Super Natural Every Day (24 page)
Read Super Natural Every Day Online
Authors: Heidi Swanson
SERVES 4
One other simple Prosecco-based cocktail I enjoy on occasion starts with a tiny splash of
saba
in the base of a champagne flute followed by well-chilled Prosecco.
Saba
is made from the must of wine grapes reduced down to a syrup. It is sweet, fragrant, and complex and plays perfectly off the tart liveliness of the Prosecco.
TANGERINE JUICE, ORANGE JUICE, LEMON JUICE
 | I’m not someone who tosses back large glasses of juice to start the day, but I do like a tiny glass of freshly squeezed this or that on occasion. In the winter, we get an amazing range of citrus in San Francisco—oro blancos, Buddha’s hands, ruby grapefruits, cumquats, Kishu mandarins, Cara Cara oranges, and Meyer lemons to name a few. When citrus season comes around, I love to mix citrus juices for serving in small glasses. |
1 part freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1 part freshly squeezed orange juice
Splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
Combine the citrus juices in a small jug. Serve strained or not, well chilled, in small glasses.
SERVES 1 OR MORE
Experiment with whatever sweet, juiceable citrus is available in your area, starting with equal parts of each juice, and adjusting to taste. Some citrus juices are lower in acid than others, so I often balance things out with a squeeze of lemon juice, if needed. Alternatively, I like the way a touch of lime juice works with grapefruit juice.
GINGER, CARDAMOM, LIME JUICE, SPARKLING WATER
| I’m just beginning to explore the fascinating world of traditional Indian beverages. One of the most refreshing I’ve discovered to date is |
Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your liking. |
35 g golden caster sugar, muscovado sugar, soft brown sugar or finely grated palm sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 litre sparkling water, chilled Ice cubes
In a medium jug, make a thick paste by stirring together the sugar, ginger, cardamom, lime juice, salt, and a small splash of the sparkling water. Stir until any lumps have dissolved. Add more water, a little at a time, stirring all the while. The mixture will get quite fizzy, so just take it slow. Serve well chilled with as many ice cubes wedged into the jug as possible.
MAKES 1 LITRE
treats
I ENJOY BAKING AND HAVE SINCE I WAS YOUNG
—not only so I can enjoy the occasional sweet treat myself, but also so I can share. I delight in the way a batch of cookies fills the house with the scent of buttery sweetness. And generally speaking, there are few things I find more enjoyable than tasting my way through the life cycle of something straight from the oven—particularly sweet treats baked with fruit. Everything changes from moment to moment after you pull, say, a hot peach crumble from the oven. The texture of the topping changes as the crumble cools—the intensity and complexity of the fruit reveals itself in new ways at different temperatures. The way it smells changes from moment to moment as well, working its way though a spectrum of olfactory notes. It’s all of these things that keep me firing up the oven and baking.
I don’t use much white flour or white sugar in my baking, and I use quite a bit less fat and sweeteners in general, when you compare my recipes to traditional baking recipes. Instead, exploring a range of wholegrain flours and natural sweeteners is something I continue to find inspiring. This is a subject I wrote about in detail in
Super Natural Cooking
. Using honey, maple syrup, and natural (unrefined) cane sugars, for example, lends sweetness to baked goods in addition to depth and character. And introducing wholegrain flour, or blends of flours, can add complexity without compromising texture. The range of flavours and textures you can achieve in this realm is expansive, delicious, and seemingly unlimited.
I’ve included a range of sweet treats in this chapter—some are baked, others feature seasonal fruit. Some are little more than ideas to inspire, others more specific. All have worked their way into the fabric of my cooking repertoire in one way or another.
sunflower seeds, lemon zest, sea salt
medjool dates, lime juice, pistachio nuts, rosewater
wholegrain bread, rasberries, muscovado sugar, sea salt
peanuts, popcorn, chocolate chips
white wholemeal flour, blackberries, coconut, pistachio nuts
wholemeal flour, fresh plums, lemon zest
dried apricots, shaved chocolate Honey &
strawberries, cherries, currants, raspberries, poppy seeds, beaujolais
SUNFLOWER SEEDS, LEMON ZEST, SEA SALT
| This recipe is for my sister, Heather, who has loved eating sunflower seeds since we were kids. I toast the sunflower kernels and coat them with a thin glaze of muscovado sugar. To offset the sweetness, I add a touch of sea salt and lemon zest. Snack on them as is, or sprinkle on tarts, ice cream, granola, or salads—anything needing some zesty, sweet crunch. |
140 g sunflower seed kernels
1 tablespoon muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar
Fine sea salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Toast the sunflower seed kernels in a large dry frying pan over medium heat until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. While they are toasting, combine the sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and lemon zest in a small bowl. When the seeds are toasted, sprinkle the sugar mixture over the sunflower kernels. Stir until the sugar melts and coats them (your pan will need to be hot enough), usually about 1 minute. Transfer the kernels immediately to a plate so they don’t stick to the pan. Once they’ve cooled a bit, taste the kernels and season with a bit more salt, if needed. Allow to cool completely and then transfer any seeds you won’t be eating immediately to an airtight container.