Roasted Romanesco with Za'atar Yogurt Sauce

Strange coincidence: last year, on January 25th, 2014, I wrote about romanesco in a post entitled 7 Uncommon Vegetables for your Produce Bucket List. I had never seen romanesco in a store. I kept my eyes peeled for it all year, but could never find any. That is, until last Wednesday, when I finally spotted some at my local Whole Foods . . . on January 25th, 2015. Weird, right?

Coming across this gorgeous vegetable exactly one year after posting about it has me wondering if it might be magic. I mean, look at those spirals! According to Wikipedia, the number of spirals on a head of Romanesco is a Fibonacci number, and its form approximates a fractal. How is it possible that something like this exists?

In addition to its special properties, romanesco is delicious. I roasted it whole because I couldn't bear to slice it up any sooner than I had to. Its flavor is similar to cauliflower and broccoli, but a little milder and nuttier. And, just like with cauliflower or broccoli, the browned bits are extra delicious. If you can't find romanesco, you could definitely use one of its brassica cousins for this recipe instead.

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake with Brown Butter Streusel

This morning when I woke up, I wanted to bake something to celebrate being on summer vacation.  I didn't have anything fun like berries, but I always have cinnamon, so I decided to make my first coffee cake.  Pretty soon I realized I was totally out of regular sugar, so this recipe doesn't have any.  It has plenty of brown sugar and agave, but no white sugar.  That, along with part whole grain flour, makes this a teensy bit healthier.  But don't worry, it still tastes really good!

This recipe requires the use of way too many bowls (one for the streusel, one for the swirl, one for the batter, one for the milk and yogurt...).  But, in my opinion, it's worth it in the end.  Plus, most of the bowls are small and you could probably use a measuring cup for some of them.

Coffee cake needs that rich, dark swirl and the crunchy topping, right?  I think so.

Ingredients (adapted from King Arthur):

For the streusel:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown butter
Pinch of salt

For the swirl:

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cocoa

For the cake:

6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick), at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light agave nectar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
1/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
3/4 cups whole grain pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.

To make the streusel and swirl, combine the ingredients for each in two small bowls and set aside.  For a tutorial on how to brown butter, see this post on How Sweet It Is.

To make the cake, cream the butter, salt, agave, brown sugar, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and yogurt.

Add the flour to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and yogurt mixture.  Stir just until smooth.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle on the swirl, then top with the remaining batter.  Use a butter knife to swirl the layers together a litte.  Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt

When I was a kid and we were getting ice cream, my mom ALWAYS wanted Cherry Garcia.  And I was always like, well, we could get that, OR WE COULD GET OREO!!  I wasn't really a fruit-in-your-ice-cream kind of kid.

Times have changed!  As evidenced by the strawberry ice cream I made last week, I now willingly put fruit into my own ice cream.

So, I've been brainstorming all things chocolate and cherry to get ready for this month's chocolate party.  I wanted to make something fancy.  I was thinking about making a chocolate panna cotta and topping it with a layer of cherry curd and some whipped cream.

But, it's too hot!  I can't even heat up a pot of cream.  Instead I whipped up this super delicious frozen yogurt, which has the benefit of being sort of guilt-free since there's no sugar added.  I'll have to save some for my mom!  I think it's even better than the original.

Ingredients (makes about a quart):

3 cups Greek yogurt (I used Fage Total, but you could try lowfat, too)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream (or use more milk)
4 tablespoons Agave nectar, or to taste
2 teaspoons stevia, or to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
3.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Mix the milk and cream in a large bowl, and stir in the stevia until dissolved.  Add the yogurt and vanilla.  Check to see how sweet it is and add agave nectar until it's sweetened to your liking (you could try all agave or all stevia, but stevia sometimes has a funny aftertaste if you use too much of it).

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker.  When it's almost done, add the chocolate and cherries and let the machine swirl them in.  Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours before serving.

Want to participate in this month's chocolate party by sharing a treat with chocolate and cherries?  Here's how to participate:

1.) Blog about your chocolate treat. Your recipe must include the two ingredients we choose (chocolate and cherries for June). It can be a simple no bake treat or a sophisticated layer cake, the complexity level of the recipe is totally up to you.

2.) Include a link back to a monthly round-up or the Chocolate party page. Optional, add the Chocolate Party logo in your blog post or on your sidebar. 

3.) Your recipe must be published during the current month. Please do not link old recipes, they will be deleted.

4.)  Add your link below!