Bookmarked Recipes and A Salted Peach Buttermilk Cake

I know there are a barrage of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks out there at the moment- spearing from every direction, some are on my wish list and some are not.  But I have been making a conscience effort to thumb through those neglected cookbooks already on my shelf and identify those recipes I want to try.  

Many of my cookbooks are vegetarian, some are vegan and many are not either.  I have been making a concerted effort over the weekend to cook and bake some of those bookmarked recipes and have already done so with many (see below).
Caribbean Modern (from the Library)
Dock Kitchen Cookbook 
Mildred's Cookbook
Meat-Free Any-Day
Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates
Snackistan
Veggiestan
V is For Vegan
And I've even been inspired by some bloggers and food website.  

Well today's bookmarked recipe that comes from  Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every-Day. Heidi's Buttermilk Cake is topped off with plums.  I made this at the weekend,  I had picked up some buttermilk intended originally for Irish Soda Bread, but as it was fast reaching it use by date.  In place of the thinly sliced plums, I had peaches.

As I followed the recipe, it advised, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.  I had large grain sea salt but not fine sea salt - so ended up choosing to use table salt.  So yes you can imagine it was a little salty, but okay none-the-less.  I went and checked the recipe on-line and found it under another guise called Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake.  It was the same recipe made with raspberries, but instructing to use an additional teaspoon of sea salt for the topping. The recipe indeed is mean't be be salty. 

Chickpeas and Peach Curry

Inspired by Jack Monroe.

Many of you know that I have not been buying any cookbooks due to lack of income, and have been borrowing books from my library for the past couple of year.  I am patiently waiting for Jack Monroe doesn't seem to have hit the bookshelves there yet, unless some eager beaver already has his/her mitts on it. I've been told it has a lot of vegetarian recipes, so I am keen to flick through its pages.  But I am a little impatient, as the one recipe I have been hearing a lot about is the Peach and Chickpea Curry and its got me excited of sorts.  

One of my weekly university student budget standby dishes would be a Chickpea Curry with white rice.  I would often bulk up the Chickpea Curry by adding another vegetable, mostly a green veg like broccoli or a leafy green like spinach.  The last time I made a variation of Chickpea Curry was not too long ago, when I was experimenting with wild garlic and made a pot of Wild Garlic Chickpea Curry. Well this recipe is that very same recipe, except for a couple of changes.  In place of butter I have used vegetable oil and instead of adding the wild garlic towards the end, I have tossed in slices of peaches including its juices.  

I was never a fan of sweet and sour or even spicy combination, but over the years my palette has been more welcoming.  I've had curry dishes with hunza apricots, raisins and sultanas, but never peach, saying that though I did make Curried Peach Tartlets a while back, but I wasn't that keen on it.

This however, I thoroughly enjoyed.  I am also pleased in the knowledge that I ate some fruit (albeit from a tin).  I am very good at eating my vegetables, but terrible when it comes to fruit.  Tinned fruit might be the way to go for me, well at least in the autumnal and winter seasons.

Peach Doughnut and Date Crumble

My husband has a tendency to bring home fresh fruit always promising me that he will eat it or make a fruit salad for us both, but neither ever happens and I end up making something sweet with them, as was the case with some peach doughnuts he had brought home last week.  They were beginning to soften and bruise in places and in this humble abode, we do hate waste. 

Peach doughnuts are also known as Saturn peaches and flat peaches (see image below).   The first time I had a peach doughnut was in Edinburgh looking for the sunshine on Leith.   In recent years, they have become readily available.  I do find them far more sweeter and juicier than the round peach bum brand.   

Curried Peach Tartlets

I know I could have just eaten these fuzzy peaches au naturale; or cooked in a sweet tart or crumble, but  I was both curious and up for a challenge to try a Anglo-Indian recipe called 'Curried Peach Tartlets' that I had seen in one of my cookbooks.

Please note, these are not authentic in anyway, well not that I know of, but it was interesting culinary experience nonetheless.  The aroma was very reminisce of ready made curry powder which for me was a little off putting, as I don't tend use curry powder that often in my cooking.  The mellow flavour also reminded me of sweet mango chutney.  This was okay but my preference is for mango pickle, rather than pulpy,smooth chutney - but that's the South Asian girl in me.  I also have to admit that I was not that keen on the cooked texture of the peaches.  If I were to make a version of these again, I would probably replace the peaches with under ripe and sharp mangoes. 

D was far more accepting of these 'Curried Peach Tartlets' then me.  His only criticism, he thought there was too much pastry.  He suggested perhaps removing the fluted pastry sides, as the pastry base would have sufficed.  I actually agree with him. 

If I haven't put you off trying these, I have another word of warning.  Unlike most of my recipes that offer home cooks some ease, these are a little time consuming as you have to make as made shortcrust pastry from scratch, and then line 6 individual tartlet tins and so on.  Still I would encourage you to try them, as your tastes are bound to be different from mine and you may appreciate these more than I did.

I served these simply with some home grown salad leaves.  I am submitting this to Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook who is hosting August edition of Veggie/Fruit of the Month which is Peaches.  This is a vegetarian event created by Priya of Mharo Rajastan's Recipes.   I am also linking this post to Wendy's blog Greenish thumb as I want to share my homegrown salad leaves and borage flowers; as well as This Weeks Craving: Peaches hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking. 

Curried Peach Tartlets
Makes 6 individual tins
Ingredients for the pastry base
375g plain flour
210g butter
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
For the filling
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 large peaches
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
¼ pint vegetable stock
280g – 360g soft goats cheese
Method for the shortcrust pastry
Sift the flour. Rub in the butter. Beat in the egg yolks and enough water to mix well Combine the flour to make a soft dough. Knead briefly, then rest fro at least 30 minutes in cool place wrapped in clingfilm or greaseproof paper.
Roll out pastry and line 6 individual tartlet tins. Trim the excess pastry and blind bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
Allow to cool.
For the curried Peach filling
Pour hot water over peaches, peel. Halve and stone them. Set aside
Heat oil in a wide pan with a lid, then add the mustard seeds until they pop, then stir in the rest of the spices (except for the garam masala) and cook for a minute, before stirring in the shallots and garlic. Cook until tender. Pour the vegetable stock into the pan, add the garam masala and stir well. Add the peaches, cut side down. Simmer spooning the curry mixture over the peaches, for about 6 – 8 minutes. Then using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches and set on a plate. Cook the sauce until it has thickened. Turn heat off.
In the pastry tartlets, place a generous layer of goats cheese in the base of each, top with a peach half, cut side down and spoon over the curry sauce. Return to the oven to warm through for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and serve. Adapted from Neither Fish Nor Fowl by Sarah Beattie.