Category: Food & Cooking

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Quick turn on the Fruit Loop

In the land of ‘mega-marts’ we’ve grown accustomed to picking up any type of produce any time of the year.  It’s not as convenient, but buying seasonal offerings will support a local farmer and taste better too.

We are in the midst of apple season so you are likely to see a larger selection of apples at the produce counter. That variety can get even bigger if you make an extra effort and go to the orchard. In Oregon that is pretty easy to do..

Some time in late September early October we make the annual trek to Hood River country and do a bit of orchard hopping.

At Kiyokawa Orchards there are warehouse size bins filled with apples and pears. And not just a couple of kinds. At peak season there are 120 varieties of apples and 24 varieties of European and Asian pears. Plus a bunch of different plums.

The hills pushing up from the Columbia River west of Hood River are full of fruit orchards, dotted with yellow and orange fall foliage and a snowcapped Mt. Hood as the back drop.

‘The Fruit Loop’ started in the early 90’s as a way to promote local on-farm sales when a collective of Hood River orchards printed a map to help people find their stands.

We come for the selection at Kiyokawa’s and maybe a quick stop at Pfriem Brewery for a growler of Sesson. Its well worth the drive.

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A Fall Tea Party

Weeks of preparation came to a plate this past weekend with the official hosting of Pumpkin Tea 2019.  The general theme this year was finger foods. It was a move back to english tea party roots.  (See this year’s menu: 2019 Pumpkin Tea Menu)

The Pumpkin Tea originated twenty plus years ago as a tea and group pumpkin carving. It evolved over the years to be more about the tea and less about Halloween.

When we moved to La Pine the tea got restarted and became a day of celebratory feasting on baked goods. Then last year we included an “insta-pot-luck” … because there wasn’t enough to eat as it was (just joking).

We enjoy the time to catch up with family, share summer adventure news, and of course… play some cards.

 

 

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Whipped Cream Plus

Heavy cream whipped to a fluffy mound might be one of the best accompaniments to any baked good.

Now take that and add natural essence and freeze dried fruit and it gets even better.

I grew up spooning heavy cream over fresh berries and even chocolate cake, so a bowl of whipped cream isn’t something new. That said, adding flavors other than vanilla is.

Our first experiment into flavored whipped cream started with chocolate. We added King Arthur Triple Chocolate Cocoa Blend with a dab of chocolate extract. Wow!

Puffed up with success, we moved on to raspberry whipped cream. Heavy cream whipped with freeze dried raspberry powder, raspberry essential oils and a touch of red food powder proved to be delicious. We were hooked.

From there we mixed up mango, then lemon, and of course traditional vanilla. Our plan…to use these creams as toppings with fresh fruit, and paired with slices of almond cake and hand-molded shortbread tarts. More on that on our upcoming Pumpkin Tea post.

 

Print Recipe

Basic Whipped Cream and Added Flavors

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 TB powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

  • 1 TB cocoa powder King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend
  • 1/2 tsp chocolate extract substitute chocolate extract for vanilla extract

Raspberry Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

  • 1 TB powdered freeze dried raspberries
  • 1/2 tsp raspberry extract substitute raspberry extract for vanilla extract

Mango Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

  • 1 TB powdered freeze dried mango
  • 1/2 tsp mango extract substitute mango extract for vanilla extract

Lemon Whipped Cream - Use Basic Whip Cream recipe

  • 1 TB lemon juice powder King Arthur Lemon Juice Powder
  • 1/2 tsp lemon extract substitute lemon extract for vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Start with cold heavy cream. The colder the cream, the easier and more successful it will whip. You can even chill the mixing bowl in the refrigerator before you start.
  • Whip the heavy cream, sugar and extract together on medium-high speed. This should only take a few a couple of minutes. Whip until it has a billowy, smooth texture.
  • NOTE: To add different flavors, beat cream until soft peaks form. Then add extracts and/or other flavorings. Beat until stiff peaks form.
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A Fall Tea Party

Today we flavored, colored and whipped half a dozen different types of heavy cream, dumped a dozen macarons that were an odd blue color and made buttercream that was way too sweet.

For the past few weeks our kitchen has remained in a constant state of disarray. We are in the process of settling a menu for our Pumpkin Tea. Every fall we host an english tea party, a tradition that goes back to when our dining room couldn’t really seat all the people waiting to sip tea and butter scones.

I’m really not sure who christened it Pumpkin Tea, but this party recently started back up again. Usually mid to late September our house hosts a party generating a few dozen different baked goods and tables of goodies.

The crux of the event from our prospective is being able to try a lot of different baking techniques and recipes without eating too many calories. Of course too many calories is a relative term, but with Pumpkin Tea we get to play with a wide range of methods and flavors.

This year we are doing more traditional english tea party fare.

Think … finger sandwiches, tea cakes and tarts. There is also an almond cake with a variety of flavored creams and fresh berries as toppings. 

One year we made four different cakes to find the right flavor and texture.

This year we went through several batches of macarons, realizing how hard it is to get those cookies consistently right.

Over the course of a month the menu expands, contracts and shifts as the testing points out items that may be tasty but require too much work. It also presents bakes that never seem to work out.

However, in the end we have a party spread and lots of good tastes … and we hope a good time is had by all. 

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Just a couple of cookies, please

You know, there are times what’s needed is …

a cookie hot from the oven!

Rarely does this occur when you actually have time to make a batch.

The other issue? Once made, cookies, in our house at least, rarely last more than a day.

We’ve discovered a system that allows small amounts of cookies, oven fresh, anytime and eliminates a cookie jar full of temptation.

For fifteen bucks or less you can get two Casabella freezer cookie trays, enough for a batch. Order online at either Amazon or King Arthur Flour. Each tray holds 15 tablespoon sized scoops of your favorite dough (chocolate chip, right). Easy seal lids protect cookie nuggets from the taste of last month’s frozen burrito’s. The scoops pop out easily. We found that cooking time is maybe a minute or two longer than the original recipe. It may be a bit too easy, but very convenient.