Caprese "Bruschetta"

The Why:

With Dave the Garden Guy's stamp of approval, I decided to set out some tomato plants this year.  Arizona has pretty much a year-round growing season, so I thought I'd take advantage of that and grow one of my favorites -- and tomatoes, like most other produce, are always better fresh off the vine.

I set out most of my tomatoes in September.  I'd originally planned to put them in raised garden beds, but I decided instead to put them in containers so I could move them around.  I'm really glad I did that.

First, the vegetables in my raised beds just aren't producing like I'd hoped, and I think that's due primarily to the light situation in the back yard.  I really was hoping there would be enough sun coming through, but I just don't think that's the case.  Don't get me wrong -- I love the great big shady trees in our lush neighborhood, but those same gigantic trees are not conducive to growing sun-loving vegetables out back.  Next year, I may try to move them elsewhere, if I can find space, and try again.

The tomatoes, however, have been thriving.  I put those containers on the front patio, which gets much more sun than the back, and the tomato plants have been doing beautifully.  I haven't counted lately, but I know there are at least 50 to 60+ tomatoes in various stages on the vines.  I've only harvested 2 red ones and 2 yellow pears so far, but they're starting to ripen up now.  I have 3, maybe 4, that are thisclose to ready, and a whole lot more on the way.

We had a few nail-biter times.  Shortly after I set them out, we had a period of record heat.  It was near 110 everyday for a while -- in mid to late September!  But they, literally, weathered the heat.  Then, as if record heat wasn't enough, we had a spell of record cold at night.  It's uncommon for it to hit in the 30s here, especially so early in the season, but yep -- more records.  We were hauling all 10 tomato plants, plus my jalapeno and serrano pepper plants, and my herb boxes into the garage at night, then hauling them back out in the morning.  We did this several times.  It was a pain, but I was determined to not lose all of those tomato plants!  And it worked, because they're still doing very well.

I LOVE being able to just walk out and pick a tomato off -- and they even smell like tomatoes.  I made this comment on Facebook and a friend asked, "Well, what else would it smell like?"  The ones in the grosto don't really smell like anything at all -- and it's been a long time since I've smelled a tomato that actually does smell like a tomato. 

And that first one was delicious!

I sliced it and made a caprese "bruschetta" out of it.  It's not a traditional bruschetta in that the tomatoes are not chopped up and mixed with the other seasonings.  It's more of a caprese on grilled bread kind of thing.  But SO good whatever it's called!  This is fabulous as a snack or an appetizer -- even a light meal!

I recommend using the freshest tomatoes you can find -- I think that really makes this dish.  If you can find any at the farmers market still, I'd say go with those if you don't grow your own.  The fresh tomato makes this rock!

Now, on to the good stuff!

The How:

Note:  I don't have quantities included.  Just decide how many pieces you want to serve per person, and go from there.  One tomato will serve about 2 to 3 people, depending on its size and how many pieces you allot per person.

Fresh tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella cut into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
Fresh basil leaves
Sliced bread -- ciabatta or Italian or your favorite crusty bread
EVOO
Good balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices.  Drizzle each slice of bread with a little EVOO.  Put a slice of mozzarella on each piece of bread, then top with a fresh basil leaf or two, then top with a tomato slice.  Drizzle a little more EVOO and a little balsamic vinegar over each piece.  (I usually just drizzle these over separately, but if you prefer, you can mix the vinegar and oil together in a separate bowl and then drizzle over the tomatoes).  Sprinkle sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Place each piece on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the cheese melts and starts to bubble.

** As an alternative, if you don't like your tomatoes cooked or warm, make the pieces as above through the mozzarella step.  Bake the bread and cheese, then top with the fresh basil, tomato, and EVOO / vinegar.

Bountiful Basket - December 4, 2010

They didn't offer a Bountiful Basket last week because of Thanksgiving, so I obviously didn't post anything for it.  We were back this week, though. 

I couldn't decide what I thought about this week's items.  For some reason, the basket seemed a little "lean" to me.  I think part of that is because I'm much more a vegetable fan than a fruit fan, and we only received 5 different vegetable items.  (There are usually 6 types of vegetables and 6 of fruit).  I read on the BB Facebook page that some sites got pears as a sub for tomatoes, which seems kind of odd, but whatever. 

We seem to be getting an extraordinary amount of apples and pears -- every single week for about the last 2 months or more.  I'm throwing out more of them than we eat, which I hate.  But seriously -- I'm not into the literal "apple a day" thing.  I'd love to see a little more variety.  (And, personally, I don't consider it "variety" when we get Gala apples one week, Braeburn apples the next week, Fuji apples the week after, etc.  They're still apples!)

Plus, although I got 5 different types of vegetables, there wasn't as much quantity as usual, it seemed.  (Our site had extra celery and lettuce they were giving away, so I grabbed an extra celery -- the basket only came with one).

Perhaps the dearth of vegetables is a reflection of the season.  It's late fall, after all, so a lot of things are out of season.  Although, a lot of our produce comes from Mexico and Cali, so I'd think the options were still pretty good.

I wasn't too upset about the tomatoes, because I'm growing my own and those are way better than anything I could buy elsewhere.  I wish there'd been another sub, though, besides yet more pears.  If I canned, I'd put up preserves.  But I don't.  Hopefully I can think of something to do with some of this fruit before another batch goes bad.

Okay, you get the point.  Here's this week's "bounty:"

9 bananas

8 Fuji apples

6 Concorde pears

3 Asian pears

6 oz. package of blackberries

1 cantaloupe

1 pineapple

2 yellow squash

2 seedless hothouse cucumbers

1 bunch of celery (plus 1 extra from our site leftovers)

1 head of leaf lettuce

1 spaghetti squash

Oatmeal - Golden Raisin - Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Why:

I can't remember the last time I made cookies from scratch -- I'm sure I haven't done it in this century.  It's probably been more like since the early 90s.  But for whatever reason, I've been baking up a storm lately and cookies seemed to be a logical choice.  That, and B. has been asking for cookies for a while.

I'm very impressed with myself for finally buying all of the pantry items for most baking -- flour, granulated and light and dark brown sugars, baking soda and powder, etc.  It's been decades since I've kept this kind of stuff on hand, but it really does make it easier to start baking when I don't have to make a special trip to the grosto for ingredients.

So when I decided to make cookies, I started to do just the standard chocolate chip.  But then I got to thinking that I wanted something a little different.  I happened to have some old fashioned rolled oats in the pantry -- from a year or so ago when I decided to eat oatmeal for breakfast for a while.  I also had golden raisins I'd bought to put in couscous, which I hadn't gotten around to doing yet.  And chocolate chips -- I haven't bought chocolate chips in, again, decades, and now I'd bought two bags in two weeks.  So oatmeal raisin chocolate chip it was.

The recipe is really easy, but I have to get a new hand mixer.  I bought a cheap, $7 one at Target a couple of weeks ago because I have no idea where my old one is and I like to whip my mashed potatoes with a mixer.  And it was only 7 bucks.

You get what you pay for.  I've used it a few times, so it's probably been worth the price.  But it's not a good mixer (Chefmate is the brand).  The "low" speed isn't at all.  It's WAY too fast and batter goes everywhere, even though I'm trying to contort myself to keep it in the bowl.  Plus, it is not really holding up to thick cookie batter.  I'm thinking it's either going to explode into flames, or the beaters are just going to fly off and put an eye out, or it will just die.  Soon.  So a new hand mixer is on my list.

Aside from my mixer issue, the recipe is a cinch.  The cookies bake up nicely -- they shouldn't "brown," so keep an eye on your time.  They come out warm and chewy, just like an oatmeal cookie should be.

A couple of notes:

As I mentioned, keep an eye on your time.  Most recipes I looked at before I made this one had a cooking time of 10 to 12 minutes.  That didn't work for me -- the cookies were still raw-ish.  I found on the first batch that 14 minutes is the perfect time for me.  (I set the timer for 7 minutes and rotate the pan so they cook evenly, then go another 7 minutes to finish cooking them).  The first time you try the recipe, I'd recommend starting to check for doneness at about 10 minutes, then keep an eye on them every minute or so until they're done.  It's a pain, but after the first batch you can pretty much nail the time down.

With the raisins and chocolate chips, I'm very generous.  I used a cup of each, which makes very full cookies.  You can adjust those quantities to suit your personal tastes.  Also, I used golden raisins because that's what I had on hand.  I think the taste is a little milder than regular dark raisins, and I love the chewy "pop" of the raisins in oatmeal cookies.  If you hate raisins, you can certainly leave them out.  You can substitute walnuts, or really any dried chewy fruit (e.g. dried apricots).  This is a recipe that can be played with as far as the add-ins, so have fun with it.

Finally, I always use parchment paper to line a pan when I bake.  You don't have to use it if you don't have it, but I highly recommend it.  The goodies lift right off of it -- even easier than if you use non-stick spray.  And it makes clean-up a breeze.  It's not that expensive, so I'd recommend just buying some and having it in the pantry (it's with the aluminum foil in the grosto).  A warning!  Thanks to a goofy Xmas movie I was watching the other day -- do NOT substitute wax paper for parchment paper.  They are NOT the same thing!  If you don't believe me, just try it.  Or not.

Now, on to the good stuff!

The How:

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1.5 C. old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

¾ C. all-purpose flour

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. nutmeg

½ C. butter, room temperature

½ C. packed dark-brown sugar

¼ C. granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 C. golden raisins

1 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined. Gradually add oat mixture; beat just until combined.

Stir in the raisins and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until cookies are golden brown but still soft, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Potatoes Dauphinoise a la Vix

The Why:

Freaking Bobby Flay.

I'm not the biggest Bobby Flay fan, but recently I've started to warm up to him.  Although, I still want to reach through the TV and smack him in the head every time he says "chi - POAT - uh - lay."  There are only 3 syllables in chipotle.  There's no "uh" in there.  And he says it a lot.  Has no one ever tried to correct him, or does he just not care?  I know he's all about the Southwest cuisine -- he should at least have enough respect to learn to say it properly.

I'll try not to injure myself climbing down off my soapbox.

So . . . yesterday I was working on something on the computer and I had the TV on in the background.  Food Network, of course.  One of Bobby's shows came on -- I'd seen this one before and I think it's a few years old.  He visits his old culinary school, then cooks some basic dishes with 2 of the students.  One of the dishes they were making were potatoes dauphinoise.


I'd had these potatoes before (well, not the exact ones, but the restaurant's version), but I'd never made them myself.  Story of my life lately.

It was around lunchtime, I hadn't eaten at all yet, and those potatoes were just screaming for me.  I did a quick mental inventory to figure out if I even had the ingredients.  I did, sort of.  I didn't have any gruyere cheese, but I did have manchego and I thought that would be a great substitute in this dish.  Before I made my version, I looked up Bobby's online, as well as perusing a few other on google.

The most basic of this dish is just potatoes cooked in cream.  Some recipes don't contain cheese, or shallots, or herbs.  I just can't go that way.  I had some shallots, which are always great with potatoes, so I knew those were going in.  And fresh thyme and rosemary are rarely ever bad ideas in a savory casserole.  I pretty much always add a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg to any cream dish.  Oh, look, I pretty much have a recipe!

Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn't get this completely done before I had to leave for the gym (how's that for irony?), so I put it all together, baked it, turned the oven off and just left it.  It was still warm when I got home.  And delicious.  And I felt slightly less guilty after working out for two hours before eating it.  Very slightly.

A couple of notes:

I made this in a 9 x 13 pan, and I only used 4 or 5 medium potatoes, so the end product wasn't very "thick" in depth.  It came out fine, but I might try using a smaller dish next time so that the potatoes are higher and the end result is a thicker stack of potatoes.

Alternatively, you could up the ingredient amounts called for in my recipe -- double, maybe? -- and make a thicker version in the big pan.  This would work if you have several people to serve . . . otherwise you're going to have a lot of leftovers.

I started out baking this with a sheet of foil just laid over the pan.  Because it has to bake for at least an hour, I didn't want the top to burn.  I took the foil off about 30 minutes in, and let it go uncovered for about another 40 minutes.  I like my cheesy - creamy crust to get pretty dark on top (as you can see in the photo), so these times were great for my preference.  If you don't want your top that dark, you can leave the foil on a little longer.  It's easier to adjust the end time because there's really not much danger of overcooking this dish.

This dish, being French in origin, is traditionally made with gruyere (if cheese is used at all).  As I mentioned, I didn't have gruyere on hand.  I did have a hunk of manchego which, in the unaged version, is a great white Spanish sheep's milk cheese with a mildly nutty flavor that melts wonderfully.  I was pleased with the outcome!

Now on to the good stuff!

The How:

Potatoes Dauphinoise

2 T. butter

2 shallots

2 C. cream

1 to 1.5 C. milk

4 to 6 cloves roasted garlic, mashed

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

1.5 t. fresh thyme, chopped

1.5 t. fresh rosemary, chopped

5 medium potatoes, sliced thinly (mandolin is preferred)

1.5 C. grated cheese (gruyere or manchego work very well, but you can use your favorite white melting cheese)

Heat oven to 425 degrees and roast garlic cloves in a little EVOO for about 40 minutes.  Mash the garlic in a bowl, using a fork or wire whisk.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Sauté shallots in butter in a medium saucepan.  Add cream, 1 cup of milk, roasted garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Bring to a simmer, but don’t boil.  Simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes to heat through.  Remove from heat and stir in the fresh thyme and rosemary.

Peel the potatoes and slice thinly (about 1/8 inch) using a mandolin.  Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with non-stick spray.  Spread the sliced potatoes evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes.  The liquid should just cover the potatoes.  If there isn’t enough liquid, add a little more milk to the pan until the potatoes are just covered, but not swimming.

Cover evenly with grated cheese.  Lay a piece of foil over the pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil.  Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown.

Banana - Chocolate Chip Bread (with Walnuts)

The Why:

B. has been getting banana chocolate chip muffins at Paradise Bakery, and he wanted me to make some so he could stop paying $12 a piece.  (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but not by much!)  And I have fond memories of having banana nut bread during the holidays when I was a kid, so this seemed the time for me to experiment.

I don't have any muffin pans (okay, well I do -- somewhere -- but I'm pretty sure they're in one of those boxes in the garage that I've been avoiding dealing with).  Besides, my personal banana nut bread memories always involved the banana bread as a loaf.  And as I'm the one doing the baking, my preference on the form trumps Brian's request for "muffins."  He certainly wasn't complaining between bites after I sliced him off a hunk of his loaf.

I've never made it from scratch, before, and even I was impressed with how well this turned out.  Fresh out of the oven, with just a bit of a cooling off period -- wow!  It was the perfect comforting treat for a chilly afternoon.

This recipe makes two loaves.  I like walnuts in my banana bread, and B. can't stand them.  So we each get our own loaf.  I have a feeling mine will last a little longer.  But not by much!

Now, on to the good stuff!

The How:

Banana Nut Bread with Chocolate Chips (and optional Walnuts)

3 eggs

2 C. sugar

3 t. pure vanilla extract (I like Mexican vanilla)

½ C. avocado oil

½ C. melted butter

1 C. buttermilk

1.5 t. salt

1.5 t. baking soda

3 C. all purpose flour

2 C. mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)

1.5 to 2 C. (about one 12 oz. bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ C. walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

 

Spray two large (9 inch) loaf pans with non-stick spray.  Line each pan with parchment paper.  

 

Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, oil, melted butter, buttermilk, and bananas in a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric mixer until mixed well.  Add salt, baking soda, and flour, and mix until combined.  Don't overheat.  Add the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, and mix to distribute.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes lightly covered with foil.  Remove foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Because You Can Never Have Enough Cake (and Icing)

The Why:

The other day, I posted a recipe for a lemon loaf cake.  The actual cake didn't last long!  In fact, B. snagged the last piece on Saturday morning -- the piece I was saving to have with my Saturday morning coffee (I usually get a latte and some lemon pound cake at Starbucks).  As soon as he devoured that last piece, he was already asking for more.

The recipe I originally posted (see previous post, below) had the ingredients portioned for one medium loaf pan.  Because I was getting a little ambitious (and hungry for cake), I reconfigured the portions for a large loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75), and I tested the larger recipe last night.  It came out great -- perfect, in fact!  The cake actually looked like a lovely "loaf."  (You can see in the picture, below).  The medium loaf pan tends to have the cake come out flat all the way across -- which is fine, because it frosts and tastes great, anyway.  The large pan, for whatever reason, actually rises in a loaf shape.  But, that's just aesthetics and has no effect whatsoever on the taste.  One note:  for the large loaf, you'll need to increase the cooking time to about one hour.  As always, though, when making a cake, you can't beat the old "toothpick in the center" test for doneness.


Also,  because I had some fresh oranges from my Bountiful Basket the previous week, I decided to try an orange loaf version.  It came out fantastic, as well!  On that one, I used white chocolate buttercream icing, which may be my new standard.  The white chocolate made the icing come out much creamier in both taste and looks.  

I used orange buttercream icing on the lemon cake this time.  (B. isn't a huge fan of lemon, although he loves the lemon loaf cake -- the extra lemon in the icing was just a bit much for him).  The orange icing tasted great -- the orange taste is pretty subtle, though, so if you want it more prominent you'll probably need to use more orange extract than the recipe calls for.  As I said, though, I'm leaning toward using the white chocolate icing on both the flavors.  It's rich and creamy, and I think it's a great contrast with the citrus-y notes in the cakes.  But it's cook's choice, so go with your own preference.


I made the orange cake in the medium loaf pan.  If you want to use a large loaf pan, just increase all of the measurements by one-third.  (The volume of a medium loaf pan is 6 cups; the volume of a large loaf pan is 8 cups).  I'm posting the recipe for the lemon cake in the large loaf pan, so those measurements will also work for the orange cake.  You can adjust the flavorings a bit up or down, though, depending on how lemon-y or orange-y you want your final product.


I'm also posting the recipes for the orange and white chocolate buttercream icings.  You may want to adjust either the liquid or powdered sugar amounts to get your desired consistency.  I like my icing sort of "medium thick" -- not as thick as you usually get on a commercial cake, but thick enough so that it actually behaves like icing and not like a glaze.  If you want it thinner, add a bit more buttermilk or regular milk; thicker, add a little more confectioners sugar.


Also, my friend, Wendy, who is a fabulous cake-maker and decorator (and now is getting into it on a professional level) gave me her recipe for buttercream icing.  It's essentially the same as mine, but she uses shortening (like Crisco) instead of butter and water as the liquid instead of buttermilk.  I'm guessing the shortening has more staying power than butter, so feel free to use whichever fat you prefer.

Finally, because the lemon and orange cakes came out so well, I'm planning to try a pineapple version.  I'm curious to see how that would work, especially considering you can't actually zest a pineapple and I don't have any pineapple extract.  I'd think I could buy the extract in pineapple flavor -- I have just about all of the rest of the flavors, but I haven't actually looked for pineapple yet.  I'm thinking I can put some crushed pineapple in it, but I'll have to play around with some of the liquid measurements to get the texture right.  When I get a chance to experiment with pineapple, I'll post the recipe if it turns out good.  It may take a couple tries.


Oh, and one final final note (I just remembered this after uploading the photos) -- The top tends to start browning quickly about halfway through the cook time.  I start checking it after about 15 or 20 minutes, then about every 5 minutes to catch it before it browns too much.  I just lay a piece of foil over the top and let it finish.  If you don't want to deal with checking that often, you could just start with the foil on top (just tent it over the pan, don't wrap the foil around the pan).  Then take the foil off about 10 or 15 minutes before it's done to let the top "golden-up" a bit.


Now, on to the good stuff!

The How:

*Large lemon loaf on the left.  Medium orange loaf on the right.  Before icing.

Lemon Cake

(one large loaf pan - 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75)

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 2/3 t. baking powder

2/3 t. kosher salt

1 1/3 C. buttermilk

1 1/3C. granulated sugar

4 extra-large eggs

2 ½ t. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2/3 t. pure vanilla extract

2/3 t. lemon extract

2/3 C. vegetable oil

Soaking Liquid

½ C. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ C. granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray one large loaf pan (9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75) with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Using a little vegetable oil, oil and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, using a hand-held mixer, beat together the buttermilk, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and lemon extracts. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare the soaking liquid by cooking 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the loaf pan and place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.  While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. 

Allow to cool, then frost.  

Orange Loaf Cake

(one medium loaf pan - 8.5 x 4.25 x 2.5)

1 ½ C. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

½ t. kosher salt

1 C. buttermilk

1 C. granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

1T. grated orange zest (about 1.5 to 2 medium oranges)

½ t. pure vanilla extract

½ t. orange extract

½ C. vegetable oil

Soaking Liquid

1/3 C. freshly squeezed orange juice

1/3 C. granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray one 8.5 x 4.25 x 2.5 inch loaf pan (medium) with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Using a little vegetable oil, oil and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, using a hand-held mixer, beat together the buttermilk, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, orange zest, and vanilla and orange extracts. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare the soaking liquid by cooking 1/3 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.  While the cake is still warm, pour the orange-sugar soaking liquid over the cake and allow it to soak in.

Allow to cool, then frost.  

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 oz. white chocolate chips (or a white chocolate bar, broken into small pieces)

¼ T heavy cream

¼ C. butter, softened

3 C. confectioners sugar

Microwave the white chocolate and cream in medium bowl on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time. Stir until white chocolate is completely melted. Cool to room temperature.

Whip butter with an electric mixer.  Add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating continuously.  Add white chocolate and beat until fluffy.  To make it thicker, add a little more sugar.  To make it thinner, add a little milk or water.

Orange Buttercream Frosting

½ C. of butter

3 C. of confectioners sugar

1 T. orange juice

1 t. orange extract

1 t. orange zest (optional)

2 to 3 T. buttermilk

Whip butter with an electric mixer.  Add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating continuously.  Add orange juice, extract, and zest, if using.  Add the buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

 

Luscious Lemon Loaf Cake

The Why:

I've long been a fan of Starbucks' lemon pound cake.  Recently, I decided to try and cut back on the old SBux habit -- seriously, 5 bucks for a grande latte??!! -- by buying my own coffee beans to grind at home, and my own sugar-free flavored syrups.  That was no problem.  One trip to Cost Plus World Market netted me sugar-free syrups in my four top flavors -- white chocolate, English toffee, peppermint, and mocha (chocolate).

So, I had the coffee expense under control, but what to do about the pound cake that I like to treat myself to every so often?  As I do with almost everything these days, I hit the internet.

There's no shortage of recipes online for just about anything you can think of (including mine!), and some claim to be copycat versions of the real thing.  And I did find a recipe on several sites that said it was the "real" Starbucks lemon pound cake recipe.  I saved it, intending to use it, but because I'm me, I kept looking anyway.

I ran across another recipe for a soaked lemon cake by Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.  I'm a fan of her show and think she has some fantastic recipes.  And I was really intrigued by the "soaking" part of her recipe, so hers won out.

I'll tell you here that I can never seem to follow someone else's recipe without making a few changes, and as good as Ina's original recipe sounded, I had to put my own twist in there.  If you're interested in seeing her original recipe, you can find it here:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lemon-yogurt-cake-recipe/index.html.

As you'll see, her recipe calls for plain yogurt.  I only had Greek yogurt on hand and wasn't sure how that would work in this recipe.  But, because I planned to make cornbread for some real Southern cornbread dressing (coming soon), I did have buttermilk in the fridge.  So I substituted buttermilk for the yogurt, in the same amount (1 cup).  Buttermilk works fabulously in recipes, as it gives an added level of moistness, and no, you can't really taste the buttermilk.

Also, because I'm a huge fan of lemony taste, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract, along with the vanilla extract called for in the recipe.  That brought me to another level of lemony deliciousness!  (As an aside -- always use PURE extract, not imitation!  Imitation might be cheaper, but pure extract is worth a little extra $.  And really, most recipes call for only a bit, so one bottle will last quite a while).

Finally, we get to the frosting.  I'll tell you straight out that I wasn't completely happy with the frosting I used for this cake.  Ina's cake recipe has one for frosting, as well, and I'll probably try a version of that one next time.  For whatever reason, though, this time I tried the cake with a lemon buttercream frosting. 

Don't get me wrong -- the frosting was delish -- but I think it was just a little too much for this particular cake.  And the version I made was very, very lemony.  My husband, who is not a fan of that robust lemon flavor (yet loves the Starbucks cake), thought the lemon was super-prominent in the frosting.  He thought the cake part was great, though.

I'm including the frosting recipe that I actually used, and if you're a fan of very sweet buttercream and hyper-lemonness, you may enjoy it.  If you don't think this one is suitable for you, though, you can always try Ina's version at the link I gave you above.  If you try hers, comment and let me know how it turns out.

Oh, and a word about my photo!

I was a little worried about the cake coming cleanly out of the pan, but it let go perfectly.  (I definitely recommend using the parchment paper on the bottom).  My cake was beautiful and stunningly perfect as I turned it out of the pan onto the cooling rack.  I poured the soaking liquid over, and left it alone to cool for a while, then frosted it and left the kitchen again.  Unfortunately, the cake wasn't exactly alone.  When I went back into the kitchen, I noticed something was wrong with my perfect cake.  It looked like one side had either slithered off or crumpled down.  Then I figured it out. 

One of my 4-legged children, Gracie Lou, must have been overcome by the luscious lemony smell.  And I hadn't thought to push it back farther on the counter.  So Gracie helped herself to some, licking down the whole side of the cake (as far as she could reach, thankfully).  I couldn't even holler at her, because I was laughing so hard.  And really, it was my own fault.  I just sliced away the side she got to, and the rest in just fine.  But when you look at the photo below, it's not as perfect as it was originally -- but I promise, the taste more than makes up for it!

Now, on the the good stuff!

The How:

Lemon Loaf Cake 

(Makes one medium 8.5 by 4.25 by 2.5 inch loaf)

1 ½ C. all-purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

½ t. kosher salt

1 C. buttermilk

1 C. granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

2 t. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

½ t. pure vanilla extract

½ t. lemon extract

½ C. vegetable oil

Soaking Liquid

1/3 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 C. granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray one 8.5 x 4.25 x 2.5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Using a little vegetable oil, oil and flour the bottom and sides of the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, using a hand-held mixer, beat together the buttermilk, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and lemon extracts. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, prepare the soaking liquid by cooking 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.  While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. 

Allow to cool, then frost.  

Lemon Buttercream Frosting 

2 C. confectioners sugar

¼ C. butter, softened

1 T. fresh lemon juice

½ t. grated lemon zest

3 T. buttermilk

To make frosting: In large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Beat in buttermilk, and increase speed and continue to beat until light and fluffy.