Pineapple Upside-Down Splatcake

My sister's birthday was two and a half months ago, yet somehow I only just got around to baking her birthday cake.  She requested a pineapple upside-down cake, and I was more than happy to comply.  The past three or so years I've been meaning to bake one.  Everything was beautiful, until the final moment.  Let's just say the moment where it actually becomes upside-down didn't go as planned...



Still an amazingly delicious cake!  I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe (noticing a pattern here?) with the only change being a brilliant addition of <1/4 tsp almond extract.  Since my kitchen is currently devoid of cast iron cookware, I used a cake pan which you can see in the top right of the photo above.  The caramel sauce was made on the stovetop, then poured into the cake pan.  Pineapple slices were arranged on top of that, then the batter was spooned on and smoothed over.  It was super, except it leaked over into the oven during baking.  Next time I'm going to leave out a spoonful or two of the batter.  The cookie sheet covered in foil was put in halfway through baking to catch any more drippings, and it ended up being the permanent home of the cake.  Alas.  Regardless of final presentation, this is one of my favorite things I've baked lately.

On to dinner!  I love CSA veggies.



I just boiled some whole wheat pasta, threw the green beans in for the last few minutes, and somehow whipped up a quick carbonara sauce.  Some eggs, Parmesan, oil, garlic, and I can't remember what else.  Topped with fresh tomatoes.

I also made some tasty Asian tilapia tacos recently.  Rub tilapia with hot curry powder, pan-fry tilapia in some butter and olive oil, then flake with forks and pour some nuoc cham over it.  Nuoc cham is my new favorite condiment.  Recipe as follows: equal volume fish sauce, brown sugar, and fresh lime juice with two or three thinly sliced birds eye chilis.  Stir it all up and let it sit for at least ten or fifteen minutes before you use it.  Fish sauce is such a necessary part of life.



This is a lovely picture of a Vietnamese rice noodle bowl I made with marinated carrots/tomatoes, chili lime chicken, cilantro, and peanut sauce.  My favorite part was the carrots and tomatoes.  They're just marinated overnight in nuoc cham.  10/10, would eat again.

Next time, expect some knit-talk!  I'm on my way to fight with my camera for some good pictures of some Finished Objects.  Here's a cute dog to tide you over.



Carlos is so dreamy.

Nessie's Baked Treats

Recently I became acquainted with monster cookies.  They're now my compromise between (tasty) cookies and (healthier) granola bars.  They're still probably substantially sweeter than granola bars though.  Basically, they are flourless oatmeal peanut butter-based cookies that, as far as I can tell, are called Monster because most people make them in a large size.  How's that for a descriptive cookie name.  Let it be noted that these are not gluten-free cookies--I learned that your garden-variety oats you buy at the grocery store can possibly have gluten residue on them, but you can easily buy gluten-free oats for that special food-allergic someone in your life!  You could also sub out the butter for a dairy-free alternative, or flax "eggs" for the real thing.  If you really had to.  [I just realized I forgot the cinnamon in the batches in the oven.  Dang.]



Loch Ness Cookies
(makes 36 3-inch cookies)

1/3 cup butter (softened)
2/3 white sugar
2/3 brown sugar
1 cup unsalted unsweetened crunchy peanut butter (or whatever you have)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp corn syrup (or honey)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground(ish) flax seeds
3 cups oats (old-fashioned, not quick oats)
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
~1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
~1/3 dried fruit (e.g., craisins, berries)

Preheat oven to  350°F .  Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars.  Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and corn syrup.  Mix in everything else, ending with the choco chips and fruit.  Drop by 1/4 cup (or smaller) onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges.

Recipe End Note: I really want to incorporate seaweed at some point.  I love seaweed.



In baking those cookies, I have achieved what must be the high of my career.  Look at that perfectly executed parchment paper tear.  Look at it.  My crowning moment as a baker, captured in this picture.  I finally did it, Mom.



Also, I made my first pie!  It's about as photogenic as a clod of peachy blueberry dirt.  I don't know what I was thinking with those Xs and that creepy non-centered circular vent.  My next one will be heaps better.



Finally, I made PERFECT pancakes for the first time a few days ago.  I did not capture the moment in pictures, but they were still delicious, and slightly eccentrically-spiced.  Rosemary Cinnamon Pancakes.  Recipe is simple.  Add some rosemary and cinnamon to your favorite pancakes, and enjoy with a bit of butter and syrup.  The cooking process is what always caught me up on pancakes.  I suppose I had the heat too high and used too much oil or butter before the perfect pancake day.  I'd like to thank my housemate for opening me to the world of "medium heat" on the stove as it really should be, medium.  Not slightly above.  Just medium.  That's the secret.  Meeeeedium.

I love to bake.  And I'm lucky to have such accommodating friends and coworkers who volunteer to aid me in the dangerously delicious sugary consumption.  So guys, thanks.  Here's to many more tupperwares full of cooking experiments in the breakroom.

Morsels

Today I have for you some tasty little morsels that have made my summer grand.  First of all, a local company has sprouted up in Raleigh to create cold-brew coffee for all your iced summer caffeine needs.  Slingshot Coffee Company uses Counter Culture beans (roasted in Durham) to make some deviously delicious and convenient beverages.  I got mine from Tasty Beverage Co. in the downtown depot, and the full list of purveyors is on Slingshot's website.  Check them out.



I've made cold-brew coffee before (it's super easy), but this is just so convenient.  No planning ahead or filtering needed.  And the packaging!  I'm such a sucker for great graphics like this.  My favorite way to drink it was diluted with an equal amount of cold water and a decent sprinkle of salt.  I thought that was crazy to start with, too, considering I must have a bit of sugar and a significant amount of cream in my hot coffee to make it palatable, but cold is just best with some salt. 

Next up, another beverage!  Cantaloupe agua fresca (sort of).  A while back I had some cubed cantaloupe that was about to go bad right as I was going out of town, so I stuck it in the freezer with the intention of blending it into smoothies when I got back.  



Of course, I didn't end up doing that.  I had been reading about agua frescas all summer, and this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at one.  All that is required is a quick blend in the food processor and a little straining to remove the bigger chunks.  However, I ended up simplifying the recipe so much that I really just ended up with cantaloupe juice, which is fine by me!  I wish I had some soda water and lime juice to jazz it up a little, but it definitely didn't need any sugar.

My latest lunch obsession is leftover-steak salads.  I had marinated some flank steak in soy sauce and brown sugar with tons of garlic, then pseudo-grilled it to about medium rare.  It was grand, but it was even better sliced up thinly and pan-fried (just to heat it up and fully cook it) over arugula with lime squeezed over the top.  Best summer lunch.  I love those caramelized bits.

Rosemary Banana Bread

These next few posts will be a collection of projects that have kept me busy over the last month.  Morsels.  I'll go ahead and tell you, if you don't like rosemary, you should probably browse on back to tumblr or pinterest or whatever it is the young kids do these days.  With their music.  And saggy pants.  But really, I have been rosemary-ing everything, from tea to banana bread to peasant bread!  Can't stop, addicted to the rosemary.  I should probably skip the music career and stick to baking and knitting...



Brown Butter Rosemary Banana Bread

3-4 superripe bananas
2 (3-inch) springs fresh rosemary + 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup salted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 lightly beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
probably 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour

Mash the bananas with the tablespoon of chopped rosemary, and let sit for a while.  [See Recipe Notes]

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter a loaf pan.  


Melt the 1/3 cup butter in a small saucepan with the rosemary sprigs and allow it to turn a medium brown over medium heat.  It should smell nutty, but I evidently have an immunity to aromatic nuttiness, in wine aromas and otherwise.  Take it off the burner immediately and allow it to cool.

Mix the brown sugar, cooled butter*, egg, and vanilla into the bananas.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt on, then mix those in too.  Gradually mix in the flour, then transfer the whole deal to your loaf pan.  Sprinkle approximately 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp sugar on the top before popping in the oven for around 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Enjoy sprinkled with salt, or butter it up, or just eat it plain.


Recipe Notes: If it's going to be over an hour or so, I'd probably stick the banana-rosemary sludge in the fridge.  Be careful though--if it is too cold when you mix the batter, it may affect the baking time.  I convinced myself the bananas became infused with the rosemary flavor in the fridge, but it may not be crucial.   Also, my bread seemed to bake up a lot faster than other quick breads I've made.  I'd suggest keeping a weather eye on it.
*Note: if the butter is too hot when mixed in, the egg will cook, and no one wants scrambled eggs in their banana bread.  No one.


Coming up soon: rosemary peasant bread, monster cookies, oven-dried tomatoes, and knitted gloves!

Come Dancing!

Let me start off by saying I absolutely cannot dance, though the post title may suggest I intend to.  Let me assure you, I don't.  I do, however, intend to listen to the Kinks.

I have been making some killer meals and baked goods and knitted FOs lately!  Summer is amazing for Coon Rock Farm CSA produce.  The last few weeks have been filled with beautifully sweet yellow and orange grape tomatoes, green beans, new potatoes, and corn.  Corn on the cob used to be my favorite food as a kid, but once I got to high school I dismissed it for whatever reason.  That means that it has probably been seven or eight years since I have had corn on the cob, which is ridiculous.  It has resumed favorite food status, although these days it's more of a group of foods rather than singling out any one.

Tonight, I made some tasty broiled ginger-soy eggplant, last year's home-canned crowder peas, and corn on the cob.  So yummy and beyond affordable.  The ginger-soy sauce on the eggplant was really simple, fresh ginger, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper, sugar, sesame oil.  I started the crowder peas in some chicken stock with bacon-sauteed onion and garlic.  A quick broil for the eggplant and boiling of the corn after the beans had gotten a good head start and that was that!  I guess I boiled the corn somewhere in there.



I have been knitting lately with probably the most satisfying skein of my knitting career, Lucia from Dirty Water Dyeworks.  I won this in a drawing for Holla Knits--thanks, Allyson!  She has had a crazy number of giveaways so far.  Superwash merino with 25% nylon, the Seaweed colorway is drop-dead gorgeous.  I made the Basketweave Neckerchief (pattern from another project Allyson is affiliated with; proceeds go to WORK+SHELTER), and I'm so happy with how it turned out.



The colors are just spellbinding, and the basketweave manages to showcase the color variations while still looking smooth and fluid.  I sometimes am disappointed with how color variation comes across in sock patterns.  It can make it look kind of random and mottled, but I think this was the perfect compromise.  The subtle pooling makes me so happy.  I'm working on some fabulous fingerless mitts to go with!  I'll show off those, oh, next month or whenever my next post is.

Coconut Muffins, Tomatoes, and Knitting!

Finally, I have something knitting-related to share!  But first, the delicious muffins.  I (as usual) used Deb's recipe over at Smitten Kitchen.  I only had desiccated unsweetened coconut, so for the topping I re-hydrated 1/4 cup coconut flakes with a tablespoon or so of basil simple syrup (made a few days prior for rum-basil-lime beverages).  There's also about a tablespoon of the syrup in the body of the muffins as well.  I made three of them with some white chocolate chunks I had laying around--these are the dessert muffins.  Yum.  You can't really taste the basil, but you definitely get the tangy-ness of the yogurt.

In other news, my tomato plant is looking prolific!  I can't wait for them to ripen.



Now for the knitting.  A coworker is moving away soon to a very cold location, and I wanted to send her off with something fun: Marley's Ghost, from Winter '05 Knitty.  This was my first felting/fulling project, and I'm pretty excited with how it turned out though I did have some concerns at first.  Before I even got started on the pattern, I had resigned myself to knitting twenty (or however many) boring links, but it turned out that I really enjoyed it!  Somehow having to manipulate the already-knitted links around the DPNs while knitting the new link kept my interest while still allowing for mindless knitting.


So this beautiful knitted mess will become lovely links in the wash.

18 minutes of a hot water agitation bath leads to this:

I took these pictures before I trimmed all the fuzzies off because the light was just too good to miss.


More pictures on the project page on Ravelry here.

Club Horizon Tapenade

Last night I got to volunteer and contribute a dish to Club Horizon's Wine Tasting and Food Pairing event!  It was a ton of fun for a good cause, and I had a great time fixing up my dish.  Everyone seemed to be delighted with all the food and wine offerings from various restaurants in the area.


I had originally decided to do a fig and green olive tapenade, but the fates conspired against me as the market in Neomonde, my favorite Mediterranean place here, was out of dried figs temporarily.  Dates seemed like the next best option, and I decided to use Kalamata olives to go with the slightly earthier character of dates.  Apparently baking dates come puréed in ultra-convenient pouches, so there was no peeling or mashing to be done!  I imagine if I looked harder, I could have found pitted olives, but I did it by hand, perfecting the score-and-squeeze method.  





Small side note about convenience.  Usually when I make things that require very small pieces, I end up chopping by hand.  I don't own a food processor, and my blender is nonfunctional.  I've used cheap food processors before and thought chopping by hand was actually easier and produced cleaner results, BUT!  I borrowed my sister's awesome brand new food processor and it was amazing!  My next big purchase will be one.  It took all of a few seconds to get the olive bits to the right size, whereas I probably would have been chopping for at least half an hour.  


As for seasoning, I decided to go for subtle but interesting flavor.  There's only a tiny bit of Garam Masala (premixed from Penzey's), garlic powder, and black pepper.  Oh, and a touch of excellent extra virgin-olive oil.  Squish it all up and you've got yourself some tapenade!





Club Horizon Tapenade
Need:
1/2 package of baking dates (around 6 oz.)
1 (11 oz) jar Kalamata olives (in brine, pre-pit them)
1/4 tsp heaping Garam Masala
1/4 tsp garlic powder
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish


Do:
Pulse olives in food processor until minced.  Combine with the rest of ingredients!  Spread on crackers and top with parsley.  Pair with Vigneron de Saumur's rosé or any other Cabernet Franc rosé!