Lemon Cake

Coats, gloves, and the like are being pulled out of storage across the country, but not here in Sunny California. With weather still in the 80s, October has been beautiful. Yet, I find myself missing the more stark seasonal changes of the mid-west. Don’t get me wrong—Chicago I still far too cold (at least to not have more snow…the only thing that makes cold worthwhile in my mind), but I truly started to love watching the colors change and the crispness in the air. All that said—I’m ready for the fall…whatever that looks like here. So, as I say goodbye to what will probably be the last “warm” week of weather, here is a wonderful light cake from the Barefoot Contessa as my final tribute to the fleeting beauty of the sun.

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

If You are What You Eat....

...then right now I'm ginger. A rather appropriate description (minus the hair)-- I could probably do worse than being spicy, earthy, and well paired with something sweet. So you'll have to excuse me if you've noticed a repeating theme to my recent posts.

This is my variation of the Barefoot Contessa's Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart. I've traded the graham cracker crust for ginger snaps and added a few additional spices. Don't let the banana throw you--this is as good as pumpkin pie, if not better! This is also wonderful with a little whipped cream.

Pumpkin Mousse Tart

For the crust:

• 2 cups Ginger Snap crumbs (14 crackers)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 1 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the Ginger snap crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.

For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

When English still looked like this:

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes

To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;

And specially, from euery shires ende

Of Engelond to Caunterbury þey wende,

—(Chaucer, Canterbury Tales)

Gingivere, or "horn root," was already gracing our tables. This is not without warrant. A friend to stomachs everywhere, ginger is often considered the cure-all folk remedy for ailing digestive systems. Despite its medicinal uses usually dispensed through tea or oil, I find my favorite way to consume ginger has more to do with cinnamon, molsses, and cookies. Here these ingredients are combined in magical ways to produce my favorite fall treat.

This recipe makes a VERY large batch, so beware. I usually half the recipe for about 2 dozen monster-sized cookies.

3 1/2 C. Sugar (plus extra for rolling dough)
1 C. Shortening
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
3/4 tsp. Ground Ginger
3/4 tsp. Allspice
2 tsp. Salt
5 C. Flour
2 T. Baking Soda
***

1 C. Dark Molasses
1/2 C. Water

Cream together sugar and shortening. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients (Cinnamon, Cloves...Soda). Add molasses and blend well. Gradually add water to make a pie crust consistency. Roll into walnut size balls and roll in sugar. Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. Sprinkle with extra sugar if desired.

***add crystallized ginger pieces if desired

C is for Cookie...

And cookie is for me! At least, that's what my hero always said. He might have been a blue blob of unrecognizable origin, but I loved me some cookie monster growing up. Cookies are my weakness. I can say no to chocolate cake, brownies, candy bars, etc., but not to a homemade cookie. Although we didn't cook a lot in our house growing up, we did always make fresh cookies from scratch. After years of developing the perfect recipe, here is my offering.


Preheat oven to 315F

1 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Melted Butter
1/2 C. White Sugar

Cream together.

1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 t. Vanilla

Mix into butter mixture.

2 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Baking Powder

Sift and add half to butter mixture. Mix and add 2nd half. Mix again.

1 1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Stir in. Bake on Parchment lined cookie sheets for 10-18 min. depending on desired cookie size.

Enjoy and never eat a store bought cookie again!!!

Sweet Hospitality

Although I am not a particularly spontaneous person, I married the King of spontaneity. Being the social butterfly that he is, my husband is all the more enticed to make plans up on the fly when it means being able to spend more time with people. After 4 years I don't think I'm any more spontaneous than I was before...just better prepared. To help accommodate having last-minute guests and be calm enough to enjoy them I have learned to always keep little things around the house to help me. One helper that's never failed me is a recipe of these shortbread cookies. Served with a little coffee, tea, and some love, these flaky buttery cookies are irresistible and keep for a long time in the freezer once baked. The key is to start with really soft butter and to hand mix them. The ones out of the box don't even slightly resemble these delectable pieces of joy. Make sure you share them.

1lb. Butter
1C. Sugar
2 t. Vanilla
5C. Flour

Preheat the oven to 350.F. Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Then add 1/2 C. of flour at a time by hand with a wooden spoon until all is incorporated.


Roll out the dough into the desired shape you'd like (about 1/4" thick). Bake about 20min. They should be very pale golden brown around the edges, but just barely. Warning: if they get a med. shade of golden brown they will taste burnt.

Saturday Morning Treat

We don't tend to be big breakfast fiends at our house. However, Saturday morning is not just an exception, it's an event. For the first couple of years of marriage I would make waffles each and every Saturday morning that would come around. Yet with variety being the spice of life, I could no longer bring myself to perpetuate the monotony. Thus, "It's a surprise" was the only response I would give to my ever curious and ever a creature-of-habit husband. I have to say, I believe he was pleasantly surprised.

Easy Apple Turnovers

1 Box Puff Pastry (preferred brand:Trader Joe's)
3 Apples
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Dash of Cinnamon
2 T. Brown Sugar
1 Egg
Sugar for sprinkling

Let the puff pastry un-thaw and preheat the oven according to the directions on the box. In a small bowl, beat the egg and set aside. Peel and cut the apples into very thin slices (the thinner they are the less time it takes to cook). In a saucepan, place apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and a few tablespoons water over med-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the temp, covering the pot. Meanwhile, cut the pastry dough into squares (typically fourths) and brush with the beaten egg. When the apples have become tender, but not mushy (about 15 min), take them off the heat and place a dollop of them in the center of the pastry squares. Fold over, pinch edges, and brush the outside with the egg. Sprinkle with sugar if desired and bake until golden brown (15-20min). Enjoy!


(Excuse the half eaten pastry...it was just too good to wait)