Cabbage Rolls

Last time I posted about cabbage rolls, it seems to have messed up the blog when viewed in IE, so let's try it again, hoping that technology will cooperate with me. Cabbage rolls is the quintessential Easter European/Russian/Jewish type of dish that, if you've never had it before, sounds kind of strange (cabbage? wrapped around meat and rice? weird...), but once you've tasted it, there's no going back. The silky tenderness of the cabbage wrapped around a succulent mixture of meat, rice, onions and spices and sauteed in tomatoes and more onions until the flavors dance and then topped with cool, tangy sour cream... It's a winner from all angles, especially on a cold, rainy night. To convince you further, I can add that the Greeks have something very similar called Dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice), and if the Greeks do anything right (and oh, they sure do), it's definitely food.



Cabbage Rolls (or Golubtsi, if you want to sparkle with your knowledge of Russian dishes)
recipe via my aunt

For the filling
1 head of cabbage
1.5 lb of ground meat (the best, as my aunt tells it is 1 lb beef and .5 lb of pork, but I used 1.5 lb of lean turkey and it was still pretty great)
1 cup cooked rice
1 onion
1 large carrot
2 T chopped parsley
1 egg
2 slices of stale bread
salt and pepper

For the broth
1 can chopped tomatoes, drained (or a few small tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed)
1 T tomato paste
2/3 cups water or chicken broth
1 onion
1 large carrot
2 T chopped parsley
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano

sour cream for garnish and bread for soaking up the broth (this is the really important part, people, don't skip it)

Bring water to a boil in a medium-large, heavy bottomed pot (ideally, it should be a cast iron pot, but I don't have one and it all worked out well anyway). Separate as many large and medium leaves from the cabbage as you can by cutting around the stem and removing the leaves. It's ok if they rip a little. Submerge the leaves in boiling water and cook for 7-10 minutes or until soft. Drain water and take out the leaves.

Grate 1 onion and 1 carrot on a fine grater and chop the parsley. Cut the crust off of the bread slices and soak in a little bit of water until very soft. Squeeze out the water. Combine the ground meat, grated vegetables, parsley, egg, rice and bread and mix very well so that all the ingredients are distributed properly. My aunt does this with her hands, but I find that a large fork works for me. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

Chop the other onion and grate the carrot on a large grater and saute in a skillet for a few minutes with a little olive oil until the carrot is soft and the onion is translucent. Add the 2/3 cup of water or chicken broth and tomato paste and stir. Then add the chopped tomatoes, parsley, thyme or oregano and season to your liking.

Pour half the mixture into the heavy bottomed pot and reserve the other half.

Now, wrap your cabbage rolls. Take one leaf of cabbage -- it should be soft enough to bend, but if the stem is a little tough still, use a meat tenderizer to help even it out. Grab a handful of the meat mixture and set it at the base of the leaf. Fold forward once, then fold both of the sides into the middle (like an envelope) and fold again. You can cut off the remainder of the leaf or just continue folding. Arrange the cabbage rolls in the pot so they fit snugly next to each other. You should have about 12-14 pieces.
Pour the rest of the broth on top. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 45 min to an hour or until the meat is fully cooked and the cabbage rolls take on a darker, golden hue from the tomatoes and the carrots. Garnish with sour cream and serve with dark bread. Excuse me while I go eat the last two before A. gets to them.

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Anita's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I've always had this idea that life takes you where it wants you to go. Not that you can be passive -- you get opportunities and you work like crazy to pick them up, and you get knocked down and you have to discover your own way out -- but you find yourself along a certain road and, whether you know it or not, it is a good one in the end. I found myself walking down that road, but as I walk (run, huff, crawl) along, I keep looking over at the green grass on both sides and wondering... should I have taken the other path? Should I have made that left at Albuquerque (as Bugs Bunny would say)? I love so many things that are not my job -- I love painting, baking, writing, traveling, taking photographs, and maybe all of them together. Why am I not doing those things for a living?

The other day, one of my neighbors brought me an article cut out of a newspaper, about a woman who used to be a lawyer and then quit and went to culinary school and opened her own baking business. It stayed in my mind for quite a long time, sitting, simmering. What an attractive idea, full of adventure and new challenges... It was still in my mind when I took a whole Sunday to bake 20 boxes of 3 different kinds of cookies and 10 boxes of biscotti. On Monday, I had a whole new appreciation for my job. Do I still love baking? Oh yes, absolutely (and it all turned out deliciously, and the office was full of people smiling at me and waving vigorously from afar). But now I understand its place in my life much better than I used to, and I understand why the path along which I am walking is the right one for me... for now!



Chocolate Crinkles
from Anita Chu's "Field Guide to Cookies"

6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbs cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
confectioners sugar for rolling

Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the meantime, whip the eggs with the sugar until thick and pale. Add the vanilla extract and the melted chocolate and mix.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add this to the chocolate mixture. Mix until combined.

Place this bowl in the refrigerator for about 2 hours until the dough hardens enough to scoop out.

Preheat oven to 325F. Scoop one inch balls. Roll these in powdered sugar and place them on sheetpans lined with parchment paper. Flatten the tops of the cookies a bit with your fingers and bake until set for about 12 minutes.

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Lenox Almond Biscotti

Ever since I first made these, they have been my go-to biscotti recipe. I love the texture -- a light sweetness that has a pleasant crunch of cornmeal to make it unique. I love the fact that these can be adapted every which way (I made them with chocolate chips and cranberries once, and dipped them in dark chocolate another time), and I love that they are distinctly home-made, compared to the hard, brittle things that Starbucks likes to call biscotti. Also, and perhaps most importantly, these are eminently givable and eminently lovable.


These were a TWD challenge a while back and some people had issues with them spreading too much. All I can tell you is that I followed the instructions pretty closely and have never had problems (Dorie says to make the dough into two logs, about 2x12 inches, and it has worked wonderfully for me). The only thing I really add to the recipe is to put the rack in the upper third of the oven and add about 5 minutes to the first baking (until the logs start turning golden and the edges look crispy). Oh, and I tone down the almond extract to 1 tsp instead of 1.5 -- I don't like a very strong almond smell. Also, it's really important to let these rest the full half hour between bakings; otherwise, they will crumble, even with the sharpest knife. When you make the cut, make it decisively (versus cutting in a sawing motion). Easy recipe, lovely results.

Lenox Almond Biscotti
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From my Home to Yours

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3/4 cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

GETTING READY: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the cornmeal and whisk again to blend.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs and continue to beat, scraping down the bowl as needed, for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light, smooth and creamy. Beat in the almond extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. You'll have a soft, stick-to-your-fingers dough that will ball up around the paddle or beaters. Scrape down the paddle and bowl, toss in the almonds and mix just to blend.

Scrape half the dough onto one side of the baking sheet. Using your fingers and a rubber spatula or scraper, work the dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1¿2 inches wide. The log will be more rectangular than domed, and bumpy, rough and uneven. Form a second log with the remaining dough on the other side of the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden but still soft and springy to the touch. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the logs on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

If you turned off the oven, bring it back up to 350 degrees F.

Using a wide metal spatula, transfer the logs to a cutting board and, with a long serrated knife, trim the ends and cut the logs into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet — this time standing them up like a marching band — and slide the sheet back into the oven.

Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes, or until they are golden and firm. Transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

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Happy Hanukah!

May love and light fill your home always.

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Honey, I Shrunk the Apple Tart

Sometimes, I get writer's block. Not so much for this blog, but for my other creative writing endeavors (no, don't ask, you would just laugh!). I sit and write, and then delete paragraphs and write again, and it just feels all wrong. I'm sure you know the feeling. And then, when I'm almost desperate with frustration, and I know what I want to say but the words just won't come, I take a crayon and color outside the lines -- I change up the perspective, I put myself in a different character's shoes, and voila, it begins to flow.

The same kind of thing happened with this tart. I made the full size version twice, and both times (though I got rave reviews on the taste), I just wasn't feeling it. Then... oh yes, you know what comes next... came these little 4" tarts. And people, I tell you, it was fabulous, and it sang to me as only a perfect dessert can sing. The crust is thin and crisp and the apples are tender and fragrant, and it's just the perfect size. I'm in love... with a tart.


The recipe (and mouthwatering photos) can be found at Smitten Kitchen.

The recipe yields four 4" tartelettes. For these, it's best to use smaller apples that will stay firm, like golden delicious. Once I made and chilled the dough, I divided it into four parts and rolled each piece out into a 6 inch circle between two sheets of wax paper. I put the rolled out dough into the freezer for a few minutes before transferring to the tartelette pans (this is a great trick that I learned from a pastry chef -- this way, you can transfer even the thinnest crust without ripping it).

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Irene's Unofficial Holiday Gift Guide

I knew Thanksgiving was over when the only songs I heard on the radio this morning were about Rudolph, I walked into my building to a huge and beautiful Christmas tree and the temperature was down to -- oh, wait, it was still up in the 70s, but this is LA and we drape Christmas lights over palm tress and Corona bottles around here. Not that I'm complaining, mind you!

The point is, 'tis definitely the season, and if there is one thing I love more than receiving gifts, it is actually giving them. And that part has gotten easier and easier throughout the years. In fact, ever since the invention of online shopping, I like to avoid huge lines and have my purchases come to me, instead of the other way around. Here are a few things on my list this year that I either have tried out for myself or would love to try out and that I think would please even the most discerning recipient.

For The Chef

Once Upon A Tart by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau. New from Alibris, $12.84 (or from Amazon for about $15). I just got this cookbook myself (I ordered a used copy for $5 including shipping, whoo hoo!) and I've already fallen in love with its intuitive layout and inventive recipes (and boy, there are a lot of recipes!). The authors are successful owners of a great cafe and bring their different backgrounds (French and American) into perfect harmony in the dishes they create. Personally, I love buying (and getting) used books because I feel like I give them a new home, but for the price tag of just under $13 for a new copy, you can't go wrong.


The Sweet Life: Desserts From Chanterelle, by Kate Zuckerman. New from Alibris, $9.50 (Seriously, $10? This is a steal. You'd better get this quick because I have an itchy credit card finger). Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated, this book has a special place in my kitchen. There is something a little extraordinary and very special in each of Kate Zuckerman's creations (maple ginger ice cream, anyone?) and I have no scruples in giving this book my full and warm endorsement.





For The Entertainer

Stemless Wine Glass from Crate and Barrel, $1.95/each (or, a decanter set with four glasses for $19.95!). I used to think stemless wine glasses were an abomination, but then I left behind my wine snobbery and actually used one. They are awesome for everything, including wine, cocktails, juices and even desserts like mousses or trifles. I've said before that in my small kitchen, everything has to do double and triple duty, and these glasses more than aquit themselves. And for $2 each, if someone (*cough* me) drops a glass, I can say "mazel tov" and not worry about it.

Bamboo-Porcelain 3-Section Serving Tray from Sur la Table, $29.95. Undoubtedly, this is the most used serving dish at Chez Irene. In fact, I would put it near the top of my "things I can't live without" list. Here are some of a myriad of combinations: salami, cheese, olives; roasted peppers, roasted eggplant, sundried tomatoes; cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, herbed yogurt dip; salted peanuts, wasabi peas, cheese twists; smoked salmon, sliced tomatoes, capers; guacamole, sour cream, salsa; blueberries, raspberries, almonds; truffles, truffles, truffles... you get the idea. Functional and pretty, what more could anyone want?

Polka-Dot Dessert Plates, $27.99/six at Brentwood Kitchen. What party would be complete without tid-bit plates? Officially, these are called "dessert" plates, but their small size and lollypop colors make them perfect for any kind of entertaining. And because the owner of Brentwood Kitchen is a close friend of mine, all Confessions of a Tart readers will get 10% off any purchase from now until January 1, 2009. Just enter the code TART at checkout. It's good to have friends in high places!





For The Tea Lover

Tea from Lupicia, about $7.00/tin or 10 teabags. For my last birthday, I was lucky enough to get a box of tea from this Japanese company. I love exploring new flavors of tea from different regions like China, India and Africa and since I tried Lupicia tea, I've been a big fan. They have so many imaginative flavors that I'm often at the store for at least a half hour before I can pick anything out (thankfully, their salespeople are very patient), and their tea is fantastic. If I had to pick only three flavors, I would go with Apricot (a fragrant black tea), Jasmin Mandarin (a green tea that has the most wonderful Jasmine smell) and the Momo Peach Oolong.




Bird Teapot, $13.95 at Crate and Barrel. This would make an adorable gift for anyone who drinks a lot of tea. I love its classic curves, the little bird on top and the fact that the handle actually has a grip for your thumb. Made of white porcelain, it matches perfectly with anything in my tea cup collection. I loved it when I received it as a gift from a thoughtful friend.








Harvest Cup & Saucer, $26.99 for a set of 4 at Wrapables. I can imagine myself having a quiet cup of tea in the afternoon, looking out of my window onto a gray, winter day, and feeling warm and cozy at home with my tea and something little and sweet. I can also imagine sharing this cup of tea and a laugh with friends and family (although they would probably fight me for the dessert...). I really like this pretty, delicate set.





Well, I hope you've had fun going on a virtual shopping trip with me! If you have a favorite gift that has made you smile, leave it in the comments, I am always expanding my list!

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Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

I will be the first to admit that there are some superstitions that have been so bred into me that there is no getting away from them. I know that there is no sense to them, and I laugh at myself while doing it, but I still won't let a black cat cross the road in front of me, I don't walk under ladders when I can help it and I knock on wood every chance I get (and if not on wood, then on my head, because, as the joke goes, it's hollow like a tree... ha. ha. ha. thanks, family, for that one).
One deeply ingrained superstition is not to talk about how sweet life is because you will jinx it. So, I won't talk about it. I won't say how blessed I am to have my husband, my family, my friends, my work and my hobbies. I will just think quietly about how the light hits my living room in the morning just so and the top stair creaks in ways that I think are charming at 3pm but I curse at 3am. I won't even begin to contemplate the color of Gala apples and the leaves outside of my window, bright red and tinged with gold, the sweet smell of earth after the rain (I did a rain dance, and it worked) and blue eyes crinkling with laughter. Other people can talk about it, can shout it from the roof tops, but not me, no sirree. I will instead brush the flour off my apron and talk about food. "If music be the food of love, play on," said the Bard, and I play on because the converse is also true.



This recipe is fantastic. I know that pumpkin type dishes are usually made for Thanksgiving, but my husband craves this cheesecake from about September to February, so it's a great thing to have in your arsenal, especially for those cold weather months (even in California, where 'cold weather' means that the thermometer dips below 65). It's easy to put together, bakes up beautifully and the taste is out of this world. It's a more European type of cheesecake - meaning that it's soft and fluffy, not dense like a New York style cake, which is something that I love. Delicately flavored with pumpkin and spiced to the hilt, it's an instant favorite.

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
5 T butter, melted
1 T sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling
24 oz cream cheese, just softened
15oz of pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I use a big more than this)
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare an 8 or 9 inch springform pan.

Whisk melted graham cracker crumbs with sugar and cinnamon. Combine with the melted butter to coat all the crumbs lightly. Press the crumbs into the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes and then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and beat until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs and spices and continue to beat until very well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl really well after adding each ingredient. Pour the filling into the pan and bake in a water bath for 60 to 70 minutes. The top will turn darker and will spring back when pushed a little. The water bath is important because it keeps the cheesecake soft and creamy and also gives much needed moisture so that the crust doesn't crack, so don't skip that step (after the cheesecake is done, I drain the water into a heat proof bowl with a turkey baster before taking the cheesecake out of the oven).

Garnish with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon (as you can tell, I went a little overboard with the whipped cream here... what can I say, my decorating skills are... um... evolving).

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Best Crab Salad Ever

If you come to a Thanksgiving dinner at a Russian's house, you will be certain to find much more than turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie there. Sure, those things will be present on the menu -- don't let anyone say that we did not faithfully adopt the customs of this holiday -- but any holiday for a Russian is a blank canvas upon which he or she can paint the feast of their desires. As a result, the cold and hot appetizer spread ("zakuski") is probably a full dinner in itself, after which you may or may not want a bit of turkey and stuffing (the men in the family usually end up on the "may" side of that equation).

There are many things you will almost always find at a zakuski table -- pirozhki (meat or cabbage pies), salad Olivier (the Russian version of potato salad), cold cuts and pickled vegetables, and also crab salad. Russians love crab salad. I don't know why, I don't know how, but it's one of those things that invariably finds its way onto the menu, and I am invariably disappointed in its taste. There are many different ways to make it, but usually it involves chunks of crab and cucumbers swimming in a mayo or buttermilk-based dressing. Um. Not my idea of a good time, I can tell you.

Once I tasted my mother in law's crab salad, however, all my crab salad dreams were answered. People, this is the best crab salad ever, and I am not prone to hyperbole here. Her secret is to use the food processor to do the chopping, which produces the tenderest little flakes of crab and egg, mixed with a little fresh, crunchy cucumber and larger, succulent shrimp.... as my dad says, it's a song. There is maybe 1 tablespoon of mayo in the whole thing because the cucumbers give off enough moisture to hold it together, and my MIL sprinkles the salad with a little masago (smelt fish roe) for crunch, and it's just... so, so good. No more chunks, no more dull flavors. Every ingredient shines. And best of all (besides the taste) is that it's the quickest dish in the world to make. If you have your ingredients ready, give yourself 5-10 minutes with the food processor and it's done. Bring a little Russian flavor to your holiday table this Thanksgiving!

Best Crab Salad Ever
(via my MIL)
makes a large bowl

1 lb crab meat, cooked
1 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and tails off
6 eggs, hardboiled
6 small cucumbers (or one of the huge English cucumbers)
1-2 T mayonnaise
2-3 T masago (optional)

Put all your ingredients in prep bowls and make a large salad bowl ready.

Put the crab meat in the food processor and give it a few pulses until the crab is reduced to tiny flakes and no large pieces remain. Turn the crab out into the salad bowl.

Cut the hardboiled eggs in half and put into the bowl of the food processor, processing for a few seconds until the eggs too are reduced to small pieces and no large pieces remain. Turn out into a bowl next to the crab. I usually do this in two additions (so 3 eggs at a time), but if you have a larger food processor, you might be able to put all the eggs in there at once.

Chop the cucumbers very roughly and do the same thing with the food processor (a fwe pulses of 2/3 seconds each usually suffice). Watch out not to process too much so that the cucumbers don't become slush. Turn out into the salad bowl.

Remove the tails from the shrimp and turn them out into the bowl as well (reserving a few for decoration). Mix the lot with about a tablespoon of mayo. Add more mayo, salt and pepper to taste, making sure all the ingredients are distributed evenly. If you are using masago, mix in about 2 tablespoons with the rest of the ingredients. Arrange the left over shrimp on top decoratively (and if using masago, sprinkle with the left-over tablespoon of masago).

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Pumpkin bread

People, I am officially getting on the pumpkin bandwagon. When I just came to this country, many years ago, using pumpkin in sweets sounded like another one of those wacky American ideas (along with PB&J sandwiches, cottage cheese and alfalfa, though the last one probably sounds wacky to anyone who doesn't live in California). It took me all the way until last year (I KNOW, what was I thinking?) to try a pumpkin dessert, and luckily for me, it was a pumpkin cheesecake. I don't have to tell you how insanely awesome that is, right? Just thinking about it is making me drool.

There is something about pumpkin puree that is quintessentially fall, its gentle aroma wafting through the house just as the wind beats against windows and doors and ruffles the dry leaves. Snuggled on the couch during one such evening, I was flipping through Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking, and I saw the recipe for pumpkin muffins, and I knew that this was going to be my first pumpkin dessert experiment. The recipe seemed very straightforward, not fussy at all. I liked that -- I like food that can make you feel great but still remain a background for good friends and good conversation. Oh, how glad I am that I made this! This is a bread that has to be eaten warm, maybe even with a dollop of spiced whipped cream, and surrounded by a spread of all my favorite fall fruit - persimmons, apples and pomegranates. I substituted black currants for raisins, upped the nutmeg and added a dollop of brandy (hey, don't judge me), which gave this unassuming quickbread a nice flavor kick. Not too moist and not too dry, this is a perfect tea cake. Almost absentmindedly, the four of us went through most of the loaf in a few hours, chased by a few small glasses of delicious Framboise (right, like I said, "tea cake"). I can tell you that I was very happy with the way it all turned out and will gladly repeat the experiment. Pumpkin cheesecake -- here I come!

Pumpkin Bread
(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Pumpkin Muffins recipe)

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of allspice
1 stick (8 T) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup black currants (or raisins)
1/2 cup chopped pecans of walnuts
2 T brandy

Preheat oven to 400F. Butter or spray your mold. Soak the black currants in about a cup of boiling water until soft and plump.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in the vanilla and the brandy. Lower mixer speed and incorporate the pumpkin and the buttermilk. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in a steady stream, mixing only until incorporated (don't overmix!).

Drain the black currants and, with a rubber spatula, stir in the currants and the chopped nuts. Pour into a loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

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Interlude

It's been a while since I last posted, but I promise, there is something yummy coming very soon. Meanwhile, enjoy this non-food-related yummy - my fav football player de jour, the gorgeous goalkeeper for Real Madrid, Iker Casillas.

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