Banana Bread with the Almond Crème Anglaise

Ingredients for Banana Bread:

• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room
• temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 or 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed
• (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1⁄2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the Almond Crème Anglaise: 

• 1⁄2 cup unsalted, raw ground almods
• 6 egg yolks
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• Tiny pinch of salt

Directions for Banana Bread:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat just until combined.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake until the loaf is dark golden brown and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, 55 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the bread rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve. Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf.
Storage Tip: Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


Directions to make the Crème Anglaise: In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, and sugar, then gradually whisk in the milk and the almonds until thoroughly blended. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 7 to 10 minutes; do not let it boil. Place in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water and let cool, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the almond extract and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Buffalo Hamburger on Whole Wheat Bun

Ingredients for hamburgers:

• 1 lb ground buffalo
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns (buns split)
• lettuce leaves  for serving
• slice red onion  for serving
• slice Tomato  for serving

Ingredients for buns (makes 12 buns, could be easily halved):

• 2½ cups of whole wheat flour
• 1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. granulated yeast, or 1 packet
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 oz. vital wheat gluten
• 1¼ cup lukewarm water
• 1 oz. honey
• 3 medium eggs
• 1/3 cup neutral-flavored oil, or unsalted butter

Prepare the hamburgers:
In a large bowl, mix together the ground buffalo, yellow onion, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each 3/4 inch thick.
Grill the hamburgers directly over medium-high heat, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by cutting into a hamburger near the center or testing with an instant-read thermometer. No pink should show on the inside, and the internal temperature should register at least 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. If making cheeseburgers, place a slice of cheese on top of each hamburger during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

During the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking, toast the hamburger buns, cut side down, on the grill. Serve the hamburgers on the buns with tomato, red onion, lettuce.
Serves 4.

Mixing the dough:
Whisk together the flowers, east, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a bowl.
Combine the liquid ingredients and mix them with dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle).
Cover, and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses, approximately 2 hour.
The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise. Refrigerate it in leaded (not airtight) container and use other next 5 days.

Preparing the buns:
Cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with flower and quickly shape into a ball.
Divide the ball into 6 equal portions. Place the buns 2 inches apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
30 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350F. Just before baking paint the top of the buns with egg wash  (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbs water), and sprinkle with sesame and/or chia seeds if desired.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until richly browned and firm.
Allow the buns to cool on rack before slicing.

Apricot Jam with Lavender

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ripe, flavorful fresh apricots, pitted
• 1 3/4 lbs. sugar
• 1/4-1/2 c. organic lavender flowers, fresh or dried

Remove the apricot pits and cut the fruit into half. Sprinkle on the sugar, and stir to combine. Tie 3-4 tsp lavender buds in a small cheesecloth sack and sink it in the middle of the fruit. Let it macerate for a few hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Prepare water bath canner and sterilized jars.
Bring the apricot mixture to a boil in a wide pan, adding ¼ tsp of butter to diminish the foam. Continue to cook, stirring to keep the mixture from scorching, until the gel point is reached. Remove the sack of lavender buds and add the reserved teaspoonful.

Ladle the jam into prepared jars, seal and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Remove the canner lid, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars to sit undisturbed until they are thoroughly cool. Check the seals before storing.

Plums and Almond Frangipane Tart



For the crust:

• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes
• 1 3⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 medium egg
• pinch salt
• 1 Tsb. sugar
• 2 Tsb. cold milk

For the filling:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup ground almonds (blanched, slivered, whole, your call)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 cups pitted plums

Prepare the crust:
In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, milk; set aside.
To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.
To make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and beat on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the egg mixture and beat just until the dough pulls together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic to fit your preferred pie pan. If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the pan, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with a piece of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dry beans and par bake for 10-15 minutes until almost completely baked. Remove the weights and parchment paper. At this point you can refrigerate the baked crust for up to 3 days before using.

Prepare the almond filling and plums topping:
Place the butter, honey, ground almonds, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir in it instead of whisking not to emulsify it or it will rise while baking.
Fill the pie crust with the almond filling. Arrange the plums halves on the top of the pie .
Bake 25-30 minutes at 350F. Drizzle with a bit of extra honey if desired when still warm.