This post is dense. So many links but all for good reason. Before we scroll down for a hearty dose of self promotion, I need to say thank you. Because you read this blog, or because you come to look at the pretty pictures, we have been given the opportunity to create cookbooks. Two of them! I appreciate that I have this space and that you visit it and perhaps own our first cookbook and even use it. That is so incredibly strange and flattering for me. Our second cookbook, Sprouted Kitchen: Bowl + Spoon, will be available March 31st and I would be so excited if you would preorder it on Amazon, B&N, IndieBound, Google Books, or iBooks. I'm anxious that it will finally be "out there" but ready for all that comes with that chapter as well. I started the manuscript well before I was even pregnant so it seems this has been a part of me, our life, for some time now. Much like a band who puts out a second record, it is tough to create something when there is an expectation. In design and style Bowl+Spoon mimics the first book and this blog, but like I mentioned a few posts back, there is something that feels more casual, more everyday, about this one. I like that. It feels so true to what is happening at our table.
Included here is a promo video shot by our talented friend Phillip Lopez. It's a peek into our home combined with a decent amount of unscripted (clearly) babbling on my own part. Also, Ten Speed Press created a little excerpt so I could share a few of the recipes in the book with you. It makes it all feel so real! Lastly, I'm including a few dates we have events set up. If you live in these areas, please please come! If anything, it'll be worth the trip to see how excessively I talk with my hands when I'm nervous. Kind of like a mime show. These events will be updated on our BOOK tab as new things come up. We are trying to rally something together on the east coast and perhaps a local pop-up dinner but stay tuned. I'll mention things on social media as well if you're into that sort of thing. Really truly I hope to meet some of you.
Launch party! Books available for purchase. I am partnering with New Belgium Brewery, Seven Daughters Wine, and our local Whole Foods to celebrate with a few bites and a beverage. If you live nearby, come say hi, give hugs and buy a book. It's an awesome space doing great things.
Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt and I will have a little chat about the book and talk bowls, inspiration, work and such. Would love for you to join. This event is $5 or free with purchase of a cookbook. There will be snacks!
I rarely get overly descriptive about the recipes here but because I appreciate a bit of detail when I read other sites, I'm getting chatty. I tinkered with this recipe from Green Kitchen Travels as David and Luise are a go-to for more wholesome desserts. In the treat department, I like to know if I'm getting dense, super sweet, a healthier take, light and airy, or wherever it lies in the spectrum. There is a time and place for each of those sorts of desserts on different occasions. A flourless chocolate cake, classically speaking, is not really cake-like in texture at all. It is dense and rich and more similar to a brownie or fudge than cake and I am perfectly happy with that. This version is more wholesome - the refined sugar being replaced by a thick date paste that contributes a nice caramely sweetness. I thought the dates would throw off the fudge factor, or maybe not make it as decadent and I was wrong. This cake is rich and chocolatey. The date paste actually makes it even more fudgy while not being sickeningly so. Rich but not heavy and even better the second day as it all sank into itself. I appreciate some cream and berries with my chocolate for flavor contrast and also for the color they add. It's so pretty all piled high with hues of red and purple. I'll maybe even double the quantity next time.
I'm hoping to have some book details to share with you next week. It comes out THIS month. Eep!
The original recipe uses ground hazelnuts which I am sure lend a fabulous flavor but almond meal was on hand. I also chose to use buttermilk instead of the orange juice and zest because I have an aversion to citrus and chocolate together. If you are not crazy like me, it sounds really different and surely lovely. The original recipe calls for an 8" springform pan and I only own a 10" and used it anyway. If you have an 8", give it a little more cooking time to make up for the depth of the cake.
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 tsp. salt
About 25 (2 cups) soft dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/3 cup buttermilk
5 eggs, seperated
3 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
7 ounces dark chocolate
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
// for topping //
whipping cream (8 ounces whipping cream whisked with 3 T. powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla)
OR coconut cream (chill a can of full fat coconut milk overnight, scoop off the firm top and beat it with 2 T. powdered sugar or maple syrup)
1 1/2 cups mixed berries, chopped small (I used pom seeds, blackberries and strawberries)
Flourless Chocolate Date Cake . Sprouted Kitchen
Flourless Chocolate Date Cake . Sprouted Kitchen
Flourless Chocolate Date Cake . Sprouted Kitchen
Preheat the oven to 350'. Line a springform pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides.
Put the almond meal and salt in large mixing bowl. Into a food processor, combine the dates, buttermilk, egg yolks, cocoa powder and baking soda and blend until smooth and sticky.
Over a pot of barely boiling water, into a glass bowl combine the chocolate and butter. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water line. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Add the date mixture and the chocolate mixture into the almond meal bowl and stir to mix.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture (it will be thick) and transfer it into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-65 minutes until the cake is firm but not dry. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely (just trust me, it's better cooled).
Spread the whipping cream on top and top with the berries. Serve immediately. The cake will keep for 3 days in the fridge.
It took a long overdue (albeit very short) trip to the gym to flip through a few of the food magazines I'd been stockpiling. I am so behind that I was reading December issues, which were all holiday themed, and then we swiftly get into the healthy January issues and then back to somewhere in-between come February. I was dog-earring and reading some of the recipes word for word just to learn. I remember when I was first figuring out how to cook and I would read through a Bon Appeitit or Gourmet like a novel. Even if I didn't want to cook a pork loin or master a cheesecake, I would read the recipes just because I wanted the knowledge. Flipping through those magazines and soaking in some new perspective reminded me how much I love the craft of preparing a meal (yes, I'm aware I was at the gym, slowly burning off a single piece of toast while I was reading but that's besides the point). I've become much less efficient with Curran around and cooking for fun falls towards the bottom of my list in the course of a day. I allow that to happen... and so does the teeny person who has a thing for electrical sockets but I think there is a compromise.
I picked up a bag of buckwheat groats in an effort to try something new. It took me a couple times to figure them out but I'm a fan. Naturally gluten free, pretty quick cooking, full of magnesium and has a texture that Hugh referred to as "steel cut oaty rice". Maybe this isn't news to you but like I said, we've been in a rut over here. I bagged a gorgeous chartreuse romanesco and a couple of leeks that didn't look nearly as fresh but I didn't care because I love them. It felt so nice to not necessarily have a plan, but to just cook and move with the confidence that at the end, it would in fact be edible. Simple, colorful, wholesome and maybe not something you'd find in a glossy magazine, but dinner in a fasion that got away from me.
I made a more moderate portion here but this could easily be doubled if you're feeding more or prefer leftovers. I actually prefer the buckwheat at room temperature or cooled, I was getting a super fermented flavor when they were warm. If the groats are toasted, it's sold under the name 'kasha' and that will work fine here as well. You should be able to find one or the other in the bulk bins of your local health food store. I know romanesco can be hard to find and nubs of cauliflower will do well in it's place. Don't be shy with the olive oil. You'll miss out on the caramelized, toasty edges otherwise and end up with rubbery vegetables.
With the romanesco, cut the florets away from the core. Leave the smaller ones intact and halve the large florets. Toss them onto a baking sheet. Clean the leeks and discard the tough dark green parts. Slice them into 1" coins and add them to the baking tray. Drizzle on the olive oil, nutmeg, herbs, pepper flakes, sea salt and toss well to coat. Make sure all the outsides of the vegetables are covered. Roast in the upper third for 30-35 minutes until the edges are browned.
While the vegetables roast, prepare the buckwheat. Rinse it well in a fine mesh strainer and drain. Bring the water to a gentle boil and add the buckwheat. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook for 7-10 minutes until just softened. If groats start to get mushy turn down the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then drain well. Into a mixing bowl, combine the drained buckwheat, olive oil, honey, lemon juice, chives, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
I throw my walnuts onto the baking sheet to toast in the last 5ish minutes of roasting or you may toast them on their own if you prefer. Assemble your bowl with the herby buckwheat, a big heap of the vegetables and garnish with a handful of toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese.
