The Ginger Cook

Vanilla Bean Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Cake (Dairy Free)

2014-02-13T14:48:00.003-08:00

With all this weather we’ve been having, I can understand if it’s hard for you to imagine eating an ice cream cake. I’ve spent most of my life in some Midwestern state and I’ve seen my fair share of cold snaps and blustery streaks, but this is too much. That and Seattle spoiled me rotten with it's perpetually 45 degree winter days. While I'm naturally inclined to exaggerate, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to claim that it didn’t get above 10 degrees for a month straight. Or when it got right up to 10 degrees, it felt like a heat wave and I was itching to get off the treadmill and into the slush.

I don’t know how much more of this I can take! Yet oddly enough, an ice cream cake in the middle of the worst of it was just the thing I needed. And exactly what one Marybeth Falish wanted.

The girl I mention above? It’s my pleasure to call her both a good friend and co-worker. When the personal life gets messy or the work gets tough, she’s there for me on both fronts. Days where I think I just can’t make it through another excel document, she’s there to help me and then engage in a little bit of girl talk. Moral of the story: I am so incredibly grateful to work with such a wonderful woman and call her my friend.

Naturally, I made a cake for her birthday. In early January. When the temperatures refused to crack zero degrees. And what did she request? An ice cream cake. An unexpected bonus to making an ice cream cake in January is that my little ice cream machine performed much better in a chilly kitchen than its usual setting - a torturous 95 degree day.

Armed only with the direction to include ice cream and those “little black flecks” (vanilla beans), I went to work crafting a cake for MBF’s 24th birthday bash. Goat butter is still in nonexistent supply, so I knew I had to go vegan for my cake base (plus eggs). Earth Balance buttercream is not too pleasant, leading me to try making coconut whipped cream for the first time. Topping the experiment off, I had never made an ice cream cake before!

With the photos as evidence, the cake turned out surprisingly well and was the delicious hit of the night!

Vanilla Bean Cake

Adapted from: More from Magnolia

Ingredients:

2 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) Earth Balance butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup almond milk
2 vanilla beans, cut in half and seeds scraped out

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease/flour cake tins.
In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream (preferably with an electric mixer) the Earth Balance until smooth and light yellow in color. Gradually beat in the sugar until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. This is key: after each addition, make sure to beat enough to incorporate the ingredients, but do not overbeat. (This will create gluten and you will have a rough and dry cake)
Fill the prepared cake tins.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a cake tester is inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean.

Vanilla Bean Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Adapted from Healthy Food for Living

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz) cans full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup unrefined granulated sugar, such as evaporated cane juice
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste
20 all-natural cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Newman’s Own)

Directions:

Refrigerate the cans of coconut milk for 1 hour (no longer). Chilling the coconut milk will cause the coconut cream to rise to the top of the can and slightly solidify. Carefully scrape out the coconut cream and milk from both cans into a large mixing bowl. Add in the sugar and vanilla bean paste. Hand-whisk lightly to break up the solidified cream, and then whip with an electric mixer for about 10-20 seconds, or until smooth and thick - don’t whip for any longer than a minute.
Pour mixture into your ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, gradually adding in the chopped/crushed cookies during the last 5 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a freezer-safe air-tight container and freeze until desired consistency is reached (at least a few hours).

Coconut Whipped Cream

Buy a can of full fat coconut milk. Thai coconut milk is fattier and works the best.
Place it in the fridge overnight.
Open the can without shaking it or turning upside down.
Carefully spoon out the top layer of opaque white stuff that has gathered at the top of the can. Spoon into a mixing bowl. You will be left with about 1/2 cup of white syrup-y looking translucent liquid. Leave this in the can.
Add 2-3 Tbsp of powdered confectioners sugar to the coconut cream.
Using an electric mixer, whip the coconut milk froth until creamy. Start on low and move to a higher speed, move the beater in an up and down motion to infuse the mixture with as much air as possible.
Use to frost the cake!

Oven Puffed Pear Pancake (Pannekoeken)

2014-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up and experienced a full-blown Saturday conundrum. Starving and craving a luxurious brunch, but rolling over seeing the clock strike 11:20am. Fridge supplies running a bit low, but the essentials still intact, rendering a grocery store trip superfluous. Never the one to backdown in the face of a food challenge, “A” exclaimed “PANNEKOEKEN!”

For strangers to the Dutch language or non-native Minnesotans, such an exclamation roughly translates to “YES! OVEN PUFFED PANCAKES!”

This is an incredibly easy recipe to adapt to whatever you do or don’t have in your kitchen. We’ve been making different variations for years based on what’s in season, where we’re living or what’s in our kitchen. While living in Seattle and at the height of berry season, I loaded up our pancake with the best fruits the Pacific Northwest had to offer: http://www.thegingercook.com/2012/06/oven-puffed-pancake-with-berries.html

Today we had a renegade pear, leftover ginger from brewing kombucha and an orange “A” brought home from work. And you know what? Those seemingly random bits came together to create one of the best oven puffed pancakes yet! Don’t discredit the scraps at the back of your crisper drawer; let them make friends with the other rejects. It’s a culinary creation just waiting to happen!

As long as you have the basics of eggs, butter, flour and (almond) milk, brunch is obtainable.

Oven Puffed Pear Pancake

Adapted from Two Tarts

Ingredients:

1 tbsp goat butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp orange zest
1 in piece of ginger, finely grated (microplane works best)
3 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pear, thinly sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the goat butter in a 8-in cast iron skillet, and place it in the oven.
Combine the flour, salt, orange zest and ginger in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk milk, and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and whisk until combined and smooth.
Wearing an oven mitt, remove the hot skillet from the oven (the butter should be bubbling), and pour in the batter all at once. Quickly arrange the pear slices in a circular pattern 1 ½ inches away from the edge of the pan, and return the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is nicely browned and puffed around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove the pancake from the oven (don't forget that oven mitt!). Cut into wedges and serve with a bit of maple syrup or powdered sugar.

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows

2013-12-15T20:35:00.002-08:00

For the first time in my short 25 years, I did not put up Christmas lights. Our little Norfolk pine is as naked as the day it first sprouted. There are no garland-laced IKEA bookshelves nor a scrap of lurking mistletoe. Scandinavian Christmas items at least accent our kitchen table as “A’s” mother helped boost sagging spirits. Very few Christmas-themed blog posts start out on a dour note, but this is my blog and it’s within my rights to ramble about my feelings, dammit! If we’re going to really get to talking about feelings, I’m not sure how I feel about Christmas this year. Yes, I’m excited, but not for the actual act of Christmas. I’m excited to see my family for one full, rare week. Presents? Eh. Giving them is what gets me going but all I “want” to receive are a few nice necessities that I can’t afford to buy all at once.

But feeling this way about Christmas fills me with guilt. I’m usually forcing Christmas music and movies down “A’s” throat; but this year even I have to find a small stash of motivation just to press play. To put the nonexistent star atop the pine-like tree, there is apparently a national goat butter shortage. Not only have I stalked every grocery store in Madison, I've called every local goat farm to see if butter is something they do (obviously, it's not). I’ve had time to deal with the tragedy over the past month, but as butter is the main ingredient in cookies 99.9% of the time, I cant even make my usual mountain of treats! Maybe that’s at the root of my bah humbug?

Who knows. But I do know I need to get into the Christmas spirt, and about five minutes ago. To find the spirit of Christmas past, I had to go basic. Feelings of warmth, love and chocolate. With a seasonal flavor thrown in for good measure.

Santa Claus wrote me a prescription and it’s for homemade peppermint marshmallows, folks! I can feel the Christmas creeping back in to my grinch sized heart and dreams of marshmallow faeries filling my head. Doggonit! This did the trick - I’m CURED! Watch out though, to keep my spirits high, I may have the plow through some of these darlings daily from now until next Wednesday!

Peppermint Marshmallows

Adapted from Arts and Tarts

Ingredients:

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ to 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
Oil (grapeseed or canola preferred)
Food coloring

Directions:

Pour ½ cup of the water into the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment and sprinkle gelatin over the surface; set aside.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining ½ cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Over medium high heat and with a candy thermometer attached to the side of the pan, cook the mixture until it reaches 240 degrees F. Immediately remove the pan from the heat once temperature is reached.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once all the syrup has been added, increase the speed to high and continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the peppermint extract during the last minute of whipping, starting with the smaller amount and increasing according to taste and desired strength.
While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans:
Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Using a paper towel, spread the oil on the pans until it is well coated. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use (I had to mix up a bit more as my marshmallows were on the stickier side).
Pour the lukewarm mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Drop about 6 drops of food coloring around the surface of the marshmallows and use a toothpick or knife to swirl the red into the marshmallows. Dust the top with remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for about 24 hours. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and use oiled scissors to cut into desired shapes. Once cut, dredge the marshmallows with the remaining powdered sugar/corn starch mixture. Shake the marshmallows in a fine mesh sieve to remove excess clumps.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Gratin

2013-11-23T12:45:00.003-08:00

I’ve mentioned before that "A" and I signed up for a summer CSA with Equinox Community Farms… but I haven’t mentioned that we signed up for an additional three winter share boxes. While I loved all the summer splendor of the fresh fruits and veggies, I might like the feeling of being inundated with potatoes, onions and carrots a bit more. Not familiar with the feeling? Imagine once every three weeks picking up two boxes that have no less than 10 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of sweet potatoes and enough carrots and onions to bring the total weight up to a metric ton.

It might be redundant to say, but that’s a lot of storage vegetables. Unfortunately we live in a “studio plus” (or “one bedroom minus”) apartment that, while lovely and fits our needs perfectly, isn’t known for having a lot of extra storage. So where do all these vegetables settle away for their long winter nap? Our average-sized, run-of-the-mill fridge. With every new box, there is a slight panic to eat everything in sight. Not because of my intense love of potatoes and carbs, which is very real, but because food gets very lost, only resurfacing after a grueling excavation mission.

So “A” and I creatively think of new ways to eat potatoes. Our lives have been enriched by many stews, soups, gnocchi’s, hash browns and breakfast dishes. The breakfast dish of this post was discovered on Spoon Fork Bacon - one of my favorite food blogs in my queue. Not only are their photos stunning, but I feel like almost all of their recipes are realistic. Yes, some of their meat dishes I don’t even make or eat but if I WANTED to, I could!

This was an easy dish to throw together of a very lazy weekday morning and the leftovers kept in the fridge for well over a week.

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Gratin

Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/8” rounds
1 cup goat milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for topping
salt and pepper to taste
garnish:
1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a round 8” cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together goat milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes and until milk has started to curdle.
Place sweet potatoes, goat milk mixture and 1 clove of minced garlic into a large mixing bowl and toss together. Allow mixture to sit for 30 minutes.
Line the bottom of the cake pan with a single layer of potato rounds. Some overlapping is okay.
Sprinkle the top with some garlic, rosemary and Pecorino Romano. Season with salt and pepper and continue layering gratin until all ingredients have been used.
Tightly cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove foil and invert onto an oven safe dish. Sprinkle top with Pecorino Romano.
Turn oven onto broil and return gratin back to oven. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and top has crisped up.
Allow gratin to cool for at least 8 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2013-11-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

While we are solidly in the Christmas creep season, I might as well throw in a Halloween treat to balance things out. I will never be one of those food bloggers who post their themed food in a timely fashion. Laziness takes over and I make every excuse to not edit photos or write a post. Motivation seems to hit me a few weeks down the road and way outside of the timeframe of the holiday at hand.

As I am officially on the office Fun Committee, I decided to turn our work Halloween party up to eleven with some homemade cake. While most people won’t consider bundts to be “fun,” I do live in the Midwest kids. Things are different here and I embrace it. The cake was attacked with gusto and I barely managed to save a sliver to take home to “A.” There were few leftovers to speak of, but this cake is so moist, you wouldn’t have any issue letting it sit around for a few days.

So here I have a Halloween cake for you. Complete with chocolate spiderwebs and spooky stars. Maybe store it away for next year or forgo the black & orange coloring and call it a Thanksgiving cake. Keep this blog post a secret and no one will know the difference.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Adapted from Whipped The Blog

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) EarthBalance “Butter”, softened, plus additional for greasing the pan
1/2 cup canola oil
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (or 1 15 oz can) solid pack pumpkin puree
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. “Butter” and flour bundt pan.
Make your “buttermilk”: combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, pumpkin spice and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, “buttermilk” and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat EarthBalance, oil and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
Spoon batter into pan. Shake a few times to be sure to remove any bumps then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and invert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts and Muffins

2013-09-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Unless you've been avoiding Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, walking down the sidewalk and talking to other people, you know that "Pumpkin Spice Season" is upon us. You can't turn the corner without seeing a PSL (or a pumpkin spice latte, if you want to be formal) in a death-grip or browse Facebook without seeing a love poem to some pumpkin spice. While I pretend to mock them, let's be real, I am one of them.

Smelling cinnamon coated apples basking in the warmth of my oven makes me giddy and apt to spread some baking joy. Hoarding canned pumpkin is a seasonal tradition and unearthing it again in July is always a shock. So yes, I roll my eyes at all the "#PSL" hype… but I partake is a more homemade fashion.

To any co-workers who are reading this post, yes, these are the baked goods I brought into the office!

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts & Muffins

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin purée – not pie filling
1/2 to 1 tsp salt (see note above)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (see note above)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus a heaping 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger
8 oz (1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour

For the cinnamon-sugar topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease the muffin tins and doughnut pan with a little bit of butter and flour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, salt, and baking powder on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
Lower the speed of the mixer and stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, as well as the flour until they are completely incorporated. Do NOT over mix - this can lead to a tough texture.
If you're making doughnuts, fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full, using a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well (a small cookie scoop works well here).
If you’re making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full.
Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you’re making muffins, they’ll need to bake for 23 to 25 minutes.
While the doughnuts/muffins bake, stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until well mixed; set aside.
Dip the warm doughnuts and muffins in the cinnamon-sugar topping. The muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and may need a cinnamon-sugar refresher before serving.

Key Lime Bundt Cake

2013-09-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

Every person I've talked to has bemoaned that this has been the most hectic summer in recent memory. Work, family, friends, life - it was all wanting equal parts of you without enough downtime to spare. "A" and I can group ourselves into that camp and complain. Yet what's the point? Now that we live in the Midwest, even though it takes some gas and time, we are able to drive to see both our families with a days notice and a weekend's time. While one family is a 4 hour drive to the west and another a 7 hour drive to the east, the fact that we can both see family more than one or two times a year is priceless.

Giving up the American tradition of barbecuing and relaxing with a day free of labor, "A" and I drove to Michigan for a Labor Day weekend filled with good food in Ann Arbor and an (age need not be mentioned) birthday for my beautiful Grandma, Betty!

It's pretty much an unspoken rule that if I'm in attendance at a birthday party (family or not), I'll supply the cake. Even though I have a pretty good roster, my mother demanded that I make her mother a Key Lime cake. Not that new fancy chocolate cake recipe I've been waiting to try out. Not that caramel cake that most people would line up to try. Nope - a cake filled with Key Limes and not in pie form.

As I mentioned earlier, the weeks of summer have been filled to the brim and the temperature steadily rising, the thought of turning on an oven for even five minutes seemed to daunting. So instead I adapted a Key Lime cake recipe I have previously developed, threw it in a bundt pan and made it in my parents kitchen after my morning run. Oh yeah, did I mention I've been training for a running race? That's another story for another time.

Needless to say, the birthday girl was happy and I have yet another successful birthday cake in my storybook.

Key Lime Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or bottled key lime juice
3/4 cup goat yougurt
2 tablespoons fresh lime zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bundt pan with oil or melted butter and flour.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into mixing bowl.
Add eggs, oil and lime juice mix on medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy.
Add goat yougurt and zest; mix until smooth. Pour cake batter into bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until tester is inserted and comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 5 minutes and then turn the cake out onto cooling racks. Cool for 1 hour.
To decorate, make a glaze with key lime juice and powdered sugar and top with toasted unsweetened coconut.

Tartine Country Bread

2013-08-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

B R E A D. I love you. I could eat you, romantically of course, every day, at every meal and loaves at a time. It doesn't matter if you're white, wheat or country. I will love you just the same and you'll never have to worry about me cheating on you with Mr. Cookie. As long as we can shake things up and throw goat cheese into the mix every once and a while, our love will be eternal.

I rarely do this, if I ever have, but I won't be including a recipe in this post. Not that I don't have it, but that I don't think I will be doing it justice by posting it on my blog. For Christmas last year, "A" received a copy of the Tartine Bread book from an old college friend. If you haven't heard of Tartine, I will assume you haven't been to San Francisco or don't have the obsession with bread that I do. To prepare myself for the Tartine method, I had been building up my starter and learning how to make bread all over again.

I'm an experienced bread baker and I had to practice the Tartine method. That should be your first clue why the recipe won't be on the blog. The first few loaves were delicious and turned out fine, but the process to get there left me crying, yelling and pulling my hair out. It was hard and why was the dough SO STICKY!? Then one day it clicked. I remembered all the ratios and knew what the dough should feel like between my fingers. During the long bulk fermentation phase, the billowing air bubbles brewing in the bread is now a welcome comfort. I get it and it gets me.

So I urge you, if you have any desire to make sourdough bread, please, pick up Chad Robertson's book . It's a work of art with pages upon pages of science and instruction. If that doesn't suit you, he has the most wonderful step-by-step photography that a frustrated baker could ask for. If more proof is needed, look at this bread. I did not a minute of kneading and the dough was able to rise in the fridge overnight as to produce a fresh loaf right before a dinner party.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Cherries

2013-08-02T13:40:00.002-07:00

Somehow July sneaked past me and decided not to stop by to say hello. If you asked me what I did last week, I would think I just watched the fireworks booming over Lake Michigan. Sitting on the Michigan-side shores and looking back on a town of my childhood. But apparently that happened just about a month ago, if you believe the calendars. Personally, I think a Time Lord visited Madison and erased my memory to hide our wild adventures.

Yep. That's my story. Time Lord. In July… in Madison, Wisconsin. Quite logical really.

So that means that I made this cake just a few days ago if we're thinking back to last week, "the beginning of July." Rumor has it there was a nasty heat wave that swept though the region and made me think of my stove as the catalyst to the apocalypse. Good thing that "hasn't happened" yet and I made this cake pre-heat wave for a wonderful lady named Kate.

Kate and "A" are grad school friends and soon after moving to Madison we bonded over being Michiganders and living approximately five doors down from each other. After many potlucks, late-night group beers, dog sitting and crazy landlady adventures, I can honestly call this gal a good friend.

And anyone who knows me knows friends get cake, especially on their birthday. And what's a Michigander girl to do for a Michigander's birthday? Make a Michigan "Kate Cake." Ok, maybe the term "Kate Cake" isn't hot yet but trust me! It will be as it is composed of (only what I assume is) Miss. Kate's favorite things: Michigan cherries, (Michigan) red wine and dark chocolate. It doesn't hurt that it's utterly delicious and one of my favorite cakes that I've made!

Anything that has a tight but moist crumb, chocolate and is easy to decorate is a win in my book. I also can't discredit the fact that it's relatively low sugar and incorporates fresh fruit! So while the cherries are still blooming and the temperatures are mild, make someone you know a Kate Cake! They won't hate you for it.

Chocolate Red Wine Cake

Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted goat butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar (I used a little bit less)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups dry red wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 2 minutes longer. Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack; let cool completely. Top the cake with pitted and sliced cherries reduced in a small sauce pan with a little bit of water.

Banana Bourbon Muffins

2013-06-29T09:55:00.001-07:00

The past month has been an unfortunate one in our household. No, all ten fingers and all ten toes are still intact. No, our garden is still thriving against all odds and days of rain. No, I didn't coat a body part in gold during an unfortunate smelting accident.

Our oven was broken.

As in, it would heat up, beep loudly, stop it's foot and shut down. Just like that our Sunday pizza nights came to a halt. No more roasted vegetables. Most tragically, baked goods ceased to exist. This was not an exciting discovery to make less than two weeks after moving into our apartment.

Life happens and it took a while to coordinate a visit from the repair man. He came by, listed to the bowls of our aging stove and diagnosed it as needing some surgery. Placed on the donor list and hoping for a new part, we waited for relief. Thankfully, the temperature outside rose and the desire to turn on the oven was less tempting. But a crockpot cannot be used as an oven forever and my desire to bake was bulging. Eventually, as this post would suggest, our oven was successfully mended and I got back to baking.

With bourbon. Because I said so… and because "A" went down to Louisville for a bachelor party and we are now are well on our way to having a legitimate collection. There were also some bananas in the corner maturing into prime fruit fly food. Putting two and two together seemed like the best option.

Then because I have a slight addiction to cocoa nibs, I threw in a handful for crunchy good measure.

Banana Bourbon Muffins with Cocoa Nibs

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
3 large very ripe bananas
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons bourbon
Splash of vanilla extract
Scant 3/4 cup cocoa nibs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with liners or grease with vegetable oil if not using liners.
Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat bananas until mushy. Add in oil and sugar and beat for 2 minutes, or until well combined. Add in eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Mix in bourbon and vanilla extract.
Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in cocoa nibs. Scoop batter into muffin tin, filling 2/3 of the way.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Apple & Pear French Tart

2013-06-02T16:52:00.002-07:00

Let's play two truths and a lie. I like most things geekery. I don't like math. Math was my worst subject in school.

What did you guess? If you said geekery…. EEEEEEHHHH. WRONG. Guys, my iPhone cover is a TARDIS, I saw Star Wars when it was rereleased in theaters in elementary school, Mark Hamill was my first crush, I make "A" see the Star Trek movies with me and I celebrate Pi Day every year.

Which brings me to my lie. Math was not my worst subject in school, but it was my least favorite. Writing aside, math was an anomaly that made its way to the top of my standardized test scores. To this day, I have no idea why. But secretly? I think I'm a math genius who will solve the world water crisis with a math equation I casually doodle on the back of a letter I have yet to open. Apathetic enough for you?

While my prophecy hasn't come true yet, I'm prepared for the day it does by celebrating Pi Day every year. Last year I made some mini vegan roasted apple pies. The Year of the Epic Cherry/Apple Venn Pieagram crowned my first March in Seattle. This year? I christened my new Nordic Ware tart pan by making "A's" pie of choice: an apple & pear French tart.

Math isn't ever going to be something you see me begging to do, but I will keep up appearances by making a pie every March 14th.

Apple & Pear French Tart

Adapted from La Fete Blog

Ingredients:

1¼ cups flour, plus more for dusting
12 tablespoons unsalted goat butter, cubed and chilled
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 baking apples, peeled, cored and slices
3 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and sliced
⅓ cup sugar with a shake a cinnamon combined
½ cup apricot jam
2 tbs. rum

Directions:

Combine flour, 8 tablespoons goat butter, and salt in a food processor and pulse until pea-size crumbles form. When properly (not over!) mixed, it should feel like wet sand.
Drizzle in 3 tablespoons ice-cold water and pulse until dough is moistened, about 3-4 pulses.
If dough seems too dry, drizzle in additional water 1 teaspoon at a time until dough is the correct consistency.
Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a flat disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Unwrap dough and place between two pieces of parchment paper.
Using a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 13″ circle and then transfer to a 11″ tart pan with a removable bottom.
Using fingertips, lightly press dough into the bottom and sides of tart pan.
Using a rolling pin, gently press down on top edge of tart pan to trim excess dough.
Chill for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F.
Gently move the slices to the crust and make a pattern with the apples overlapping so there are no gaps of crust showing through.
Once tart shell is completely filled with apples, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with remaining 4 tablespoons of goat butter.
Bake until golden brown, 60-70 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat apricot jam and rum in a small saucepan until warmed and thin.
Transfer tart to a wire rack; using a pastry brush, brush top of tart with jam rum glaze.
Let cool completely before slicing. Serve with ice cream of choice!

Black Bean Bowl with Poached Egg

2013-05-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Give me a potato, sweet or of the russet variety, and I'm a happy lady. Maybe it's because I'm Irish. Maybe it's because I love brunch food. Or maybe it's both. Regardless of the origin of my lusting, whenever I see a brunch recipe on the internet that manages to incorporate a potato, it's game over for me. If I see it on a weekday, whose morning are filled with oatmeal & drip coffee, I make sure to stash the recipe away for a few days. Sometimes on Pinterest, but usually by refusing to close its browser tab.

But this bad boy black bean bowl? I considered it made the first time I saw it. If you often find yourself short on time in the morning, the bulk of this recipe can me made the night before. Substitute canned beans for dried, even if it does raise the price point a bit. If you're like me and can't make your own poached egg with a perfect dribble, throw on a sunny-side-up egg instead. Don't like runny yolks? I don't judge - I was the same until a few years back. Try a scrambled version and no one will think less of you. In fact, your friends will probably be begging to brunch at your place again and again.

Another praise I can sing for this dish is about its leftover potential. Cook everything down a little to thicken it up and throw it in a tortilla to call it "burrito lunch." "A" and I used ours the next morning for brunch to make blintzes. To stretch things out a bit more, add some stock and call it soup. It's a flexible dish that will bend to your needs without complaint. All it wants is to make you happy, as do I.

BLACK BEAN BOWL

Adapted from Spouted Kitchen

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. dried black beans (rinsed and soaked overnight)
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. chile powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced in 1'' cubes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
4-8 eggs (use 1-2 eggs per person)
cilantro and hot sauce to finish
Cheese of your choosing

Directions:

Drain and rinse the beans from soaking. Place them in a large pot and cover with a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are cooked through and just tender (one to one and a half hours depending on freshness of beans), avoid overcooking. They should still have a tooth to them. Remove from heat, add a pinch of salt. Let the beans cool for about ten minutes before draining. Add the cumin, cinnamon, garlic, chile powder, hearty pinch of salt and broth. Bring the mixture to a low simmer.
Add the sweet potato to the warm beans, give it a stir and cover the pot. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. Stir in the tomato paste and olive oil and taste for salt, you'll likely need another pinch or two, and spices. You could add heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or chipotle. Cover and keep warm until ready.
Bring a large pot of salted water with a splash of vinegar to a low boil. Poach the eggs to desired doneness (deliver the eggs to the water in a ramekin, seems to help them stay together well). For a medium poach, simmer them 2-3 minutes. If you like the yolk more firm, take them 4-5 minutes. Serve each portion with a hearty scoop of the beans and poached egg on top. Finish with hot sauce, cilantro and cheese if using.

White Russian Cake

2013-04-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a very special food blogger with a very special dad whose birthday was separated from hers by only one day. As the years passed and it became 2013, he was now exactly twice her age.

Growing up, this meant that the young fiery-haired little food blogging girl and her fiery-haired dad were required by the Evil Queen of the Household to share a birthday cake. As luck would have it, the little girl was none too happy with this arrangement as the years passed. She would stomp down her foot, demand a cake and be sent away to the lonely tower to think about what she had done.

Seasons passed, suns went up & down and the little girl was not so little any more. She followed her dreams, moved across the land to a magical place called “Seattle” and had no more shared birthday cakes with her fiery-haired dad. To her surprise, this made the grown up food blogger incredibly sad!

But as luck would have it, the girl fell in love with her prince and his white steed name “UHaul” took them back to Midwestia. Not Michigania, but Wisconsonia. This made the girl squeal with glee as now she would be able to share her birthday cake again with her birthday partner in crime.

She baked and baked and baked (and drank a beer) and baked trying to make the best possible cake for their fateful reunion. Taking inspiration from The Dude himself, she made it a bit boozy to celebrate the reunion. Or because she just likes the White Russian cocktail.

Cake was eaten. Smiles were had. And the little food blogging girl and the fiery-haired dad were celebrating in style together.

-FIN-

Folks. That is a true story. The vegan White Russian (as I make it with almond milk, not cream) is hands down my favorite drink – it tastes like a milkshake! For our birthdays this year, my family, “A” and I all met up in Chicago to celebrate.

The recipe below is for a full-sized cake but I halved it to make my cake a bit more mini. If you’re more in the mood for cupcakes – full-sized or mini – this recipe works perfectly! The Evil Queen of the Household, erm, my wonderful, lovely & perfect mother can attest, she forced my evil Full-Blood Sister to bake a batch for her ladies night gathering. Need proof? See below!

White Russian Cake

Ingredients:

14.5 oz cake flour (To "make your own" cake flour, do this, it's what I did: http://joythebaker.com/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/)
8.75 oz confectioner’s sugar
0.5 oz baking powder
6.75 oz almond milk
6 oz canola oil
3.25 oz eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
13 oz egg whites
9.5 oz granulated sugar
1 cup coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
1/2 cup vodka

Directions:

Oven 375°F. Prep pan by butter bottom and sides. Place parchment in pan and butter the parchment.
Sift dry ingredients (except granulated sugar) into a large bowl.
Mix all ingredients (except the 13 oz of egg whites and granulated sugar) in the large bowl until combined. Whip whites and granulated sugar to medium peaks. Fold into batter gently.
Bake until set, about 20-25 minutes (do the toothpick test – no goop on toothpick… 30 minutes for me).
Remove from oven and remove from pan. Let cool on a rack.
You can get 3 layers from one cake, or four layers from two cakes… it all depends on how tall you want your cake and how many layers of cake you want.
Mix the coffee liqueur and vodka together.

For the Dude-worthy buttercream frosting:

1 cup goat butter, room temperature
6-8 cups powdered sugar, sifted
⅓ cup coffee liqueur (Kahlua)

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium high until light and fluffy.
Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Mix in coffee liqueur until smooth. Add more if necessary until frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired and enjoy!

Assembly:

Place a base layer, bottom-side-down on your serving plate. Pour a quarter of the booze evenly over the cake layer.
Spread a layer of the frosting over the cake. Set a second layer of cake on the frosted layer. Repeat until the last layer (should be the other base).
Soak the cut side of that layer with the remaining booze and carefully flip that onto the top of the cake. Frost the sides (crumb coat first, then frost) and the top of the cake.
Decorate as desired. Serves 12. Consume immediately or refrigerate for a few days.

Spicy Ginger Pickled Carrots

2013-04-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is a quick n' dirty blogpost for a quick n' easy recipe. These carrots had bigger dreams and ultimately ended up in some homemade Bahn Mi (100% homemade to toot my own horn). That "recipe" will be coming soon but I already apologize in advance for the quality of the photos. Night isn't always the best time for lighting, as one would assume, but now that we're past daylight savings time, things are on the upswing! Unfortunately, I'm pretty backlogged with recipes that were taken after sundown.

These picked carrots are less of a "recipe" than the Bahn Mi. It's more of making due with what you have on hand. I don't often keep fancy Mason jars on hand (a girl can dream), but I have mild hoarding tendencies and feel the need to save any decent glass jars. Perfect for bulk spices and leftovers alike, I can't ever bring myself to throw them out! So why are these carrots is a former fermented black bean jar you ask? Because I recycle (read: hoard) and because that's what I had on hand.

Back to the food. Basically, just take as many carrots as you can fit in the jar… then make them fit in the jar. Then top with pickling liquid and spices, or what will fit in the jar. Wait. Then… WHAM! Delicious easy, make-your-friends-jealous food!

Spicy Ginger Pickled Carrots

Ingredients:

Carrots, peeled
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoon sugar
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon powered ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

Cut the carrots into matchsticks. Bring a medium-sized pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. (Use a non-reactive pot.)
When the water boils, drop the carrots in and simmer for one minute. Pour into a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain thoroughly and place in jar.
In the same pot, heat the remaining ingredients. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for two minutes.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Once cool, pour liquid over carrots in car and chill. The carrots will be ready in about 3 hours but it's best to wait for at least a day.

Amaretto Almond Biscotti

2013-03-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's real talk story telling truth time and I have an embarrassing confession to make… I'm not quite what you would call a "sweets" person. Which is weird because one of my all-time favorite activities is baking (one could only assume after perusing around on my blog for even just a minute). Nothing melts away stress or puts a smile on my face faster than being elbow-deep in dough and listening to the whirling of my stand mixer whipping together fat and sugar.

It still doesn't mean I would pick it over a crusty loaf of bread with some goat cheese. Or peanut butter. Or figs. Or really, really, dark chocolate. Or… I've better stop myself now. Just know that the way to win me over is with bread and spicy curry. Not a candy bar.

But if you brought me some biscotti? Game over. I'm done, all yours for the taking. Biscotti is my biggest weakness - it's a crispy crunchy not-really-sweet dessert breakfast item. I love brunch. I love crunch. Put those two together and you got biscotti. My kryptonite.

As I lean towards indecisiveness, I presented "A" with two options earlier this week: biscotti or cookies. This post kinda hints at what he chose. To keep my ravenous self at bay, I sent him off to work with a good sized Tupperware filled to the brim and told him to share. I hope he's at least getting popular...

If you want to be the coolest chap at the office, I recommend you make some too! Or just give them to me and I'll do your (evil) bidding.

Amaretto Almond Biscotti

Ingredients:

2 cups almonds
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoon amaretto or 2 tablespoon rum with 1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup cocoa nibs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the almonds in an even layer over a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until toasted, carefully stirring once halfway through to prevent burning. Let cool for 10 minutes.
In the bowl of your food processor, combine 1/2 cup toasted almonds, 1 tbs sugar and pulse until finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse three times to mix.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, vanilla, amaretto and remaining sugar on high until fluffy and thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture. Fold in the whole almonds and cocoa nibs.
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Wet your hands with water, divide the dough in half and form into two loaves, about 2″ by 10″ (the dough will be thick and sticky). Smooth the tops to create a flat surface and bake for 40 minutes, until golden.
Remove the loaves from the oven. Using a bread knife or a very sharp chefs knife, diagionally slice the loaves into 1/2″ cookies and bake for another 20 minutes, flipping cooking halfway through, until crispy.
Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. To retain crispness, put the cookies in an airtight container as soon as they are completely cool. Biscotti may be stored airtight for several weeks.

Apricot Maple Cinnamon Rolls

2013-03-04T11:00:00.001-08:00

I feel like I could post a picture and present without comment (but I'm a chatterbox so that would be impossible to do). However, I essentially did just that on my Facebook page and boy-oh-boy did the offers start rolling in! I had one friend beg me to come back to Seattle, another started plotting a road trip over to Madison and all the while, "A" is gloating in the glory that is homemade apricot maple cinnamon rolls. Freshly baked on a Sunday morning. All to himself. Even though I did offer up the leftovers, no one seemed willing to make the journey. Oh well, "A's" gain.

While I was ambitious enough to make cinnamon rolls for our weekly Sunday brunch, I was just lazy enough to do the prep work the night before. Make the rolls according the directions but instead of having them do the final rise on the counter, plop them in the fridge overnight for a slow rise. The next morning, bring them to room temperature on the counter before baking.

The thing is, friends, these rolls are shockingly uncomplicated to make. Granted, I do have a KitchenAid stand mixer to do most of the dirty work for me. Even if you don't have a mixer, the dough is so soft and pliable that it would be too difficult to work with by hand.

Apricot Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients:

for the dough:
2¼ tsp. (1 pkg) active-dry yeast
½ tsp. + ¼ scant cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water, lukewarm (~115° F)
½ cup almond milk milk, at room temp.
2 TBSP. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2¾ c. all-purpose flour + more for kneading
¾ tsp. salt
4 oz. (½ cup) goat butter, softened

for the filling:

½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
1 TBSP. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
pinch ground cloves
3 TBS. pure maple syrup
¼ cup goat butter butter, melted

for the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
⅛ cup almond milk

Instructions:

Dough:

Combine yeast, ½ tsp. of sugar, and water in the bowl of a mixer. Stir and let sit until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
Add remaining sugar, almond milk, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat until well combined. Using a dough hook, add flour and salt to bowl and mix at medium speed until dough just begins to come together. Turn mixer to medium-high and knead for ~4 minutes.
Add the softened butter and continue to knead for ~6 minutes. The dough will be wet and sticky. Knead in another ⅓-½ cup of flour into the dough. Dough should be just slightly tacky and very soft, but it should not stick to your hands.
Place in a large, greased boil. Cover with plastic or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Filling:

While dough is rising, combine sugar, walnuts, apricots, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a medium bowl. Stir in the maple syrup and set aside.

Dough (again):

When dough has doubled in bulk, tip it out of the bowl onto a heavily floured work surface. Gently knead the dough until it is no longer sticky, adding ~3 Tbs of flour as needed for ~2 minutes. At this point, the dough is soft, silky, supple, and totally sexy. Let rest on counter for 5 minutes.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into roughly a 10"x20" rectangle. Position dough so that the long sides are parallel to you (you'll be rolling from the long side). Brush about half of the melted butter over the top of the dough, enough to coat it well.
Dump all of the filling onto the buttered dough and spread evenly, leaving a 1" border at one of the short edges of the dough so the roll can be properly sealed. Lightly press the filling into the dough.
Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch all along the edge to seal. Place dough, seam side down, on a cutting board. Cut into equal slices.
Arrange slices, cut side up, in a greased pan (I used a large pie pan). Each roll will have a bit of space on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in a warm place for 1 ½-2 hours, until they've puffed up nice and big and are touching. (NOTE: is you would like to refrigerate overnight, place the covered unbaked rolls into the fridge at this point. Bring to room temperature before baking.) Place oven rack in upper ⅓ of oven and preheat oven to 375° F during last 15 minutes of rise time.
Slide into preheated oven and bake for ~30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Rub some goat butter on the rolls just after you've pulled them from the oven.

Glaze:

While the rolls are cooling slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and almond milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.
Share with friends. Make people happy. Smile.

Baked Polenta

2013-03-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

I'm appreciating the silence. Almost a month ago, when I was first laid off, silence was a terrifying thing. Most days were spent trying to pass the time, waiting for "A" to come home, waiting to go to sleep. That first week was so empty and silent that I tried to fill it with everything.

Podcasts were playing, music was droning on and the TV was a magic pill of time wasting. Not knowing how long unemployment is going to last, I've been slowing learning to appreciate it. Instead of sleeping in, I wake up at the same time as "A" (well… I at least try and roll out of bed to eat breakfast with him) and take in the morning. Sipping my coffee in silence with a magazine. Or a book. Sometimes it's even just a good blog post I never had time to read. Most importantly, I've been cutting out the noise and it's helped with my stress.

During the day, I tried not to watch any TV (on my computer or otherwise) and save the rock-out sessions for later in the day. I don't know why this works, but it does, and I'm not the one to fight it. It hasn't been the easiest month, but I've found a way to make it somewhat better.

Yet the best unexpected benefit to all my free time is how much it's forced me into cooking creatively. When I was unemployed back in Seattle, I lived alone and only had myself to feed. This led to many a nights of canned soup and popcorn. I didn't judge myself! But now that I am a proper "kept woman," I have "A" bottomless pit stomach to feed. I never thought I'd say this, but that challenge is fun.

To cut back on costs, we've been grocery shopping less, buying more from the discount bins at the coop and relying more on seasonal/whole foods. We already did that before, but now we're doing it even more. I still run over to the coop for a bulk ingredient or two, but I mostly make do with what's already in the kitchen. Each night, it's something new and exciting. There are usually always leftovers which means "A" can have a nutritious lunch at work the next day. And I get more material for my blog (albeit, still with improper lighting… damn you winter!).

What's a girl to do with the dregs of a pantry and fridge but a mini-family to feed? Polenta. Comforting, warm and easy to whip up when I lose track of time.

Baked Polenta
Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 lb chicken sausage, casings removed
1 red bell paper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced thyme
polenta:
4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted goat butter
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

crumbled goat cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pour 1/2 tablespoon oil into a cast iron skillet and brown sausage, over medium-high heat. Pour sausage into a mixing bowl and set aside. Drain excess oil from pan.
Pour remaining oil into the skillet and add bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour vegetable mixture over sausage and fold together. Set aside.
Pour water into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Generously season water with salt and pepper. Whisk cornmeal into water and reduce heat to medium. Continuously stir the polenta for about 5 minutes. Add butter, goat cheese and pecorino romano and stir until fully incorporated. Adjust seasonings.
Lightly grease the skillet used to sauté the sausage and vegetables. Pour half the polenta into the skillet and spread into an even layer. Pour all but 1/2 cup of the sausage/mushroom mixture, in an even layer, over the polenta and top with remaining polenta (creating almost a layered casserole). Sprinkle the top with the remaining sausage/vegetable mixture and crumbled goat cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve.

Gravlaks with Sweet Mustard Sauce

2013-02-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Almost FOUR (four?! four. FOUR?) years since I first started my blog, and this is my 200th post. In someways, I consider this to be a huge solo-dance-party-worthy experience, but on the other side of the fence, it's a bit low. Just glance over to my side bar - the number of recipes per year has been slowing decreasing (67, 72, 41,18…) but I consider to be myself to be a better cook.

Now when I approach my kitchen, it's a little more Iron Chef and a lot less exact. There will never be a day in which I stop referencing cookbooks or other food blogs, but now I'm much more comfortable approaching a spread of ingredients with only myself as inspiration. Ingredients are more ingrained and I know how nicely they play with their food friends. Tasting starts before I even start chopping the first onion. But how does this translate over to a food blog?

For me, it doesn't. I take that back, it only kind of does, but it means less posts with more trust. Now when I post something, it's a recipe I have probably tried once or twice. The first time was to inhale and analyze the food without pressure of photography. Second is perfecting. Third is for the blog. Or in the case of this recipe, sometimes I rework a classic and put it on up.

Back when Andy and I were back in Seattle, we made use of the first few catches of a salmon run but curing King Salmon with Aquavit. In my opinion, there is no better way to experience Pacific salmon then cured and on a slice of hearty rye bread. Cut to six months later, and while we are away from my beloved Pacific ocean, it's just as easy to find fresh and sustainable salmon on the Third Coast in Wisconsin.

The basics of curing are simple and similar to my last recipe, but this time we cut out the Auqavit and upped the amount of sugar and salt. As far as meat goes, I recommend approaching the fish monger of your local food coop and having him select, cut and remove the bones of the best possible cut of fish.

Gravlaks with Sweet Mustard Sauce

From the Kitchen of Light

Ingredients:

Two 3-point salmon fillets, skin on, any pinbones removed
⅓ cup salt
⅔ cups sugar
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fine chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon dill seeds
Sweet Mustard Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

Rinse fillets in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Combine the salt and sugar, and rub the flesh side down in a deep dish just big enough to hold the fillets (we used a large glass roasting pan).
Scatter the pepper, fresh dil, and dill seeds over it. Place the other fillet skin-side-up on top. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place a heavy weight (such as a cast iron skillet like we did) on top of the fish.
Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days, turning the fish every 12 hours and basting it with the brine that accumulates in the dish.
Once cured, gently wipe the cure off the top of the fillets. Use a long, narrow, flexible, sharp knife to remove the skin from each fillet. With the salmon skin side down, grab the tail end, pinching it with your thumb and fingers. If the skin is slippery, use a paper towel to grip it. Use the knife to slice between the skin and flesh. Keep the knife at an angle, pointed down towards the skin, and use a rocking motion to slice under the length of the fillet and remove the skin.
Once the skin is removed, flip the fillet over and trim off any pieces of skin still left on the fish. After the skin is removed from both fillets, store them in the fridge, well wrapped, where they will keep for at least a week.
To serve, slice the salmon as thinly as possible by using a sharp knife to shave off pieces, cutting towards the tail end. Wrap any unused salmon and return it to the fridge. Traditionally, gravlax is served with mustard-dill sauce and rye bread. It’s also delicious just sneakily eaten plain, too! Just don't tell Andy I do that….

Sweet Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons sweet grainy mustard, or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

Directions:

Combine the sweet mustard and 2 tablespoons of the Dijon mustard in a medium bowl. Add the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Gradually add the oil, whisking constantly.
Adjust the flavors as necessary.
The sauce should be neither overly sweet nor overly acidic. Add a little water if the sauce gets too thick. Stir in the chopped dill. It will keep, refrigerated, for 2 to 3 weeks.

Tomato Carrot Soup with Bacon Croutons

2013-01-27T15:05:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile and I'm ok with that. I've been cooking and experimenting more than ever before and the pressure to not photograph everything has been spectacular. The early setting sun offers another bit of encouragement to sit down and enjoy a loving meal with A instead of waiting for the wafting steam to fade away.

I'm ok with it. You should be too. But now that the sun is hanging around a bit longer with each passing day, I'm more and more encouraged to snap a picture or two. I've also been enlightened by the book "The Everlasting Meal," but more on that in another post.

Thank god this picture isn't all moldy either as I'm pretty sure we ate this way back in December, but hold tight! I have a few more excuses: 2 weeks for the holiday's away from my now home to my childhood home. Then another 10+ days in January for a trip back to my other home (the Pacific Northwest). Then ta-da! End of January and I don't know there the time went.

This soup recipe was actually made by A as I don't eat bacon. He gobbled all that up while I had my soup sans bacon. Just as delicious but I guess not as boy-friendly. It was the perfect amount of smokey, soul-heating goodness balanced against the healthy hearty vegetable base.

Tomato Carrot Soup with Bacon Croutons

Adapted from Bitchin' Camero

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
7 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch medallions (about 2 cups)
3 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes (canned ok)
2 cups vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. hot smoked paprika
A few grinds of African Spice seasoning (Trader Joe's)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 saffron threads (optional)
3 slices, thick center-cut bacon, cut into lardons
2 cups cubed day-old bread

Directions:

Set a large pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, heat the olive oil then add the onions and cook for 7 minutes, or until they begin to brown a bit. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the carrots and tomatoes.
Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Using an immersion blender, blender or food processor, puree the soup until no large pieces of carrots or tomatoes remain. Return to the pot.
Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, paprika and saffron and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
While the soup is cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon. When the bacon is beginning to turn brown, add the torn bread and cook until golden. Remove with a slotted spatula to a paper towel.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a heap of bacon croutons.

Makes 6 servings.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Scones

2012-11-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

If food was rated on the man scale, these scones would get a crumb-dusted smile with a sticky fingered thumbs up. Not only did "A" scarf down two of these for breakfast, he ever so politely asked me if he could eat just one more after our bike ride yesterday. Then this morning? He sneaked in another one before I even had a chance to scrub the sleep off my eyes.

I think there might have even been a request for this to be a weekly thing. Or for me to drop everything and open a bakery just for him ASAP. The details are a little melted as never has a simple breakfast been so well received by "A." My mind was too in awe.

As it tis the season of all things red, fat filled and sugar laden, cranberry baked something was just calling my name this weekend. Sure, there are some dried cranberries in the pantry. Great, there might be some canned pumpkin shoved in the back. But the farm fresh goodness is where it's at.

"A" has been collecting cranberries from all the farmers across the land so saying there was a surplus is not a stretch. Check - cranberries all accounted for. Yet something was missing, I wanted more. MORE I tell you!

Good thing I found a random (but really, where did it come from?) orange in my purse. Totally normal right? I hope it wasn't tainted and stuck into my satchel as a cruel joke. Even if this is so, joke is on you sir as I won and these scones are delicious.

You don't want to know about poisoned oranges and hoarded cranberries though. You want to make these, right? It's super easy if you have a food processor and, I would assume, a cinch if you just had a pasty cutter. Either way, the goal is to cut up the chilled butter so it's well distributed in the flour mixture but some small pieces of butter should exist.

After that it's the standard one two punch of combining the wet ingredients with the dry.

Before you know it, you'll be sconed.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Scones

Adapted from Slash of Something

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on tops of scones
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
6 tablespoons chilled goat butter, cut into small cubes
8 oz. fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 scant cup whole goat milk, plus more for brushing on tops of scones
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In the large bowl of a food processor, place the dry ingredients and orange zest, and pulse to combine. Add the goat butter butter, and pulse 10 or so times to combine. There should still be small pieces of butter. Transfer flour mixture to a large mixing bowl. Fold cranberries into mixture.
In a large measuring cup, place goat milk, egg, orange juice and vanilla. Mix well, then pour into flour mixture. Using a fork, fold (do not stir) the wet mixture into the dry mixture while gradually turning the bowl. When dough begins to come together, gently kneed dough into a ball shape.
Transfer dough ball to floured board, and gently pat it into a 6- or 7-inch circle. Use a pastry scraper or large chef’s knife to cut it into 8 triangles.
Place the scones on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning pan halfway through. Scones are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cocoa Nib Cherry Cookies

2012-10-24T18:50:00.002-07:00

I finally got up the guts to blog a bit more. It's been a while, I know. I could make excuses until you felt like slapping me in the face but I won't. I'll save my face and your soul. Guys, I'm just kinda tired and my bedtime is ever so slowly creeping up to 7:00pm. Not that extreme, but definitely something like 10:00pm. A girl can dream.

But these cookies need little introduction. The cherry season was too short this season and my craving was never fully fulfilled. My pit spiting was never perfect and not enough cherry pies were made. I just had to work with what nature gave me and used some dried cherries. And the combination of cherry and chocolate.

I brought these suckers to "A's" work BBQ and I'm proud to say they were the first baked good to run out. As I've been in a bit of a baking lull lately, I've been riding that back-patting train for a while now. So I present with little comment some of the greatest "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" cookies this little Madison kitchen has ever produced.

Oatmeal Walnut Cherry Cocoa Nib Cookies

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) goat butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup cocoa nibs
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beat in eggs. Add eggs one at a time, beating for one minute on medium speed between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture all at once to the butter and egg mixture. Beat on low speed until the mixture just comes together, don't fret if there are still some pockets of flour (they'll be taken care of later.)
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a spatula, mix in the oats, walnuts, cherries, cocoa nibs, and chocolate chips. Make sure no flour pockets remain.
Scoop dough out by the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until toasted brown on top. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lavender Wedding Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Honey Buttercream

2012-09-17T17:48:00.003-07:00

It's kind of a slight problem when you're at a wedding three states over, and people you barely know (talking to you Mr. Cory D) give you a hard time about the last time you updated your blog. Calm down, people. Calm down left side of the table at the rehearsal dinner. I appease you. You beat me down, made me drink an extra beer to relax and gave me to gusto to write a blog post. Ironically, it's for a wedding cake.

About a month ago, some of A's friend asked him if, oh you know, they could ever so casually get married at his cabin up in Northern Wisconsin. Standard. Normal bar talk. Being who I am, I immediately slammed my palms onto the worn wood of the Weary Traveler and offered to make a cake. Later, I was somehow also roped into being their all official-like photographer.

At this point, I'm not sure if we were even in our apartment yet or if we were still homeless and sleeping on a friends' couch. They were blurry times, friends. Don't expect me to remember such silly details of where I slept at night. Who cares where I lay my head, most concerns lie in the status of my kitchen. And all I know is that at when I offered to make my first ever wedding cake, I had never turned on my new oven.

Fact: don't do what I did. You will soon find out that your oven is about, oh, exactly 100 degrees hotter than it should be. Your delicate lavender cake will be running behind schedule, and it's so hot outside that it is cosmically impossible to keep buttercream from melting. For fun, also add on a 7+ hour car ride. Break even and call it an adventure?

Sure.

The cake may have been a bit drier than I would have intended, but my (buttercream) meltdown lead to a damned tasty ganache and a creamy honey buttercream filling. So when you make your next wedding cake, a few pointers: get an over thermometer, budget for extra time and make sure vegan White Russian ingredients are within arms reach.

Lavender Cupcakes

Adapted from Yummy Mummy

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1 cup goat butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons goat milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F; grease baking pans with goat butter and dust with flour.
Put the sugar and lavender flowers in a food processor. Process briefly to combine.
Tip the lavender sugar into a bowl with the butter and beat together until pale and fluffy.
Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one at a time, then sift in the flour and fold gently. Stir in the milk, then spoon the mixture into baking pans.
Bake for about 30 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Honey Buttercream

Ingredients:

1 cup goat butter, softened at room temperature
1/3 cup honey
4-5 cups powdered sugar
Dash of goat milk

Directions:

Beat butter in a stand, or hand, mixer until fluffy. Add honey and beat for 2 minutes.
Slowly beat in powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add goat milk to thin out buttercream if needed.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

9 oz whole goat milk
9 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
A few squeezes of clover honey

Directions:

Heat the cream in a small saucepan. Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit for one minute, add honey, then whisk until smooth. Place in refrigerator to cool, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even cooling. When desired consistency, frost cake.

Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas

2012-08-28T07:38:00.002-07:00

Toto, I don't think we're on the West Coast anymore! Move a bit to the east, a bit more… yep, right there in Wisconsin! That's right folks, "A" and I landed in America's Dairyland a little over 2 weeks ago and have been attempting to set up our apartment ever since.

I could go on and on about the trials and tribulations of moving, but I'll save your eyes. I assume most of you have moved at least once and know how it goes. Live on the third floor of an older house, discover you have a slight bat problem for the first week and live out of boxes for an unreasonable amount of time. You know, that ol' schtick. Since we moved our boxes in last week, we have managed to set up a bed, I finally put away my clothes and the kitchen. Oh the kitchen. It was the first thing we focused on and currently the only room worth cleaning. While we're still working out some storage issues, I am proud to announce that after being kitchenless for almost a month, I am back in business.

I don't know if I've ever told you why I moved to Madison in the first place. I decided to be a bit cliche and move with my boyfriend for his job. Yes, there were a lot of tears at first. Yes, I miss Seattle every day and probably will for a while. But you know what? Madison is a pretty great town. The area we live in reminds me of SE Portland and people here really care about their food. I recently was offered, and accepted, an exciting job that I think will bring me down a perfect career path. To top all this off, I get to see the guy I love every day.

To celebrate "A's" second week of work, I got down in the kitchen for the first time. Getting into a cooking project before you know how accurate your oven temp is or how the burners work is an experience. Definitely wouldn't recommend something fancy and French. Yet as we are all classy people here, it still needs to have a touch of elegance. Enter the tagine. Starts on the stovetop, ends in the oven, low n' slow throughout.

As we don't have a ton of counter space, I couldn't recommend prep bowls more. While no recipe demands them, I always think it makes whatever I make turn out better. Instead on frantically fussing around with prepping the next add-in, I can focus on how my food is cooking. You may already know this, but until last year (GASP!) when my mom bought me some prep bowls, I woefully was in the dark.

Now that the world turned up the heat in the Midwest (again), I would recommend making this in the fall as the stovetop and oven need to be on for quite some time. But when you decide to make it, know you'll be walking into a Moroccan, apricoty, fall-of-the-bone-chicken goodness!

Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas

Serves 6 to 8

Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

Olive oil
3 pounds chicken legs and thighs (about 4 each)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dried couscous
1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
2 cups (1 15-oz can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons cilantro, optional, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300°.
Warm one tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven (at least 5 1/2-quarts) or tagine over medium-high heat until the oil flows easily and you can see it shimmering. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and place as many as will fit into the pan without crowding (I had to do two batches of chicken).
Sear for 5 to 8 minutes, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown. Remove to a clean plate and continue searing the rest of the chicken pieces. If necessary, add more oil to keep a thin film on the bottom of the pan. If the oil starts smoking, turn down the heat.
Pour off all but a teaspoon of oil and return the pan to medium heat. Sauté the onions and carrots with a half teaspoon of salt until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the ginger and spices over top and cook until fragrant, another minute.
Stir the chicken stock and apricots into the pan, scraping up any seared bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Nestle the chicken pieces into the pan; try to fit them in a single layer, but it's ok if some pieces overlap.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and transfer the covered cooking pot to a 300° oven. The tagine is ready when the chicken registers 165° on an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and when its juices run clear. This should take approximately 90 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the couscous and set aside.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and tent with foil. Add the honey, almonds, and chickpeas to the pan with the apricots and onions, and cook at medium-high on the stovetop. Bring the stew to a rapid simmer and cook until it has thickened slightly. Taste the sauce and add salt if necessary.
To serve, spread the cooked couscous on a serving platter and arrange the chicken pieces on top. Ladle the stew over top, making sure the chicken pieces each get a good coating. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Leftover chicken tagine will keep refrigerated for up to a week.

Spicy Gravlax with Aquavit

2012-07-19T14:27:00.001-07:00

Did I tell you my big news? It's a bit colder, but also kinda steamy, with beer and brats mixed in. You guessed it yet?

If you found yourself thinking "Madison, Wisconsin," you would be correct! If you thought "crazy cool camping trip in the North Cascades," you would be, sadly, quite awrong. As many of you may know, I hail from Michigan and my a-little-bit-less-than-quarter-life crisis involved me moving out to Seattle on a relative whim. I only visited the city once before moving here but the mountains, water and 50 to 75 degree no-humidity days did me in. I was hooked. I love Seattle more than any city I have ever lived in, made some life-long friends and know how successfully navigate from Capitol Hill to Queen Anne during rush hour without hitting a lick of traffic.

I'll miss Seattle and see myself coming back here a few times a year, but I love adventures and Madison is a new one. What's crazier is that I have never been to Madison. I am actually moving to a city I have never seen. With a guy. If you thought I went bonkers before you don't know what's coming. "A" accepted a job as a hydrogeologist with the USGS, my internship at Edelman ended and the timing stars aligned.

So friends, readers, anyone in the Universe… as I have never been to Madison, I also don't know anyone there. If you want to meet up for coffee (Seattle got me hooked), just know this, I make a mean cookie. Who wants to hang out? I'll be the one with the curly red hair and box of friendship cookies. And maybe some of that salmon below.

But you don't want to hear about me pleading for a friend date and my 2,000 mile move back to the Midwest. You came here for the food, dangit! I think I have mentioned before that "A" is half Swedish (half German), translating to we eat lots of berries, pancakes and fish. But we wanted to dive into Swedish food a bit further and make our own gravlax, i.e. Swedish cured salmon.

Pretty much since the dawn of dating him, he has told me about the little-used bottle of Aquavit in his freezer and an urge to cure his own salmon. That's basically how he wooed me. The gravlax itself is quite easy to put together with the most time consuming segment being mixing the spices together… and I guess that whole "curing" part too. To make things bit easier, when I went to the market to buy salmon, I told the fish monger exactly what I was planning on doing and he gave me two one-pound sections that fit together. If you don't have access to a monger, I recommend buying two equally sized tail cuts (no bones!) that fit nicely together.

I'll just leave with with the recipe as I now have peanut butter all over my keyboard (lunch fail) and have a bit of scrubbing to do.

Spicy Gravlax with Aquavit

Adapted from Kitchen of Light by Andreas Viestad

Ingredients:

2 one-pound salmon fillets, skin-on
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons aniseed
5 juniper berries (India Tree makes some dried juniper berries that should be available at most markets)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons Aquavit

Directions:

Rinse the fillets in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Crush the caraway seeds, aniseed, juniper berries, red pepper flakes and black peppercorns using a mortar and pestle. Or place the spices on a cutting board or other hard surface and crush them with the underside of a heavy skillet. Combine with the salt, sugar, and dill.
Place one of the fillets skin side down in a deep dish just big enough to hold the fillets. Rub the fillet with half the spice and dill mixture. Rub the other fillet with the mixture and place it skin side up on top of the first.
Pour the aquavit on top, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place a heavy weight, such as two heavy plates or a saucepan, on top of the fish. Refrigerate for three to four days, turning the fish every 12 hours and basting it with the brine that accumulates in the dish.
To serve, dust off some of the spices and slice the fish into thin slices with a sharp thin knife. The flesh from the tail will be leaner than the flesh from the belly. Serve with mustard sauce and dark rye bread, for open-faced sandwiches - see pictures for picnicking proof!

Oven-Puffed Pancake with Berries

2012-06-20T18:05:00.001-07:00

I love brunch.

If that's all I wrote and walked away from my computer I think you'd get an idea how this goes down. I'd talk about breakfast potatoes/hash browns, coffee in kitschy cups and tucked away cafes. Maybe I'd mention a light Pacific Northwest sprinkle and lament on the art of a coffee bean. However, I think I'll ramble about berries and the beauty of a cast iron pan.

Very rarely do A and I make the same thing for brunch. Sure, we've had more pancakes before mountain adventures than I can even count, but the ingredients we're never the same. Fine, there has been an egg or two but rarely are they prepared in the same way nor are the veggie mix-ins repeated. So it goes without saying that this oven puffed pancake is a winner based on the fact that it's on a second run. Same ingredients, same preparation, maybe a bit warmer weather. Well, it is Juneuary so that last part may not be true.

As it comes together quickly and can incorporate whatever produce is in season, I highly recommend making this when entertaining guests or impressing your parents when visiting home. If they don't already own a cast iron pan (side note: Mom & Dad - suggestion for the one I got you for Christmas), buy them one now. They raised you, it's the least you can do. Peer pressure!

Saturday morning is only 3 days away so ready the kitchen for the greatest brunch you've ever tasted!

Oven-Puffed Pancake with Berries

Adapted from Two Tarts

Ingredients:

3 tbs goat butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries (or combination), fresh or frozen

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Place the goat butter in a 10-in cast iron skillet, and place it in the oven.
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk milk, and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and whisk until combined and smooth.
Wearing an oven mitt, remove the hot skillet from the oven (the butter should be bubbling), and pour in the batter all at once. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the top, and return the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is nicely browned and puffed around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove the pancake from the oven (don't forget that oven mitt!). Cut into wedges and serve with a bit of maple syrup or powdered sugar.