slightly smokey, slightly sweet

Last night I was thinking about lapsang souchong. It's not a tea I particularly like; it's more a tea I particularly dislike. Yet I have a tiny tin of it in the tea cabinet because I just know it must have a good use, that maybe if I try hard enough, I might just convince myself that I actually like it... All it would take is one recipe.
I don't know if this is the one; I can't decide. Tea-soaked figs, walnuts, honey - a little bit sweet, a little bit smokey - it sounds right, but...
Oh - butter and honey! That's the ticket...


Slightly Smokey, Slightly Sweet Fig and Walnut Bread

Ingredients:

1 tsp. lapsang souchong tea leaves
1 Cup boiling water
3/4 Cup dried black mission figs, chopped
2 Cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tb. buttermilk powder
1/4 Cup honey
3 Tb. sweet almond oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
scant 1/2 Cup broken walnut pieces
butter or oil for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or oil a loaf pan and set aside.

Pour boiling water over the tea leaves and steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the leaves and pour the tea over the chopped figs. Steep the figs in the tea for 10 minutes; remove the figs and set aside, reserving the tea.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk powder. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat together the honey, almond oil, egg, and reserved tea. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the honey-tea mixture. Stir until just combined and fold in the reserved soaked figs and the broken walnut pieces.

Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until golden and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool a bit more on the rack.

Slice and serve warm with a bit of butter and a drizzle of honey.

a little bit of lemon on a gray day

Well, I may have spoken too soon. About the light, that is. Seems I've forgotten how persistently gray and rainy early spring can be. Still, things are growing! Fields are being carpeted in that new spring grass that nearly vibrates with color and that just makes me happy. And, well, I know we need the rain.
So I've been searching for a while now for a good springy lemon recipe. Something to brighten up the kitchen on these damp days. Nothing too sweet - mind you, because it's now that time of year for transitioning in to salads and lighter fare, remembering that we should be eating more healthfully, and all that 'fresh-start' business.
It's also been good reading weather, and as I was lost in Molly's new book yesterday morning, the recipe I'd been searching for just happened to find me.
I should know by now that inspiration is not born of force. Silly girl.
The best things always seem to be unexpected (much like the weather, these days).

Molly's recipe for this lemon yogurt cake (mine was made with olive oil, as was a suggested variation) can be found here, though I used the recipe as written in her book. It's simply perfect.