Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [123]
4 Just before serving, top each glass with a couple of tablespoons of pomegranate seeds.
TO GET A HEAD START: This dessert, up through step 3, can be prepared 1 day ahead. You can also seed the pomegranate ahead of time (see “How to Seed a Pomegranate”) and chill separately, covered.
TO VARY IT: A few tablespoons of diced peaches, apricots, or halved seedless grapes can also top the dessert. My tester Karen enjoyed it with black raspberries.
Artisanal Fruit Bread
This intensely tart fruit bread evolved from a recipe of my German childhood friend Gisela. Her holiday loaf piqued my curiosity because it was made with whole grain rye flour only, without any sugar or eggs. The purity of the ingredients makes for a fascinating fierceness of flavors. I have baked this dense fruit and nut loaf many times since, adapting it from her tiny scribbles on a faded postcard she sent years ago.
For our modern tastes, I spike the dried fruit with Italian limoncello liqueur, which also highlights the slight tanginess of the rye flour. MAKES 1 (1¼‑POUND) LOAF
PLUMPED FRUIT
1 to 2 lemons
10 ounces dried fruits such as figs, apricots, and cherries, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons limoncello or brandy, plus extra if needed
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FRUIT BREAD
¾ cup whole grain rye flour (3 ounces)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground anise, preferably freshly ground
Pinch of fine sea salt
¾ cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
¼ cup chopped dried dates
A few whole hazelnuts, for garnish
SEE MEASURING WHOLE GRAIN FLOUR
1 To prepare the plumped fruit, start at least 3 hours ahead, or the night before. Finely grate the zest of the lemons until you have 2 teaspoons. Squeeze the fruit to get ¼ cup juice (reserve the leftover lemon for another use). Combine the dried figs, apricots, and cherries in a medium bowl. Add the water, lemon juice, zest, and limoncello and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours or overnight, stirring once or twice in between. Drain the fruit, reserving the plumping liquid. You should have 2 tablespoons liquid. If not, add more limoncello. Stir the vanilla into the plumping liquid.
2 Line a large rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.
3 To make the fruit bread, whisk together the rye flour, baking powder, cinnamon, anise, and salt in a small bowl. Combine the plumped fruit, chopped hazelnuts, and dates in a medium bowl. Drizzle with the plumping liquid and evenly distribute the flour mixture across. Using your hands, bring the mixture together and gently knead until it is well combined and no traces of flour remain. The dough will be dense, heavy, and slightly tacky. Moisten your hands with water and form a small oblong loaf, about 6 by 4 inches (2½ inches high). Place on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press a few whole hazelnuts lengthwise across the top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a dish towel and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
5 Bake the loaf until the top is nicely browned and crusty when gently pressed with a finger, about 45 minutes.
6 Slide the loaf with the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment paper. Cool the fruit bread completely, at least 2½ hours, and then wrap in a double layer of aluminum foil. Store for at least 1 day in an old-fashioned tin or in a container with a tight-fitting lid, for flavors to meld, before cutting into slices with a long serrated knife. The bread will last in a cool, dry pantry for about 3 weeks.
Whole Wheat and Butter Tart Crust
While living in Germany, I have had so many amazing whole wheat butter crusts that I simply couldn’t settle for anything other than butter