Recipe Zest

Ingredients 2 medium bananas, ripe but not fully black 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 large egg, slightly beaten 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tbsp sugar 90ml oat flour (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 3/8 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves (5 cloves) 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 90ml coconut oil (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp) 75g - 85g pecan pieces Method Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly grease muffin tins with unsalted butter Combine flour, sugar, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg in mixing bowl.  Mix in coconut oil until mixture appears mealy In a separate bowl, mash the bananas; then fold in yogurt, egg and vanilla extract.  The mixture will become gummy Fold banana mixture into bowl with dry ingredients, just until dry parts disappear Mix in pecans Divide batter evenly in muffin tins Bake until temperature reaches 206F, about 25 minutes Remove muffins from tin and place on cooling rack...

Ingredients 1/2 white sourdough, sliced 2 oranges 2 eggs 1 cup milk Cinnamon, for sprinkling Butter, for cooking Method Combine 1 egg and 1/2 cup milk in bowl Measure out sourdough slices in large frying pan Dip each slice into the egg / milk mixture, then sprinkle cinnamon on one side Fry with butter until golden brown Serve with sliced oranges and maple syrup Repeat with 2nd batch of sourdough slices Notes We prefer Kensington white sourdough by Blackbird Baking Co .  We've also tried their whole wheat version; as well as Ace Bakery's multigrain and just plain baguettes, to varying degrees of enjoyment.  Hint: they were all good :) Two-day old bread seems to be optimal Sliced bread is better if you can find it, as the slices will fry more evenly Serve with Golden Garden Estate ceylon tea from Capital Tea , although any ceylon will do Loosely based on a recipe by Nalini

 Ingredients 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 tbsp coconut oil 1/3 cup blueberries Zest from 1/2 lemon 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup kefir Turbinado sugar for sprinkling Method Preheat oven to 400F Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in bowl Add coconut oil and mix with fork until mostly mixed (it should look a bit mealy) Zest lemon into bowl Add milk and kefir to bowl, and mix with spatula until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Do not overmix Reserve about 1/4 cup of dough, and then mix in blueberries Shape dough into flat circle, about 6" diameter and 1" thick.  Use reserved dough to top, so that blueberries are covered Sprinkle liberally with turbinado sugar Cut into 6 equal-sized wedges and separate slightly on baking sheet Bake for about 25 minutes, until temperature reaches 206F Notes Based on recipe by Serious Eats We use a dough scraper to cut the dough, which is then also useful for c...

Ingredients 1 duck breast 1 cup green beans 2 medium potatoes Salt Olive oil 1 sprig thyme Gravy Beef scraps 1 stalk celery 1/2 carrot 1/2 small onion 1 bay leaf 2 cloves 1 tbsp butter Blueberry sauce 1/3 cup blueberries 1 tbsp sliced ginger 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp butter Method Preheat barbecue on one side only, to high Score skin side of duck with a sharp knife, about 1" apart.  You're not supposed to cut through to the duck breast underneath, but I've not really noticed a difference.  Salt both sides of the duck Place skin-side down in a room-temperature cast iron pan and turn on low.  The skin will render the fat and start to brown Once the skin gets nicely browned, but before it burns (about 5-10 minutes), transfer to cool side of barbecue, skin side down.  The duck breast will still be rendering fat and if over direct heat will flame up.  Cook to 150F for medium Slice potatoes into wedges and toss with olive oil, thyme and salt.  Bake at 400F,...

Ingredients 1 lb salmon  1/4 cup capers 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, loosely packed 1/4 cup unsalted butter Steamed rice Brussels sprouts Lemon wedges for serving Method Preheat oven to 400F Slice Brussels sprouts into halves or quarters (depending on size).  Toss with olive oil Salt salmon and place on baking sheet in oven, until the salmon reaches 130F The Brussels sprouts can be baked at the same time in a separate baking sheet, using a fork to test for doneness.  They should take roughly the same time as the salmon Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan over low heat, until browned Add capers and stir to heat (about 1 minute) Add parsley.  Remove from heat after about 10 seconds.  Don't overcook! Serve salmon with rice topped with caper sauce, alongside the Brussels sprouts Notes Salted capers (as opposed to capers in oil) have better texture, if you can find them.  Rinse the salted capers in cold water and drain before using Any type of salmon will do, ...

Ingredients 1 pkg yeast 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 1/4 cup warm water 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup water + 2 tbsp water 1 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tbsp olive oil Method Combine yeast, 1 tbsp flour and 1/4 cup warm water and let stand for 5 minutes Add remaining ingredients and then knead for 5 minutes Divide into 4 balls, and then let stand for 1 1/4 hours until doubled Preheat barbecue to maximum heat (including the pizza stones) Roll out to about 9" diameter (slightly smaller than a dinner plate) Lightly brush olive oil on the bottom side of the dough Prepare pizza to taste Bake on pizza stones in barbecue until crust is golden, about 5 minutes Notes For step 1, in the winter I sit the bowl in warm water to help the yeast Use a kitchen scale to divide the dough into 4 equal parts Use parchment paper to prepare the pizzas and to transfer to / from the pizza stones Lift one side of the pizza while cooking; we like ours cooked until the pizza bends slightly in th...

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup wheat bran 1/2 cup boiling water 1/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt 1 large egg, cold 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tbsp 1 1/2 tsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg 85 g unsalted butter 65 g golden raisins METHOD Preheat oven to 350°F.  Bring water to boil In a small bowl, combine wheat bran and boiling water. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir in Greek yogurt and eggs Meanwhile, combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and butter in the bowl.  Mix in raisins Add bran mixture and continue only until the batter is well combined. With a flexible spatula, scrape the bowl and fold the batter once or twice to make sure it's well mixed from the bottom up Divide the batter between 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Bake until internal temperature reaches 206°F, about 18 minutes. NOTES Measure out the butter th...

INGREDIENTS 260g cooked chickpeas 1 teaspoon ground pepper 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 5 anchovies 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 70g ditalini pasta 1 cup chicken stock 1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped Salt to taste METHOD Soak the chickpeas overnight. Bring to boil uncovered for 10 minutes and then let simmer until cooked, about 10-15 minutes Add the pepper and olive oil to a frying pan, and cook over medium heat until the pepper is fragrant (about 5 minutes).  Turn off heat and let frying pan cool for a few minutes (if you add the garlic when it's too hot, the garlic will brown very quickly).  Add the garlic and cook over low heat, until softened but not browned.  Add the anchovies and cook until melted (about 3 minutes) In a separate pot, cook the tomatoes until softened (add a little water so they don't burn on the bottom).  Then add to frying pan with the garlic and anchovies, and squish the tomatoes to squeeze out the pulp a little Add the chickpeas, pasta, c...