Mulberry & Strawberry Galette

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy berry tarts and galettes, when berries are flooding the farmers' markets. If you can't find the mulberries, use what you have for this recipe. Let the berries you find in the market or in your garden determine what you will bake tonight.

Shiitake Mushroom Quiche with Gluten-Free Crust

Shiitake Mushroom Quiche with Herbed Gluten-Free Crust recipe is ideal for brunches, lunches, light afternoon meals or picnics. Shiitake mushrooms give a special and wonderful flavor. The wine and sage are counterpointed by the earthy mushrooms in this preparation. This quiche is adequate for six people as a starter or for four as a luncheon main course. Best served with a salads like tomato, cucumber and radishes or steamed fresh asparagus.

Gluten-Free Seeded Honey Bread

This gluten-free bread is full of earthy flours and healthy seeds. Hearty yet surprisingly light, it make delicious toast for breakfast or croutons for soups and salads.

Quince Cardamom Tapioca Pudding with Homemade Crumbles - Have a Sweet Weekend!

Forgive me for posting a winter dessert today. I was looking for quinces all winter, unable to find them; a couple of days ago finally I got lucky, and here it is.

This recipe comes from many inspirations and memories. I remember one aroma from my childhood when my mother made compote from quince and it was so magically wonderful. I remember eating crepes with quince jam, the best breakfast ever. I never cooked tapioca before so I like to experiment with it and recently I discovered that I love cardamom-)))

This dessert is scrumptious, It takes some time to prepare, and worthwhile every minute of it. I hope you like it as much as I did, save it for next year when quinces are in season or you can make it with pears or peaches, which is certainly going to be  a summer dessert!



Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the poached quinces:

• 3 quinces, peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 1/4 cup (50gr) sugar
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1/2 lemon

For the vanilla tapioca:

• 2/3 cup large tapioca pearls
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp  ground cardamom

For the crumble:

• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup white oatmeal flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• OR 3/4 cup all purpose flour instead if not baking gluten free
• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons almond milk

Directions:

Prepare the cardamom tapioca:
In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in the water for an hour. Drain and discard the water. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the tapioca, milk, honey and cardamom to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the tapioca looks translucent. Remove from the heat and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.



Prepare the quinces:
Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the quinces. Bring the content of the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, place a lid halfway over the pot and simmer for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the quinces are soft when you poke a knife through them. Mash the quince with syrup and reserve.



Prepare the crumble:
Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your fingertips or a fork until the mixture resembles large beads. Spread the beads on the prepared baking sheet and bake, tossing them every so often as they become golden brown for 20 minutes. Let the crumbles cool.



When ready to serve, spoon the quince mixture into the bottom of each of 6 glasses, dividing it evenly. When the tapioca is completely cool, divide it in between the serving glasses on top of the quince mix. Sprinkle with crumbles, again dividing evenly.

Note: You might have leftover crumbles, you can crumble it up over oatmeal for breakfast or over ice cream.

Healthy Banana-Carrot Cake with Blackberries (no sugar, no butter)

Leonie de Sounin says of the carrot in her delightful book Magic in Herbs:

"So delicate is this vegetable that it is predestined by nature just to be taken from its cool ground and eaten right on the spot, crisp and fresh. Yet if you take it home and cook it, then please don't scrape this lovable rosy thing of charm. Just place it in a little boiling water. After a while the skin comes off easily and the carrot underneath looks just as alluring as in its original state."



Ingredients:

• 2 banana, large and ripe

• 3 eggs

• 3/4 cup almond milk

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup oats
 
• a pinch of salt
 
• a pinch of saffron

• 2 carrots, shredded

• 1 cup walnuts, ground
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil + more for the tartlets
• roasted almonds for serving
• blackberries with syrup for serving
• apricot jam for top (optional)

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mash the bananas with a fork, add the eggs and coconut oil and whisk together. Add almond milk, brown rice flour, oats, chia seeds, vanilla, salt and saffron and stir around. Shred the carrots and ground the walnuts, add to the mixture and stir around.



Grease the inside of 2 large 8-inch tartlet tins with coconut oil. Pour the batter into the tins and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve the cakes while they are warm, together with blackberries  and roaster almonds.

Tip: If you like the cake to be a little sweeter, brush the top of the cake with a warm apricot jam.



Happy Spring!