LEMON FIRE BRIGADE

Raw peach and passionfruit torte with indian blood peaches

September 15, 2015

by sarah b.

Raw Peach and Passionfruit Torte with Indian Blood Peaches | Lemon Fire Brigade _MG_5080 Raw-Peach-and-Passionfruit-Torte-with-Indian-Blood-Peaches---Lemon-Fire-Brigade

Raw Peach and Passionfruit Torte with Indian Blood Peaches // serves 6-8
Recipe adapted from Little Bird’s “The Unbakery” book – over 150 recipes for beautiful raw food by Megan May

Base
3/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
2 cups raw pecans, (about 210g)
1 cup raw almonds, (about 130g)
3/4 cup pitted medjool dates, packed
1 tablespoon cold-pressed coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Filling
1 1/2 cups cashews (235g | 8 1/2oz), soaked for 2-4 hours
2 young coconuts, about 1 cup (160g | 5 1/2oz), scraped coconut flesh (these are the white thai coconuts)
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (80ml | 2 1/2fl oz)
1/4 cup filtered water (60ml | 2fl oz)
1/3 cup raw honey (100g | 3 1/2oz), or raw agave, organic maple syrup, coconut nectar will work too
1/3 cup fresh passionfruit juice, from strained pulp and seeds
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup cold-pressed coconut oil (185ml | 6fl oz)
3-4 fresh peaches, halved (about 750g), or other fruit like apricots, figs, or pears

Topping
1/2 cup fresh passionfruit juice, from strained pulp and seeds
3-4 tablespoons raw honey

In the bowl of a food processor, blend the coconut until it’s finely ground into a flour. Add the pecans, almonds, and dates and pulse until it’s like a couscous texture. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It should hold together well.

Line a 91/2 inch tart or quiche pan (with a removable base) with plastic wrap, press the mixture firmly into the tin. It will need to approximately 1/4-1/2 inch thick on the bottom and up the sides of the tin to maintain the structure. For individual tortes use mini tart shells. Place the torte base in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.

To prepare the filling: Blend all the ingredients except the coconut oil and peaches in a high-speed blender – being careful not to let it heat up. Blend the cream until really smooth. Slowly pour in the coconut oil with the blender on medium-high until completely combined into the cream. This torte has a soft cream when it’s at room temperature; if you want it to set more firmly add another 1/4 cup of coconut oil.

Pour the cream into the torte base and leave it to set for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

To finish: Combine the strained passionfruit juice and honey together in a bowl and stir until the honey has dissolved. Top the cream in the torte base with fresh peach halves, pressing lightly into the mixture. Cover the torte with plastic wrap and leave to set for another 6-8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, remove from the tin, remove plastic wrap, and place onto serving dish. Pour the passionfruit syrup over the peaches and cream and serve.

plum caramel roasted plums with brûléed stracciatella

September 3, 2015

by sarah b.

comments 7

Uncategorized

Plum Caramel Roasted Plums with Brûléed Stracciatella + Pistachios in Olive Oil // Serves 4

10 small plums, pitted, 8 of them sliced into quarters
3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2-3 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar, dark or light brown sugar works too
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
1/8 teaspoon ground star anise, about 1 pod freshly ground
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and toasted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Pinch of sea salt
8-12 ounces fresh stracciatella or burrata cheese
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar, for bruleeing

Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place two of the plums in a blender with the pomegranate molasses, muscovado sugar, lemon juice, and water and puree until very smooth. Add the plum puree to a medium saucepan along with the scraped vanilla bean and star anise and stir to combine. Drop in the quartered plums and toss to coat. Place the plums on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is bubbling around the sides and caramelized. Bring the remaining plum puree to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 6-8 minutes until the mixture is deep in color. If this reduces too much it will become too sweet. Season with sea salt to taste. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the toasted pistachios, olive oil, orange zest, and salt, and stir to combine.

Place the stracciatella cheese and roasted plums into a serving dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the cheese. Using a torch, brûlée the sugar until it’s golden brown and a crisp shell forms over the top. Drizzle the plums with some of the remaining plum caramel, spoon the pistachios over and around the fruit and serve.

The plum caramel will keep in an airtight container up to 10 days.

Fig, yogurt, and almond cake with extra figs

August 28, 2015

by sarah b.

comments 10

Sweets

FIG, YOGURT, AND ALMOND CAKE WITH EXTRA FIGS / Serves 10-12
Recipe adapted by Yotam Ottolenghi

300g unsalted butter
300g caster sugar, plus 1 teaspoon extra
4 large free-range eggs
270g ground almonds
150g all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 3/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 1/2 teaspoons ground star anise, from about 7-8 star anise pods
150g Greek yogurt
12 figs, quartered

For the extra figs:
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1/2 cup red wine
6 ripe figs, quartered
Greek yogurt, for serving

Heat the oven to 400 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9- inch loose-based cake tin with baking parchment. Put the butter and sugar in an electric mixer bowl, and use a beater to work them well until they turn light and pale. Beat the eggs lightly, then, with the machine on medium speed, add them gradually to the bowl, just a dribble at a time, adding more only once the previous addition is fully incorporated. Once all the egg is in, mix together the almonds, flour, salt, vanilla and anise, and fold into the batter. Mix until the batter is smooth, then fold in the yogurt.
Pour the batter into the lined tin and level roughly with a palette knife or a spoon. Cut each fig vertically into four long wedges, and arrange in circles on top of the cake, just slightly immersed in the batter. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 340 F and continue baking until it sets – about 40-45 minutes longer. Check this by inserting a skewer in the cake: it’s done if it comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool down before taking it out of the tin and sprinkling with a teaspoon of caster sugar.
You can eat the cake just as it is, but the addition of warm, syrupy figs turns it into something very special. Once the cake is cool enough, divide it into portions. Put three tablespoons of caster sugar in a medium saucepan and put on a high heat until the sugar starts to caramelise. Remove from the heat, carefully add the wine then return to the heat and let the caramel dissolve in the wine. Add the fig quarters and quickly toss them around just to warm them up. Spoon a generous dollop of Greek yogurt over each slice of cake, plus a few warm figs and their juice.

chopped greek salad with cherries, watermelon, and fresh oven toasted za’atar

July 15, 2015

by sarah b.

comments 4

salads / sides

Chopped greek salad with cherries, watermelon, and fresh oven toasted za'atar - Lemon Fire Brigade

CHOPPED GREEK SALAD WITH CHERRIES, WATERMELON, AND FRESH OVEN TOASTED ZA’ATAR | serves 4

50 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons finely ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups diced watermelon, 1/2- to-3/4 inch dice
2 cups diced persian cucumbers, 1/2- to-3/4 inch dice
3 cups diced heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, 1/2- to-3/4 inch dice
2 cups bing cherries, pitted and halved lengthwise
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt
6 ounces mild + creamy feta, in one hunk
Finely chopped cilantro for sprinkling
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Place 40 thyme sprigs on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes at 300ºF until dry. Slide the leaves off both the dry and remaining fresh sprigs and finely chop into a loosely ground mixture. Transfer to a small bowl, add the toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and sea salt and set aside.

Lightly toss together all of the diced ingredients in a large bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with salt to taste. To assemble, place the feta on a serving plate and transfer the salad mixture to setup alongside the cheese. To serve, garnish the salad with fresh herbs, drizzle with lots of olive oil, and top with a heavy layer of zaatar.

The salad should be sharp and sweet. If not serving immediately, drain some of the liquid off later. Adjust the seasoning again afterward.

red fruit galettes

July 8, 2015

by sarah b.

comments 3

baking / Dessert / Fruit / Pastry / Pie / Sweet

Red Fruit Galettes - Lemon Fire Brigade

YOSSY’S RED FRUIT GALETTES // yields 4 medium sized galettes
– Adapted from Apt. 2b Baking by Yossy Arefi

Dough
17 ounces all-purpose flour
1/4 ounce salt
1 ounce granulated sugar
12 ounces unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
8 ounces ice water (may use less or more of this)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too.

Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split up into 4 equal dough parts, form into discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight.

Filling
About 2 1/2-3 pounds of assorted red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, cherries, sour cherries, currants, etc.)
2-3 ounces granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit (for example: currants will need more, sweet cherries less)
4 ounces raspberry or strawberry jam
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (only if the fruit seems very juicy
1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt for egg wash
2 ounces coarse sugar such as demerara or turbinado for sprinkling

Work with one piece of dough at a time and on a floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 13” circle, 1/4-1/8” thick. Transfer the rounds to two or four large, parchment-lined sheet pans depending on how many gallettes being prepped. Store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Pit the cherries and remove the stems from the strawberries. In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest and salt into the sugar. If you’re using flour, add it to the sugar mixture. Add all the fruit and the jam to the bowl and toss gently to combine.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and then divide the fruit evenly between the disks, leaving a 1 1/2” border around the edges. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and gently brush the egg wash between the folds to seal. Chill the formed tarts until the dough is very firm.

While the tarts are chilling, preheat your oven to 400º. When the tarts are nice and cold, remove them from the fridge, gently brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle the pastry and the fruit with coarse sugar. Bake until the fruit juices bubble and ooze and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Red Fruit Galettes - Lemon Fire Brigade

blackberry chocolate chip and cream muffins

June 15, 2015

by sarah b.

comments 7

baking / Chocolate / Sweet

Blackberry Chocolate Chip and Cream Muffins - Lemon Fire Brigade

BLACKBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP + CREAM MUFFINS // Makes 12 large muffins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon granulated cane sugar (for sprinkling berries), plus extra for sprinkling tops of muffins
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Demerara, turbinado, or coarse sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place it with 12 paper cup muffin liners (I used these) or line two large muffin trays with liners. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Lightly beat in the eggs, add the cream, crème fraîche, vanilla, and mix to incorporate.

Toss the blackberries in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and set aside. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir gently to combine. Fold in the berries and chocolate chips being careful to not streak the batter blue with the blackberries. Drop the batter into the cup liners and generously sprinkle the tops with both the demerara and granulated sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden brown and feel firm to the touch. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. They will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

Blackberry Chocolate Chip and Cream Muffins - Lemon Fire Brigade