Caramelized pears

I used to have a big kieffer pear tree in the front yard of the house I rented in Michigan. It produced hundreds of pounds of crisp, sweet, juicy pears every fall. I fermented most of them into cider, but would always grab some here and there for a snack. Now whenever I see pears in the market I think of that tree and how much I miss it, and here’s something I always meant to try with the harvest. I finally made this easy dessert over the weekend with some bosc pears. They worked well, but I bet the crisp keiffers would be even better!

Enjoy the warm, sweet pears over cold ice cream.

• 1 large pear, cored, quartered, and sliced into thin pieces
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• Ice cream, pancakes, etc.

Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and cinnamon, stir until combined. Toss in the pears and lower the heat. Cook and stir until the pears soften. Serve over cold vanilla ice cream, banana pancakes, or whatever else sounds good to you. Serves two.

Passion fruit preserves

I’m lucky enough to have a yard bursting with edible plants: an apricot tree, a huge rosemary bush, some sage and lavender, baby lemon and lime trees, and my favorite — a passion fruit bush. All summer (and a little through the winter, too) it blooms with some incredible, vibrant flowers. Once the green passion fruits ripen, they turn an incredible, deep, rich purple and the fruit is full of fragrant orange pulp with dark seeds. The pulp can be strained for the juice, but the real magic happens with the rind.

From vine to jar.

• 6 ripe passion fruits
• 1 lemon
• filtered water
• Honey to taste
• Pectin or unflavored gelatin (optional)

Cut the fruit in half and scoop the pulp into a mesh strainer over a bowl. Place the rinds into a saucepan or large pot and cover with filtered water; add the juice of the lemon. Bring to a boil and simmer, tightly covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until the flesh has plumped to twice its original size and is a deep purple hue.

Remove the rinds, keeping the liquid into the pot. Scoop out the soft flesh and discard the hard peel. Chop the flesh into smaller pieces and return it to the liquid with the honey. Passion fruit can be kind of bitter, so add as much honey as you want to cut the bitterness. Bring the liquid back to a boil for another five minutes.

Passion fruit rind, like apple peel, has a pretty high pectin content, which is drawn out by the citric acid in the lemon juice. I usually add a teaspoon or so of unflavored gelatin to the last boil to help it all set, but if you’re planning to give some to a vegetarian you can either add some more pectin (find it near the canning supplies at the store) or just go without and have a little soupier jar of preserves.

Remember that pulp you strained over a bowl in the beginning? Mash it around a little to get the juice out and dump the seeds. Mix the juice with another sweeter juice (again, it’s a little bitter) and enjoy a tropical drink. If you let it settle in the fridge for a day or so, the syrup separates and you can pour off the clear part and use the concentrated flavor in an ice cream or sorbet base. Got any other ideas for it? Let me know in the comments!

Adapted from Pickles, Jams, & Preserves

Chicken curry salad

Inspired by Trader Joe.

Choose a bold curry blend; we like maharajah. Golden raisins are also key for just a hint of sweetness.

• 2 whole chickens; brined, smoked, cooled, and chopped
• 2 cups mayonnaise (start with less, add more if you need it)
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 1/2 cups cashews
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 5 Tbs. maharajah curry (we like the blend from The Spice House in Chicago)
• 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Mix everything together and chill. Serve on chopped lettuce as a salad or in romaine hearts. Don’t forget to make stock from the chicken bones.

Gingerbread ice cream

Want to know what it feels like to have Christmas punch you in the mouth? Take a bite and find out.

DISCLAIMER: This recipe doesn’t really adhere to our principles just based on the amount of sugar in it. It’s sweet. You can cut down on the brown sugar, for sure, but the molasses is pretty integral to the gingerbread flavor. Once in a great while we go out of bounds and indulge, and for the holidays (since we’re now living 2500 miles from our families and their gluttonous feasts) we decided to make a deviation. This isn’t a recipe for everyday, but it’s a gluten-free, dairy-free recipe that is delicious and deserves to be shared. Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  NOTE: You can use two cans of full-fat coconut milk (and omit the cream and whole milk) for a non-dairy ice cream; it’s a little over 3 cups, so just add a dash more of each spice to compensate.
• One 3-4 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped; or 1 Tbs. chopped or minced ginger from the jar
• 6 large egg yolks
• up to 1/2 Cup packed light brown sugar
• up to 1/4 Cup molasses
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and milk (or coconut milk), and fresh ginger. If using minced or chopped ginger from a jar, put it in a metal mesh tea steeping bag; I have one for mulling spices that I dropped into the milk, this way you can pull the ginger out even if it’s not in chunks. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes to an hour, then either strain the mixture or remove the mulling container, discarding the ginger. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat just until it comes to a simmer.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt in a heatproof bowl. Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour back into the saucepan and set over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 170-175 F on an instant read thermometer).  Strain the custard into a heatproof bowl and stir in the vanilla.

Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (overnight is good). Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour. Combine with gingerbread cookies for an awesome ice cream sandwich.

Adapted from Tracy’s Culinary Adventures

Gingerbread cookies

I stumbled upon this gingerbread cookie recipe and it has found a permanent home in my virtual holiday recipe box. I don’t think I’ve ever had a gingerbread cookie, grain-free or not, that is as well-rounded as this one. It’s intensely flavored, dense, and just the right amount of chewy. Just don’t overcook them — they can go from done to charred in a quick minute.

Gingerbread cookies and a fancy (spiked?) coffee… Santa might never leave.

• 3 1/2 Cups almond meal (I use Trader Joe’s)
• 1/2 Cup arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• up to 1/2 cup molasses
• up to 1/2 cup honey
• 3 Tbs. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine almond meal, arrowroot powder, spices, salt, and soda in a large bowl. Mix it well to evenly distribute all the spices.

In small saucepan, heat molasses until just boiling. Remove from heat and stir in honey and coconut oil. Pour over almond mixture and mix well. Divide dough between cookie sheets and press into a rectangle with a greased spatula or spoon until about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 10 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes before cutting into shapes. Combine with gingerbread ice cream and freeze for ice cream sandwiches.

Recipe adapted from fastpaleo.com.

Apple Pie

Apples from Julian: Eaten fresh? Check. Baked in a savory squash dish? Check. Put into a classic pie? Hmmm… let’s give it a try!

This turned out to be delicious — it’s not runny and gooey like the pie you might be imagining (all the added sugar and flour makes that thick, syrup-like filling happen), but the flavor is spot on, and the crunchy topping is just right. After all, what I really want to taste is the apples.

An old favorite tastes just as amazing without all the extra sugar.

• 1 9-inch rice flour pie crust
• 8-9 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 Tbs. honey or brown sugar (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice (Trader Joe’s has cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves)
• 3/4 Cup nutnola

Bake the pie crust according to the linked recipe.

As you cut the apples, add them to a large bowl with the lemon juice to keep them from browning. Then add the honey or brown sugar (optional), and pie spice. Toss until well combined and pour into the pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until the apples are soft. 10 minutes before the pie is done, sprinkle the nutnola on top.

Pie crust

Bob’s Red Mill rice flour has a pie crust recipe on it that isn’t half bad. It only makes one small crust which, in my experience, doesn’t quite fill a 9-inch pie pan. So I usually make two recipes and use the little bit of leftover for some pie crust cookies like my mom used to make. Here’s the already-doubled recipe.

• 1 1/2 Cups white rice flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbs. honey (optional)
• 1/4 Cup melted butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat the egg, honey, and butter together.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the egg mixture.

Their instructions call for you to roll out the very soft dough on a rice-floured surface, then slice it into pie wedges. Carefully lift each wedge into the pie plate, then press the seams together with your fingers. I have just plopped it into the dish, pressed it out with my fingers, and cut off any excess.

Bake for 10-20 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Fill with your preferred fillings, and continue baking.

For the leftover dough, roll or press it out on a piece of foil. Sprinkle with cinnamon (my mom used a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, but we’re primal here) and bake until golden brown. Serve with honey and it’s like a sopapilla!

Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill

Butternut squawesomeness

We got some apples from Julian, CA, and had enough left over from our pie that we added it to this baked squash dish. Double the recipe and eat it all week — we did!

It sure feels like autumn with savory butternut squash on my plate.

• 1 large butternut squash, rind removed and cubed
• 4 medium apples, cored and cubed (you can leave the peel on)
• 8-10 slices peppered bacon
• A drizzle of honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Put the apples and squash into a baking dish. Drizzle with honey and top with the bacon, so the fat mixes with the squash as it renders. Bake for 30 minutes or until the squash is baked to your preferred softness, stirring gently every 10 minutes.

Cherry bacon venison tenderloin

Tyler brought some frozen venison tenderloin and farmer’s market cherries (unfortunately not local) with him from Michigan on his first visit to our new home in San Diego. Here’s what we did with it.

Tender, juicy venison tenderloin pairs so well with juicy, sweet cherries.

• Venison tenderloin
• 1 lb. frozen pitted cherries, juice reserved
• 10-12 slices of bacon
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced thin
• Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper

Quickly sear your tenderloin in a pan over high heat. Do not cook it, just let it touch the pan for a few seconds on each side, then set it aside on a plate.

Make a bacon blanket. Place it on a broiling rack in a 350 degree oven until it starts to cook but not get crispy. Flip it once.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in olive oil over low heat. Once they begin to turn clear, add 1/3 of the cherries, the juice from the cherries, and the balsamic vinegar to the pan. Keep scraping and reducing the liquid.

Chop the remaining cherries. When the bacon blanket is starting to crisp, remove it from the oven and cover it with the chopped cherries. Then place the tenderloin at one end and roll it all up. Return the pan to the oven for at least another 10 minutes; the cooking time will depend on how large the tenderloins are. We had two very small pieces (about 1″ in diameter) and ten minutes was perfect. At the end, turn on the broiler to quickly crisp the bacon.

Top the cherry bacon venison roll with the cherry onion balsamic reduction. Serve with a salad from the garden (thanks to my new neighbor for the tomato and red pepper!).

Coffee ice cream

I’ve made this recipe three times now (twice with whole milk and once with coconut milk), and it’s just divine. You can get 6-8 small servings from this recipe.

• 4 cups whole milk or coconut milk (use the canned milk, and not light — go full fat)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbs. instant espresso granules (I had some from the Spice House and it worked great. When that ran out, I brewed two shots of espresso and added that to the milk. Just be sure to decrease the amount of milk so that you don’t have too much liquid.)
• 6 egg yolks

In a large pot, bring the milk, honey, and espresso powder to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly add about a cup of the hot milk to the egg yolks and beat it together. You want the yolks to warm up gradually so they don’t cook into lumps of yolk.

Slowly add the yolk mixture to the pot, stirring to incorporate. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (or until it reaches 170 degrees). Pour through a fine mesh sieve and chill at least a couple hours.

Pour the cold mix into an ice cream machine. Serve in small dishes and garnish with cocoa powder or shaved chocolate.

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse