FRESH BERRY DIGESTIF

I am on a David Tanis kick. I loved his platter of figs, and the first cookbook I bought after our travels, is heart of the artichoke. I made two of Tanis' recipes already today and have the fixings for another for tonight's dinner. I so appreciate that many of the dishes are super simple and quick to toss together. Tanis is great company in the kitchen.

Paul and I have been intrigued by the idea of making our own spirits, ciders, and beers. We have yet to take the plunge and brew our own, but I thought I'd get my toes wet by trying Tanis' Digestivo with Fresh Berries.

I think serving this berry digestif to dinner party guests would be a fun end to a meal. Or why not take a large jam jar full of the rosy concoction as a hostess gift, next time you are invited to eat at someone else's table.



INGREDIENTS from David Tanis' heart of the artichoke
(printable recipe)

• 1 cup fresh berries (Tanis suggests a mix of raspberries and blackberries)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups of vodka or grappa

Place washed berries in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Crush the berries and sugar between your fingers to combine. Pour vodka (or grappa) over the sugar/berry mixture. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.

Serve the digestif in small glasses. Use a spoon or small ladle to scoop some of the crushed berries into each glass. I would serve the digestif with tiny spoons so that everyone can scoop up the boozy berries. Why waste such deliciousness?

By the way... we also mixed the berry vodka with a little tonic for a delightful cocktail. Yum!

 

RASPBERRY TEA CAKES

All over New Zealand and Australia, we encountered delicious pastries called Friands,  a descendant of the French financier.   I found a recipe to try, baked and ate batch after batch until they were just right.  Now, I am hooked on these moist almondy tea cakes. Yum!

In Nelson, New Zealand, we settled in for a longer stay, had a cute little kitchen, and I decided to take on more adventurous baking projects. Since my cooking life became free of wheat, I have been hesitant to start making my own flour mixes. I love to use ground nuts in baking and when a recipe calls for wheat flour, I have relied on Pamela’s brilliant flour blends as a substitute. Since we started traveling, I have been playing a bit with other flours. I have had some mean rice pancakes and throughout Asia, rice flour has been a good friend to me. In Nelson, I found a groovy little health food store with all sorts of bulk grains and flours. I picked up some millet flour because the flavor is so good and it is healthy as well.

Unlike many gluten-free baked goods, these tea cakes are fluffy and light in the centers thanks to the whipped egg whites. 

INGREDIENTS
adapted from Raspberry Friand Recipe in Donna Hay December 2010

• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 2/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 5 lightly whisked egg whites, room temp
• 1/4 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• (3/4 cup of cake flour can be substituted for the rice and millet flours)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• raspberries, fresh or frozen will do

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease muffin tin. Set aside.

Bring eggs to room temperature.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, but not stiff.

In a separate bowl, sift baking powder, sugar and flours. Add ground almond to the dry ingredients. Stir.

Fold dry ingredients into egg whites.

Add melted butter. Stir to incorporate batter.

Pour batter into greased muffin tin and sprinkle a few raspberries over the tops.

Bake 25 minutes until golden.

makes 12