Nevertheless, I can still enjoy peak apple season by eating them like a champ. A cold, crisp apple is one of my favorite snacks — cut into thick slices with peanut butter (or nutella!) is the way to go. As such, this collection of tidbits takes its inspiration from the perfect autumn fruit.

• A few neat suggestions for ways to put your apple peels to good use. Similarly, you can also easily make your own pectin from apple leavings–I started collecting scraps (I have a designated container in my freezer) and am looking forward to giving this a shot.

• I hope to make these apple gouda oatmeal cookies soon. Don’t they look tasty? Best of all, you only need to use one bowl. Hell yeah.

• Lastly, wouldn’t seeing this street art each day make taking the red line much more appealing, fellow Chicagoans? (Heh, see what I did there?) Really though, the artist does some pretty cool stuff–fruits & veggies all over the city.

I’ve never made tiramisu, and when I tried to find a recipe online, I was overwhelmed with options. In the end, I went with David Lebovitz‘s recipe — I loved the idea of making individual servings. Plus, everything he makes (and photographs) looks just so damn good! I made a few substitutions, chief of which was the omission of eggs. I was a bit nervous about using raw eggs (especially since the eggs I had on hand were just your average grocery store carton). I’d feel pretty bad about getting my friends sick, plus, I probably wouldn’t get an invitation back, which would be unfortunate. So, in order to lighten up the mascarpone, I beat in a healthy dollop of whipped cream (a suggestion Lebovitz makes in the comments section below his recipe). Next time around, I’d like to try my hand at making it with the eggs — I imagine the flavor might be much richer? At any rate, the whipped cream worked (and tasted) just fine. Lebovitz also uses both rum (dark) and cognac; I only had spiced rum at my disposal. So again, next time, more booze.

I served my tiramisu in 6oz ramekins — this recipe made about 3 generous servings, which could’ve easily been stretched into 4 servings.

girls night tiramisu
(adapted from David Lebovitz. also, pairs well with two bottles of red wine)

ingredients:

1 cup of strong black coffee or espresso, cooled
3 or 4 tablespoons of rum (less/more to taste)
8 oz mascarpone cheese
about 6ish oz whipped cream
about 6ish ladyfingers
1 bar of dark chocolate

In a bowl large enough for dipping, combine rum and coffee. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add 8 oz of mascarpone. Gently fold in enough whipped cream to lighten the mascarpone (I used a bit less than half of a 15 oz tub).

Break a ladyfinger in half and dip into the boozy coffee long enough that the coffee soaks through (but the biscuit does not smoosh apart).

[Now, about those ladyfingers. When I looked online for a recipe, this step seemed to be the trickiest--not to mention that everybody seems to have a different opinion about the best way to soak the ladyfingers. The basic idea is that you want your biscuit wet enough that the rum/coffee flavor is well introduced into the dessert, but not too wet that you have mushy clumps. Most recipes said to dip the ladyfingers for about 5-10 seconds. The ladyfingers I purchased were dried, and seemed to need a bit longer. Breaking them in half really helped getting them soaked through.]

Put a dollop of the mascarpone mixture into the ramekin. Next, layer with the coffee-soaked ladyfinger halves. Top with a generous amount of shaved chocolate. Repeat layers as space allows, then cover and refrigerate. The longer the dessert has to chill, the better the flavors come together. I made my dessert in the morning, so by 8ish that evening, it was good to go.

Since I had half a tub of whipped cream and a bunch of ladyfingers leftover (and since somebody special had just finished his Sanskrit midterm), I thought I’d make another dish of tiramisu the next day. Although this one was even less authentic–no mascarpone at all–it still tasted pretty good and was super quick and easy to pull together. I added a little splash of vanilla extract to the whipped cream just to make it a bit more nuanced. Otherwise, the recipe and method was exactly the same (except I made just one large serving, putting it in a 1 cup pyrex bowl).

Moral of the story? This dessert is pretty damn versatile and can be easily adapted. Also, I think it’s time we planned another dinner, ladies.

Although there are, I’m sure, a few odds and ends still left at my parents’ house, this last carload marks something pretty exciting–I’m good and settled. And entertaining out of town visitors is a pretty sweet way to reinforce this realization. I’m so glad to be able to share a small part of my life out here (and the important places and people in it) with my loved ones from back home.

I was chatting with a friend the other day, and, after catching up on the aforementioned recent events, he asked me what else I’ve been doing that has nourished me lately. His choice of words really stuck with me–as did the reflection that even small and simple actions carry weight. Pretty timely conversation because, guess what? This little project of mine is now a year old! While this blog is certainly nothing fancy (and at times quiet), it has been something meaningful for me. I’m in a bit of a challenging stretch these days, and having an outlet has really meant the world to me. I created apron-clad because one day last fall, after a summer abroad, I baked a loaf of bread for the first time in MONTHS. And holy hell did it feel good–the warm dough in my hands, the comforting smell sneaking out of our oven, the satisfaction of creating something. This blog has always been a reminder of that moment, and I’m grateful to those of you who have read my entries, posted comments, or even shared a link to my blog with others (thanks, Mom!).

The following recipe comes courtesy of the boyfriend (or, more accurately I suppose, his mom)–I’ve had it for some time now, and was really stoked to be able to try it out (and break in one of my pyrex pans). I had to make a few changes, mostly due to what I had (or didn’t have) handy in my kitchen. Chief of these substitutions was the flour; the recipe calls for spelt, but all I had was good old all-purpose. Pecans were also used in lieu of walnuts.

This is a great recipe because (1) you only need to use one bowl and (2a) it is basically thin bars of banana bread covered with chocolate chips, which means that (2b) I feel somewhat less guilty eating it for/with breakfast. Hell yeah. Also, like the recipe says, it’s totally better the longer it sits after baking–days two and three were awesome.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Squares
From: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains, Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vermont, 2006

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups packed light or dark brown sugar
3 very ripe medium bananas (about 8 ounces, peeled; about 1 cup, mashed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 ¾ cup whole spelt flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (4 ounces) chopped walnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9 X 13 inch pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in a medium bowl till smooth.  Beat in the bananas, lemon juice, vanilla, baking powder, salt and spices, scraping the bowl.  Add the egg, beating until smooth and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl again.  Sir in the flour, mixing thoroughly.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.  Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes; it’ll thicken a bit as it stands.  Sprinkle the chips and nuts on top.

Bake the squares until the center is moist but not liquid, 35-40 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and let cool on a rack.  For best texture, allow them to rest overnight, covered, before cutting and serving.

Normally, I’d post a picture of the baked good in question, but the only photo I managed to take before gobbling up the last square is kinda sub-par. Instead, I leave you with this:

They look goofy, but we had fun. Happy (almost) Halloween!

And while I know I’ll soon be missing the tastes of summer (fresh fruit!), I am ready to indulge in the warm spice-filed flavors that these upcoming months are known for. A little bit ago, a friend of mine shared some of the veggies she received from her weekly CSA share. Part of this generous bounty was a pretty little carnival squash, which made its culinary debut a few nights ago. Cut into wedges, topped with a bit of butter and brown sugar, and baked for a good 45ish minutes, it made a tasty side dish.

This afternoon, the few wedges that were still left over made their second appearance. Squash is such a versatile vegetable, and though I considered making soup (another great autumn/winter food), seeing this recipe got me thinking about creatively using a better variety of ingredients in my baking. And so, squash bread it was! Can’t be too much different from using zucchini or carrots — not to mention pumpkin. Right?

To prep the squash, I used a spoon to scrape it from the rind, and gave it a few pulses in the food processor to smooth it out (I added a bit of milk to help things along). Remember, this squash had already been cooked.

The verdict? It was pretty tasty! The bread has just right amount of sweetness to temper a subtle vegetable-y taste (very similar to carrot cake or zucchini bread), and the cranberries and pecans are great flavor addition. I would definite experiment with this again — imagine adding ginger or sliced apples.

Carnival Squash Bread with Pecans and Cranberries.

about 1 cup of pureed pre-cooked squash
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
a handful of pecans, roughly chopped
a handful of dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mix butter, pureed squash, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Next, mix in your spices — I only added cinnamon because I’m still stocking my pantry post-move, but nutmeg, cloves and/or allspice would be equally as lovely. Finally, mix in your baking soda, salt, pecans, cranberries, and then fold in your flour.

Pour mix into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes. Let loaf cool before slicing, if you can resist the urge to dive right in. Having very little self-control when it comes to baked goods, I never seem to be able to wait.

Yes, that is a pizza pan doubling as my cooking rack. And yes, I did take this photo after gobbling up a warm slice. Don't judge.

In case you were curious, this smells FANTASTIC while it’s baking. Totally put me in the mood to curl up with some hot apple cider and a good book. Or run around and play in a pile of leaves. September, October, and November, it’s good to see you again.

Three years ago last Tuesday, I moved to Chicago. I had come here from Maryland to begin an MA program at the University of Chicago Divinity School, and was eager to be in a new place and to begin the next chapter of my life as a young twenty-something. Although I of course had no idea where the next two years (the length of my program) would take me, I knew that it was the start of something that would change me, and that my life would be marked by this move — there was pre-Chicago, and there would be what came next.

As is often the case, where I am now is quite different from where I predicted I might be. And while I still feel like I’m in a bit of transition (although, aren’t we always?), one thing is for certain. Three apartments, two neighborhoods, and countless trips on public transit later–I happily consider myself a Chicago resident (albeit transplanted), and have consciously chosen to remain so.

Earlier this past year, when certain life plans did not come to pass (but soon transformed into new ones), I was presented with the realization that I had the terrifying (and thrilling) freedom to choose my next move. At the time, there was nothing keeping me officially tied to any particular place (at least once my lease ended). No classes, no jobs. Seeing as I was on the cusp of a new beginning, one might imagine there was good reason to pack my bags and head somewhere else.

And yet, I made the decision to remain in Chicago. Once I realized that this was what I had really wanted all along (and meant more to me than the plans I originally had made), making this decision was liberating and exciting. In many ways, I felt as if I was moving here all over again, and that my life was, yet again, soon to be marked by this fresh start. I was here because I wanted to be. Plain and simple. I had, quite mindfully, begun making a life here.*

In the time that has transpired since making that decision, my life in Chicago has certainly reflected a new relationship to this city. No longer attending classes, I now live in a different part of town and have new favorite restaurants and cafes. I frequent different bus routes (in fact, I have seen more of Chicago in the last six months than ever before). I now start my runs on the northern half of the lakefront  trail, and enjoy winding around the parks near my apartment (although south-side runners are decidedly friendlier). I volunteer for a few local organizations whose work I dig. I’ve made new friends and acquired new roommates (which is not to say that I don’t miss my original ones! 5513 4-ever!).

Of course, I gleefully watched the O’s beat the Sox when Baltimore came to town earlier this summer. But I am happy here, and I am grateful for what moving away from Maryland has brought into my life. Most of all, I am glad to now have more than a few very good reasons to maintain my Chicago residency — and keep exploring this fine city I’ve made my home.

——–

*This would not be possible without the support of my family, to whom I remain so so indebted.

• I love StoryCorps, and this piece is so so beautiful.

• An  interesting NY Times article about combat meals as small reminders of home and comfort.

• How do you see your city? A neat project that maps where photographs are taken in various locations–and whether the photographer is a tourist or a local.

• And the most exciting of all — the weather we’ve been having here in Chicago means that autumn is just around the corner! So excited for apples, pumpkin, and warm, comforting spices.

Filed under: weekly fix Tagged: feeling inspired, tidbits ]]> http://apronclad.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/weekly-fix-2/feed/ 0 acmull http://apronclad.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/weekly-fix/ http://apronclad.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/weekly-fix/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:54:36 +0000 Allison http://apronclad.wordpress.com/?p=282 ]]> I regularly come across miscellaneous tidbits online that I find really inspiring — this ranges from recipes, articles, other blog posts, and more. Instead of merely bookmarking them in my browser, I thought I’d share a roundup of some of my favorites. What bits of creativity have caught your eye lately?

a really beautiful post about genealogy and gender

a neat idea for prettying up your canning jars

a fantastically clear and straightforward post on how to reduce a canning recipe

sweet little cakes inspired by children’s books

I debated and debated what to do with my new purchase. Should I make some sort of tart? A pie? Just keep peeling these tasty little things and pop them into my mouth? I didn’t have a super large amount of gooseberries to work with, and I wanted to be sure to use them for something special. Thinking it over again the next morning, as I scooped the last precious bit of homemade strawberry jam out of the jar, it hit me — I wanted to make jam!

Because I only had a bowl of gooseberries at my disposal, my jam also included two plums and a peach (also from the market). I didn’t add any pectin because 1) I didn’t have any 2) I knew this was going to be a super small batch and 3) I had read that gooseberries are already fairly high in natural pectin. I did add the juice of one lemon to help thicken things up.

First things first — I thoroughly washed two canning jars (one 16 oz pint jar and one 8 oz half pint) and their lids and bands. Because I was not planning to process my jars in a water bath (knowing that I’d end up with a super small yield of jam) and would, instead, just be making refrigerator jam, I felt okay reusing the lids and bands. Ordinarily, while it is okay to reuse canning jars that are still in good condition, you must purchase and use new lids to ensure a proper seal (and safe preservation). While my jam was cooking, I put the jars and lids/bands into separate pots of water, which I then brought to a boil. Ten minutes of sterilization later, I turned the heat down super low to keep the jars warm (if you put hot jam into a cool jar it can sometimes crack).

After washing my fruit (and removing the pit from the peach), I cut the peach and plums into sections and tossed them into my food processor along with the gooseberries (which I had cut in half). I gave the fruit a few quick pulses to chop it all up, but still left it a bit chunky — I like jam that still has bits of fruit left in it. In a large pot, I added my fruit mix (which came to about 1 1/2 cups) and 1 cup of white sugar. Stirring all the while, I brought this to a rolling boil (which means that the fervor of the boil does not reduce during stirring) over medium-high heat and then added my lemon juice. Next, I turned the heat down to medium and let my jam cook for a good 40 minutes, still constantly stirring. I was nervous about how thick my jam would end up (because in all honesty, I was totally winging my measurements) and in hindsight could have cut my cooking time a bit short — my jam ended up plenty thick. Next time I’ll be sure to use a thermometer to cut out the guesswork.

When my jam was done cooking, I pulled the 16 oz pint jar out of the warm water (using tongs that also had been cleaned and sterilized in boiling water). I poured my jam inside (it didn’t quite fill the jar entirely — it ended up being maybe a little more than 3/4 full) and wiped the mouth of the jar clean with a damp paper towel. If I was going to be processing the jars, at this point I’d put on the lid and band.  Since this was just going to be refrigerated, I kept the lid off and let the jar cool to room temperature before sealing and putting in the fridge. Refrigerator jam will generally  keep for about 3 weeks.

And there you have it — peach/plum/gooseberry jam! I’m super stoked that it came out okay and am even more eager to make another batch of jam. While canning up a whole mess of jam is really rewarding, I think I’ll mostly save that for my trips home, when I can share the project with Mom. I’m quite smitten with small batch canning; it’s easy, doesn’t require a buying huge amount of fruit, and is a perfect opportunity to experiment (note: check out this awesome article).  And yes, I know I didn’t technically can my jam, but I’m still hooked and, best of all, excited to keep at it.

Okay, so maybe this doesn’t really photograph that well. But trust me, it was tasty!

summer on my plate fruit crisp

Preheat your oven to 350F. Wash/core/pit/peel/wedge whatever fruit you’ll be using. I used 2 medium-sized peaches. Put fruit in a baking tin (I used a loaf pan because that’s all I had) and sprinkle with white sugar. I wanted my crisp to be a bit tart so I only used a little bit of sugar — also, my peaches were pretty ripe and sweet enough already.

In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup quick oats, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and a healthy dash or two of cinnamon. Nutmeg and/or allspice would also be nice additions, if you have them on hand (I did not). I also added a handful of chopped pecans. After blending the dry ingredients, stir in 1/2 stick of melted butter — the mix with come together slightly and get a little crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over your fruit and bake uncovered for 35ish minutes (or until the top is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbly).

I had a ton of extra topping left, which I stored in the fridge. It made a delicious crumb crust for the banana bread I made a few days later.

I’ve been tending to my starter for exactly one week now and I fear that it’s done for. The starter reacted a bit when I fed it yesterday (got a little frothy and bubbly), but this evening it was back to being meager and covered in hooch. And it never really increased in volume the way it should have, which I’m guessing is a good indication that the little yeasties have called it quits. Having never done this before, I’m pretty much going entirely on my gut instinct (in addition to the advice I’ve gathered from a number of online sources) — and my gut told me to dump that mess down the drain and give it another go tomorrow.

I’m a bit bummed but nevertheless determined to keep at it. Hopefully I’ll have better results (and, more importantly, some sourdough) soon enough.