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See those two slices of bread? They are the last remaining slices of a loaf I baked just two days ago…and, mind you, there are just two of us eating in this house (well, not counting my daughter, who’s nowhere near eating solids yet).

See those goodies packed into each slice? They not only gave this bread wonderful flavor, they gave it the most fantastic texture. Sweet, chewy figs, nutty almonds and crunchy, licorice-flavored fennel seeds. I would have never guessed these three ingredients would be such a perfect match.

This recipe is by Nick Malgieri, who says it’s an adaptation of one by Amy of the NYC’s famous Amy’s Bread. When I mentioned this to my sister, she knew exactly which bread I was talking about. Apparently, Amy’s Semolina with Golden Raisins and Fennel Bread is the bakery’s signature bread.

Well, without having tried Amy’s bread, I can attest to its tastiness based on Nick Malgieri’s “copycat” recipe. This Fennel Fig & Almond Bread is delicious, especially as a morning treat with coffee.

Recipe: Fennel Fig & Almond Bread
Adapted from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
• 5 tablespoons Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup 1% milk
• 1 1/2 cups (8 to 9 ouces/225 to 250 grams) stemmed and diced white or black dried figs
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces/100 grams) roughly chopped almonds
• One 9 x 5 x 3-inch (23 x 13 x 7-cm) loaf pan, buttered and bottom lined with a rectangle of parchment paper or buttered wax paper cut to fit

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and fennel seeds in a medium bowl and stir well to mix.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth, then beat in the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Beat 1/2 the flour mixture into the butter and egg mixture, then gently beat in the milk, about 1/2 at a time. Beat in the remaining flour mixture. Use a large rubber spatula to fold in the figs and almonds.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the bread until it is well risen and a toothpick or a narrow knife inserted into the center emerges clean, about 1 hour.

Cool the bread in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold it and cool it completely on a rack. Transfer the bread to a platter or cutting board before serving.

Serving: Cut the breat into thin slices and serve with butter or cream cheese.

Storage: Keep the bread under a cake dome or loosely wrapped in plastic wrap on the day it is made. Wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and keep at room termparture for up to 3 or 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.

This pick could not have come at a better time. The entire summer, I’ve been obsessed with peaches. Each time go to Costco, I buy two boxes of peaches, just to make sure we don’t run out before our next trip!

This tart reminded me a lot of Dorie’s French Pear Tart. The custard filling, the buttery crust, the fanning of the fruit. It’s as beautiful to look at as it is to eat. The best part of this tart is the streusel topping. The crunch of the almonds pairs wonderfully with the baked peaches.

Thanks for the delicious pick, Rachel! My adapted version of the recipe is below, but if you want Dorie’s original, visit Rachel’s blog, Sweet Tarte.

Recipe: Crunchy and Custardy Peach Tart
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the streusel:

• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
• 2 tablespoons cold Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, cut into pieces

For the filling:

• 3 large ripe peaches, peeled, halved and pitted
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 9-inch tart crust made with Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts, partially baked and cooled

To make the streusel: Working with your fingertips, blend all the ingredients together in a small bowl until evenly combined. Cover the streusel tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed. (Wrapped well, the streusel can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

To make the tart: Slice 5 of the peach halves crosswise. The best way to do this is to place each peach half cut side down on a cutting board and slice it crosswise into thin slices, keeping the sliced half intact. Then lift each half on a spatula, press down on the half lightly to fan it just a bit and place it in the crust, with the edge of the outer peach slices almost touching the edge of the crust, so that you have 5 peach “spokes” and an empty space in the center. Trim the remaining unsliced peach half so it will fit into the center of the tart and, using the tip of your knife, cut a little tic-tac-toe pattern in the center of the peach. Set aside while you make the creamy filing.

Whisk the cream, egg, sugar and almond extract together in a small bowl. When blended, rap the bowl on the counter to knock out the air bubbles, and pour the filling over and around the peaches.

Bake the tart for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and bake the tart for another 20 minutes, at which point you should add the streusel.

Remove the streusel from the refrigerator and, using your fingers, break it up into small bits. Carefully pull the baking sheet to the front of the oven (if you can manage to get the streusel onto the tart without removing the tart from the oven and jostling the delicate filling, so much the better, but pull it out completely if it’s easier) and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the creamy parts of the tart.

Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes (total baking time is 50 to 55 minutes), or until the filling is set and the streusel is golden. Remove the tart from the oven and transfer the pan to a rack to cool until barely warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

*To peel peaches: Blanch peaches for 10 seconds in a pot of boiling water, transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool, then slip off the skins.

Storing: The tart can be refrigerated overnight; cover it to protect it from drying and from odors.

Recipe: Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts
Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Makes enough for one 9-inch crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup finely ground almonds
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) very cold (or frozen) Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in–you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10- seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change–heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don’t be too heavy-handed–press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To partially or fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. For a partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack (keep it in its pan).

To fully bake the crust: Bake for another 8 minutes or so, until it is firm and golden brown. (I dislike lightly baked crusts, so I often keep the crust in the oven just a little longer. If you do that, just make sure to keep a close eye on the crust’s progress–it can go from golden to way too dark in a flash.) Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

To patch a partially or fully baked crust, if necessary: If there are any cracks in the baked crust, patch them with some of the reserved raw dough as soon as you remove the foil. Slice off a thin piece of the dough, place it over the crack, moisten the edges and very gently smooth the edges into the baked crust. If the tart will not be baked again with its filling, bake for another 2 minutes or so, just to take the rawness off the patch.

Storing: Well wrapped, the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, I prefer to freeze the unbaked crust in the pan and bake it directly from the freezer–it has a fresher flavor. Just add about 5 minutes to the baking time.

Darn you, ice cream maker!

Since trying out my ice cream maker for the first time last week (Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream), I’ve become obsessed with making ice cream at home. While vanilla is my favorite ice cream flavor, I really wanted to try something new and unusual. Enter one of my favorite cookbooks of all time: Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.

This sour cream ice cream has such an unexpectedly good taste. Its clean, pure flavor makes it extremely addicting. It’s tangy yet sweet, milky yet icy. Because it does have that tart, sour undertone, it’s refreshing like a sorbet but still creamy like ice cream. I imagine it would be great with fruity flavors, either straight up with fresh fruit like berries, or with a fruity tart or pie. Interestingly enough, B insisted this ice cream tasted like cheesecake…which I agreed with, after having tasted it again.

All in all, it was delicious. A keeper, for sure.

Recipe: Sour Cream Ice Cream
Adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich
Makes about 3 cups

• 2 cups sour cream
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 1% milk

Put the sour cream in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in a little of the milk until smooth, then whisk in the remaining milk. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture is warm and foamy. Continue to whisk as the foam subsides and the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Whisking and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan constantly to prevent scorching, boil steadily but not furiously for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until the mixture thins slightly and becomes a bit more translucent.

It is important to cook the base adequately, or you will taste and feel the raw cornstarch on your palate and the flavor of the sour cream in the finished ice cream will not be clear and bright.

Remove the pan from the stove and whisk for a few seconds to release some heat. A little at a time, whisk the hot mixture into the sour cream. Let cool, then cover tightly and refrigerate, covered, until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 but preferably 12 hours.

For an extra-cold start, put the mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent freezing.

Freeze the ice cream according to the instructions for your ice cream machine. Serve, or pack into an airtight container and freeze. If the ice cream sits in the freezer for several hours, it will be too hard to scoop. Soften it slightly by transferring the container to the refrigerator for a few minutes before serving; or microwave on low or on the defrost setting for a few seconds at a time until scoopable.

My my my. I wasn’t going to make this bread because I’ve been so tired, but I’m sure glad I did. It’s actually right up my alley: low in fat, high in fiber and delicious.

Now, I don’t know how many calories or fat grams this has, but I have to believe it’s quite a healthy recipe. Instead of butter, it calls for heart-healthy canola oil and unsweetened applesauce. Of course, there is the cholesterol-lowering oatmeal too. And I made it even healthier–I used white whole wheat flour instead of AP flour, and substituted Egg Beaters for the eggs. I also passed on the brown sugar topping. And finally, I sprinkled the batter with dried blueberries, an antioxidant. Dorie had suggested dried figs, apples, apricots or raisins, but I had the blueberries on hand. I thought it was a great choice. This basically tasted like a slice of blueberry muffin. It was fantastic!

Thanks for picking this one, Natalie! My adapted version of Dorie’s recipe follows, but if you want the original, visit Natalie’s blog, Oven Love.

Recipe: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Makes 12 servings

• 2/3 Egg Beaters
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-x-5-inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the Egg Beaters, applesauce, oil and buttermilk until well blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Remove 1/2 teaspoon of the mix and toss it with the dried blueberries, just to coat; set aside. Stir the oats into the bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a large rubber spatula, stir just until everything is evenly moistened—this is a case in which less is more, so don’t overdo the mixing. Scatter the dried blueberries over the batter and stir to blend. Scrape the batter into the pan and sprinkle over the topping, tamping it down very lightly with your fingers so it sticks.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is beautifully browned and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for about 5 mintues, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

I’m on maternity leave until mid-September. You’d think that with that much time off, I’d have plenty of opportunities to play in the kitchen. Ahh, my friend, welcome to motherhood. For the past eight weeks, my days have consisted of nursing, comforting a screaming baby, catching up on lost sleep, laundering cloth diapers and tidying up the tornado of baby clothes, gear, blankets, burp cloths and other things that come with a newborn. I haven’t had any time (or energy) to whip things up in the kitchen.

However, I was lucky to have my mother come visit from California to help out. Not once, but twice (The second time was a last-minute, unplanned visit. Again…welcome to motherhood. After she left the first time, I realized how much I needed the help. Thanks mom!). So while she was here, I did get some time to make a few things. This Creamy Cucumber Salad was one of those things. I made it especially for my mom, who loves all of these flavors.

This is an Ina Garten recipe, so you know it has to be good. Cool sour cream, tangy yogurt, crunchy cucumbers, sweet red onions and fresh dill. It’s the perfect side to a summer barbecue…or, if you’re like us, a great snack to keep in the fridge. My mom and I would literally scoop out little bowls of this salad throughout the day and savor its cool bite. Now…who wouldn’t like that? *wink*

Today happens to be my mom’s birthday. Happy birthday, mom! I love you very much.

Recipe: Creamy Cucumber Salad
Adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe, as featured on foodnetwork.com (Note: I drastically reduced the amount of yogurt and sour cream, as the original recipe was a bit too creamy for my tastes.)

• 4 hothouse cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 4 pounds)
• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced in half rounds
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup minced fresh dill
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Mix the cucumbers, red onions, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt in a bowl. Pour them into a colander and suspend it over a bowl. Wrap the bowl and colander with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to drain for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid that collects in the bowl.

Pour the yogurt into a sieve lined with a paper towel and suspend it over another bowl. Wrap the bowl and sieve in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid that collects in the second bowl.

When the cucumbers are ready, roll them up in paper towels or a kitchen towel and press the towel lightly to remove most of the liquid. Place the cucumbers and yogurt in a large bowl with the sour cream, vinegar, dill, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Toss well and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and serve chilled.