Almond Milk, Theme and Variations

Chocolate Almond Milk, Blue Heron Kitchen

Almond Milk

Blue Heron Kitchen

Making your own almond milk may be your new almond joy. You'll be milking your own nut bag all cozy in your own kitchen. Just put on your best flannel shirt, plait a couple of braids and roll up your sleeves. Getting dressed will take more time than it will to make the milk.

This recipe uses the Vitamix, but if you have an excellent blender, you’re in business. From what I’ve read, you can use a food processor, but your milk will have a slightly more grainy texture. You’re going to need a nut bag (don’t laugh) or a fine mesh bag (nylon or very fine cheesecloth will work, but a nut bag will be easier.) I have this one; and just ordered this one.

Not only is milking your own almonds economical, it’s quick. Once you’ve soaked them, you’ll have milk in a few minutes. Here's what's so fantastic about all of this: you're in control. No more miscellaneous “flavorings” because if you desire flavorings, you'll add them. You’re the boss.

The Basic Almond Milk recipe calls for 4 cups of water. Reduce water by ½ and the result is a creamier, more condensed milk. I'd try something in the middle, say 3 cups of water. If you’re making a variation that adds coconut oil, this will alter viscosity. The chocolate version is richer, but isn’t chocolate milk meant to be rich and creamy?!

I prefer mine chilled, but if you can’t wait, have it direct from the nut’s udders, at room temperature. Or, pour it over some ice. Make a cocktail (a white Russian!), or use it as a base in the Vitamix for your smoothie. Save the almond meal that’s left in the bag and add it to your smoothie for texture, fiber and some more nutrition. 

Or, spread it on some parchment on a baking sheet and toast it at 300º F. until it’s dried and toasty. 

Chocolate Almond Milk "Crumbs"

Blend it into baked stuff, like crumb toppings or into cereal. Mix it into yogurt, pudding or on top of your baked apple.

Here’s a basic recipe and four delicious variations. After your first or second batch, you’ll find your milk-maid confidence growing and you’ll begin creating your own signature flavors.

Trucs: exchange almond for vanilla extract (but use less, because it’s stronger.) Try different sweeteners, like maple syrup or Lyle’s Golden syrup (treacle). Or keep it sugar-free and add coconut oil and extracts.

Kept in the fridge in a sealed container, the milk has a shelf life of about 4 days.

Shake it rigorous before you pour!

peace, love and chant this three times: "almond control",

jane

Basic Almond Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds (with skins), soaked 4-6 hours and rinsed well

4 cups filtered water

Procedure:

Combine all ingredients in a blender (Vitamix) and beginning on “1”, raise slowly to “7” and blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

Strain the milk through a nut-milk bag or very fine cheese cloth, squeezing it repeatedly, waiting a few seconds between squeezes to extract all the milk.

Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Shake well before pouring.

Coconut Vanilla Almond Milk

Blue Heron Kitchen

Sweet and coco-nutty. Agave may be reduced or omitted.

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds (with skins), soaked 4-6 hours and rinsed well

4 cups filtered water

1 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1-2 Tbsp. light Agave syrup

Procedure: As “Basic Almond Milk”

Coconut-Coconut Almond Milk

Blue Heron Kitchen

For coconut lovers, this one’s tropical and deeply coconut. Agave may be reduced or omitted.

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds (with skins), soaked 4-6 hours and rinsed well

2 cups unsweetened coconut water

2 cups filtered water

1 Tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. dark Agave syrup

Procedure: As “Basic Almond Milk”

Coffee “Latte” Almond Milk

Blue Heron Kitchen

A must for latte/coffee lovers. Try this in your coffee or over ice or with some vodka for a dairy-free White Russian!

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds (with skins), soaked 4-6 hours and rinsed well

2 cups filtered water

2 tsp. coffee extract (I use Baldwin’s)

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

1 Tbsp. raw Agave syrup (the dark one)

Procedure: As “Basic Almond Milk”

Chocolate Almond Milk

Blue Heron Kitchen

Chocolate milk that’s dairy-free and worry-free.

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds (with skins), soaked 4-6 hours and rinsed well

2 cups filtered water

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

¼ c. chocolate syrup (recipe coming soon!)

Procedure: As “Basic Almond Milk”

I love blue doors. Here's the latest find. xo

Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Chips, Chocolate and Coconut Macaroons and Almond Macaroons, "Suviroons" and Chocolate Dipped

Coconut Macaroons with chocolate chips 

Chocolate  and Coconut Macaroons

Almond and Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Dipped

Suviroons 

Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Chips

and

Almond and Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Dipped
and 
"Suviroons" (dedicated to Suvir Saran)

These macaroons aren’t the same kind that people queued up around the block for when Ladurée opened in New York a couple of months ago. After spending several hours winding up the bottoms of digestive biscuit and tea tins that played "God Save the Queen" and "How Much is That Doggie in the Window" at Fortnum and Mason's in London, (I bought them) a few weeks ago, we went across the street to a quiet table at Ladurée, and ate some macarons of memory ... pear and ginger, pistachio - and others. THOSE macarons aren’t the ones that make your fingers bleed when you open the round tin to release the foil top that keeps them gummy moist. They're the French ones. 

My Grandma Rae would've said, "what are you talking about, pear macaroons?". 

Two years ago, my son called me in a panic. He’d been invited to a seder (a Passover dinner that literally means 'order', but should mean 'I need a gentle laxative') in London and needed some recipes. Nowhere in Oxford or London could he find matzo cake meal. So, for the past two years, I’ve been sending it over to him so he can make the ‘famous’ Passover Mandel Bread (recipe forthcoming – but doesn’t everybody have it already?)

Subsequently, we went with macaroons. The Jewish ones.

I sent him Ina Garten’s and Martha Stewart’s recipes. They were all I could dig up. 

Here are a couple of easy and fool-proof recipes that rival the canned ones. They’re better more haimish than Ina’s or Martha’s (sorry, girls); and I promise they will be a lovely addition to a Passover, Easter, Persian New Year, April Fool’s, May Day, or your next festive meal.

Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Chips

Blue Heron Kitchen

Ingredients:

2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk (about ½ of the can)

2 size large egg whites

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

12 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut (I like Bob’s Red Mill, and the bag is exactly 12 oz!)

¾ c. semisweet chocolate chips (I heart Guittard!)

for Chocolate Macaroons change quantity of coconut and add cocoa powder:

11 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut

1 oz. (1/2 c.) dark, good quality unsweetened cocoa

½ c. dark chocolate chips (Guittard or Ghiradelli)


for "Suviroons" (dedicated to my friend, teacher and mentor, Suvir Saran (whose most recent cookbook, Masala Farm was just nominated for a James Beard award for "American Cooking"!)
try this twist:
10 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut
3 oz. chopped pistachios (raw, but toast and cool them)
1/2 c. chopped candied ginger
1 to 2 Tbsp. rose water

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 325º

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

Whisk together (you can use your Kitchen Aid!): sweetened condensed milk, egg white, extract and salt, until well combined

Add coconut and mix.

Remove from machine and fold in chips by hand.

Using a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop, or by tsp., drop onto the prepared sheets.

Bake until slightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Cool, then peel from parchment.

Store airtight. May be frozen until you’ve feathered the joint.

Yield: (with the 1 ½” cookie scoop you’ll get about 4 dozen. With a tsp., probably about 2 ½ to 3 dozen.)

ALMOND AND COCONUT MACAROONS

CHOCOLATE DIPPED (Variation)

Blue Heron Kitchen

Ingredients:

2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk (about ½ of the can)

2 size large egg whites

1 ½  tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

8 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

4 oz. finely ground almonds (I buy mine at Patel Brothers. If you're not lucky enough to live near this wonderful Indian supermarket, look for finely ground almond meal. Greek markets have it, French markets do, bien sur, and Bob's Red Mill produces it too.)

6 oz. (approx..) good quality dark chocolate, melted, for dipping the macaroons (I used Jacques Torres' dark chocolate discs. You can buy them online (click on this link) or at his shops in Chelsea Market or in Brooklyn on on the Upper West Side.) Or use any dark chocolate that you like! Here's a truc: add a little roasted almond oil .. or flavorless oil if you don't have nut oils handy to the melted chocolate. and add a touch of Boyajian's orange oil - but just a smidge. The oil will add a sheen and the orange will lift up the almond flavor. 

optional: anything decorative for the top of each macaroon (how about a candied icon of one of the ten plagues .. only I wouldn't recommend ‘boils’ or ‘slaying of the first born’ - or just some little sprinkles. they're very sweet.)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 325º

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

Whisk together (you can use your Kitchen Aid!): sweetened condensed milk, egg white, extracts and salt, until well combined

Add coconut and almond meal and mix well.

Remove from machine.

Using a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop, or by tsp., drop onto the prepared sheets.

Bake until slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure that you don’t burn these. The bottoms will get brown. Check that they’re not getting too dark on the bottom.

Cool, then peel from parchment.

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl on top of barely simmering water (or in a microwave). Take care that no water or steam gets into the chocolate. 

Dip the macaroons in the chocolate and place them on a rack that is set over waxed paper .. to catch any drips.

After they've set a bit, you can drip a little more on top and then put a little decoration on the top.

You can set them up quickly in the fridge. Serve immediately or keep them in a container, with waxed paper over the cookies, sealed and refrigerated, until you're ready to serve them.

Store airtight. May be frozen until you’ve feathered the joint.

Yield: (with the 1 ½” cookie scoop you’ll get about 4 dozen. With a tsp., probably about 2 ½ to 3 dozen.)

To those who celebrate Passover, have a sweet Passover. Many people wish that 'next year we celebrate in Jerusalem'. I'm not interested in any such thing. My wish for next year: (two, since there are two recipes here: the Unites States vacates Afghanistan; and  that health care becomes accesible to all Americans (that includes my darling daughter.)

Happy spring to everyone!

Peace and love,

Jane

Suvir's Chocolate Nut Brittle

Suvir's Chocolate Nut Brittle

Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

This inexpensive nut grinder is perfect for the nuts on top of the brittle.
(You can buy it on Amazon.)

Progressive Nut Grinder

Here's my story:

I was a partner at Maurice Pastry, a wholesale bakery in the South Bronx; and we made great 'craque' around the Christmas holidays. Jeff Yoskowitz and Greg Golden were my two talented partners. After leaving the bakery, (I teach music now), I always made either our bakery's 'craque' or Rose Levy Berenbaum's Chocolate Brittle from her Christmas Cookie Book around Hanukah/Christmas. Craque is a no brainer gift.

My friend, Suvir Saran, a gifted chef, restaurateur, co-author of three cookbooks, foodie celebrity just published his third cookbook, Masala Farm. It’s a unique and personal cookbook; and, as you read and savor his anecdotes and recipes, you feel like you’re visiting his home at the farm, upstate New York. 

Suvir mentors and inspires many of us. Despite that he's ‘famous’, travels often, lectures, teaches, judges, appears on TV, owns and operates a fine restaurant, dévi, in New York City, entertains extensively, he always takes time out to write and speak with me and (many others), offering advice, jokes, encouragement and praise. And he’s always open and curious to learn from ‘us’ too. 

Thank you, Suvir Saran, for inspiring me, for your passion, dedication, humor and attention to every creature who crosses your path – from the (precious) blue heron and sweet goats on your farm to (just) us who adore food, cooking, humor and sharing the bounty and joys with the ones we love. 

Suvir's my own "Babu"; and I'm a lucky Heron. 

This recipe for Chocolate Nut Brittle is unlike anything I've ever tasted because of the spices that are infused in both the chocolate and nuts. My combination of nuts was a choice. You can use all peanuts, all almonds, or all any nut you love. (I’m not sure I would use all pistachios, but if you love pistachios, why not?!). I used Kerrygold butter, which Suvir recommended. It’s very pricey, but very gold and lovely. This is a gift, my friends – don’t go all Ebenezer on this.

And the chocolate? I used Scharffenberger and threw in some Jacques Torres baking discs (to achieve the Brooklyn quotient).

Grinding your own spices makes a difference. Go to one of those Home Goods stores or Bed Bath and Beyond or Amazon.com and get yourself a $15 coffee grinder and use it just for spices. Grind your own cardamom pods, your own allspice, your own cloves… everything. Buy more whole spices (they stay fresh longer).

This is a gift of memory. People will taste it and their eyes will roll high into their heads and their response will undoubtedly include a groan of pleasure. It's worth the effort and you can freeze any leftovers (if there are any leftovers) for several months.

To my readers, I highly recommend you have a look at and purchase this new and wonderful cookbook, Masala Farm.

Have a happy and healthy 2012. May the Year of the Dragon bring us all another year of good health, peace, happiness, lots of dinner parties and the re-election of Barack.

peace and love,

jane

Suvir’s Chocolate Nut Brittle

Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

For The Chocolate:

11 oz/310 g. chocolate (60%-70% cacao), finely chopped

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground mace

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Scant 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Scant 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper [Blue Heron Kitchen: yes! … but it’s optional]

For the Brittle:

2 lb./910 g. excellent quality [Blue Heron Kitchen: Kerrygold, as recommended by Suvir.] salted butter, cut into chunks, plus 1 additional tablespoon of butter at room temperature

4 1/2 c./620 g. chopped and toasted nuts [Blue Heron Kitchen: about 250 grams unsalted, roasted excellent quality peanuts, 250 grams slivered almonds; and the remaining, unsalted pistachios]

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3 c./600 g. granulated sugar

1/3 c./80 ml. water

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

For the chocolate: Place chocolate and its associated spices in a medium bowl. Bring a small amount of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan and reduce the heat. Place bowl over the barely simmering water and melt, stirring frequently, making sure that no steam enters the chocolate. Turn off heat and move to a 'back burner'.

To make brittle: First, prepare the pan by taking that additional tablespoon of butter. Grease the pan and lay an oversized sheet of parchment paper over the pan, pressing it down to coat it with the butter. Then turn it over so the buttered side is up. set aside.

Place 3 cups of the toasted/chopped nuts in a bowl and mix with the spices. The other 1 1/2 cups, you can chop a little finer. They'll be the topping.

Melt the 2 lb./910 g. salted butter (Kerrygold is recommended, but any good quality butter will do - just be sure it's fresh.) in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar, water, corn syrup and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to ensure that the sugar is entirely melted. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and start waiting. Using a pastry brush, dab the sides of the pot with water if you see sugar crystallizing. Stir or swirl the pan from time to time ensure even cooking and to disable burning. Continue to cook the caramel until it is a very deep brown, 25 to 30 minutes. If the caramel rises up to the top of the pan, reduce the heat. When it reaches 300º F./150º c., it's ready. (You can remove the caramel slightly before it reaches temperature because it continues to cook - caramel takes on a life of its own, so stand tall, concentrate, don’t leave the pot and take charge.)

Remove from heat and stirring constantly, to stop cooking, add the spiced nuts. Don't wait - pour this mixture into the prepare sheet pan.

Now wait for about 5 minutes. If the chocolate mixture isn't as liquid as before, briefly re-heat it over the hot water.

Now pour the chocolate over the brittle and using an offset spatula, spread evenly.

Sprinkle remaining nuts over the chocolate.

Let set overnight or cover with plastic wrap, for at least three hours in the fridge.

Break brittle into irregular pieces and serve on a platter or in a candy dish (Remember those?! My Grandmas had so many of them!). Store in an airtight container.

Give as gifts in decorative tins or in simple cellophane bags tied with bakery string or with a ribbon.

Can be frozen up to three months in airtight container or in a freezer bag.

Cantuccini

My men friends are all wrapped up in watching other men play with balls. At the close of the week, my principal emailed us two green words: "Go Jets!". I assumed he meant the team and not the gang. So, in the spirit of the season, my cheer is: "go balls!".  Truth is, I'm looking forward to baseball season - it's rhubarb time.  So this evening, I'm punting my Cantuccini recipe out.  Besides, you don't need my advice when it comes to melting cheese on things.

Cantuccini

Nick Malgieri – adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

2 c. (9 oz.) all-purpose flour

¾ c. (5 oz.) granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ c. (8 oz) unblanched whole almonds, toasted and cooled (toast at 350º F. degrees until fragrant, cool)

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix thoroughly. Stir in the toasted and fully cooled almonds. (You don't need to chop them!)

Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl, until slightly frothy, then stir them into the flour mixture.  The dough may seem dry at this point, but it will come together as it is kneaded. You can do this by hand, but if you use a mixer, use the paddle attachment.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead, folding it over onto itself until it is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 12” log. Gently press down to flatten them until they are about 2” wide and 1” high. 

First Baking: Bake the logs for about 30 minutes, ot until they are slightly risen and firm to the touch.  Slide the logs, parchment paper and all, off the baking sheet and onto a cooling rack.  The logs must be completely cool before you can continue. The longer, the cooler, the cooler, the better they will slice.  The best is to cool them, wrap them and proceed with the second baking the next day. Allow at least one hour to cool.

Second Baking: When the logs have cooled, preheat the oven to 350º F.

Working with a sharp, serrated knife, cut the cooled logs diagonally into 1/4” thick slices.  Place the sliced cookies cut side down on the pans and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the biscotti are golden.  Cool on the pans.

Storing: These biscotti will keep for up to a month (if they last) in an airtight tin or plastic container.