Cooking- thanks to Mom, Jane, Cesar, and Veronica (with props to Mike)

The following is a post from by old blog, ab.  I love this story and want to share it again, just a little over 6 years later.  Things change but they don't change much.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Cooking- thanks to Mom, Jane, Cesar, and Veronica (with props to Mike)

I love food. I probably got this from my mom, who enjoys to be decadent when it comes to food (picture a 3 year-old in her mother's kitchen, finding a stick of warm butter on the counter...oh no, mom's coming! what to do? pop the whole thing in your mouth, of course! her mom says, 'what's in your mouth, Janice?' and all she can do is smile, melted butter oozing from the corner of her mouth) yet who, on the flip-side, instilled in me the necessity of a well-balanced plate at every meal. She went through her health food phase (I remember walking down the aisle of the musty-smelling shop listening to The Tide is High by Blondie and peering into all the dry food bins of different grains and colors, then spinning the seed packet rack beside them) but never cut herself off from a pint of chocolate Haagen Dazs and a chug of extra rich milk almost daily during her pregnancy with one or all of my brothers. Through it all she managed to keep her slim figure (good genes combined with youth and lots of running around chasing kids). I only hope the same fate will be mine when the time comes to have my own little one(s).

I love to make food. I also got started with this thanks to mom again- she let me help her make and bake anything she was working on in the kitchen. We probably made chocolate chip cookies a hundred times but it never got old. I kept the flow going when opportunity arose- my first job working as a barista at The Grind in Oakhurst, CA expanded as the shop did, first with an ice cream parlor addition and then a kitchen in the back. I jumped at the chance to try something new so I happily built up my forearms to scoop hard pack ice cream in the summer and my biceps in the fall to whip eggs as the cook's assistant.
I can be very aggressive when it comes to work, something that suprised my fellow high school classmates back during that first job.
This quiet girl who barely says two words to anyone she doesn't know well talks up the owner, Jane, of the only hip cafe in her quiet little tourist town, at age 15. Jane tells her she and her husband only hire kids who are 16 and older but the girl coerces them to hire her by her sheer persistence. I can still see Jane shaking her head and smiling. And so this girl learned to make the perfect espresso shot and the trick to making a good milk foam. She popped chocolate covered espresso beans and drank coffee and revelled in the aroma. Harmony and Melanie and Ronnie all thought she was trying to impress the boss by mopping the floor so thoroughly, but really, she enjoyed the work.
It continued on in college when she got a job at Noah's Bagels as a sandwich girl. When Tatum quit (she herself this pint-sized badass with a gravelly voice, probably in her mid-twenties) she again coerced her boss, Cesar, into thinking it was somehow a good idea to train a 19 year-old dance student to bake bagels (not hand-rolled unfortunately- wish I learned that skill- but it still took a lot of steps to make a good bagel from its frozen state). She had to get up when her roomates were still partying and carried keys to the place. She always considered herself a morning person but is 3:30am really morning? Had to tell herself it was or else she'd have a little panic attack...somehow if a friend said 'you work so late!' she'd look at them like they were cross-eyed. She enjoyed the quiet of the mornings and having the place all to herself, allowing her to work at her own pace and listen to the entire Pink album of Sunny Day Real Estate on repeat while seeding bagels. She was proud of her Popeye arms and her battle wounds- inch-long, razor thin scars all up the knife edge of her forearms from the baking racks.

Again and again she talked people into believing in her abilities, trusting that even though she didn't have experience YET for the job, she would learn quickly and eagerly.
Veronica believed in her when she decided to quit waiting tables and try her hand at pastry cooking. A feisty Argentinian femina with long black hair wearing baggy chef's checks cinched with a belt over her petite frame met her in the bar area of Marseille and asked her about her experience: did you go to school for cooking? no? well, good, I believe in experience over lessons any day. V had the girl make something in the basement kitchen as a test; I think it was her fruit ceviche in a chocolate cup. Much later they were reminded of that first day and she said the girl's hands were shaking but she did a good job. She was hired and learned how to temper chocolate (something I'm still not a pro at) and make caramel and tuiles and clafoutis. She kept a notebook of her daily work following Veronica's lead and it quickly became covered in batters of different sorts. Then, more battle wounds to be proud of.
These jobs were cut short for various reasons- moving, not enough pay, yada yada yada- but she somehow kept going back. It's not easy work and you have to deal with agressive cooks in the kitchen...the biggest hurdle in that situation no matter how you handle it is the fact that you're one of the few females in the kitchen, like it or not. Ask Anthony Bourdain- the kitchen, depite what Betty Draper may tell you, is a man's world. The girl started off dealing with this meekly. She put her head down and got to work, but wouldn't know how to respond to the razzing. Veronica's style was fierce- she would whip her head around and scream at anyone who made a low comment, and the girl admired her for it. Sometimes it was a little to aggro for her taste and V didn't seems to have many friends in the kitchen, but she didn't really care. She just wanted to make her chocolate peanut butter tart shell and no one was going to get in her way in making it perfect. She tried on Veronica's style but realized it wasn't hers. Yelling at the guys just shook her up and made her angry. She tried to go along with the guys cocky style but the language didn't fit well in her mouth and in the end she was most comfortable when laying low and doing her thing. Cooks came and went and eventually she met her buddy, Mike, a line cook and sous chef who would make her tuna with black sesame seeds one night when things got slow and foie gras on another night. I'm sure she gained a few pounds at that place. I mean, someone needs to taste the caramel ice cream to make sure it turned out tasty, right?

In between it all she worked with many a kid, starting with her brothers and then neighborhood kids, assisting when she was in jr. high and high school at the elementary school as a class, and various teaching and nannying along the way. 

It has been a ping pong match of sorts- kids- food- kids- food...the last run was kids for a good stretch...will food be next? No matter what I still have a kitchen at home, even though it is too small for what I try to accomplish in it. It's laughable, really- I become a quiet storm in there, unable to make only one thing at a time (I'm a compulsive multi-tasker at heart and ask anyone who knows: working in any part of a restaurant aids in this compulsion). I dare you to try to enter the kitchen when I'm making something- George has tried and only winds up ducking out. It's a little dangerous in our little city kitchen: last night alone I had a plate of seasoned bread crumbs balanced on the toaster oven, a dish of egg wash teetering on the edge of the sink, stacks of eggplant in various stages of being cooked on our little slip of a counter and the stove top and the trash can lid (ahh! I want more counter space!!) but of course I don't stop there- I had a nagging need to finish rolling my matcha truffles and at the same time baking off the rest of my carrot souffle. I'm a basketcase. And it's time for lunch.

Getting my toddler to eat more veggies (and fruit, and protein, and...)

My soon-to-be 3-year old doesn't usually ask for what he wants- he'd sooner just silently try to get it himself.  He's done this as soon as he was mobile, he's a super independent kid who knows what he wants and apparently doesn't need any help getting it.  But if I let him do this when he's hungry he'd open the fridge and choose string cheese, yogurt, maybe strawberries...that's about it.  He doesn't like to be pushed into anything, it deters him even more.  Occasionally I'll be able to leave something on his plate and he'll try it eventually, but not enough to make me feel like he's getting enough balanced nutrients in his diet.

For breakfast I shove tons of goodness in smoothies- he likes those no matter what.  Sometimes on the weekends his dad takes him out to the local bagel shop for an egg and cheese and a muffin to share.  So the other day when he rejected my tasty banana oat pancakes and asked for a muffin, it made me think about muffins and how that could be a vehicle for good stuff.

What does he like about muffins?  The crunchy top (who doesn't love a muffin top?  In their baked goods, that is.  Never fun around the waist ;) ), a little sweetness, studded with something good like a blueberry.  Requirements.  Ok.

So I decided to make a healthy muffin recipe that can take on a variety of changes based on what I have in my fridge and pantry.

The basic elements of a muffin:
FLOUR
FAT
SUGAR
LEAVENER

TOPPINGS (OPTIONAL)

Baking is science, so some things don't work well.  Here are some options:

FLOUR: I like to mix it up and not make it solely all-purpose.  There are tons of flours out there will more nutritional content than white flour, all work a little differently in baked goods so it helps to have the right balance.
FAT: any will do.  I use coconut oil in this recipe but you can easily swap it for another oil, melted butter, or cut half the fat and add fruit puree or yogurt.  Just know that those last two swaps will change the batter quite a bit.
SUGAR: I use maple syrup but any can work- agave, honey, molasses, brown sugar...I like dark sugars for a more complex flavor but white is fine, too.
LEAVENER: I've been making these with silken tofu for added protein along with baking powder and baking soda, but you can obviously use an egg or, again, fruit puree with the baking powder & soda.
LIQUID: You'll need some sort of liquid to thin out the batter and also a little acid to activate the baking soda.  Fruit or veggie juice, milk, milk substitute like almond or coconut, along with lemon juice or vinegar will work.
TOPPINGS: For veggies I've tried any of these fresh & grated: carrot, zucchini, pumpkin or squash.  For fruit I've tried apple, peach (needs to be a semi-hard one), pear (again, pretty firm)...you can also try frozen fruit or dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
Cheese is totally optional.
SPICE: You don't need to add these ones, I just happen to like them.  Fennel has a lot of health benefits (antibacterial, aids digestion) as does cinnamon (same, and lowers blood sugar levels).  I use the sweeter ceylon cinnamon which also has very low Courmarin levels.
If you're curious: http://www.bfr.bund.de/en/faq_on_coumarin_in_cinnamon_and_other_foods-8487.html

And some tips:

FLOUR: Try half all purpose or gluten-free flour with 1/4 high protein flour like whole wheat, multigrain (I whiz oats or rolled multgrain in my coffee grinder or food processor), soy, amaranth...and another 1/4 a starch like tapioca, potato, sweet potato, corn...
But by all means just use all of one flour. I just like to mix it up for variety, texture and nutrition.

DRY MIX: no need to sift your flours but it helps to sift the baking soda and then get a whisk in there to incorporate and aerate the mix a bit.  Never tasty to wind up with a lump of dryness in your moist muffin.

TOPPINGS:  toss the shreds in the dry mix well so that it's completely coated before adding the wet.  This will keep the muffins from being too soggy!  If you'd like to use frozen fruit by all means do, just don't let them defrost before baking and do that same- coat in the dry mix.  Dried fruit and nuts don't need this step.

WET MIX:  take a minute to whisk the wet ingredients before adding to the dry. Better distribution, even muffins.  And once you add the wet, don't mix very long, just until the dry is mixed, then let your batter sit for 2 mins.  You'll see it get a little puffy, ready to be portioned and baked.  That's the baking soda reacting to the acid and giving your muffins lift!

By now you're like, get me my recipe already!  Ok ok, here it is:

Cheddar Apple Zucchini Muffins

preheat oven to 350 degrees

DRY MIX:
1/2c all purpose flour
1/4c whole wheat flour
1/4c tapioca flour
1/2Tbsp baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp ground fennel
1/4tsp salt

TOPPING MIX:
the measuring isn't too precise.  I used 1/4 apple and 1/4 zucchini the first time I made this.  Then squeeze some lemon juice or vinegar over it all.  Set aside 1/2c grated cheddar plus a little extra for the tops

WET MIX:
1/4c yogurt
1/8c tofu or 1/2 egg (why so little?  All the other wet stuff in this recipe makes it so)
1/8c unsweetened apple juice
1/4c maple syrup
1/8c coconut oil 
(I just layer this all in a wet measuring cup- the total wet ingredients equal almost 1 cup/ 7oz)

Add dry mix to the bowl, toss in toppings til coated, add your wet mix and fold in with a spatula til incorporated.  Let mix sit for a couple mins and scoop (you could use a spoon, but I happen to prefer a spring-loaded ice cream scoop) into lined or oiled muffin tins.  Top with a little more cheese if you like and bake for 20-35 mins depending on muffin size (I've been making minis); bake until golden brown on top and not mushy in the center.  Let cool and enjoy!  These last up to about a week in the fridge, just pop them in the toaster oven if you've got one to crisp them back up.

I know it's a lot of ingredients but like I said, I'm trying to get more nutrition in my toddler and they can be simplified if you like.  Just think of the main components that you'll need and change it up!

These come out crisp on the outside, kinda spongy soft inside (the starch helps with that), salty and sweet from the cheese with the fruit.