Rye Berry Salad from Kitchen Vignettes

I love my grains, love my loaf of sour dough and my pizza.  But I choose my flour wisely.

I was watching a beautiful video on Scenic this morning called A Rye Affair from Kitchen Vignettes.  You can find the recipe and an interesting blog post about grains on the Kitchen Vignettes blog.

While I am writing this blog I ´m watching the storm making quite some waves out on the sea and we have occasional snow flakes dropping from the sky.  So for me in late april it´s WINDY, SNOWY, FROSTY but thankfully WARM & COZY inside and I can cuddle up and watch Scenic.

Talking about waves, I went down to the shore the other day, the waves were high and I got caught in one but I caught it as well…

…very refreshing 🙂  

There are so many different types of grain available today.  Growing up in Iceland back in the 80´s we had white rice from River Rice. That was about it.  Thankfully the variety has changed and for me, I love barley.

The joy I got from a video from Kitchen Vignettes this morning about rye… I can not tell you how much sun it brought into this cold day. Here is a MOMENT to show you what I felt…compared to the cold waves…

Photo courtesy:© Kitchen Vignettes from the recipe “Rye Berry Salad”.

“Note: The general rule for the preparation of grains for optimal digestibility and nutrient absorption is to soak them in twice their volume of water, adding 2 tablespoons of an acidic medium per cup of grain. The acidic medium should ideally be yogurt, kefir, whey or buttermilk but apple cider vinegar and/or lemon juice can also be used.”

From: Kitchen Vignettes // RYE BERRY SALAD

I for example have not tried to soak the grains in acidic medium. And Oh My, being able to grow your own grains.  That would be something else!

Rye, Chicken, Sweet Corn, Red Onion, Zucchini, figs, walnuts, do I need to say more?  Check out the recipe for Rye Berry Salad here.

I recommend you read the book Cooked by Michael Pollan and especially the chapter about bread.  Don´t buy the cheapest processed flour that has been vitamin added because the have taken all the nutrition out if by too much processing… (READ THAT BOOK! It is good).

Keep exploring the word of grains and check out A Rye Affair on Scenic!

Cheers from the “fjord of whales” in Iceland!

Lavender Polenta Cake from Brooklyn Kitchen

The good thing about my new job is I get to watch beautiful videos about food.  One being from Kate Previte of Brooklyn Kitchen, a short form recipe videos.

You can see the video here at a new online channel called Scenic Collection.  If you subscribe to the channel and download the app you can make 10 second clips from the videos and share on social media too.

Kate shared the recipe of Lavender Polenta Cake with Scenic and I want to share it with you because it is delicious. If you want to know more about talented Kate Previte visit her website here.

Photo courtesy:©Kate Previte / Brooklyn Kitchen  – Stills from the Video Lavender Polenta Cake

Lavender Polenta Cake yield: one 8-inch cake, about 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp culinary or English lavender flowers
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 Tbsp brandy
• 1 Tbsp vanilla paste or extract
• 3/4 cup polenta, plus additional for coating pan
• 2 cups almond flour*
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp powdered sugar, for dusting
• a few sprigs of lavender, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF (or 180ºC). Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and dust with polenta.

By hand or in a stand mixer, beat butter with sugar and lavender until smooth and light. Add the eggs and beat to combine — on low if using an electric mixer — then add the almond extract, brandy and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the polenta, almond flour and wheat or gf flour and whisk or mix by hand until uniformly combined.

using a sturdy wooden spoon, gradually mix the dry ingredients into the egg and butter mixture until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The top of the cake should be a light golden brown.

Photo courtesy:©Kate Previte / Brooklyn Kitchen

Let the cake cool for 10–15 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes more. Dust with powdered sugar using a handheld strainer and top with lavender sprigs, if using.

Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake will last for about 6 days on the counter if covered in cling wrap, or a bit longer in the refrigerator.

Photo courtesy:©Kate Previte / Brooklyn Kitchen

*Almond flour can be purchased in stores, but is also a handy by-product of homemade almond milk. After straining your almond milk, spread wet almond meal out on a sheet pan and place in a warm oven (pilot light only) for about 2 days. Grind in a food processor or blender to remove chunks and store in a sealed container in the freezer until ready to use.