Fast Bread, Hamlin (no pied piper) Marmalade, Persimmons, Quinoa Rissoles

Hamlin Yellow(because they're not oranges)Marmalade

No, that's not a Meyer Lemon, although it sorta looks like one.   The Hamlin orange is one of the most cold-hardy sweet oranges, and has been around Florida since the mid-1880s.  The distinguishing characteristics are, of course, it's yellow flesh, and sweet, not acidic taste and juice.  If you can find them, they make great marmalades, curds and similar preserves.  Great eating out-of-hand too.

My usual recipe to make a full pint of marmalade:   3 oranges, chopped.  Skin, pith, seeds, flesh and all,  pureed leaving some chunks.  Combine with a little less than the same volume of sugar (any kind) and microwave on High for 10 minutes.  Spoon into screw-top jars and refrigerate when cooled to room temperature

Poached Persimmons

Those funny looking orange-yellow 'not tomatoes' -- Persimmons -- are one of the most under-utilized fruits in this country.  The flavor is delicate and mildly sweet, and they are great just cut into wedges and eaten out of hand.  But they also make great jam, smoothies, pies, breads, cookies and simple desserts like this.

3-4 FuYu (sweet) Persimmons
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Star Anise
1tsp minced fresh Ginger
3-4 Tbsp Sugar
White Wine
Water

Remove the stem ends, and cut each fruit into 8 wedges, then cut the wedges into bite sized pieces.  In a suitable pan cover them with half water and half white wine (about a cup each).  Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the fruit are tender -- about 15 minutes.

 Serve plain, or over Icelandic/Greek yogurt, rice pudding, or vanilla ice cream.

Fast Bread
That's "fast" bread, not Quick bread.  This makes real, risen loaves of bread, not the usual baking soda/powder sort of quick bread rise.  The recipe takes only about 1-1/2 hours for two loaves,  not the hours and hours of rises-and-kneads of ordinary yeast breads, which is why it's called Fast Bread.  Four simple ingredients -- bread is, after all a "simple" recipe.

2 cups warm Water (not hot)
1 packet Quick Rise Yeast
2 tsp Salt -- as Alton Brown says -- "Never leave the salt out of a baking recipe!"  (it limits the rise)
2-1/2 cups each of AP flour and Whole Wheat flour, plus more for bench flour

In a small bowl stir together the warm water and yeast.  In a large bowl combine about half the flour with the salt.  Add the yeasty liquid and start stirring, then add the rest of the flour; and a splash of water if needed.  You want the dough to "come together" but not be wet.

Dump the dough onto a clean floured surface and start kneading.  Knead for about 10 minutes until you get a mass that's "smooth as a baby's bottom".  Lacking a baby bottom for comparison, you can use the stretch test, and it's ready if you can see light through a wad of pulled-apart dough before it tears.

Grease a pair of loaf pans, divide the dough mass into two piece and form nice smooth loaves to put in each pan.  Cover and set in a breeze-free warmish place for 30-45 minutes until the dough doubles in size more or less.

Preheat the oven to 425F and bake the two loaves for 15-20 minutes, to an interior temp of 190-220F.  Remove to cooling racks.  Cool for 15 minutes then take the loaves out of the pans.

Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and schmearing with butter for the ultimate warm treat!

Great crumb, dense but not heavy, this is a winner in my bread baking department!  If you want a nicer looking dark crust on top, don't forget to brush the dough with soft butter before baking, like I did!

Quinoa Rissoles
This recipe comes from Bon Appetit magazine.  Another chapter in my quest for the ultimate Veggie Burger.  Sally and our friend Susan tasted something called the Inside-Out Quinoa Burger at True Food Kitchen restaurant down in Naples, so here I am trying to make something similar. *

1-2 cups cooked Quinoa

3/4 cup cooked Sweet Potato (1 medium-large spud)

1 Tbsp EVOO, divided

2 cups sliced mushrooms, chopped fine

1 Shallot, finely chopped

1/2 tsp or more Red Pepper Flakes (or Smoked Hot Paprika)

1 cup Breadcrumbs (Panko would be better)

juice of a Lemon

Black Pepper to taste

Nuke the sweet potato, scoop out the meat and mash it. Saute the shallot and mushrooms in a bit of EVOO but don't let them color.

Combine everything in a bowl and mash together. Divide into 4 patties. Fry patties in remaining EVOO for 7-8 minutes per side, until GB&D.

These are pretty good, but according to my sources, the TFK burger is better!

*Last minute update -- I actually found the True Foods Inside Out Quinoa Burger recipe.  More on that in a future post!!!