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Apple crumble with whiskey and white miso

The whiskey adds nuanced sweetness and the white miso, a little salt and extra depth of flavour to this simple, seasonal dessert.

Ingredients

For the apples
4 large apples, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1/3 cup of hard wheat flour
1T of lemon juice
1T of white miso (use a sweet style)
1t of dried ground cinnamon
1/4t of dried ground cloves
1T of coconut oil
1/4 cup of sugar*
3T of whiskey*
A pinch of sea salt

For the streusel

1 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of hard wheat flour
3/4 cup of sugar*
1/3 of a cup of coconut oil
A pinch of sea salt

Directions

Preheat the over to 350F.
Blend the liquid ingredients and the spices for the apples.
Toss the sliced apples in the flour.
Add the mixture to the apples and flour.
Toss until the apple are well coated.
Blend the ingredients for the streusel until coarse.
Add the apple mixture to a 9″ pie plate.
Distribute the streusel evenly over the apples.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the streusul is starting to brown lightly and the apples are turning golden.
Let cool for 1 hour and serve warm or refrigerate.

*It’s rare, but some whiskeys are still made with the use of animal products. Cane sugar is also bleached in some cases with animal bone charcoal. Agave nectar makes a reasonable substitute for the whiskey (use 1T). A growing number of table sugars are not refined using animal bone charcoal; organic sugar and beet sugar typically are not.

 

 

Creamy artichoke, cabbage and white miso soup with kale, sun-dried tomatoes and olives

A simple but flavourful and light soup. This makes 4 small bowls, 2 large ones.

Ingredients

For the soup
2T water
2 scallions, minced (about 2T)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup artichoke hearts (not jarred)
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu (about 2″)
1/4t black pepper, freshly cracked
1T cashew butter
2T white miso
2T sun-dried tomato water (as noted below)
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T cold water
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2T sun-dried tomatoes (dehydrated, not jarred), coarsely chopped
2T boiling water
1 cup curly green kale, coarsely chopped
2t kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

Optional: Add some capers for an additional touch. Add 1t herbs de Provence for some additional flavour.

Method

Warm a large pan with a lid on medium-high heat. Water saute the garlic and scallion for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and artichokes. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the lemon and deglaze the pan (if necessary). Add the stock, kombu, black pepper, and plant milk. Bring the pan to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Uncover, remove the kombu and puree smooth. Increase heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

While the soup simmers, prepare the garnish. Add 2T boiling water to the sun-dried tomatoes to rehydrate them. Preheat the oven to 450F. On a baking or roasting pan on the middle rack, roast the kale for 5-8 minutes, or until it’s nicely wilted and a vibrant green (don’t let it brown). Remove from heat and set aside when done.

At the 15 minute mark, remove the soup from heat. Add the cashew butter, sun-dried tomato water and miso. Puree smooth. Stirring continuously, add the tapioca mixture. Stir until it thickens (should be immediately). Reheat the pan only if absolutely necessary. Season to taste.

To plate, ladle/spoon out the soup, garnish with the kale, then the sun-dried tomatoes and then the olives and serve.