There is nothing comparable to fresh spices, sold at market, from a stall crammed with tubs and bins of all shapes and sizes. Holding so many treasures, you can lose yourself in the aisles and in your culinary musings. But then you regain your focus, and place tubs of garam masala, cayenne as bright as a blazing summer day, and earthy cumin seeds on the counter for weighing. Then on to the fresh ingredients. The trinity of ginger, garlic, and onions. A forest of spinach, vibrant Serrano chiles, and the mild squeak of paneer.  Lamb and chicken to marinate and braise to fragrant perfection.

My boyfriend and I spent a Sunday in the kitchen together not too long ago preparing a dinner party with these beautiful ingredients, giving me the chance to expand my home cooking horizons to South Asian cooking. I’m a huge fan of the flavors, as is he, and he makes a gorgeous Chicken Tikka Masala. A colleague gave me a modern Indian cookbook as a thoughtful holiday gift, knowing that I’d been wanting to try making some of the dishes myself. We added Lamb Korma, Saag Paneer, Onion Bhajis, homemade Naan, and a cake from the book that I put a few spins on to our menu – simmering blood oranges until tender, soaking saffron threads in warm milk until they infuse it with their golden color, and combining ground pistachios and almonds with egg yolks, sugar, and cardamom before folding in the soft peaky whites. We served the cake with pistachio ice cream – prompting a “mmmmmmmmm!” from our youngest diner! It was a wonderful way to try a number of dishes we love at home, and share them with friends.

None of the recipes were my own, so I have not shared them, but I am sharing a few pictures:

Saag Paneer:

Homemade Naan:

Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Korma:

Here in the Mid-Atlantic, coconut, peanut butter, or buttercream chocolate-covered eggs are ubiquitous at Easter. If you like them, you typically have a preferred flavor of the bunch, and coconut gets my vote! These are simple to make, deep and rich in flavor, and are not terribly sweet. After Easter, they’re perfect for a candy fix in any shape you like.

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Well, goodness! I cannot believe it’s been so long since my last post and I apologize for being gone for so long. I return to blogging today with a recipe I’ve developed over the past few years for a carrot-coconut coffee cake studded with slivered almonds. It’s a different take on carrot cake, and great for breakfast, too!

Carrot-coconut coffee cake

2 1/4 cups spelt flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup melted salted butter

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup honey (a lighter one such as wildflower or clover)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups shredded carrots

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, almonds, and coconut and stir to mix. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and honey. Add the carrots and stir to mix. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 9″ round or square 9 1/2″ by 9 1/2″ pan as I’ve done here, and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out with a crumb or two clinging to it.

A posset is almost an egg-less custard; a magic suspension of citrus in cream and sugar. It’s a very old English dessert (dating to the Middle Ages), is deceptively simple, and is nowhere near as rich as you might imagine. This is a creamsicle in nearly drinkable form. I unfortunately don’t have a picture of it, but if you make it, send me yours!

Blood orange posset

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange blossom honey

Juice and zest of two blood oranges (any variety)

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring regularly to dissolve the sugar. Allow the mixture to come up to a boil, and stir constantly to avoid bubbling over. Let it boil for approximately two minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour into pudding cups, juice glasses, or small bowls and chill for at least three hours. Note: posset is a soft-set dessert; it will not set as an egg-based custard would. Also, if you’ve got fiori di sicilia (see my post on ricotta cheesecake), I think a drop or two would be perfection in this.

Happy Pancake Day/Mardi Gras/Fastnacht Day (if you are from Pennsylvania)! Pain d’epices is a French gingerbread from Dijon, and I thought it might translate well into pancake form. It’s not too sweet, deep and spicy, with brightness from orange zest.

Pain d’épices pancakes

Yield: 8-10 medium-sized pancakes

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

1/2 cup rye flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1/8 tsp. ground aniseed (optional)

1 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

2 tsp. honey (wildflower, orange blossom, clover, whatever you like)

1 egg

1 tbsp. melted butter, plus extra for cooking

1 cup milk

1/4 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda, spices, and orange zest. Make a well in the middle, and add the honey, egg, melted butter, milk and buttermilk and whisk to combine. Melt a little butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook pancakes until a few bubbles form, then flip and cook for another minute or two until done. Serve with butter and honey. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

If you ever have the chance to, you must go to Croatia. It’s a truly stunning country with water unlike any I’d seen before, so much history to explore, incredible people to meet, and simple, yet lovely food. The air was full of thyme, oregano, figs, and salt water. I had so many memorable meals, and anyone whom I’ve talked to about it has known that it left a big impression upon me. The first Croatian meal I had was a savory pastry, a burek, on the flight from Zürich to Split, served with wine (heaven!) while being dazzled by the teal ringed-islands that began to appear below. Upon landing, the airport was surrounded by an olive grove, and I knew I’d come to a place I would love.

My mother’s cuisine involves the Armenian version of this, an Ottoman creation that followed them through Europe and the Middle East. I was inspired by the flavors I had in subsequent days in Split, on the islands of Hvar and Korçula, in Dubrovnik, and in Montenegro, and devised my twist on this classic. The combined scent of thyme and oregano is inexplicably Croatian to me now, and these baking took me right back.

Croatian butternut squash and cheese burek

Yield: 8

2/3 cup butternut squash purée (see note)

1/3 cup of fresh ricotta, drained of excess liquid

1/2 cup finely grated paski sir (a Croatian hard cheese that is fairly available in the US)

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1/3 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/3 tsp. white pepper

1 lb. puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the squash purée, cheeses, olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl until light and fluffy. Set aside. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the puff pastry. Cut into eight rectangles, and fill each with about a tablespoon of the squash mixture. Fold over and crimp with a fork to seal the edges. Brush the tops with the beaten egg, and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a deep golden brown and flaky.

Note: If you are making your own squash purée, be sure to let it drain of excess liquid after roasting and puréeing.

An afternoon swim on the island of Korçula.

Apricots are such a delicate reminder of summer, and all too often, end up bruised and discarded after their fleeting ripeness. I was able to find some early season ones over the weekend, and wanted to keep them in a way. I don’t have an ice cream maker at the moment, but an Italian semifreddo is made without one and has a melting velvety texture that works so well with fragrant, slightly tart apricots, honey, and vanilla. Semifreddo, meaning “half frozen,” is a true treat.

Apricot semifreddo

6 medium ripe apricots, washed and scored gently on one end (just enough to pierce the skin, not the fruit itself)

2 cups chilled heavy cream

3/4 cup raw honey

7 egg yolks

Seeds scraped from half of a vanilla bean

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and drop apricots in for about two minutes. Remove from the heat and rinse under cold water. Pat dry and gently peel the skins from the fruit. Stone the apricots and chop. They will be very juicy, but make sure you reserve the juice from the cutting board.

In a large bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. In a medium metal bowl, combine egg yolks and honey. Place over the simmering saucepan and whisk constantly until the mixture is opaque, glossy, and has doubled in size. This will take anywhere from 10-15 minutes. When the mixture is ready, take the bowl off the heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer (or have a handheld mixer ready). Add the vanilla and beat on high speed until the mixture is very light and has cooled, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 in a handheld mixer. Gently fold in the cream, followed by the chopped apricots and reserved juice. Pour into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, and freeze overnight. Note: the semifreddo will not freeze completely like ice cream.