Portuguese Easter Bread

Now I'm not too sure how authentic this recipe is, but I was searching around for Easter breads from around the world. And because Jake's maternal grandfather was Portuguese, I figured it would be both a culinary adventure and an ancestry lesson!

Dylan laughed when I told him the story of his "girl name." Before we knew that we were pregnant with a little boy, Jake and I had picked names for both genders. If Dylan were a girl, we wanted to honor Jake's grandfather by using that surname as our little girl's middle name. So, if Dylan had been a girl, he would have been Thalia Augusta Mann.

This Portuguese recipe appealed to me because of the combination of honey, unsweetened cocoa, and nutmeg. Necessity breeds invention, right?! The original recipe called for more honey, but I ran out and added some plain yogurt instead. With the alacrity at which these little treats disappeared from my cooling rack, I'd call them a hit.

Like the French canelé, these have a thick, almost caramelized crust, with a tender center. I wonder what Grandpa Augusta would think of these...

INGREDIENTS:
3 C white whole wheat flour
1 C organic granulated sugar
3 T unsweetened chocolate
3/4 C honey
1/4 C plain yogurt
1 t ground nutmeg
1 T butter, melted
1 C milk
1 t baking powder

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a pan. Combine all the ingredients and pour into a buttered baking dish. I opted for mini bundt pans, to look like little baskets. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Comments

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Search This Blog