weather before it dissipates for the day, being replaced by uncomfortably warm sunshine and an absence of clouds.
I’ve been underlining various passages or sentences that speak to me in one way or another and wanted to share one from the chapter “J is Juvenile Dining”. She is comparing our relationship with food to that of our forefathers through a description of how different our bread is from that of our ancestors in terms of both quality and our the attitude towards it:

“And I have thought sadly how far we have come from our forefathers in Latvia or Sicily or Cornwall who once so honored bread that if they dropped a piece of it on the floor they begged its pardon. In our country today it is in a sorry waxbound servitude, so weak that it must be reinforced with chemicals, so tricked-out that a hungry dog or cat will not eat the puffy stuff unless it is actually starving.”

After I initially read that passage, I re-read it, underlined it, then re-read it again. In just those two sentences she made a statement that was just as true in 1949 as it is today. Generally speaking, our relationship with food has changed immensely through time. As humans we tend to have a “go, go, go” mentality, always in a hurry to get somewhere or get something done. This carries over into meal times and the decisions we make concerning food. We grab for pre-made convenience items without really thinking about what is in them and where they have come from. Without delving too far into this topic (I could go on for hours about this issue in particular), I think the take-away from this statement is to be mindful of what you buy and what you eat. Your body won’t thrive on chemicals, stabilizers, and preservatives.

Due to my dietary restrictions, I’ve taken to making more things at home. You’ve seen a bit of that on the blog recently with these waffles, this cashew macadamia milk and now with these delicious cookies. Yes it does involve more time than plucking something off the shelf at the store, but my body will thank me for it in the long run. I’ve only got one body and to borrow a cliche, I’ve come to treat it like a templeSo, the cookies! I’m sure you thought I was never going to get around to talking about these in this wordy post. With Halloween coming up, I thought it would be a good time to post a healthier treat to indulge in instead of all of the nasty and tempting candy out there. They are gluten free, grain free, and vegan but you would hardly notice at all. They are full of dark chocolate chunks, chai spices, and a good dose of vanilla. They are easy to make, easy to store, and easy to pop into your mouth. And, they are perfect for Halloween! The next time you are craving cookies, perhaps you can forego buying a package of pre-made ones and try these instead. I promise you won’t be disappointed 🙂

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Earl Grey Tea Cake

Chai Spiced Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies