Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Elevenses




I guess I had my elevenses a little early today, but when you wake up (against your will) at 5:30 a.m. you are allowed. At 10 a.m. I had all sorts of goodies: a bowl of fresh sauerkraut, alongside two pieces of toast slathered in greek yogurt, drizzled with good olive oil, salt and pepper, and to finish, a piece (or two) of quince custard cake.

This morning my son went to preschool, and I was able to get a lot done. The sauerkraut that has been bubbling in a friendly manner and keeping me company as I write in the dining room is now done. I could smell that it was ready: pungent and sour, it smelled nothing short of lovely, and I couldn't wait to have a bowl of that crunchy goodness. I crave sauerkraut, and I do think it's the vitamin C in it. This time, I made so much of it, that I filled a few quart jars to keep in the fridge, but canned the rest. Which I feel ambivalent about. Canning apparently kills all the lively bugs in sauerkraut, and I generally don't do it, but space is at a premium these days so we'll see how it works. I usually make smaller batches of kraut to avoid this problem and stick it all in the fridge, but the head of cabbage I got was massive, and needed to be dealt with.

The toast I had was inspired by Instagram, specifically Inna Jam (@innajam), a artisan preserves company based in the Bay Area. I've always thought: why not use greek yogurt as a spread, but never really did it. So when I saw a picture doing just that with a golden pool of good olive oil on it, I was inspired. It's my favorite new snack!


The cake was also inspired by Instagram, this time by a few users: Autumn Makes and Does (@autumnmakes) and Belle Jar Canning (@tamikabellejar) who were in turn inspired by fellow baker, Apt. 2B Baking Co. (@apt2bbakingco) It's this quince custard cake, and I implore you to make it. I had this jar of quince preserves sitting around that was (shall I admit it?) maybe two years old. It was quince essentially poached in rosé wine and honey. I used that in place of the poached quince in the recipe. These folks are all accomplished bakers, so I can vouch for this essentially easy recipe that's going to make you look so good. Unless of course you eat it all yourself. Which I might do. Maybe I'll impress myself, that would be nice for a change!

9 comments:

  1. Aww Thanks Julia! I bet your quince preserves was fabulous in the cake.. I see the colour was much more intense than my poached quince.
    I'm reading every one of your posts.. We make gallons of kraut and end up giving a lot away just because of fridge space!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for reading, Tamika! What lucky neighbors and friends you have...; )

      Delete
  2. The fermenting bandwagon hasn't pulled up to our house yet. Maybe next year when the farmers market starts up again. I never would have thought of Greek yogurt on toast! That may end up being my dinner tonight . . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Was it, Dawn? You know what? I had the exact same thing for lunch today!

      Delete
    2. Yes, it was - on some homemade sourdough with a sprinkling of sea salt and some freshly ground pepper. It was absolutely delicious!

      Delete
  3. Quince custard cake! OMG, I have been watching that going around. And do you know, I think I have one jar of quince in red wine and honey from two years ago, too. You made it and then I did.

    Thanks for teaching me about elevenses. Except I almost spelled it "Elvises." I guess that would be something different.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shae, you might need to make it!

      And yes, Elvises would be much different, but it might be an equally promising endeavor!

      Delete
  4. Girl, that all sounds delicious! Love the yogurt on toast notion. As for your sauerkraut, just keep it in a cool cupboard or in your cellar! You don't need to refrigerate it, just get used to monitoring its eco-system. Consult Sandor Katz!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know I never thought of that! But I worry about my spaces: the basement is half cool and half warm (heated by a wood stove), and I have found I don't have good luck storing things down there. And there's not enough space to have it in the dining room, where it ferments. We'll have to see...I think the smaller batches work better for me. This cabbage was just SO big.

      Delete