A Cake to Make You Feel Good

(Daily Salt)

It's not often that lightening strikes twice but it happened last week.  I am sure that it will come as no surprise that I read a number of food blogs regularly.  I really love Daily Salt (Daily Salt) and I even get an email whenever a new one is posted.  I also enjoy Tasty Kitchen (Tasty Kitchen) which is a spin off from the Pioneer Woman Cooks.  I urge you to take a look at both.

But I digress.  Last week I was catching up on my blog reading and found that both Salt and Tasty Kitchen had a recipe for something called a Lazy Daisy Cake.  With a name that cute I just had to try it.

Apparently the Lazy Daisy Cake came from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook back in the 1940's and then was republished in Marion Cunningham's Lost Recipes.  The name comes from the fact that it's the easiest cake in the world to make.  It takes about 10 minutes to mix up and then it's into the oven.  The really great thing about the Lazy Daisy Cake is that it tastes as though it's much more complicated than it is.  I also like the fact that it can be served either as a dessert or as a coffee cake at brunch.

So I made the cake.  It was as easy as advertised and was absolutely delicious.  The topping, which is a mixture of butter, brown sugar, cream and coconut goes onto the cake after it's been baked.  The whole thing is then popped into the broiler for a minute or two just to lightly brown the topping.

The end result is so satisfying.  My mother was never much of a baker, but if she had been, this recipe would have been right up her alley.  It's comforting and not complicated and surprisingly cheerful.  Just the way a cake should be.

Recipe:  Lazy Daisy Cake

(Adapted from Marion Cunningham's Lost Recipes and Daily Salt)

Makes one 8-inch square cake

Note:  You can also add about a 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the topping is you like.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

NOTE:  Once the hot milk has been stirred into the batter, work quickly and pour into the prepared pan. Pop the cake into the oven straight away.  As soon as the baking powder is combined with the hot liquid, it begins to leaven and you will want this to happen in the oven.  (This is not the case with cool or cold liquids.)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Butter and flour an 8x8 square pan.  Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Beat the vanilla and eggs until slightly thickened.  Slowly add the sugar and beat well.  Add flour mixture to sugar mixture.  Blend until smooth.

Heat the milk and 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan.  When the butter has melted, stir the milk mixture into the batter and mix well.  Batter will be very liquid.

Work quickly and pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven.  Mix the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, cream and coconut together in a small saucepan until it is melted.  Stir until well blended.  Spread over the bot cake and brown lightly under the broiler for a minute or two.  Be careful not to burn.  It only takes a minute too long to ruin the cake!

Mother's Day Pasta

We were in New York over the weekend for Ted's uncle's 80th birthday celebration.  Kate was happy to accompany us because it meant that she could spend Saturday with her camp friend Olivia who lives there.  The girls spent a wonderful day together and I don't think there's a corner of Manhattan that they missed.

Part of their day was spent shopping for Mother's Day presents.  Olivia's mom gave them some gift ideas and the girls hit the town.  I must say that the ideas were inspired and Kate came back to the hotel thrilled with her acquisitions.

One of the goodies that Kate gave me for Mother's Day was a pound of fresh linguine pasta from Little Italy.  Can I just tell you something?  If pasta can be beautiful, this linguine is stunning.  It's just beautiful.  Who knew fresh pasta could look like this?

So, I've decided that I'm going to let the pasta shine and make something simple and truly delicious with it.  I'm going with one of my all time favorites: Linguine with Cacio e Pepe.  For those of you not in the know, that would be pasta with black pepper and cheese.  Simple and elegant and very easy too.

What a great gift.  Thoughtful and delicious.  A winning combination!

Recipe:  Linguine with Cacio e Pepe
(Mario Batali)

Ingredients:


Kosher salt
1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butteri
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

Directions:


Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add 3 tablespoons of kosher salt.

Meanwhile, set another large pot over medium heat, add the pepper, and toast, stirring until fragrant, about 20 seconds.  Add the oil and the butter and stir occasionally until the butter has melted.  Remove from the heat.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente.  Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the oil and butter mixture, then add the pasta and stir and toss over medium heat until the pasta is well coated.  Stir in the cheeses (add a splash or two more of the reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen the sauce) and serve immediately, with additional grated Parmigiano on the side.

Kale and Hearty

We have a new favorite snack food around our house.  No, it's not malted milk balls, although who doesn't love those?  No, Kate's new snack du jour is kale chips.  That's right.  She loves kale chips.

When I think of kale I don't immediately think of a snack food.  In fact, I think just the opposite.  So, imagine my surprise when I made a batch of kale chips as a snack for Kate and she gobbled them up in about two minutes flat.  They kind of remind me of potato chips with a nice crunch and salty taste.  Honestly, you would never know you weren't eating some sort of bizarre green potato if I didn't tell you.

I had heard about kale chips in the past but I had never even considered making them.  That is, until all around perfect person and lifestyle guru Gwyneth Paltrow put a recipe for kale chips in her new cookbook, My Father's Daughter.  They sounded vaguely intriguing so I decided to give them a try.  I'm glad I did.

Kale chips are very quick and easy to make.  I hate to sound like one of those "my children only eat organic" mothers, but they're really healthy, being made from kale and all.  And let's face it, nowhere in the universe is a potato chip healthy so these are a much better snack than your standard snack chip.  All in all,  kale chips are a winner.  Toss the kale with a little olive oil,  sprinkle with some sea salt, and throw them in the oven and you have a snack that is sure to please.

And kale is just the beginning.  You can do the same thing with spinach and chard too.  Play with the seasonings.  Try some cumin, chili powder, and garlic.  The world is your oyster.  Follow the same directions and try something new.  You're in charge!

I urge you to give kale/spinach/chard chips a try.   You can be that mother who makes homemade healthy snacks for your kids and then lords it over all the other mommies at the playground.  That is, if you're into the kind of thing.  If not, well, you can eat them all yourself and not feel guilty which is something we all like.

Recipe:  Kale Chips
(Adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow)

Ingredients:


1 bunch of kale, wash and center stem removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt

Directions:


Preheat the oven to 300F.

Tear the kale into 1-1/2 inch pieces and place in a large bowl.  Toss the kale with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Toss to combine.

Transfer the kale to a baking sheet.  Scatter the kale in a single layer and bake for about 20 minutes, until the kale is crisp.

Let cool.

More Dirty Little Secrets

(New York Times)

I've now been writing this blog for seven months and to be honest, I can't always remember what I've already written about.  Yes, I have an index but like many things in my life, it doesn't work quite as well as it should.

So, you'll have to excuse me if I've already written lovingly about anchovies.  I love them so much that they're worth the extra shout out anyway.  There, I've said it.  I am an anchovy lover and I am not ashamed to admit it.  For heaven sakes, it's not like I've just announced that my favorite food is ketchup.

So many people shrink away from menu items if they mention even an essence of anchovies.  They order caesar salad sans the anchovies.  All I can say is that you're missing out.  I, on the other hand, get very excited when a recipe includes anchovies.  They're salty and pungent and add the most delicious flavor to everything they touch.  I also love capers for the same reason.  Unfortunately they suffer from the same bad reputation as the much maligned anchovy.

This morning Melissa Clark had a recipe for baby lamb chops with anchovies and capers.  She was certainly singing my song and I made fast work of a trip to see Mark the Butcher.  Mark set me up with some beautiful chops.  I spent the rest of the day looking forward to dinner and I really love it when I'm looking forward to dinner.

So, can I just tell you that this is a winner of a recipe.  It's quick, which is always a bonus on a "school night" and it tastes as though it cooked for hours.  It's so good that I would serve it to guests, although I would have to do some quick talking to avoid the dreaded "A" word.

So, here it is.  My dirty little secret.  I love anchovies.  I feel lighter than air having unburdened myself of this secret.  Anchovy lovers unite!  Tell your friends!  Make this recipe!  You'll be glad you did.

Recipe:  Seared Lamb Chops with Anchovies, Capers and Sage
(Melissa Clark, New York Times, 5/4/11)

Ingredients:


6 baby lamb chops (1 1/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons drained capers
15 sage leaves
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:


Rinse the lamb chops and pat them dry.  Season them with salt and pepper and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Over medium-high heat, warm a skillet large enough to hold all the chops in one layer.  Add the oil and when it shimmers, add the anchovies and capers.  Cook, stirring, until the anchovies break down, about 3 minutes.

Arrange the lamb chops in the skillet and fry, without moving them, until brown, about 3 minutes.  Turn them over and toss the sage leaves and the red pepper flakes into the pan.  Cook until the lamb reaches the desired doneness, about 2 minutes for medium-rare.


Arrange the chops on serving plates.  Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, then spoon the sauce over the top.  Serve with the lemon wedges.

What You See Is What You've Got

Last week I was so busy focusing on the Royal Wedding that I didn't have a chance to tell you about my new pantry.  Given that this little addition to my kitchen will make my life so much easier, you would have thought that I could have skipped a day of "royal coverage".

What can I say, I was on a roll.  Now I'm back in the saddle, as it were, and I'm happy to report that the new pantry is fully operational.  The guys from California Closets came last week and installed six glorious shelves in my now gutted and newly plastered and painted coat closet.  While it's not what I would build if I were starting from scratch and had unlimited space, this pantry is a whole lot better than what I had before, which was pretty much a small cabinet.

All this new space has allowed me to indulge my inner organizer.  I've made all kinds of nice little labels to put on the shelves so everything will remain organized and in place.  I've transfered lots of things like nuts and cereal into plastic containers, and I've even culled out some of the stuff I thought Kate would eat and never did.

One of the funny things to come out of all my organizing is that I come to the conclusion that  I have a canned tomato hoarding problem.  I uncovered at least 10 cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes, a bunch of cans of diced tomatoes, and even a couple of cans of stewed tomatoes.  Stewed tomatoes?  Who eats stewed tomatoes anyway? Needless to say, moving forward canned tomatoes will be on the menu.

I'm not even going to get into the pasta situation.  Let's just say that we'll be having lots of pasta with all those tomatoes.

The very best thing about the new pantry is that now I can see exactly what we have.  Maybe it will help when I go to the market so that I don't come home with more tomatoes.  Of course, I also have really good shoe storage in my closet upstairs and knowing what I have doesn't seem top deter me from bringing home yet another pair of black shoes.

I can dream, can't I?

Otherwise Engaged

Last week I was going through some old emails and came across one from my friend Deborah.  She sent me a link to a recipe for "Engagement Chicken".  According to the article, this recipe practically guaranteed that if a girl made it for her boyfriend an engagement ring would be forthcoming in short order.

The same day on the Barefoot Contessa, Ina told the story of her roast chicken.  It seems that whenever any of the girls in her office made her roast chicken for her boyfriend, the next thing you knew they were engaged.  Hum...  I guess a lot of people the world over have roast chicken to thank for their engagements.  It also seems that a lot of people are taking credit for the recipes.

And last week Kelly, who is one of Kate's tennis coaches, became engaged.  I have no idea if she made her fiance David roast chicken in the days or weeks leading up to the engagement but it would certainly be funny if she had.

All this talk of roast chicken and engagements got me to thinking.  I am here to tell you that I never made Ted roast chicken either before we were engaged or for years after we were married.  In fact, it's only in the last couple of years that I have become an avid chicken roaster.  Nonetheless, I can certainly see the appeal of roast chicken to a guy.  It's homey.  And it tastes really good.  You know the old saying, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  Well, here's proof.

So, while Kelly probably doesn't need to bother with Engagement Chicken, some of my readers might like to put this recipe to the test.  Let me know how it goes!


Check out this link for Engagement Chicken.

It's A Wrap

Well, Will and Kate's big day has come and gone.  Kate looked stunning in her classic Grace Kellyesque Sarah Barton for Alexander McQueen wedding gown.  Will looked regal in his bespoke military uniform. London looked beautiful and the Queen looked sunny in yellow.  Let's face it, no one does pomp quite like the British.

So here we are, back to real life.  Kate gets the fairy tale and the rest of us get to read about it in magazines.  Bummer, don't you think?  Nonetheless, I thought I would give one last hurrah to British cooking with this recipe for cottage pie.

Apparently cottage pie, which is a lot like shepherd's pie, was one of William's favorite meals as a child.  In fact, I read somewhere that he still enjoys it and Kate makes it for him.  While I don't expect that cottage pie will be served at any state dinners, it is quite tasty and really hits the spot if you're in the mood for comfort food, British style.

The recipe is very easy.  The only trick is to make sure that you simmer the meat mixture long enough so that the gravy thickens and the meat isn't too wet.  The rest is, as they say,  easy-peasy.  I think the chief difference between cottage pie and shepherd's pie is the absence of peas in the meat mixture.  To be honest, this suits me just fine because I'm not a big pea fan.

Give this recipe a try.  There are probably millions of variations on cottage pie, but this one is fairly quick to make and requires only one ingredient you may not have around the house already, Kitchen Bouquet.  This can be found in the gravy section of the supermarket.

So long to wedding week and best wishes to Will and Kate.

Recipe:  Cottage Pie
(Darren McGrady)

Ingredients:


For the beef base
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

For the potato topping
2 pounds potatoes, peeled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large sauce pan over high heat, heat the oil and add the onion.  Saute until translucent.  Add the ground beef and saute, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink.  Gradually stir in the flour, thyme, water, Kitchen Bouquet, bouillon cubes, and Worcestershire Sauce.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer the meat 30-45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the meat and fork tender.  Remove the pan from the stove and transfer the beef to an oven safe casserole dish.

While the meat is simmering, place the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to 1 inch above the potatoes.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and replace the potatoes in the pot and heat over a low heat to dry them thoroughly.  Mash the potatoes or run them through a potato ricer.

Stir in the nutmeg, cream, egg yolk, butter, salt and pepper.  Then use the mashed potatoes to cover the top of the meat mixture in the casserole dish.  Sprinkle the top of the potatoes with  the cheese.  Bake for 20 -30 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and the pie has heated through.