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Archive for June, 2012

Jun 24

Cacao Trees
3 Comments

And the winner for the Food with the Highest antioxidant Content is…. (drum roll please)

~Join us for our two-part series on the food with the highest antioxidant tour

Part 1

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Pure and simple, dark chocolate and cacao nibs top the charts in antioxidant levels ~ beating out acai berries, kale and broccoli on the Oxygen Radial Absorbance Capacity scale (more on this scale below). Shocked? I sure was when I recently learned this bit of information. Un-shockingly, my children were already rehearsing their “eat your broccoli” retorts.

Can it really be true? How did I stumble upon this fantastic news?

It all started when my daughter exclaimed, “chocolate grows on trees!”

Tour brochures lined up on our vacation condo’s counter top: chocolate, coffee, rice, taro etc. Eenie, Meeny, Miney, Moe…
Well, Miney and Moe are actually kids named Hannah and Eva and I guess that makes my husband Eenie and by default I’m the Meeny.

The meany who wants to add an educational aspect to our Hawaiian vacation. I’m sure you can see where this is going…

Steelgrass

Taro is island specific but no votes there; of the ag tours, rice (unfortunately), had no tours on our free days so the choice was between coffee and chocolate. I love both but would rather have the kids hyped up on vitamin B-12 goodness than buzzing on caffeine. Thankfully, they agreed.

After a little research, and a recommendation from some friends, we decided to check out the STEELGRASS family chocolate tour, which had an added bonus that included a voice over studio on site with the likes of Ben Stiller and Jack Black…read: now husband is on board too.

I spoke with Tony Lydgate, Steelgrass family owner, to confirm our Chocolate from Branch to Bar reservation and he said tours start at 9 am. I’m thinking; who doesn’t like chocolate for breakfast? The kids sure thought this was an excellent idea and that maybe the sun had gotten to my senses, but no one mentioned anything about that.

The evening prior to our tour, the children slept soundly with visions of Hawaiian chocolate dancing in their heads. Up bright and early like I’ve only seen on christmas morning they were ready to go devour their breakfast! It’s healthy right? Local, sustainable, organic, without additives; all the checks were there for our foodie family list, so why can’t we eat chocolate all the time? All you parents out there get ready because those answers we tell our kids that it is a treat are now debunked and I hear doctors are recommending a daily dose of dark chocolate.

Studies have found that eating dark chocolate daily can reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes.  What? I guess the trick is on me for wanting an educational tour, now our tour guides Michelle and Annabelle have my kids full attention and I’m taking notes on this brilliant way to educate all ages.

So the tour begins, by sharing that chocolate is made from cacao and yes, cacao grows on trees. But before we learn more about cacao our guides direct us through their grove of meticulously labeled tropical fruit trees, educating our tour group through our senses about each fruit.

No crazy Wonka tour here, all children and adults munched freely on sustainably grown, Tahitian Lime and sugar cane (known as KO) a sweet and tangy lime aid in yo’ mouth combination. Longan or Dragon Eye fruits that would be perfect in a bowl on Halloween, crimson red Mountain Apple and Lilikoi (passion fruit) and more, all without incident.

Soursop (Custard Apple)

Dragon Eye

Dragon Eye

Lilikoi (Passionfruit)

Blissfully meandering through the tropical trees, learning about Egyptian paper making from papyrus trees and smelling the bark of a cinnamon tree ~ the mission of our tours guides emerges.

This fantastic way of bringing in unassuming students, thinking only of chocolate bars to impart knowledge about sustainable agriculture, is like tossing zucchini into chocolate cake without the kids knowing.

A Truffula tree right? Nope it’s Papyrus

Cacao is a tree, and in order for us chocolate lovers to fully enjoy the purest foodie dark chocolate scrumptious delights, we need to understand that our delectable bar only needs four ingredients: cacao, sugar, vanilla and an emulsifier like soy lecithin or cacao butter. But from Branch to Bar so much more goes on behind the scenes.

Cacao Trees

Cacao trees with colorful pods

It’s a meeting of the minds at the Lydgate Farm with PhD’s, Oxford alumnae, musicians, artists and others that form a team who have come together to develop a sustainable agriculture program to teach others the same.

By sharing the behind the scenes chocolate creation process, Steelgrass shows the many stages of the production, and in so doing, they also show the excellence that comes from being a steward for sustainable agriculture on the Hawaiian Islands.  We learned that it takes healthy pollinators not limited to bees for the fruit trees but it’s tiny gnats that are able to pollinate the petite cacao flowers.  They use companion planting as a natural pest control and rely on collaboration and cooperation between neighboring cacao farmers.  This is their  hypothetical insurance policy, if disaster hits in the form of bugs, weather or other, then the diversification of plants, their various locations and different cacao farms, help ensure sustainability.  This all falls under the umbrella of the Kauai Cacao Cooperative for creating a homegrown chocolate industry on the island.

It is incredible to think that all these aspects and hard work go into making that dark flavorful chocolate available and so good for us to enjoy.  Once you understand you can’t forget and now that price of the chocolate bar makes sense. But it is perfect because, unlike milk chocolate where I could keep on eating more and more, I find that a small amount of dark chocolate hits the spot and I am satisfied…better for the environment, better for me..it’s a win~win.


Honey on bamboo

Honey on bamboo sticks

Join us next week for part 2 of our chocolate tour adventure!

Aloha kakou,

Rachelle @ Caramelize Life

Jun 18

Divine Quiche
9 Comments

Quiche Creation with Custom Made Chicken~Gruyere~Garlic Sausage

There is maintenance quiche, and then there is divine quiche.  This recipes accomplishes the latter.

I’m sure you’ve had one ~ a piece of freshly baked quiche that melds flavors perfectly, a flakey, buttery crust, melting in your mouth, so that just one piece is not at all satisfying.  You think, well, maybe the quiche is a prime entree after all.  (see also, previous article with divine quiche status, “Which Came First?”)

Thomson Custom Meats’ hand crafted chicken gruyere sausage with roasted garlic makes this recipe great.  Without it, it would be a little less divine, but still delicious.  Our friends at this Methow mainstay use 100% local meat without antibiotics for all their charcuterie.  It’s a truly home grown, family operation.  Chris Thomson consistently puts out the highest quality meat and cut.

Shallots, baby peppers and Thomson Custom Meats hand-crafted sausages

Thomson Custom Meats (on FB) offers such variety as smoked meats, bacon, lamb and jerky to seafood, chicken, and, a personal favorite, handcrafted sausages.

It was a tough choice between their sausages: Garlic Merlot Pork, Tai Chicken, Chicken-Apple-Onion-Sage, Pork-Onion-Potato, Spanish Chorizo, Sweet and Traditional Italian, Italian Chicken with Parmesean…to name a few.

All were good, but after an extensive tasting, the Chicken-Garlic-Gruyere won, hands down for this recipe.

Aside from the locally made sausage, this recipe is gratifyingly sustainable because almost every single ingredient is something we can produce.  Eggs are farm fresh from the beloved chickens.  Peppers grow in the garden as do herbs.  Shallots are preferable, but onions will do the trick.

There is a deep love that comes through from cooking a meal you produce from gathering and growing the food yourself.  This divine quiche is full of love and decidedly garden to table.

Making the quiche dough gets a helping hand, especially when the deal comes with her own little piece to bake~

Place the grilled onion slices around the edge of the egg mixture so they can pop to the surface and brown.

~Recipe~

6-7 Large Farm Fresh Eggs

1+ cup milk or cream

2 Brat sized Sausages, casings removed

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Shallots (or onion of choice) 1 finely dices, 1 in thin horizontal slices

3 small sweet peppers or pepper of choice

1/4 cup chopped basil

1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, monteray jack or any mild cheese works well)

salt and pepper to taste

~Deluxe Flaky Pastry Dough~ modified from the Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition

3 cups Flour (try 1/2 Emmer Grain Flower, Bluebird Grain Farms)

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-2 teaspoons sugar

1/3 cup iced water

1~ Prep dough: combine flour, salt and sugar; using a food processor or pastry cutter, cut in butter until dough resembles course sand; add cold water and mix until just combined; separate dough into two balls, wrap and chill for at least one hour.

2~ Sauté 1/2 minced shallots and 1/2 minced peppers briefly in butter and set aside; using the same pan, sauté chunks of sausage and set aside.

3~ Mix eggs, milk, salt, pepper and fresh basil.  Now you are ready to layer your quiche.

4~ Roll out cooled dough on a floured surface; place dough in buttered dish and flute edges.

5~ Spread cheese as first layer; add sautéd shallots, peppers and sausage; place shallot slices around the edge of quiche; slowly pour in egg mixture; top with remaining halved peppers.

6~ Bake at 375F for 1/2 hour or until quiche is cooked through and crust is golden brown.

7~ Let sit for 10 minutes after baking, serve and enjoy.

Love from our kitchen to yours!  Georgina @ Caramelize Life

Divine Quiche

Jun 11

DSCF3402
8 Comments

Bar-B-Q Star ~ Meat & Greens as Main Course

When your salad side dish recipes are exhausted, make that plethora of greens the main course.

Spring brings with it a renewed palate, ready for pure, light fare from the garden and farm.  This entree salad recipe hits the mark.

After heavier foods in the colder months, I enjoy the simplicity of a non-carb meal.  My body thanks me too.

Spinach “stars,” Crown S Ranch beef and delicious lime-cilantro dressing

I could name this recipe “wedding salad,” since it was one I had designed for our celebration.  It obviously went over well with guests at Spring Creek Ranch, since not a speck remained after our party.

Ah, the many joys of this salad.  I’ll begin with the beef: locally grown, organic grass-fed top sirloin or tenderloin from our friends at  Crown S Ranch.

Crown S Ranch beef, grilled medium~rare

The greens: picked fresh from the garden, spinach, lettuce, kale, chard or a combination all work well as the salad bed.

The dressing: the spike of citrus, garden flesh cilantro, black beans, corn and sweet peppers top the meat and greens perfectly.

An additional perk: this meal only takes about 1/2 hour to prepare.

Perk number two: the color and presentation are beautiful.

The Dressing: sweet peppers, lime, cilantro, olive oil, black beans and corn

~Meat and Greens Recipe~

1 lb. + Tenderloin or Top Sirloin

Big bunch of greens: lettuce, spinach and kale are my preferences for this salad

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup coursely chopped cilantro

2 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

1/4 cup black beans

1/4 cup corn

1/4 cup sweet bell pepper, chopped in 1/4 inch pieces

1~ Trim meat and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Grill meat on high heat, turning once.  Be careful not to let it get over done ~ the beef will keep cooking for a few minutes after it’s removed from the grill.  Set aside to cool.

2~ Combine all ingredients for dressing.  Add beans, corn and peppers to dressing to soak up flavors.

3~ Make a bed of greens for each plate.  Creating a pattern with your greens enhances presentation.

4~ Cut the meat just as thinly as possible and place over greens.

5~ Pour an ample portion of dressing-bean combo over each serving.  Finish with fresh cilantro if desired and serve.

Yeild: about 4 entree sized servings

Love from our kitchen to yours!  Georgina @ Caramelize Life

Stars of the Bar-B-Q

Jun 5

Plum jam of perfect consistency.
9 Comments

Canning Planning

As the heat comes on, canning planning kick~starts the garden inspiration.

Getting organized before the bounty begins is a great way of utilizing all the produce you can and taking pleasure in each step along the way.  Done lovingly and diligently, preserving foods can be one of the greatest joys in the kitchen.

Considerations: 1) your planned garden harvest,  2) a local grandmother or Master Gardener who can give you the best advice when you need it for preserving foods, 3) all your locations for gathering wild fruits and 4) what you’d like to search for by barter or perusing your Farmer’s Market for prime purchases.

Our local source for expert advice in the garden, conveniently called Local 98856, has posted an article this week on their top picks of plants to put in the garden right now, suitable for preserving fruits and veggies:  Our Favorites for Preserving.  The Local’s website shares highly useful and timely garden information on a weekly basis ~ it’s our expert source, aside from mothers and neighbors.

Beautiful Beats ~ ready for pickling early in the season

I make a goal each year of either growing, gathering or bartering all necessary ingredients for my canned food (aside from a few exotic spices).  Barter takes a little networking, a lot of talking about gardens and fruit, and perhaps an offering of your goods, but it is rewarding and sustainable for the community.  For all else, I hit the local farmer’s markets for organic goods.

Folks can be very grateful for a picker to maintain the health of their tree.  Some people aren’t in physical shape to pick the fruit anymore or just may not have the time.  If you put the word out, you might be amazed at the number of untended fruit trees out there just dripping with goodness.  Bringing children along to pick is an added bonus for the whole family.

Rhubarb is an early harvest for jams, chutneys and sauces.

On the Canning Planning Menu ~ my list usually begins with strawberries, asparagus, beans, beats, herbs and rhubarb.

With the strawberries ripe in the garden and the rhubarb taking off before most anything, strawberry-rhubarb jam, pie filling and chutney are prime choices at the top of the list.  Early spring also brings asparagus, so delicious pickled and preserved.

Beans ~ an early pickler for canning

Planting Possibilities Now for Early Canning:

~Fruit Chutneys such as rhubarb

~Herbs (basil for pesto, and for freezing or drying, basil, oregano, mint, rosemary….etc.)

~Peaches

~Pickled Asparagus (bountiful right now, see previous post: What’s For Dinner)

~Pickled Beans

~Pickled Beats

~Pie fillings (Strawberry or Rhubarb)

~Strawberry Jams, Jellies and Compotes

(When harvest is timely, we have recipes ready to post for all referenced here.)

Often by early to mid-summer, fresh herbs are ample.  I begin making pesto as bunches of basil are ready to snip.  If you’ve planted garlic the previous fall, the timing should be just right for also using your own fresh garlic in the pesto.  Pesto is preserved very well in small freezer batches.  (When it comes to harvest time, we’ll post some full proof pesto recipes:)

In warmer climates, processing your tomatoes can start as early as summer, but in our Methow Valley of the  North Cascades, it is a long wait for ripe ones.  Gauge when your harvest will be based on your climate and plan from there (see previous post, Spring Seedlings: Coast to Coast).

Tomatoes and tomatillos are key to canning in our family.  To satisfy our lust for spice, I make about four-five dozen quarts of salsa varieties each Fall.  The salsas are eaten fresh with morning burritos and casadillas, they go into baked mexican dinners and grace omelets, egg scrambles and sandwich spreads.  Despite planning for this amount of salsa and canning those many dozens, we still run out.  Thus, the canning planning begins now!

For a tried and true  Salsa Verde recipe to put up your tomatillos and jalapeños, read the previous article, Fresh Fish and Zesty Salsa Warm Up Winter Nights.

Tomatillo and Jalapeño Salsa Verde, Tomato-Cilantro Salsa and dried Cayenne Peppers.

Finally, a word about plums.  They often ripen early, and their versatility tends to be underestimated.  Plum jam is a must-have for my children and goes a long way for sandwiches, crepe fillings and bases for meat glazes.

Plum syrup is another winner: pureed, sweetened, cooked and canned, it is a simple and affordable alternative to other syrups for breakfasts and deserts.  I similarly can apricot syrup and rhubarb sauce, adding minimal sugar and simmering low to thicken (will provided recipes for these as well).

Plum Syrup, Apricot Nectar, Apple Sauce, Salsas, Chutneys & Jams

Last year a little neighbor child came knocking on the door as I had just finished canning the plum syrup.  I offered a little sample jar for his family.  Soon, a stream of neighbor children were knocking on the door, referencing the first child’s gift.  I believe our plum syrup made it to every household in the neighborhood that day.  What a joy!

It is also sweetly inspiring to make the list ~ and check it off as your garden grows.

Love from our kitchen garden to yours ~ Georgina @ Caramelize Life

NOTE:  See the Ball Blue Book of Canning for guaranteed base recipes ~ it’s all you’ll need.

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