The Food We Eat

Whole Wheat Pear Spice Cake

 

 

 

Have I told you that my kiddos are my biggest fans? Smart ones those guys - they know how to to get more treats :-) They squeal in delight when they walk by the computer and see me posting a recipe/picture. The squeal is especially high-pitched when it is something they really like. Well, this one got a almost-dropped-my-coffee, split my eardrum, gawd! decibel squeal.

I am a huge fan of fruit in baked goods. I like berry muffins, berry scones, apple cake, apple muffins, plum cake, peach coffecake, you get the point. I have made this cake with apples, and love it. But we had a glut of pears from the CSA and I decided to give it a go. And I really really like it. You could use a combination of apples and pears, but I'd go with one or the other. If you use pears, just be sure to use firm ones.

This is not a fancy wow-your-dinnerguests cake. This is a homey, comforting cake. Something that you make on a cold day to warm you up. The pears cook into a melt-in-your-mouth pudding like texture. I would happily  eat this cake as a sweet finish to a weekend brunch, an afternoon snack, or the last course of a light dinner. Just set me up with a slice of the cake and a cup of coffee, and I am good to go.

As goes hardware, I would highly recommend a bundt or tube pan. The cake is very moist, and will certainly benefit from heat in the middle. Other tips -- make sure you let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Yes, I know that seems like eternity, but trust me, you want to wait. Unless you are ok with picking on a hunks of a broken cake.

If you'd like, you could dress-up the cake with a simple glaze. I like mine unadorned. Ok - maybe a dusting of sugar if you must!

 

Whole Wheat (60%) Pear Spice Cake

3 firm, but ripe pears, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

Juice from 2 oranges (approx 4 fl oz)

1 tbsp fresh orange zest

1 1/2 cups sugar (increase by 1/2 cup if you like your cake sweeter)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (you can use all-purpose if you want)

1 cup canola or grapeseed oil

4 large eggs

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp allspice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan. Set aside.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients - flours, salt, baking powder, and spices -in medium bowl.

3. Beat sugar and oil together in bowl of stand mixer till well incorporated. Beat eggs lightly, and add one at a time, mixing well in between. Mix till fluffy and light in color. Add orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, and almond extract.

4. Set mixer to lowest setting and add dry ingredients. Mix just until batter is smooth.

5. Add 1/3rd of batter to the bundt pan. Add half the pears. Add another 1/3rd batter on top of the pears. Add remaining pears. Finish with last third of the batter.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. This will take approximately 1 1/2 hours. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Muffins

 

 

It's Back to School and that means stocking up the house with make-ahead lunchbox candidates that will win the kids vote every time. These muffins are one of many lunchbox frequent fliers in our house. And they never come back home - mommy likes that!

The oil, pumpkin puree and buttermilk makes these muffins really moist and the whole wheat flour adds in some extra nutrition and nuttyness. I also like that these muffins call for oil instead of butter. You can use any oil you want but I tend to use grapeseed oil or walnut oil. And in case you are wondering, these muffins freeze beautifully. Take them out of the freezer the night before and you are set. I hope you like these as much as we do!

Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 large eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1 cup white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/3 cup buttermilk (you can use milk or water instead too)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  
Beat sugar, oil, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer until mixture is creamy. Add pumpkin puree and buttermilk and mix another 30 seconds.

2. Add all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to mix well.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just till incorporated. Add nuts. Use a rubber spatula to mix nuts into the mixture.

4. Portion batter into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Yellow Cupcakes with faux buttercream frosting

 
Happy Valentine's Day to all of you out there. I say this to be polite. I have trid and tried, but I think I'm so over the whole Valentine's day thing. However, the little-uns remind me to get in the spirit. For me, that translates into making cutesy cupcakes and sugar cookies. This I like.

Here is a very simple, yet absolutely delicious cupcake and frosting recipe. This is my go-to recipe for a basic Vanilla cupcake. If you feel like it, add in some orange zest or lemon zest. I baked some up tonight for my son's school party. I am not expecting any leftovers after the party.

Oh! And here are the adorable valentine cards my 2nd grader made for his classmates and friends. I love this kid - no super heroes or sports cards for this one. Aren't they precious? Thank you to the nice parent who posted these homemade Valentine card ideas on the web.

Yellow Cupcakes

Makes 12 - 14 (can be doubled, and I usually do)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup milk (lowfat is fine)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix till light and creamy. Add the milk and the vanilla, and mix for another 30 seconds.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed till the mixture is smooth and shiny, approx. 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix by hand gently to incporporate well. You do not want to overmix, otherwise the texture will suffer.

5. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Do not overfill the cups, or the cupcakes will overflow and make a huge crown. Still tasty, but not so pretty especially if you want to frost them. I like to use a 2oz ice-cream scoop to make this job easy.

6. Bake until the cupcakes are pale golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approx. 18 - 24 minutes depending on your oven.

7. Cool the cupcakes in the muffin tin for a few minutes. Use a paring knife to lift the cupcakes out of the tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

8. Eat as is, frost using the recipe below, or use your favorite frosting recipe.

Faux (easy) Vanilla buttercream recipe

Makes enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes

I borrowed (and adapted) this recipe from the internet where it is published in many places as the Magnolia Bakery (NYC) buttercream recipe. I do not know if this is accurate. I have not been to Magnolia Bakery and don't know if this is indeed their recipe. But I sure do like it -- well, after a few tweaks. I think I now have it down the way I like it. It is super easy and foolproof. Also, it is a cross between a cookie icing and a buttercream - intensely sweet, but not too rich. Seems to be a huge hit everytime.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened (but still cold)

4 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar (plus 1 extra cup on hand)

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Add the butter and 4 cups confectioner's sugar to the bowl of a mixer. Add the milk and the vanilla.

2. Mix on low speed to incorporate. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth and creamy. The frosting should be light in texture. If it is too wet, add a little more sugar, beating well after each addition until the frosting is a good spreading consistency.

Note: If your kitchen is too warm, the icing will look like it is curdling and separating. If so, just chill for a bit and then beat it again. You can store this in the refrigerator for a few days, but bring to room temperature an hour before using.

Carroty Carrot Bread

 

Happy New Year to all of you! Let me start by apologizing for my ridiculously long blogging absence. What's my excuse you ask? Well...embarasingly enough, I don't have a good excuse. No earth-shattering revelations, discoveries, or lessons to report. All I can say is glad to be back and hope to be here more often. Is that my New Year resolution? No way -- that's one sure way to make it not happen. I also felt this pressure to make my first blog post something really special and mind-blowingly complicated. But why? So here is a simple, healthy, yet delicious recipe. Your kids will sure sing your praises at lunch time.

I have baked, sampled, and devoured many a carrot cake in my not-so-long lifetime. I also admit that I have yet not pledged my loyalty to any one recipe. They are all good. I mean, what's not to like. Yet, I have always been in search of that one carrot bread recipe. One that is healthy and actually uses a decent amount of carrots. I hate recipes for carrot bread that can barely manage to sneak in a measly cup of grated carrots. What's up with that? That is barely a micro serving of carrots per slice. No good.

But wait! Here is the good news. I have finally found the carrot bread recipe I have been searching for. It calls for a whopping 3 1/2 cups of grated carrots, and yes for a 9 inch X 5 inch loaf! If you are not a carrot lover, this loaf of bread is certainly not for you. It is the carrotiest ( sorry, I know made up words suck) carrot bread I have eaten.

Thank you, my baking goddess (Rose Levy Beranbaum). As she recommends, this bread is best the next day when all the moistness has settled in. Make a sandwich with some cream cheese, and I guarantee the kids lunchboxes will be licked clean!

 

Carrot Bread
(adapted from the Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum)

Makes one 9 inch x 5 inch loaf of real goodness

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour (I recommend King Arthur)

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 large eggs

1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)

1 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups finely grated carrots

1 cup raisins

Method:

1. Move the oven rack to lower middle level. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients - flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk well to incorporate evenly.

3. In a stand-mixer bowl, cream together the eggs, oil, and sugar, until well blended. Add the flour mixture gradually and stir on low until just incorporated. Add the carrots and mix on low speed to mix. Add the raisins and mix just to distribute evenly through the batter.

4. Grease and flour a 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pan. Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake till a toothpick  inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. If it looks like the bread is browning too quickly in the oven, you might want tent the bread loosely with foil during the last 15 - 20 minutes of baking.

5. Cool the bread on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife along the edges to release the bread. Turn teh bread out onto the wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

6. You can eat the bread right away, but patience will pay off here. Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight to help distribute the moisture evenly.

Serve as is, or with butter or cream cheese.

Pumpkin Roulade with Mascarpone filling

 

   

To the friends who shared thanksgiving dinner with us, thank you! Our life is sure richer with you all in it. Thank you for your long-standing friendship and for sharing your special day with us. And, as promised (even though I am tardy), here is the recipe for the Pumpkin Roulade. If I may say so myself, it was absolutely delicious. On Friday morning, A and R (and J too) were so excited to discover that there was some stashed away in the spare refrigerator (I know, it is my contribution to global warming, but I just can't part with it! I'd rather give up my car! Seriously!).

 

'Roulade' sounds fancy, but it is really a rolled cake with the icing on the inside. But, it is delicious! Good news is that it looks a lot more difficult than it is. The presentation is absolutely gorgeous and your guests will be impressed. But making it is really not that difficult at all. All you need is a good jelly roll pan, a clean dish towel, and lots of powdered sugar. It is delicious without being overly heavy and cloying as some desserts tend to be. One caution! It is quite addictive!

A crowd pleaser for kids and adults alike!

 

Pumpkin Roulade with Mascarpone filling

Adapted from Ina Garten

Serves 8 - 10 (or just myself)

For the Cake

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup confectioners sugar, plus more for dusting

For the filling

12 oz mascarpone cheese (please buy a good one)

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbso heavy cream

1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of kosher salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 13x8x1 inch jelly roll pan. Line the pan with parchment paper (not wax paper) and grease and flour the paper. Note: Do not skip the greasing steps. Don't say I didn't warn you.

2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.

3. Add the eggs and granulated sugar to a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes or until smooth, light yellow, and slightly thickened. Turn mixer to low, add the pumpkin and vanilla, mix just till combined. Now add the flour mixture in a few batches, and mix just until incorporated. Finish scraping the bowl and mixing the batter by hand using a rubber spatula.

4. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Spread evenly so the cake covers the whole pan in even thickness. While the cake is baking, lay out a clean, thin cotton (NOT terry) dish towel on the counter and sift the entire 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar evenly over it. This will prevent the hot cake from sticking to the dish towel. Bake  the cake 10 - 12 minutes until the top springs back when touched. You don't need color, so don't overbake.

5. As soon as the cake is out of the oven, loosen it around the edges using a sharp knife. Invert the cake (with parchment) onto the prepared dish towel. Peel the parchment paper. With a gentle touch, starting at the short end of the cake, roll the cake and the towel together (don't press). Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

6. Meanwhile make the filling. Beat together the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, confectioners sugar, salt, and ginger for 1-2 minutes, till mixture is light and fluffy.

7. To assemble the cake, carefully unroll the cake onto a board with the towel underneath. Spread the cake evenly with the mascarpone filling. Reroll the cake using the towel as a guide. Remove the towel and trim the ends to make a clean edge. 

8. Dust with confectioners sugar, slice, and serve. One tip: Use a serrated sharp bread knife to slice, and wash the knife in hot water between slices. This way, you won't drag the filling across the cake.If you want to make the cake ahead of time, wrap the filled cake well in saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 - 2 days. Dust with sugar just before serving.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

 

   

I hope you are not sick of pumpkins already. Please don't be. It is only November, and if you, like our family, are trying to embrace the local, sustainable, seasonal movement (and I'd love to know that you are), then pumpkins and winter squash are your friends. And really, they are quite versatile. You can do a lot more with them than making pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, etc. But then again, why not pumpkin bread? Yes, I know you can buy canned pumpkin puree all year long at any megamart, but why not bake some using some fresh pumpkin puree?

Well, actually, you don't even really need pumpkin. I should rename this post "Kubocha squash" bread. What is Kubocha squash? It is a winter squash, originally from Japan, and is also called Japanese pumpkin. Texturally, it is very similar to butternut squash, but it has gorgeous deep orange flesh. And unlike some pumpkins, the puree is extremely silky. And, did you know that many so called 'canned pumpkin purees' are actually not pumpkin, but winter squash? Yup! This is true. So go ahead and use pumpkin puree, or squash puree. You can't really tell the difference when you bake with it.

 

My kids are funny about nuts in baked goods. Sometimes they like 'em, sometimes they don't. So today, I decided to bake the loaves without nuts in the batter, but with almonds sprinkled on top.

So go ahead, double the recipe, and pass some warm-spiced pumpkin bread on to your neighbors. Even the chilliest ones will warm up :-)

 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Makes one 9 x 13 inch loaf

1 cup white whole wheat flour (you can use regular whole wheat too)

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp fresh ground/grated nutmeg

1/4 cup (2 oz, 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup buttermilk (or yogurt)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Whisk or sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.

3. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add oil gradually. Beat in the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl. Beat in the vanilla, pumpkin, and buttermilk.

4. Add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until evenly moistened. If using nuts, now is the time to add them in.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle nuts on top, if using. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approx. 1 hour (if your loaf seems to be browning too fast, loosely tent with foil).

6. Remove the bread from the oven. Place it on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife along the edges of the pan to help release the bread.Turn it out of the pan, and place on a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm (yum!) or at room temperature. Also, note that this bread freezes extremely well.

Peach Hand Pies

 

 

This post is about a month overdue. Sorry, just somehow fell through the cracks (not really sure how, given what a stunner this recipe is). Oh well, better late than never. 

 

It all started when I bought a whole box of luscious, organic, local peaches from Tonnemakers Farm via my CSA. These peaches were at their peak - ooh! I'm salivating at the mere thought of them. Anyway, we gobbled up about a dozen of them right away, but still had plenty left. It was then that I was inspired to bake something with them. I searched my cookbooks obsessively but wasn't too excited about anything in particular. I mean c'mon, peach coffeecake, peach pie, peach upside-down cake, etc. Sure all these would taste absolutely divine, but I''ve made these before, and wanted something new. It was then that I came across a recipe for Bourbon peach hand pies from Smitten Kitchen. I mean, this is genius. Kinda like a pie version of an empanada. Awesome!

Of course, I am a bit obsessed with whole grains and whole grain flours, so I had to tweak the recipe a bit. It is also funny how your tastes change over time. I actually prefer breads and most baked goods with at least part whole grain flour. Sure, they might not be as fluffy as their white flour counterparts, but I personally like the complexity of taste and texture that whole grains impart. If you'd like the original recipe, please click the link above and see Deb's.

Also, I didn't have any Bourbon on hand (WHAT?), so I used peach schnapps instead. One booze for another. Fair Swap? My older kiddo 'A', who's only 6 by the way, smelled the peach schnapps and asked me if I could add some in his steamer next time :-) What a kid, huh? Shhhh. Don't tell.

 

Peach Hand Pies

From Smitten Kitchen

For the pastry:

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut intopieces
1/2 cup sour cream
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup ice water

For the filling:
2 pounds of peaches
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon peach schnapps
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

One egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water (for egg wash)
Turbinado sugar, for decoration

 

Follow the link above to see the method. Lest you curse me for not warning you, this recipe is quite tedious and fussy. If you don't like baking, and rolling out pastry doesn't quite do it for you, then stop right here. Maybe you should attempt a quick bread instead. Why? I am sure you *can* do it, but the question is, will you enjoy it? I love to mess around in the kitchen, so this is fun for me.

Fair warning aside, do give it a try! These are truly delicious. Added bonus? Your family and friends will love you even more :-)

German Plum Cake

 

  

 

We were at Costco over the weekend and my kids were busy gorging themselves on the free samples a.k.a the 'Costco lunch buffet' when they came upon the table giving out samples of Italian prune plums. Of course, in the spirit of Costco, the product was a 5 lb tub of plums. Now, usually I'm very picky about buying only organic stone fruit, since stone fruits have a very high pesticide content, but the kids implored, and I gave in. What the heck! It's not like they asked for a ginormous tub of Twinkies. In any case, we ate a bunch and then I guess the novelty wore off, or our guts could not quite handle consuming several pounds of plums in addition to our usual fruit share from the CSA. But the fact of the matter is some of the fruit was threatening to go down the path of certain demise, so I decided we'd better bake something with it.

 

I surfed the web thoroughly to see what I could come up with. I saw a  whole bunch of entries for Dorie Greenspan's Plum Cake (which I am sure is absolutely divine), but I quite wasn't in the mood for that. And then, a-ha! German Plum cake it was to be! Now, I am no expert in the culinary history of this cake, but from what I gather there are two types of plum cakes - one made with a yeast dough, and one made with a buttery, baking powder dough. I tend to favor yeasty breads, so I decided that is the path I'd follow.

Verdict, you ask? Well, I think J, the boys, and I can certainly attest to the fact that it was absolutely delicious. But I'm not sure I'd call it a cake. It was more like a delectable, soft, chewy, sweet, yeast bread, with the most  succulent plums on top. But who cares? Bread, or cake, you decide. What I care about is that I can promise you that the smell is heavenly and the taste is simply sublime. We had a huge slice each, warm from the oven, with some powdered sugar on top. A cup of coffee on the side, and that is it! The simple pleasures in life....

If you don't have Italian plums, you could go ahead and use regular plums, but these little Italian plums are just fantastic and I'd say, quite essential for ensured success in this recipe! They hold their own when baked, and instead of getting all mushy and oozing juice all over the cake, these little guys bake up into intensely sweet-tart little jewels, with a texture that is oh so velvety and chewy.

Hungry? What are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen.....

Oh, and if you're like me and have a Bread Machine, go ahead and use it to make the dough. I *hate* baking breads in my bread machine (they taste steamed - yuck!), but it sure does a good job making doughs.

German Plum Cake

Adapted from an article on SFGate.com

Cake:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I used King Arthur flour)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup granulated sugar

6 tbsp butter, softened, cut into slices

1 tbsp canola oil

3/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast (I use SAF yeast)

Fruit:

2 1/2 lbs Italian Prune Plums

1/2 tsp cinnamon (plus more for dusting)

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Method:

1. If you use a bread machine, combine all the cake ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manual. Process using the 'dough' setting. Note: I was not satisfied with the proofing in the bread machine, so I turned the dough out into an oiled bowl and proofed in a warm place for an additional hour.

If you would like, you can make the dough in a stand mixer, or by hand. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise till doubled in size. Allow 1 -2 hours for proofing.

2. While dough is rising, wash plums, cut in half and remove the pits. Place the oven rack in the lower third position and preheat  oven to 375F (350F if using a convection oven. I do).

3. Punch the risen dough down and roll into a 10 x 15 rectangle (that is the size of my jelly roll pan). Lighlty grease the pan, and place te dough in. The dough is very elastic, and will resist conforming to the shape of the pan. Don't be afraid to stretch the dough with your hands to fit the pan. Yeast doughs are very resilient.

4. Place the plums, cut side up, and shingle them in rows. Sprinkle the cinnamon, if using, and the turbinado sugar evenly over the fruit.

5. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit has drawn juices. If your crust browns too fast, loosely cover with foil and let finish baking.

6. Cut into generous slices and serve warm or at room temperature. I bet this would be great at any temperature though :-)

Plum Almond Galette

Oh! Plums! These delicious garnet-colored jewels are here and they are absolutely delicious! This is what I look forward to all year -- the arrival of stone fruit season. I love them all, but plums, cherries, and nectarines are my personal all-stars.

We were invited to one of our friends' place for dinner and I volunteered to bring dessert. Interestingly enough, I really agonized about what to bring. Matters were further complicated by the fact that whatever I made had to come together quickly, as R had reading camp in the afternoon, and we were going to have an early dinner (the hosts were catching a 6:30am flight to the East coast). Well that put  a kink in many of my first choices. I then was able to narrow the range down to something where 'fruit' would be the star. I mean, why bother with chocolate desserts now when we have all this glorious fruit bounty in front of us? There will be many a dreary, gray, cold, winter day when chocolate desserts will have their turn (and suddenly the world is a better place :-)).

Anyway, after quite some time perusing my cookbooks, reading blogs, googling, etc, I decided on something - a Plum Galette! Are you surprised? Well, I was too. You would think that after all the time I spent thinking obsessing about what to make for dessert, I'd at least pick something more complicated. Well, sorry to have let you down. Please don't go away. I promise, it was simple, but oh so delicious!

Well, my dilemma did not end there. There are a gazillion recipes for galettes, so I was actually quite at a loss as to which recipe I should pick. They all have their pros and cons. Well, suffice it to say that I finally picked a hybrid recipe. The galette crust recipe was from Cooks Illustrated (have I told you I love these guys?) and the filling recipe was borrowed from Jacques Pepin via a post on the Daily Green.

Why the hybrid recipe? I loved the idea of adding cornmeal to the galette crust (and I was not dissappointed. It provided a really nice texture and earthiness to the crust). I liked the addition of ground almonds to the filling. It really helped absorb any liquid the plums put out upon baking, and did a great job alleviating the soggy crust problem. This isn't such a big deal if you plan on serving the galette immediately after baking, but I needed it to keep for a few hours.

I hope you enjoy it!

Plum Almond Galette

CRUST

2 tbsp sour cream

2 tbsp ice water

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup fine stoneground cornmeal

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tbsp cream (for brushing pastry)

FILLING

3 cups plums, ripe but firm, cut into 1/4 inch slices

5 tsp sugar, plus upto 2 tsp more if needed

2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into slivers

2 tbsp finely ground almonds

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp all purpose flour

For the Pastry:

1. Stir together the sour cream and water in a small cup and set aside in the refrigerator.

2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Scatter half of the butter pieces over the flour mixture, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas, about 4 one-second pulses. Scatter the remaining butter over the flour mixture, and pulse till most of the butter is incorporated, and a few pea-size pieces of butter remain. While processing, add the sour cream and water mixture, and process just until the dough comes together around the blade. Please do not overprocess, or you will sacrifice flakiness of the crust.

3. Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten into a 6-inch disk, wrap well, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 2 days ahead.

4. When ready to roll and bake the galette, adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400F.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap the dough between 2 large sheets of parchment papper and roll roll into a 13-inch round, still between the sheets of parchment. Slide the dough (still with parchement on each side) onto a large baking sheet and chill 20 minutes.

Assembling the galette:

1. Combine the almonds, 2 tbsp flour, and 2 tbsp sugar. Set aside.

2. Remove the rolled dough from the refrigerator. Carefully peel top sheet of parchment paper off. Sprinkle the almond mixture on the dough.

3. Pile the sliced plums in the center of the dough, leaving a 2 1/2 inch border of dough. Sprinkle 3 tsp sugar (you can use 5 tsp if your plums are underripe or sour) on top of the fruit. Dot with slivers of butter.

4. Pry the dough off the bottom layer of parchment a bit at a time and fold the edges of the dough over the fruit. Don't worry too much about making it pretty. If you gather the dough a bit at a time, you should have it pleat quite easily. Either way, fret not. It will look great once it bakes. If your dough is sticking to the parchment paper, use a thin spatula to loosen it from the paper.

5. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the dough with the cream and sprinke with remaining 2 tsp of sugar.

6. Bake at 400F until the crust is golden brown and crisp, and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow the galette to cool about 10 minutes. Using a large spatula, carefully transfer the galette directly onto the wire rack to cool an additional 10 minutes. Serve the galette warm or at room temperature. Good vanilla ice-cream served alongside would be divine and a sure way to please your guests.

 

Fourth of July Flag Cake

Hope you all had a great 4th! Let me begin by saying that I have been wanting to make this cake for a *long* time. But I resisted. Why? Because I always felt it was just too cutesy, cheesy, kitchy. Don't get me wrong - I love the US of A. But let me also say that I am not one of those people who celebrate July 4th very overtly -- no red/white/blue flag-themed clothing, earrings, brooches, rings, etc for me. Also no flag or patriotic yard decorations in my house. Just not my style. That said, I do pull together a red/white/blue somewhere in my outfit. Last night it was a white and blue stone necklace, with a coral pendant. Not bad, huh?

But I finally did it yesterday! I made a Flag cake for a July 4th BBQ! It was all that I hoped it would be -- a foolproof chocolate sheet cake recipe, whipped cream frosting, and fresh berries. And it looked spectacularly cheesy. I was proud of my creation.

The BBQ was delish! We ate the better part of a cow and salmon, yummy salad, corn, mushrooms, and then shlepped over to J's work building to watch the Lake Union fireworks. Couldn't have been better. We sat on a private viewing deck with a few other work folks and got to witness some of the best fireworks in Seattle, in my humble opinion.

Well, in case you're inspired to bake this case on the next 4th, or if you are simply feeling patriotic, here is the recipe for the cake.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

From Cooks Illustrated

This is a very intense, cocoa-ey, dense chocolate cake. If you are expecting a fully, light, box-mix kinda cake, this is not it. I love it as it packs in a great chocolate flavor, and it is not too sweet.

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13 X 9 inch baking pan.

2. Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Heat the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl covered with plastic wrap for 2 minutes at 50% power. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler method on the stove top. Either way, the chocolate should be completely melted, and the mixture smooth and shiny.

4. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk until smooth.

5. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture just until combined. Whisk in the dry ingredients until the batter is smooth and glossy.

6. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake until firm in the center when pressed with finger and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, approx. 40 minutes.

7. Cool on a wire rack until room temperature, approx. 1 hour.

Now this is where my common-sense deserted me. I actually turned the cake out onto the wire rack. But why? This is a sheet cake, correct? Isn't it meant to stay put in the pan? Well I took the cake out anyway, and some of the cake got stuck in the pan. Not to worry -- the frosting wil cover up the blemish.

Whipped Cream Frosting

From the Cake Bible

2 cups heavy whipping cream (organic please)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp sugar

This frosting keeps in the refrigerator for several hours without separating. The key is to thoroughly chill the mixing bowl and whisk. The freezer is ideal, but you can also chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Add cream, vanilla, and sugar to the chilled mixing bowl. Whisk until stiff peaks form.

Store the whipped cream in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Decorating the Cake

The picture describes it all. You could use raspberries instead of the strawberries. This is one instance where the mass produced strawberries would probably have worked better, since they are larger and more uniform in size. But I just could not buy those when we have fresh local organic strawberries available in plenty. In the taste department, it was a no-brainer. The local ones rule!