Summertime Treat - Strawberry Cream Cake

I always crave this particular dessert whenever I see loads of strawberries at the store.  I don't always make it, but I almost always buy the berries and think about baking this cake.

Because I'm so enamored by this treat, I've read many recipes for it.  In the end, I'm not convinced that more steps yields better results.  I know that I'm always looking for the shortcut, but this time I feel somewhat validated.  So while some recipes will tell you to mix cream cheese with whipped cream to stiffen up the frosting and filling, I think that's a mistake.  Strawberries are already a little sour - why introduce another sour component?  The same goes for marscapone cheese, which is just a fancy Italian cream cheese.  Don't boil the strawberries with sugar to make a syrup or puree them, either.  More steps = more pain.

Bake your favorite yellow cake.  While it's in the oven, you can slice the berries and put them into a non-metal bowl. Squeeze half of a lemon over those berries and pop in a couple of tablespoons of sugar.  Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the refrigerator.  You can do this a few hours before Cake Time.

While the berries are hanging out, you can take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool.  After that, leave everything alone until it's just before Cake Time.

When Cake Time rolls around, whip up that cream.  Pour the whipping cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and mix on low with a hand mixer or a stand mixer.  When the cream has gotten somewhat frothy, increase the speed and mix until the cream forms fluffy peaks.  Now you can put the cake together any way you'd like.  If you're making the cake for a crowd, you may build the cake by putting a layer down on the serving plate first.  Pour half of the syrup from the berries onto the first layer, then put down half of the berries on that layer.  Then put half of the cream on that layer and top with the second cake layer.  Pour the rest of the syrup on top of the cake, add the rest of the berries, then add the rest of the whipped cream.  If you'd like to see the strawberries on top, then put the whipped cream on after the syrup, before the berries.

If it's just for my immediate family, I'll freeze one layer of cake right away.  The other layer gets all the syrup from the berries first, then I load up the berries, then dollop the whipped cream right on top.  Easy.  Pretty.  Most importantly, Tasty.

Components:

This list gives measurements for a traditional 2-layer cake.  If you're only making 1 layer for a smaller group, then cut the non-cake ingredients in half.  Bake the entire cake and freeze one layer for a later date.

Basic American Yellow Cake, Los Angeles Times 

1 pound of fresh strawberries

Juice from 1/2 very large lemon or 1 small lemon

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Half pint of heavy whipping cream

A dash of pure vanilla extract

Mountain Standard - Vail

The Amazing Bone Marrow

An interesting take on shrimp and grits

Fun Drinks

Mountain Standard sits right on Gore Creek in Vail Village and offers delicious food in an energetic setting.  I felt no qualms about bringing my kids to this eatery where the happy hour revelers made enough ambient noise to drown out any silliness from my little ones.  The highlight of the meal was probably the Bone Marrow appetizer - the tender, delectable marrow is presented in half of a bone and could easily provide enough appetizer bites for 4 people.

I enjoyed the creative take on Shrimp and Grits while Major Obvious loved his pork chop.  (Personally, I do not really like brined meat.  I think the texture gets rubbery and the flavor ends up inevitably salty.  But everyone else seems to love it.  Besides, I don't know for a fact that the pork chop is brined, this is only a suspicion).

Mountain Standard provides an extensive kids' menu (even if someone has carelessly left the year 2012 on the top of it, thereby prompting my pedantic husband to ask our server what entrees are on the 2013 children's menu).  There are also fantastic cocktails.  If you're looking to dine here during peak season, you should probably make reservations ahead of time and dine earlier in the evening.  The service tends to fade as the night continues.

Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

I know, I bake a lot of cookies!  When the snow keeps falling, I can't resist.  It's also my answer to, "How do I get rid of that smell of roast chicken/grilled fish/curry in the house?"

These chocolate goodies might just be my biggest cookie weakness.  It's really hard for me to have a box of these in the kitchen, taunting me as I wash dishes or get the next meal ready.  I may have eaten 4 yesterday.  Maybe.

These are pretty much Ina Garten's cookies but without as much sugar.  They still came out a little too sweet, so I will cut the sugar even more next time.








Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Ina Garten's recipe in Barefoot Contessa Parties!



1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). (This time and temperature still works at high altitude).  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Homemade Gnocchi - Fast Enough for a Weekday!

My friend Roshni had this great quote while we were eating at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, "You just can't go wrong with gnocchi!!"  (This was exclaimed after she took a rather large bite out of Vinnie's gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce).  I beg to differ.  Ordering gnocchi at a restaurant is a HUGE gamble.  Those little dumplings often come up dense, and many times I've been stuck with a large plate of miniature door stops.  As a general rule, I don't like to roll the dice like that, but I will sometimes go for it because if the gnocchi are good, then I get to eat an entire plate of little heavenly pillows.  Mmmm.  Incidentally, one place that never ceases to disappoint me is Mangia Mangia, my childhood Italian restaurant in Huntington Beach, California.  Those gnocchi are scrumptious.And what if you can't find your own pillow dealer?  As Bacon dryly says, "Then just make it yourself."  I don't know about you, but I've always found the notion of making my own gnocchi extremely daunting.  Then I saw this video and recipe on Food52.  Now, these are not the lightest I've ever come across, but given that it doesn't take much time makes up for that.  Weekday gnocchi?  Hooray!!!  Italian Ricotta Gnocchi - cdilauraServes 4

• 1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• freshly grated nutmeg to taste
• 2 cups flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling dough

1. Add egg to ricotta cheese and oil and mix thoroughly.
2. Add grated parmesan cheese to mixture and sprinkle with nutmeg to taste.
3. Add sifted flour a little at a time and continue to mix thoroughly until dough comes together.
4. Dump onto generously floured surface and work with hands to bring together into a smooth ball. Add more flour as necessary until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
5. Cut off slices of dough like cutting a loaf of bread and roll into ropes thumb size thick by spreading hands and fingers and rolling from center out to each edge of the rope.
6. Line one rope parallel to another and cut 2 at a time into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece off the back of a fork to make imprints that will help hold the sauce.
7. Transfer gnocchi pieces to a lightly floured or non-stick baking sheet so they don’t stick together and put in the freezer while making the rest of batch. If you plan to save any gnocchi for future use, allow them to freeze entirely on the baking sheet before storing in a ziplock bag to prevent sticking together.
8. When ready to prepare, bring a large stockpot of generously salted water to a boil.
9. Add gnocchi to boiling water and gently stir once with a wooden spoon to create movement and prevent gnocchi from sticking to the bottom. As gnocchi rise to the top {a sign they are done cooking} scoop them out with a mesh strainer or a bamboo wire skimmer and immediately place in serving bowl shaking off excess water.
10. Scoop some sauce on top of each layer of gnocchi as they are placed in the bowl to eliminate the need to stir them with sauce in the end and risk damaging or smashing the pasta. Generously grate parmesan over the top and serve.

Green Soup - A Virtuous Winter Adventure

I love listening to The Splendid Table, a weekly food podcast hosted by Lynne Rosetto Casper on American Public Media.  A couple of weeks ago, the show interviewed vegetarian cook Anna Thomas.  I made her Basic Green Soup today and it was pretty tasty, considering that there was no meat or dairy in it.  (Well, I did put in chicken broth, as I didn't have vegetable broth).   This is the perfect lunch or dinner to have after a sinful weekend of eating out at a lot of restaurants or eating a lot of baked treats (not that I did either of those activities this past week). 

   
Basic Green Soup – from Anna Thomas' Love Soup

Ingredients

o   2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

o   2 large yellow onions, chopped

o   1 teaspoon salt, divided

o   2 tablespoons plus 3 cups water, divided

o   1/4 cup arborio rice

o   1 bunch green chard (about 1 pound)

o   14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 ounces), any tough stems trimmed

o   4 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade

o   Big pinch of cayenne pepper

o   1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use, such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.

3. When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.

4. Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.

To make ahead: Prepare through Step 4 (omitting the lemon), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

When You Can't Ski, Make Chocolate Chip Cookies

Major Obvious was bummed this past weekend because we had to cancel our ski trip when Little Man came down with a cold.  Cookies to the rescue!  My brother accidentally bought me a million pistachios from Whole Foods, so I threw those in, too.  And by the way, David Lebovitz is a genius.

Chocolate Chip Cookies – David Lebovitz

Ingredients

·       2 1/2 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour

·       3/4 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/8 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar

·       3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       2 large eggs, at room temperature

·       2 cups (about 225 g) nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

·       14 ounces (400 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2- to 1-inch (1.5- to 3-cm) chunks or 3 cups (340 g) chocolate drops

Directions

1.     In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

2.     In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chunks.

3.     On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours.

4.     Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

5.     Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick and place the disks 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.

6.     Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, as I do, err on the side of underbaking.

7.     Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.  

8.     Storage: The dough logs can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. The baked cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Wolf Pie - Great for Meatless Monday!

Wolf Pie, the hilarious picture book by Brenda Seabrooke and Liz Callen, retells the story of the 3 Little Pigs with a fantastic twist.  The wolf becomes a friend of the pigs and a willing vegetarian.  After reading the book, Sweetie Pie and Little Man were inspired to make up their own recipe for Wolf Pie, highlighting their favorite vegetables.  Here is their creation!

Wolf Pie
filling recipe by Perficious Eats, Sweet Pea and Little Man

Filling Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1 egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of water, beaten together in a little dish (this is the pie crust's egg wash)
salt and pepper to taste
optional:  several threads of saffron

Pie Crust Ingredients:

Use your favorite pie crust recipe here.  I like Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee recipe for this.

1.  Make the pie crust, separate into 4 little discs and refrigerate.  (If your recipe makes enough dough for a 2-crust pie, then only use 1/2 of the dough for this recipe.  You can freeze the other half for another day of pie!)

2.  In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Saute the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and add the flour.  Add the broth slowly and keep stirring to break up the flour clumps.  Add the saffron, salt and pepper.  Simmer for a few more minutes and take off the heat.

3.  In a separate pot, cook the sweet potatoes in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes.  Drain and add to the sauce pot.  Stir in the peas and corn.

4.  Divide the mixture among 4 ramekins.

5.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator, roll out 1 disc into a thin layer that can wrap over a ramekin.  Before you cover the ramekin with dough, brush the top edge and sides of the ramekin with the egg wash.  Cover the ramekin with the dough and repeat with the other 3 ramekins.  Brush the tops of the pies with more egg wash and cut slits or poke holes into each pie crust.  We used a fork to make holes in the crust that looked like each person's first initial:

6.  Bake the ramekins for 1 hour, or until the crust looks golden brown and the filling is bubbling inside.  Yum, yum.