Due to storms & bad luck, we were without power for two days. We told jokes & ghost stories for about an hour, and then got progressively crankier as the power didn’t return (and the power company kept extending the outage estimate: “You’ll have power back by 6 pm!” “You’ll have it back by midnight (Tuesday)!” “You’ll have it back by midnight (Wednesday)!”). Yesterday, we finally caved and rented a hotel room (oh, hot water & internet–how I’d missed you). Now our power is back on. I’ll try to post regularly from here on out. 

Long ago, Star Provisions sold lavender pound cakes, sweet buttery confections with clean floral notes & crisp sugar glazes. Then they stopped, and I was forced to choose between a life without lavender pound cake or learning how to make it myself. This is the first recipe I tried, and it is good (though not perfect, more on that below). It is also easy.

The following recipe (slightly altered) comes from Tessa Evelegh’s Lavender, via LavenderFarm.com.

Lavender Pound Cake

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 tbsp dried culinary lavender*, roughly chopped
½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. whole milk
⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
½ tsp. water

*We bought lavender at Cost Plus World Market; also check local farmer’s markets or online. We paid $2 for 0.25 oz at CPWM; you can definitely do better online, but keep in mind shipping costs.

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch ring pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

4. Beat eggs in one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated (mixture should be glossy & uniform).

5. Fold in the flour, chopped lavender, vanilla extract and milk (I used a silicone spatula) until thoroughly blended.

6. Pour the mixture into the ring pan. Place on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes. Test by inserting a sharp knife through the thickest part; when knife comes out clean, remove pan from oven. Let sit 5 minutes, then overturn onto plate. Transfer to wire rack for cooling.

7. With a fork, whisk the confectioner’s sugar with the water until smooth and thick (add more water/sugar as needed). Drizzle over cake. Serve.

I have mixed feelings on this cake. I love how easy & fast it is to make. The cake’s light texture and subtle sweetness are good for a breakfast pastry or as a snack with tea, coffee, or citrus juice. The lavender flavor/smell make it special.

But I feel it could be better. It crumbles too much; the glaze could be thicker; the flavor is straightforwardly good, but I wonder if it could use complexity. In particular, I want to try the popular pairing of lavender & lemon (see: lavender pound cake with lemon glaze & Meyer lemon lavender pound cake). Not that you shouldn’t try this recipe first (the ease and relatively small amount of lavender used make it a good starting point), but definitely experiment later on. I’ll also update here if I discover an upgrade.

CAKE!

Tomorrow I’m observing the Bloggers’ Day of Silence for Japan. I’ve updated a previous post on ways to help; if you haven’t contributed already, please consider doing so. 

Pasta puttanesca is a perfect week-night dish–easy & quick to make, made with mostly pantry items, and adjustable for different dietary needs. It can easily be vegetarian, although the anchovy base adds “umami” dimension. If you choose to forgo anchovies, you might try 1 to 2 tbsps olive brine, added with the tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 lb long, thin pasta
3 tbsps olive oil + some to coat pasta
4 or more oil-packed anchovy fillets
5 garlic cloves, crushed & peeled
1 28 oz can crushed plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsps capers
optional: fresh chopped parsley and/or basil

{the recipe also traditionally includes oil-cured black olives}

Preparation

1. Prepare pasta according to box instructions. Drain, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat. Set aside.

2. Add 3 tbsps olive oil to a thick-bottomed pan. Warm over medium heat; add anchovy fillets and crushed garlic. Cook 2 minutes, smashing and mixing anchovies into the oil.

3. Add canned tomatoes to pan, and raise heat to medium high. Cook ten minutes, then add chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and capers. Let simmer 3 to 5 minutes more.

4. Stir in fresh herbs, if any. Remove sauce from heat and serve over the pasta.

Mario Batali would have apoplexy over this amount of sauce. Sorry, Mr. Batali.

Tonight we had a modified version of this Cooking Light recipe. It took 25 minutes from start to finish, and everyone loved it.

Changes we made to the original recipe:

• doubled the recipe
• used spicy sausage instead of sweet
• used dried herbs (cheaper and more convenient)
• chopped the onion & garlic myself (it takes 5 extra minutes & tastes much better. At least chop your own garlic, that bottled minced stuff is vile)
• used kale instead of spinach (the spinach can get slimy, while the kale provides a nice crunch)

Ingredients

1 (20 oz) pack spicy turkey Italian sausage
Dash olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup water
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 (32 oz) box fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
4 cups kale (stems removed)
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Preparation

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large saucepan  over high heat until browned, stirring to crumble (optional: add dash of olive oil to pan to prevent sticking). Add onion and garlic to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in water, beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, then cook for 3 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in kale, basil, and oregano, and reserve on low heat until ready to serve.

I like bibimbap best when someone else makes it for me (who doesn’t?), but here’s my recipe if I have to make it myself.

Note: I like the crunch & freshness of the uncooked vegetables here; even though they’re not particularly flavorful, their crispness cuts through the beef, rice, & oil. That said, chopping the cucumbers/carrots/daikon radish takes forever, and the best bits are really the rice, beef, & gooey egg. Just top the latter three with a few ribboned lettuce leaves, red radish, and scallions for an easier meal.

Beef, Vegetable, & Egg Bibimbap

Adapted from Korean Cooking Made Easy, by Soon Young Chung

Ingredients

1 red radish, cut into matchsticks
4 oz daikon radish, peeled & cut into matchsticks
1 small English cucumber, peeled & cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, peeled & cut into matchsticks
5 shiso (or 3 Napa cabbage) leaves, cut into thin ribbons
14 oz beef sirloin, sliced into thin strips
3 tbsp vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 cups cooked rice
2 scallions, sliced [Read more…]

Made these for the first time last night, inspired by the spicy bean cakes at my favorite local diner. These are cheaper & better.

Black Beans Cakes

1 15 oz can reduced sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
1 egg white
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used a day-old French bread loaf)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 slim scallions, sliced thin

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash 1/2 cup of the beans with the egg white. Then add the bread crumbs, seasonings, & scallions, combine well, and place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a thick-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Remove the bean mix from fridge & form into four equal-sized patties. Place patties in the heated pan, and cook 5 minutes each side.

Serve with scrambled eggs & salsa.