Carrie Fehr

Since quarantine began, I get all of my food delivered to my home. Going to the local produce market, or bakery for a fresh baguette feels like a luxury now. My car has not moved for 8 weeks. And to be honest, I’m OK with it. But these tough times have me examining everything, especially all potential sources of food in my pantry. Careful meal planning is essential right now and a new relationship with my kitchen is beginning to emerge.

Before quarantine life, my freezer was a cold and lonely place, except for the occasional pint of ice-cream, it was mostly a vessel reserved for ice. Now, it’s a winter wonderland of possibilities with frozen assets to nourish me in-between deliveries. Pas mal as they say in French.

Cooking in quarantine has been an interesting journey. For instance, rather than send vegetable scraps straight to the compost bin, I collect and save them like a prize in a freezer bag for broth that will eventually land into a pan as a flavor booster for risotto, stir-fry, or sauce. My reward brings me comfort and satisfaction.

New discoveries in the kitchen, sparked by lockdown, have truly become a blessing. This Banana Oatmeal cookie recipe counts as one of them. It highlights how baking doesn’t have to be complicated. No flour, no eggs, no dairy. No problem! Plus, the starring humble ingredients are most likely found in your quarantine pantry. Voilà!

Easy. To. Prepare. These cookies are on the cooling rack and ready to eat in less than 15 minutes. This recipe is easy enough for young kids to make by themselves. Simple set of instructions: Mash bananas. Add oats, and mix together. You’ve got this!

Banana Oatmeal cookies are moist and delicious with just two ingredients, but feel free to add any mix-ins you like to jazz up the flavor combinations. I like chocolate chips, dried fruit, or toasted nuts. Sesame or sunflower seeds would also work, as would coconut.

These healthy cookies are perfect for breakfast, or as an energy booster for those late quarantine afternoons.

Questions? Feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Also, I would love to know what recipes are inspiring you during quarantine?

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 ½ cup of oats

Mix-Ins: (Optional) ¼ cup chocolate chips, toasted nuts, coconut, dried fruit such as raisins, dried cranberries, apricots. Vanilla extract.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas and rolled oats. Stir in mix-ins, if using.

Using an ice-cream scoop, form tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the baking sheets and press the tops down a bit with your fingers, or the back of a spoon.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned and set.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

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April 11, 2020

Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines

When Marcel Proust dipped his madeleine into his cup of tea, a powerful memory from his childhood emerged that led him to write the classic novel, “Remembrance of Things Past. “ Imagine such a table from nostalgic past, set for afternoon tea, bursting with memories, sparked by the delicate flavor of this simple yet elegant, shell-shaped cake.

This recipe was originally published in 2013, which I have updated and revised using Swerve sweetener as a replacement for sugar. Swerve sweetener is a natural sugar replacement that has zero net carbs and is keto-friendly.

Lemon Olive Oil Madeleines

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2/3 cup Swerve sweetener or sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3/4 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Zest of lemon

Glaze:

4 tablespoons Swerve confectioners or powdered sugar

½ lemon, juiced

Directions:

In a bowl of an electric mixer, whip eggs, Swerve sweetner, and salt until thicken, about 5 minutes.

Sift in the flour and baking powder. Using a spatula gently fold in the flour until incorporated.

Add the olive oil and continue to stir. It may take a minute for the olive oil to blend into the mixture but do not over mix.

Stir in the lemon juice and zest.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Batter may be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

Lightly coat the madeleine mold with cooking oil. Preheat oven to 350°

Make the glaze in a small bowl by stirring together the Swerve confectioners and lemon juice. Mix until smooth and creamy.

Scoop batter into madeleine mold, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes and unmold on a cooling rack. While still warm, dip both sides of each cake in the glaze. Cool and serve with tea.

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November 17, 2019

Mochi Muffins

Mochi Muffin

I love these brown butter mochi muffins! They are quite different from any other muffins out there. When you bite into one, you’re rewarded with its soft, chewy texture and intriguing little burst of flavor that is the best version of mochi I’ve ever eaten. Ringing through them all, is the nutty taste of brown butter, then butterscotch with a resonant intensity of burnt caramel, and finally the crunch of sesame seeds that pop out to startle you. I think it’s safe to say, one batch probably won’t stay around very long, but if you are blessed with some leftover muffins, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-days.

Brown Butter Mochi Muffins

Makes 1 dozen medium-sized muffins or 2 dozen mini-sized muffins.

Recipe adapted from Brown-Butter Mochi at The New York Times by Samin Nosrat. Inspired by Third Culture Bakery at Berkeley, CA.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pans

1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups mochiko sweet rice flour (I use Koda Farms Blue Star Mochiko)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

black and toasted white sesame seeds for topping muffins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Grease cupcake tins with butter, including the rim around each muffin cup to help remove the muffins after baking.

To brown the butter, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the saucepan occasionally, until the butter turns golden brown and begins to smell nutty. This will take about 5 minutes total, be careful not to let it burn like I did with my first attempt.

Remove from heat, and add coconut milk and brown sugar. Whisk until sugar and coconut milk melt. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together mochiko flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk mixture, and mix until smooth.

Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tin completely filling it to the top. Sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds.

Bake about 45 minutes until they just feel set in the center and the tops are golden brown. If using mini-sized muffin tin bake for about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack before serving.

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June 2, 2019

Comfort In Cookies

Double chocolate cookie keto

In unsettling moments, one place that always provides sanctuary for me, is in the kitchen. An unexpected turn of events, recently led me down the coast of California to visit my son, who lives in Los Angeles. We spent the day sharing things we enjoy together: a walk around the lake, breakfast at a new restaurant, conversations on life, while also savoring the quiet moments, and spending time in the kitchen baking cookies, naturally.

Late in the afternoon, at the end of our visit, my son offered to bake some keto-friendly chocolate cookies. The smell of baking never fails to improve my mood and on this particular day, it might just bring a little comfort for a tender heart.

Besides I was really curious, eager to find out how my son would turn out a batch of cookies sans sugar, and minus all of the carb-laden ingredients that make cookies delicious. Keto, or ketogenic is a low-carb diet based on eating real foods that offer healthy benefits. The idea intrigued me. A lot.

And I have to admit, there is something really satisfying and comforting, about watching my son embrace the cooking process in his own kitchen, watching him engage in a dialogue with food that unfolds his story. I find myself standing beside the kitchen island filled with awe, when a realization suddenly hit me and I digress for a moment, becoming conscious of a difference that stands out like night and day—- my son’s cooking style is the polar opposite of mine!

Step inside my kitchen and the first thing you’ll notice when I’m preparing a recipe, is that it’s very organized. Every bowl, measuring spoon, and ingredient is lined up and ready to be creamed, mixed, or chopped and sent off to its final destination. I also mentally prepare in advance for the cooking adventure, absorbing myself fully in the process, like a method actor exploring a character. I completely immerse myself in the recipe, dissecting every angle imaginable, as I visualize and breathe my next creation.

My son’s approach to cooking sharply contrasts with mine. A creative thinker, he allows his existential journey through food to be guided by delight in haphazard curiosity and spontaneous improvisation. “What do you think if I combine ghee with butter?” he calmly asks, realizing there’s not enough butter in the refrigerator. Or, “I just found some cocoa powder I can throw in,” he says thrilled by his discovery. “Maybe add a few salted nuts?”

He relies on a recipe like a set of guidelines to forge his own culinary path, rather than a roadmap with constrictive rules. It adds a bit of suspense to the process and also serves as a nice reminder that recipes, like life, can’t always be perfect.

Tasting along the way, his cooking style is more defined by feel rather than exact measurements. None of his ingredients are precisely measured, as he casually scoops the concoction of cookie dough from the bowl onto the baking pan with sheer pleasure and satisfaction. He pops the cookies into the oven, trusting his own intuition and senses to guide him when they will be ready to come out. Like an ear for languages, it’s a talent.

By contrast, I’m one who slavishly counts the seconds with my kitchen timer, in case I get distracted and forget something in the oven. Plus, I like to play by the rules. So many factors go into baking, it’s as much a science as an art. I’ve learned that the smallest alteration in the ingredient or method can completely change the cooking chemistry outcome. Thinking to myself, I begin to wonder about my son’s baking result.

But by the time the sweet smells of chocolate begin to fill the house, I quickly abandon all conventional baking wisdom, and my sense of anticipation is rising from the seductive aromas emanating from the kitchen.

Still warm from the oven, I eagerly reach for a cookie and gently break it apart with my hands. I can’t wait to taste it! I bite into the brownie-like cookie and taste a hint of flaky salt that carries the intensity of the stevia-sweetened dark chocolate chips melting in my mouth. It reminds me of a super moist lava cake dripping in a silky river of chocolate. I find myself eating slowly, savoring the way the sweet and salty flavors ricochet around each other. Each bite makes me want another. I want more —- a lot more.

Although my son and I have very different culinary styles, we share the same philosophy about cooking, and appreciate the meditative sanctuary that our kitchen offers us. The intrinsic value of a dish, the product of a labor of love— is the joy it brings to each other.

Cooking is about engaging in the moment. It meets us wherever we are, like a yoga practice. It opens a path that is within us, like a treasure waiting to be discovered. It is a tactile balm that soothes our heart. It waits to unfold slowly, like a lotus flower blooming. We find stillness and quiet reflection in our kitchen sanctuary. It is a respite, a contemplative temple of food, where we can retreat, when the noise of life becomes distracting.

Double Chocolate Cookies (Keto)

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup, plus 2 Tbls unsalted butter, softenened

½ cup, plus 2 Tbls swerve sweetener

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract

1 ¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips, plus a little more for topping

Flaky sea salt or fleur de sel for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened butter and swerve sweetener until creamy and well-blended.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Stir in the almond flour and mix until combined. Add sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky.

Using an ice-cream scoop, form tablespoon-sized mounds of dough onto the baking sheets and press the tops down a bit with your fingers, or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle several chocolate chips and a little flaky salt over the top of each cookie.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

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March 31, 2019

Carrot Almond Torte

Spring is in the air, and I head to my kitchen filled with thoughts of love.

Maybe it’s the romantic long-stemmed French tulips of spring, or the seductive perfume of the season’s first strawberries that enliven my senses, or simply the allure of purple-tinged carrots piled high, dangling under the canopies at the farmers’ market that look like a still-life painting. The lightness of spring gives way to the glamour of nature around its passion for love.

In the kitchen, we infuse this passion of love into our recipes. It could be a dessert, or a dish that will become a family favorite, or a romantic meal shared with loved ones around the table.

A lively bunch of carrots, mixed with a few ordinary ingredients will turn out a gorgeous Carrot Almond Torte that is truly spectacular. You’ll fall in love with it! Don’t even get me started. Trust me.

Made with tender sweet carrots, coconut, and almonds–it’s so rich and moist, it’s hard to believe it has no butter, and is gluten-free. If you want, drop a dollop of crème Chantilly on it. A thin layer of cream cheese icing would not be such a bad thing either, though personally, I like it au naturel.

It’s a perfect dessert for Passover, or afternoon tea, and if there is any leftover in the morning, feel free to indulge in a slice for breakfast.

In the spirit of love.

Carrot Almond Torte

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Zest of 1 orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups carrots, peeled and grated

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 ½ cups ground almonds

1/2 cup coconut

9-inch springform pan with sides buttered.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees with a rack in the middle.

Mix together the egg yolks, 3/4 cup of sugar, orange zest, salt, and almond extract. Sprinkle the grated carrots into the bowl, but don’t mix them in.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat on medium until the whites hold a soft shape. Gradually sprinkle in the reserved two tablespoons of sugar, beating at high speed until the egg whites are stiff.

Scrape one quarter of the egg whites on top of the carrots and batter. Using a rubber spatula fold the whites and carrots into the batter. Scrape the remaining egg whites into the bowl and pour the ground almonds and coconut over them. Fold the egg whites, almonds, and coconut into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes until the torte is golden brown. Cool the torte in the pan, on a rack.

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January 14, 2019

Baked Oatmeal Almond Bars

baked oatmeal bar

Baked Oatmeal Almond Bars make a nice, healthy treat, especially for those who want something as a grab-and-go in the morning, or for an afternoon snack. They hit an excellent balance of crunchy, sweet, and chewy, with an awesome foundation of oats, almonds, and coconut. You can swap out any kind of nut, seed, dried fruit, or berry you wish. A handful of chocolate thrown into the mixture would not be such a bad idea either.

Baked Oatmeal Almond Bars

baked oatmeal bars into oven

Oats, almonds, blueberries, and coconut mixture going into the oven.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

1 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

½ cup sunflower seeds, toasted

½ cup coconut, unsweetened

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk, room temperature or gently warm it

1 large egg, room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups berries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Generously butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish or a half-sized sheet pan or muffin tin.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, coconut milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.

Sprinkle berries over the prepared baking dish, sheet pan or muffin tin. Cover the fruit with the oat mixture. Pour the coconut milk mixture over the oats.

Bake 40 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Serve warm, or cool and then cut into squares.

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November 18, 2018

Brown Butter Mochi Muffins

Mochi Muffin

These brown butter mochi muffins are quite different from any other muffins out there. For one thing, they have a chewy soft texture with intriguing little bursts of flavor that is the best version of mochi I’ve ever eaten. Ringing through them all, is the nutty taste of brown butter, then butterscotch with a resonant intensity of burnt caramel, and finally the crunch of sesame seeds that pop out to startle you. I think it’s safe to say, one batch probably won’t stay around very long, but if you are blessed with some leftover muffins, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-days.

Brown Butter Mochi Muffins

Makes 1 dozen medium-sized muffins or 2 dozen mini-sized muffins.

Recipe adapted from Brown-Butter Mochi at The New York Times by Samin Nosrat. Inspired by Third Culture Bakery at Berkeley, CA.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pans

1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups mochiko sweet rice flour (I use Koda Farms Blue Star Mochiko)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

black and toasted white sesame seeds for topping muffins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Grease cupcake tins with butter, including the rim around each muffin cup to help remove the muffins after baking.

Remove from heat, and add coconut milk and brown sugar. Whisk until sugar and coconut milk melt. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together mochiko flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk mixture, and mix until smooth.

Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tin completely filling it to the top. Sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds.

Bake about 45 minutes until they just feel set in the center and the tops are golden brown. If using mini-sized muffin tin bake for about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack before serving.

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August 10, 2018

Comfort in Cookies

Double chocolate cookie keto

In unsettling moments, one place that always provides sanctuary for me, is in the kitchen.

An unexpected turn of events, recently led me down the coast of California to visit my son, who lives in Los Angeles. We spent the day sharing things we enjoy together: a walk around the lake, breakfast at a new restaurant, conversations on life, while also savoring the quiet moments, and spending time in the kitchen baking cookies, naturally.

We find stillness and quiet reflection in our kitchen sanctuary. It is a respite, a contemplative temple of food, where we can retreat, when the noise of life becomes distracting.

Double Chocolate Cookies (Keto)

Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup, plus 2 Tbls unsalted butter, softenened

½ cup, plus 2 Tbls swerve sweetener

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract

1 ¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup cocoa powder, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips, plus a little more for topping

Flaky sea salt or fleur de sel for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened butter and swerve sweetener until creamy and well-blended.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.

Stir in the almond flour and mix until combined. Add sifted cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips. The batter will be sticky.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

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June 15, 2018

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie A super moist cookie full of flavor, with a sprinkling of flaky salt that can carry the intensity of pure dark stevia sweetened chocolate chips. This recipe cuts down on the carbs by using almond flour and swerve sweetener as a sugar alternative. Even if you aren’t on the keto diet, you will love these!

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup softened butter

2/3 cup swerve sweetener

2 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup stevia sweetened chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt or fleur de sel

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350˚.

Combine softened butter and swerve sweetener in a stand mixer and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.

Whisk together almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium-sized bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using an ice-cream scoop, set tablespoon-sized mounds of cookie dough onto lined baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle cookies with flaky sea salt or fleur de sel.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Let cool on the cookies sheets for 15-20 minutes, then remove to cooling rack. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

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June 3, 2018

Keto Berry Clafoutis

A twist on a classic French dessert, this Keto Berry Clafoutis combines farm eggs, cream, butter, almond flour, swerve sweetener and fresh berries. When baked in the oven, it turns into a rich dense custard pancake-y dessert oozing with juicy berries, minus all of the excessive sugar carbs.

Keto Berry Clafoutis

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, room temperature

¼ cup swerve sweetener

½ cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup blanched almond flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups berries

Directions:

Generously butter a 1-quart shallow baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, swerve, cream, butter, and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together almond flour, and salt.

Whisk dry ingredients into wet until smooth.

Arrange mixed berries on the bottom of pan, then pour mixture over berries.

Bake at 325° for 45-55 minutes, until clafoutis is set in the center and top is golden.

Cool and serve.

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