It seems like everywhere I go these days everyone is sick. Whether it’s a party or the grocery store it’s nothing but sniffling and coughing all around. Ick! Today’s treat is an effort to deliciously soothe or even help prevent winter sickness. It’s packed with vitamin C from fresh squeezed blood oranges, the ginger helps with headache and nausea, the raw honey is full of nutrients and throat soothing sweetness, and the cinnamon is rich is immune boosting minerals. Together they make a tasty symphony of soothing relief.
This concentrate is always ready to brew a delightful hot cup of yum. Keep it in the fridge in a jar and drop 3-4 spoonfuls in hot water whenever you feel like a soothing treat. It also makes a beautiful winter gift, especially to families with kids;)
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cups water
- 1 large hunk of ginger, peeled and coined (or 1 Tablespoon dried ginger)
- 5 pods cardamom (optional)
- 4 allspice berries (optional)
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 cup raw honey (or 1/3 cup for a less sweet drink)
~ Bring water to a boil in a pan and add the ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and cinnamon sticks. Boil until liquid is significantly reduced, about 30 minutes.
~ Before cutting the citrus, roll them on the counter with your palm to release the juices. Squeeze all of the citrus juice.
~Once reduced, strain the concentrated spice mixture. Allow to cool slightly then add the honey and stir to dissolve. Add the citrus juice last, pour into jar/s and store in fridge.
~ To make tea, give the jar a gentle shake to mix up any spices that may have settled to the bottom and add 3-4 large spoonfuls of concentrate to hot water.
ENJOY and BE WELL!!
You may remember the Thanksgiving recipe for wild rice stuffing where we used black “forbidden” rice from China. Well this week we’re using that same nutrient rich rice for a truly decadent rice pudding. “Forbidden” rice has a natural sweet flavor and is slightly glutinous. You can make your rice pudding even thicker using Thai black rice which is more of a sticky rice. If you choose to use wild rice instead (which is a grass and not glutinous) you may have to cook it a bit longer to reach the right consistency and, though it won’t achieve a custard texture, it will be delicious and chewy with a great texture all it’s own.
As rice pudding goes, this one is warming, rich and heavenly without all the baking and the eggs needed for a custard. It’s a one pan stove top job, perfect for those nights when you hadn’t planned on that crazy sweet tooth you just can’t seem to shake!
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup Thai black rice, china black rice
- 1-1/2 cup homemade (or light) coconut milk plus more for adding during cooking
- unsweetened toasted coconut chips
- 3 Tablespoons evaporated cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 Tablespoons quality maple syrup
- large pinch salt
~ In a pan, mix water, rice and coconut milk. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer cooking uncovered for 45 or so until rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
~ During last 10 minutes or so of cooking check the rice mixture and add more coconut milk if it gets too dry. Keep doing this as it finishes cooking to achieve the right consistency.
~ Add sugar, maple syrup and salt and simmer for a few more minutes until the pudding is the right texture.
~ Spoon into dishes and top with coconut chips and a splash more coconut milk.
ENJOY!!!
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt with Maple Praline Pine Nuts
One of the best things about fall and winter is the abundance of pumpkin inspired recipes and sweets. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, and today pumpkin cheesecake frozen yogurt. It’s the best of two already delicious worlds combining the decadent smoothness of cheesecake with the tart chewiness of frozen yogurt. This recipe was one of those tests that was either going to be a triumph or an icy, glob of frozen failure. I’m happy to say that it was a true winner and may very likely find it’s way to our Christmas dinner table this year! So good! It’d be unbelievable on top of pies too. The maple praline pine nuts are optional but really quite amazing and super easy. You could also use pecans instead like the toasted maple pecans from last week’s post.
Give this sweet baby a try!
ICE CREAM
- 8 oz neufchatel cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1-1/4 cup quickly strained full fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (unrefined sugar)
- 1/4 cup high quality maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch salt
~ In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of the coconut milk to make a slurry.
~ In a large bowl, place cream cheese, yogurt, pumpkin puree and a pinch of salt.
~ In a heavy bottomed pot heat the rest of the coconut milk, sugar and spices stirring CONTINUOUSLY. Bring to boil, add slurry, whisk for one more minute.
~ Remove from heat and pour into the bowl with cream cheese, yogurt, pumpkin puree and salt. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
~ If still warm, cool in an ice bath. Spin in ice cream maker for 20 minutes or until done.
~ Spoon frozen mixture into air-tight container, sprinkling in 1/3 cup of praline pine nuts as you go if desired, and freeze.
~ Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving to allow to soften.
MAPLE PRALINE PINE NUTS
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
~ Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
~ Melt butter and heat syrup, mix in salt and spices, add nuts and toss to coat.
~ Spread on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes. Stir and bake for 4 more minutes. Stir once more and bake for 2 minutes.
~ Stir to break up any clumps as the nuts cool.
ENJOY!!!
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Herb Toasted Pecans Candied with Maple Syrup
My-oh-my did I underestimate this simple, thrown together idea! I guess it just seemed too easy to be that good but I stand corrected. Make these. Period. Don’t even think about it just go in the kitchen and whip up a batch! Then try not to eat them all in one sitting. Go on, I double dog dare you!!! I even pretended to save some for later, putting half of the batch in a little ziplock bag. My charade was shattered pretty dang quick when I was busted gobbling down my “saved for later” stash by the handful. Oh well, could be worse for you, right? 
This version of candied pecans is light and crunchy, unlike it’s thickly sugar-coated cousins. It has a great balance of sweet and savory and the maple syrup lends a richness to the flavor that sugar never could. All the while you can still really taste the nuttiness underneath it all, a perfect balance. A teeny tiny pinch of cayenne or some smoky pepper heat might be a nice addition to this recipe as well.
AND they’re pretty to boot! I got a little carried away because I enjoyed shooting them so much. Look at that gorgeous glisten;) haha!
- 2 cups raw pecans
- 2 Tablespoons butter (I think it would work with coconut oil too for vegans)
- large pinch sea salt
- small pinch pepper
- 1/4 cup high quality pure maple syrup
- 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
~ Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
~Melt butter, add salt, pepper and maple syrup.
~Remove from heat, add pecans and herbs and toss well to coat.
~Spread on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until fragrant, stirring halfway through.
ENJOY!!!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
With fall rolling in it’s time to shift over to foods of a new season. It’s always exciting to see the year’s first harvest of a new food at the farmers’ market. This week I found bosc pears and nearly flipped my lid with happiness! The sweet, crunchiness of those ugly brown pears makes it truly feel like fall, despite the horrendously hot weather we’re still sweating through here in SoCal. Bosc pears give me hope of a cooler day! Ha! This autumn delight is as easy as can be and fairly healthy when compared to most sugar laden versions of caramelized fruits. We used honey to caramelize the pears instead of sugar which opens up all kinds of infusion possibilities. I used the chile infused honey we made a couple of weeks ago and it added a nice twist of complexity to an otherwise completely sweet dish. Feel free to use the infused honey of your choice and don’t forget to comment and let me know if you have a great infusion combo!
Here she is, your sweet, crunchy start to autumn…
- 1/4 cup honey, we used chile infused honey
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- pinch of ground cardamom
- several large pinches of ground cinnamon
- plain greek yogurt
- 2 bosc pears cored and halved lengthwise
- pomegranate seeds
~Heat honey and butter in a large skillet over low heat, The mixture should bubble a bit but not burn or turn brown.
~ Sprinkle the cuts sides of each pear half with the cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla bean.
~Place each pear half face down in warm honey, swirl the pears around in the skillet to coat evenly, cover with lid and cook until brown (about 4-5 minutes)
~Flip pears over and spoon honey over top. Cover and cook still over low heat for another few minutes.
~Remove and plate pears, drizzle with remaining honey syrup.
~Top pears with a generous dollop of greek yogurt and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.
ENJOY!!!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
This is sort of a new flavor profile for me. I tend to shy away from the spicy stuff and opt for a more savory taste, but sometimes you have to venture out of your comfort zone to try some amazing new things. It’s no secret that infused honey is AMAZING and an easy oh-so-useful way to make a simple, normal dish just a little bit more interesting. Infusing honey couldn’t be any easier so if you’re feeling lazy about the idea, have no fear! Wondering what in the hell you can do with chile infused honey?! You’re not alone, I had no idea either so I started experimenting and will feature a recipe for honey caramelized pears next week that uses this honey. In the meantime, it’s delicious drizzled on yogurt, biscuits (sooooo good on biscuits!!), grilled fruits and even chicken so don’t knock it ’til you rock it!
You can use any type of dried chile pepper you like such as Chipotle chiles for a sweet but hot smokiness or Guajillo chiles for a hot deep flavor. Also, your friends will Oooo and Aaaah at the gorgeous bottle of mystery nectar on your counter;)
- Dried chile peppers, you can use a variety or choose one
- Honey
~Warm honey in a saucepan over medium heat until liquified. Be careful not to let it scorch!
~Pour honey into a jar over the chiles and let cool to room temperature. Store at room temperature.
ENJOY!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
It’s always a bit sad when fig season comes to an end. This year it seemed especially brief but I’m not sure if it actually was or if I’m just being a big fig-loving baby! So to celebrate the season before it passes, here is just a simple roasted fig recipe stuffed with soft, crumbly goat cheese and drizzled with lavender and thyme infused honey. The infused honey makes this recipe a little more fragrant and delicious and is definitely worth the extra few minutes to make. If you have some fig recipes near and dear to your heart, please share them with us! There can never be enough uses for figs!
As a side note, a family member recently asked me what figs taste like and wondered if they were similar to prunes (yuck!). I told her that the best way I can describe a good fig is that it has a slightly seedy, soft, full-mouth feeling with a deep and subtle honey flavor. What do you think? How would you describe figs?
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
- 2 pints fresh figs
- goat cheese
~Heat honey in a pan over very low heat until liquified and add thyme and lavender. Let “steep”.
~Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
~Quarter figs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Stuff with goat cheese and roast in oven for 12 minutes until soft.
~Pour infused honey over figs and serve.
ENJOY!!!
I’m a bit of a tea whore. Sometimes also a tea snob. I drink about a gallon of the good stuff a day, lovely. So when I find clever ways to infuse some of that earthy, subtle flavor of tea into a recipe I get all silly happy about it. In this recipe, chamomile tea imparts a soft earthy apple flavor to homemade whipped cream, turning a regular old shortcake into something just a bit more extraordinary. You could also add some dried lavender flowers (which I have) to the cream for a more floral experience. I’m, admittedly, not so much into baking but there comes a time when ya just gotta roll up those sleeves and make a flour-y mess of the kitchen in the name of tasty summer sweetness. I use this epicurious recipe for buttermilk shortcakes because I simply have never had better and I’m not looking to reinvent a perfectly good wheel! You could also try frozen biscuits to cut down on the effort.
So grab those last strawberries of the season and get slicing!
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1+ Tablespoon dried chamomile flowers
- 1 Tablespoon sugar (if desired, I leave this out)
- 1 pound ripe strawberries, sliced
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 Tablespoon raw sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon chilled buttermilk
~ Steep chamomile flowers and sugar in the cream for 1 hour or more. Keep refrigerated. When fully infused, strain cream through fine sieve and press flowers to squeeze out all remaining cream.
~ Whip cream with a hand held mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Be careful not too over-whip and make butter!
~ As per epicurious, Preheat oven to 375°F. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until large moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 4 pieces. Shape each piece into 3-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet, spacing evenly. Bake 20 minutes. Let cool.
~ Combine sliced strawberries, raw sugar, and the juice of 1 lemon in a bowl and toss to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes, this is when the magic happens;)
~ Split shortcakes with a fork and fill with berry mixture and whipped cream.
ENJOY!!!
This one gets it’s name from it’s ability to seriously punch you in the face. With a double shot of espresso, whiskey, and pure cocoa this sweetly bitter treat is truly a “slugger”, not to mention the “pow!” it gets from a pinch of chili pepper. If you don’t have chili pepper you can substitute a small pinch of cayenne. I love this warming treat when the cooler fall nights roll in. It’s the perfect drink for a movie night, deliciously decadent with just enough punch to keep you awake for the next 2 hours!
Don’t forget share your favorite hot drinks with us!
makes 2
- 2 shots espresso or very strong coffee
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup whiskey or bourbon
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 drop almond extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder or 1 dried red chile (remove chile before serving)
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon sugar
~ Heat espresso, milk, whiskey, chocolate, cinnamon, almond extract and chili powder over low heat whisking constantly until chocolate melts. Do not boil! Pour into mugs.
~ Whip heavy cream and sugar until it forms soft peaks. Top each mug with whipped cream and serve.
ENJOY!
I’m not much of a champagne kind of gal and I can’t take credit for this delicious concoction. My idea of good “bubbly” is a craft beer, but this not-too-sweet little number is welcome at my brunch table any day. This champagne cocktail is absurdly easy and incredibly beautiful. My friend Secia Mischke over at Petite Insanities made this fizzy delight for me the morning after I was in a bad car accident and it was a pretty lil’ pick-me-up for my bruised and bummed self. It’s the perfect drink to make if you’re hosting a brunch because it’s easy and nothing needs to be muddled, grilled, shaken or any of those cocktail tasks that can get messy. Why not? It’s a good excuse to start day drinkin’
Make sure to check out Secia’s blog. She’s full of great ideas!
- 1 sugar cube
- few dashes cocktail bitters
- 2 fresh raspberries
- champagne or sparkling wine
~ Place sugar cube in champagne flute, shake in a few dashes bitters over the sugar.
~ Add raspberries and pour champagne to fill glass. DONE!
ENJOY!!!
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
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