cheesecake eggs with shortbread soldiers

in

i found the town bookstore!! this whole entire time i thought that the closest bookstore was an hour and a half away in fargo, but it turns out that i just assumed that because of eggboy's barnes and noble obsession. (every time we go to fargo, eggboy does not allow us to leave until we have spent ample time at the barnes and noble.) but so on valentine's day, when the sunday political shows ended and after we'd had our cake, he suggested that we go to the university of north dakota book store to get some fiction for some upcoming trips and it blew my mind! i mean, it's not a full blown barnes and noble, but it had enough to keep us occupied for the afternoon until we got hungee. i bought room. 

and then we made zucchini noodles and watched the terrifying season one finale of jane the virgin. so that was our valentine's day! how was yours? did you eat enough chocolate?

we are spending the next few days in some warmer climates. not that i don't like the beautiful snow that has melted just enough so that macaroni have enough courage to take their little field trips out the tree in the yard and the other tree in the yard. but some vitamin d could do me some good right about now. 

oh, and before i get to this egg recipe! some bits and bobs:

-i will be speaking at sxsw this year! i've never ever been, so i am equal parts nervous and excited. come say hello if you are there!

-there are just a couple more spots available for the australia workshop that i am hosting with luisa and sophie, so if you want to come make cake and hang out with koalas*, sign up now! (*i don't actually think koalas are coming to the workshop, but i'll be arriving in sydney early to go meet some and you are invited to come to that too.)

how many dollars do you think i could make if i bred macaroni to start laying eggs filled with whipped cheesecake and lemon curd? do you think willy wonka would want to be my friend? could he loan me an oompa loompa or 12??? whoa that escalated fast.

eggboy and i are officially freaking out over these cute little eggies, which are from aimee twigger's new book, love, aimee x. this is definitely something you should bookmark for your easter table, but i wanted to show you now because her book just came out in the states and it is such a gem! everything in it is as cute and creative as these eggs, it's like a crafting book on steroids where everything is edible. there's chocolate salami, eton mess cupcakes, and bakewell tart ice cream!!! if ever you feel like you're in a dessert rut, get this book because it is all sorts of inspiring. congratulations, ms. aimee!!!! 

cheesecake eggs with shortbread sliders

slightly adapted from aimee twigger's love, aimee x

makes 12

ingredients

12 eggshells

cheesecake:

1 c whipped cream
3/4 c cream cheese, softened
1/4 c confectioners' sugar
zest of 1 lemon

1/4 c lemon curd or marmalade

shortbread:

1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c cornstarch
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, cold and cubed

 

 

clues

pull out the filmy part from your eggshells and wash them in boiling water to kill any germs. allow to air dry.

to make the cheesecake, put the whipped cream and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and fold in the confectioners' sugar. whip until thick and fluffy and stir in the lemon zest. 

spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe some into each eggshell. add a teaspoonful of lemon curd or marmalade for the egg yolk.

to make the shortbread, preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8" square baking tin with parchment. 

combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. add the butter and pulse until the dough comes together. press the mixture into the baking tin. slice into rectangles, poke with a skewer, and bake for 30 minutes. remove from the oven, re-cut the rectangles, and cool on a rack. 

dip the shortbread soldiers in the eggs and enjoy! 

(ooh! and i added just a teensy bit of nutmeg on top to look like black pepper!)

-yeh!

ful medames with hummus

in

ever since eggboy read an article about how people in blue zones eat a lot of beans, we’ve been trying to eat more beans! well, he doesn’t actually need to try because a typical snack for him is literally just a can of beans drained and sprinkled with sesame seeds. but i need to put some effort into my bean intake. i need lots of added flavors, like garlic and lemon and spicy stuff, and it all needs to be accompanied by that bean song, 

beans beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot!

or maybe you’re more used to this version:

beans beans they’re good for the heart, the more you eat, the more you fart!

(which one are you?)

and in a wild turn of events, we happen to be very on trend with this bean business since 2016 has been named the international year of pulses! yessss. (what is a pulse? pulses include lentils, beans, dry peas, and chickpeas!) so to kick off this glorious year, i’m making ful medames! 

ful medames is a popular dish in north africa and the middle east that consists of warm mashed fava beans and tons of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, it is so good you’ll sing. it’s often served for breakfast and topped with onion, parsley, and possibly an egg, but i like it at all times of day, especially plopped on hummus and sprinkled with cumin and red pepper or la boîte’s izak blend. unlike my firm beliefs that hummus must must must be made by soaking and boiling dried chickpeas, making ful with canned favas is totally acceptable. which is good because dried favas can be very hard to find. so next time you’re in the bean section, grab some favas and cook up this tasty thing!

ful medames with hummus

makes about 6 servings

ingredients

2 (14-ounce) cans fava beans, drained
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
4 large cloves garlic, smashed or very finely minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 batch hummus 
Chopped onions, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Hard boiled eggs, for serving
La Boîte’s izak blend or cumin and crushed red pepper, for sprinkling
Fresh pita, for serving

clues

in a large skillet, combine the beans and olive oil and bring to a simmer over medium heat. simmer for 5-10 minutes, until soft, mash them up with a wooden spoon to your desired consistency, and then mix in the garlic, lemon juice, and salt. taste and make adjustments as desired. to serve, spread a plate or shallow bowl with hummus, top with a plop of ful, a sprinkle of chopped onions, fresh parsley, and a hard boiled egg or two. drizzle with a coating of olive oil and then sprinkle with cumin and crushed red pepper or izak. serve with warm fresh pita and enjoy!

-yeh!

this post was sponsored by usa pulses & pulse canada! hooray for 2016 being the international year of the pulse! pulses are good for the health as well as the environment, so all year long (and beyond!), eggboy and i will be challenging ourselves to eat pulses at least once a week and throughout the year i’ll be sharing recipes for all sorts of pulses. if you’d like to join in on the fun, head over to pulsepledge.com and take the pulse pledge with us!!

valentine's day almond cake

in ,

slowly slowly i am getting back into the groove of things in my post-manuscript life. we ate late-night burgers on a weeknight because it seemed like a fun thing to do, began a jane the virgin addiction to hold us over until house of cards comes out, and on super bowl sunday when our party got cancelled because of a big fat snow storm (!!) we made ricotta gnocchi and actually continued our jane the virgin addiction when it wasn't the halftime show because having to watch football makes me squirmy and anxious. (it's one thing when you have a party with whom you can gossip the whole time, but it's another when it's just you and a male who would probably rather fill out tax forms than watch football.)

we even went for a run outside! it was *quite* crisp and i didn't last very long, but, oh, i need to stick with it because bread, butter, burgers, and schnitzel will really make you feel a little blobby. go figure...

but while this back-to-normal-life thing is really chill and all, perhaps the number two reason why i’m so excited that i met my book deadline (number one was obviously that i don’t face the risk of being sued) is because this is the time when i get to spend a whole entire day baking my annual valentine’s day almond cake and then sitting on my bum and decorating it using allllll of the red and pink things that i want! yusssss. it's the most wonderful time of the year. i look forward to it every winter and lie awake at night dreaming up its design. it is the most fun. 

here is last year's cake, 2014’s, 2013’s, 2012’s, 2011’s, and 2010’s. this year i was inspired by all of the fun valentine’s day goodies in king arthur flour’s shop and made a slight tweak to my usual recipe by subbing out the vanilla extract for *princess emulsion*. have you had this stuff? it smells like butter, sugar, vanilla, almond, citrus, love, and nostalgia all rolled up into a secret potion, or as if the smell of a perfect frosted sugar cookie jumped into a bottle. i might just start dabbing some on my wrists as perfume. you could certainly stick with vanilla extract if you’d like, but this adds a nice little oomph to the flavor!

happy almost valentine’s day, friends!

valentine's day almond cake

serves 10-12

ingredients

cake:

1/2 c king arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
8 oz almond paste
6 large eggs, separated
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp princess emulsion or vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

whipped cream:

1 1/2 c whipping cream
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract 

assembly:

marzipan kneaded with red, pink, and purple food coloring
sprinkles of all sorts

clues

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line the bottom of a 10” springform pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt to soft peaks and then gradually beat in the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating to stiff peaks and then set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (I usually just scoop the whites out of the bowl and transfer them to a separate bowl and then reuse my stand mixer bowl for this step), combine the almond paste and egg yolks and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the princess emulsion or vanilla and almond extract. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture and then fold in the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the pan and then bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 30 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes and then remove to the rack to cool fully.

To make the whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and almond extract to stiff peaks.

Spread the whipped cream on top of the cake and decorate as desired!

i used the following king arthur flour products in this recipe: all-purpose flour, princess emulsion, almond extract, almond paste, marzipan, sprinkles, cookie cutters, and food coloring. thank you so much, king arthur flour, for sponsoring this post!

-yeh!

pita ribollita

in

i opened up the camera on my phone so that i could video tape myself hitting send on the email with my manuscript, went to hit send and then realized i hadn’t written anything in the body of the email, put my phone down, typed “attached!” and hit send without remembering to pick my phone back up. i think holding onto that video would have been kind of hoarder-ish anyway. then i tweeted, took my first shower in a week, and went to the town’s new fancy restaurant with eggboy and ate a schnitzel with rosemary fries and two ramekins of ketchup. it was my first time wearing shoes and interacting with non-egg humans in a very long time and it all felt like how your eyes feel when you step out into the sun after being in the dark for too long, but my good heavens, that relief. like descending into a hot tub on a cold winter day. and the joy of being able to spend the next day sitting on the couch in my underpants eating potato chips, watching the today show and kelly and michael, and then to even entertain the possibility of going on a weekend ski trip or cooking my way through zahav… 

ok, i’m not off the hook yet, i still have the other half of my photos to take, which are due in april. but for at least these next few days i’ll be zoning out and decorating for valentine’s day and, oh, putting away our chrismukkah bush.

how have you been?? what all is new? did you watch grease live?? i’ve watched it twice so far and cannot stop listening to “magic changes.” which i’m grateful for because i don’t know if i’ll ever be able to listen to sia again without reliving the stress of my deadline. 

anyway, i am in severe need of vegetables because for the two entire weeks leading up to my deadline, i ate almost exclusively pita with salted butter. it was sort of like how steve jobs wore the same exact outfit every day so that it was one less thing to think about. so here is a really warming, vegetabley soup that’s got a bunch of torn pita in it since homemade pita is queen of my bread box rn, and it’s flavored with hawaij for soup, the savory sister to hawaij for coffee, that’s got cumin, turmeric, and cardamom at the front and center. this soup is kind of like what would happen if chili took a trip to the middle east and had to leave all of its meat behind at customs, ya dig? and i’m pairing it here with lemon ginger kevita because it’s a perfectly refreshing partner to hot soup, and say it with me now, “pita ribollita with kevita!” you know how i feel about a good rhyme… oh and this soup happens to be even better heated up the next day, so if you want to make a big pot for your super bowl part this weekend, you can totally make it a day in advance and then just reheat. easy peasy. 

pita ribollita

makes 8 servings

ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons hawaij for soup
1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
Black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 14-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chopped or torn pita, fresh or day-old
plain greek yogurt or labneh, for serving
chopped fresh parsley, for serving

 

clues

in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the onions, carrots, celery, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. add the garlic, hawaij, aleppo pepper, and a few turns of black pepper and cook for 2 more minutes. add the bay leaves, tomatoes, broth, and beans and bring to a boil. cover and simmer for 20 minutes. stir in the pita and cook for 5 more minutes. taste and adjust seasonings as desired. ladle into bowls, top with a drizzle of olive oil, a plop of yogurt, and a sprinkle of parsley. 

and serve with lemon ginger kevita! kevita is a sparkling probiotic drink that i pretty much lived on while i was writing my book, and the ginger in this flavor goes so well with hawaij for soup. also the company was started by a friend of lily’s! yayyy! i feel very country bumpkin that i didn’t find out about it until very recently but i’m hooked now because it’s way tastier than drinking plain jane fizzy water, not too sweet, and it’s healthy because of all of the probiotics. 

-yeh!

thank you so much for sponsoring this post, kevita! all opinions are mine. kevita makes 11 flavors of their sparkling probiotic drinks which each contain (4 billion cfu’s) and 6 different kombuchas made with fermented green and black tea leaves. their kombucha also contains probiotics, as well as b vitamins and organic acids to boost energy. all of their drinks are dairy free, gluten free, kosher, non-gmo, organic, and vegan and you can click here to see where you can find some! (i get mine at target!) click here for more information on kevita!