eclaire (what's in a) name?

i love polenta. it is one of my all time favorite foods — if, and only if, it is made from scratch. the first time i spied tubes of polenta at trader joe’s i literally squealed with delight and threw a package into my cart, imagining all sorts of possible delightful dinners. but when i got home and opened said tube, i was thoroughly disappointed. the polenta did not have a good texture, taste, or consistency, so i made the decision never to buy the tubed stuff again. the from-scratch-kind of polenta tastes like fresh corn, is creamy and smooth, and can be eaten porridge-like or allowed to congeal (sorry, k, know you hate that word!) into a smooth base for toppings. the latter is the way i prefer polenta, and even though it is a little time consuming, it’s a fantastic treat and quite simple to make.

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earlier this month, the new york times posted an article about the hunt for perfection in chocolate chip cookies. this article created a stir in the food blog world as everyone scrambled to make the recipe outlined in the new york times, critique it, and offer their own commentary about the best chocolate chip cookie.

i was planning on doing the same for you, dear readers, but every time i went to make the recipe from the ny times, my hands uncontrollably reached for my recipe box to get ahold of the card with my personal favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe instead.

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many years ago, when i moved into my first apartment in davis, i mostly alternated between the three quick stand-by dinners of spaghetti, burritos, and tofu/veggie stir fries on weekdays so i could save most of my time for studying. on the weekends, though, my roommate and i would make big dinners for the all the housemates (plus our then-boyfriends, now husbands) by rolling corn tortillas around massive quantities of cheese, dousing them in enchilada sauce, and making large pans of spanish rice and refried beans to serve on the side. these days, enchilada feasts are a much rarer occasion in my life, but every time i make a pan, i feel a twinge of nostalgia and think about those days in davis. ok, to be honest, it’s really only a small twinge, because my life has changed in so many ways for the better since the days when i thought cheese was the best enchilada filling in the whole world.

this recipe, for avocado bean enchiladas, is one of the best enchilada fillings i’ve ever consumed. it has a great spice combination and an unexpected crunch from the cashews, all mixed in between soft pinto beans and tangy lime juice. this recipe comes from the amazing cookbook eat, drink & be vegan by dreena burton, which was given to me as a birthday present (thanks, l & r!). i know that i tend to exaggerate or overstate things, but SERIOUSLY, this is one of the greatest cookbooks i have ever used (besides the standard joy of cooking, that is). since i received it in the middle of july, not a single meal that we’ve made at home has come from anywhere else, and all of them have been delightful. i really can’t rave about it enough, dear readers, and if i had the money, i’d buy all of you (yes, even the omnivores!) a copy. instead, i’ll be posting about the inspiration for delicious meals that i’ve gained from this cookbook’s author, who also blogs here, and maybe the tantalizing photos and descriptions will inspire you to go out and buy yourself a copy! i’m sure i’ll have some commentary and changes to her recipes later (although i’m madly in love with everyone so far and wouldn’t change a thing), so stay tuned!

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as i teeter on the brink of veganism (ie greatly minimizing but not yet completely eliminating dairy and eggs from my already veggie diet), and work my way slowly through michael pollan’s book the omnivore’s dilemma, i have been thinking a lot more about what i put into my body and why. the article below is a little long, but provides an interesting conversation about veganism, the wavy line of dietary classifications, honey, and the plight of the oh-so-important honeybee:

the great vegan honey debate

in late june, we traveled out to ohio for mike’s family reunion. the event was held in a lush green park with a covered picnic table area, and on the day of, it was warm and humid with a nice breeze and a chance of some showers to liven things up. as we put down tablecloths to mark our picnic bench territory and set up a net for some badminton matches, family began to arrive with homemade goodies of all sorts. as a vegetarian, these events can be quite interesting, and i usually make mike go first in the buffet line to taste the homemade concoctions and determine if they are made with meat or if they are safe for my consumption. (luckily, my mother in law – thanks, barb! – always ensures that there are some delicious veggie items for us at ohio events, but i do love to sample the local cuisine as well.)

at the dessert table, though, there was no need for mike to taste test for me, and i promptly loaded a plate with more baked goods than my stomach should (or would) contain. when i first tasted this cake, my taste buds were delighted, and i mused out loud “what’s in this?? coconut? banana? pineapple?” and immediately went back for another slice. many badminton, bocce ball, volleyball, horseshoe/ring toss, and guessing how-many-items-fit-into-a-container games later, we were forced back under the covered picnic area by an afternoon rain storm. the baker of this cake was telling someone else about it, referring to the delicacy as a hawaiian wedding cake. i shared my delight with the recipe, and was shocked to discover that the recipe contained little else besides pineapple, flour, and sugar – a case of simple concoctions tasting better than more complicated ones. the recipe was so simple that the baker was able to give me the recipe off the top of her head, and i quickly wrote it down and vowed to make it again very soon.

flash forward a couple of weeks to my first opportunity to bake for friends in a long time, and it was without hesitation that i decided to make the hawaiian wedding cake for my beach celebration. i made two modifications to the original recipe: 1) i baked them as cupcakes (because the only thing better than cake is a cupcake!), and 2) i also decided made them vegan – see my parenthetical comments for more details.

here’s the unfrosted cupcakes (and an unsurprising glimpse of mike on his computer):

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