Caramel Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting from Jubilee

 Ingredients for the cake:

3 C all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 C buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 sticks butter at room temp

2 C white sugar

4 eggs

Directions for the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 2 9 inch cake pans or 13 x 9 baking pan.

2. Combine dry ingredients. In small bowl combine buttermilk and vanilla.

3. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour alternating w/buttermilk, 3 additions each. 

4. Bake 30-35 min. 

Ingredients for frosting:

12 Tbsp butter at room temperature

1 C packed light brown sugar

1/2 C whole milk

3 C sifted powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 C half and half

Directions:

1. Melt butter, stir in brown sugar and milk. Boil for two minutes. 

2. Remove from heat and beat in powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until cool and thick. Can add half and half only if needed if too thick. 

Buttermilk Biscuits from Jubilee

 by Toni Tipton-Martin 

Ingredients:

2 C all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C yellow shortening, cut into pieces and chilled (or not)

3/4 to 1 C buttermilk

Melted salted butter (optional)

Honey butter, ham or molasses and butter, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 450 F. 

2. Combine dry ingredients and use pastry blender to cut in shortening. Use a form to blend in the buttermilk to make a slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of a bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

3. Use the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you. Fold the dough in half again and repeat-- 6-10 times, just until to comes together and is smooth. 

4. Roll or pat dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. If cutting w/round cutter, press straight down, do not twist. 

5. Place on ungreased baking sheet, bake until puffed/brown 12-15 min. 

6. Brush w. melted butter immediately after baking and serve warm.

Smitten Kitchen Buttermilk Biscuits

Just when you think you can't have enough biscuit recipes, then you make another one. I wouldn't have even blogged the recipe (thinking ok, ok I have enough) except that the Robber really liked these and... ok fine, they are pretty delicious. I will make something that is not from Smitten Kitchen eventually, but my cookbooks have been packed in boxes for years now, and I haven't the time to be more creative in internet browsing. And why would I when Deb does such a good job? We ate the biscuits with barbecue chicken and corn on the cob-- a perfect end of summer meal.

Notes: Deb states you can use cake flour for a more tender biscuit, and when I made these for the Robber I used half all-purpose and half cake flour and liked the result. I used 2 tsp. of sugar. I felt they tasted a little too much of baking powder, so I would half this or omit it in the future. Makes six large biscuits.

From Smitten Kitchen:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/03/my-favorite-buttermilk-biscuits/

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour, cake flour, or a mixture of the two
2 tsp - 1 1/2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. (or less?) baking soda
9 T. chilled unsalted butter
3/4 C. buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and using a pastry blender or form, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a coarse meal.

3. Add buttermilk and stir until roughly moistened. Flour hands and knead the mixture in the bowl under it holds together.

4. Transfer the dough to your parchment paper-lined baking sheet and shape into a disc approximately 1/2 - 3/4" inch deep. Using a floured knife, cut the disc into six (or desired number) wedge shapes and space the wedges out evenly on the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Plum Clafoutis

And just like that, my little cooking bug returns. I guess the oven has room in it again.

But it's hard, you know, to cook and to care for a little lion at the same time. Still, I wanted to bake something again just because I wanted to bake and to prove I was more of a human again and less of an incubator. I've been on this fruit kick something serious during pregnancy, so I had lots of plums and I lot of buttermilk I had the Robber buy thinking I would make biscuits-- and I had some milk-- but what I didn't have was flour, cream, or time. What does that all add up to? In this case, clafoutis. And as always, this was easy and delicious, a perfect post-pregnancy treat.

Oh, and the Robber liked it too.

Notes: I made a second one tonight but I forgot to add the sugar to the fruit layer, let's see how it turns out eh? Because if it doesn't need it, that would cut down on the calories a little and make it even more appealing.

Adapted from Julia Child, available here on Gratinee:
http://gratineeblog.com/2009/09/julia-childs-plum-clafouti/

Ingredients:

1 lbs firm, ripe plums (I used three medium-ish plums cut in round cross-sections)

1 1/4 C. milk (I used buttermilk)
1/3 C. sugar
3 eggs
1 T. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 C. sugar

1/3 C. extra sugar

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut plums in half (or in slices, like I did, I think it's easier to cut through that way) and sprinkle with some sugar. Set aside.

2) Add all of the ingredients except the fruit and the additional sugar in a blender in the order listed. Blend for 1 minute on high.

3) Pour of layer of the batter until it covers the bottom of your baking dish (I use a large glass pie plate). Place in the oven for about five minutes or until a film of the batter has set in the bottom of the dish.

4) Spread the fruit over the batter with skins up (if using halves). Sprinkle with the extra sugar (optional). Pour the rest of the batter over the fruit.

5) Bake for an additional hour or until the clafouti has puffed and browned and a tester placed in the center comes out clean. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Can serve hot or cold (I prefer cold, the next day).

Additional notes: Julia Child notes you can use either 1 1/4 lbs apples or 3 C pears. To make this Julia's way way, drop the plums in boiling water for ten seconds and then peel and slice them. Next soak the fruit in 1/4 C. orange liquer, kirsch, or cognac and let stand for one hour. Then substitute this liquid for part of the milk in the recipe and omit the final 1/3 C. of sugar.

Rosemary and Cheese Biscuits

The truth is that shortly before Christmas the cooking bug in me died. I don't know what happened. Just one day I wasn't interested anymore. I stopped looking at my stock pile of recipes, dreaming of the kitchen, wondering what ingredients to buy next. I just lost interest. That and I was tired. Tired from residency, tired from December, tired about eating.

Which was unfortunate, because my kind sister S. got us this lovely cookbook for Christmas full of beautiful pictures and good things to eat, and I looked at it and just didn't have the gumption to begin.

Until I discovered the recipe for Cheesy Biscuits and then I was reminded of this time I went to Red Lobster (I think the only time I ever went to Red Lobster) in Burlingame or some other such odd place (I can't remember exactly) and there I ate these amazing delicious little cheesy biscuits that I have wanted ever since and finally that little memory alone propelled me back into the kitchen... twice thus far. Yes, they were that good I overcame my cooking lull to make them not once, but twice! And today I have been singing happy little songs all about cheesy biscuits and smooching my Robber and all was well in the world, briefly, when the cheesy biscuits came out of the oven and the smell wafted through the Cubby and the hope of brighter days ahead dawned. All from the cheesy biscuits.

Adapted from The Essential Fingerfood Cookbook by Bay Books, page 56.

Ingredients:

1 C. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3.5 oz butter, chopped

4 T. sour cream or buttermilk or plain Greek yogurt (the original recipe calls for 1 T. but I have used 4 both times)

2 oz. grated Cheddar cheese

2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

1 T. chopped fresh chives

Directions:

1. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Cut in the butter into the mixture is akin to fine breadcrumbs.

2. Add the cheeses and herbs and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add the fat in 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the mixture is softened. You may have to dump the mixture out onto the counter and knead it together so that it forms a firm ball of dough. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. While refrigerating, preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease one baking sheet with butter or oil (or use parchment paper).

4. Press the chilled dough out into a flat round and cut into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges on the baking sheet and bake until the wedges are puffy and started to crisp around the edges, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool-- the biscuits will deflate a little while cooling but ideally will have crispy cheesy edges with soft warm cheesy insides. Enjoy!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

So all summer long I've basically just been stealing off Smitten Kitchen, and particularly earlier in the summer I got on a kick of making her raved about snacking cakes-- the rhubarb snacking cake, the blueberry boy bait, and most recently the dimply plum cake-- only to be an ungrateful beggar and go on to say how ho-hum I felt about them. Two more of her standards remained in my box of recipes to try, and I don't know that I would have tried this one except that we had a) raspberries and b) buttermilk and c) the need for an easy dessert for dinner with friends. Even with that alignment of stars, it was still with begrudgement that I made this cake. And then--- then! It was actually really good. All she said it would be. All worthy of starting the snack cake craze. So I guess I am reconciled to Smitten Kitchen and her snack cakes and after all, and who knows, I might go about trying the strawberry snacking cake before this summer is through after all. That is, if I can get away from this one. We still have raspberries and more buttermilk, and the Robber, with his big Robber eyes, has been asking for more.

Originally from Gourmet Magazine 2009, adapted by Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/raspberry-buttermilk-cake/

Ingredients:

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

2/3 C. plus 1 1/2 T. sugar, divided

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (or the rind of one smaller lemon)

1 large egg

1/2 C. well-shaken buttermilk

1 C. (about 6 oz.) fresh raspberries 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. 

3. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 C. sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. 

5. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see note) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 T. sugar (I used cinnamon sugar.)

6. Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Note: All the raspberries are downward will be swallowed by the batter and sink to the bottom. The ones where the o is upward stay empty, like cups, and swim closer to the top. Both are delicious.

Peach Cobbler Scones

In addition to the North Fork scones I also made these scones this weekend, but saved them for the Robber who loves peach pie so much that I thought he might love these scones too. And he did! They ended up sitting on the counter, formed but unbaked, for several hours so I don't think ours rose very high and also because I used baking powder with aluminum yes, the peaches did turn grey within 48 hours, but the Robber happily consumed them. What I liked about these was that the dough itself was not very sweet so it really did feel like a cobbler and not so much like a cake and had a nice salty-sweet contrast which is the Robber's love. Definitely worth a re-visit next summer when the peaches are back in season!

From Annie's Eats:

http://annies-eats.com/2012/08/13/peach-cobbler-scones/

Ingredients:

3 C. all-purpose flour

¼ C. sugar

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

1½ sticks (12 T.) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ C. buttermilk, plus more for brushing

1-2 ripe peaches, sliced thin (I used 1 1/2 and ate the remaining 1/2 peach)

For the cinnamon-sugar (can likely only make half this amount):

2 T. sugar

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.  Whisk briefly to blend.  

3. Add the butter to the bowl and cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the largest butter pieces are the size of peas.  

4. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until a dough forms.  Knead briefly, about 10-15 times, until the dough has come together.  Be careful to avoid over handling the dough, as it can result in tough, dense scones.

5. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface.  (If the dough is too soft to shape, chill it for about 15 minutes before proceeding.)  Roll the dough out into a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.  

6. Brush half of the dough lightly with buttermilk.  Lay the peach slices in a single layer over the buttermilk side of the dough.  Sprinkle evenly with about half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Carefully fold the other side of the dough over the peaches as if closing a book and press down gently.  Slice the dough into 8-12 equal sized pieces. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets.  

7. Brush the top of each scone with buttermilk and sprinkle with additional cinnamon-sugar.  Bake until the tops are golden brown and the scones are baked through, about 15-18 minutes.  Let cool 2-3 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool further.  

Note: The shaped, unbaked scones may also be frozen on a baking sheet and then transferred to a freezer-safe container.  Bake as directed straight from the freezer, simply adding a few minutes to the baking time and checking for doneness.  

North Fork Table & Inn Scones

Let's just face it: I have come to expect scones as my every day breakfast food. Now that I am eating at the hospital cafeteria for most of my meals-- including breakfast-- I have a lot more options. Yogurt. Eggs. Bacon. Bagels. Croissants. But what do I go to still on an every day basis? Yes, the scone-- although the hospital scones are not quite as tasty as some of the ones I've made. Anyway. But the other thing I like about scones is that I can make a batch for a night when I am on call and they are good for dinner when I'm coming on, for a midnight snack, for a 1 am snack, for a 2 am snack.... and then they are still good to share with the morning team coming on. Hence my scone craze is still alive and well despite my new lifestyle.

Here are some scones I made for my most recent night shift. They were alright. By all standards I'm sure they are amazing, but for me-- just alright. I think what I want out of a scone is changing. I want less chewiness and either more flakiness or more cakeiness but not chewy. And these were chewy. Perhaps because I made them with dried apricots and not with raspberries like Deb of Smitten Kitchen did? So take it for what you will, you will most likely find them amazingly delicious, unless you have made all the other scones on this scone-filled blog, then you will find them delicious but not stand-out-ish.

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/the-north-fork-and-its-scones/

Ingredients:

2 3/4 C. pastry or all-purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 T. aluminum-free baking powder*
1 tsp. baking soda
12 T. butter, in 1/2-inch cubes
1 C. golden raisins plus 1 T. caraway seeds -or- 1 C. fresh fruit of your choice
3/4 to 1 C. buttermilk (use the smaller amount if using fresh fruit, the larger if using the raisin-caraway combo)
Turbinado or sanding sugar for sprinkling (optional, not in the original recipe)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place cubed butter in freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

3. Add butter to the flour mixture and cut in until you have pea sized specks of butter. Add the fruit/seeds and the buttermilk and stir until just moistened.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple times. Roll or pat dough out to approximately one-inch thick round and cut into 8-12 wedges.

5. Optional: Brush buttermilk over the top of the scones and sprinkle with turbinado or sanding sugar.

6. Bake on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Note: If you use fresh fruit in a scone, it’s very important that you use an aluminum-free baking powder, otherwise the aluminum may precipitate out causing your scones to turn a bluish-gray color. They will still be edible, but may taste a bit tinny or simply look less appetizing.

Blueberry Boy Bait

So once I had made Smitten Kitchen's rhubarb snacking cake, you knew it was only a matter of time before we had to try all of the "summer everyday cakes", right? I had left over blueberries from the lemon yogurt blueberry cake and so it was perfect timing to move on to the blueberry boy bait and I made it for my Robber boy. Predictably, he loved it and was super happy to eat all of it, and weirdly I didn't love it and felt it rather boring and burdensome calorically. This could be because it was a) super hot in the Cubby and I was very very sweaty and b) I had just re-weighed myself and found that I had gained two pounds since the last time I weighed myself perhaps over a month ago and c) I'm just harder to impress these days for whatever reason and d) the blueberries didn't pop out to me so I felt they were wasted. But all the reviewers on Smitten Kitchen loved loved this recipe as do their boys and my boy so maybe there is just something wrong with me? Sadly for the Robber, I may need a little time before I move on to the raspberry buttermilk cake and strawberry summer cakes.

Notes: Due to the few (and very far between) reviewers on Smitten Kitchen who felt the cake itself was bland and too sweet, I reduced the white sugar by 1/4 C. and added 1 tsp. vanilla, about a 1/2 tsp. lemon zest, and a few generous dashes of nutmeg to the batter which probably helped and certainly didn't hurt. I also tripled the cinnamon (it's one of my basic rules of cooking.) One reviewer added cardamom which sounds intriguing as a possibility but I wasn't that bold this time. The recipe below is as it is written on Smitten Kitchen, not as above.

Originally from a 1954 Pillsbury Bake-Off, adapted by Cook's Country, and most recently by way of Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/blueberry-boy-bait/

Ingredients:

For the cake: 

2 C. plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. table salt

16 T. unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

3/4 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 C. granulated sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 C. whole milk or buttermilk

1/2 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen

For the topping:

1/2 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

2. Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. 

3. With electric mixer in a second large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. 

4. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. (I don't use the mixer for this step, but rather mix it by hand.)

5. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Spread 1/2 batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Add 1/2 C. blueberries to remaining batter and gently stir in. Add remaining batter to pan and spread evenly. 

6. Scatter additional 1/2 C. blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. 

7. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. 

8. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Cranberry Nut Bread

I made this bread as part of our family graduation party and the Robber liked it so much that he insisted we get the recipe. So my mom photocopied it from her recipe book and sent it to us and the Robber cannot believe his luck. . . well he won't believe it when I make it again. The recipe strongly recommends pecans but gives the ok to walnuts and advises against slicing too soon out the oven, good advice given the crumbly nature of this bread when it is hot.

From American Classics, possibly from Good Housekeeping.

Ingredients:

1 T. grated orange zest

1/3 C. fresh orange juice

2/3 C. buttermilk

6 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg, beaten slightly

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 C. cranberries (about 6 oz.), chopped coarsely

1/2 C. pecans, chopped coarsely and toasted

Directions:

1. Toast the pecans by placing a skillet over medium heat, adding chopped pecans and toasting, shaking the pan frequently until nuts are fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375F. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan; set aside.

3. Stir together the orange zest, orange juice, buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl. 

4. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just moistened.

5. Gently stir in the cranberries and pecans. Do not overmix.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smoother the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350F; continue to bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer.

7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wife rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving. Once cooled, the bread can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for a couple of days.

Asparagus Bread Pudding

About two weeks ago the Robber and I went to Whole Foods to buy him some chicken and I came across some asparagus bread pudding in the hot foods section and thought it looked delicious so I bought a little square to try it. The Robber said, "Oh that is a you food" by which he meant "This looks strange but it might turn out to be good." Hmmmmmph. I said. Hmmmmmph. And of course in the end the Robber loved it enough that I thought I should replicate it at home and this is how I did it. I looked at a few recipes online and then just kind of made things up as I went and was fairly pleased with the result, as was the Robber.

Next time I'll increased the liquid by 1/2 cup because this was a little bit dry and I won't precook the vegetables. As the Robber said, "If you make this again, I would be happy."

Ingredients:

1 lbs. bread, cut into 1/2-1" cubes and left overnight to dry out (alternately you can dry them out in the oven at 150F)

2 lbs asparagus, cut on the diagonal into 1" pieces

1 C. sliced green beans

1 C. buttermilk

1/2 C. chicken broth

1 C. heavy whipping cream

6 eggs

2 tsp. salt

6 oz. soft goat cheese

12 oz. feta cheese

Slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Prepare bread as above. I used sourdough hoagie rolls and thought they were quite delicious in the pudding.

2. In the blender, combine buttermilk, broth, cream, eggs, salt, and cheeses. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes in large bowl. Allow to soak for minimum of 15 minutes, submerging the cubes entirely in the liquid mixture.

(Here I sauted the green beans and asparagus until slightly tender, but I wouldn't do that again.)

4. Preheat the oven to 375F. When oven is hot, scoop 1/2 of the bread mixture into an ungreased 9 x 13 glass baking pain. Spread 1/2 of vegetables over bread mixture. Repeat with second half of bread mixture and then vegetables. Generously sprinkle slivered almonds over the top of the pudding.

5. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to sit 15 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Carmelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread

I made this with the Robber to eat with Pluto's ratatouille as part of our favorite cornbread and ratatouille meal. Smitten Kitchen is right: the goat cheese doesn't really stand out and the texture of the cornbread is more cakey and moist than dry like a traditional cornbread. Truthfully I like my standard cornbread better with the ratatouille flavors, but this cornbread had a hold on me. I couldn't stop snacking on it. I made it in a 9 x 13 glass pan and left out the corn. I loved the onions on the top and would double them in the future, but the Robber didn't care for them and would leave them out in the future. Hrrrmmmm. Oh well. I definitely won't be making this every time I make cornbread because it is so much more work than my standard recipe, but I won't be forgetting about it either!

From Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/03/caramelized-onion-and-goat-cheese-cornbread/

Ingredients:

1 C. coarse cornmeal

2 C. buttermilk

1-2 T. oil, butter or a combination thereof

1 C. onion in a 3/4-inch dice

1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 ounce log of soft goat cheese, at room temperature

2 T. honey

1/4 C. granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Optional: 2 1/2 C. fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 T. bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter

Directions:

1. The night before baking the cornbread, soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight. (I just mixed them together at the beginning and let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.)

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Heat a large saute pan to medium and coat the bottom with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, butter or a combination thereof. Add the onions and cook them until they’re well-caramelized with browned edges. Season with salt and set aside.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. (Or you can do this while you are cooking the onions.)

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the goat cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl between each. (It may look a little curdly at this point, don’t worry. It all comes back together in the oven.) Add the melted butter, honey, sugar and cornmeal/buttermilk mixture and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined and then gently stir in the corn kernels, mixing them until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

6. Place one tablespoon of bacon fat, vegetable oil or butter in a 10 inch round cake pan (you can also use a cast-iron skillet, 9 by 13-inch baking pan or a 12-inch square pan). Place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat gets very hot. With good pot holders, remove the pan and tilt it to grease the corners and sides. Pour in the batter, spreading it evenly and sprinkle the caramelized onion evenly over the top.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and springing (the baking time will depend on the size and type of pan) and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

8. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into squares or wedges. Serve immediately.

Turkey Pot Pie With Cheddar Biscuit Crust

We have had leftover turkey sitting around in the freezer since Thanksgiving and it was high time that we got around to using it. I love a good pot pie, so when I ran across this recipe I was a happy girl. The Robber was less enthusiastic... but you know how he is. He comes around when confronted with the actuality of the delicious dish. I wasn't as in to the cheesy biscuit crust, but the Robber chomped on it and peeled off and ate the extra cheese, so it looks like we're stuck with it. Although if I make this again I think I'll go unhealthy and use white flour, the wheat is just too ponderous. This isn't interesting from a spice perspective, but it is warm and hearty and feels comforting, just like a pot pie should.

I made this in my geranium pot, which did just fine in the oven.

From Gourmet Magazine via a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/11/turkey-pot-pie-with-cheddar-biscuit.html

Ingredients:

For the filling:

4 C. roasted turkey meat, cut into small pieces

3 1/2 C. turkey stock (I just used chicken stock)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1-2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, diced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 tsp. fresh)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (omitted these)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

10 oz. frozen baby peas, thawed (used the whole 16 oz. bag)

For the crust:

2 C. whole wheat pastry flour (white whole wheat or all-purpose can be used)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1- 1 1/2 C. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated

1/2 C. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/4 C. well-shaken buttermilk

Directions:

1. To make the filling, cook onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and thyme in butter with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch-wide shallow pot (3- to 4-quart), over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, stirring, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. (Maybe I didn't chop the potatoes small enough? But I had to cook everything, covered, for much longer before they softened enough.)

2. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in stock, scraping up any brown bits, and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in turkey, peas, and salt and pepper to taste. At this point it can be refrigerated and reheated over low heat just before topping with biscuit crust. (Because my vegetables took longer, I mixed up the crust while they were cooking and was ready to go to the oven as soon as the veggies were done.)

3. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

4. To make the biscuits, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Add cheeses and toss to coat. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Drop biscuit dough onto filling in large mounds, leaving spaces between biscuits.

5. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes. (You can sprinkle extra Cheddar cheese on top for the last few minutes of baking.) Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Toffee Mocha Cream Torte

What Sister F. made us for dessert. I liked the cake part of this and the Robber loved the whipped cream and the toffee part of this. It is unlikely that I will make this cake in all of its parts again but I liked the chocolate cake from scratch part enough to want to keep the recipe. I couldn't taste the coffee flavor at all, Sister F. says it just enhances the chocolate flavor, which maybe is true as this did taste quite chocolately in a satisfactory way.

This is from the Taste of Home Blue Ribbon Desserts.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 C. butter, softened

2 C. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 2/3 C. all-purpose flour

3/4 C. baking cocoa

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 C. buttermilk

2 tsp. instant coffee granules

1 C. boiling water

For the topping:

1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules

1 tsp. hot water

2 C. heavy whipping cream

3 T. light brown sugar

6 1.4 oz. Heath candy bars, crushed

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; add to cream mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Dissolve coffee in water and stir into batter.

3. Pour into three greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350F for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

4. For topping, dissolve coffee in water in a large bowl, cool. Add cream and brown sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Place bottom layer cake on a serving platter, top with 1 1/3 C. of topping. Sprinkle with 1/2 C. of crushed candy bars. Repeat twice. Store in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Waffles and Magical Buttermilk Syrup

This last weekend the Robber and I went down to Claremont so that I could see where the Humbob used to humbobble around as he turned from a wee Bob to a young Bob. We stayed with his friends, the F.s, who were in the bishopric of his singles' ward at the time. The F.s are generous, enthusiastic cooks who love to eat and were constantly serving us the most delicious foods. At one point I was surrounded by fresh hummus, organic peanut butter, ricotta cheese dip, bagel chips, pita chips, apple slices, and pretzels. Oh my! For Sunday breakfast Sister F. made us fresh blueberry waffles with this syrup and the Robber just about died of happiness. He gushed about the syrup so much that I asked Sister F. for the recipe (along with several others.) Apparently she brings waffles and syrup to the high school she teaches at too and the kids there are much like the Robber in their response.

We didn't have the pumpkin waffles, but why not set the recipe down here just in case we run into a waffle maker some day?

From Sister F., no link available.

Ingredients and directions for the waffles:

2 C. all-purpose flour

2 T. baking powder

1 T. cinnamon

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites (beat until stiff peaks and then fold into batter at the end)

1 C. pumpkin

1 T. vanilla

1 1/2 C. milk

3/4 C. butter, melted

Mix all ingredients together. Best if you use a Belgium (Belgian?) waffle maker.

Ingredients and directions for the syrup:

In large frying pain, boil:

1/2 C. butter

1/2 C. milk and 1 tsp. lemon juice (or 1/2 C. buttermilk)

1 C. sugar

1 tsp. light corn syrup

Remove from heat and then add:

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Syrup will be very frothy once you add the baking soda.

Cornmeal Cranberry Drop Scones

Why would you eat cornmeal scones when you can have cornbread? This is what the Robber asks me after taking a bite of these scones. I, on the other hand, find that while corn-bread-ish indeed these were actually surprisingly there own thing. A little more dense than cornbread. The dough only barely sweet, making each bite with a dried cranberry in it a tangy surprise. And a satisfying scone matrix, if you ever decide you want your butterscotch chips/raspberries/dark chocolate/apricots/what-have-you in cornmeal instead of cream.

From the Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving Blog from the NYTimes. If you haven't discovered their vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes, you should, because some of them are pretty fabulous:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/11/01/health/20111101_vegetarian_thanksgiving.html#Cornmeal_Cranberry_Drop_Scones

Ingredients:

1 C. whole wheat pastry flour

1 C. coarsely ground cornmeal

1/4 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. lemon zest

7 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg

2/3 C. buttermilk

3/4 C. dried cranberries, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained (I suspect these would be good with whole frozen cranberries too)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Dump any bran remaining in the strainer into the bowl. Place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse until you have a coarse, even mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and the buttermilk. Turn on the food processor and add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. As soon as the dough comes together, turn off the machine. Add the cranberries and pulse just a few times to distribute through the dough. Don’t pulse too many times or the cranberries will be chopped.

4. Drop the batter by heaped tablespoons (or larger wedges) onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving an inch or more of space between each one. Bake one baking sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, reversing the baking sheet front to back halfway through, until lightly browned.

Yield: 20 3-inch scones or 8 regular size scones.

Nutritional information per 3-inch scone: 113 calories; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 20 milligrams cholesterol; 17 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 113 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein.

Butterscotch Drop Scones

Turns out that I really do delight in a scone for breakfast. Upon returning home to the Cubby I found nothing suitable for breakfast but some old bagels in the fridge which is definitely Robber-only fare. So, tired as I was, I scrounged these together with my butterscotch chips I brought with me from Rochester. (Yes, I brought them across country from Rochester.) I had low expectations, but these were surprisingly delicious and the butterscotch flavor came across with much greater clarity and satisfaction than when embedded in the pumpkin. The scones were crisp on the outside and deliciously soft in the inside. I used some vanilla Greek yogurt instead of whipping cream and that perhaps made the scones a bit sweeter than they ought to have been so in the future I will use a plain, unsweetened liquid (see note below).

From Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butterscotch-Drop-Scones-230911

Note: The Epicurious reviewers all reduced the salt, so I have written the recipe here with reduced salt.

Note October 2013: The original recipe calls for heavy whipping cream. I initially made it with vanilla yogurt, which didn't work for me. I made them again in October 2013 with buttermilk, and this produced the best product with a flaky texture and a satisfying taste that is likely less fatty than the heavy whipping cream. I've updated the recipe below to reflect this so when I make it again in the future I will know to use buttermilk.

Ingredients:

2 C. all-purpose flour

1/3 C. packed golden brown sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 C. chilled unsalted butter, diced

1 C. butterscotch chips

1/2 C. chilled heavy whipping cream buttermilk

1 large egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Sift all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Add chilled butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Mix in chips. '

3. Whisk buttermilk and egg in small bowl to blend. Gradually add cream mixture to dry ingredients, tossing with fork until dough comes together in moist clumps. Add more cream by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry.

4. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto large rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Bake scones until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 7-8 scones

Pumpkin Scones

I previously posted a pumpkin scone recipe on this blog from the NYTimes, but didn't do it justice as I lacked some key ingredients. Annie had her own recipe for pumpkin scones, and it has been waiting in my lineup of recipes to try now since April. Now that the raisin scones are gone, I needed a new breakfast meal which for me means another new batch of scones. After this one, only one more new recipe to go! (Ok two. I just found another one.)

These scones were good but not as good as I think they could have been, perhaps the glaze ups the oomph a bit? I think they were better than my other pumpkin scone recipe. Perhaps they are competing for my attention with the pumpkin cornbread, which just keep getting better, and my sudden urges for dark dark chocolate every evening which I think it just a manifestation of my missing of the Robber. The butterscotch and pumpkin combo is interesting, but not life changing. At any rate, I think I might make this pumpkin base again, but put in toasted pecans or walnuts or chocolate chips instead.

Adapted from the Joy of Baking by Annie:
http://annies-eats.com/2009/12/07/pumpkin-scones/

Notes: I never make the glazes/washes/toppings but I did sprinkle some Demarara sugar on the top of the scones right before baking. I doubled the cinnamon as I do in any cinnamon recipe and doubled the butterscotch chips as I double every scone add-in. And I sliced up the scones before baking. Whatever.

Ingredients:

For the scones:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3-½ C. butterscotch chips
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 C. powdered sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
2 T. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk just to combine. Add the cold butter chunks to the bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and the largest butter pieces are no bigger than peas. Mix in the butterscotch chips.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together gently just until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a bit with your hands, but be careful not to overwork the dough or you will end up with a tough scone.

4. Transfer the sticky mass of dough to the prepared baking sheet. Pat the dough into a 8 or 9-inch round. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Slice the dough round into 7 or 8 wedges.

5. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and spices in a small bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine, until a thick glaze is formed. (If necessary, add a bit more milk to achieve a consistency good for drizzling the glaze.) Use a whisk to drizzle the glaze over the finished scones (I use a plastic baggie with a tip cut off). Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Pumpkin Walnut Pancakes

I made these for my friend J. for brunch and they were sweet and autumnal and light and delicious as a pancake should be in the fall. You can either put the walnuts in the pancake or sprinkle them on top, it's pretty equivalent either way. The recipe is originally from Mirror Lake Inn at Lake Placid in New York (there's a little nostalgia here for upstate New York in the fall), found on the internet by way of Epicurious, but I have modified it somewhat here as per the reviewers comments.

The original recipe at Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pumpkin-Walnut-Flapjacks-108613

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C. buttermilk

3/4 C. canned pure pumpkin

4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

2 T. sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/3 C. cake flour (can also use regular or 1/2 whole wheat)

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ginger

3/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Vegetable oil or butter

1/2 C. finely chopped walnuts

Pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Whisk buttermilk, pumpkin, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend; whisk in melted butter.

2. Whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in large bowl to blend.

3. Add dry ingredients to buttermilk mixture and whisk to combine.

4. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Fold whites into batter.

5. Lightly oil or butter heavy large skillet set over medium heat. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto skillet; cook until bubbles form on top, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn flapjacks over and cook until second sides brown, about 1 minute.

6. Transfer flapjacks to plates. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve with syrup.

Corn Buttermilk and Chive Popovers

I don't read Smitten Kitchen very often because I find the pictures confusing, so I'm not sure exactly how I stumbled across this recipe, but once I found it I knew I had to try it as I am on a kick about putting fresh fruit/veggies into everything these days. (And I love popovers.) I had a few women over for a pre-Relief-Society broadcast dinner and served these along with the Greek panzanella. They were delicious! I made 1.5 times the recipe in 12 muffin cups and added a little bit of chopped dill just because I had it. They shrank right out of the oven, but they were huge and puffy when I took them out. Don't know how to fix that, but for the flavoring is a nice twist on the classic popover that I enjoyed.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen to make 12 popovers in a muffin tin:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/07/corn-buttermilk-and-chive-popovers/

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. buttermilk

3/4 cup corn kernels (takes 1.5 cobs-ish)

5 large eggs

1 1/2 T. melted butter

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 T. yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon table salt

Freshly ground black pepper (I omit this)

1 1/2 T. snipped fresh chives

Optional: 1 1/2 T. chopped fresh dill

2 T. butter cut into 12 pieces

Directions:

1. Place buttermilk and corn in a blender together and blend for just 3 seconds — you’re looking to break up the corn a bit, not puree it. Add the eggs and the melted butter and blend for one second more.

2. Add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, pepper, dill and the chives and blend again until barely combined, some lumps are fine.

3. Set the batter aside to rest while you preheat your oven to 375 degrees, about 15 minutes. Take pan out of oven and add a little piece of butter to each muffin cup, place back in oven until butter is melted and brown. Remove tin from oven and fill each muffin cup slightly almost full with batter.

4. Bake popovers for 10 min at 425F and then reduce heat to 350F and bake for 20 to 25 more minutes. Try not to open the oven door! Crack it just 1-inch to take a peak if absolutely necessary towards the end. Popovers are done when they’re tall and bronzed. Flip popovers out onto cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes before tearing in. Best if served warm.