Marbled Raspberry Pound Cake

From Smitten Kitchen
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The cake makes 1 standard loaf. To make a bundt or tube cake, you’ll want to double the recipe (it will take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes, as shapes range a lot). For the doughnut or bundt cake, I double the glaze. For the raspberries, fork-mashing is easier, but if you’re bothered by seeds or want the smooth appearance you see in the top photo, you’ll want to blend the berries and sieve out the seeds. 

For the glaze, you could make it with a spoonful of raspberry puree (for this, you’ll definitely want a seedless puree), you could make it with lemon juice, or a mix of both. For a little more lemon flavor, you can squeeze that half lemon you use for zest and measure the juice (it should be 1 to 2 tablespoons), then use that much less sour cream in the white portion of the cake, adding them at the same time. 

• Butter or cooking spray to coat pan
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• Finely grated zest from half a lemon
• 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup (125 grams) sour cream, creme fraiche, or full-fat plain yogurt
• 1 gently heaped cup (140 grams or 5 ounces) fresh raspberries
• 3/4 cup (90 grams) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon raspberry puree (for a pink glaze, from a few tablespoons or 1 ounce fresh raspberries), or lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a standard loaf pan (either 8″x4″ or 9″x5″, or any size between, will work here) with nonstick baking spray or butter, making sure to get into the corners.

Place sugar and salt in a large bowl. Zest lemon into sugar and rub it together with your fingertips; this helps the lemon release the most flavor from it. Add butter and use an electric mixer to beat it with the sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Scrape down bowl. Sprinkle cake surface with baking powder and mix it until very well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl again. Add 1 cup (only) of the flour and beat just until it’s no longer visible.

Place raspberries in the bottom of a second medium-large bowl and mash with a fork until mostly broken down but still a little lumpy; you’ll have about 1/2 cup mashed. [If you really dislike raspberry seeds and/or want a smoother look, you can blend the berries until smooth and press them through a fine-mesh strainer — into this second bowl — to remove seeds.] 

Pour half of the cake batter on top of raspberries (if you have a scale, you can zero out the weight of the bowl and raspberries; half the batter weights 277 grams) but wait, don’t mix it yet.

Instead, go back to the first bowl of batter, the one without raspberries, and add sour cream. Beat to combine. Add 1/4 cup flour, and beat just until smooth. (By beating the “white” batter first, you can reuse you beaters without washing them for the pink batter without muddying the look.)

Beat the raspberries and second half of the cake batter together until smooth. Add final 1/4 cup flour, and beat just until smooth.

Dollop batters in alternating spoonfuls into bottom of prepared loaf pan. Roughly “checkerboard” the rest in, meaning that you’ll drop a pink batter dollop and then a white one and vice-versa until both batters are used up. Drop your pan onto the counter a couple times from a few inches high, to help tap out air bubbles. Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to make a few figure-8s through the batters, marbling them together — but just a little, say, 4 to 5 figure-8s. Any more and the swirls may not look distinct when you cut the cake.

Bake loaf cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Let cool for 15 minutes in pan, then run a knife around cake and gently remove. Let cake cool completely on rack (I hasten this along in the freezer) before glazing, if using a glaze.

To make your glaze, place powdered sugar in a medium bowl and add raspberry puree (for this, it’s best if you press the berries through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds, or it won’t have a smooth pink look) or lemon juice. Whisk to combine, but it will almost definitely be too thick. From here, add milk, a teaspoon at a time, until you can whisk the sugar into a thick but loose glaze. Spoon on top of cooled cake and nudge it to the edges with your spoon or an offset spatual so that it drips where you’d like it to. Cover with sprinkles, if using.

Cake keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. If there’s no milk in your glaze, you can store it at room temperature.

Cauliflower Soup

Silky Cauliflower Soup via Smitten Kitchen

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender and return it to the pot.

Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth.

Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Dill Bread

Dill Bread 
via Smitten Kitchen

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Makes one 9×5-inch loaf

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm (105 to 115°F) water

3 cups bread flour (I replaced 1/2 cup of this flour with whole wheat)

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dried dill or dill seeds

2 tablespoons sugar or honey

1 tablespoon wheat germ, toasted

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup large-curd cottage cheese

1 large egg

Optional, for top of bread:

1 egg, lightly beaten, or 1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt or a few dill seeds

Combine yeast and water in a small bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about five minutes.

Combine flour, onions, dill, sugar or honey, wheat germ and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the yeast along with the cottage cheese and egg. Mix by hand or on low speed until the dough comes together, addition additional flour or warm water if needed. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75 to 80 degrees) until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a 9×5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan. Punch Gently press the dough down, form into a loaf and place seam side down in the pan. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. If desired, brush the top of loaf with the egg or melted butter, and then sprinkle with the additional salt or dill seeds. (I highly recommend the butter/salt combination.)

Bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 to 40 minutes. (My bread read just about 200°F on a thermometer when I took it out.) Remove the loaf from the pan to a rack and let cool completely.

Grilled Zucchini Ribbons with Pesto and White Beans

• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, thinner longer ones are ideal here
• Olive oil
• Coarse or kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 3/4 cups (from 1 15-ounce can) small-to-medium-sized white beans, drained (I used – Goya’s Great Northern beans)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• A 2-ounce bundle of basil (this is the small clamshell size at most groceries)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• Coarsely grated parmesan, to taste

Prepare the zucchini: Trim ends and cut zucchini the long way into 1/4-inch strips. I use a mandoline for this (I have this one but will soon replace it with this) but a knife works too. Spread out strips on a large tray and brush lightly with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

On a grill (I use the full heat, but have a dinky, small grill; you might find a more moderate heat better here) or a grill pan, grill zucchini in a single layer until grill marks appear underneath, then flip over and repeat the same on the other side. Transfer zucchini back to platter and squeeze lemon juice over it.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine basil and garlic with a few good pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper until chopped. Drizzle in olive oil until it blends smoothly; you’ll want about 4, sometimes 5, tablespoons. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and blend until well-mixed; taste and add more vinegar, up to 1 more tablespoon, to taste. Season to taste.

Combine beans with about 2/3 of the dressing in a small bowl. In a larger bowl or serving platter, pour half of dressed beans in the bottom. Arrange grilled zucchini on top, twisting and turning it so that it looks extra ribbony. Spoon remaining beans in the spaces. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the platter, to taste.

Finish with a light blanket of parmesan and eat whenever you’re ready. As assembled, it keeps well at room temperature for an hour, giving you time to do everything else.

via Smitten Kitchen

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Alton Brown's perfect vanilla ice cream

2 cups half-and-half

1. 1 cup heavy cream*
2. 5 1/2 ounces sugar
3. 2 ounces peach preserves or jam (not jelly)
4. 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
5. 1 pinch kosher salt

1. Combine the half-and-half and heavy cream in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer and bring the mixture to 175 degrees F, stirring occasionally.** Remove from heat.
2. Add the sugar, preserves, vanilla bean and salt, and keep stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved, then cover and steep 20 minutes.
3. Fish out the vanilla pod and transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
4. Assemble your ice cream churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you're using an electric machine, turn it on, then pour in the ice cream mixture. (This will prevent seizing.)
5. Churn the ice cream until it reaches soft-serve consistency and almost doubles in volume.
6. Move to an airtight container and harden in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

1. * Heavy cream is often labeled "heavy whipping cream" or "whipping cream" and has a fat content of 36 to 40 percent.
2. ** Why the heat? Well, for one thing, we need to dissolve the sugar, but just as important, we need to shut down certain chemical structures in the dairy that could be an impediment to the smoothness we so desire.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I use this Smitten Kitchen recipe several times a year. Kids can't get enough.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Serves (at least) 10

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 package (8 ounces or 225 grams) Philadelphia brand cream cheese*, at room temperature
3 cups (595 grams) granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract plus 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons vanilla but I liked this mix better)
3 cups (375 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 10-inch tube pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternately, you can use a 12-cup bundt pan, and simply butter and flour it.

Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, at least five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla, almond, then the flour and salt all at once. Beat just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 1 1/4 hours.

Place the pan on a cake rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

* Philadelphia cream cheese is often recommended for baking for consistency purposes, as in, bakers know this brand works, and because it contains less water than other brands.

Variations: I think this cake would be fantastic with a cup of chopped white chocolate stirred into the batter (an idea I got from this lovely lady) and/or some orange zest. Or grapefruit zest. Or whole raspberries, if you can find good ones in season. Or have fun with it. A good pound cake is infinitely adaptable, and I would like to try them all.

Smaller cakes: A bundt-volume cake often can be used to make two 8 1/2-by-4 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch loaf cakes, however (caveat!) I have not tested this recipe in loaf pans. I just wanted to throw that out there for those of you feeling adventurous, or interested in a reduced volume of cake.

Strawberry Coulis

Where has this been my whole life? I have spent — nay wasted — too much time making cooked fruit compotes for dessert when some fruits, like berries, will always taste better raw. I suspect you could swap any berry for the strawberry in this coulis, but you might have to bump up the sugar accordingly. And then share with me.

2 cups quartered hulled strawberries (about 12 ounces or 340 grams)
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
3 tablespoons (35 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

Combine strawberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in blender. Purée until very smooth, then press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Coulis can be prepared one day ahead.

Sesame Noodles

The Shrimp Cocktail

Alton Brown's recipe

Ingredients

• 32 shell-on (21 to 25 count) tiger shrimp

For the brine:

• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups ice

For the cocktail sauce:

• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup prepared chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Few grinds fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning

Directions

Using a pair of scissors or a serrated knife, make an incision down the backside of the shrimp, following the intestinal track. Eviscerate shrimp and rinse under cool water leaving shells intact.

Place cleaned shrimp into a bowl with brine and refrigerate mixture for 20 to 25 minutes. While shrimp are brining, place tomatoes, chili sauce, horseradish, sugar, pepper, and salt in food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate cocktail sauce until ready to serve.

Place a baking sheet or broiler pan under oven broiler and preheat for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from brine and drain thoroughly. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and dry on paper towels. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning, if desired.

Place shrimp onto a sizzling sheet pan and return to broiler immediately. After 2 minutes, turn the shrimp with a pair of tongs. Return the shrimp to broiler for 1 minute. Transfer to a cold cookie sheet. Refrigerate immediately.

Once shrimp have chilled, arrange with cocktail sauce in a martini glass or as desired.

Easy Chai Tea

From Real Simple

Makes 4 cups| Hands-On Time: 05m | Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

• 8 cardamom seeds
• 8 cloves
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 bags black tea (such as Darjeeling)
• 8 teaspoons sugar or more, to taste

Directions

1. Place the cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a heavy skillet.
2. Place the crushed spices in a medium saucepan, along with the cinnamon sticks, ginger, milk, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the tea bags, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.
3. Strain into cups. To each cup, add 2 teaspoons sugar or more, to taste.

Horchata

Martha Stewart Living, May 2011

This cinnamon-vanilla rice drink is a frothy Mexican classic. Rice flour offers a nice shortcut, eliminating the customary need to soak grains of rice overnight and grind them. Condensed milk gives the blend sweetness. For a spiked version, stir in a little rum.

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup rice or almond flour (bobsredmill.com)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark or light rum (optional)
• Ice cubes
• Garnish: ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. Bring whole milk and cinnamon stick to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl. Whisk in condensed milk, flour, and vanilla. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, and stir in rum if using. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Garnish with ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks.

Cook's Note

Strained horchata can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Vegetarian Tacos With Goat Cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
kosher salt and black pepper
1 10-ounce package frozen corn (2 cups), thawed
1 5-ounce package baby spinach (about 6 loosely packed cups)
8 small flour tortillas, warmed
3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
3/4 cup store-bought refrigerated salsa




Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the tofu, chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the corn. Cook, tossing, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Add the spinach and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Toss until wilted.

Fill the tortillas with the tofu mixture, goat cheese, and salsa.
from Real Simple magazine