Of Yoga & SF Yogis

I can't get over how up-their-posteriors SF's "yogi" and "yogini" faction of society tends to be.  People, you are doing some stretching & breathing exercises, and your flexibility is admirable.  Limber, you are.  Here is what you are NOT:

- Indian, despite you giving off vibes of being more Indian than Indians born and raised in India.
- Possessing of a close kinship to Lord Shiva, and intimately aware of what he would wish of the masses.  No, really. 
- Capable of being immersed into a collective consciousness on a molecular level, as is the nature of Asian cultures.  Living in a commune does not count, I'm afraid.
- Particularly egalitarian.  I'm no authority on yoga myself, but I doubt if it encourages practitioners to establish a sub-class system based on frequency of class attendance, deliberate spacy-ness, flexibility, & number of piercings/dreadlocks.

Get over yourselves.  You get the cheap daytime classes while the rest of us are out at work subsidizing you.  Be thankful for THAT, and move over to let us also unwind in the evening classes, judgment-free.

Unexpected Success (a.k.a. Raspberry Skillet Upside Down Cake)

Buying stuff for the kitchen is an obsession for me.  Obsession #2, right after food itself.  So, armed with new Le Creuset cast iron skillet (yes, it was my second, but this was a different SIZE... everyone who is anyone knows that size matters, so that resets all past purchases!!), I decided to try out a recipe that was a hybrid between Bi-Rite Market's "Skillet Upside Down Pear Cake" and this one.  Deadly, if I do say so myself. 


1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter (about 3/4 stick butter) -- SAVE THE WRAPPER
1.25 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Good pinch salt
3 large eggs
1.25 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Get a cake stand or flat plate (diameter larger than the skillet) ready.

Melt the butter in a pan of your choice (not the skillet you will be using).  Mix the brown sugar and melted butter in the skillet and spread it evenly over the bottom.  Now take the saved butter wrapper and rub it on the sides of the skillet... it will be sufficient grease.  If you think it's not enough, dip into the butter-sugar mixture a bit... it's sufficient, trust me.
Arrange the raspberries, over the brown sugar in the skillet, filling the entire space so no butter-sugar mixture is visible. 
Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs for about a minute at high speed, then add the sugar.  Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the vanilla extract and beat another 30 seconds or so.  Add the flour mixture and beat until everything is smooth and combined.  Do not overmix, or the cake will tend towards a tough crumb.
Pour the batter over the berries in the skillet, then carefully spread it out to cover the berries, and even out the surface, if needed.  Bake the cake until the top is firm and golden, about 35 – 40 minutes.  Check the cake with a toothpick or tester; it’s done when it comes out clean-ish (a few sticky crumbs never hurt anyone).
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and carefully invert the skillet onto your cake stand or plate.  Leave it to sit for a couple of minutes so that the skillet fully releases the fruit and butter-sugar mixture.  Remove the skillet, and voila... best enjoyed warm (and it stands up to a bit of warming up in the microwave, without any compromise in taste).

Whole Wheat Banana Bread (Another recipe modification for those who care to try :-) )

Modified from the "Tartine Bakery"cookbook.  Everything they make is delicious, but one's got to try to keep some semblance of discipline in one's life.  Therefore, the attempt to make as many baked products as possible with non-white flour.

- 155g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour [I substituted this for WW pastry flour]
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 255g (3 medium) unpeeled bananas, very ripe [I used 4... see note below]
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 85g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 170g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar [I reduced the quantity of sugar by 3 or so tbsp]
- 115g (1 cup) walnuts, chopped
[I added chopped dark chocolate, since no dessert is acceptable in our home sans chocolate chips]
- 225g (1-3/4 cups) pitted dates, coarsely chopped [I used barely half this amount]

Topping [I didn't go for the topping... I just crammed this extra banana into the cake for added moisture, given the WW flour substitution]- 1 medium banana
- 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F). Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper -- forgo the buttering and flouring of the pan...trust me, this is much healthier, and the bread keeps better in this paper, with an extra wrapping of foil .

In medium bowl, stir together the flour and cornstarch. Peel the bananas and mash them in a second bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt, and combine thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda over. Beat the butter until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar while beating until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Beat in the banana mixture until incorporated. Sift the flour-cornstarch mixture over the batter and fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Add the nuts and dates. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue folding until everything is well-combined. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth with a spatula.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool, then invert onto a cooling rack, then flip right side up. Serve at room temperature.

NEXT UP -- Substituting carrots for zucchini in Tartine's zucchini bread recipe :-)  Gotta put that 10 lb bag of organic carrots to use!