Bruschetta

Ingredients

Bruschetta is made with simple ingredients that provide a powerful flavour return on your investment. Make it with the highest quality and freshest ingredients you can find. Summer gardens will soon be a source for most, if not all, of these delicious flavours. Here’s a recipe I like to use.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. fresh tomatoes (roma, heirloom, beefsteak...whatever is in season is best)
• 1/2 fresh onion
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Chop, mix, and season. Yum.

DARK RYE BREAD

We have used this bread for anything we would have used traditional bread for in the bad old days, including sandwiches and croutons.

Note: Be sure to read the next post here, "Almond Flour Revisited," before you attempt this recipe.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour

1 1/2 cups ground flax meal

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

6 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons caraway seeds

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a loaf pan with olive oil or (better still) coconut oil. I like to add a piece of parchment for easy removal after baking.

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl except for caraway seeds.

Mix wet ingredients in another bowl.

Stir wet ingredients into dry, then mix in caraway seeds.

Allow batter to sit for 1 or 2 minutes to "thicken."

Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Cool and serve.

ALMOUND FLOUR REVISITED

I have wanted to share a few important links and recipes with all of you for quite a while. Sorry for the delay. First, I want to talk about Almond Flour, Almond Meal, the difference between the two in recipes, and the cost factor.

I avoid purchasing almond flour in the grocery store at around $15.00 per pound. One example of almond flour you will find in retail stores is Bob's Red Mill. This product, really more of an almond meal, has a very coarse texture. I do not recommend using Bob's Red Mill almond flour in my recipes, although, it will yield a decent result – just not the amazing results that a finer textured Almond Flour will produce. The least expensive almond meal I have seen locally is in the “Bulk Barn,” where the cost is roughly $9.39 per pound. In the bulk stores, it is referred to as “ground almonds,” and that is closer to the truth of its texture. I prefer to purchase almond flour of the finest quality and texture online where the price is considerably less than retail in either the grocery store or in bulk. Of course, there are shipping costs, which add to the bottom line price. Ultimately, almond flour is still expensive, but it is packed with protein and flavour, allowing me to have baked treats like cupcakes and breads. So for me, it is worth the cost.

Here in Canada the best link to order almond flour online is:

JK Gourmet at www.jkgourmet.com 1-800-608-0465.

Search the website carefully. You are only interested in the blanched almond flour! You will be buying in bulk from JK Gourmet, but you will save money, your results will be wonderful, and you will have plenty on hand when you need it.

Other online sources, best for US orders, are:

Benefit Your Life (organic) at www.benefityourlifestore.com 1-877-295-2407

Honeyville at www.store.honeyvillegrain.com 1-888-810-3212

In the US, you can purchase smaller amounts per online order, which, based on your budget, might be helpful.

I store my almond flour in the freezer, taking out 8-10 cups at a time to keep on hand at room temperature. Trying to use frozen almond flour is more work than it’s worth.

By the way, if you have enjoyed the almond flour recipes in GOOD FOOD using almond meal or ground almonds, you will enjoy those recipes even more using this better quality almond flour. You need not make measurement adjustments.

I will follow this post with a recipe which, thanks to the finer textured almond flour, I have really enjoyed, “Dark Rye Bread.”

Enjoy.