Category: In the kitchen

Sour cream instead of heavy whipping cream?!

With Rosh HaShana coming up next week, I thought this was the perfect time to make and freeze Tehilla’s birthday cake. However, after popping into three local supermarkets, I discovered, to my dismay, that there’s a shortage of heavy whipping cream, which I needed to make the filling and ganache.

I had several alternative options: commercial plant-based alternatives (yuck!), coconut cream (I prefer it in fruity desserts, not chocolate-based cakes), or, which I was skeptical about at first, sour cream.

Whipped sour cream filling is a Soviet classic that goes great with chocolate cakes. But can you whip sour cream? Yes, if it’s fatty enough. I used sour cream with 27% fat. You can also strain sour cream to make it fattier – just place it in a cheesecloth-lined sieve above a bowl and let it drip for a while.

Whipped sour cream doesn’t turn out as lusciously fluffy as whipping cream, but the results are still delicious. The cream is a bit tangy, so you may potentially need to use more sugar. Powdered sugar is a must here, as granulated sugar won’t dissolve properly. I make my own powdered sugar by running granulated sugar through an electric spice grinder.

Whip well-chilled sour cream until it forms peaks. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Optional: add a tablespoon of instant vanilla pudding mix for more stable cream.

Sour cream also make smooth, silky ganache. Heat chocolate and sour cream at a 1:1 ratio over a very low flame on the stove. Mix constantly until the chocolate has melted. Chill until it’s the right consistency for frosting. Enjoy!

Easy, refreshing mango ice cream

Photo by Drift Shutterbug on Pexels.com

Our mango tree yielded a surprisingly large crop this summer (photo not mine, as I didn’t snap a picture of the mangoes before processing them), and there’s only so much mango you can eat. So, I sliced and froze a batch, and on one hot afternoon, I decided to experiment and make mango ice cream.

The result was an absolute hit: refreshing, creamy, and quick to make. It contains only three ingredients and is all-natural and vegan!

You’ll need:

  • About 2 cups of mango slices/cubes, peeled, either fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup of coconut cream
  • Your preferred sweetener to taste (I used brown sugar)

Blend all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed and smooth. You may need to wait for your mango to thaw if you’re using frozen fruit. Pour into a container, pop into the freezer, and stir about every 30-60 minutes to keep ice crystals from forming.

Scoop and enjoy! If the ice cream is too solid, let it thaw a bit.

I haven’t tried this yet, but I imagine it will also work great with berries, bananas, peaches, passionfruit, or a combo of the above.

Mulberry bonanza!

Late spring/early summer is when mulberry trees deliver the good stuff. My kids love picking the sweet, intensely purple berries, but this year was the first time I discovered the leaves were edible, too.

I cooked them a la stuffed grape leaves, picking ones that were big enough to stuff but young and tender enough so they wouldn’t be too tough and fibrous. You also need to prep them by boiling for about two minutes to make the leaves pliable enough to work with. Don’t overboil, or you’ll end up with a mushy mess on your hands!

We also had enough berries to make jam this year. If you try it, just be aware that mulberries STAIN big time: kids’ hands, clothes, kitchen towels, work surfaces. I later discovered purple fingerprints on the refrigerator handle.

Mulberries don’t have a lot of pectin, so you either need to add some or boil the jam for a long time to thicken it. I happened to have a pomelo on hand, so I chopped up some of the white spongy pith, stuffed it in a couple of muslin bags (the ones I typically use for teas), and let it cook together with the jam. I also added some lemon juice. It set pretty nicely after cooling.

I forgot to remove the stems, which isn’t a disaster, but can influence texture. A quick whir in the blender solved this problem. Yum!

Egg substitutes for fall and winter

Photo by Monserrat Soldu00fa on Pexels.com

Fall is here, and we all know what this means: fewer eggs for the next several months for us backyard chicken keepers.

I don’t use artificial lights in the coop and let the girls get some well deserved rest. Since I usually prefer to go without than buy eggs from the store, I tend to choose recipes that call for fewer eggs – or use creative substitutes in baking.

When it comes to baked goods, eggs basically add three things: moisture, cohesion, and fluffiness. If you just omit eggs, a cake will likely fall apart or be too heavy. Fortunately, you have several substitute options.

#1 Nut butter or tahini. Peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini will bind your batter together and add a delicious earthy flavor.

#2 Applesauce. This classic substitute for eggs adds a lot of extra moisture.

#3 Banana. Mashed banana acts similarly to applesauce – but that banana flavor definitely comes through!

#4 Ground flaxseed. I’ve yet to try this, but many foodies suggest grounding flaxseed or chia seed with a bit of water to create a sticky paste you can add to baked goods in place of eggs.

#5 Aquafaba. Now THIS is something I’m definitely going to try at the first opportunity. Rumor has it that you can whip the liquid from a can of chickpeas, and that it acts similarly to egg whites. I’ll let you know how it works out for me!

In the meantime, I’m wishing everyone a happy fall – and a happy new year and Gmar Chatima Tova to all my Jewish readers.

Best no-bake energy bites

When it’s a scorching hot day and you’re longing for a sweet but healthy treat that doesn’t require turning on the oven, you can’t go wrong with these perfect nutty, crunchy, creamy, dairy- and gluten-free bites.

You’ll need:

About 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

1 cup almond flour

3 heaped spoonfuls crushed dates or date spread/filling

1 teaspoon of cocoa powder

2-3 heaped spoonfuls of your favorite peanut butter

A tiny drop of brandy, cognac, or liqueur (optional)

Shredded dry coconut for rolling

Mix everything together until you get a pliable mass you can easily roll into little balls. You may need to add a little more almond flour. Roll each ball in shredded coconut, place on a tray, and chill or freeze. These can keep in the freezer indefinitely (though they’ll disappear quickly!) and defrost in minutes.

I love how versatile this recipe is. You can substitute walnuts for cashews or pistachios, omit cocoa, add more sweetener, and, of course, double the amount! The recipe above makes about 20 bites that will go perfectly with iced coffee. Enjoy!

Farm eggs, dirty?!

beautiful fresh eggs

Lately, someone on social media commented that they can never use farm-fresh eggs, no matter how much they would like to, because they’re so dirty and full of gunk. As you may imagine, I couldn’t just scroll by. It seemed almost tragic to me that someone should miss out on the goodness of farm eggs because of an unfounded prejudice, or because they chanced to run into a dirty dozen.

My family has consumed mostly home-grown eggs for over ten years. For the most part, our eggs are absolutely pristine. The picture above shows the eggs as collected – I never wash eggs because the eggshell is porous, and washing can push any contaminants into the egg.

I often pull the eggs straight from under a hen and hold them against my cheek because they’re so nice and warm (yep. Really! It’s one of the weird things I never thought I’d admit). You can bet I wouldn’t do that with an egg that isn’t perfectly clean.

Of course, we do get the occasional dirty egg, especially on rainy days. But overall, our eggs are lovely and clean. There’s just absolutely no reason why farm or homegrown eggs should be dirtier than factory eggs.

In some cases, though, farm eggs may end up extra dirty because ofú:

a) A very crowded coop and not enough nesting boxes

b) not enough lining in the nesting boxes

c) letting eggs pile up

All of the above can lead to eggs breaking and making a mess over any other eggs next to them. I have one nesting box for 3-4 layers, I line the boxes with plenty of straw, and I collect eggs at least once a day. It makes for nice, fresh, clean, and healthy eggs.

Disclaimer: even clean eggs may carry contaminants. I advise only consuming thoroughly cooked eggs, regardless of their source.

A belated happy Hanukkah

As we’re fast approaching the end of Hanukkah, now is the last-minute opportunity to make some yummy fried treats guilt free ☺

We like these apple fritters even more than potato latkes and almost more than the deliciously decadent deep fried sufganiyot with an array of sweet fillings.

All you need is:

5 large apples, grated

1/3 cup sugar

2-3 eggs

A dash of cinnamon

1/2 cup flour (approximately)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix well and fry spoonfuls of the batter in hot oil on both sides. You want a nice deep golden color, but be careful not to burn them.

Enjoy and happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish readers!