Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [40]
Buckwheat and Orange Zest Gingersnaps
Buckwheat and Orange Zest Gingersnaps
Orange zest gives these crispy snaps a hint of citrus. Barley malt syrup stands in for the traditional molasses, and tastes virtually identical. If the maple sugar is clumpy, break it up with your fingers before creaming it with the butter. To make gingerbread people, roll the dough to just over ¼ inch thick and press in raisins or other toppings to decorate the cookies.
Makes approximately 40 cookies
1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups maple sugar, or other dry sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Zest of ½ orange
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
½ cup barley malt syrup
1½ cups white flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1½ cups buckwheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Cream together the butter and maple sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg, orange zest, and ginger. Add the barley malt and beat until smooth.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in batches, ½ cup at a time, mixing just until everything is combined. Transfer the dough to a bowl and store in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Flour your work surface and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take half of the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to slightly less than ¼ inch thick. Cut out the cookies with a 3-inch cookie cutter, and place them on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps and reroll the dough. If the dough gets too soft, put it back in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes.
Bake the cookies until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough. When cool, store the cookies in an airtight container.
Pear Kanten with Pecan Crunch
Pear Kanten with Pecan Crunch
A kanten dessert is the Japanese equivalent of Jell-O, and its consistency can be adjusted by adding more or less liquid. This version is soft in texture, and the mellow flavor of pears is set off by the rich, spiced crunch topping. It’s important to blend the kanten after it cools in order to achieve a smooth, creamy texture. If you can’t find agar-agar (see sidebar) in powder form, simply grind the flakes in a coffee grinder for 1 minute.
Serves 4
CRUNCH TOPPING
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
KANTEN
3 cups unsweetened pear juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons agar-agar powder
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a baking sheet.
Combine all the ingredients for the crunch topping in a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes. Toss the ingredients and bake for 4 minutes more, or until the topping is dry. Let cool.
Pour the pear juice into a saucepan. Add the cinnamon. Sprinkle the agar-agar powder over the juice and let soak for 15 minutes. Whisk the juice to remove any agar-agar that has gathered on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, then decrease the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, continuing to whisk every few minutes.
Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Pour the mixture into a blender and add the orange juice, zest,