Pear, Almond and Tahini Cake

This is The Haggis and Herrings first food post since the passing of my brother Daniel who quite proudly ran this blog.  Meredith and I really never knew when we would post again about food... until now.  So here I am, mainly on behalf of Meredith the baker and me (Abisaac) the taster.

So why now?  Before Daniel passed away he pre ordered for Meredith's birthday the recipe book "Saved by Cake, over 80 ways to bake yourself happy" by Marian Keyes.  The book arrived after Daniel passed away, but before her birthday.  At the time, he ordered it knowing how much Meredith loves to bake.  After all Meredith's finger prints are all over this blog when it comes to baking.  Looking back the title of the recipe book was fitting to the situation that unfolded.  I'm not sure if Meredith looked at the book much before this weekend or not because I didn't ask, but when I tasted the cake and she told me why she baked this particular cake, I knew this was something to post.

I said "Tahini in a cake? Seriously? " She explained "This would have been the first cake Dan would have made me make and he would have said exactly that!". So she made it and shared it with others.  Without knowing what was in the cake, I really wouldn't have known tahini was in it.  I got the pear right away, although I thought it was apple (I guess I don't have the most refined palette).  The cake reminded me of a crumble cake because it was very moist inside.

I hope we can do more of this within time!  It certainly felt good to blog here!  Check out the recipe below.

So here is the recipe with a few adaptions by Meredith:

Ingredients:
240 g tahini
260g date syrup (Meredith used maple syrup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
220g flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g almonds, chopped roughly
150g pears, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes (Meredith used canned pears as a substitute listed in the recipe book)
250ml apple juice (if you used canned pears, just use the juice in the can)

Directions:
Grease 23 cm cake tin and line the base with baking paper.  Preheat oven to 325F

Give the tahini a quick stir while it's still in the jar.  This is because tahini usually separates itself when standing.  Pour into a mixing bowl and beat with syrup.  Add the baking soda and mix again.

In a separate bowl, combine the sieved flour, cinnamon, almonds and diced pears.  Add a third of the flour nut mix to the tahini and mix.  Add half the pear juice and mix.

Add another third of the flour and the other half of the juice.  Finish with the remaining flour and mix until combined.

Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 45 minutes.  After 30 minutes drop the over temp to 325F and cover the cake loosely with tinfoil for the final 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  The recipe book doesn't recommend any toppings, but we decorated it with some extra almonds.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes

Chicken Tikka Pie

A Friday in May ended up being a long day. By the afternoon, I was ready to get the heck out of the office and get moving on dinner. My original plan was to make a chicken dish using some leftover white wine, however, my friend Hungry Jenny changed my mind.

Jenny had published a porky tikka pie for her regular Friday Pie Day feature, and I loved the idea. It's just what we needed for dinner. Of course, I wanted chicken (since it's Friday), and I had a couple of ideas for minor changes to make it my own, but really, it's Jenny all the way.

My mini Corningware set isn't nearly as nice as Jenny's proper ceramic English pie plates, but they still held together, and it tasted great. I'm so glad I tried it out, and I'm sure I'll be making it again (if I'm not trying yet another of her pies.

Chicken Tikka Pie

1/2 kilo chicken, bonless, skinless, cubed
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2+2 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, cubed (around 500g)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (around 150g)
1 medium onion, diced (around 100g)
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
4 medium potatoes (around 750g), peeled, chopped and boiled
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup milk
(4 small ceramic pie plates)

1. In a large bowl, combine the garam masala, paprika, ginger, garlic and 2 tbsp oil, and whisk together using a form. Add the chicken, mix well and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees
3. In a large pan on medium heat, add the remaining oil. Brown chicken in oil for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and onion, and stir.
5. Add the ketchup and almonds and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Transfer mixture into four individual pie dishes.
6. Add the turmeric and milk to potatoes and mash together. Spoon potato mixture evenly atop each pie dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potato begins to brown on top.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes

Chicken Tajine with Apples

Running out of new ideas for a Friday dinner, I found a recipe for Moroccan chicken on a Foodland Ontario website. The point of the recipe was mostly to pitch the benefits of Ontario-farmed chicken, apples and onions to unsuspecting consumers.

But really, what does this guy know about Moroccan food? (Running a province, yes, Moroccan food: not so much.)

So I ran with the recipe as a base and fixed it from there - eliminating the cornstarch, adding saffron and swapping out the boneless, skinless chicken for recognizable pieces. My friend Simon called it "de-Martha-Stewartifying - making the dish much more my style, and specifically less... umm... this guy.

Chicken Tajine with Apples


2 apples, cored, peeled, thinly sliced and tossed in 2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
dash salt
1 to 1 1/2 kilos chicken legs and/or thighs
1/4 cup oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
2 cups chicken broth
pinch saffron, infused in 1-2 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp cup raisins
1/4 cup blanched almonds
4 dates, pitted and chopped
7 dried apricots, chopped

1. Core, peel and slice apples into thin wedges, toss in lemon juice and set aside.
2. Combine cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper and sprinkle onto chicken.
3. Heat oil on medium in a large pot, brown chicken on both sides. Set chicken aside.
4. Saute onions in the same pot for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Place chicken back in the pan and add broth and saffron. Bring to a boil and let simmer on medium for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.
6. Add apples (with lemon juice), dried fruit and nuts, reduce to medium-low and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with cous cous or rice (for gluten-free)

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes

Chicken Tajine with Zucchini

It was the first nice Friday in spring - warm enough to sit on the patio for a bit after supper as the sun set, with the crazy lights attached to the fence all lit up. It was also the Friday of a very busy and taxing week at work, so I was ready to get cooking as soon as I got home. I needed to decompress.

Meredith did her own research to find a recipe that she wanted to try, and she picked a good one. John Spottiswood's chicken and eggplant tajine. John is one of the founders of Cook, Eat, Share, and is an excellent chef - I've tried his recipes before.
I didn't feel like eggplant, so I substituted zucchini, and substituted another spice (just because I didn't have it on-hand), and the result was excellent. John's choice of adding fennel seeds gave it a unique aroma.

print recipe

Chicken Tajine with Zucchini

by Daniel Saraga June-24-2011

This chicken and vegetable tajine uses fennel seeds to add a unique flavor. It's also gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups onions, chopped
• 2 red peppers, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp coriander, ground
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, ground
• 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 medium chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 zucchini, diced into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and add theonions and peppers. Saute for 2 minutes, then add the garlic. Cover and cook until onions are soft, about 8 minutes. 2. Add the paprika, salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, pepper, cumin, ginger and thyme and 3. stir for 1 minute. 4. Add the canned tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to boil.5. Add the chicken and zucchini and stir. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium.6. Cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes. 7. Uncover and simmer for 20 minutes. taste and add additional lemon juice, salt or pepper if necessary. 8. Serve on couscous or rice. Garnish with cilantro and almonds or simply stir in cilantro and almonds before serving (that's what I did).

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 6 servings

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes

Salmon Ball

This salmon ball is creamy with a bit of crunch, and gluten-free.

Continuing on the holiday brunch theme from a couple weeks ago, I wanted another protein dish that could be served in a sandwich or just on crackers. I didn't want to make another salmon salad - too boring. That's when I remembered Shannon, an old friend from the university residence I lived in.

Shannon's favourite thing to bring to a party was a tuna ball. It was basically a can of tuna mixed with a block of cream cheese. It was very rich, but very tasty. I wanted to use that concept as a base for what I wanted to make.

I had a can of boneless, skinless salmon (about the size of a can of tuna), but I wanted to do a little more. Cutting out some of the cream cheese and adding some sweet onion, celery and mustard for flavor seemed like the way to go. For added presentation, I rolled the final product in slivered almonds to give it some crunch. It was a hit - something I'll definitely make again.

Salmon Ball

• 1 can boneless, skinless salmon (drained)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 1 tsp sweet hot mustard
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

1. Mash the salmon with a fork.
2. Fold in the cream cheese, onion, celery and mustard using a spatula.
3. Spread almonds on a cutting board. Roll the salmon mixture into a ball and then roll it on top of the almonds.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set in fridge until ready to serve.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes

Sephardic Charoset

The day before the first Seder, I realized that my father wasn't going to be bringing charoset like he usually does. Usually, he picks some up from his synagogue. It comes in little balls and immediately before serving, wine is added and it's mashed up.

In researching Sephardic charoset recipes, I found that there were a few basic requirements: dried fruit, nuts, fragrant spices, one fresh fruit to get it to all stick together. One recipe used bananas instead of apples and I liked that idea, so I looked around the pantry, found the spices and dried fruit on hand and arrived at one of the tastiest charosets I've ever had.

print recipe

Sephardic Charoset

by Daniel Saraga April 19, 2011

This charoset is symbolic of the mortar used by the Israelite slaves to build in Egypt.

Ingredients

3/4 cup walnuts3/4 cup almonds1 tsp cinnamon, ground1 tbsp garam masala1/2 tsp ginger, ground1 tsp nutmeg, ground1 tsp cloves30 dates, pitted2 bananas, mashed1/2 cup golden raisins1/4 cup sweet red wine (e.g., Manischewitz, or use rice wine for gluten-free)

Instructions

1. Grind the walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, garam masala, ginger, nutmeg and cloves in a food processor.2. Add dates, banana, raisins and honey, and puree and refrigerate until ready to serve.3. Before serving, slowly add wine until desired consistency is reached.Note: Charoset should be a thick paste, like a mortar.

Details

Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: Total time: 1 hourYield: 2 cups

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes