Honeycream

A quick and easy recipe today because classes are ramping up. Honeycream was first mentioned in the book Mariel of Redwall as a coating for wafers. I decided to try it out as a toast or bagel topping and was happy with what I made. Next week I'll show something more exciting to do with this.

Honeycream

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, neufchatel cheese, or (if you prefer the tartness of goat cheese) chevre
• 1.5 tbsp honey

Directions

1. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the cheese until it becomes light and airy.
   
2. Add honey and beat until fully incorporated.
   
3. Refrigerate honeycream to restiffen -- it should remain light and whipped. 

Oat Bread

Oat bread was first mentioned in The Outcast of Redwall. I chose to make it a very plain, unsweetened bread which bakes up with a crispy crust and a creamy inside. The result is great when toasted up and topped with virtually anything, sweet or savory. If you want to make the bread sweeter, I would add a tablespoon of honey to the wet ingredients and perhaps a touch of vanilla extract. You also could add in all types of spices to make it nicer for savory toppings if you wish. Finally, if you're not vegan you could replace the milk with buttermilk to add a rich, creamy tang (if you do this, omit the vinegar).

Oat Bread

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf, about 8 slices

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until you have a fine flour.
   
3. Add the oat flour to the whole wheat flour and baking soda and whisk.
4. Add the oil, vinegar, and milk and mix until you have a thin batter.
   
5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
   

Nutcream

Nutcream was one of the first things in Redwall that made me wonder if it would actually work. After a bit of research and some experimenting, I came up with two ideas that I would consider labeling as "Nutcream" in the context of Redwall. This first version is more accurately a nut butter, but it's so smooth and creamy that I'm counting it as nutcream anyway. It takes some patience and a good food processor, but the results are worth it.

Edit: This definitely comes together faster and yields a creamier product if you warm the cashews before adding them to the food processor. Because I prefer them raw and untoasted, I microwave them for about 30 seconds. If you decide you want to roast your cashews first, just move them directly from the oven to the food processor.

Nutcream

Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups cashews

Directions

1. Place the cashews in the bowl of your food processor. (I have a 4-cup food processor. If you have a bigger one, you will likely need to add more nuts to get the desired effect)
2. Turn on the food processor. Your nuts will quickly reach this stage. If you ever want nut flour for gluten-free cooking, this is where you stop. 
   
3. Continue to run the food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Slowly, the flour-like bits will begin to stick together.
   
4. After about 20 minutes, you'll get to this stage. You might notice that at the very bottom, the small, sticky grains have been compressed to look vaguely smooth. Don't give up at this point and don't curse me, you're about two thirds of the way there.
   
5. The next stage is when the entire content of the food processor starts to come together into a single thick, smooth ball. Don't stop; you're on the home stretch and don't add anything. 
   
6. Finally, all of the scraping and waiting has paid off and your cashews have smoothed and thinned into a smooth, thick cream. This is fantastic spread on toast or apples (especially if you add a touch of cinnamon). 
   

Fruit Pudding

After making the skilly 'n' duff, I decided that I wanted to find a steamed pudding recipe that didn't take so long to make. This one is loosely adapted from the Japanese dessert known as mushi pan. Be careful when steaming; you don't want to boil the water too hard or it will splash into your ramekins and ruin everything.

Fruit Pudding

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 puddings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup blueberries

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a small bowl.
   
2. Place the milk and blueberries into a blender and puree until smooth.
   
3. Pour the liquid mixture (only about 1/2 cup worth -- if you have more don't use it all) into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
   
4. Divide the batter among four ramekins
   
5. Place a pot with an inch of water onto the stove and bring to a simmer
6. Add the ramekins to the water, wrap the pot's lid with a towel (to prevent dripping condensation) and cover
   
7. Steam the puddings for about 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.