It’s always a great joy to collaborate with singer and historical harpist, Marcia Young, singer and Baroque Dancer, Zahra Brown and lutenist Christopher Morrongiello.
On the day of the concert, we meet early at the church to have a small dress rehearsal. Beforehand, we enjoy a lunch treat from the nearby White Hart Inn Provisions, kindly provided by our wonderful sponsors, The Salisbury Association. Sitting around a table in the church Parish Hall, we catch up on events in our lives, along with gossip from the music world.
Late afternoon light streams into the historic Meeting Room of the church and as I warmup with the group on my recorders, I look out into the room; I feel my breath calming and a sense of peace comes over me.
After the concert, I drive Marcia and Zahra back to the train in Wassaic, New York and then my husband and I head out for a dinner treat at the nearby restaurant, Thai Baan. Housed in a huge old dairy barn, the stunningly renovated space boasts both an excellent Thai restaurant and a state of the art whiskey distillery.
We enjoy crispy Scallion Pancakes, Shrimp Pad Thai and Eggplant with Green Curry Sauce, accompanied by a tall glass of frosty beer; a perfect ending to long but rewarding day!
Scallion PancakesPad Thai with ShrimpEggplant with Green Curry
AND: Here’s the last “Tree of the Week” for 2025!1
“I wonder what’s coming next?”
All Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday and a Happy and Healthy New Year! I look forward to writing more posts in 2026 with music, art, travel, “Trees of the Week” and always recipes!
It’s been a busy fall with exciting new musical projects coming together- I am delighted to share news about a long planned Early Music group- meet Ensemble Zephyrus!
After many years of playing the oboe professionally with orchestras, chamber music groups and with the Hevreh Ensemble, I have decided to continue to teach oboe and play small gigs, but will concentrate my efforts on performing recorder and fulfilling my love of Early Music.
Ensemble Zephyrus is truly like a breath of fresh air to me; with this group, I have the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with excellent musicians who play harpsichord, viol, baroque violin and theorbo. Together we will perform exquisite music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
GERMANY – JUNE 24: Made by Carl Friedrich Voight. A theorbo is a type of lute, a stringed musical instrument. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)
Our first concert is in NYC this week-website and pictures coming soon!
In the meantime, here are glorious autumn pictures, a food excursion, recipes and as always, the “Tree of the Week”.
The Fall foliage has been lovely this year; we have traipsed happily through our land in Massachusetts on the winding maze of trails that Paul has cut through the woods. As we walk, our minds quiet.
The patterns and designs we discover in fallen leaves, pine needles and fungus are captivating. The light is beautiful and illuminates leaves that are suspended in delicate webs.
Tiny fungi nestled in a mossy tree trunk, look like seashells on the ocean floor!
What was once a dream during COVID, is finally becoming a reality-our new cozy little house peeks through the woods!
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Every few months, our supply of Parmesan and Pecorino cheese dwindles and then it’s time to make a pilgrimage to Arthur Avenue, the Italian neighborhood in the Bronx.
There is also a sizable Albanian population in the neighborhood and on a recent trip, I treated myself to lunch at an excellent small Albanian restaurant that I discovered called Cka ka Qellu. Located on Hughes Avenue,it’s just a few blocks from busy Arthur Avenue.
The inside of the welcoming restaurant was small and cozy. People around me were chatting softly in Albanian. It felt as if I was transported to the Balkans in Southeast Europe!
I enjoyed a few appetizers- lightly pickled cabbage salad served with hot crusty bread, Tatator- a yogurt dip with cucumber and garlic and Lecenik- cornbread stuffed with spinach and cheese. This made a lovely lunch feast!
After my lunch, I walked a few blocks to Teitel Brothers, a third generation family business opened in 1915, by a Jewish immigrant family from Austria. Today, brothers Michael and Eddie stand at the counter in white aprons. I could have stayed for hours listening to their heavy New York accents as they bantered happily with their customers.
The store is small and crowded with imported Italian goods and huge blocks of cheese. Everything is top quality with incredibly low prices.
Dried salt cod stacked next to bottles olive oil and a box of sun dried tomatoes filled the air with a fishy smell.
On one visit, a huge bag of leftover scraps from procuitto sat on the counter. One of the owners asked if I would like to have it- a gift that one cannot turn down! I imagined crispy bits of procuitto with roasted brussel sprouts and in rich black bean soup! I lugged the heavy bag back to my car and planned to share it with a friend.
Instead of using pastina, I remembered a recipe for whole wheat crepes that I had made rolled and filled with freshly grated parmesan. I used the NY Times recipe for the broth; it was quick and had as much flavor as a stock that I usually simmer for hours. The crepes are easy to make and they were delicious with the fresh parmesan!
2tablespoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), or to taste
½teaspoon garlic powder
¼teaspoon black pepper
3large carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch half moons
3large celery ribs, sliced into ¼-inch half moons
3garlic cloves, finely chopped
2teaspoons tomato paste
½cup finely chopped parsley
Preparation
Step 1Place the chicken and 10 cups of water in a large pot. Partly cover and bring to a boil over high heat, keeping a close eye so that it doesn’t overflow and skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
Step 2Add the onion, olive oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; stir and allow to come back up to a gentle boil. Cover completely, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste, stirring to incorporate the tomato paste. Increase the heat to high and allow to come back up to a gentle boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as desired.
Step 3Remove the cooked chicken and place in a large bowl.
For the Crepes:
3 eggs
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup cold water
About ¼ cup grapeseed or sunflower oil
1/4 tsp salt
About 3 to 4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the salt and flour. Make a well into the center of the flour and crack all 3 eggs. Whisk together well and gradually add the milk, a little at a time, whisking well to avoid lumps. After all the milk has been added, if the batter is lumpy, you can run it through a fine-meshed sieve to get rid of any lumps.
Grease up a heavy skillet or a small crepe pan, using about 1 tsp oil per crepe. Make the crepes using about 1/4 cup of batter per crepe. Swirl the batter around, cook for about 30 to 60 seconds on each side or until golden and bubbly. If the batter is too thick, add a little more water, a couple tablespoonfuls at a time. Stack the crepes on a large plate. They will miraculousy not stick together.
Sprinkle a generous handful of grated cheese on each crepe and roll it up into a cigar shape. (Divide the cheese evenly among the crepes but save some for garnish). Place the rolled crepes seam down into a large serving bowl. Serve two to three crepes per person and ladle a generous scoop or two of broth on top of the crepes. I also added some of the reserved chicken breast chopped, to the soup. Garnish with a little cheese and chopped parsley. ENJOY!
There were a few leftover crepes; the next morning we enjoyed the crepes filled with fresh fruit (whatever you have on hand is good) and plain yogurt. Topped with plenty of crunchy granola and a drizzle of maple syrup, this was an excellent quick breakfast treat!
A tricky back has kept me from the trails this past week; perusing through my notes and pictures, I discovered that I had never written about a glorious fall walk last year at Hollow Fields in Richmond, Massachusetts; a trail system operated and supported by the Berkshire Natural Resources Council.
According to BNRC:
“This land, and all of the present-day Berkshires, are the ancestral homeland of the Mohican people, who were forcibly displaced to Wisconsin by European colonization. These lands continue to be of great significance to the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation today. To learn more, visit mohican.com.”
We walked down a small hill along side the woods and then up a mowed path through the meadow, where there was a chair to enjoy the stunning views!
Leftover lemon roast chicken got me thinking about favorite recipes from old blogs. I remembered tasty chicken potpie cornbread muffins from the entry “Mozart’s Starling”- January 2022.
When I made the soup this time, I added carrot and celery to the recipe. This added even more flavor and a chunky texture to the soup. You could also add fennel! We served the soup sprinkled with grated pecorino cheese and freshly ground pepper.
Together, these recipes made a wonderful fall dinner. With the cornbread and chicken potpies baking in the oven and a big pot of soup bubbling on the stove, the house was filled with enticing aromas.
Chicken Potpie Cornbread Muffins
Adapted From Food and Wine Magazine-Published on January 12, 2016
Ingredients:
Cornbread:
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
Filling:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas (defrosted)
4 button mushrooms cut into small pieces
1 medium carrot, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoons dried sage
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 cup cooked chicken cut into small pieces
Directions
Make the cornbread:
In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk the egg and buttermilk into the cornmeal mixture. Fill 12 (1/2-cup) well greased muffin tins about 2/3 full with the cornbread batter. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Make the filling
In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat until hot, then stir in the onion and shallots- cook until slightly softened and then add carrots and mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt, dried thyme and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, then stir in the chicken and the defrosted peas. Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling over each batter-filled muffin tin.
Bake the muffins until golden around the edges, about 25 minutes.
Let cook about 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin. This will keep them from sticking to the pan.
If using fresh tomatoes: bring a large pot of water to boil. Add tomatoes and boil for a few minutes. Remove from water and slip off the skins. Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze to remove seeds and excess water. Chop roughly and proceed with the recipe.
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add onions.
Saute onions until slightly softened. Add carrots and celery. A bit of chopped fennel might also be good! Cook a few minutes.
Add tomatoes and rest of ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook about 1 hour. Add more water if soup is too thick.
Remove Bay leaf and puree with an immersion blender. Remaining chunks of vegetables are fine.
ENJOY!
The deep flavor of the ripe late summer tomatoes was sweet and delicious, the last for a while. Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to Tomatoes” will help us remember!
The street filled with tomatoes midday, summer, light is halved like a tomato, its juice runs through the streets. In December, unabated, the tomato invades the kitchen, it enters at lunchtime, takes its ease on countertops, among glasses, butter dishes, blue saltcellars. It sheds its own light, benign majesty. Unfortunately, we must murder it: the knife sinks into living flesh, red viscera, a cool sun, profound, inexhausible, populates the salads of Chile, happily, it is wed to the clear onion, and to celebrate the union we pour oil, essential child of the olive, onto its halved hemispheres, pepper adds its fragrance, salt, its magnetism; it is the wedding of the day, parsley hoists its flag, potatoes bubble vigorously, the aroma of the roast knocks at the door, it’s time! come on! and, on the table, at the midpoint of summer, the tomato, star of earth, recurrent and fertile star, displays its convolutions, its canals, its remarkable amplitude and abundance, no pit, no husk, no leaves or thorns, the tomato offers its gift of fiery color and cool completeness.
It’s been a busy fall; I have been meaning to complete an entry about summer travels, but time flies! Here finally, is the belated second part of the Knodels and Papardella blog!
After my travel buddy Carol and I choose our destination, one of my favorite parts of the planning process is researching the local food and restaurants; I make reservations and the rest of the itinerary easily falls into place!
The ambitious plan for our most recent trip was to visit Munich, Salzburg, Ljubliana in Slovenia, Trieste and Bolzano. We flew into Munich on Condor (a smaller German airline). We entered an upgrade lottery and lucked out-we were moved up to Business Class and the seats to us in the middle were also empty!
We arrived early morning in Munich on a hot sunny June day; being too early to check into the Hotel Torbrau, we left our bags and spent the day walking slowly around the city, enjoying our surroundings while trying to ignore our growing jetlag.
That evening, our first dinner reservation on the trip was at Wirthaus in der Au, famous for a popular German dumpling specialty called Knodel.
The restaurant is located in the neighborhood Au, an artsy and leafy residential area that was once a working class quarter. It is outside the heart of the old town of Munich and next to the Isar River.
We were delighted to see a Knodel food truck painted with the title, “The Heavenly Knodel- Mobil” parked outside the restaurant!
We sat outdoors on a leafy patio and the food was wonderful; a creative modern take on traditional German food.
We started with a colorful appetizer plate that included bread, local cheeses and assorted dips.
We ordered a trio of Knodels and they were just as advertised on the food truck; heavenly- hearty, flavorful and at the same time light and not at all doughy.
We shared a delicious dish of pan seared brook trout and somehow managed to find room for dessert; a traditional German apple pancake with a berry compote and creme anglaise.
Pan Seared SalmonApple Pancake
After this wonderful feast we returned to our hotel and fell into a blissful sleep!
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The next day, we enjoyed breakfast on the balcony of our hotel and then spent the day visiting art museums. We walked through the bustling town to the beautiful Alte Pinakothek that was built in 1868.
Here is a description of the museum from their website:
A world-class gallery: the Alte Pinakothek (Old Pinakothek) in Munich is home to an outstanding collection of European paintings, stretching from the 14th to the 18th century.
Many of the 700 pieces on display represent high points in the history of art, including Albrecht Dürer’s epochal “Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight Years Old Wearing a Coat with Fur Collar” from 1500. As the owner of the painting “Madonna of the Carnation” (which was painted in around 1473), the Alte Pinakothek is the only German museum to have its very own Leonardo da Vinci.
Visitors can also see pieces by Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, Rembrandt and Boucher. Albert Altdorfer’s painting “The Battle of Alexander at Issus”, which is on show in the Pinakothek, is one of the first paintings to come from the Wittelsbach family’s original collection.
My friend Carol is an amazingly talented visual artist, so it was a special treat to visit the Alte Pinakothek with her- she became my personal art guide! We decided to concentrate on a few paintings and I asked Carol to tell me anything that came to mind as we enjoyed the artwork. We first chose Albert Durer’s famous self portrait, “Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight Years Old Wearing a Coat with a Fur Collar”.
Albrecht Durer- “Self Portrait at 28 Years Old”
Carol mentioned that this painting could be considered a breakthrough in the way Durer depicted emotional realism and psychological depth. We were transfixed by the expressiveness of the eyes.
We were also mesmerized by the exquisite detail in Jan Bruegel’s painting “Large Bouquet of Flowers”.
Jan Bruegel-“Large Bouquet of Flowers”
We arrived in Salzburg on an atmospheric day; cool and cloudy.
We checked into our beautiful and elegant five star Bristol Hotel across the street from the Mozart Wohnhaus (family residence)! We had decided to give ourselves one special hotel treat!
Before we headed out to see explore the town, we could not resist a few minutes of hilarity in the elegantly mirrored bathroom!
We were thrilled to walk in the small ancient musty rooms decorated with manuscripts, instruments and paintings; a display case held the tiny violin that Mozart played as a young child!
Kitchen- Mozart Geburtshaus
That evening, our dinner reservation was at Maxim im Weiherwirt, a beautiful upscale restaurant with creative and lighter Austrian cuisine. It was located in a town about 15 minutes from Salzburg, across from the Leopoldskroner Weiher lake. Distant mountains and the Leopold Castle are perched on a nearby hillside.
We started our dinner with a simple salad made with delicate local lettuces and tomatoes dressed with a light vinaigrette.
We enjoyed the salads with frosty classes of Austrian beer and freshly baked bread.
I ordered spring pea soup that was a rich treat; creamy and garnished with chives and crispy bits of guanciale topped with an egg that I stirred into the piping hot soup- delicious!
Carol enjoyed grilled pork loin with mixed grains and glazed carrots in a light wine sauce.
Sauteed trout served over peas and greens and topped with toasted couscous was light and delicious.
We had a bit of room left to share light and airy Rhubarb Pana Cotta with fresh strawberries and creme fraiche.
We lingered over dessert as the sun started to set over the lake.
A warm light glowed from the restaurant window as we took a leisurely after dinner stroll around the lake.
The next morning we awoke to a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed the opulent breakfast buffet at our hotel.
We took one last walk around town and discovered the Mirabellgarten that includes the Troll Garten with adorable and captivating tiny statues that date from the Renaissance.
As we walked around admiring the small statues, I noticed several ancient stalwart trees standing guard with troll like features begging to be included as “Trees of the Week“!
“TREES OF THE WEEK FROM SALZBURG”!
“We’ve been in the Troll Garden for a Very Long Time!“
Then we were off to our next destination to Lbjuliana in Slovenia.
Part Three of the blog- Trieste and Bolzano will come soon!
I hope this blog is an antidote to our crazy world and that it brings you pleasure and a bit of a respite for you!
I am back from an amazing eight day whirlwind trip with my travel buddy Carol to Munich, Salzburg, Ljubjiana in Slovenia, Trieste and Bolzano! With many wonderful art and food adventures, I am just starting to sort through pictures; a few blog entries are soon to come.
In the meantime, here is a short blog from closer to home with a cooling recipe for a no-bake blueberry and strawberry tart to beat the heat!
On one of the hottest days last week, we found a cool shady picnic spot with a heavenly breeze at the Bryant Homestead in Cummington, Massachusetts.
In the distance was a sunny field dotted with wildflowers. I ventured briefly into the hot sunny meadow and discovered that it was filled with beautiful “Devil’s Paintbrush” wildflowers.
On the way home, we stopped off at The Old Creamery Coop for cold drinks; jars of organic blueberry spread with no added sugar were for sale. I imagined that this would be good for a fruit tart with the jam spread on the bottom of the crust.
Usually at this time of the year, I look forward to picking sweet succulent organic strawberries at the Thompson Finch Farm in Ancramdale, New York. It was much to hot to think about venturing out into the sun. Luckily, the kind people at Thompson Finch offered to head out very early in the morning to beat the heat to pick berries, with a very generous price of one dollar more a pound. I quickly accepted their offer and drove out to the farm in the early evening to pick up my order. Almost back home with a heaping 10 pound box of berries that perfumed our car with their sweet fragrance, a family of red foxes was crossing the main road. Cars stopped in both directions and we were treated to the fox parents, one in front and the other in the back slowly shepherding three furry adorable fox pups safely across. It was a lovely end to a hot summer day in the country!
Now, with strawberries in hand, my tart idea was complete. I pre -baked an olive oil crust; you could also use a purchased graham cracker crust. I made a filling with whole milk Greek yogurt, vanilla and maple syrup. I heaped this into the crust spread with the blueberry jam and topped it with fresh blueberries and the sweetest strawberries imaginable; very easy to make, cooling and rich tasting!
ENJOY!
No-Bake Blueberry and Strawberry Tart
Filling:
1 1/2 cups whole milk Greek yoogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup maple syrup (or to taste)
Whisk together ingredients and place in refrigerator while preparing crust
Topping:
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and patted dry on paper towel
1 cup or more fresh strawberries, washed and patted dry on paper towel
Cut strawberries in half if small or slice if larger
For Bottom of Pie Crust:
Organic Blueberry Jam to- best if just sweetened with fruit juice
Olive Oil Crust:
3/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I used Spectrum Organic-All Vegetable Shortening).
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt
3 tablespoons ice water (more if necessary)
Make Pastry Crust:
Combine flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Add olive oil, shortening, yogurt and ice water.
Process until the mixture forms a ball. You may need to add a bit more ice water, add 1 tablespoon at a time.
Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let gluten in the dough relax.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
Bring dough to room temperature and roll out into a large thin circle.
Place dough in a pie tin and line the pie tin with a sheet of parchment paper.
Prick dough on bottoms and sides with a fork.
Place coffee beans or pie weights over the paper and bake in the oven about 10 minutes. This is called “baking blind” and helps to prevent the crust from shrinking away from the sides.
After 10 minutes, carefully remove the paper and weights and continue baking the crust about 15-20 minutes more until it is lightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.
To Assemble Pie:
Spread pie crust with about 2-3 tablespoons blueberry jam.
Spoon in yogurt filling.
Heap berries on top- can be eaten immediately or refrigerated for a few hours before serving.
On a cool and cloudy day, we took a short walk at the Joffe Nature Sanctuary in New Marlborough, Massachusetts. My eye caught a lone maple leaf floating gently on the shallow marsh pond.
As we strolled on the trail that loops around the idyllic marsh, we composed haikus about the leaf. Here is what we came up with (mostly my husband Paul’s invention!)
Leaves in the pond-light
Life dances around us, bright
Time flows, a grace note
At the end of the loop, we returned to the pond to check out our lone maple leaf- it was now joined by four leaves; the sun had broken through the clouds. The light had changed the image dramatically.
That afternoon, the cool weather put me in the mood for baking and I thought of the vegan peanut butter cookies from the cozy Woodstar Cafe in Northhampton, MA. Those cookies and iced chai were my special treat during Covid and one of my best mood elevators. After eating many of these treats, I decided to try to concoct my own version and originally published it in a blog post in December 2021: “Hemlock Heaven and Bear Swamp”. The ingredients are healthy and include almond flour, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, chunky peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup. You can also add chunks of dark chocolate. They are chewy, delicious and slightly addictive. I hope you enjoy making these!
EASY One Bowl Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Pre-heat oven to 350
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
Ingredients:
1 cup crunchy peanut butter* see note
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
handful chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup soy milk of mixture is too dry.
To make cookies:
In a medium sized bowl, mix together peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Combine well with a large spoon.
Add almond flour, ground flax seed and baking powder. Mix well, the batter will be stiff, but not dry.
If the mixture is too crumbly, add about 1/4 cup soy milk.
I like to get my hands into the batter and form the dough into a large ball. It should feel like the consistency of play dough!
Form batter into small balls- I made 15, but you could make fewer larger cookies.
Press gently with a fork to make a criss cross pattern.
Bake in middle of oven for about 1o minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are light brown- the cookies will still feel quite soft.
Note* I used peanut butter that was salted. If you use an unsalted brand, add about 1/2 teaspoon salt to the batter.
AND: Here is the “Tree of the Week”
” Not Sure it’s Safe Out There“Joffe Nature Sanctuary
A thick blanket of snow fell overnight and as I write this blog, ice is decorating pine needles and branches of the trees. We made a decision to stay cozily inside with a warm fire in the woodstove.
All week long, I had been craving chocolate desserts, wanting to dive into a slab of fudgy rich chocolate cake slathered in ganache. I remembered an easy one dish vegan chocolate cake filled with chocolate pudding that I featured in a February 2022 post. It was easy to make, tasted completely decadent and best of all was made with stevia, coconut sugar and with no eggs or butter.
This is what I made today and we just finished big slices that were decorated with fresh raspberries and toasted pecans. It was fudgy, moist and tasted very rich. We enjoyed it with 2 mugs of frothy decaf Cafe au Lait- a perfect guilt free treat for a snowy day!
Snowy Day Chocolate Pudding Vegan Chocolate Cake
Cake Ingredients:
1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar*- see note
1 cup water
To Make Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease and line one 8×10 cake pan with greased wax or parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth.
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake, the cake should remain soft and fudgy. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Remove cake from pan, peel off wax paper and place on rack to cool.
Chocolate Pudding Filling– adapted from Chocolate Cake by Michele Urvater
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup coconut sugar or monk fruit ( this makes a very bittersweet pudding, feel free to add up to 1/2 to 3/4 sweetener.)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond or soy milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 ounces dark chocolate chopped (I used Equal Exchange Extremely Dark chocolate, but you could semi or bittersweet chocolate for a sweeter taste)
To make the pudding:
In a small mixing bowl, with a fork or small whisk, combine the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of the milk.
In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the remaining 1 cup milk to a simmer with the sugar, stirring occasionally so the milk does not boil over. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Whisk the cornstarch and milk in the bowl again to make sure the cornstarch is dissolved, and add this to the hot milk and sugar mixture. Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to a simmer until the mixture thickens, whisking constantly. Remove from the hear and add chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts into the mixture. Stir in almond extract. Put pudding in a bowl and refrigerate until cold.
To fill the cake:
Carefully slice cake with a serrated bread knife in half and place one piece on a plate. Spread half of pudding mixture and place other half on top.
Spread remaining pudding on top and decorate with raspberries and toasted pecans. This would also be nice to decorate with sliced strawberries and chocolate chips.
* I was curious to find out why vinegar was called for in the recipe. For the kitchen science geeks, it turns out that vinegar reacts with baking soda to create a chemical reaction that makes the crumb of the cake light and tender!
Outside the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the hills in the distance were gray and foreboding and the wind chill was sharp and bitingly cold; what better time to be inside!
We were delighted to discover a special exhibition at the Clark: Wall Power! Modern French Tapestry from the Mobilier national, Paris. The exhibit displayed a wide range of tapestries created by contemporary artists from the 1920’s to today. Artists, weavers and dyers revived ancient techniques and created bold and daring new works of art. The room was full of brilliant colors and patterns; warming to the soul.
The beautifully curated exhibit included the following insightful commentary:
“Since the middle of the 20th century, the art of tapestry has continued to offer a vast field of expression to major artists, to the most varied trends and plastic research: Picasso, Matisse, Miró, Delaunay, but also to abstract artists (Hartung, Vasarely) non-figurative (Nemours, Bazaine), part of Minimal Art, new realism (Hains), narrative figuration (Erro, Aillaud) or the Supports-Surfaces group (Buraglio, Rouan, Pincemin). More recently, Louise Bourgeois, Bertrand Lavier, Sheila Hicks or Orlan have distinguished themselves with their woven creations. In perpetual evolution, the works created by the Manufactures nationales reflect the most diverse trends in contemporary art”.
“A Thousand Wildflowers” by Dom Robert, a Benedictine Monk, recalled wildflower fields that were popular in the Middle Ages.
“A Thousand Wildflowers”- Dom Roberts (1907-1997)
Several of the tapestries were designed from existing works of art and then woven. Designing a work and then weaving it with a team of weavers, can take up to 2 or 3 years.
“Swallow Love”- Joan Miro (1893-1983)“Evening Music“-Pauline Peugniez-1890-1987“The Woman with the Lute”- Henri Matisse (1869-1954)“The Vines of Volnay”- Michel Tourliere (1925-2004)
The French artist Michel Tourliere who lived from 1925-2004, came from wine country in Burgundy and specialized in designing woven tapestries. His works often depict landscapes from Burgundy.
We also viewed stunning contemporary works by the American artist Kiki Smith and the French artist Jean Messagier.
“Seven Seas”- Kiki Smith (American-born Germany 1954)“Red Flames”- Jean Messagier (1920-1999)
At the end of the exhibit, it was fascinating to see the back of “Red Flames”; a work of art in itself!
And then, back home for some hearty soup!
I had roasted a chicken with basil pesto slipped under the skin and was looking for a use for the leftover chicken. I decided to make a quick stock with the remaining chicken carcass. I threw the chicken bones along with a carrot, onion, celery, thyme, peppercorns, salt and bay leaf into a big pot, covered it with water and let it simmer on the stove for a few hours and then strained the stock and discarded the solids. The result was a delicate basil scented stock, just right for beans and kale! I defatted the stock and added chopped, onion and carrot, a can of white beans and a small bunch of chopped lacinato kale. Along with bay leaf, dried thyme, dried sage and dill, I simmered the soup until all of the vegetables were tender. I added leftover chopped chicken and a small package of cooked tortellini. Sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and grated pecorino cheese, this was truly a heartwarming winter soup! ENJOY!!
Pesto Chicken, Kale, White Bean and Tortellini Soup
Ingredients for Pesto Chicken Stock
Leftover chicken bones
3 quarts water
one onion cut in half
1 large carrot roughly chopped
1 stalk celery with leaves roughly chopped
1 clove garlic peeled and smashed
2 teaspoons salt
10-12 whole peppercorns
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Ingredients for soup:
3 quarts defatted pesto chicken Stock (home made is best, but you can use store bought and add a tablespoon of pesto)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium carrot chopped
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
leftover chicken cut into small pieces
8-10 lacinato kale leaves
1 can cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 bay leaf
1 small package tortellini (I used Kite Hill tortellini with almond milk ricotta)
To Make Soup:
In a large pot, heat olive oil and add chopped onion. Saute a few minutes until onion softens. Add chicken stock and all other ingredients, except tortellini and cut up chicken.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered about an hour until vegetables are very tender. Cook tortellini according to directions on package and add to soup along with the leftover cut up chicken.
Serve with freshly ground pepper and sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese!
Christmas at Thousand Acre Swamp-New Marlborough, MA
The New Year is upon us; the last few weeks have been a happy blur of visits with dear friends and family. We have enjoyed wonderful meals together for both Christmas and Hanukah. This blog will feature a festive fruit tart that we served for Christmas and delicious chocolate and apricot rugelach that our daughter Lev made to celebrate Hanukah. Luckily we were able to go on a few hikes to work off the rich food!
Hanukah Latkes!!
One day, we walked at a a favorite place; Thousand Acre Swamp in New Marlborough, Massachusetts with serene trails that wind through pine forests and overlook a beautiful swamp.
Thousand Acre Swamp
Delicate princess pines peeked demurely through a light cover of snow.
Thousand Acre Swamp
Another day we enjoyed a late leisurely breakfast at the newly reopened Roadside Diner in Monterey, MA. The diner is operated by Gould Farm, a therapeutic community. Just down the road is the lovely 1.5 mile Diane’s Trail that winds through Gould Farm, along a wetland habitat and the Rawson Brook.
Diane’s Trail, Gould Farm- Monterey, MA
As we walked alongside the marsh, sunlight sparkled on the ice.
We trekked over a wooden bridge and saw what we thought was a large bird’s nest, made from branches lining the sides of the brook.
A bit further on, we came upon another branch sculpture that was definitely made by people or a large creative bird!
Diane’s Trail-Gould Farm
Back out of the cold, we returned home to our baking projects.
We planned a small Hanukah party and our daughter Lev, who is an excellent baker, offered to make rugelach. For those not familiar with this delicacy, the pastry can be traced back to medieval times in Eastern Europe within the Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Poland.
Various fillings of nuts, chocolate, apricot and raspberry jams are encased in a delicate cream cheese based pastry. Lev even made a sugar free version for my husband, using dried apricots and chopped Lily’s Stevia chocolate.
Apricot and Chocolate Rugelach (Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com)
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
Fillings:
½ cup plus 4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (or toasted pecans!)
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots (for sugar free version)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted with 1 tablespoon bitter, mixed with enough cinnamon sugar to make a paste similar to Nutella.
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped. Pecans are also great!
Milk for brushing cookies
Special equipment: parchment paper; a small offset spatula
Preparation
Step 1:Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until combined well. Add flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Gather dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then flatten (in wrap) into a roughly 7×5″ rectangle. Chill until firm, 8 to 24 hours.
Step 2:Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of 1–1½”-deep large shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 3:Cut dough into 4 pieces. Chill 3 pieces, wrapped in plastic wrap, and roll out remaining piece into a 12×8″ rectangle on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment, then transfer to a tray and chill while rolling out remaining dough in same manner, transferring each to another sheet of parchment and stacking on tray.
Step 4:Whisk ½ cup sugar with cinnamon.
Step 5:Arrange 1 dough rectangle on work surface with a long side nearest you. For Apricot Rugelach: Spread ¼ cup preserves evenly over dough with offset spatula and a rounded ¼ cup walnuts over jam, then sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar. For Chocolate Rugelach, melt 2 ounces chocolate and mix with enough cinnamon sugar to make a coarse paste, similar to Nutella in texture. Spread evenly over dough and then sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped walnuts on top.
Step 6:Using parchment as an aid, roll up dough tightly into a log. Place, seam side down, in lined baking pan, then pinch ends closed and tuck underneath. Make 3 more logs in same manner and arrange 1″ apart in pan. Brush logs with milk and sprinkle each with 1 tsp. of remaining granulated sugar. With a sharp large knife, make ¾”-deep cuts crosswise in dough (not all the way through) at 1″ intervals. (If dough is too soft to cut, refrigerate until firmer, 20–30 minutes.)
Step 7:Bake until golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool to warm on baking sheet set atop wire rack, about 30 minutes, then transfer logs to a cutting board and slice cookies all the way through.
ENJOY!!
I created this fruit tart for my husband. There is only a small amount of coconut sugar (very low glycemic index) in the pastry filling and no sugar in the fruit. It is light and refreshing; totally guilt free!
Festive Fruit Tart
Pastry Filling:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons coconut sugar (more if sweeter taste is desired)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pastry Crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup whole grain spelt four
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening (I like the organic Spectrum brand)
3 or more tablespoons ice water
Fruit Topping:
1 large ripe kiwi- cut into think slices
1 /2 raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries
Make the Pastry Filling:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the almond milk.
In a small sauce pan over low heat, bring the almond milk to a simmer with the coconut sugar.
Whisk in the remaining almond milk and stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly. It will become much thicker after it cools.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Refrigerate a few hours until very cold and the mixture has thickened. This can be made a day in advance.
Make the pastry crust:
In the bowl of a food processor combine flours, salt, butter and shortening until just combined.
Add the ice water and process until a ball shape forms. You may need to add more water a tablespoon at a time.
Refrigerate at least one hour.
Bring pastry dough to room temperature.
Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees Farenheit
On a floured surface, roll the dough out and place into a pie dish. Trim and crimp edges. The crust will be completely baked and cooled before filling.
Prick the crust all over lightly with a fork and line the crust with a large sheet of parchment paper. Add pie weights (I use old coffee beans) to crust and bake in oven about 10 minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and pie weights; continue to bake crust until it is lightly browned all over. If the edges seem to be browning too quickly, cover the edges with a small amount of foil. The crust will bake aprox. 15-20 minutes more.
Cool completely and then add cold pastry filling. Decorate with fruit and serve!
A last Winter’s Solstice blog for 2024! Here are some of my favorite late afternoon pictures from our shortest days of the year. Many thanks to my loyal followers. Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday and a Healthy New Year!
I can’t resist adding pictures with beautiful abstract patterns!
AND: Here’s a pic of our new house peeking through the woods!
STAY WARM AND COZY!
Here’s a recipe for Smoky Tomato Soup, that we had on a recent lunch at the newly reopened Roadside Diner in Monterey, Massachusetts. We enjoyed our version of soup with Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Chicken featured in my recent blog:https://wordpress.com/post/musicianstravels.com/9143 along with a green salad.
Smoky Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
2 large cans (28 ounce) whole plum tomatoes
1 small stalk celery finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 small carrot finely chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup water- more if needed
To make soup:
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add onions.
Saute onions until slightly softened. Add carrots and celery. A bit of chopped fennel might also be good! Cook a few minutes.
Add tomatoes and rest of ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook about 1 hour. Add more water if soup is too thick.
Remove Bay leaf and puree with an immersion blender. Remaining chunks of vegetables are fine.
A Musician's Travels 