Chocolate Walnut "Jammy" Bars # Baking Partner's Challenge

This month Suja Manoj of  Kitchen corner try it challenged the Baking Partners with two simple seasonal treats... Chocolate Walnut Bars from Faye Levy's Chocolate Sensations and Lemon Bars  from The Secrets of Baking, Sherry Yard and The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle. Both bars looked tempting... but in a house of chocolate lovers, baking two non-chocolatey treats in a row would be sacrilegious (remember these Blueberry Coconut Friands), so I decided to bake the Chocolate Walnut Bars or  Chocolate Walnut "Jammy" Bars today. 

Italian Walnut Black Pepper Cookies

Walnut Black Pepper Cookies... this is yet another one from  Cooking with Italian Grandmothers and it is by grandmother Carluccia. I tell you, if not for all the other healthy recipes, for t``he  desserts alone you should get yourself a copy of the book. They all sound fantastic and are generally pretty easy to put together.... 

Now a little about the moment when I finally decided to share these sweeties with you... 

It was pretty late that night. My husband had a skype interview in India . He returned at 3:00 in the morning and before I could ask him how the interview went, 

he asked, "Are those cookies still there ?" 

"Ah... yes.. how was your interview ?" 

"We'll see..." he replied, then taking a bite said, "... these cookies are delicious.... can I have some more..."

I knew immediately that the first thing I needed to do next day was to take their photographs.. I suspected that they wouldn't survive another day in the shelf . And they didn't. The whole batch vanished between breakfast, tea and dessert.  With all its buttery-sugary goodness and hint of black pepper, these cookies kept calling us(by which I mostly mean my husband) all-day-long.....

Irene's Lentil Soup with Turnip and Pounded nuts & Weekly Menu Plan

A few weeks back I mentioned to you the Italian Cookbook that I am crushing on these days... Cooking with Italian Grandmothers... from Tuscany to Sicily. I tried a few more recipes from it over the last few weeks and cooked this particular lentil soup twice in two subsequent weeks. Well I had to... for turnips are in season and this soup is so healthful and delicious. 

This recipe is again by Irene of Piedmontese, Bra and bears her characteristic earthy style. It is a slow food as opposed to fast food, and the original recipe featured one of the Slow Food Presidia products, namely the locally grown yellow fleshed Caprauna turnips. I however cooked it with the regular white turnips that are showing up in the vegetable aisles these days. Also instead of puy or beluga black lentils, that the author suggests, I cooked the soup using red lentils and used a combination of pecans and pistachios for garnish instead of walnuts.

Before going into the recipe let me tell you about an interesting project that I learnt about in this book... the Slow Food Presidia Project. In the words of the author, "it is an organization  that was created in 1989 in Italy to counteract the trend towards fast food and a faster life. It promoted the values of traditional foods and their preparation, the pleasures of table, of conviviality, and a life lived in connection to one's local terrain."  Though these are the very values that I grew up with, under circumstantial pressure I have often found myself losing sight of them and ordering fast food instead of cooking a nourishing meal for the family. The objectives of the Presidia sounded like a solemn reminder to go back to the basic values and stay rooted... a thought that is well worth remembering and imbibing in our fast changing lives... 

Spiced Persimmon Bread with Bourbon Dates and Walnuts & Weekly Menu Plan

Happy Monday !! How are you ? Around here, its been getting chillier even by the day. So the oven is on full time. well almost. and I have been baking and eating lots of breads, cookies and cakes. Also roasting a lot of root vegetables and loving it all. I am specially in love with this sinfully delicious Persimmon Bread... with Bourbon, walnuts, dates and the chilli flakes.. Yes chilli flakes. Do I see some brows frowning over that ?  Oh please don't. It really is wonderful.

The original recipe is by James Beard. I found it in David Lebovitz blog, made an eggless version of it and spiced it a bit with red chilly flakes.  I borrowed the idea of adding chilli  flakes from a Turkish Persimmon Bread recipe and I am so glad I did. The Bourbon, the dates and the chilli flakes are such a riot of flavors.. and yet so rich and gorgeous. Ever since I made this bread, I have been looking for more sweet bread recipes where I can fit these flavors in. I have found some recipes... will soon let you know how they go. 

This sweet bread is perfect for the season. Its great with tea as well as coffee. also great for pacifying the late afternoon or late night sugar craze (in case you like to give in to that sometimes). So if you are in the mood to indulge yourself bake this delicious Spiced Persimmon Bread with Bourdon Dates and Walnuts  right away.. You'll love it ! 

Spiced Persimmon Bread with Bourbon Dates and Walnuts  Minimally adapted from David Lebovitz
Preparation Time : 15 minutes                    Cooking Time: 60 minutes                      Yields: 1 9x5 inch loaf
Ingredients 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 3/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter(1 stick of unsalted butter) 1/2 cup yogurt (as a substitute for 2 eggs) 1/3 cup Bourbon 1 cup persimmon puree (scooped out from 2 medium sized squishy-soft Hachiya persimmons) 1/3 cut walnuts, chopped 1 cup pitted dates, chopped 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes -  Instructions Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together all the dry ingredients except sugar into a large mixing bowl and keep it aside. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan.  Switching off the heat beat the sugar into the melted butter.  Once the sugar has been well incorporated, beat in the yogurt, Bourbon and persimmon puree and beat till all the ingredients have been well incorporated.  Make a well in the center of the sifted flour mixture. Pour in the liquid bourbon-persimmon puree mixture into the well, then add the chopped walnuts and dates and chilli flakes and using a wooden spoon mix everything well. Now pour the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheat heated oven. After 25 minutes reduce the heat of the oven to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 35-40 minutes till a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool the loaf completely before slicing and enjoying.

While we'll enjoying this spiced up sweet bread for breakfast and tea... these are the dishes we have for dinner this week....

This Week's Menu Plan
Sunday	Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup & Apple Pie from the Bakery
Monday	Crepes with and Refried Beans with Pumpkin,
Tuesday	Rice, Dal, Fish,  and Steamed Beans for toddler Masoor Dal, Roasted Roots Vegetables with Sauteed Baby Spinach,  Rice.
Wednesday	Pear and Chestnut Soup, Colcannon, Chicken Breasts with Herbed butter
Thursday	Beet Thoran, Moong dal with Peas and Cauliflower, Egg Curry and Rice
Friday	Magic Chicken Biriyani and Raita
Saturday	Leftovers for lunch, Pasta with Beet Greens and Onions for dinner

Sharing this with Meal Plan Monday @ Organizing Junkie 

 and Meal Plan Monday at The Diary of a Real Housewife.

I shall be sharing this at the following parties.

Monday : Mix it up Monday, The Scoop, Made with love Monday, 
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks, Melt in your Mouth Monday, Inspiration Monday Party Sharing Monday, 
Inspire Me Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop,Maniac Monday Linky Party, Recipe Sharing Monday @Jam Hands

Meatless Monday:Meatless Monday My Sweet and Savory

Tuesday : Totally Tasty Tuesday @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Tasteful Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, 
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home ,  Hand Made Tuesday @ Ladybug Blessings
Share it Link Party @ Winthrop Chronicles,  Tasty Tuesday @ Anyonita Nibbles,  Hearth and Soul blog Hop, 
In & Out of the Kitchen @ Feeding Big & More, Tuesday's Table @ Love in the Kitchen, 

Wednesday : What's Cooking Wednesday @ Buns in my Oven, Cast Party Wednesday @ Lady Behind the Curtain, 
Show and Share @ Semi Homemade Mom, Wine'd Down Wednesday, 
Wonderful Food Wednesdays at @ All She Cooks Wednesday, Whatsit@White Lights on Wednesday, 
Wednesday Extravaganza @ Hunger Little Girl, Create & Share @ The Trendy Tree House,
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar & Dots Look, What I Made @ Creations by Kara

Thursday: Link it Up Thursday @ Seven Alive, Fantastic Thursday @ Three Little Chiefs, 
Thriving on Thursdays @ Domesblissity,  Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage , 
 Freedom Friday @ My Turn,  Thursday's Treasures @ Food Done Light,Pin it Thursday @ Sweet Bella Roos

Friday : Foodie Friday @ Simple Living and Eating,  Friday Linky Party @ The Pin Junkie, 
Get Him Feed @ Anyonita Nibbles, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home,  
Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes, Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm, 
Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts, 
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club, The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog Recipes