ISRAELI WINE WITH THE DIVERSE CUISINE OF THE DIASPORA

  

https://winesisrael.com 

Israeli wine has come a long way from being absent from the global wine map to making  a strong presence around the globe. Viticulture has existed in the area now called Israel since biblical times, and wine was even exported to Rome at one point. However, the entire industry eventually died off with increased Islamic dominance in the area due to their religious rules about wine. Fast forward to much later, the modern Israeli wine industry was established in the late 1800s with the help of Baron Edmond James de Rothschild of the Rothschild banking and wine family but it really only took off after Israel was formed ~1948. Locally made wine was being sold within Israel earlier but it has continued to make a presence in other countries around the globe, although the US remains the primary export destination for Israeli wine.

For further reading, Wines Israel is an excellent resource to dive deeper into Israeli wine, past, present, and future.

JEWS AND THEIR CUISINE IN INDIA

The cuisine of the Jewish diaspora has always fascinated me because of its diversity and the nimbleness with which Jewish people have adapted foods to meet their religious and dietary requirements everywhere they have ended up. This includes India, which philosophically has nothing to do with Judaism but is a famously tolerant place that has offered protections and respect for cultural and religious proclivities to foreign communities who decided to stay in India after initially coming for trade and commerce.

Jewish people came to India initially as traders in the time of King Solomon’s reign (~970 to 931 BC) and stayed, and then after the Alhambra and King Manuel's Decrees which expelled Jews from Spain and Portugal if they did not convert to Christianity. The Hindu monarchs of the time offered numerous privileges to these waves of Jewish immigrants including land grants, tax exemptions, the freedom to speak their language, and freely practice their religion. These Jewish groups established themselves in India, built synagogues, and truly mixed  with the Indian population adopting elements of local  cultural habits and food. All of this was mostly in the coastal Indian states of Kerala and Maharashtra.

Indian Jews made their own wine, challah, and matzo because there were no Jewish bakeries, and like the Muslims do, they had their own butchers who slaughtered meat per Kosher requirements. As the Indian Jewry left or passed away, so did the butchers, and eventually the communities ate mostly vegetables and seafood along with the abundant varieties of rice, spices, and produce adapted from local recipes.

After Israel was established in ~1948 many Indian Jews emigrated to Israel. Although their centuries old synagogues and houses lay largely vacant in India, they continue to carry forward their synthesised cultural and culinary habits in their newly adapted land. I thought it would be interesting to connect the dots and discover how Indian Jewish food pairs with Israeli wine and ponder over whether the Indian Jews who are cooking their ancient hybrid Indian recipes in Israel ever pair them with local wine as they had done in India!

THE WINE + FOOD PAIRING

2014 Binyamina Winery Yogev, 12.5% ABV

SRP $20
WINE: According to the winery, "Our winegrowers instill their crops with their own individual character, Israeli roots and genuine love of the land, inspiring us to name this Series in their honor. Wines in the Yogev Series have been blended using the finest grapes from the best vines cultivated by our most outstanding winegrowers. Simply put, this is the very essence of our wines." The wine is an 80-20 cepage of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from the oldest vineyards in the Upper and Lower Galilee, and strives to be a "harmonious fusion between two noble varieties".

Regarding the wine-making process, the winery says, "The Sauvignon Blanc grapes are harvested two weeks after the Chardonnay grapes. Both varieties are brought to the winery and immediately pressed to extract the best quality free run juice and maintain freshness and aroma. After a natural clarification of the must, the wine is transferred for a slow alcoholic fermentation at low temperatures. The wine is then transferred for brief storage in stainless steel tanks until selection of the final varietal blend. Contact with oak is deliberately avoided in order to maintain maximum freshness. The wine is bottled after filtration and is released after briefly aging in the bottle."
NOTES: We thought that the wine is a beautiful medium lemon colour, clean with a medium intensity and predominantly citrus + white flower on the nose. On the palate it is crisp, medium-bodied with a juicy medium acidity and intensity, and grapefruit/lemon and pear notes with green apple and orange blossoms in the back palate ending with a medium finish. Overall this is a simple wine and considering that this has no oak aging, I can't see how it would age well beyond 2020.

FOOD: We enjoyed the 2014 Yogev with a lovely Keralan lunch of ponganam (rice+lentil crepes) and mutta kari (egg curry) from the book Spice & Kosher. The wine paired exceptionally well with the warm herbaceous of the curry leaves, the smoke of the toasted black pepper, and sweetness of caramelised onions in the curry along with the slight tang of the crepes made from a fermented batter.

FUN FACTS
The egg curry recipe is from Matilda Davidson, from Petah Tikva, Israel, a city that started small but became a permanent settlement in the late 1880s thanks to financial help from Baron. As I've mentioned above, he also helped establish the modern wine industry in Israel.

The word "curry" is anglicised from kari, a Tamil word for dishes seasoned with leaves from curry plant and meant to be eaten with rice or crepes. Kari isn't always saucy, and can be sweet or savoury. There are also 1000s of different kinds of crepes in India, and since rice grows exceptionally well in the wet humid climate, it dominates southern Indian cuisine so the crepes in South India are all rice and/or lentil-based. Seafood also aplenty, and each region has it's favourite fish. Also, in India oysters are considered poor fishermen's food so they never make it to the markets!

Pop over to the websites of everyone below to see what they've done with their Israeli wine and food pairings! And then come talk about it at #WinePW on Twitter on Saturday, 23 May @8 AM PST.

• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Grilled Mahi Mahi and Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc. Our Good Life”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “The Eternal Light Shines in Galilee: Yarden Merlot, Pinot Gris”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Lamb Stuffed Eggplant and a perfect Wine from Galilee”
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Yarden Wines Paired with Japanese Surf ‘n Turf”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Off The Beaten Path – Two Wines From Isreal’s Galilee Appellation”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Of Israeli wines, long-ago memories, and Harvey’s takeout”
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Pairings for Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc from Israel”
• Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Israeli Wine with the Diverse Cuisine of the Diaspora”
• Nicole at Somms Table shares “Memories of Yarden Wines with a side of Meatball Shakshuka”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels shares “Pairings with Wines from Israel”
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Peppered Brisket, Honeyed Onions, and the 2106 Galil Mountain ‘Ela’”
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Enjoying Gilgal Cab Sauvignon – Merlot and Yarden Pinot Gris with Grilled Wagyu Steak, Alaska Sockeye Salmon and Poke Ahi Tuna Bowl”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Two Fisted Wine Pairing with Yarden Wines”

MUSHROOM + GRUYERE QUICHE

Mushroom + Gruyere Quiche

Makes: 6 servings

- 1 recipe shortcrust pastry 

- 6 eggs 

- 2/3 cup crème fraîche (or heavy cream) 

- 1 cup whole milk

- 8 ounces gruyère cheese, grated 

- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (white, crimini, baby portabellas, or shiitake are excellent)

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 

- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

- 1 tbsp butter

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F / 220 C. 
2. Roll out the pastry to fit a 10-1/2 inch pie plate or a cake pan with removable bottom. Press the edges against the pie plate or cake pan, poke the bottom with a fork, and place the pastry in the freezer for 30 minutes. 
3. In the meantime, heat the butter in a pan and sauté the mushrooms until they're cooked and somewhat crisped at the edges. Turn the heat off and set aside. 
4. Remove the pastry from the freezer and line with parchment paper. Add pie weights (I use dried beans that are solely for use as pie weights) and bake in the middle rack of the oven until the pastry is just browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. 
5. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Return the pastry to the oven to bake until the bottom is lighty browned, an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
6. In a blender, process together the eggs, cream, milk, and all the spices and seasonings. 
7. In the par baked pastry, spread the grated cheese in a layer, then add the egg mixture and the mushrooms. 
8. Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 30 - 40 minutes. The quiche is done if it's not shaking in the center, or if a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 
9. Remove the quiche from the oven and serve immediately.

BASIL MAYONNAISE

This basil mayonnaise is a gorgeous green and tastes superb! So summery and full of the bright basil flavour that enhances any summer vegetable, especially when simply prepared by steaming. Pair with a light crisp rosé and some fresh bread for an easy meal.

Although mayonnaise can be made in a food processor, whisking by hand gives you more control over it and will help prevent it from breaking. It will also build excellent arm strength! 

Basil Mayonnaise

makes: approximately 1 cup

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 tsp salt

- juice of 1 lemon

- 1 cup neutral oil (rice bran, safflower, sunflower, or any other neutral oil - not olive oil)

- 1/2 cup packed basil leaves

- 1/2 cup packed parsley leaves

1. Make the basil oil: Put the parsley and basil leaves into a blender jar (not a food processor) and pour 3/4 cups of the oil over the leaves. Blend until smooth. Strain the oil into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer or a chinois, pressing the solids down to get all the oil out.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, and salt until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Start adding the basil oil in a thin stream, whisking continuously until the mixture starts to thicken and fluffs up. If it gets too thick and hard to whisk before most of the oil is used up, add 1 tbsp. lemon juice and carry on whisking while adding oil. Whisk until the oil is incorporated into the mix and you have a fluffy mayonnaise. Over-whisking will break the mayo! If that happens, you'll have to either start over or salvage it using another egg yolk, a clean bowl, and a lot more whisking while gradually adding the broken mayo! Try to avoid breaking the mayo :-)
3. Enjoy immediately with steamed or roasted vegetables or seafood, or in any way you wish. Refrigerate leftovers for a few weeks.

FRITTATA: GREEN BEANS, MUSHROOMS, WALNUTS, OLIVES

This easy frittata with green beans, walnuts, mushrooms, olives, and a bit of feta cheese is a quick breakfast or brunch meal that can be made with as many or as few ingredients as you have at hand. It's great hot or cold, which makes it a terrific dish for picnics, potlucks, and road trips!

I added the last little bit of a delicious French feta I had, but feel free to add no cheese, or any other cheese you prefer. Or stir in any kind of pesto after adding the eggs. I typically don't care for meat, especially at the first meal of the day, but you can definitely add smoked trout, sausage, proscuitto, diced chicken, or whatever other meat you want.

Frittata: Green Beans, Mushrooms, Walnuts, Olives
makes: 3 servings

- 6 eggs
- 1 handful green beans, blanched
- 1 shallot (or small onion), sliced
- 6-8 crimini mushrooms, sliced (or any other mushrooms)
- 1/4 cup walnut halves
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1/4 cup whole pitted olives
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan/skillet on medium heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat with a fork.
2. When the oil is heated, add the sliced mushrooms and shallots. Sauté.
3. Turn the heat to low, add the eggs and quickly swirl the pan to spread the eggs in the entire pan.
4. Turn the heat up to medium and arrange the remaining vegetables and walnuts around the pan so they're all more or less in a single layer. Arrange the feta between all the vegetables.
5. Cook until the egg custard is set, about 7-10 minutes, occasionally swirling the pan so the eggs in the centre run around the sides.
6. Turn the heat off and transfer the frittata to a plate or cutting board.
7. Cut into wedges and serve with bread, roasted potatoes, other roasted vegetables, or a salad. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a day.

SUMMER VEGETABLE QUICHE

Summer Vegetable Quiche

makes: 1 9 in. quiche/4 servings

- 1/2 recipe basic yeast dough, (or any pizza/bread dough of choice) after the first 60 min. rise

- 3 eggs

- 1/4 cup milk

- 1/2 cup grated cheese of choice

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

- 1 garlic clove, peeled

- 1 tbsp. dried mixed herbs (or any herbs of your choice)

- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder

- 1 zucchini, sliced

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 

- 1/2 onion, sliced

- 1 serrano, jalapeño or any pepper of your choice, sliced (optional)

1. Lightly grease a 9 in. cake pan. Roll the dough into an approximately 9 in. circle and lay it in the pan. Starting from the centre and working your way out, push the dough up the sides of the pan to form approximately 2 in. high sides to get a deep shell.
2. Let the dough rise for 20 min. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
3. Using a fork prick holes all over the dough and bake for 20-25 min. till the shell is lightly browned and has pulled away from the pan. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
4. Turn the oven up to 425 F/220 C.
5. Arrange the zucchini slices in a more or less single layer in the quiche shell. Arrange the onion slices on top of the zucchini slices.
6. Blend the next eight ingredients (eggs through nutmeg) and pour into the quiche shell. Arrange the tomatoes cut sides down on the eggs (it's ok if they float a little). If using, arrange the sliced pepper in the spaces between the tomatoes.
7. Bake at 425 F/220 C for 20 min. then turn the heat down to 350 F/180 C and bake for another 15 min. or till the filling appears set and the top is lightly browned. 
8. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 min. Remove from the mould.
9. Cut the quiche into wedges and serve over a salad or on it's own. Store leftovers in fridge for up to 3 days... it reheats really well!

CARAMELISED PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Barely adapted from here.

Caramelised Pear Upside Down Cake

makes: 8 servings

Caramel topping:

- 6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) salted or unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup sugar (I use Turbinado for everything but any sugar will do)
- 2 large pears, peeled, cored, sliced into 1/4 in. thick slices

Cake:

- 1-1/3 cups AP (all purpose) flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1-1/2 tsp. powdered cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. powdered nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. powdered allspice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup safflower oil (or any other neutral oil) 

- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pears 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of a 9 in. springform pan. 
2. Make the topping: Melt the butter and sugar and pour into the greased springform pan. Working quickly, arrange the pear slices on the sugar, overlapping each slice over the previous. 
3. Make the cake: Whisk the flour, sugar, ginger, spices, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl to blend. Mix in the chopped pears. Mix dry ingredients into the egg mixture to make a batter. 
4. Pour the batter over the pears in the prepared springform pan and bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If the cake is not done yet, let it bake for another 5 minutes and test. 
5. Cool the cake in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Remove the springform side of the pan. Put a plate on the cake and invert the cake onto the plate. Serve warm, with or without vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

SPANISH OMELETTE: TORTILLA DE PATATAS (TORTILLA ESPANOLA)

Eggs, potatoes, onions: what's not to love?! I love this easy-to-make and easy-to-eat Spanish omelette. It's a classic tapas dish, served at room temperature and cut into batons, bite-sized pieces, or wedges. It's also terrific for brunch, breakfast, or a snack. Or any time you want, really.

If you look online, you'll find a ton of information on the nuances of this omelette, including the use of mad amounts of oil to crisp up the potatoes and etc. etc. Well, it's really unnecessary to glorify what is really just simple pub grub made with simple ingredients. I had a boyfriend from Zamora, Spain, and he made this often for us - minus any fuss or needless snoot.

This omelette or potato "cake" is not related at all to the Mexican corn tortilla. And why not? Well, the explanation is quite simple really. Torta in Spanish means cake. Tortilla is the diminutive of that, and means small cake. So anything that sort of resembles a small cake is a tortilla. Although they're all called tortillas, handmade corn tortillas are considerably thicker than the thin machine-made ones we buy in stores, and can easily be thought of as small cakes.

I made this with purple potatoes because I love the colour, but any potato that's not too starchy will do. I like adding a bit of garlic and some kind of pepper to this omelette: toasted black pepper, paprika, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, finely chopped jalapeños or other green chiles. They all work really well with the other ingredients. Sometimes I stir in a couple of tablespoons of finely minced parsley as well. You can add a bit of chopped ham or sausage too.

Two things I do to develop a nice texture and flavour, and to keep the eggs from sticking  to the pan are:

• Add the cooled potatoes and onions to the eggs and let everything soak for 15 min. or so before adding to the hot pan. This is optional, but it develops the texture and flavour really nicely.
• Add the egg, potato, onion mixture to a hot pan, then turn the heat down after a minute or so of cooking. This prevents the eggs from getting stuck to the pan.

Spanish Omelette: Tortilla de patatas (Tortilla española)

Makes: 1 12 in. omelette

- 6 eggs

- 3 potatoes, sliced or cubed (any waxy kind, not starchy like Russet)

- 1/2 large onion, sliced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 chiles de arbol or 1 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)

- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. freshly ground pepper

- 3 tbsp. olive oil

1. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil on medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the potatoes and sauté for a few minutes, add 3-4 tbsp. water and cover. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, chiles, and cooled potatoes and onions. Add the chopped herbs if using. Gently fold everything together to mix and let it soak for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp. oil on high heat in an omelette pan or skillet that has 1 - 2 in. tall sides. Pour in the egg mixture and quickly even it out if the potatoes are mounding in the centre. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook until the omelette is almost set and the sides somewhat shrink away from the pan. Shake the pan to loosen the omelette - if the omelette doesn't move freely in the pan, slide a spatula under the omelette and loosen it. 
4. Put a plate, eating side down, over the pan. Invert the pan so the tortilla flips on to the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and top off with any uncooked egg mixture in the plate. Cook for about 5 minutes but not much longer or it will overcook.
5. In the same way as step 4 above, flip the omelette back on to a serving plate or cutting board.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature by itself, over a salad, with bread, a bit of ham or Spanish chorizo.

EGG ROLLS: KOLKATA STREET-FOOD CLASSIC

Way back when, in small Southern towns out in nowhere, the one petrol station in the area was also a grocery store, general store, pharmacy, restaurant, fishing store, and gossip club. And we should all be glad that in the South, tradition prevails even if the venue gets a facelift. Like the Chevron on the way out of Nachitoches, LA that has some of the best fried chicken, shrimp, crawfish, boudin balls, and a lot more. In fact, stop at a petrol station in any small town around the South and you can have some of the best BBQ, biscuits, meat pies, fried chicken, a slew of meat jerky, fudge, banana pudding, pies, cakes, and even full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Regional food that comes as close as possible to street-food here in the US.

Meanwhile in countries like India and other parts of Asia, you can do an entire culinary pilgrimage of street-food. So many variations, creations, seasonal foods, and timeless classics that belong on the streets, not in a home kitchen.

Egg rolls are one such Kolkata street-food classic about which all my friends from Kolkata - Bengali or not - have unfailingly *raved*. I cannot stand Chinese food, even less so Indian-style Chinese food, so I'd stop listening at egg ro...

Until I had these and discovered they're nothing like the Chinese egg rolls... and then I was converted. When you're a continent away from Kolkata streets, these do the job quite well, are a snap to make at home, and especially delicious with beer! You can make a meal of one by filling it with seasoned shredded carrots or other raw vegetables. I made these from scratch but you can certainly use ready-made paranthas, or make extra and freeze for later.

Kolkata-style Egg Rolls

Makes: 6 rolls

Paranthas (flatbread):

- 1-1/4 cup white wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour (or your favourite gluten-free all-purpose flour mix)

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. olive oil (or any neutral oil)

- 1 cup warm water

Egg filling:

- 6 eggs

- 1/2 onion, sliced thinly

- 1 serrano pepper, sliced thinly

- 6 tbsp. ketchup, or more to taste

- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, quartered

- 3 tbsp. chile sauce (optional)

1. Make 6 paranthas (flatbread):
1. Put the flour, salt, and oil in a large bowl. 
2. Add water 1/4 cup at a time to make a semi-firm dough.
3. Knead for 5 minutes till the dough is supple.
4. Let it sit for at least 10-15 min.
5. Heat a skillet (or flat griddle) at medium heat.
6. Divide the dough into 6 parts, roll between your palms into a round ball.
7. Roll each ball of dough into a circle, 6-7 in. each.
8. Put on the heated skillet and flip when the dough looks opaque, after about 1 minute.
9. Drizzle a tsp. of oil around the edges of the flatbread, cook for a minute or so .
10. Flip and cook for another minute or until you see brown spots on the flatbread (see the photo above).
11. Repeat for the remaining dough and set the paranthas aside for the egg rolls.
2. Make the egg rolls, 1 at a time:
1. Heat an omelette pan or skillet to medium-low heat.
2. In a bowl, beat one egg at a time.
3. Put a tsp. of oil into the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or brush to make sure the egg won't stick.
4. Pour the beaten egg into the pan. Immediately put a parantha onto the egg and gently press down.
5. Let everything cook for a minute or so. Flip so the parantha is on the pan and and cook for another minute.
6. Transfer to a plate with the egg facing up, and arrange some of the sliced onion and other garnishes on the egg, off-center (see the photo above). Add a light sprinkle of lemon juice.
7. Roll up and serve!

AN EASY CLASSIC: CREME BRULEE

Does the creme really need to be brûlée? No. Because really, once you bake the custard in a bain marie, it's cooked, and perfectly edible. And of course there are plenty of baked custards that aren't made with a burnt sugar topping: flan or creme caramel, for example. But the crunch of the caramelised sugar with the silky custard underneath is just such an enjoyable sensation that the extra step to make the caramelised sugar layer is totally worth it.

Is the bain-marie essential? Yes, because it keeps the hot oven air moist for the top of the custard and also protects the delicate egg custards from curdling or breaking.

Flavour-wise, I find that the classic vanilla custard is best, perhaps with the addition of a complementary addition like citrus, almond, or hazelnut liqueur. If you must, serve berries or other accompaniments separately rather than adding into the custard. If you're adding solid flavourings like a scraped vanilla bean, citrus rind, nutmeg, etc. then certainly strain the custard before pouring into ramekins. Also strain if your egg yolk mixture wasn't properly tempered and has bits of curdled yolk - it happens sometimes, it won't affect the flavour of the custard so keep calm and strain on.

Also resist the temptation to make the caramelised sugar layer more than 5 minutes in advance of serving - the sugar will just melt into the custard and you won't have a crunchy layer anymore. When you caramelise the sugar, the chilled custard underneath quickly cools the caramel and hardens it, creating that crunchiness. But it has to be done *just* before serving.

Creme Brûlée 
Makes: 6 servings

Custard
- 6 large egg yolks
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 2-1/4 cups whipping cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)

- 6-8 ceramic ramekins 

- 2 in. or deeper oven-safe pan large enough to hold the ramekins (if you don't have a pan large enough to hold all ramekins, bake the custard in batches)

Caramelised Sugar Crust

- 3-4 tbsp. sugar (I use turbinado or demerara sugar but white sugar will work)

- a working blow-torch to make the burnt sugar crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 F / 165 C.
2. Bring cream to simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and let it settle for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk egg yolks and 7 tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes.
4. Temper the yolk mixture so it doesn't curdle and get lumpy:
1. Mix in 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) hot cream into the yolk mixture. Repeat.
5. Whisk in the remaining hot cream into the yolk mixture. Whisk in Grand Marnier and vanilla. 
6. Divide custard among the ramekins. Arrange the ramekins in the oven-safe pan. Make a bain-marie to protect the custards while baking:
1. Pour hot water into the pan to be level with the custard inside the ramekins. The water will protect the custard from browning / burning.
7. Bake custards until gently set in center, 25 - 30 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the custards from the bain-marie. 
9. Cool custards completely and refrigerate uncovered until fully set and chilled, 3 - 24 hrs. 
10. Just before serving, make the burnt sugar crust:
1. Remove the custards from the fridge and sprinkle an even layer of 1/2 tbsp. sugar onto each.
2. Use the blow-torch per instructions to burn the sugar - you will see it melt. Let it sit for a minute or so and serve.

MOIST CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKES

There isn't a whole lot to say about this recipe... except that it's fantastic! I adapted it from a recipe on the Joy of Baking website (link below, just before the recipe). I used a vanilla frosting, but the one on the website sounds delicious, and as are most recipes on the website, it's very manageable. Although this recipe says it's for cupcakes, it's my go-to recipe for a moist, delicious chocolate cake. This recipe makes one 8 in. round cake.

The hot water makes a difference because it activates the cocoa and draws out the chocolate-y flavour without being over-bearing. Also, butter, olive oil, or coconut oil are really the only fats I use for baking. Generally, if a recipe calls for oil, I use olive oil. I always have it at hand, and it's got natural emulsifiers that results in cakes with a moist crumb even after refrigeration. And no, you won't get an olive oil flavour in your cake at all.

I used *very* ripe bananas for the best flavour. Really ripe. Blackened skin ripe. Blackened skin, soft to the touch ripe. But really, even if your bananas have lots of black spots on them, they're fine to use. Don't bother using unripe bananas... won't work.

Moist Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Servings: 12 regular cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes

Adapted from this recipe.

**See Notes for additional information on sugar, oil, and eggs**

- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup demerara sugar

- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened regular or Dutch-processed

- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup hot water, not boiling
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

- 3/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.

2. Line 12 regular or 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners, butter each cup, or spray with your favourite non-stick vegetable spray.
3. In a large bowl mix well the dry ingredients - sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients except hot water - eggs, mashed banana, milk, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract if using.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir or whisk until combined.

6. Add the hot water and mix. The batter will be quite thin but don't worry it's fine.

7. Pour or spoon the batter into the muffin cups no more than 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

9. Frost with your favourite frosting - or serve plain with a side of whipped cream or ice cream.

Notes:

1. I always use demerara sugar, but you can also use any other unprocessed sugar like evaporated cane juice. White granulated sugar is heavily processed and I don't recommend it for anything but use it if you must.

2. Olive oil has natural emulsifiers that make cakes moister and softer, so I like using olive oil for baking rather than any other oils. Also, that's really the only oil I always have at hand.

3. I use organic free-range eggs for eating and baking but any eggs will do.

ZUCCHINI BANANA NUT BREAD

I love baking with olive oil. It has natural emulsifiers that result in very moist and delicious cakes and quick-breads like this one... 

Sometimes I have a toasted, generously buttered slice of this bread for breakfast, or sometimes I make an open-faced sandwich with sliced apples or kiwi fruit. Irresistible!

Zucchini Banana Nut Bread

Makes: 1 9 in. x 4 in. loaf

- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

- 1 cup cake flour

- 1 tsp. cinnamon powder

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1/2 tsp. baking powder

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1/2 cup olive oil (or grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil)

- 3/4 cup demerara sugar (or regular white granulated sugar)

- 2 eggs

- 2 medium over-ripe bananas

- 2 small zucchini, shredded

- generous splash of vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup almonds (or walnuts/any other nuts) - optional

- 2 tbsp. unsweetened shredded dessicated coconut - optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.

2. Grease and flour a 9 in. x 5 in. loaf pan.

3. In a bowl, mix together the flours and other dry ingredients except the sugar and reserve for later.

4. In a large bowl, using a spoon mix the oil and sugar till the mixture is creamed - it will feel thickened.

5. Add the vanilla extract and break the eggs directly into the bowl.

6. Mix well till the eggs are completely mixed-in.

7. Peel and dice the bananas - I dice them directly into the mixing bowl.

8. Mix well and mash up the bananas coarsely against the wall of the bowl. Over-ripe bananas should easily mash up.

9. Add in the shredded zucchini and the dry ingredients. Also add in the nuts and coconut if using.

10. Mix well into a batter.

11. Pour into the greased, floured loaf pan.

12. Bake at 350 F/180 C for 1 hour.

13. Remove from the oven and insert a skewer or thin knife into the center of the loaf to check doneness. When the skewer or knife comes out dry, the loaf is done.

14. Let it rest and cool for 15 minutes in the loaf pan.

15. Loosen the sides with a knife and invert the loaf pan over a plate to remove the loaf. 

16. Put the loaf right side up on a cooling rack and let it cool completely, about an hour.

17. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. If you don't have cake flour, you can make it! Here's how: Measure out the all-purpose flour that you’ll need for your recipe. For every cup of flour you measured out, take out two tbsp. of flour and return it to the flour bin. Replace the two tbsp. of flour that you removed with two tbsp. of cornstarch. Sift the cornstarch and flour 4-5 times so that the cornstarch is well mixed with the flour. Et voila! Cake flour!