buttermilk lemon cake

How can it be the last day of August already?  The last few months flew by, with me hobbling around with what I was told was gout, but tests confirmed it was not.  Still limping, but slowly able to walk further - to the store to buy ingredients for my daughter's favorite birthday cake!

Buttermilk Lemon cake is a combination of two recipes -  a sticky, lemony cake with a lemon glaze, and a creamy cream cheese and lemon frosting I usually top my carrot cakes with, and it is delicious!  I forgot to take a picture of the big cakes, but there was a tiny "extra" cake with the last of the batter.  I did a hasty piping and dollops of frosting, not so pretty, but it would have to do as an after picture.

Buttermilk Lemon cake

You can use a sheet pan, or several round pans.  Grease the pans and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F.

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups sugar

zest of 2 lemons

Beat in mixer until blended and creamy, then add:

5 eggs

4 1/2 cups King Arthur flour, all purpose

1 teaspoon baking soa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Scrape the batter into the greased pans and bake - it usually takes an hour and ten minutes for mine.  The cake will be slightly brown on top and firm to the touch when you press the center gently.  Remove to wire racks to cool.  While cooling, make the lemon glaze:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

Place lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring the whole time, then take off heat to cool. 

If using a rectangular pan for the cake, cut the cake into equal rectangles or squares and let cool on a rack.  If using round pans, cool, run a knife around the edge, and very carefully unmold cake onto a wire rack.  Brush the lemon glaze on the cakes .

The Cream Cheese frosting:

In mixer bowl, place:

1 large package cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

juice of one lemon (about2-3 tablespoons)

Cream the ingredients, then slowly add:

1 box confectioner's sugar (or 3 1/2 cups loose confectioners sugar)

Pipe or spread on cooled cake, or cake pieces.

One year ago:  Rigatoni with crunchy breadcrumbs and tomatoes

Two years ago:  Simple Carrot soup with fresh ginger

Three years ago:  Hint of Autumn and Spice cookies

Four years ago:  Carrot cake w/cream cheese frosting

Mini Pavlovas with raspberries & strawberries

We made these mini-pavlovas on Valentine's Day, in part because they are gluten-free, so Izzie can be part of the dessert festivities, but also because they are so pretty - and really, not hard to make.  

I did some research about the name, being unsure whether they were officially a small pavlova or a mini-meringue and think these days it doesn't really matter.  There is a large meringue cake, especially popular in New Zealand and Australia that is moister in the middle, but these meringues are small and bake up crispy and crunchy and light as a feather.  

The recipe is from Allrecipes, used primarily for guidance on the amount of sugar, which is critical, in both the amount and remembering to add the sugar teaspoon by teaspoon, waiting each time for the sugar to melt into the egg white batter.  I had forgotten to buy heavy cream, so each pavlova got a tiny squirt of whipped cream from a can, which was leftover from a birthday party:)  



Mini-Pavlovas with fresh berries & cream


4 extra-large egg whites
1 1/4 cups white, granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

The topping:
1 pint heavy cream, gently whipped
fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries or blueberries
confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 250F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In mixer bowl, whip egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, letting the sugar be absorbed into the whites before adding more sugar.  I know it's tedious, but it's a critical step to follow.

Once all the sugar has been added, fold in the vanilla, lemon juice, and cornstarch and whip gently.

You can either use a large spoon to form small rounds of meringue, or a pastry bag, which is what I used.  I could only find my rose tip nozzle, so it came out more fluted than usual.

Bake for one hour, making sure the meringues are firm, then cool on a cooling rack.

To assemble:  smooth a spoonful of whipped cream in the center of the meringue, then add the berries in a pleasing arrangement , then sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar - not too much, just enough to look fancy.

This made 12 small Pavlovas.   

Enjoy!

my secret indulgence (sweet pastry cream)

A sunny, beautiful day again after a few very chilly mornings and finally, a freeze.  The household has been battling revolving strep for the last week or so;  today Anni, my daughter in law, has it for the second time, my daughter just succumbed, and Isadora is miserably sick.  The boys were sick last week with it - I hope lots of fresh air and keeping my bedroom door shut will keep me healthy and strep-free.

In between illnesses, they all went on a hike on Saturday, while I stayed home to cry over my computer and try to figure out how to fix the iPhoto problem - as in, finding a way to download my pictures from the camera into the second iPhoto page my daughter set up for me.  Total flop.  I went for a walk, came home, and whisked together my favorite sweet dessert - creme patissiere, straight.  No tart shell, no chocolate, no strawberries, just warm sweet pastry cream in my new little Weck pot, with my tiny spoon from Paris. 

Heavenly.

And this morning I figured out how to find the new pictures, wonder of wonders!  

creme patissiere (sweet pastry cream)


You will need a heavy-bottomed pot to make this, and a wooden spoon and a whisk.

1 cup milk
1 teaspoon good vanilla, or a scraped vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar

3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat the milk in the saucepan on medium heat, adding the vanilla and the sugar and stirring constantly.  When sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from heat and set aside.

In a bowl or mixer bowl, place egg yolks and sugar and whip until the mixture is thick and a pale, pale yellow, then add the flour and whip a little longer.

Add half the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisk or stir quickly, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan, whisking all the while, and set the pan back on the heat. The mixture will become thick very quickly - make sure you continue to whisk or stir.  When it's thickened, take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter and eat immediately:)

This recipe can be doubled with no problems.

little peach and nectarine galettes with thyme

My wits have not quite settled down living in this new city, so coming up with a new recipe post has been evading me lately.  Today I fell instantly in love with a photograph from My Blue and White Kitchen, walked to the store for peaches and nectarines (I still am holding tightly onto peach season) and had a very happy few hours mixing and baking - and enjoying the fruits of my labor.

As I do with any new recipe, I followed her recipe exactly, except for a tablespoon or so of stripped fresh thyme leaves and a pinch of nutmeg in the dough.  Why?  Because thyme is my favorite herb ever, and I had a glass of sprigs beside the flour tin;  and nutmeg is almost always in my desserts, again, because I love it.

I still think I didn't roll the dough thin enough, but my taste-tester disagreed with me - she and her husband loved the fat, amazingly flaky dough, and the cooked fruits, so there you are - I leave it up to you.

You can find the recipe here - and I'm sure you'll love it as much as I did - it's a keeper!

juicy melon balls with fresh berries - and blooming lilacs

Oh, how the moving continues!  The house is full of boxes - one corner is books, lots and lots of books, that no longer seem important.  But another corner holds boxes of books so dear to my heart - and the photo albums of family through the years.  Much harder than I realized, all those memories.

BUT.

The air is balmy, the grass is green, and it was once again time for my favorite warm weather snackaroo - juicy melon (watermelon and cantaloupe, but honeydew is great as well, if you can find a ripe one), mixed with fresh raspberries and mint.  Blackberries and tiny wild strawberries work as well - or currants, if you have them, and blueberries, which, of course, come later in the season.

Our local farmer's markets here in New Hampshire now have the most amazing fruits - I bought some fresh organic peaches last year that were the best I'd tasted in years:  and grown right here in Hancock, which is zone 3-4.  Amazing.

The lilacs are blooming, and we have both the dark purple ones, that last a very long time and spread throughout our town via cuttings from one avenue of them - and the powdery light lilacs that quickly rust, but are heavenly, very briefly.  We have had no rain at all for weeks and weeks, but some finally is supposed to come tomorrow.

You will need to buy a melon baller from your local kitchen store or supermarket - a handy, low tech tool that makes this so pretty.  Mine has a large ball at one end, and a smaller one at the other.  I find the smaller baller to work best if you're making a tray of these melon balls for a party - with a few large balls mixed in . 

You can assemble them in clear, squat glasses, or plastic ones for a large group.  How perfect is this for parties and early summer celebrations?  Just make sure you make them at the most a few hours before, so they are juicy and moist, and keep them briefly in the fridge if the weather is hot.  The mint is best snipped just before serving - and check for bugs before serving!

Happy Spring, feels like Summer!

snowy dark cherry and chocolate cake

We have heaps and heaps of snow outside -14 inches when I measured yesterday, but of course there are drifts and mountains more from shoveling and snowblowing.  But the sun is up and it looks very, very pretty.  And I drifted snow on this chocolate and cherry cake, (confectioner's sugar, of course), looking equally as pretty against the dark chocolate.

The recipe comes from Life's a Feast, and the first time I made it in a bundt pan, it stuck to the mold, even though I had buttered and greased it heavily.  The second time it stuck again, so this third time, I halved the recipe and used my trusty heavy aluminum 8"x2" cake pan from Wilton.  Perfect.


Chocolate and Dark Cherry cake :

3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 extra large egg, at room temperature

7/8's of a cup of King Arthur flour
1 and a half tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, this time I used Hershey's
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch kosher salt

scant 1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup frozen dark unsweetened cherries, thawed ten minutes and sprinkled with 1 T. sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Toll House)

Cream the butter and sugar for five minutes, then add the egg and continue to beat for five minutes.
Measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl, stir, set aside.
Measure the milk and vanilla in a glass and set aside.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in two batches, mix again, then add the cherries and chocolate chips.  Stir the batter with a spoon or spatula - it should be smooth and creamy.

Fill the cake pan evenly and bake 25 minutes.  The cake should be mostly firm when you gently press the top with your finger.
Remove cake from oven to a cooling rack, and let cool at least 20 minutes.
Turn the cake, still in the pan, upside down and tap the pan gently with a rolling pin, flip it right side up and run a dull knife around the edge.
Hold your breath and flip the cake onto a rack, place another rack on top gently, then flip the cake right side up.  If there are pieces stuck to the pan, remove with a dull knife and stick onto the cake while the pieces are still warm.

Sift confectioner's sugar over the cake when cooled, and serve.

Happy snow day!

mousse au chocolat

Novemberrrrr.  As in brrrr.  We have had one morning with hard frost on the ground - and the windshield, and another with a coating of snow.  I had been working on a magazine article for January/February, which made me feel even colder, but then, a little magic.

I think I found my original mousse au chocolat recipe!  Long ago, when I worked in a French restaurant in Cambridge, that was often how my morning started - making a tray of this creamy, light but wonderfully chocolate dessert.  Somehow, I misplaced the original recipe, and tried many others, but it was never the same.  Today, I am over the moon with happiness, and the memories come flooding back.

A few months ago, I found a picture from that time:  Nick the waiter - who was still in high school, I think.  Another reminder of that lovely, airy little restaurant, where I worked the day chef shift .  The first several hours were mine alone, following the list the owner Sally had left for me the night before:  start two stocks, make the mousse, make a soup or two, prep the veg, check the vegetable and fruit delivery, maybe make a chocolate cake or roulade.

There was magic in those quiet hours in the kitchen.  A few times I had the evening shift, which was busy and noisy and the kitchen jammed with waiters and chefs, neighbors dropping in (including Julia Child, who sat on the garbage pail and chatted with us) , music playing:  nope, not for me.  For me, the kitchen is almost a meditation, though there are times I cherish friends and family in the kitchen, like Thanksgiving, or birthdays, or breakfast with the grandchildren.

Mousse au Chocolate (chocolate mousse):
This makes about 2 1/2 cups of mousse.

To make:
3 extra large eggs, room temperature, separated
pinch of kosher salt
4 ounces (1 bar) Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons cold water
1-2 teaspoons dark rum or triple strong coffee
2 tablespoons sugar

Place egg whites in a very clean mixer bowl, reserving yolks in a small bowl.

Break up the chocolate (reserving a small piece to grate on the top of the mousses) and place chocolate pieces in a microwave-safe china or glass bowl.  Add the 3 tablespoons water to the chocolate pieces and microwave 2 minutes, or until chocolate is melted.

Carefully stir the egg yolks into the warm (not hot!) chocolate and mix well, then add the rum or coffee and stir again.

Beat the egg whites on high using the wisk attachment, and adding the pinch of salt to the egg whites.  Continue beating, adding the sugar a little at a time to the egg whites.  Continue beating until the whites are stiff and slightly glossy.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the whites and carefully fold again and again until the mousse is well blended. 

Spoon or ladle the mousse into ramekins or glasses, cover gently with plastic wrap, and place in fridge to chill.  Grate with the reserved piece of chocolate bar just before serving.

This makes about 5 servings, depending on the size of the ramekins or glasses.

Hope you are all staying warm!

pears baked in cream

Happy November!  To celebrate, Mother Nature is sending us another nor'easter in the next day or so, and I heard the *snow* word for the first time on the weather report.  I rearranged my cookbooks the other day, in part because of the changing season, but also because I never seemed to be able to find the one cookbook I was searching for. 

Flipping through Martha Stewart's Quick Cook, I was struck by a gorgeous photograph of fresh pears baked in cream.  I had a pear in the fruit bowl, and I had heavy cream, so of course I made it.  I am so familiar with Martha's recipes and way of cooking, I felt comfortable making a few changes as I went along, but the kudos belong to her.

Pears Baked in Cream

2 Bosc pears, unpeeled, halved, and cored (I use a melon baller for that)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of kosher salt
a few sprigs of thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream
a drop or two of good vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter an ovenproof baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Sprinkle the bottom of the dish with 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

Place the cored pears, cut side down, in the dish.  Arrange the thyme sprigs around the pears, then sprinkle the pears with the salt and the last tablespoon of sugar, and dot the pears with the remaining butter.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Mix the cream and the vanilla together and pour over the pears.  Return the pears to the oven and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.  Serve warm in shallow bowls with soup spoons - the creamy, sweet sauce is SO good!  Even better, this is a great gluten-free dessert for the chilly months ahead.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dorie's custardy apple cake

Yesterday morning I was circling the kitchen, trying to decide what to do with the bowl of apples from the orchard up the hill.  Pie?  I like apple pie, but I usually end up leaving most of the pie crust on the plate.  As I blankly looked at my idea board on the wall, I suddenly saw the ripped out Wednesday Boston Globe food section from last week, and there it was: an interview with Dorie Greenspan and a recipe for her Custardy apple squares.  I checked the ingredient list and I had everything but a square pan.  I pulled out one of my professional grade 8 inch cake pans - the one with the nice rolled rim and 2 inch height.  That would have to do.

It came together like a dream - it was almost too easy to make.  I shared half the cake with my friendly taste-testers, but over the course of the day regretted that, as I wistfully polished off the last slice.  Today I made it again for my neighbor , and I'm thinking after a run to the store for more vanilla, I may just make a third one.  And I'm also thinking this could easily be made gluten-free, since it only uses 1/2 cup of flour.  If you do make a GF version, please let me know what you used, so I can pass it along to Izzie, my GF granddaughter.


Dorie's Custardy Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 375F.

Butter or vegetable shortening for the pan.
Parchment circle for the bottom of the pan (I just trace and cut from a roll)
3 medium fresh apples - enough to make 2 cups apple slices
A mandoline for slicing the apples, or a sharp knife and lots of patience
1/2 cup all purpose King Arthur flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 extra large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons good vanilla extract
6 tablespoons whole milk
1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioner's sugar for sprinkling on top of the cake

Butter the cake tin, trace a circle on parchment and cut out and press into bottom of pan.
Peel and slice the apples very thinly, using a mandoline .  Set aside.
Measure the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
In mixer bowl, add the eggs,sugar and salt and beat for two minutes, then add the milk and vanilla and the melted butter.  Mix briefly.
Add the flour and baking powder to the egg mixture and mix briefly.
Add the apples to the batter, and gently fold in the apple slices with a rubber spatula until they are coated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean, and the top of the cake is golden.  It will continue to bake as it cools in the tin.
Let cake cool on cooling rack for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edge of the cake.  Quickly flip cake onto another cooling rack, place another rack on top, and flip over so cake is right side up.
Cut the cake into 6 or 8 triangles, and dust with confectioner's sugar just before serving.

Adapted from Dorie's book:  Baking Chez Moi

Julia's clafouti with strawberries

Of course, Julia does not have a strawberry clafouti in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Vol. 1), but berries or cherries both suit themselves well to this custard.  I have tried many versions, but this is still my favorite, scented with a generous tablespoon of good vanilla and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  And it's made in a blender, so quick to put together.

I cannot believe how good the strawberries are this year, lucky us!

I used a 9 1/2 inch ceramic tart pan, so the baking directions are for that -  so if you make individual ones or use a different kind of pan, baking times may be different.

Clafouti with fresh strawberries:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter a 9 1/2 inch ovenproof dish , or individual ovenproof souffle dishes, set aside.

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour ( I use King Arthur)

1/3 cup sugar

3 extra large eggs

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon good vanilla

pinch of nutmeg

2 cups of fresh strawberries, cut into quarters

an additional 1/3 cup of sugar for sprinkling over the strawberries

Place the cream, milk, flour, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and nutmeg in a blender and blend on high until ingredients make a thick batter.

Pour an even coating of the batter on the bottom of the dish, then bake 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the strawberries evenly , then sprinkle with the extra 1/3 cup sugar.

Slowly pour the rest of the batter on top of the berries, then bake 30 minutes, or until custard is set.  It will continue to cook as it cools.  If you want it to brown and puff a little, bake an extra 10 minutes.

Scoop out servings into small bowls using a large spoon.

A neighbor gave me a spectacular bouquet of all kinds of peonies from her garden - this is one of my favorites, but they are all heavenly!

roasted strawberries with oats and brown sugar topping

I woke up this morning just after a summer rainstorm had passed through  -  the morning breeze was cool and fresh :  perfect weather for this idea I had for a warm strawberry breakfast.

The organic strawberries I've been getting lately have been so sweet, so ruby-hued, so essentially strawberry that I've been eating them all day.  But still, the thought of roasting or baking intrigued me.  Not a cobbler, really, but just a granola sprinkle of oats and butter, brown sugar and lemon zest.  Perfect for this glorious morning, I thought.  

As the strawberries were bubbling in the oven, I had the sudden thought of using almond meal along with the oats,  but of course, it was too late (never mind that I didn't actually HAVE almond meal). If anyone has used almond meal, I hope you'll let me know if you think that's a good idea and I'll zip off to the grocery store to stock up. 

To make two servings:
Preheat oven to 350F.


Two cups loosely packed whole medium sized strawberries
zest of half a lemon
a few drops of lemon juice squeezed over the berries

1/3 cup whole rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch or two of kosher salt.


Trim the berries and cut in half before adding to a small (I used a 5 1/2 inch by 4 inch by 2 inch (height) ovenproof ceramic casserole dish.  Grate the zest over the berries, then squeeze some lemon juice over the berries.

Add the oats, brown sugar, butter and salt to a food processor and whizz briefly, until the mixture is mostly free of whole oats and well incorporated.

Sprinkle the topping on the berries and roast uncovered in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove and let cool a bit before serving.  Creme fraiche or sour cream is always nice if you have it.  There's a lovely intensity to the berries that is very different from eating them fresh.

As a passionate collector of textiles and linens, I found this tea towel in a thrift shop, embroidered with "BP" in red thread.  So far, I'm stumped beyond "B is for beautiful".

*****

Yesterday I came home to a lovely package of fresh herbs on the front step:  thyme, tarragon, oregano, and sage leaves, all now hanging from a rafter for drying, and two little cups of thyme plants - heaven.  Many thanks to my friend Pamela - I love them!

lemon cake puddings with chopped pistachios

Snow again, but this time a pretty, not-too-serious snowfall, with huge snowflakes covering the icy driveway.  If you don't have cleats on your boots, you end up doing the Old Lady shuffle down the path to the driveway and finally, the car.  Better that than the people I see walking around with casts and braces on their arms and legs.

This is the kind of weather that makes me hungry for creamy pastries - eclairs and cream puffs, Napoleons and Boston Cream pie.  But with a firm eye on the calendar , it won't be long before we shed our winter layers - our wool coats, parkas, hats, and puffy vests that hide the winter inches.  So no, no cream puffs.

I decided instead on these airy, lemony puddings that magically transform in the oven into two layers:  the bottom a creamy sauce, and the upper layer more like a souffle.  And rather than use my vaguely remembered recipe from my mother, I used a recipe I found here.


Lemon Cake puddings

This recipe makes 5 standard servings, using various mousse cups.

Preheat oven to 350F.

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 medium lemons
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 cups
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Butter 5 standard pudding or mousse cups and set aside.

Grate the lemons and measure out one tablespoon rind.
Juice the lemons and measure out 1/3 cup lemon juice.  Set aside.
Beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form, then continue to beat on low, adding 1/2 cup of sugar a tablespoon at a time .  Continue to beat until stiff peaks form, then transfer to another bowl and set aside.

In the same mixer bowl (no need to wash) beat the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and mix. Add the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the milk, flour, and melted butter and mix carefully, then add the egg white mixture.   Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture - there may be a few bumps of egg white, but that's fine.

Pour or spoon the mixture into the prepared cups and place the cups in a baking or cake pan filled halfway up with boiling water.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden.  Remove from oven and, using an oven mitt, transfer cups to the counter to cool.

While they're cooling, shell and chop a handful of pistachios and sprinkle over the puddings before serving.



Just remember -  four more days til Daylight Savings time!