Authors: Jesse Ziff Coole
Simply Organic (21 page)
The applesauce in this recipe keeps the cookies moist, just as it does in applesauce cake.
1 cup whole grain pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
½ cup applesauce
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup raisins (optional)
¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, stir in the oats, raisins, and nuts, if using.
Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
MAKES
10
SERVINGS
This cake was an experiment that turned into one of the most popular desserts at the Flea St. Café. I am not a chocoholic, but I eat this confection with abandon.
1¾ cups whole grain pastry flour
1¾ cups sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
¾ cup buttermilk (see Organic Tip on
page 38
)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 large pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 10-inch cake pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly blended.
Line the bottom of the cake pan with the pears in a circular design. Pour the batter on top of the pears. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Place on a rack and let sit for 10 minutes. Run a metal spatula around the sides of the cake to loosen them. Invert the pan onto a plate. Using the handle of a knife, vigorously tap the top of the pan, even shaking it a bit, to loosen the cake. Leave the pan over the cake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely.
WITH
HERB CRUSTS
MAKES
12
TARTLETS
Adding a hint of herbs to the crust brings a lovely touch to these little tarts. When I make these, I prepare the custard and crusts separately and assemble the tarts just before serving.
Crusts
2½ cups whole grain pastry flour, plus extra for sprinkling work surface
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
6 to 10 tablespoons milk
Custard
3 large egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2½ cups whole milk
½ whole vanilla bean
1½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
To make the crusts: Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, thyme, and salt. Grate the butter into the mixture. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture. Gradually add enough of the milk so that the mixture can be shaped into a ball.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a small ball. On a well-floured board, flatten into disks and roll into 8-inch circles with a rolling pin, using additional flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board.
If you are using tart pans, press the dough into the pans with your fingers. Then, using your thumb and index finger, lightly pinch or roll in the dough overhanging the edges of each pan to form a pastry edge. Place the tart shells on a baking sheet.
If you are making free-form crusts, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the circles of dough on the baking sheets and roll in and crimp the edges.
Bake the tartlets for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool.
To make the custard: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Combine the milk and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and slowly whisk in the egg mixture. Stir in 1¼ cups of the coconut, reserving the rest for garnish.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, or until thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Whisk in the butter.
Transfer the coconut custard to a bowl. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until chilled.
To serve, fill the shells with the custard. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup coconut.
pioneer profile
ORGANIC VALLEY FAMILY OF FARMS AND ORGANIC PRAIRIE
When I was researching organic companies and compiling a list of eight to feature in this book, everyone I asked suggested Organic Valley. CEO George Siemon leads a nationwide organization of small family dairies, cooperatively owned and operated. No other organic company has been as successful at upholding sustainable ethics for the environment, for farmers, and consumers.
Organic Valley began in 1988 in Wisconsin with just seven farmers. They shared a love of the land and a belief that a sustainable approach to agriculture was needed for family farms and rural communities to survive. At a time when nearly 2,000 farms were going out of business every week, these seven farmers set out to create a way for the family farm to flourish.
Their solution has grown into the largest organic farming cooperative in North America. CROPP Cooperative (Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools) and the Organic Valley brand have become one of the largest pioneering organic brands in the nation. From the seven founding Wisconsin farmers, the cooperative has expanded from California to Maine, and in one Canadian province. Today, the cooperative’s farmers represent nearly 10 percent of the United State’s certified Organic farming community.
Though it has grown, Organic Valley remains true to its roots. It is the only national organic brand to be solely owned and operated by organic farmers. Part of the cooperative’s success is due to the fact that as farmer-owners, members pay themselves a stable, equitable, and sustainable price for their products. In an era of rising and falling agricultural prices, the family farmers who produce Organic Valley milk, juice, eggs, and produce can rely on a stable, living wage to stay in business in their home regions. The same is true for Organic Prairie farmers, who raise meat and are part of the CROPP cooperative. Farmers from all over the world trek regularly to CROPP’s headquarters in rural La Farge, Wisconsin, to learn what makes its cooperative model work.
CROPP is a relationship-based business. It does everything from creating partnerships with its farmers and milk handlers to contracting with production plants and shipping companies. In addition, it helps to support nonprofit organizations. When it was time to build an employee headquarters, CROPP chose to remain in its home town of La Farge. It is currently building a distribution center in the Cashton Greens Business Park, a new “green” business park that will produce alternative forms of energy such as wind, biodiesel, and biomass conversion. Both buildings were designed to be environmentally sustainable, in keeping with the cooperative member’s values of preserving the land on which they and their children live.
Being farmer-owned and independent has allowed CROPP Cooperative to stay true to its mission—keeping family farmers farming. Sharing the vision of truly sustainable agricultural practices, Organic Valley and Organic Prairie farmers go beyond organic standards with their stewardship of the earth. They are at the heart of the organic revolution.
I don’t need a calendar to alert me when autumn arrives. I know it on my daily walks, when the mornings are cold and the fallen leaves crunch beneath my feet. Inside, my feet, bare a short time ago, are now covered with socks, and the closed windows get steamy as the cold outdoors collides with the warmth from my kitchen. I At the farmers’ market, the selection of fresh produce has dwindled. Even in your own garden, you might be lucky if you find remnants of summer crops, perhaps a few tomatoes still clinging to a vine or a handful of raspberries. This is the time when fall crops hit their prime in color, taste, and texture. Squash, pumpkins, cabbage, tangerines, apples, pomegranates, and persimmons are treasured. I During autumn, I try to use every fresh ingredient available, orchestrating dishes that combine the fall harvest with preserved foods. As always, I do my best to use what grows as close as possible to my home or willingly pay extra for organic and pesticide-free produce grown elsewhere. I I enjoy creating robust dishes, indulging myself in rich, stick-to-the-ribs foods that protect me from the cold. I relish the challenge of cutting a rebellious winter squash or figuring out creative ways to use parsnips and celery root. I Autumn is the time to reach for dried, canned, and frozen ingredients from your pantry shelves and freezer. Satisfy your hunger for a tomato dish by using ones that you canned, dried, or froze a few months ago.
161 Celery Root, Potato, and Apple Soup
162 Broccoli and Ginger Pot Stickers
164 Spaghetti Squash with Clam Sauce
165 Prawn-Stuffed Petrale Sole
166 Chicken with Apricot-Almond Stuffing
167 Chèvre-Stuffed Chicken Thighs
169 Short Ribs with Baby Turnips
170 Pork Chops with Dried Berry–Port Sauce
175 Bitter Greens with Deviled Eggs
178 Pumpkin-Raisin Bread Pudding
179 Autumn Fruit Crisp with Cranberries
AND
APPLE SOUP
MAKES
6
SERVINGS
This creamy soup has no real cream, but is rich with earthy flavors. It makes sense that we would want root vegetables to be grown organically. Since they are grown completely underground, it’s essential that they grow in pure soil that has not been touched by pesticides or anything artificial or possibly harmful.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or more if you like a thinner soup
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and chopped (about 1 pound)