Honey Lemon Polenta Cake

Isn't it the best when you meet someone who isn't afraid to take action when they see a problem in the world? 

And who does it with enthusiasm and optimism? And leaves you feeling inspired and hopeful that we all have the power to make a change if we just put our minds to it? I had the great pleasure of meeting such a person this winter.

Her name is Rachel Parent, she is 13 years old, and she is seriously kicking some GMO butt!! Last year, she founded an organization called Kids Right To Know which is fighting for genetically modified foods (GMOs) to be labelled in Canada. I showed up on her doorstep one snowy morning to interview her for an article I wrote for the spring issue of Edible Toronto Magazine. But before we got down to business, Rachel and I baked a buttery and zesty honey lemon polenta cake. (GMO-free of course!) Here is a video of our delightful morning together.



Canada and the US are the only two industrialized countries in the world that don't label genetically modified foods (GMOs), and if anyone is going to change that, it just might be Rachel Parent. Check out the video of her debate with TV host Kevin O'Leary and you'll see why. And if you're wondering, like many people, what the heck exactly is a GMO and why should you avoid eating them, I highly recommend watching this documentary, produced by award-winning journalist Marie-Monique Robin, it clears up a lot of questions about GMOs.

Now. Let's talk about cake.

I have fallen head over heels in love with this cake. It's a buttery polenta cake that is soaked in honey lemon syrup. So it's moist, almost custardy, and bursting with delicious lemon zesty-ness. It's the perfect cake to herald the arrival of spring. In fact, I have taken to calling it the Sunshine Cake. And I've made it 5 times in the past 2 months alone. Let's just say, my month of March was very grey and very long, and I needed to pump up my world with as much sunshine as possible. 

A little bonus for the gluten-free's out there, this one happens to be made entirely with cornmeal and ground almonds so you're in the clear!

Rachel proudly displays our cake! Photo: © Andrew Norton

GMO-FREE HONEY LEMON POLENTA CAKE 
(aka SUNSHINE CAKE :-)
Adapted from Nigella Lawson

For a fully GMO-free cake, the polenta cornmeal, butter, and eggs should be certified organic. Cane sugar is a preferred option since most commercial sugar is made from GMO sugar beets. And yes, even baking powder can contain GMOs so certified GMO-free baking powder is advisable (and can be found at most health food stores). As for the lemons, they won't be genetically modified, but may have some lingering pesticides on their skin so organic is best since this recipe calls for zest.

Cake
3/4 cup polenta cornmeal (any regular cornmeal will do the trick, but I found a finer grind yielded the best texture)
2 cups ground blanched almonds
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup cane sugar (I actually use 3/4 cup to cut down on sugar content)
1.5 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
Zest of 2 lemons

Syrup
1/2 cup honey
Juice of 2 lemons

Line the base of a 23 cm/9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease it with butter. Preheat oven to 350F.

Whip the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until pale and smooth. In a separate bowl, mix together the ground almonds, polenta, and baking powder. Beat roughly a third of this dry mixture into the creamed butter, followed by an egg. Mix well. Repeat 2 more times until all the ingredients have been incorporated together. Batter will be thick. Pour this into the prepared pan. 

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. A cake tester should come out clean and the top of the cake should be golden and the edges pulled back from the pan slightly. Cool the cake right in the pan. 

Make the syrup by simmering the honey and lemon juice together until hot. Prick the top of the cake with a toothpick and pour this syrup slowly and evenly over the top of the cake, while still in the pan. Allow the cake to soak up the syrup (minimum 15 minutes). Remove from the pan and serve. Enjoy!

Le Creuset French Oven Giveaway & Easter Bread

Hurrah! It's April and I'm so thrilled to announce my sponsor of the month is, drumroll please.... Le Creuset!! Le Creuset has generously donated one of their gorgeous enamelled cast iron French Ovens in their new seasonal colour: Soleil... and man have we ever needed a little soleil around these parts lately. So if you need a little brightening up in your world too, one lucky Kitchen Vignettes reader is going to receive a very sunny and special delivery at the end of this month, and it could be you! Details on how to enter the draw are below.

I have been drooling over Le Creuset cookware for as long as I can remember. There is just something that makes me feel like all is well in the world when there is a heavy-duty brightly coloured pot of fragrant stew simmering away on my stove. Their outstanding craftsmanship ensures even heat distribution and seals in moisture and flavours. Of course, they aren't cheap, but they are so worth the investment. I was actually lucky enough to get my own two prized Le Creuset wares with my aeroplan points. Forget travel rewards, I'll take Le Creuset over a free flight any day! Their French Ovens are unparalleled for soups and stews and, of course... no-knead bread.

Here is a recap my no-knead bread recipe video, starring a very sunny and well-loved Le Creuset French Oven, and oh, a very fuzzy and well-loved kitty too.



Yesterday, I made a special 'Easter version' of my no-knead bread, with the addition of candied lemon peel, currants, walnuts, and a hint of honey. And I think it just may be the best bread I've ever made. Ever. To get the basic no-knead bread recipe, featured in the video, click here. To get my Easter no-knead bread recipe, scroll below.

Now, to enter the draw to win the lovely 4.3L French Oven (valued at $330), here's what you need to do:

1) Tell a friend or family member about Kitchen Vignettes, and get them to either 'like' my Facebook page, or subscribe to this blog by e-mail (see right-hand sidebar). Both you and your friend will be entered into the draw. 

2) To be eligible for the draw, please leave me a comment below letting me know you and your friend (include their name) have entered the contest. 

3) The more people you introduce, the more ballots you will get. For instance, if you introduce 5 new people, your name will be entered in the draw 5 times.

***This giveaway can only be shipped within Canada or the United States.***

Cut-off time for entering the draw is 5pm Atlantic time, April 30th. I will draw a name at random and announce the winner that evening. Good luck everyone and stay tuned for the May giveaway!

Easter No-Knead Bread

2 cups white unbleached flour
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup dried currants
2 tbsp. finely chopped candied lemon peel
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp honey
Cornmeal to sprinkle on bottom of French Oven

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, salt, and add 1 5/8 cup water. Stir together to obtain a sticky dough. Cover the bowl with a lid or plate and allow to sit on your kitchen counter for about 20 hours. 

After more or less 20 hours, your dough should be nice and bubbly. Add in the currants, lemon peel, walnuts, and honey. With your hand (best) or a wooden spoon, mix well for about 2 to 3 minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover. Allow dough to rise for about 2 hours.

Put your lidded French Oven in the oven and preheat to 450 F. Any oven-proof lidded pot will do, but a French Oven will work best. Allow your lidded pot to heat up in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove and sprinkle cornmeal at the bottom of the piping hot pot. Gently but quickly drop the bread dough down into the pot and immediately place the lid back on. Give the pot a little shake if the dough is unevenly distributed. Return to the hot oven and bake with lid on for 30 minutes. Then turn temperature down to 400, remove the lid, and bake for another 20 minutes or until the loaf is a deep golden brown and has a hard crust. 

Allow your loaf to cool on a rack for at least one FULL hour before slicing into it. Otherwise, the bread may be gummy. After an hour, slice away and enjoy!

Guinness Brownies

I caved. I had to make them.

I really wasn't planning to cook or blog, or in fact do anything St. Patrick's Day-related today because I am in thesis-land. And I intend to remain firmly there. For the most part.

 
But my sister has been under the weather, and I asked her what she was craving yesterday and she replied, surprise surprise... chocolate. I was prepared to make her some chicken soup or honey lemon tea or something equally healing. But, I am not one to ever say no to the possibility of chocolate. Normally, I wouldn't even think to make brownies for my sister because she herself happens to make THE best brownies in the universe. But seeing as she hasn't been feeling well, and lately I've been drooling over all the photos floating around online of guinness & chocolate based desserts... I succumbed to trying my hand at the ol' beer & chocolate combo. Didn't take much. Anyway, these brownies took about 30 minutes to make from beginning to end. I only ate oh, about a dozen of them before my sister got home. It helps with the thesis. I swear.

Luna got in on the action when she thought I wasn't looking, then later pretended there was something more interesting going on outside (as if anything could be more interesting than chocolate). Silly monkey-cat.

Because my sister is avoiding gluten these days, I made these with sorghum and almond flours, although technically, the beer has gluten. But she's not quite that hard-line about it. I also used coconut sugar which supposedly doesn't make your blood sugar climb a mountain. Though it tastes so damn good I can't imagine how it wouldn't. Mainly though, its rich flavour is a perfect marriage with the bitterness of guinness. Mmmm.

These are dark and moody brownies, deeply flavorful, not too sweet, and deliciously unctuous. I recommend making them. Immediately. St Paddy's Day is not over til you've had these. (Oh and my sister, aka the brownie expert, immediately popped five in her mouth when she got home and made some muffled moaning noises, while giving me the thumbs up sign).

GUINNESS MINI-BROWNIES
*If you want to use all-purpose flour, simply omit the sorghum and almond flours and use 1/2 cup flour of choice instead

 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup and 1 tbsp guinness
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
1 cup coconut sugar (or any other sugar)
2 eggs
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup almond flour (ground almonds)
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add cocoa powder and eggs and beat well. Mix in the guinness. In a small bowl, combine the sorghum flour, ground almonds, and salt. Incorporate melted chocolate with flours and egg mixture, and mix until thick uniform batter is obtained. Drop batter by the tablespoonful into a mini muffin tin. The batter should come almost to the top edge, but not quite. (They will rise a bit).

Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to overbake. They should still be moist on top when they come out. Cool in the pan for about 45 minutes. Remove from pan and continue cooling on  rack if necessary. Devour. (Whipped cream or sour cream with a little sugar and fresh mint mixed in is delightful with these).

***

And just because ever since I saw this video, I start cracking up whenever I bake desserts with gluten-free flours, here is a little treat for you. Many people can probably relate to this... (although to be honest, even though I am not gluten-intolerent myself, I often prefer the taste and texture of gluten-free desserts... )