Walnut squares

Almost 2 months ago Dana and Amit left to the far far east. Before they left we all met on a breezy Friday afternoon in a small patch of grass by the park. To our left an avant-garde theatre group was in the midst of rehearsals, hanging down from trees and making screeching sounds. To our right, fluorescently bright jacket donning folk carried around rakes and gathered scraps to build a local igloo.

I came to the spring picnic carrying a tray of the ‘take-away walnuts version of pecan pie’. The time consuming pie crust was replaced by a crumble pressed tightly and baked. The pecans were substituted for walnuts and mixed with brown sugar and grape molasses, turning gooey and sticky once baked. A dollop of sour cream rounded it all up, as always does.

Grape molasses is not that common a product, but if you can get your hands on a bottle- do. Traditionally, in both Turkey and Bethlehem the locals practice Islam, so instead of wine making, the grapes are preserved in the form of raisins and molasses, also called Dibs. The must is boiled and cooked down similar to date and carob honey, and the molasses, traditionally, is mixed with tahini for a quick and natural sweet spread. I also use it in baking, cooking and dressings. The dark syrup is less sweet then honey or maple syrup, a tribute I’m always happy to encounter. Not- too- sweet sweets are under valued, I find, and these walnut squares are just that- just sweet enough.

By now, D&A, I imagine, are somewhere on the far side of the globe, enjoying what I hope is the best foods of their lives; Bahn Mi, steaming Pho, rolls, dumplings, prawns, rice and all sorts of herbs.

It aint half bad around here either. x

Walnut squares

Heavily adapted from Saveur

(About 20-25 squares)

100gr cold unsalted butter, diced

1 cup + 2 Tbs AP flour

2 tbs + ½ cup dark brown sugar

¾ cup grape molasses (substitute with date honey or maple syrup)

1 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely

¼ tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Sour cream, for serving

1. Heat the oven to 175°C. Butter and flour a square brownie baking pan and set aside.
2. In a food processor, add butter, 1 cup flour and 2 Tbs brown sugar and process until combined.
3. Transfer the sandy mixture to the pan and using your fists, press evenly and tightly into bottom. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining flour, sugar, molasses, walnuts, salt, and eggs until combined.
5. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and bake until golden brown and set, about 30–35 minutes.
6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Note: for variation, try using different types of nuts , or a mixture of various nuts and seeds.

Brown butter, banana and walnut cookies

This is an ode to a cookie. Sometimes all one ever wants is a chewy, succulent and juicy cookie. A cookie that’s large enough to satisfy such a craving and last an entire cup of coffee, but without sliding down a slippery slope to hedonism. A cookie that’s not too flat, nor too tall, that manages to strike a balance between the chewiest of cakes and the crispiest of cookies. I walked around the city last week in search for my morning coffee and a cookie to satisfy my lust, yet day after day I came back with nothing.

Why it is that the universe thinks I should be baking the cookie of my dreams instead of finding a cookie and then fall for it is beyond me, but I am not one to sit around and wait for a cookie to possibly be everything I want in a cookie. I was left with no choice and decided to bake the cookie of my dreams myself. What began by browning butter (like most good stories do) ended up as these cookies.

I shared the first batch and that was followed by a second batch, though I had to double the quantity. I shared some more, then I wrote about them in my column and now I’m posting them here. They are simply too good to keep from the world and I think the world should know. The second best thing to eating these cookies straight from the oven is having the recipe for how to make them.

Lets call it my humble attempt at making the world a better place. One cookie at a time.

Brown butter, banana, and walnut cookies

Makes 12 large and satisfying cookies.

Ingredients

100 g butter, diced

1 cup AP flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¾ cup raw cane sugar

1 egg

1 ripe banana, pureed

1 tsp (real) vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts, chopped roughly

½ cup dark chocolate chips, optional

1. Prepare the brown butter: Place the diced butter in a heavy skillet over a medium flame, stirring it frequently with a whisk. Once melted the butter will begin to bubble and it is at this point you need to watch it from burning. Brown butter turns to a dark, charred butter in seconds. Once the air fills with a nutty sweet the butter is ready. Transfer the brown butter to a small bow, in order to stop it from browning any further. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, place the brown putter and the sugar. Using a hand or electric whisk, beat until you have a smooth and creamy mixture. Add the egg and beat well until the mixture is light and airy.
4. Mix in the pureed banana and the vanilla extract to combine.
5. Add half the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined.
6. Fold the walnuts and chocolate chips, if using, into the batter. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (and up to 5 days).
7. Preheat the oven to 190C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
8. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop the cookie dough to balls and place on the tray, well spaced apart.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes, turning the baking tray halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges turn golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cool on a wire rack.
11. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Apple walnut goats cheese loaf

This is the first time since I started this blog, that I haven’t updated it for this long. Its not for the lack of want, more like having to accept there are only 24 hours in a day and just so much I can do, despite being über- efficient.

I’ve been busy working food from different angles, but not before I recovered from the previous post, which took longer then anticipated.

The fall is here, despite it being warmer now then a hot day in August, and apples, Jerusalem artichokes and other fall vegetables are finally starting to appear in the markets in full glory.

it’s also the olive picking season.

I took a day trip to an olive grove that belongs to one of the finest olive oil producers in the land days before the olive harvest begins. Set by the Sea of Galilee, the fattoria grows and produces 7 different olive varieties from across the Mediterranean such as Suri, Barnea, Coratina, koroneiki, picholine, arbequina, leccino and piqual.

In order for an olive tree to produce it must cross-pollinate with a different variety so the grove is mixed, alternating every few rows.

I picked a handful of each variety and took them home with me. I made a cut in the flesh of each olive and set in a bowl of water for a week, changing the water daily. This is done to extract the bitterness from the olives, now resting in a sterilized jar by the window, infused with water, salt, herbs and spices. Now comes the waiting part. So I wait.

In the meantime, apples are calling me and whilst I do love me an apple cake, I decided to try as a savoury one. Paired with walnuts and a semi hard goats cheese, the result was part cake, part bread. I'll call it a loaf. It gives off the aroma of a comforting apple cake, of autumn, of home, but the bite is surprising in its maturity and the flavour isn’t masked by sweetness. It can be served as a side dish, for a picnic a brunch, or as part of a light lunch.

Apple walnut goats cheese loaf

Adapted from a recipe in the NYTimes

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

1 cup AP flour, sifted

¾ cup whole wheat flour, sifted

2 Tsp baking powder

1 Tsp salt

½ Tsp freshly ground peppercorns

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 eggs

1/3 cup goats milk yogurt

1 granny smith apple, cored, peeled and diced

50 gr semi hard goats cheese (like Bouche, for example), crumbled

Handful of walnuts, roasted and coarsely chopped

Atlantic sea salt

Needles from a Rosemary twigs

Preheat the oven to 175ºC and use olive oil to oil a loaf pan.

In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and pepper.

In a separate bowl lightly whisk the eggs, then add the yogurt and olive oil and whisk to combine.

Fold the liquids into the flour mixture and mix until it all comes together. The dough is pretty dry and thick, but don’t worry.

Fold the diced apple, crumbled goats cheese and walnuts into the dough and transfer to the loaf pan.

Drizzle some olive oil and scatter the rosemary needles and the sea salt above.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the loaf has turned golden and a knife inserted in the centre comes out dry.

Allow to cool for several minutes before realising the loaf from the pan, and leave on a rack to cool completely.

Use a serrated knife to slice the loaf and serve with a dollop of fresh sour cream.

The loaf can be kept frozen, tightly wrapped in foil.

Note: If you’re not a fan of goats milk, you can substitute the cheese and yogurt with sheep’s milk. for other variation trv substituting the apple and walnuts with other seasonal fruit, nuts and seeds, different herbs, or salumi of your choice.