Intrigued by Tonka Beans and a Giveaway

Have you ever heard of tonka beans? I read about them on Cannelle et Vanille, Tartelette, La Tartine Gourmand, and Dessert First, some of my favorite food blogs. They said that tonka beans smell and taste like a mix of almond, vanilla, and clove. Let’s just say that I was more than a little bit intrigued.

So, you know me, I decided I had to get my hands on some and try them for myself. I started poking around and immediately discovered that, while tonka beans are legal and even quite fashionable to use in desserts in France and other parts of Europe, they have been banned in the U.S. from use in food. Yeah, I’m sure we know something that the Europeans don’t. Anyway, I read up about the little tonka bean and figured that anything will kill you if you eat enough of it.

I boldly continued my search and found that tonka beans are readily available on the internet, just ask Google. I hit the jackpot at an obscure local herb shop. The owner said that he stocked the tonka beans to sell to a lady who uses them for voodoo. Not for food use, so I guess that makes it OK.

I can’t tell you how exciting it was to finally score some illicit tonka beans. The smell hit me even before I even opened the bag—it’s no wonder the scientific name is odorata. Their fragrance made me flash back to eating apricots and peaches as a little girl. I remembered being at my Baba and Deda’s house and eating the sweet, juicy flesh and then the bitter kernel from inside the pit.


It’s that same bitter almond quality…


Funny how a certain smell or food can make you feel someone’s presence again…

The memory of eating apricot kernels is what inspired me to pair tonka beans and fresh apricots together in these cakelettes.


It was a happy marriage, and even my husband, who hates almonds (crazy, I know), loved it.

I would love to do a giveaway to share my tonka beans with you, but I figure I shouldn’t stray that far to the wrong side of the law. Instead, I’ll be giving away a set of 6 mini brioche tins, just like the ones I used to make these cakelettes, to one lucky reader. All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment between now and Sunday, July 5 telling me if you are willing to consume tonka beans or not. One winner will be chosen at random from the commenters (so don’t sign in anonymously!). Good luck! I will announce the winner on Monday, July 6, so be sure to stop by to see if you’ve won.


Apricot-Tonka Bean Cakelettes
Printable Recipe

5 ounces (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
All-purpose flour, for dusting the pans
9 ounces cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon freshly grated tonka bean
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
10 ounces sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces crème fraîche, at room temperature
12 apricots, peeled, halved, and pitted

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour 2 standard 12-cup muffin pans or 24 3 ¼-inch brioche tins. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, tonka bean, and salt.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on high for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly combined and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then ½ of the crème fraîche, then 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the remaining ½ of the crème fraîche, and then the remaining 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing on low for only a few seconds after each addition until just combined, and stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Do not overmix. Divide the batter among the muffin cups or brioche tins. Press 1 apricot half cut side down into the center of each one. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the edges of the cakelettes start to shrink away from the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cakelette comes out clean. Let the cakelettes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks and finish cooling completely.

Makes 24 cakelettes. You can substitute a few drops of almond extract and a pinch of ground cloves for the tonka bean. If you are using muffin pans, feel free to use paper liners instead of greasing and flouring them.

New Potatoes

You may not think it, but there’s as big a difference between store-bought and farmers market potatoes as there is between tomatoes. Freshly dug potatoes are still moist from the soil, and their flesh seems luminous. They have whisper-thin skin, so there’s no need to peel them. And, of course, they are intensely flavorful, tasting of the earth they came from. Try them once, and it’ll be hard to go back to the grocery store.


Here’s a recipe inspired by the beautiful potatoes at the farmers market and my favorite flavor of chips growing up.


Crème Fraîche & Chive Potato Cakes
Printable Recipe

1 pound small red new potatoes
Kosher salt
¼ cup crème fraîche
¼ cup minced fresh chives
1 large egg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil or extra virgin olive oil, for frying

Place the potatoes into a medium pot and add enough water to cover by several inches. Add several large pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a bowl. Lightly mash the potatoes and let cool slightly. Stir in the crème fraîche, chives, egg, and flour and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add enough oil to a large, heavy frying pan to come to a depth of ¼ inch. Heat over medium heat until a bit of the potato mixture sizzles immediately when added. Scoop the mixture into the pan by the ¼ cup, spacing the cakes a couple of inches apart. Flatten each pancake slightly with a spatula and fry without disturbing for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a spatula, turn the pancakes and fry another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season to taste with salt. Fry the remaining potato mixture in the same manner. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Serves 4. These potato cakes have a crunchy crust and tender, creamy center.

Always Inspiring

My latest inspiration from the farmers market. Oh, how I love the farmers market in the springtime. But you already knew that, right?

Pea Tendril & Lapchong Stir-Fry
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons canola oil
4 ounces lapchong, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Several pinches red chile flakes
8 ounces pea tendrils
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Heat a wok over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the wok. Add the lapchong and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the garlic and chile flakes and stir-fry for another 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the pea tendrils and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes more, or until wilted. Toss in the soy sauce. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Serves 4. Serve with sticky rice. Pea tendrils are also known as pea shoots, pea vines, or pea tips. They have a mild, sweet pea-like flavor. Select tendrils that are actually tender—mature tendrils can be very fibrous, and no amount of cooking will tenderize them. Both pea tendrils and Chinese lapchong sausage are available in Asian markets.

Happy Father's Day and Jalapeno Poppers

I hatched the perfect plot for this Father’s Day, and everyone—except Dad, of course—was in on it. At the heart of the plan is a small, cheap (let’s hear it for cheap!) gadget. It’s gimmicky and cheesy (literally!) and fun, requires the use of a hot grill, and produces manly man food, all of which makes it just the thing for Father’s Day. It’s a jalapeno rack with corer. Like I said, perfect for Father’s Day.


I ordered the gift and then, since I live half a country away from the parentals, I put in a phone call to my little brother, “I’ll buy and you cook.” He immediately agreed, “OK. I’ll do it because I want to eat them.” The conversation *rubbing hands together* went exactly according to plan. But now that I think about it, I should’ve told him to mix up some Traditional Margaritas too. I promised I would write out my jalapeno recipe.

Then Mother signed on to receive and hide the package, which, as it turns out, included a little white lie about mail ordering hair care products. Mom’s a master of counterintelligence. She also volunteered to do the grocery shopping if I sent her a list.


So, with this recipe, I officially complete my part of the mission. Dad, happy Father’s Day! I miss you and wish I could be there. I hope you love your brand new shiny toy and your Father’s Day jalapeno popper meal, even though it includes something green!

And happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there!

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
Printable Recipe

2 links Mexican chorizo
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack
1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar
½ cup minced cilantro
36 medium jalapenos and/or large Fresno chiles, stemmed and seeded

Heat the grill to medium-low. Add the chorizo and cook, covered, without disturbing for 8 to 9 minutes, or until it releases from the grate and is crusty and brown. Using tongs, turn the chorizo and continue to cook, covered, over medium-low heat another 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the chorizo to a plate and let cool to room temperature.

Dice the chorizo when it is cool. Mix together the chorizo, jack, cheddar, and cilantro in a large bowl. Divide the stuffing among the chiles, lightly packing it in. As you work, place the stuffed chiles into the rack. Grill, covered, over medium-low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the chiles are tender. Transfer the rack to a serving platter and serve immediately.

Serves 8 to 10 as an appetizer or 4 to 6 as a main course with Mexican Rice on the side. Not as spicy as you might think. The heat level of jalapenos varies, but seeding, cooking, and smothering them with cheese tones down their heat. Wear gloves when handling chiles. Skewer any small chiles with a toothpick across the top to keep them from slipping through the rack as they soften. If you don’t have a grill, place the rack of chiles onto a baking tray and cook in a 400˚F oven. Jalapeno poppers are especially popular in Texas. They are frequently breaded and deep-fried.