Zucchini Bread Update

I posted a recipe for the best zuchinni bread I ever made here a couple of weeks ago. Sadly, it did not survive longer than two hours so I decided to make it again this weekend, albeit with some minor tweaks. In an effort to make this bread even more healthy so that I could justify eating the whole thing by myself, I made the following changes and it still turned out marvelous.

-Instead of 1/3 c. whole wheat flour and 2/3 c. white flour, I made the ratio 1:1. Increase the iron and fiber while adding to the texture of the bread? It's a win-win situation. I was afraid of messing up the balance and yielding a heavy loaf but it was light as air.

-I decreased the the amount of sugar from 3/4 c. to 2/3 c. I was able to get away with this by the addition of dried fruit.

-I bought some apricots on Saturday for no reason and, as I gnawed my way through them Sunday morning, I thought I'd chop up the remaining ones and add to to the mix. I also was bringing this to a friend with a nut allergy so I skipped the pecans in favor of the apricots. Then I made another loaf with apricots AND almonds. Delightful.

-Even more black pepper. Still not enough. Next weekend, I'll try 15 turns of my pepper mill for maximum effect.

And finally, my mother served this alongside another one of those chocolate truffle pies she made last week (She made it becasue she had creme fraiche left over and of course, since there is no other known use for creme fraiche, she simply HAD to make another one. Flawless logic.). I thought my apple-butter, dried apricot concoction would taste like sawdust next to the truffle pie but it actually stood up quite well and provided a nice foil to the intense chocolate.

Next Up: World's Best Meatballs (No, I am not humble.)

All Zucchini Bread Is not Created Equal

I still have a freezer full of zucchini from the summer's harvest and I figured I had better start using it before it reaches its limit. Usually when I make zucchini bread, I go online, google some recipes and go from there. I do not have a go-to zucchini bread recipe. Until yesterday that is. I found a recipe on recipezaar that gave this recipe its basic structure but I tweaked it a bit. I tried a few things that could have all flopped but the bread turned out richly-colored and deeply-flavored.

Best Zucchini Bread

1-1 1/2 c. shredded zucchini, pressed through a cloth napkin to get rid excess moisture
1 egg
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. apple butter
1 t. vanilla
2/3 c. white flour
1/3 c. wheat flour
1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
a couple of turns on the pepper mill
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Mix together wet ingredients (excluding zucchini) and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Add the wet ingredients a bit at a time to the dry until well mixed. Stir in the zucchini and nuts, if you're including them. Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with sugar. Raw sugar looks especially nice. Bake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Notes: The zucchini out of the freezer retains a lot of water. I was shocked how much came out when I squeezed it through the napkin. I think that it is very important to get rid of that so the batter isn't watery. I like to believe this is low-fat and all-around healthy since I halved the amount of oil and subbed apple butter, as well as using white and wheat flour. Both these substitutions make for a very sticky, dark bread. For whatever reason (probably because I am obsessed with my new Unicorn pepper mill) I thought this would lend itself well to freshly cracked black pepper. Weird, possibly, but I thought it was great and will probably add more pepper next time. I wasn't sure how this would come out, it looked very dark but it was dubbed "phenomenal" by my trusty taste testers and this is certainly my new go-to recipe for zucchini bread.

Sunday Dinner

My mother, like most of my family, is an excellent cook. Lucky for us, so is her boyfriend. Every Sunday, he cooks her an elaborate meal, which I find quite endearing. I ocasionally receive an invitation to these lavish Sunday dinners. Greg really has no boundaries when it comes to food preparation. I'm always hearing about the new concoctions he whipped up with his smoker and his early morning treks to the Broadway Market for fresh bay scallops and the like.

Since N. was in town this weekend, Greg and my mamma invited us over to eat. I have to start by saying that I love biscuits. Maybe this is a by-product of living in the South or perhaps I have an affinity for all things light, airy and buttery. In any event, my mother got a recipe from Cook's Magazine, which I do not subscribe to but I won't be mad at you if you decide to get me a subscription for a present. I could go on and on about the glory of this magazine; it's so informative! But I will leave that research up to you. The point is, my mother found a recipe for the best biscuits I have ever had, although I have to give a close second to Miss Nettie, from Memphis, who makes biscuits and hot water cornbread to die for. I don't have the complete recipe yet but the technique that made these biscuits so delectable I can share. The melted butter is poured directly into cold buttermilk, whereby it immediately clumps up. This may look rather nasty, but the effect is that smalls globes of butter are suspended throughout the mixture, distributing their heavenly lightness and flavor. My mamma added snippets of fresh sage that just about put me over the edge.

So that was just the biscuits. The first course was a pureed soup of cauliflower and parsnips. Upon first taste, Greg pronounced that he would go to war for that soup. It was so seasonal, the taste of fall consummate. I love this time of year, when smooth, pureed soups of root vegetables really highlight local produce.

The main course was osso bucco, simmered in a spicy broth with carrots and turnips. I don't even like turnips but smothered in a rich, veal gravy, I cannot complain. The meat was tender to the bone. Sides included a risotto with chanterelle, shitake and oyster mushrooms and topped with TRUFFLE SHAVINGS! No wonder my mother loves this man. There was also swiss chard, sauteed with a bit of chipotle for a kick. I cleaned my plate and mopped it up with another biscuit. Oh my.

I should mention that Greg mixes a mean cosmopolitan, which I sipped on through the meal. After we finished eating, my mother whipped out this beautiful tea bud that she bought at the Elmwood Farmers Market. I'm kind of ignorant about tea so I can't say much except to describe how it looked. The long, slender green tea leaves were pulled together and knotted at the base, four wine-colored leaves extended up and the center was a raspberry burst of color. We watched it unfurl in the hot water while my mother snapped about a million pictures. I think the experience was better than the taste. It was nice, but very delicate. I prefer the more robust punch of coffee. But I would definitely buy this tea again, probably just to take a warm bath in and watch them bloom in the water around me.

Finally, gingerbread cake with lemon sauce. I could have happily lapped that lemon sauce up like a cat with a saucer of milk. That's not really polite so I was content to drown my cake in the moat of sauce. Greg and N. sipped some cognac, while bonding over manly fodder like baseball and the World Series. It was finally after 10 when we sleepily made our departure. My mom said she wanted to make the blog, so mamma, this one is for you two! That's one heck of a man you've got.