Clementine and Walnut Tea Cake With Honey

It’s citrus season which means if you aren’t indulging in crates of those little Cuties, you are missing out! They are easy to peel and typically seedless making them the perfect snack when you’re craving a little something but trying to avoid sheer junk. I’ve been known to down them three or four at a time resulting in odd looks from others in the room. But that’s only until they get their hands on one and next thing you know, they too are deep diving into a citrus bender. Although, I’m not sure there’s such thing as a “citrus bender”. Fresh fruit is nature’s candy and I give myself a free pass when it comes to loading up. But, sometimes you want a more traditional bender. Something with a hint of “bad” diet so you can enjoy the feeling of indulgence. I personally don’t subscribe to any particular diet crazes but I still “get it”. Junk food is a guilty pleasure, the optimal word here being p l e a s u r e…

Aside from the artificial ingredients, it’s the guilt that’s gonna kill us. I heard somewhere that guilt is linked to chronic pain. I have no idea if that’s true, but my gut tells me it is. I developed a relationship with caregiver guilt while I was taking care of my parents and I know it’s something moms also experience when they need to step away from their children. We give ourselves permission to hurt with guilt, acknowledging our “less-thanness” without ever honoring the courage it takes to choose more.

I wish I could say that I’m done with guilt. It’s gotten much better now that my folks have both passed, and I can say that I feel relief and satisfaction from the choices I made along the way. Those choices have not been without consequences and everyday since, I am reminded that my current situation is the result of having CARED for my aging parents. I imagine how different things would be if I didn’t care. I imagine that version of myself would have more money, more success, more stability… But I also imagine that she would have some mental health issues around being a disappointment. I’m not sure I’d be able to look at her squarely in the mirror without shame. I can imagine that my not caring would have manifested into crippling guilt as when a life passes, you realize you can never go back. Amends for mistakes can no longer be shared with those that may have been on the receiving end, ultimately creating more work for you and your psyche. Do you see the problem here?

As we age, we start to lose things. We lose our health, our youthful good looks, and in cases of dementia, even our minds… In some instances maybe that’s not the worst thing. Depending on how we live, we might want to forget, as the anguish of regret becomes its own debilitating burden. Guilt is mental junk food and we need to stop feeding our minds with it! But what does that mean for guilty pleasure? Is there no room? Of course there is! The difference is we own it. We know our indulgent behaviors coax our pleasure receptors and feeling good IS our WHY. So why not? Choose pleasure and stay conscious of the guilt while remaining mindful that you have the c o u r a g e to chose yourself first!

The way I see it, the route to aging better is to care more about the care “giver”. The caregiver is the link between an ailing individual and their quality of life. Whether that means YOU or someone you’ve hired, invest in that person. Take care of that person so they may continue the selfless work they are doing. They are the ones keeping the person, the culture, and ultimately the system from deteriorating. They are the greatest representation of our civil society, filling the crack spaces of social services, many of which flounder in neglect.

Caregivers are destitute. They are working for pennies, if not for free! So good gawd, let them cake! Let’s help them eat some effing cake!!!! Let’s remind them that the village is here, fully intact, and they can rest without guilt because we are here too… sharing the burden because this is how situations get better. People care…

Close-up of all the caramelized citrus goodness…

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp clementine zest
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 cup heavy cream
• 3 round slices of clementine
• 1/8 cup juice from clementine
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 to 2 tsp of honey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a bread pan and lay your clementine rings in the bottom
3. Take two bowls and in one add all the wet ingredients (except the honey) and in the other add the dry. Mix both separately then combine.
4. Carefully pour the batter into the bread pan (so as not to shift the rings) and bake for roughly 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. When finished baking, carefully remove the bread and cool on a cooling rack.
6. Once cooled you can slice the dome that formed while baking, off the "top" and invert the loaf so it rests easily with the celementine rings on full display.
7. Then lightly drizzle the honey over the top allowing it to absorb into the cake before cutting into slices.

November 2018: Cranberry Sauce Bread

With the November 2018 full moon falling the day after Thanksgiving, cranberry sauce was begging to be a signature ingredient for the Full Moon Baking Club. Every year I make a cranberry sauce and every year I have leftovers. So this year, I made sauce with a plan. One of my favorite bakeries, Pain D’Avignon in Hyannis, MA makes these delicious cranberry-pecan rolls so I wanted a cranberry sauce that could steer me in that direction. I made this cranberry sauce using some during my Thanksgiving meal and the rest in this bread. It used walnuts instead of pecans but… close enough. My goal was texture.

Speaking of texture, I baked this bread in a dutch oven because it makes a world of difference when it comes to the crust. If you want that crispy/chewy/artisan bread effect at home, bake your breads in a dutch oven. The lid helps trap moisture and produces steam while baking. That humid baking environment, matched with high heat equals crusty loaves that mimic professional bakery results. It’s one of the simplest answers to creating rustic breads in an everyday home kitchen.

If you find yourself needing a dutch oven, I recommend the one linked below made by Lodge Cast Iron. There are a lot on the market, some quite a bit more expansive than others but I prefer this one because it’s affordable, comes pre-seasoned and is made entirely of cast iron. Some have nobs on the lids with a lower heat tolerance than the pot which can throw off one’s cooking plan. Whatever style you prefer, just make sure it’s safe for high temperatures. You’ll need it to handle temperatures of at least 450 degrees for breads.

Lodge L8DOL3 Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Dual Handles, Pre-Seasoned, 5-Quart

Lodge

I forgot to take pictures of the bread in progress so hopefully you checked-out the video when it was all going down on Instagram The high was making pink dough. The low was a mild panic where it suddenly occurred to me I was making a fruit cake. Otherwise, you didn’t miss much. I did however snag a few shots of the cranberry sauce in the works. Also, if you need a holiday gift, this mixing spoon and several others are still available.

Ok bakers, it’s time to get on with this recipe because there are only two weeks till the next full moon. Do you even still have cranberry sauce? Probably not and that’s my fault for being so slow on posting the recipe but all the more reason to archive this recipe for next year! Or, if you’re really game to make bread (which you should be), I encourage you go for it! Just omit the cranberry sauce and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised. That’s the beauty of bread. With a little practice, you’ll find it’s a very forgiving art.;)

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup cranberry sauce
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

1. In a bowl mix together the water and cranberry sauce.
2. Add the yeast and let it disolve.
3. In a separate, large bowl, stir together the four and salt.
4. Pour the cranberry mixture into the bowl with the flour and mix to combine.
5. Mix the ingredients together helping to form the dough.
6. Gently form the dough in the bowl, then turn it out onto a floured surface.
7. Knead the dough on the counter for at least 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking.
8. The dough should become smooth and springy with all ingredients throughoughly combined. Keep kneading if feeling unsure about the consistancy. It's practically impossible to over-knead dough by hand and if anything, more kneading will only improve the texture.
9. Once well formed, shape it into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rest/rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
10. Once doubled, knead it again for another 10ish minutes, dusting with flour to keep it from sticking if necessary.
11. After kneading, shape into a round form and place smooth side up on a piece of parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. (I like to place my dough and parchment on a pie plate to help keep the round shape during the second rise.)
12. Let it rise for another hour or until doubled in size.
13. Preheat the oven and your dutch oven to 450 degrees F.
14. When the dough is ready, carefully transfer the parchment paper with the dough into the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.
15. Next, remove the lid and reduce the temperature to 410 degrees F. Bake for 15 more minutes or until the inside temperature reaches 190 degrees F.
16. Cool on a rack for 20ish minutes before slicing.

Ok folks, we got two weeks! The holiday and the Full Moon Baking Club countdowns are on so lets role with the festive and make Eggnog Bread! Do people even like eggnog? Probably not, yet somehow it winds up in the fridge every year. Well, this year we are gonna use it up! Eggs, milk and sugar can make for a tasty loaf so let’s just do it and embrace the holiday spirit. And since the full moon is on the 22nd of December, we can count on some leftovers to make holiday french toast.

See you in a couple of weeks! And if you made it this far and have no idea what the Full Moon Baking Club is click here, catch-up, and join us on the 22nd!

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Clementine + Walnut Tea Cake With Honey

Just this...

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp clementine zest
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/8 cup heavy cream
• 3 round slices of clementine
• 1/8 cup juice from clementine
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a bread pan and lay your clementine rings in the bottom
3. Take two bowls and in one add all the wet ingredients and in the other add the dry. Mix both sepretly then combine.
4. Carefully pour the batter into the bread pan (so as not to shift the rings) and bake for roughly 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. When finished baking, carefully remove the bread and cool on a cooling rack.
6. Once cooled you can slice the dome off the "top" and invert the loaf so it rests easily with the celementine rings on full display.