Super Natural Every Day (28 page)

225 g spelt flour or wholemeal flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

45 g linseeds

85 g chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (see
Wholegrain Breadcrumbs
)

70 g extra-virgin coconut oil

85 g unsalted butter

180 ml maple syrup

70 g natural (unrefined) cane sugar or soft brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 160°C (Gas Mark 2–3) with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-hole muffin tin.

Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, linseeds, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, butter, maple syrup, and sugar and slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved, but don’t let the mixture get too hot. You don’t want it to cook the eggs on contact in the next step.

Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a fork, add the eggs, and stir again until everything comes together into a wet dough. Spoon the dough into the muffin holes, nearly filling them.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the edges of each oatcake are deeply golden. Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the cakes and tip them out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MAKES 12 OATCAKES

Wholegrain Mustard

I started making my own wholegrain mustard last year, not long after I came back from France. The pockets of my suitcase were brimming with little jars of yellow gold from shops all over Paris. Before I knew it, I’d given them all away or used them all up. Instead of replacing them, I decided to take a shot at making my own.

It took me a while to figure out a ratio of yellow to brown mustard seeds that I liked. In the end, I hit upon a formula that I make often. It is a straightforward mustard with cracked mustard seeds, champagne vinegar, and a kiss of honey. It’s feisty, but hopefully not too feisty, and it makes a good impression slathered on sandwiches, baked into tart shells, whisked into crème fraîche , or enjoyed on its own. Keep in mind, you do need to age it for a couple weeks before enjoying it—this seems to allow some of the spiciness to dissipate and the flavours to meld.

70 g yellow mustard seeds

45 g brown mustard seeds

45 g powdered mustard

230 ml cold water

90 ml good-quality champagne vinegar, plus more if needed

70 g honey, plus more if needed

1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more if needed

Use a mortar and pestle to crush the mustard seeds. It takes some time and some muscle, but I try to keep going until about two-thirds of the seeds are crushed, and the remaining seeds are whole.

Use a fork to mix together the powdered mustard and water in a bowl. Mix in the vinegar, honey, and salt. Then mix in the mustard seeds. The mixture will seem thin, but don’t worry about it. Cover and store the mustard in the refrigerator for a couple of days, long enough for it to thicken up. Stir and transfer to little jars if you like, then store in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks before using. At this point, the flavours should have mellowed and come together nicely, but feel free to adjust with a bit more honey, salt, or vinegar. The mustard will keep for up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

MAKE ABOUT 425 G

Chilli Oil

I keep homemade chilli oil on hand to use as a simple condiment and flavour accent. Sprinkle chilli flakes in hot olive oil, let it cool, and ignore it. The flavour lights up over the next day or two.

120 ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons chilli flakes

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for a couple minutes—until it is about as hot as you would need it to sauté some onions, but not so hot that it smokes or smells acrid or burned. Turn off the heat and stir in the chilli flakes. Set aside and allow to cool. Store the oil in the refrigerator if it is going to take you more than a couple days to use it up.

MAKES 120 ML

Dipping Sauce

	I use this as a sweet-sour dipping sauce, a salad dressing, and even a drizzle over cheese plates. It goes particularly well with anything involving goat’s cheese, apples, pears, hazelnuts, and/or almonds. When the season turns colder, roasted salt-and-peppered potatoes pair well, too.
I’ve made this by hand in the past, but prefer the creamy and glossy consistency achieved with a stick blender or in a food processor.

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Fine sea salt

60 g membrillo (quince paste)

80 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Scant 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon
crème fraîche
, plain yoghurt, or sour cream

Sprinkle the garlic with ¼ teaspoon salt, then chop it into a paste. Combine in a bowl with the membrillo and puree with a stick blender or in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the oil, and then the lemon juice, continuing to blend. Add the crème fraîche, taste, and add more lemon juice or salt, if needed. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

MAKES ABOUT 160 ML

Blackberry-Maple Compote

The ways you can use this chunky, midnight-hued berry topping are endless. It’s equally at home spooned generously over cake, goat’s cheeseslathered crackers, and gelato as it is over porridge , multigrain pancakes , buttered toast, crepes , and tarts.

225 g blackberries, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons natural (unrefined) cane sugar, muscovado sugar, or soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice, plus more if needed

1 ½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more if needed

Tiny pinch of fine sea salt