jimodo cooks

CURRIED CASHEWS

2011-06-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

adapted from M Cafe de Chaya

1 pound whole raw cashews
2 Tbsp maple syrup, preferably grade B
2 Tbsp curry powder
Pinch salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cashews on a baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes.
While the cashews are roasting, combine maple syrup, curry powder, salt, and pepper, in a medium bowl.
Toss the cashews with the spiced syrup, and spread again on the sheet. Return to the oven.
Toast the cashews for 15 more minutes, tossing every 5 minutes, until toasted and aromatic.
Remove from oven and cool well.

Cashews can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

POPPY SEED CAKE

2011-01-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

This is kind of an old-fashioned recipe. It's wonderful just served plain, with coffee or tea. It's great if you macerate some berries and serve over cake slices with whipped cream. Most recently, I cooked some blueberries with confectioners' sugar and a little lemon juice for about 20 minutes, and served it as above with the blueberries substituting for uncooked berries. Delicious!

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1½ c sugar
• 1 c butter
• ½ c poppy seed
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 c sifted cake flour

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter and breadcrumb a Bundt pan.

Beat egg whites until almost stiff, and then gradually beat in ½ c of the sugar, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in poppy seed.

Combine soda and sour cream. Add to the butter mixture alternately with flour (1/4 of flour 1/3 of sour cream; mix until just smooth after each addition. Gently fold in egg whites. (You might need to do this by hand).

Turn the batter into the Bundt pan, smoothing level. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for awhile, then turn the cake onto the rack to cool completely.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs742.ash1/163435_1576615815442_1236995646_31327324_4999518_n.jpg

The "Best Damn Lemon Cake"

2010-12-30T22:47:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell, Maida Heatter is a demigoddess to me. I've never found a single recipe of hers that I didn't love, at least. This is the one that I have been making longest, and which people talk about most, and the title says it all.

THE “BEST DAMN LEMON CAKE”
from Maida Heatter’s New Book of Great Desserts

½ c blanched almonds
1½ c sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp double-acting baking powder
¾ tsp salt
4 oz unsalted butter
1 c granulated sugar
2 eggs (graded large)
½ cup milk
1 oz (2 Tbsp) lemon extract
Finely grated rind of 2 extra-large or 3 medium lemons (juice will be used for glaze)

Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8½” x 4½” loaf pan. Dust it with fine, dry bread crumbs, invert over a piece of paper, and tap firmly to shake out excess. Set the pan aside.

• In a food processor, grind the almond very fine. Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave) melt the butter.
• Transfer butter to the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat a bit to mix.
• On low speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, beating only to mix well.
• Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until mixed after each addition.
• Stir in the lemon extract.
• Stir in the ground almonds.
• Remove from the mixer. Stir in the grated rind.

It will be a rather thin mixture. Turn it into the prepared pan.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, until a cake tester carefully inserted into the center of the cake -- all the way to the bottom -- comes out just barely clean and dry. (If the pan is long and narrow the cake will bake in less time than if it is short and wide.) During baking, the cake will form a large crack or two on the top; the crack, or cracks, will remain light in color – that’s OK.

Two or 3 minutes before the cake is done, prepare the glaze.

GLAZE

1/3 c fresh lemon juice
1/3 c +2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Stir the sugar and juice in a small, heavy saucepan over moderate heat only until the sugar is just dissolved; do not boil the mixture.

When the cake is removed from the oven, let it stand for 2 or 3 minutes. Then, with a brush, brush the hot glaze very gradually over the hot cake; the glaze should not be applied quickly -- it should take about 5 minutes to apply it all.

Let cake stand in the pan until tepid, not quite completely cool. Then, gently invert it onto a rack. (If the cake sticks in the pan, cover it loosely with foil or wax paper, turn it upside down onto your right hand, tap the bottom of the pan with your left hand, and the cake will slide out.) Turn the cake right side up. When it is completely cool, wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and let stand for 12 to 24 hours before serving. If you want to serve it sooner, place the wrapped cake in the freezer for about 2 hours or in the refrigerator for about 4 hours before serving.

NOTE: For this cake, do not use a nonstick, or a black. metal, or a glass pan; it should be aluminum, preferably heavy weight. And do not double the recipe and bake it in one larger pan, unless it's a longer loaf pan: it iss better to make two or more cakes in the specified loaf pan.

Ben’s Butter Scones

2010-02-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

5 c flour
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder
5 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
1 lb unsalted butter, softened
1 c currants or raisins
5 eggs
2 c heavy cream

1 additional egg, and sugar for sprinkling on top

On low speed in a large mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
Add butter, and mix until it forms a crumbly coarse pea-size crumbly mixture.
Stir in currants.
Whisk together the eggs and 1 cup of cream, and, in thirds, mix into the flour. If the dough is too dry, add more cream.
Spoon out, whatever size you wish, onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave room for the dough to double in size. Brush each with a whisked egg, and top with a sprinkling of sugar.
Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then move parchment to cooling rack until ready to serve.

Revised 2/14/2010

Red Velvet Cake

2010-01-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

RED VELVET CAKE

• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 oz red food coloring

• 1 c buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 ½ c flour, sifted
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

• 1 c cooking oil
• 2 c sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp white vinegar

1. Grease and flour two 9 inch round pans, then line them with waxed paper.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside.
4. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.
5. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, beat together the oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
7. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
8. Stir in the cocoa mixture.
9. Starting with the flour, alternately stir in the flour and buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.
10. Stir in the vinegar.
11. Pour batter into prepared pans.
12. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on a rack for 15 minutes or so, then turn out and allow to cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING

• 1 c milk
• 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 c butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the milk and flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, then stir in the cooled milk and flour mixture, beating until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

revised 2/14/2010

Three cranberry recipes

2009-11-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

CRANBERRY ORANGE RELISH

12 oz (1 bag) cranberries
½ c sugar
1 navel orange (or some other variety, with seeds removed)

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Process until everything is finely chopped. Taste for sweetness and add sugar as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
-----------------------

MAMA STAMBERG'S CRANBERRY RELISH
(a variation thereon)

In a food processor, process until very smooth:
1 ½ c low-fat cottage cheese*

Set aside, and wash out and wipe the processor bowl dry. Then, in the food processor, chop until coarse:

12 oz (1 bag) cranberries
1 small onion

Add:

1 c sugar
Stir I the cottage cheese, and then stir in:
4 Tbsp horseradish

Freeze until a couple of hours before you're ready to serve it -- Best to freeze at least overnight.

*The original recipe calls for sour cream here, in which case there's no need to use the food processor on this step.
----------------------------------

FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE

This recipe is straight off the Ocean Spray bag, but I’m not messing with perfection!

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
12 oz (1 bag) cranberries

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until berries split and pop. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time.

Pavlova

2009-08-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is, according to more than one source, the 'national dessert' of both Australia and New Zealand. No matter: it's dramatic, relatively easy, and delicious. I always go for the freshest fruit I can find, so it's usually a summer dessert, but I've seen recipes that called for cooked fruit, too.

PAVLOVA SHELL

• 8 egg whites, at room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups superfine sugar
• 4 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°. Draw an 8” circle on a sheet of parchment paper and line a baking sheet with it.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until peaks form, about 3 minutes.

On medium speed, whisk in the sugar a little at a time. Turn the mixer to high to fully incorporate.

Add the cornstarch, and whisk until blended. Add the vinegar, then the vanilla. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat at high speed for several minutes until the mixture is very stiff.

Pile* the meringue onto the parchment, using a spatula to spread it around the circle, and piling the sides slightly higher than the middle. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 300°.

Bake the meringue for 1 ½ hours, then turn the oven off and prop open the door. Let the meringue cool completely. It can be stored uncovered for several hours.

*If the meringue can’t hold its shape, scrape it back into the bowl and beat for another couple of minutes. It should stand still when you pile it on the paper.

FOR A SMALLER MERINGUE (serving 6-8): halve all the ingredients, and the baking time. Leave the temperature at 350°, rather than turning it down. Follow all other instructions.

(From the Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2007)

FOR THE PAVLOVA
• 2-3 c heavy cream
• fresh berries and/or other fruit, cut up – as much as you like.
When ready to serve, whip cream until stiff, adding a little Grand Marnier if desired. Fill the shell with the cream, then top with fruit.

FOR A SMALLER PAVLOVA, use 1-2 c heavy cream.

Ratatouille

2008-10-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

This recipe is by Jacqueline Vandenabeele, St. Aygulf, France via Anne Vandenabeele

6 Servings; for 8 servings, add one more of each ingredient.

Use a large stock pot with a thick bottom and a lid

2 large white onions cut into strips

2 red bell peppers, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper (or another red pepper, no green!!!), cut into strips

2 eggplants cut into ½ inch cubes

2 zucchinis, in cubes

6 large or 8 medium tomatoes, peeled, in cubes

3 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

thyme

salt and pepper to taste

On low heat, sauté the onions and peppers in olive oil. Onions become clear, not browned. Then add eggplant, sauté a few minutes; add zucchini, sauté a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover the pot, and turn down to simmer. Simmer covered at least a half hour, maybe longer (hour +). When cooked, uncover, simmer to reduce liquid (another half hour to hour, depending on vegetables).

Nice with rice, mashed potatoes, pasta. Excellent when reheated.

Holland Rusk Torte

2008-04-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

My post-college roommate, Chris Uszler, is actually the person who got me into baking from scratch. This is a recipe that he made when we lived together, and recently I was in India Sweets and Spices in Atwater Village, and noticed that they had rusks and rusk cakes on the shelves. I thought I had Chris's recipe buried in among my stuff, but couldn't find it, so I went looking at cooks.com. I found a recipe, but it was so confusing that I had to rework it. This is delicious and easy to take someplace, since you serve it out of the pan it's baked in.

The cake:

6 eggs, separated
1 c sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 c Holland Rusk, crushed
1 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350º.

Beat together the egg yolks and sugar, then add salt, vanilla and rusk crumbs. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the yolk mixture. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Pour into a into an ungreased 9” x 13” pan. Bake about 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

The frostings:

1 c whipping cream
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 egg whites
1 c confectioners’ sugar

When cake is cooled, whip the cream until stiff, and spread evenly on top of the cake. Let cool in refrigerator for a half hour or so, to stabilize the whipped cream.

Melt the chocolate (in a microwave is fine), and let cool. Beat 3 egg whites until peaks form, then add the sugar and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Stir in the chocolate. Gently spread over the cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mexican Posole

2008-02-18T23:58:00.000-08:00

Before Ben introduced me to this stew, I had only had New Mexican Posole, which is made with green chili. This is very different, but just as delicious. It's his mother's recipe.

3 lb pork leg meat
3 lb pork spine, with meat attached
20 dried chiles guajillos (California chiles)
4 cloves garlic
1 can (6 lb 9 oz) hominy
4 cubes chicken consommé/bouillon

For garnish:

Radishes, sliced

Cilantro, chopped

Onion, chopped

Cabbage or lettuce, shredded

Mexican oregano

Rinse the pork in warm water until the water runs clear. Cut into 1-1 ½” chunks. Place meat and bones in a large (8 quart) pot, and cover with water to within 4 inches of the top. Salt generously. Bring to a boil, and cook for 30 minutes, skimming any foam that accumulates.

While the meat is cooking, remove the stems, veins, and seeds from the chiles. Place them in a saucepan filled with water, and boil until the chiles are soft and puffy, about 10 minutes. In a blender, process the chiles and their liquid, garlic and a little of the pork broth, until smooth. Strain the liquid, and set it aside.

Drain the hominy and add it to the pork. Blend chicken consommé with a little of the broth until smooth, then stir in. Cook for 20 minutes, add the chile sauce, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, at a slow boil. Salt to taste.

Serve with tortilla chips and garnishes.

Macaroni & Cheese & Crumbs

2008-02-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

The white sauce (preparation time 40 minutes):

3 cups milk

½ small onion, chopped

1 bay leaf

4 parsley sprigs

10 peppercorns

2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 pinches dried)

pinch of nutmeg

2 tablespoons soft butter

2 tablespoons flour

salt and pepper

Slowly bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan with the onion and seasonings. Strain; discard solids and return milk to pan. Mix the butter and flour together and whisk into the hot milk. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The crumbs:

2 ½ c fresh bread crumbs

¼ c (2 oz) melted butter

Toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter.

The cheeses:

6 ounces (about 2 c) Gruyere, Fontina, or Swiss cheese, grated

2 ounces (about 2/3 c) smoked cheese such as Monterey Jack, Swiss, Gouda, or mozzarella, grated

8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated

freshly ground pepper

salt

The pasta:

1 pound pasta (penne or ziti are best)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta, leaving it slightly undercooked. Drain and rinse in cold water, and return to the pot, away from the heat.

Butter a 9” x 13” baking dish. Preheat oven to 375º.

Add the white sauce and the cheeses to the drained pasta, and stir gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Turn the pasta out into the baking dish. Cover with the buttered bread crumbs. Bake until the crumbs have browned and the cheese is hot, about 30 minutes.

If you are making this ahead of time, don't add the bread crumbs until you're ready to bake it.

--from Deborah Madison's The Savory Way

A very moist chocolate cake, for Anne

2007-08-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure this recipe is from the 1950's. It's very moist and very rich. It's official name is

Chocolate Crazy cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease, flour, line with waxed paper; then re-grease and flour either one 9”x13” baking pan or two 8” cake pans.

In a food processor, process until complete smooth:

1/3 c cocoa

Add, and process until thoroughly blended:

3 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Mix together, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir in:

¾ c salad oil
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Add:

2 c water

Process until smooth and well blended. Pour into cake pan(s), and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle of the layer comes out clean.

Remove from oven, and let stand 15 minutes on a rack. Remove from pan, remove waxed paper, and let stand right-side up on a rack until completely cool.

Hot Artichoke Dip

2007-02-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of those recipes that people stand over and just nosh. You can't make too much, but doubling it is about all I'd recommend, unless you've got a really big shallow casserole.

½ c mayonnaise
½ c sour cream
1 c parmesan cheese, grated
1 can artichoke hearts (13.75 oz), drained & coarsely chopped
4 oz roasted diced chilis, drained

Preheat oven to 350 º.

Stir all ingredients together in shallow casserole. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Serve hot, with corn chips or crackers.

Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish

2006-11-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

2 c raw cranberries
1 small onion
½ c sugar
¾ c sour cream
2 Tbsp horseradish

You can use your food processor for this.

Grind the cranberries and onion together. Add remaining ingredients and stir in. Put in a plastic container and freeze. Thanksgiving morning (or even the night before), move the container from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment to thaw (it should still have some little icy slivers left). The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. Makes 1½ pints.

My note: If you find you like this, but are counting calories, I’ve used lowfat cottage cheese in place of the sour cream. It’s not as rich, but the flavor is fine.

Confetti Salad

2006-06-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

6 cups cooked rice
15 oz can black beans
1 medium red pepper, diced fine
1 medium green pepper, diced fine
4 green onions, chopped fine
¼ c fresh cilantro, minced
¼ c fresh lime juice
2-3 oz sesame oil

1 ripe papaya, peeled and diced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Cook the rice, and let it cool. Break it up, and then add the beans, peppers, onions, cilantro, sesame oil and lime juice

Cover and refrigerate for several hours or until cool. Just before serving, stir in the papaya, and garnish with sliced avocado.

Gazpacho Sevillana

2006-05-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

The gazpacho in Seville is not the chunky kind we're used to here in the US. Not that there's anything wrong with the chunky: it's one of the most refreshing soups around. But in Seville, it was different: smooth and luxurious.

3 lbs very ripe tomatoes
¼ c sherry vinegar
½ lb fresh French bread crumbs (about 3 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1½ tsp [kosher] salt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1/3 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

Chop the tomatoes coarsely. Using a food mill, puree them. This will take some time. Discard seeds and skins that are left in the mill.

Stir in the sherry vinegar.

Process garlic and salt in a food processor. Add bread and about half of the tomato/vinegar mixture. Process briefly, just enough to puree.

Add cucumber and pepper. Process until very smooth. Pour into another bowl.

Put the rest of the tomato/vinegar mixture into the food processor, and process until smooth. Then, while the food processor is running, pour in the olive oil. Process until very smooth. Add to the other bowl, and stir together well.

Taste for seasoning. Add [white] pepper and/or more salt if desired. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with water, adding about ¼ cup at a time.

Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

This is delicious and elegant as is, but you can also pass garnishes to add at the eater's discretion:

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼” dice
1 or 2 green onions, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, cut into ¼” dice
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup pimento-stuff green olives, chopped
2 eggs, hard-boiled (Separate yolks from whites. Press yolks through a sieve into a small bowl. Chop whites into ¼” dice into a separate bowl.)
1 avocado, peeled, cut into ¼” dice
½ cup croutons: (Cut French bread into ¼” dice. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the bread cubes and lightly brown.)

Mexican Rice

2006-05-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

2 green (anaheim) chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. oil
1 clove garlic (or more), minced
1 cup rice (I use Trader Joe’s Jasmine, and I rinse it a couple of times, then drain it in a strainer.)
1 tomato, peeled and chopped

2 cups chicken broth
½ tsp ground cumin, or to taste
salt to taste

Sauté the onion in the oil until tender, but not browned. Add garlic and rice, and cook, stirring often, until rice is pale golden. Add tomato, chiles, stock, cumin, and salt. Bring to boil, cover and simmer over very low heat until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Pecan Pie

2006-05-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Michelle Woods (who, I'm sure, has no memory of me) and Karen Leong Clancy (who does).

Preheat oven to 450°.

½ recipe for 2-crust pie, in a deep-dish pie plate.

Prepare pastry, allowing for a generous rim; prick bottom well, and bake for 5 minutes. Remove shell from oven, and reduce heat to 425°.

3 eggs
½ tsp salt
½ c dark brown sugar, well packed
½ c unsalted butter, melted
1 c dark corn syrup
1½ c pecan halves

Beat eggs and salt together until lemon colored. Continuing to beat, add sugar slowly; drizzle in the melted butter, and then add the corn syrup. Stir in pecans.

Pour into cooled pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°, then reduce heat to 325°; continue to bake for another 30 minutes.

Cool on rack.

Barbecue Beans a la Sheila

2006-04-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

These are criminally delicious. However, they must be consumed when one is outdoors, or before going outdoors for a long period of time. I'm trying to be delicate here.

½ lb ground beef
½ lb bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

In a skillet, crumble and brown the beef. Drain off all the fat and set aside. Using the same skillet, fry the bacon. When done, remove the bacon and drain off most of the fat. Saute the onion in the remaining bacon fat until translucent.

Combine in a large baking dish:

¼ c ketchup
¼ c hot barbecue sauce
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp prepared mustard (the house brand is Gulden's spicy brown)
2 tbsp molasses
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground pepper
2 16 oz cans pinto beans, drained
2 16 oz cans pork and beans

Stir in ground beef, bacon and onion. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Southern Nut Cake

2006-04-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I decided to make fruitcake. I bought all this brightly-colored stuff in plastic tubs from the market and lots of nuts from Trader Joe's. When I started to prep, I thought I'd taste the lemon peel, and discovered that it tasted like nothing I'd ever again want in my mouth: "cardboard-y" is the nicest thing I can say about it. I tasted the others, and tossed the whole lot in the trash. But I still had a ton o' nuts on my hands, so I went looking for a nut cake. Lo, Maida Haetter came through! She says, "This cake is almost solid nuts, with just enough batter to hold them together." It has been, with Maida's Best Damn Lemon Cake, the foundation of every Christmas Party I've ever given.

½ lb walnuts
½ lb pecans
1¾ c sifted flour
1 tsp double-acting baking powder

¼ tsp mace
1/8 tsp salt
6 oz milk (skim is okay)
1 oz bourbon
¾ c butter
1 c sugar
3 eggs

For after baking:

2 Tbsp bourbon

Adjust oven rack a third of the way up from the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 325°.

Butter a 9 (or 9½) inch springform pan with tube insert. Dust all over with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Cut the nuts into large pieces. Toss them together in a large (4-6 quart) mixing bowl.

Sift together flour, baking powder, mace and salt and set aside.

Combine milk and the ounce of bourbon and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes, scraping the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula. On moderate speed, add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly incorporated after each and scraping the bowl as necessary. Increase the mixer speed and beat for about 3 minutes until very light and fluffy. (NOTE: the batter might look curdled at this point, but that’s OK.)

On lowest speed, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions, and the milk in two, scraping the bowl as necessary, and beating only until smooth after each addition. Pour the batter over the nuts. With a large wooden spatula or spoon, stir until the nuts are all coated with the batter. Turn into prepared pan. Spread the top level.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out dry. Remove from the oven and place pan on a rack. Brush the remaining bourbon over the hot cake. Let cool in pan for about 20 minutes.

Loosen the springform buckle, cover pan with a rack, and invert to remove cake. Cover with another rack and invert again to cool.

Let cake stand at least overnight before cutting with a very sharp (not serrated) knife into thin slices.

This cake keeps beautifully for weeks if kept wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated.

Adapted from Maida Haetter’s Book of Great Desserts (Knopf, 1981)

The World’s Best Fudge Sauce

2006-04-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

(or so says Maida Heatter, who is trustworthy on such topics)

½ c heavy cream
3 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c dark brown sugar, firmly packed
Pinch salt
½ c Dutch-process cocoa powder (Trader Joe’s has van Houten, which is perfect)

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Using a fine sieve and a teaspoon, sift the cocoa so that it is smooth.

Place the cream and butter in a heavy 1-qt saucepan over moderate heat. Stir until the butter is melted and the cream comes to a low boil. Add both sugars and stir for a few minutes until they are completely dissolved: taste to make sure there are no undissolved sugar crystals. Do not let this burn.

Reduce the heat. Add the salt and cocoa and stir briskly with a small whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat.

You can serve this immediately, or let cool, refrigerate and reheat (for which the microwave works fine).

Suggested for gift-giving: pour into 2-3 oz jars (straight-sided so that it’s easy to scrape out the last drop, which you’ll want to do), screw on the tops, and then tie a tasteful ribbon around the top of the jar. Cost Plus has 100-ml jars that cost about 98 cents. I think you can get something even cheaper at Ikea. 2-3 ounces only sounds chintzy: in reality, that's a ton of this deliciosity!

Store in the refrigerator.

Baked Olives

2006-04-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Variations on a theme of Deborah Madison

Step 1 ingredients

2 cups kalamata olives
½ cup dry red wine
1½ Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Rinse the olives if they’re salty, and put them in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add the wine, oil, garlic, and bay leaf.

Cover and bake until they’re fragrant and swollen, about 45 minutes.

Step 2 ingredients

2 Tbsp marjoram
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1½ Tbsp olive oil
Freshly milled pepper
Several pinches red pepper flakes

Pound the chopped garlic in a mortar with the marjoram, parsley, and a few grinds of pepper.

When the olives come out of the oven, poke each one with a fork or the tip of a knife, then stir in the garlic-herb paste, the oil, and the red pepper.

These can be served immediately, or left to stand for several hours for the flavors to develop.

Hazelnut Cheesecake

2006-03-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

This is easy, and delicious. What I like about it is that it's creamy but not killer-sweet.

Have all ingredients at room temperature. The softer (but not runny) the cream cheese, the better it will blend with the other ingredients. Leaving it on the top of the stove while you roast the hazelnuts is a good start, or briefly microwaving each block separately at low power will do the trick, too.

In a 350º oven, with the shelf set in the middle, roast on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes:

6 oz shelled hazelnuts

Allow them to cool, then rub them in a towel to loosen and remove most of the husks. (As Maida Heatter says, “This is not as easy as it sounds.” Don't worry if you don't get all the husk off each nut.) Chop the nuts in a food processor for a few seconds: they should be coarse bits, not powder. Set aside.

Process until smooth crumbs:

½ lb graham crackers

Stir in until evenly distributed:

3 oz melted butter

Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9½" springform pan. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool. Lower the oven setting to 300º.

Using an electric mixer, beat until very smooth:

2 lb cream cheese, softened
½ c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a small bowl, beat lightly with a fork (until a uniform bright yellow):

4 eggs

Add them to the cream cheese and beat until completely incorporated. Then add:

¼ c cream

Finally, stir in the chopped nuts, reserving about a teaspoonful.

Pour mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved nuts on top. Bake at 300º for 65 minutes or longer, until the cake has risen and the top is no longer jiggly. (I don't know how else to describe this: it should be relatively firm, but not hard.)

Once the cake is done, turn off the oven, and let it cool for an hour in the oven. It will, essentially, collapse. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely on a rack.

This cake does not need refrigeration if you're going to serve it within a couple of days.

Near-Perfect Chocolate Frosting

2006-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

This is actually an important element of the Oregon State Fair Chocolate Cake, although I'm sure that would be pretty good with a nice soft ganache. But I've used it on other cakes, too.

¾ lb butter, softened
1 c cocoa
6 Tbsp milk
1½ tsp vanilla
3 c confectioners' sugar

Blend butter and cocoa thoroughly in mixer, then beat well, until very smooth. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Makes enough to frost a 2-layer 9" cake.

1991 Oregon State Fair First Prize Chocolate Cake

2006-03-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

What can I say? It pays to be in town when the State Fair prizes are awarded: this is (I think) from the Oregonian sometime in the early 90's. Of course, it could be from the Los Angeles Times!

3 oz unsweetened chocolate
½ c butter, softened
1 lb brown sugar
3 eggs
1½ tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2¼ c cake flour
1 c sour cream
1 c boiling water

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 9" cake pans and line them with waxed paper.

Melt chocolate in microwave or in a double boiler.

Sift baking soda, salt and cake flour together.

Beat butter until smooth. Add brown sugar and eggs. Beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

At low speed, stir in vanilla and chocolate, then the sour cream.

Stir in dry ingredients.

Stir in boiling water until well-blended. Pour into prepared cake pans

Bake for 35 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on rack.

Frost with a perfect (or near-perfect) chocolate frosting.

Baked Garlic

2006-03-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

This is simple and scandalously delicious.

Preheat oven to 250°.

Plan on 1 bulb of garlic per eater

Using a sharp knife, make a light cut about ½" from the base of each head of garlic, completely encircling the bulb. This should ease the removal of the outer skin, leaving the individual cloves connected, still covered with their own skins.

Place the garlic in a baking dish, point up. Top each head with:

1 Tbsp butter
salt
pepper
a drizzle of olive oil

Roast, uncovered for 30 minutes, then baste with melted butter and add just enough water to film the pan bottom. Cover and bake for an additional 1-1½ hours, or until the cloves are
tender.

Serve with crusty french bread, and feta or chevre. Separate a clove from the head and squeeze its contents onto a piece of bread. Spread with a knife, then add some cheese.

This should not need to be said: when the garlic is gone, don't forget the olive oil and butter in the bottom of the pan.

Corn (aka Chili Relleno) Casserole

2006-03-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

There ought to be a catchier name for this dish, which is easy and delicious, albeit NOT low calorie. It's good hot or warm, and reheats well.

3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
½ c butter, melted
2 eggs
1 c sour cream
1 c diced Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
½ c cornmeal
½ tsp cumin
4 oz diced green chiles
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole

Puree 1 c corn with butter and eggs. Stir together with all other ingredients.

Cook, uncovered, 50-60 minutes.

Caffe Museo Killer Chocolate Bars

2006-03-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

The LA Times food section is my steady source of new recipes. I tried subscribing to Gourmet and Bon Appetit, but they just gathered dust. But the Times Food section just keeps coming every Wednesday. This is from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's cafe, although I've done a little tweaking. These babies are, in the best sense of the word, a scandal.

Active Work Time: 40 minutes
Total Preparation Time: 2 hours 10 minutes plus 24 hours chilling
Yield: About 80 bars

2½ lb semisweet chocolate (Trader Joe’s bittersweet)
½ lb bittersweet chocolate (Trader Joe’s 70% dark)
4 oz unsalted butter
1½ c flour
1 tsp baking powder
8 eggs
3 c sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1½ Tbsp brewed espresso or strong coffee

Chop 1 pound of the semisweet chocolate into chunks no larger than ½”. Set aside.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.

Melt the rest of the chocolate and the butter together (in a microwave, or in a double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water). Stir until smooth and fully blended.

In a large mixing bowl, whip eggs and sugar. Stir in vanilla and espresso. Add the melted chocolate and blend well.

On low speed, stir in the flour in three portions. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9”x13” baking pan with plastic wrap and pour batter into the pan. Smooth the top, and rap the pan on the counter to distribute the batter evenly and remove air pockets. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Adjust a rack to the middle of the oven.

Turn the block of dough out onto a cutting board, remove the plastic wrap, and cut into six even pieces across the pan, into sections a little more than 2” wide. (You need a good, large, sharp, sturdy knife for this, because of the chocolate chunks.) Work with one block at a time; refrigerate the other pieces until you’re ready to work with them.

Using that good, large, sharp, sturdy knife, cut the block crossways into ½-inch bars/squares. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 1” apart.

Bake at 350°, in batches, until bars resemble brownies and look moist, 15 to 20 minutes. Bars should still be moist when removed from oven. Do not overbake.

Cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then remove the parchment, with cookies attached, to a rack to cool completely.

Oatmeal - Chocolate Chip - Walnut Cookies

2006-03-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

This is the best cookie recipe, ever. I know that's quite a boast, and even very good friends who know cookies don't agree with me, but I've never found another recipe that I liked better. Folks ask where I got it, and I'm happy to tell them that I copied it off a box of Quaker Quick Oats about 25 years ago! These days, I usually make a batch, using a 1½" scoop to form the dough. They freeze beautifully, and you get great fresh cookies to thrill your chocolate- deprived friends on short notice.

This recipe makes 5-6 dozen.

Beat together in a large mixing bowl:

½ lb butter, softened
¾ c brown sugar, firmly packed
¾ c granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla

Add and beat in:

2 eggs

Sift together, add and stir in:

2 c flour
¾ tsp baking soda

Stir in:

2 c oats
2 c (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (or plain m&ms)
2 c chopped walnut pieces

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough in teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet, about 1½" apart. Bake for 8-11 minutes, but do not overbrown. Cool on baking sheet before removing to rack.

Baked French Toast

2006-03-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

I was looking for something special to serve for brunch one Sunday, and had what I thought was an inspiration: baked french toast. I thought that I had dreamed it up myself, but I double-checked on the Web, and was disappointed to find 32 different recipes with a single phrase search on Google. So much for invention! This is a combination of two of those recipes, plus a bit of my own tweaking. It makes a great brunch with good bacon or sausage, and a big fruit salad.

1 1-lb loaf French bread, cubed
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
12 eggs
2 c milk (nonfat is fine)
1/3 c maple syrup
ground nutmeg

Serve with: butter, and warm maple syrup

Spray 9” x 13” baking dish with vegetable spray. Put half of the bread in a layer in baking dish. Layer cubed cream cheese on top of bread; add a second layer of bread.

Beat eggs, milk, and syrup together. Pour over bread and press bread into the eggs with a spatula. Sprinkle with nutmeg, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Adjust oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. If top becomes brown, place aluminum foil over top during last 10 minutes.

Serve warm with butter and warm maple syrup.

Serves 8

Shaker Lemon Pie

2006-03-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have only made this with Meyer lemons, which are small and sweet. My sister Joanne, who really likes tart flavors, says it's great with your basic Eureka, too.

The crust:

2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2/3 cup + 4 Tbsp shortening
Tbsp cold water

This is a double-crust recipe. Mix the flour and salt thoroughly. Cut in the shortening until it forms very small balls. Sprinkle in the water a tablespoon at a time, while stirring lightly with a fork until the flour is moistened. Mix it into a ball that cleans the bowl. Do not overwork the dough. Roll out on a floured board.

The filling:

2 large lemons with thin rinds (or 3 Meyer lemons)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs

Slice lemons paper thin, rind and all; flick away any seeds. Combine the lemon slices with the sugar and mix well. Let stand 2 hours, or overnight (preferably) stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Beat the eggs with a fork, and add to the lemon mixture. Combine thoroughly. Turn into the pie shell, arranging the lemon slices evenly. Cover with the top crust and crimp along the edges. Cut several slits near the center.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the edge of the pie comes out clean. Cool before serving.

Amazing Shrimp over Pasta

2006-03-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

This is really delicious, and virtually no work at all. Ben described it to me, and I just threw it together. Thank God for Trader Joe's frozen, peeled, uncooked shrimp!

1 onion, peeled and sliced very thin
3-4 cloves of garlic, ditto
1/2 cup of parsley, washed, and finely chopped
16 oz. package Trader Joe's frozen uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled with tail on
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1 lb dried pasta (I like farfalle and penne rigate, in equal parts)
Parmesan cheese, freshly-grated

Preheat oven to 400º. Layer the onions and parsley in a 9"x13" glass baking dish, and scatter the garlic on top. Add the frozen shrimp (straight out of the bag -- no defrosting). Place chunks of butter around on top of that. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 and 15 minutes. It's done when the shrimp is pink.

Now, here's the best part: While the shrimp is in the oven, cook the pasta. When it's done, drain it and add it to a warmed bowl. Empty the contents of the baking dish directly onto the pasta and toss together. Serve immediately, passing the parmesan cheese.