Tea Bread Tuesday: Lemon Poppy Seed Bread with Lemon Glaze

I am devoted to Mr. Lime, I really am . . . and it seems disloyal to go flirting with his sunny cousin, Mr. Lemon, at the first sign of trouble.  Alas, Mr. Lime is making himself very dear this summer, what with the terrible crop we've had . . . bad winter!  So when life gives you lemons . . . we must make the best of it . . .  I'm such a tramp!  But a bread like this one can make you re-think your loyalties . . . It . . . is . . . DELICIOUS!  So moist, so lemony . . . and the hint of almonds doesn't hurt one bit!  You must try it!  This might be the beginning of a beautiful ménage à trois . . .

Here's the recipe:

For the bread:

1½ cup all-purpose flour

1¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

¾ cup of half and half

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (1 large lemon = approx. 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest)

For the glaze:

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

½ tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350º F.  Grease and flour a 9” x 5” loaf pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds.  With electric mixer, add the wet ingredients, one at a time, until they have all been incorporated.  Beat for one additional minute.  Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, with a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick.

While bread is baking, prepare the glaze.  In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.  When the bread is done, let cool in the pan for a few minutes, but while still hot invert into a wire rack, and then back into a serving tray.  Brush glaze immediately over the warm bread, on top and on the sides.  Use all the glaze, the bread will absorb most of it.  For best taste, make it the night before and the bread will be ever so moist and flavorful!  Enjoy!

Three Kings Day 2014

I have nothing but the greatest admiration for those who, efficiently after Christmas, or at the latest, New Year's, start taking down and packing all the Christmas decorations.  By the time they are back to work, Christmas is but a fond memory and are already perusing gardening catalogs, looking forward to the coming Spring.  Not me.  For one thing, Christmas is not officially over at our house until after Three Kings Day.  We usually host an Open House on the Sunday closest to January 6th, which is when the Catholic Church celebrates Epiphany, and gather friends and family one last time before settling in for the onslaught of snow and frigid weather.

Our Open House was wonderful, despite the fact that many friends were unable to come because of the snow.  Typically, on Three Kings Day I tend to make treats evocative of my Cuban roots.  We usually serve guava pastries, turrones (sweet nougats made of almonds, marzipan, or ground almonds) and hot chocolate is a MUST.  This year, I also made sandwiches, and cookies, and an almond spice cake.  

 

Here is the Coffee Bar set up to keep my chilly guests warm:  Piping hot coffee, with a little something something - Butterscotch Schnapps, Kahlúa and RumChata.  

Have you tried RumChata yet?  If NOT, please put this on your "Must Try" list for 2014!  This is a new twist on Horchata (hence, the "Chata" part of the name).  Spanish horchata is a sweet, milky drink made from the chufa, or tiger nut.  It tastes a lot like almond milk.   You can read all about horchata here.  It is delicious!  If you are ever in Spain, you must try it, but to truly enjoy it you must sit in a little café under sweltering sun, and wait an hour for the waiter to notice that you are even alive.  By the time you get your icy horchata, you would be ready to swear that it's the nectar of the gods!  Mexican horchata is slightly different and often made from other kinds of nuts, or even rice!  It's still delicious.  RumChata took the next step and made it into a liqueur.  Add some to your coffee, and you'll be warm and smiling in no time!

The Coffee Bar also included peppermint candy canes, and homemade Vanilla Bean syrup, something sweet without the alcohol.  There were also some dark-chocolate covered almonds nearby, in case anyone had a chocolate emergency.  That happens to me once in a while, so I'm very sympathetic.

There's always cake on Three Kings Day, so we can bury the Baby Jesus in its batter before baking.  Whoever finds the plastic baby, is King of the Day and wins a prize.  This year's Almond Spice Cake was delicious.  My son David gave it a thumbs up, and he's a tough cake customer!

 

Here's another treat:  Pecan Butterballs from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  I have been making these since 1984, the year I got married.  My sister-in-law, Angela, who is a wonderful cook, gave us the cookbook as a wedding present.  I'm on my second copy right now.  It wouldn't be Christmas around here without these little gems.  They are sweetened with a little honey, and they just melt in your mouth.  Here's the recipe:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) sweet butter, softened

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup shelled pecans, chopped moderately fine

¾ cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.  Grease one or two cookie sheets.
2. Cream butter.  Beat in honey; gradually mix in flour and salt, then vanilla.  Add pecans.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3. Form balls by hand, the size of quarters.  Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Remove from oven; as soon as cool enough to touch, roll in confectioners' sugar.  Allow to cool and roll again in sugar.

 Yields 36 cookies.

Guests were asking me for extras to take home!  You'll want to double or triple the recipe, if you want any leftovers for yourself!

 

The basket of Chocolate Chip cookies held four batches of CCCs made by my son, John!  I love it when the family gets involved in the party preparations!

On Three Kings Day I try to bring out the gold in remembrance of the Magi who brought gold to the Baby Jesus, so this year, the table is covered in a gold cloth.  The covered platter held sandwiches of Tuna Salad à la Vizcaína (Basque-style), a delightful tuna salad recipe that calls for adding roasted red peppers.

The Christmas centerpiece was given a facelift.  I removed the wilted blooms, and replaced them with snowy white carnations, gold balls, and a little red cardinal that begged to come out and play.

After taking a look at his little cousin outside, he realized that he got the better deal . . .

 

It's time to put away the extra Christmas cards!

Now we can sit by the fire and enjoy the wonderful memories we created during this joyful Christmas season!  May you have a wonderful new year!

The reinvention of an old favorite

How do you jazz up a good ol' peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Try switching to almond butter . . .  Less fat, more calcium, more deliciousness . . .

Add a different jelly . . .  It is a well known fact that Cubans have guava running through their veins . . .

Oatnut is a really nice bread . . . Say "Oatnut" three times fast . . . Now try it again with a mouth full of almond butter . . .

Cut the sandwich, for Pete's sake!  It'll only take a second!  And please cut it in thirds . . . after all, we are trying something different, right . . . ?

There now, all we need is a nice cup of tea . . .

Now, what kind of tea . . . ?

Tea Bread Tuesday: Almond Bread - Celebrating Epiphany

From YourDictionary.com:
al- (al)

the: used in words of Arabic origin: algebra, alchemy, al-Mansur
Origin: < Ar al
al- (al, əl)

Hmm . . . as in alcohol . . . or alabaster . . . or almonds . . .

Almonds always remind me of marzipan, and the Three Kings Day . . . The Magi purportedly came from the Middle East and Asia, where almonds were cultivated from early days . . . It's fun to imagine that along with gold, myrrh and frankincense, the Magi may have brought some almonds to the Baby Jesus . . . . (which, of course, Mary would have had to turn into almond milk . . . ).  I had a college professor once in a Sociology class, who spent two days pondering what was likely to have been served at the Last Supper . . . but I digress . . .

I really like this almond bread recipe.  The almond taste is mild, the texture is wonderful . . . my husband likes it . . . and the recipe yields two loaves, so I can keep one at home and take one to work . . . a complete win-win . . .

Here's the recipe:

1 cup grapenut cereal
3 cups milk
1 cup  (1 can) almond paste, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs, beaten
1½ cups sugar
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1. Combine cereal and mil and soak for one hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.  Grease two 8x4x2 loaf pans.
3. Cream almond paste, butter, eggs and sugar.  Add the mil and cereal mixture.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture.
5. Pour into loaf pans and bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Yields 2 loaves

The Christmas season continues . . .  As always, I pray for a year of epiphanies. May they teach me, and humble me, and guide me through the complicated labyrinth of life.

Tea Bread Tuesday: Almond-Poppy Seed Bread (or Muffins)

These miniature muffins were wonderful, wonderful! Lawrence Welk: Move over! (You have to be over 50 to get the reference). These were a hasty bake and I didn't measure carefully. It didn't matter. This was a very forgiving recipe!

I first poured the batter in a loaf pan, but it looked a little low and I was afraid it would turn out rather flat, so I dug out the mini-muffin pans and used them instead. Not the prettiest muffins I've ever baked, but delicious just the same. Here's the link for the recipe: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/almond-poppy-seed-bread.html

Couscous . . . couscous . . . don't you just love saying that word?

Couscous with Apricots and Almonds

—from "SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life"

Healthy side dish, great flavor, nutritious . . .

Didn't love the texture . . . the dish was saved by the almonds and apricots, otherwise it would have felt too mealy on the mouth. I've since learned that couscous is great stuffed in pita bread, with other veggies. I'll have to keep it in mind when I make it next time. Yes, there will be a next time, I have to finish the package!