Fresh strawberry ice-cream for Spring!

Fancy a bowl of springtime-infused, fresh strawberry ice-cream?

This sweet, rich ice-cream is simple and quick to make. It is my entry into this month's Monthly Mingle hosted by Eat the Right Stuff. The theme is 'Spring Fruit Sensations' and what can be a better introduction to Spring than bright red strawberries!


Although the plump strawberries recently hit the market it was Kevin's post at Closet Cooking for a strawberry sour-cream bread which served as my kick in the pants to pick some up. Unfortunately, the consistently horrible produce at my local grocery chain left me disappointed as I stared at half-rotten, slightly moldy berries for $3 a quart. Even at this sale price, I was too disgusted to buy them.

Fortunately, there are usually several neighborhood street corners where local farmers set up stands to sell 6-quart flats, so I decided to drive around and find one. It's way more strawberries than I needed, but decided I'd figure out what to do with the leftovers. I found a street vendor near our local park and he only charged $10 a flat (and the berries were MUCH more fresh!).

I rushed home and cleaned my berries (eating many in the process). I tend to follow the ice-cream base recipes found in the Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book. I realize a few of you will wrinkle your noses and wonder why I haven't latched onto a copy of David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop. Ben & Jerry came into my life first and therein lies my loyalty. I haven't reviewed David's book, but I'm sure it's as wonderful as everyone says.

Fresh Strawberry Ice-Cream

sweet cream base
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream (or whipping cream)
1 cup milk

strawberries
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
juice from 1/2 lemon
zest from 1 lemon (optional)

Combine strawberries, lemon juice/zest, and 1/3 cup sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Once strawberries have refrigerated, prepare the sweet cream base. Whisk eggs in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the sugar and continue whisking for a minute longer. Add the cream and milk, stir until fully combined.

Combine the strawberry mixture into the sweet cream base. Pour into an ice-cream mixer and mix according to mixer instructions. I use a small Cuisinart ice-cream maker which works pretty well. It took 30 minutes to reach a soft-serve consistency, at which time I put it into the freezer to finish firming up.

I rolled out a sheet of puff pastry and cut into 4 squares. I placed each square into a large muffin tin and baked for 12 minutes. The puff pastry bowls seemed a bit more fun and we enjoyed eating them while watching a movie last night.

Lightly sweet and super creamy, the ice-cream is full of lovely strawberry chunks. The ice-cream is perfect for a sunny Spring day like today. I considered also add in fresh mint that is growing crazy in my garden, but wasn't sure how it would turn out. I might explore this next time :-)

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Chewy and sweet red bean mochi

My pantry holds the goods for many recipes I hope to make, some get made while others do not. I bought a box of mochiko (sweet rice flour) and azuki beans (dried red beans) with the intent of making mochi. They've sat in my cupboard for some time, just waiting for their day in the spotlight.

I fell in love with the texture of mochi several years ago. A sweet filling surrounded in a chewy, soft dough - what's not to love? Common to the Japanese, mochi are quite popular and can be found in nearly every Asian market.


The azuki beans (aka adzuki) are small, dark red beans typically made into a paste and sweetened. The red bean paste is common in many Chinese desserts and pastries. The bag said to soak them overnight, but since I'm horrible about planning ahead, I skipped this step entirely. I placed 2/3 cup of the beans into a pot and covered with water. I simmered in a covered pot for 1.5 hours and had to add more water midway through cooking. You want the beans to be soft.

Drain the beans and place into a blender. Puree beans then scoop into a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup sugar. The beans were thick but when the sugar was added they become much more moist, almost runny. The next step will remove the moisture and create the correct paste-like consistency.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with a few tablespoons vegetable oil. Pour in the bean mixture. Using a spatula or spoon, move the mixture around in the pan. Continue to stir until the mixture turns into a thick paste. It will also darken to a deep purple-red color. Remove from heat. Once it has cooled, place into a bowl and refrigerate.

You can also buy red bean paste in a can from an asian market. I figured I should try making it before buying a prepared version. It turned out to be easy enough to do.

Now for the chewy dough, which has mesmerized me. Once again, it's quite simple to make, it just uses ingredients that aren't common to Westerners. You need to use mochiko, also known as sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour.

Mix 2 cups mochiko with 1 cup sugar, then add 1 3/4 cup warm water. Stir to form a batter. Pour into a heatproof bowl and place into a steamer for 30-40 minutes or until the dough is firm and set. Aside from steaming vegetables, this cooking technique may not be too familiar to some. You can use any type of steamer that you may have. My bamboo steamer was too small for my bowl so I used my wok and covered it with a lid.

The dough will be a white sticky blob. Allow it to cool so you can handle it. In the meantime, take out your red bean paste and form teaspoon sized balls. The paste is firm enough to easily work with. In a flat dish, like a pie plate, put 1/4 cup cornstarch. Cornstarch is used to dampen the stickiness of the dough. It's not optional -- it's required. The dough is the stickiest thing you'll ever encounter.

When the dough has cooled, scoop a golfball sized piece of dough and drop into the cornstarch. Lightly toss to coat the outside of the ball so you can handle it. Roll the dough into a ball, then flatten to form a 3" circle. Place the red bean paste in the center and pinch edges together to seal. Roll the ball in the cornstarch once again, then roll between the palms of your hands to create a ball shape. Repeat until done. Makes ~2 dozen.

Mochi can be left at room temperature for a few days or refrigerated for longer keeping. I put mine in the fridge because I like the extra chewy texture it creates. They turned out perfectly and taste like the real thing. Mochi can be served as dessert but also work perfectly for snacking (um, like right now).

Now that I know how to make them, I'm anxious to play with the flavorings and fillings. Some mochi come in different colors or are flavored with green tea, cocoa, etc. Ice-cream mochi are to die for, instead of red beans the dough is wrapped around a ball of ice-cream to make a treat so much better than an ice-cream sandwich!

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Sweet polenta cake with caramelized apples & almonds

I am a horrible sucker for cheap cookbooks -- they lure me in with their big colorful photos and promise of a few good recipes. The books are not written by any particular expert, merely 'edited by' a staffer with a passing interest in food.

The books are strategically placed into the bargain bins. And, I realize they are mass-produced for placement into such areas for those culinary minds looking for a few cheap thrills. Yet, I can't resist. I purchased the The Complete Book of Baking from such a bin several years ago, the temptation being the sweet polenta cake. It's been on my to-do list for some time and now I am able to mark it off.



The cake intrigued me mostly due to the use of polenta to make a cake. The batter contains almond flavoring and lemon zest along with a few currants, then it's topped with fresh apples and sliced almonds. To ensure it is rich, the batter is drizzled with melted butter and sugar before being placed into the oven -- how could I not resist making this?

The result is a moist yet dense cake boasting a light lemony-almond flavor. I'll admit, the currants do nothing for this other than to create specs in the cake. They are lost and useless. The top is interesting, slightly caramelized apples with a crunchy sugar crust adds a nice sweet texture. The cake itself has a large and firm crumb, a stronger texture than typical cakes. I enjoyed the change of pace and found it rustic, like something a friend's grandmother would make at a holiday dinner.

Sweet polenta cake
3/4 cup flour
1/2 polenta (or cornmeal)
1 tsp baking powder
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup currants soaked in hot water for 20 mins and drained
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 apples peeled, thinly sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9" springform pan. In a bowl, add the flour, polenta, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs and 1/2 cup sugar, then add milk and almond extract. Combine currants and 4 tablespoons butter. Slowly add the dry ingredients. When blended, pour into prepared pan.

Arrange apples in concentric circles on top of the batter. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. In a saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Pour over the apples, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

Bake until the cake is puffed and golden, about 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the springform pan.

Although it was gone before these pics were taken, I created a topping from: 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 tsp almond extract. A dollop of this mixture adds a nice sweet-tang.



I used polenta that had a slightly larger texture than cornmeal, which came through loud and clear. You can see the bits of polenta and the texture is defiently firmer. I kind of like it tough because it does stand out as something different.



Next time, I would likely remove the currants. I might try doing something different with the apples or possibly another fruit. The apples were tender but kind of blah -- they didn't stand up to the dominate flavors of lemon and almond. Once again, they were ok but kind of useless. Don't get me wrong, the cake is quite good :-)

I need to see what's next in this book. It's a generic baking book but all of the recipes have a very international flair to them, but the book isn't marketed in this way. There's Guiness Cake, or maybe Lekach, a Jewish honey cake. Hmmm, I need to give this some though ... and, I also need to give some thought to the MeMe I received. Yikes ... what info shall I divulge about myself?

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Moist and rich orange cake with orange icing

My favorite use of oranges so far -- a rich and moist orange cake drizzled with a sweet orange icing. It was the perfect end to our dinner party last night.

The cake is something I've been thinking about all week. I've never had an orange cake before and have been fantasizing about what it would taste like. I adapted it from the leftover candy cake recipe I made recently. The cake had a wonderful texture and I figured I could flavor it with orange to send it through the roof.

Mission accomplished!


As most of my cooking goes, it started with a hand scribbled post-it note. I slapped the notes on a shelf above my workspace. The recipe is simple and makes a thick, creamy batter. You can bake it in a tube pan or in two small cake pans, as I did.

Orange cake
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange zest

Orange icing
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. zest
2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350, prepare pans by greasing them and dusting with flour.

For the cake, begin by creaming together the sugar and butter. Slowly add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients, mix until smooth. Add orange juice and zest, mix to combine. Place into prepared pans. If baking in 1 pan, bake for about 1 hour or until cake tests done. If baking in 2 pans, bake for about 30-35 minutes or until cakes test done. I made it as 2 cakes so I could send one home with our dinner guests.





The cake is a refreshing burst of freshness, especially during these winter months when it's so dark and dreary outside. The cake also makes for a perfectly good breakfast :-) .... I just had a piece with coffee ... so good!

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Something sticky this way comes ...

Textures excite me. Chewy, sticky, crunchy are types of textures that make me fall in love with a particular food or ingredient. Tonight I decided to explore a new dessert featuring 'sticky rice'. Sticky rice is a particular type of glutinous rice that exudes much more starch and therefore has a 'sticky' consistency. Under the right circumstances, it can be downright glue.

Joe worked late again (i.e. tax season), so I had plenty of time to play around in the kitchen. I contemplated what to do with several bananas destined to turn brown any day. I didn't feel like cake or muffins, nothing that soft interested me. I wanted something chewy and with substance. I remembered there was a bag of sticky rice in the cupboard from the last time I tried to make a mango sticky rice dessert. The bells went off in my head and I decided to combine the two together.

Banana sticky rice is actually a Thai dessert steamed in a banana leaf. I made it without banana leaves, as I didn't have any on hand (actually, I've never had them on hand). I really wanted to add the element of crunch, so I thought a blend of toasted coconut and nuts would go nicely as a topping. And, while I was at it, I thought maybe a dipping sauce could be fun (i.e. kinda like dessert sushi).

So, if there are any Thai people reading this, I apologize. I apologize for adding a crunchy topping and dipping sauce to your dessert, and for referring to it as dessert sushi. But, it really turned out good ...

Banana sticky rice w/cinnamon coconut sauce

Rice mixture
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 cup glutinous rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 bananas

Dipping sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
dash of cayenne

Topping
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Begin by heating sugars, salt, 1 cup of coconut milk, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of rice in a pot over medium heat. Stir rice while bringing to a full boil, then partially cover and cook for 20 minutes or until moisture is fully evaporated. Leave pot on the stove but turn off the burner. Give the rice a stir. Place the lid fully on the pot and allow the rice to self steam for 10 minutes. Remove lid and allow to cool to room temperature.

Take a piece of foil about 1 foot wide and place half the rice mixture onto it, creating a square about 1/2" thick. The rice should be the same length as your banana. Place banana at one end of rice and use the foil to roll the banana up until the sticky rice is fully wrapped around the banana. Seal both ends and place into a steamer. Repeat with remaining mixture and banana. Steam over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature. I placed mine into the freezer for about 30 minutes.

To create the dipping sauce, combine the remaining cup of coconut milk, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, cayenne and 2 tablespoons white sugar. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.



For the topping, place coconut, almonds, and sesame seeds on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a 350 oven for 7-10 minutes, or until mix becomes lightly browned.



I tried unwrapping one of the rice rolls and realized it probably wasn't going to work. It was very sticky and started to fall apart. I rolled it back up in the foil, then used a sharp knife to slice it into pieces. The foil gave it the stability it needed and cutting was much easier. Before serving, I sprinkled the tops with a bit of the topping. You can either drizzle the top with sauce or dip the roll into the sauce.

I'm not a huge banana lover, especially when the bananas are heated. However, this was so freaking good -- seriously, I loved this. The rice is sweet, sticky and chewy, while the banana is soft and creamy. The topping adds a bit of a toasty crunch and sends it over the top. It was so good that I forgot to use the sauce at first. The sauce adds another dimension and was good too.

I will make this again -- it would work great for entertaining. When Joe came home, he was tired and beat from such a long work week. He saw the plate of banana sticky rice and his eyes lit up. He tried a piece and loved it too, which is saying alot because he's not a huge fan of sweets.

Update
Oooops -- when I first published this I forgot to mention I also added a dash of cayenne to the dipping sauce. I like the spicy-sweet combination.

You might also like these posts:
Are you looking at my buns? (cocktail buns, gai mei bao)
Cherry clafouti, a delicious custard cake
On the hunt for a killer thai sticky rice dessert

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Cherry clafouti, a delicious custard cake

Slightly sweet and dense, cherry clafouti satisfied my sweet tooth this weekend. Clafouti is a french dessert with a custard-like base and fruit, most commonly cherries. The cake batter itself reminds me of crepes or pancakes, somewhat neutral in flavor.

I hadn't made it in a long time and decided to whip it up using a package of frozen cherries. Although the end result was 'ok', clafouti is so much better when using fresh cherries. Lesson learned. Granted, the fact that I used frozen cherries didn't stop me from devouring it quickly.

Feel free to experiment with the ingredients. Clafouti can be made with many types of fruit, so you're not limited to cherries. I'm sure this would be just as good with peaches or blueberries, maybe even plump red raspberries.

Cherry clafouti
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon brandy
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pound pitted cherries

Mix the cherries with 1/4 cup of the sugar and set aside. Select a skillet that is at least 1 1/2" deep and grease it.

Mix together the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla, almond extract, brandy, and milk. Slowly add the flour and mix until smooth.

Arrange half of the cherries on the bottom of the skillet with their juices. Pour batter over the top, then arrange remaining cherries on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.



When the clafouti comes out of the oven it will be puffed nice and high, and as it cools it will deflate. This is all perfectly normal. It is best served warm with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or even a scoop of ice-cream. There's no wrong way to eat it. Leftovers make for an amazing breakfast the next day!

You might also like these posts:
My favorite plum tart
Mini apple pies for two
An italian apple cake, torta soffice di mele

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Make a cake from your leftover holiday candy

With Christmas behind us for another year and Valentine's soon approaching, this might be a good time to break out a cake recipe that utilizes all those leftover or unwanted bits of candy. CandyRecapper is hosting a Sugar High Friday event this month, so I decided to break out a wonderful recipe I found at cdkitchen last year.

The cake is sour cream based with vanilla and almond extract as the primary flavorings. The batter is silky and rich ... I couldn't help but to eat a little while it was still uncooked. Of course, this is not recommended due to the raw eggs .. but I like to live on the edge. Fortunately, I was able to complete the batter without eating too much of it.

Leftover Candy Cake

2 cups coarsely chopped leftover candy
2 3/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream

The recipe is simple and quick. Preheat oven to 350 -- grease and dust a tube/bundt pan. Cream butter in mixer and add remaining wet ingredients, then slowly add dry ingredients, all except the candy. Mix until batter is smooth. Once the batter is ready, a third of it is placed into the pan. To the remaining batter, you add 2 cups of chopped candy ... any kind you have on hand. You add the remaining batter to the pan and bake for an hour.

Since I still have alot of leftover Christmas candy, I used a mix of crushed candy canes, mint patties, Hersheys, and Rolos. Caramel, peppermint, chocolate -- YUM. Unfortunately, my camera is not cooperating, so I'm using a picture of this same cake I made back in November. The one shown used Almond Joy, Milk Duds, Milky Way, Hersheys, and Kit Kat.

The cake baked evenly and was done in precisely 1 hour. I let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a rack. The smell of the cake was intoxicating and it was difficult to let it cool entirely before carving out a wedge.

The cake is moist and wonderful even without the candy. I can see myself making this recipe minus the candy or layered with cinnamon and brown sugar instead of candy. Our pantry still has a bag of eggnog flavored truffles and a partial box of assorted See's Candies. Hmmmm .....

Unfortunately, my diet is about to start so this may be my last cake for awhile ... well, maybe a small nibble here and there :-)

You might also like these posts:
An Italian apple cake - Torta Soffice Di Mele
Insanely good tres leches cake
Turning upside-down over pineapple

Continue reading this post ...

Refreshing and simple 'orange lollipops' for dessert

On Saturday night we decided to visit a recently discovered Izakaya restaurant near Japantown in San Jose. A few errands were on our list for the night, so we opted to grab an early dinner before the rush crowd hit. Unfortunately, the posted hours were wrong and the restaurant wasn't open when we arrived. It had just started to rain so we followed another couple to Sushi Zen located next door.

The menu is filled with over 100 types of sushi rolls, plus many grilled appetizers and entrees. Overall, the food was presented nicely and everything tasted fantastic. Many asian restaurants serve fresh oranges as a dessert, and I was intrigued by the presentation of what I call this restaurant's 'orange lollipops'. The oranges were chilled and sliced so that you used a wooden skewer to pick up each bite ... so no messy fingers! I liked the idea so much that I decided to replicate it at home tonight.

I chilled my oranges in the fridge for a couple hours to get them good and cold. Slice off a 1/4" disc from each end, then slice the orange in half to create two circular pieces.





Next, take each circular section and run a sharp knife around the inside peel in order to remove the flesh. Be careful when doing this step ... I nearly knifed myself. You should not break the peel, it must remain in a circular shape.





Take one of the 1/4" end pieces and place into the peel and push to the bottom to create a small bowl. Cut the flesh into four sections and place into the bowl along with a toothpick or wooden skewer.





That's it! Now you have sweet, chilled bites of orange to cleanse your palate. This would be a great finsih to a casual dinner party. Just prepare it the night in advance and keep chilled in the fridge. A quick and simple dessert :-)

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Mini Apple Pies For Two

Sometimes you just need pie, especially after a long Monday at work. My dilemma was that I only had one apple. What was I to do?

I evaluated my options and determined my apple would be large enough to fit into 2 of my small 3" ramekins. There's something about small versions of larger food that always makes me happy, so the thought of making pie in my ramekins made my day.

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons shortening
a pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons cold water

Pie Filling

1 apple
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
a pinch of salt

Cut shortening into flour and add salt. Combine until mixture is crumbly and even sizes pieces. Add water until dough forms into a ball. Cut into 4 equal pieces.

Peel and core apple, cut into 1/2" cubes. Add remaining pie filling ingredients and toss to combine.

Roll two pieces of dough into 6" diameter circles, large enough to cover the inside of two 3" ramekins. Pour half the apple mixture in each ramekin, place a 1/2 tablespoon of butter on top of each pie. Roll remaining two pieces of dough into 6" diameter circles. Lightly wet the top edge of the ramekin dough and cover with a piece of rolled dough. Crimp edges so they are sealed. Remember, this is supposed to be rustic, there is no wrong or right way to do this.



Cut two slits in top of pie for venting. Place pies onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for ~45 minutes or until juices begin to ooze from the top of pie.

The pies turned out to be just the right size to give me the pie fix I needed!

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On the Hunt for a Killer Thai Sticky Rice Dessert Recipe

Last week we had dinner at Krung Thai, a local thai restaurant with amazingly good food. We often skip dessert when dining out but opted to have the coconut sticky rice with fresh mango. It was so good! The sticky rice was slightly chewy, soaked in coconut milk. There was a satisfying saltiness mixed with the sweetness. Fresh mango draped over the top.

I decided to hunt the web for a recipe and attempted to make it myself. I used a recipe from cooks.com ... that I would not use again, so I'm not even gonna list it. My pic might look nice but the rice wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped.

The rice is cooked on the stovetop with the coconut milk and water, then steamed. The end result was sticky rice with a slight coconut essence. The rice absorb all of the moisture so it had the texture of rice, no creaminess of the coconut milk. I drizzled coconut milk over the rice hoping to save it .. but it didn't really help. So, I'm on the hunt for a recipe recommendation, if anyone has one.

I've seen a few recipes where the coconut milk is stirred in after the rice is already cooked, so maybe this is the right approach. Maybe I need to visit the restaurant again to bribe them for the recipe.

So, what does one do with not so good sticky rice? I used it the next day to make a pretty darn good fried rice :-)

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An Italian Apple Cake - Torta Soffice Di Mele (recipe)

A dense, poundcake-like texture ... lemon zest flavors the cake while golden delicious apples sink into the top to add a bit of depth and texture. This is the 'Torta Soffice Di Mele" or Light Apple Cake which I found in one of my favorite cookbooks, Tuscany the Beautiful Cookbook - Authentic Recipes From the Provinces of Tuscany.

I have several cookbooks from this series (Thailand, China, etc.) -- the book is over 200 pages in a large-size format, with beautiful color photos and lots of cultural information on each of the regions covered. It's a cookbook to read and review, even when you're not looking to cook -- but don't be fooled, each book is packed with tons of great recipes local to the region. But I'm getting off-topic and starting to ramble, this recipe comes from page 246 of the Tuscany book (paperback edition).

Here's the deal -- my brother and 2 nieces were coming over last night for dinner, as they have other plans for Easter day. I decided to make an Italian meal featuring pasta alla vodka, courgettes with mushrooms, and tarragon chicken with sausages. For dessert, I wanted to try something new, so I flipped through my book until I landed upon this cake. The picture portrays a very rustic looking cake that instantly appealed to me, and the recipe couldn't be any easier.

Torta Soffice Di Mele

2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 sugar
3 eggs
2/3 melted, unsalted butter
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1/3 cup milk
3 apples (golden delicious or granny smith work well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the apples. Mix until smooth batter is formed.

Butter and flour a 9" springform pan. Pour in the batter. Peal and core apples, then slice thinly and arrange in a circle pattern on top of batter. Apples may sink slightly into the batter.

Bake the cake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove rom oven and let cake cool slightly on wire rack. Remove the pan sides and slip the cake onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

The cake texture is heavy like a pound cake, which I like alot. I enjoy any food that sticks to your ribs :-) The apples lend a nice bit of texture to the cake and pair nicely with the freshness of the lemony cake.

The only drawback for me was the lack of cinnamon. I grew up always having cinnamon with apples, whether it was a cake or pie. So, when I have apples in a dessert I have a craving for cinnamon ... and I did miss not having cinnamon in this cake. I have a rule that you always make a recipe as it's written, then on the 2nd time making it you are allowed to make substitutions and adjustments for your personal tastes. Next time I might toss the apples slightly in a mixture of cinnamon sugar before placing onto the cake.

Oh, and the cake is good for breakfast too :)

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My Favorite Plum Tart

My best Easter memories are from childhood. Waking up early in the morning to see what the Easter Bunny left for me, each year he used a different tactic. Most memorable was the year he used straw to build a nest on the hearth of our fireplace and filled it with an assortment of candy and gifts.

I've discovered the Easter Bunny visits less often as you get older. I'm not sure why, but it's one of the downsides to aging.

I'm not certain what our plans are for the holiday this year, but I plan to make my favorite plum tart. In a strange way it reminds me of my Easter memory, like a little nest the rustic tart shell holds the sweet and delectable plums.

The recipe comes from either Gourmet or Bon Apetit, one of those mags. Rustic and simple, this plum tart's flakey and tender crust contains a rich and delicious spiced plum mixture.

Rustic Plum Tart

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling
1 1/2 lbs. plums, halved, pitted and cut into slices
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
1/4 cup apricot preserves

Blend flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoons if mixture is still dry. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss plums, 4 tablespoons sugar, ginger, cinnamon in a bowl. Roll dough on floured surface to 12 1/2" round. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl; sprinkle over dough leaving 2" plain border. Arrange plums in concentric circles ondough, leaving 2" plain border. Drizzle with melted butter. Fold dough border toward center. Brush border with egg glaze; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake tart until plums are tender and crust is golden, about 35-45 minutes.

Stir preserves in saucepan over low heat until melted. Brush over plums. Cool tart 1 hour on baking sheet. Run long knife until tart to loosen. Transfer tart to serving plate and serve at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.

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This recipe is participating in 'Waiter, there's someting in my ... Easter Basket!', an online event sponsored by thepassionatecook.

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Insanely Good Tres Leches Cake (recipe)

This year is destined to be the year of the Tres Leches Cake. Its name literally translates to ‘3 milk cake’ and is infused with condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. More bakeries are carrying a version of this cake and I’ve noticed it appearing more often at work functions and weekend dinner parties.

The Tres Leches Cake is commonly attributed to Mexico, however Nicarauga also claims it as their own. Each country puts their own spin on the ingredients, sometimes including coconut milk or rum. Regardless of the true orignator, I love whoever invented it. This cake is rich, creamy, and insanely good!

Feeling a little frugal, I decided to try making it instead of spending $27 on one from the local market. It only took a few web searches to find a broad spectrum of recipes with which to start. Wikipedia informed me that the cake is butter based allowing the cake to hold up to being soaked with the 3 milks. I disregarded any recipe that didn’t include butter in the cake batter. Fortunately, I came across a particularly interesting (and authentic looking) recipe from the Central Cafe in El Paso, TX.

Warning: you should not be watching your calories if you seek to make this cake. You’ll immediately notice the number of eggs and cups of heavy cream required. I could feel my arteries seize up while I read through the recipe, but with a cake like this you can’t skimp on the recommended ingredients. My only variation was to use two 9″ round cake pans and baked them for 30-35 minutes. The cake turned out well with a slightly firm texture with which to hold the milk. Because the cake is served chilled, it makes a great summertime dessert. Here is the recipe I used:

Tres Leches Cake
from Central Cafe, El Paso TX (as published in Texas Monthly Nov. 1999)

Cake

9 Eggs (room temperature)
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
12 Tablespoons Butter (softened)
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate egg yolks and whites, keeping whites at room temperature. In bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together until pale yellow and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat until fluffy again, 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder. In a third bowl mix milk and vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture (a fourth at a time) until all are combined. Beat until smooth after each addition.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form and, using a large spatula, gently but thoroughly fold into flour-and-butter mixture. Grease bottom of a 9- by 13-inch metal baking pan. Pour in batter and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool. (May also be baked in an 11.5- by 17.5-inch sheet pan for 20 minutes; this size rises very evenly, helpful for inexperienced cooks.)

Beaten Egg WhitesBaked Cakes

Three Milks

2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Five-Ounce Can (5/8cup) Evaporated Milk
1 Fourteen-Ounce Can (7/8cup) Sweetened Condensed Milk

Stir the milks together thoroughly; do not beat. Do not refrigerate canned milks before using.

Cream Icing

2 Cups Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Sugar

Whip cream and sugar together until stiff. When cake is cool, slice or peel off the thin top crust. Ice sides first, creating a small lip on top to catch milk mixture. Pour milk mixture evenly over top of cake (if necessary, poke holes in cake with a knife or toothpick to facilitate soaking; you will probably need only 3/4of mixture). Finish icing top. (If using an 11.5- by 17.5-inch pan, cut cake in half to make 2 equal pieces. Soak first layer, ice top if desired, and place second layer on top of it. Proceed as above.) Chill cake immediately and allow to set for 2 hours (or overnight) before serving. Serves 12.
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Turning Upside-Down Over Pineapple (recipe)

Pineapple upside-down cakes are familiar to most people and often seem associated with the 1970's. My mother made hers in a heavy cast iron skillet and I loved to fight my brother for the candied cherries. My mom made sure that each piece had at least one cherry assigned to it, but it always seemed some cherries were bigger than others so my brother and I still found reasons to do battle.

The cake is believed to have started in the early 1900's, although upside-down cakes were common during the late 19th century. Pineapple and maraschino cherries were both popular around 1920 and the first printed recipe occured around this time.

This weekend my young nieces visited and I knew how much they enjoyed my mother's pineapple upside-down cake. I was also feeling nostalgic and wanted some comfort food, so I dug through my cookbooks to find my recipe. I decided to try something different though. Instead of making it in a skillet, I decided to try making it as individual sized cakes using a large muffin pan. I figured this would ensure no fights over cherries since each cake had its own cherry on top.

The cake is easy to prepare and worked well in the muffin pan. The sauce on the bottom cooks up the side of the cake, so when the cake is turned out of the muffin pan it is drenched in the sticky goodness. My nieces loved them, who doesn't enjoy getting their own personal cake? I will definetly make them again this way. Here is the recipe I use:


Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes

1/4 Cup Butter
2/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar (I used dark)
1 Cup Chopped Pineapple
1 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Shortening
3/4 Cup Milk
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 Egg
6 Maraschino Cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a small pan. Add brown sugar to melted butter and stir to dissolve, remove from heat. Using a large muffin tin (6 muffins, 3 1/2" wide openings), distribute butter mixture evenly in each muffin opening. Place 1-2 tablespoons of pineapple in each opening, followed by a cherry pushed down into the center.

Beat remaining ingredients with an electric mix, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter evenly in each muffin opening.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes our clean. Turn upside down onto a cookie sheet immediately. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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You will find this post also appearing on JustBaking.net where I am a contributing writer.

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