Doña Lupe’s Kitchen

One of my Friday evening rituals is to head down to the local Farmer’s Market to see what goodies they have that I can play with.  I often, as in this case take the grandkids and have a blast with them.  This afternoon we packed up the stroller and headed out for adventure, fun and produce.  The Eagle Rock Farmer’s Market is small but fun.  We have an Elvis impersonator! Sorry, no pictures of him today – the kids were tired out before he came on.

We found dragonfruit at the booth of Teo and Otillio, which though I love the color – I was slightly under whelmed at the taste.  They tasted like tunas to me, or prickly pear in English.  Still, the color was brilliant and I wanted to dye yarn with it as soon as I saw it.  I also thought mmmm it would make a brilliant cheesecake and I could sugar the petals to decorate the sides….

There were my summer favorite, squash flowers for a dollar a bag.  The ones I found had tiny little squashes attached and they will make excellent quesadillas or a budin.  We also found huge nectarines, peaches and avocados.  I mean like Godzilla-sized.  Seriously.  Check out the gallery.  Huge.

Bacon-wrapped, Mexican-style hot dogs, aguas frescas, black grapes, peaches, apricots and gorgeous nectarines the choices were as endless as summer seems to be.  The sun was shining, the smell of fruit and flowers filled the air and mixed with the smoky smell of chicken roasting over wood.  Kids were playing and everyone was eating.

I found strawberries so big and sweet in rows and rows that had me singing that Beatle’s song to the kids.  Jasmine now knows the words to Strawberry Fields Forever.

Jasmine wanted me to buy balot because they are dyed pink, but I draw the line at eggs with baby chicken embryos in them.  Ick.  Sorry folks, I will get my protein elsewhere.

We stopped and bought jamaica (hibiscus flower drink), sat down at a table in the shade and met the cutest little baby named Maria Elena and her family.  Two-year Aiden did tricks on his skateboard he takes with him everywhere (he calls it his game and even sleeps with it) and Jasmine twirled her sun hat.

Refreshed and cooler, we set off to take pictures of the men making pollos al brassa and I knocked over the wrought iron divider they had set up.  Always graceful, me.  After that, I had had enough and the kids were getting cranky so we rolled over to That Yarn Store and visited with David and other Yarn Store regulars.  I fell in love with this gorgeous Rio de Plata hand-dyed turquoise yarn but didn’t buy it.  Being unemployed prohibits buying yarn these days but that one has my name on it and it will be a shawl for me soon.  We shared dragonfruit and stories and had a great time before walking out into the cool night air and heading home.

One of the simple things that I make and my grown children go absolutely nuts over and always ask for is my tostadas de atún or tuna tosadas. It’s super simple, but so good and perfect for hot weather when you just don’t want to cook at all. It also a good recipe to make when you have little, hungry kids in the house and they want to help cook. Jasmine and Aiden like helping cook a lot so I chop everything up for them, open cans and then just let them add everything to a mixing bowl and stir. It makes them happy and they get a decent meal in the heat. The recipe also allows for a lot of creativity. It’s pretty flexible. When my kids were growing up, each one had their own spin on it. Albert always wanted me to add canned corn to it, lots of it and no mayo. Bernadette wanted pickles, cucumber and chopped celery. Phillip was the one who drowned it in so much lemon that we made him make his own and Bobby loved it with canned jalapenos and plenty of avocado.

Last Saturday, it was typical L.A. July weather, hot and nasty. We had gone over to Read Books for story time and Jasmine invited her friend Velouria over for an impromptu kiddie pool play date (for all my Twitter friends who commiserated and suggested help for the drowned Blackberry, yes that’s when I dropped it into the pool and thanks to all my Twitterfriend’s advice, it survived and is working).

After some fun time out back with Velouria’s mom Monica and the kids, Aiden and I went inside to fix lunch for everyone. I quickly decided on Tostadas de atún, because it was fast, easy and perfect for the day. I also decided I’d make my Grandma Lupe’s horchata de melon or agua de melon, a very cool and refreshing drink made of cantaloupe seeds. It was always my favorite agua fresca in the summertime and my grandkids love it just as much as I did.

While Aiden and I were working on lunch Monica and the girls came in from outside and Monica very kindly offered to take pictures since my camera is broken and I am not so patiently waiting for my new one to arrive. Thanks Monica!

Tostadas de atún

Tostada shells (store bought like we use or you can make your own)
Canned tuna (we use albacore in spring water)
Mayonnaise (optional)
Lettuce or other green leafy (on this day we used Mache)
Fresh lime or lemon juice to taste
Chopped tomato
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
Finely chopped fresh jalapeno peppers (optional)
Avocado chopped for the tuna and some slices for garnish
Powdered chile limon, sometimes called pico de gallo (optional)
Canned corn, chopped celery, chopped cucumbers, pickles, canned jalapenos (all optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Tapatio or other chile sauce to taste

Add tuna to a mixing bowl and add the chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro and green onion along with any thing else you want to toss in. Add about a quarter cup of mayonnaise if you want it creamy or just add the juice of one squeezed lemon or lime if you want it plain. I use both.

Scoop it onto a tostada shell and garnish with avocado slices. Add Tapatio sauce if desired and a squirt of fresh lime.

Horchata de melon/Cantaloupe orchata

The seeds of one cantaloupe
Sugar or honey to taste
Ice
Water

Slice a chilled cantaloupe and scoop out the seeds and put into a blender.
Add about a cup of ice and water to almost fill the blender.
Puree for about five minutes, then strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth to get all the seeds out.
Add sugar or honey to taste and more ice if desired. Serve.

I’ve been a member of The Daring Bakers for three months now and have really enjoyed the challenges and the community of creatively wonderful people. Each time I visit one of their websites or blogs or our private forum to see the creations, I am amazed and in awe of the beautiful creativity that is out there. I love the challenging of myself and how I get stretched to push for perfection. They’ve been easy on me so far, the first two challenges were good ones and certainly a challenge, but this month really stretched me and I learned a lot.

This month, the challenge was to create an Opéra cake, but one that was light in color and in taste to honor the Taste of Yellow food blog event to benefit LiveSTRONG foundation started by Lance Armstrong. Barbara, a Daring Baker is the force behind the Taste of Yellow event which is held in May this year and I would like to dedicate my Opéra to her and to LiveSTRONG. I have my own personal reasons on why this challenge meant so much to me – cancer and I are old enemies and it has affected my life and that of my family and friends for far too long and in too many insidious ways.

Our lovely challenge hosts were Lis, Ivonne, Fran & Shea.

We were given a recipe and some leeway. I took one look at the recipe and knew immediately that I wanted to use lavender in some way. The problem with lavender though is that I often find it I used with far too heavy a hand and things made with it (it’s become trendy in California) often taste like cough medicine. The challenge I posted to myself was how to use it and compliment its flavor without it being overpowering. I puzzled on it for almost the whole month, shopping and tossing ideas up in the air and rejecting one after another. Finally, I decided that lemon would be a lovely accompaniment but still puzzled over the strong taste of lavender and how to mute it just enough so that I could balance out the lemon and almond flavors of the cake but make sure its presence was felt.

Another challenge was finding the ingredients. Thank goodness for the wonderful Trader Joe’s in Eagle Rock and the equally splendid Sur la Table in Pasadena. I found almond meal, white chocolate, heavy cream, butter and limoncello easily and economically at TJ’s. Trader Joe’s also had a beautiful fresh lavender plant that I bought for garnishing the cake. At Sur la Table, I found lavender extract (yay I had thought to make my own from dried lavender found in the Mexican section of the grocery store. We use it for tea.), as well as superfine confectioners sugar, silver pearl dust, paint brushes and a lovely lemon extract.

In my vision of my cake, I saw a soft green buttercream and glaze lightly flavored with lemon and the white chocolate mousse dyed lavender to match the extract I was flavoring it with. At the last moment, as I rummaged through my baking shelf, I found a little bottle of rose water and it clicked. I’d use rose water to round out and sweeten the lavender as well as giving a hint of rose. That’s when I really began to be excited about this challenge and I couldn’t wait to taste it.

Friday morning it rained and when I woke up I knew it was THE DAY. I gathered my ingredients and the recipe and read it through twice. My original plan was to prepare part of it on Friday and the rest on Saturday. I didn’t count on my crazy compulsion to finish or my excited reaction to each step. I made it all in one day. Lesson learned: Never make an Opéra cake all in one day, it’s completely mad.

I ran into one or two small glitches in my plans. The cream I had bought had soured and I only realized it when I tried to whip it and got clotty goop, which caused a five-minute cursing rant (good thing I was alone). I’d also miscalculated the amount of white chocolate needed and was under about 6 ounces. I ran out in the rain the six blocks to the store and came back armed with fresh cream and a couple of white chocolate candy bars, all I could find at the nearby store.

The almond meal sponge cake turned out perfectly and perfumed the house. I used the host’s change in butter ratio on the buttercream and got a perfectly creamy, lovely green buttercream scented and flavored with light lemon. I was stoked. I made the syrup and used the limoncello to intensify my lemon theme.

For the white chocolate mousse, I didn’t use liqueur, opting instead for the lavender extract drop by drop tasting after each drop to ensure I didn’t get cough medicine mousse, then adding the rose water to the mixture. Tasted it again and added one more drop of lavender extract. I got the result I was hoping for, a light lavender flavor that held up to the lemon but was almost a whisper. The rose water scented the mousse and made it almost ethereal. I then dyed it lavender, hoping the food coloring wouldn’t water it down. It worked. I ended up with a pretty color and the mousse held up.

I ran into problems again with the glaze, which just wouldn’t set properly. I blame the candy bars but it still looked lovely. I put the cake in the fridge at about midnight and left it till the morning. I then dusted the whole thing with silver pearl dust and garnished with fresh lavender and sliced it up. It as just what I hoped – light, airy, delicate and layered with flavor. It tasted like a garden and summery light.

Runny glaze - my one disaster. It worked out in the end.

This is the description from our hosts of L’ Opéra:

For those of you that don’t know about this cake, it’s an extremely elegant and polished French dessert that is believed to have been created around the beginning of the 1900s. Many people credit a gentleman by the name of Louis Clichy with inventing the cake and that’s why it’s sometimes referred to as Clichy Cake.

So what exactly is an Opéra Cake?

Well it’s a cake that is made up (usually) of five components: a joconde (a cake layer), a syrup (to wet the joconde), a buttercream (to fill some of the layers), a ganache or mousse (to top the final cake layer) and a glaze (to cover the final layer of cake or of ganache/mousse).

Finally, the recipe.

A Taste of Light: Opéra Cake

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

•2 121?2 x 151?2-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)
•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
1?2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (11?2 ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425?F. (220?C).

3.Line two 121?2 x 151?2- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

1?2 cup (125 grams) water
? cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

(Modified buttercream recipe I used, courtesy of our hosts modified version that had 2 cups sugar, 1?2 cup water and 13?4 cups butter. Yes. That’s right. 13?4 cups of butter. The eggs remained the same)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a candy or instant-read thermometer
•a stand mixer or handheld mixer
•a bowl and a whisk attachment
•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1?4 cup (60 grams) water
seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
13?4 sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225?F (107?C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255?F (124?C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225?F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional – please see Elements of an Opéra Cake below)

(Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze
(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1?2 cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 121?2-cm) rectangle.

Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

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One of my favorite recipes that my grandmother Lupe made was her enchiladas de jocoque. She rarely made them, probably because of the unavailability of jocoque in Los Angeles in the 1960’s and ‘70’s when she was teaching me to cook. When she did find jocoque, it was because someone brought it to her from their farm. I remember once my Tio Maximo brought her some and with it she made these delicious enchiladas that I never forgot. Later, she taught me how to make them using buttermilk in place of the jocoque. Now, luckily jocoque is readily available in most Los Angeles grocery stores. If you’re in a location that doesn’t have jocoque, use buttermilk instead. If you can’t find crema, use sour cream. It won’t be as smooth or delicate but they’ll be really delicious. My grandmother never measured so you’ll have to judge by the photos. It’s an involved process, but well worth it.

Grandma Lupe’s Enchiladas de Jocoque

About twenty corn tortillas (it depends on just how many you want to make)
Olive oil for frying
Queso fresco (available in most Mexican markets, use Monterey Jack if you can’t find it)
Crema
Jocoque
1 onion, quartered
5 cloves of garlic
Spanish olives without the pit or pimento, I usually buy the ones with pimento and then pick them out
Tomatillos milperos or regular tomatillos (for this recipe, I used both)
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
Roasted poblano chiles, seeded, de-veined and sliced into strips
cilantro

Roast the poblano chiles on a comal or in the oven till they are tender and the skins are evenly roasted. Wrap them in a wet cloth to let the skins steam off and put to the side.

Once the poblanos are cool, quickly skin them and then split them with a knife to remove the seeds and veins. Cut into thin strips.

Husk and wash the tomatillos. Add to a saucepan of boiling water along with the onion and garlic. Let boil till the tomatillos change color and the onion is translucent. Let cool.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the tomatillos, onion and garlic into a blender or food processor and puree. Add salt to taste. Add in a handful of cilantro and puree again. If you can’t find cilantro, Knorr makes a delightful cilantro bouillon cube which really comes in handy if you’re mid recipe and realize you forgot the cilantro. You get the same taste but miss out on the nice dark flecks of dark green. Turn of the blender when the sauce is smooth and pour it into a bowl. Set aside. If you have lots of this left, you can add chopped green Serrano chiles and it make a great salsa for chips.

Take the olives and remove the pimentos or leave them if you like. Put them in a bowl, drained of their liquid and set them aside as well.

In another bowl, pour the bottle of jocoque and the container of crema and whisk it together. Add a dash of salt and the white pepper. Whisk again. Set aside.

Crumble the queso fresco into small bits. If you are using Monterey Jack cheese, then grate it and set it to the side.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. I pour in just enough to fully cover a tortilla, say half way up to the top. Heat the oil on medium heat and start frying your tortillas once its heated enough. Barely fry the tortillas on each side, enough to slightly stiffen them but not hard like a tostada. If they’re undercooked, they will fall apart. Place the fried tortillas on a cookie sheet or a flat plate and let cool.

Now you’re ready to assemble.

Take a tortilla and dip it into the jocoque mixture till its fully coated. Set it on a working surface, I like to use a cookie sheet. Place a few strips of the poblano chiles onto the tortilla, then a bit of the crumbled cheese, then two olives. Dribble a little of the green tomatillo sauce over it and roll it. Gently place it into a baking dish. Do this for each tortilla until you’ve filled the baking dish. You can do more than one if you like. Depends on how many you want.

Pour a little of the jocoque over the top of the enchiladas in the baking dish. Sprinkle crumbled cheese over it and dribble on some green sauce. Garnish with a few olives and bake at 350 for about twenty minutes.

Serve hot out of the oven with rice and beans or a simple salad. We usually have them and nothing else. They don’t last long.

This month’s Daring Baker challenge was truly a challenge for me on many levels. I had made cheesecake before but not this recipe. I couldn’t find a roasting pan that my cheesecake pan would fit in so I ended up using a big stainless steel bowl, which was cumbersome but worked fabulously. The cheesecake took well over an hour but I was in no hurry. The grandkids and I hung out and watched movies while the cheesecake baked and baked and baked. I think it was close to 2½ hours but I did use a very
deep pan to bake it in.

Once out of the oven the challenge was in waiting. It took forever to cool and I was just itching to get to it and play. Another few hours went by till it was finally cool enough to cover and put in the fridge. I let the cheesecake sit in the fridge overnight and then got to forming the balls. That was a challenge too. The cheesecake was sticky and gooey! I found that wetting my hands a bit really helped.

My grandkids couldn’t wait for the pops to freeze (this was going way beyond bedtime for them) so we melted the chocolate in a double boiler and quickly dipped two pops, one for each and then dredged the sticky things into some quick sprinkles. The half-frozen pops took a little bit long to get the chocolate coating hard but the kids didn’t care, they ate them just as they were - goopy and apparently yummy judging from the smiles on their faces.

Once the pops were frozen solid and the kids were gone, I had a blast dipping and decorating. I did some with sprinkles, some with slivered almonds, some plain chocolate and some I just drizzled it and left large bits of cheesecake showing. They were a hit! I’ll be making them again for a party we’re having in June. I hope my cholesterol can handle it.

Introduction from Ellie

These cute little bites of cheesecake, held on a stick and dipped in chocolate and, if you like, decorations, are sure to make you smile. The cheesecake is New York style, the pops can be jazzed up with different toppings, and they are FUN…just right for a party. They are from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor. Isn’t that an alluring title for a cookbook?

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated all the things my grandparents could do with and knew about plants. That fascination deepened as I grew older and even now, the sight of hollyhocks or lamb’s quarters growing on the side of the road always makes me want to stop and forage.

My grandmother’s knowledge of the healing properties of plants was formidable and I wished I had thought to write everything she showed me down into notebooks when I was little and even a teenager. With the arrogance of youth, I’d thought she’d always be around and she’s not so I have my memory to rely on. I also rely on books about herbs and wild plants as well as the internet. Nothing beats my grandmother’s stories though. She knew the name of every plant and flower and she always knew a story for it, a legend or a myth. She’d tell me when the best time to gather them, which way to cook or prepare them to maximize their healing properties. I loved walking outside with my grandmother and a basket. We’d stop and gather, clip and she’d tell me the story behind each plant we picked. Those were magical times.

My grandfather, another formidable source of gardening lore, was a little different, He knew how to plant, when to plant, ingenious ways to irrigate like his amazing maze of glass coffee jars that poured water and re-directed it into the different furrows of his garden. What he knew, he used in different ways. He was a healer – you would say masseuse here but that’s not quite accurate. He was a sobador or a huesero. In other words, he healed by massage. That was magical too. People came by the house all the time, and he’d clap his strong hands together and get out his special olive oil and fix em right up. He never took money for it, although people tried and tried to give it to him. He’d say, “no cobramos por ayuda” We don’t charge when someone needs help. I remember a man who brought his daughter often. The daughter had one leg shorter than the other and she limped. It took a few years but my Papa (that’s what I called him) healed her. The last time I saw her she walked without a limp. He would use certain herbs to steep in olive oil for different effects. Thanks to both my grandparents, I’ll never starve if left to fend for myself in the woods or someplace like that.

One of the wild plants my grandmother loved to make was quelites or lambs-quarters. It was a weed that just grew everywhere along with verdolargas (sorrel) in the springtime here in L.A. She made them lots of different ways and I always loved them. To me, the taste was of springtime and summer. I love verdolargas too and their tangy spring taste always makes me smile. The other day at the Farmer’s Market here in town, I came across a man selling quelites and immediately started thinking of cooking them. It had been years since I’ve had them and my mouth was already watering. I bought several bunches to make in different ways and headed home gleefully clutching my bounty. Quelites are very versatile and their taste is somewhat like spinach, only more delicate.

I made chicken soup for the grandkids one day and threw in a couple of bunches of quelites. I know now that lambs-quarters are a powerhouse of nutrition (check out the nutrition table ), so I was excited to feed them to the little ones who were just getting over a cold.

Today I went to a Dodger game and came home hot and hungry. It’s only April but it feels like August. As I type this at 8:30 p.m., my thermometer says its 80 degrees. I wanted something cold and crunchy, something healthy and good and I remembered the quelites. I also remembered that I had tofu in the fridge. Yum! I knew I was going to make faux ceviche, using the tofu as my seafood. If you don’t have quelites in your neighborhood, use fresh spinach or any green leafy. It will be wonderful. I am trying to cut down on my intake of tortilla so instead of a tostada shell, I served the ceviche inside an avocado half. Either way, it’s a fast, yummy, healthy and tasty treat.

Tofu and Quelites Ceviche

I pound extra firm or firm Tofu, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch of chopped quelites or green of your choice – for this I used both spinach and quelites
4 sticks of celery, sliced thinly
1 bunch of chopped cilantro (substitute parsley if you can’t find cilantro)
1 bunch of green onions sliced thinly
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Chop everything and place in a bowl, gently toss so the Tofu doesn’t break down and serve in a halved avocado or on top of a tostada shell. Add Tapatio or other hot sauce if desired.

Buen provecho!

Rachel and I threw an Oscar Viewing/Rachel B’s Birthday Bash back in February. I never got around to posting the pictures or the recipes. Funny the things you find in your digital camera when you look…

We do theme food to try and match the nominated movies, either by title or just what we imagine the people in the movie would have liked to eat.

Ratatouille - Ratatouille

Pepper Jack, Cheddar and Gruyere Quesadillas with a Sour Cream and Radish Dipping Sauce - No Country for Old Men (Hey it was a Southwestern kinda thing)