This One's a Keeper

If you are one of my good friends, there is a high likelihood I will make you a birthday cake on your annointed day (assuming I know when it is, of course).  That's what happened recently, when I delivered a cake to my dear friend Charla (not her real name) at her place of work.

Charla is very careful about what she eats (far better than I!) and I know she's been doing her best to stay away from chocolate.  I could certainly work around that in deciding what kind of cake to make for her, but I wasn't sure where to go from there.  I ran down my list of favorites (hummingbird and salted caramel came to mind) but nothing sounded right.  I remembered a lavender pound cake I made for her several years ago (which she liked) and lime cornmeal cookies which were also among her favorites.

Then I espied those two Meyer lemons which I'd been hoarding.  I also discovered an unopened bottle of poppy seeds in the spice cabinet.  An idea for Lemon Poppyseed Cake started to dance in my head.....

I turned to that well-used tome in my kitchen, "Sky High" by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.  I wasn't looking to make a sky high irresistible triple-layer cake, but when I came across their recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Almond Cream Cheese Frosting, I couldn't resist.  As it turned out, this was a good decision.

If the reaction from Charla's co-workers was any indication, this cake was a pretty big hit.  One gentleman came over to tell me he was swooning and had just finished his second piece.  I loved that!  Haha, and he also made sure to tell me that his birthday is on October 12.  I hear you, Charlie!

The authors state that this cake is both rich and light at the same time.  I would have to agree.  I will tell you though, that brushing the layers with the lemon syrup is crucial.  If you skip this step, I think the layers will be too dry.  I love the fact that the layers are pure white (due to no egg yolks) and speckled with those tiny black poppy seeds which give the cake a lovely crunch.  I debated about replacing the almond extract in the frosting with lemon juice, but in the end, I didn't.  Another good decision.

I have to make a big birthday cake for a friend's big birthday next week. This one just might be in the running!

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE WITH ALMOND-CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (adapted from “Sky High” by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne)

3 cups cake flour
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt (I used kosher)
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons (Meyer lemons, if possible)
1 ¼ cups buttermilk, divided
5 egg whites (I used extra-large)
1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Butter the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each with parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

Combine the flour, 1 ¾ cups of the sugar, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl several times. Add the lemon zest and mix well. Add the flour mixture and 1 cup of the buttermilk. Beat on low until completely mixed, then increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes to lighten and aerate the batter.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup buttermilk and whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the egg white mixture to the batter in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating only enough to incorporate. Divide the batter among the prepared pans.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out on a baking rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, the lemon juice and the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let cool slightly.

For the frosting:
1 ½ lbs. (three 8-oz. packages) cream cheese, softened
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
½ lb. confectioner’s sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon almond extract

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat well on high speed for at least 5 minutes, scraping bowl down often until no lumps remain. Add sugar in three parts, beating well each time and scraping down bowl as needed. Add salt and almond extract and blend well. Try to avoid eating too much of this stuff as you make it.

To assemble:
Place one layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush with 1/3 of the lemon syrup. Spread with a layer of frosting. Repeat with remaining two layers, then frost sides and top of cake.

Serves 8 - 10

* I am givng you this recipe as it was written.  In the interest of full disclosure, I made it in lovely 8-inch pans with removable bottoms which were given to me by my dear friend Stephen (you know who you are).  No need for you to follow that same path; just make it in whatever pans work for you.

*  And yes, I am going to make this for my friend's birthday.  In a tiered version, no less.  Heaven help me!  I have a feeling this could just be the next great cake-wreck!

*  Will keep you posted.  Even if it's ugly. It probably will be. Oy veh.

A Mouth-watering Bulgur Pilaf from Refika

Son Cem (pron: Jem) flew in from London very recently for a lightning visit. We were all prepared for him to stay on the other side (of the Bosphorus) with Daughter No 1 who lives in trendy Cihangir but to our joy, the thought of the comforts of ‘home’ prevailed and home he came proving yet again,

East, west, home’s best!

Of course part of the attraction is finding good food in the fridge and on the table! I had made a cake in anticipation – more of that another time -  as I knew that we would certainly see him at some stage, but nothing much else. We ourselves don’t eat a lot of meat but Cem is a true Turk in this respect:  he loves it.  Call it intuition or something, very luckily I had  bought and frozen some bonfilet/fillet steak just the week before which was  quickly defrostable. (The butcher had described it as ‘lokum gibi’ – as tender as Turkish Delight!) But of course it needed something to go with it so I seized the opportunity of making this bulgur pilavı which I’d had up my sleeve for some time. You see, when it is just my husband and me, we try hard to eat healthily. Instead of potatoes or rice, we have a slice of brown bread, for example. But this turned out to be a  real treat for all of us as you will see!

I made this pilaf from Refika’s Cooking New Istanbul Style and it was so successful that we had three helpings each! Can you imagine! As usual, what her recipe lacks in detail, it more than makes up for in scrumptiousness.  Here is the recipe somewhat interpreted by me:

Ingredients for  Refika’s Bulgur Pilavı

Serves 6 – 8

2 cups bulgur (large grain)

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tbsp pepper paste

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tomatoes, grated

4 cloves garlic, each cut into 8 pieces

1 tin chickpeas (400g)

½  carrot, grated

hot water – about 4 cups*

1-2  tbsp olive oil

3 sprigs fresh thyme ( I used dried kekik)

Red flaked pepper/dried mint/ sumak/sumac/ salt and pepper to taste

Method

·         Gently saute the chopped onion in  the olive oil. Add the garlic. When the onion starts to soften, add the grated tomato. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add both the pepper paste and the tomato paste.

·         Add the washed bulgur and stir. Add the grated carrot, chickpeas and spices. Pour in the hot water to a level of about 3 cm above the ingredients. (Check note below).

·         As Refika says, the mixture in the pot may look like a soup at first, but you will be surprised at how the bulgur will absorb the liquid.

·         Bring to the boil then lower the heat and  cover with the lid. Check every 10 mins or so. Resist the temptation to stir while it is cooking. You will know it’s done when little pits ‘like small craters’ emerge in the bulgur. Taste one grain just to make sure.

·         Turn off the heat and let it rest still with the lid on for 15 minutes.  Give it a good stir so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed together and serve!

Tips

1.       Refika is not specific about how much water to add and I know that if you are not used to cooking bulgur, you might agonize over the amount.  I have checked other recipes and see that for this quantity of bulgur, about 4 cups water is recommended. But I wouldn’t worry. Bulgur isn’t vulnerable like rice: the grains will not collapse or go soggy. And if more water is needed, just go ahead and add it but make sure it is hot.  Bulgur is a very accommodating grain. The resulting pilaf should be moist but not wet.

2.       A good tip at the end, when you have turned the heat off, is to place a clean dry teatowel over the pan and place the lid on top. Then it can rest and the excess moisture is absorbed into the teatowel.

3.       A word about grating tomatoes: this is a very Turkish thing to do and it works a treat, especially with those nice juicy Çanakkale summer tomatoes. This way you don’t need to open a tin!

I defy you not to like this! Go on, try it!

Afiyet olsun!

'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio

Up until now I only knew Jambalaya in the context of a-crawfish pie and-a fillet gumbo but Giraffe assures me its a Louisianan Creole dish.  Not sure if I'm any the wiser but bring on the Jambalaya Meatballs with pasta or rice - Page 90.

First issue was minced chicken - I couldn't find any so used minced turkey.  Not much difference between a cluck and a gobble.  Apart from that I pretty much followed the ingredients exactly although I had reservations about the sheer quantity it was making.  400g each of minced lamb and minced turkey seemed way too much to serve 4 and when I started to form it into balls it was clear there was enough to feed the 5,000 with loaves and fishes to spare.  I made 30 giant sized meatballs and still had mixture left over. 

My cooking method diverged from the recipie at this point.  There were way too many meatballs to fit in a frying pan to sear so I just popped them on a rectangle stone and bunged them in the oven.  I've pretty much abandoned traditional metal baking trays in favour of Pampered Chef Stonewear.  Its not cheap but it lasts forever and has amazing heat distribution and retention properties.  Sales pitch over - I'm not on commission I promise!

The secret of these meatballs - apart from the cajun spice which is what I asume makes them Jambalayan - is grated potatoes.  Never come across this before in meatballs but its certainly something that I'd try again.  I reckon you could also do it with other root veg in an attemp (probably in vain!) to trick kids into eating their greens.  As you can see I served with pasta but I cut back drastically on the quantity of peppers that were supposed to be mixed through it.  I find them rather indigestable so only used 1/2 a red and 1/2 a green rather than the required traffic light combination of 1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow.

Not sure I'd make the exact recipe again although it was eaten with gusto by Mr and Boy and even Girl had a couple of the meatballs with plain pasta and sauce.  The quantity it made was obscene, a lot of wasted meatballs and I made 4 burgers with the raw leftovers.  Will definately chuck some grated tatties in the next batch of meatballs I make and I might even indulge in a little Jambalayan sing song... Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh, Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou!

I'm Sure It Helps If You Know The Right People

Dig this.

The number of temporary healthcare reform waivers granted by the Obama administration to organizations climbed to more than 1,000, according to new numbers disclosed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

HHS posted 126 new waivers on Friday, bringing the total to 1,040 organizations that have been granted a one-year exemption from a new coverage requirement included in the healthcare reform law enacted almost a year ago.

Widespread, large scale corruption is a hallmark of economic fascism. When financial decisions are made by politicians, that's who you sell to.

Baby gelino

Here we are at month 4 of trying to conceive. We are hoping and praying that this is the golden month!

When The Only Food Source Is Inadequate, Cannibalism Becomes An Option

... and thus the state employee unions, the universities, the green investment proponents and the social programs managers have started to feed on each other here in California.

I went to one of the UCs. I've been receiving emails from them asking me to make phone calls in support of their budgets. Support their budgets from what? Raids by other departments as the funds draw down, perhaps?

Yesterday, as my son watched the morning news over a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats, we saw the KUSI news anchor rail against state employees' huge pensions. In the LA Times there was a recent article about a renewable energy zealot who had fleeced their community colleges out of millions.

Not all of these stories are motivated by a desire to make sure the others get cut first, but you can be sure that some are. If I was an activist for the Head Start program and I worked at a newspaper or a TV studio, you can be sure that my ideological allies would be feeding me story leads to make their rivals at the public trough look bad. That's how it works in a society where income is dependent on politics. In addition to hiring lobbyists to influence legislators, you whisper in the news media's ear to get the voters to call their representatives.

When there's not enough food being harvested from outside sources, your nourishment has to come from somewhere.

My daughter turned 17

S.Kenney 2011 Full Moon Memories

It was a full moon. Just like this one.

I had never heard this apparent fact before.

More women tend to go into labor during a full moon.

I stood at the window 17 years ago staring fervently at this full moon,

Hoping for this tidal imbalance and gravitational state to do its magic on my belly.

That night my beautiful daughter, Madeleine, was born.

Those nurses and midwives were right.

This year, I was ready to cook her a fabulous gourmet meal.  

  True to her nature, she wanted her simple childhood favorites.

Rice Krispie treats.

Marshmallow Fluff

and Sprinkles.

Sweet and Simple

Just like her.

S. Kenney  2011

Birthdays get so difficult each year.  So many changes are happening to her this year.

This week, she finally got her driver's license.

And.

She drove away for the first time.  

I have tears as I type this.

She drove away.

For the first time.

I've waited a week to post this article because I knew it would be emotional.

And. it. is.

S. Kenney - 2011

How delightfully sentimental... these marshmallowy, crispy,  childhood sweets.

What a wonderful metaphor of herself as a little girl.

Here they are, candles and all.

And...

sprinkles.

S. Kenney - 2011

S.Kenney- 2011

But, this last photo is how I see my daughter, Madeleine.

Soft, delicate, quiet, serene.

Always wrapped in the pages of her imaginative world.

I could have never asked for so much in a child.

She is a gift of a soul.

A message of quiet hope.

And a spirit of strong character that is ready to go into this world.

Rice Krispy Balls

Ingredients

• 1 box rice krispies
  
• 2 sticks butter
  
• 1 bag marshmallows
  

Cooking Directions

1. Heat the 2 sticks of butter in a large skillet until melted. Evenly spread the bag of marshmallows. Stir gently until melted and gooey. 
2. Slowly pour the rice krispies into the skillet. Stir all of the ingredients until well blended. 
3. Rub a bit of butter onto your hands. Grab a handful of the mixture and roll into evenly sized balls. Move a bit quickly so the marshmallows and butter don't have time to cool.
4. Place rice krispie balls into cupcake papers. Top with spoonful of marshmallow fluff and decorate with sprinkles!