Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Remember, I'm following the Whole30 this month? Click to read my post about that: I can do anything for a month .  Before I kicked off my Whole30, I had planned to make the mini crab cakes from The Unexpected Cajun Kitchen : Classic Cuisine with a Twist of Farm-to-Table Freshness by Leigh Ann Chatagnier.* But the weekend got away from me and I was left with the ingredients, the idea, and - now - some restrictions. Still, I was determined to have crab cakes.  I made them for breakfast with some major adaptations. Since I wasn't sure about my Cajun seasoning blend, I just tossed in some spices and hoped for the best. It was delicious! Ingredients 1 pound crab meat 1 egg 1/2 C almond meal 1/4 C chopped pecans (I added these in for the crunch of breadcrumbs, leave them out if you wish) 1/2 t fresh thyme, chopped 1 t fresh chives, chopped 1 T fresh parsley, chopped + more for garnish 1/2 t smoked paprika pinch of cayenne pepper freshly grou...

For our final week of Eat a Rainbow, I decided that we would make marzipan for the 'white international food.' Okay, technically it's more of a tan color, but I went with it. And we, then, shaped  Glücksschwein , lucky pigs, in the German tradition.   I started with this, using syrup instead of egg white because of my "vegan" student. Then we added a bit more of almond meal because it was too sticky. Also, I looked long and hard for a natural food coloring; I finally found this one from India Tree whose ingredient list was: Glycerin, deionized water, vegetable juice, beta carotene, and turmeric for color. No Red No. 40. Thank goodness! Ingredients 1½ C almond flour/meal 1½ C organic powdered sugar 2 t pure almond extract 2 T ginger syrup Procedure Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the almond extract and ginger syrup. Mix with a spatula until a thick dough is formed. Add in the color in small i...

Thankfully I looked at my calendar before I went to Whole Foods yesterday afternoon; I was reminded that I was scheduled to bring goodies to the parent coffee at school today. So, I decided to whip up some madeleines. Typically I prefer to chop my own nuts, but I picked up some ground almonds as a baking short-cut. After I reviewed  Madeleines: Elegant French Tea Cakes to Bake and Share  by Barbara Feldman Morse, for  Quirk Books  , they have become my latest baking obsession. You can read my review: here . So, for the parent coffee, I made these Honey-Almond Madeleines (on the left) and Matcha-Maple Madeleines  (on the right). The review: these are fantastic! Ingredients 3/4 C organic butter plus some for greasing pan 1 C organic granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 t pure vanilla extract 1 T honey 1 C flour (I used a bread flour) 1/2 C almond meal or flour 1/4 t baking powder Procedure Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease...

Belle had given me a whole pumpkin the other day. So I roasted it, made some puree, and decided to whip up a loaf of wheat-free pumpkin-molasses bread for our favorite gluten-free ten-year-old. Happy birthday, Danya! 2 C sweet sorghum flour 1/2 C ground almonds 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 t sea salt 1 T baking powder 1 t baking soda 1 t ground cardamom 1 t ground nutmeg 1/2 t ground cloves 1 C organic whole milk 2 eggs 3 T olive oil 2 T unsulphered molasses 2 C pumpkin puree Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together all wet ingredients. Mix all dry ingredients. Mix until just moistened. Spoon into a prepared loaf pans. Bake until golden brown (approximately an hour) and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a wire rack and cool completely.

This is perfect for when you crave something sweet but don't want the richness of chocolate. I love the tartness! Crust 1-1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 C ground almonds 1/2 C organic powdered sugar 3/4 C butter Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the flour, ground almonds, and powdered sugar together. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in 1 teaspoon of water until the mixture forms a ball. Press the mixture evenly into a 13"x 9" baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Key Lime Mixture 4 eggs 2 C organic granulated sugar 1/4 C white whole wheat flour 1/2 t baking powder 1/2 C fresh key lime juice Beat together all the ingredients until smooth and combined. Pour the mixture over the cooked base and top with sliced fresh rhubarb. Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool. Before serving sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. Cut into squa...