Rosemary Pound Cake

Last night, I made Martha Stewart's Rosemary Pound Cake, which turned out to be so delicious I had to share the recipe with you! First, I made a simple rosemary-infused honey that was used to drizzle on top of the cake and also incorporate into the batter.  I decided to halve the recipe, since the odds of me eating two entire pound cakes this week were slim.  This cake is perfect for a Springtime brunch or afternoon luncheon. Not to mention, it's super easy to make.



Rosemary Honey

Drizzle this honey over fresh ricotta spread on toast or stir it into a mug of mild tea. It can be used as a glaze for poultry or pork when whisked with fresh lemon juice.

1 cup honey
5 rosemary sprigs

Bring honey and rosemary to a simmer in a small saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let steep until cool, about 45 minutes. Remove rosemary, or leave in for stronger flavor.

Rosemary Pound Cake
Aromatic rosemary-laced cake is best served warm, when the herb's flavor is at its peak and the cake is soft and tender.

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 tbs. baking power
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 tbs. finely chopped rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs, plus 1 large egg white
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup Rosemary Honey, recipe above

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter 2 loaf pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that as well. Whisk together flours, baking power, and 1 tsp. of salt.
2. Beat butter, sugar, rosemary, and vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs and egg white, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with milk.
3. Divide batter between pans and bake, rotating halfway through, for 50-60 minutes. Brush cakes with rosemary honey and cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm with more honey.

 

Three Great Salads

Recently, I've come across three amazing recipes for summer salads that I'd like to share with you. Summer is definitely a great time for salads, so with the upcoming season around the corner, try one of these recipes if you're looking for a crowd pleaser.

1. The first salad is my mom's recipe. Black Bean Couscous Salad is a light Caribbean dish with great heat. She makes it all the time, including at her own party a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I'm not the only one who loves it.

Black Bean Couscous Salad:

1 cup uncooked couscous

1¼ cups chicken broth

3 tbs. olive oil

2 tbs. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

½ tsp. cumin

8 green onions, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ cup frozen corn, thawed

2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained

salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in couscous. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.

Fluff couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. I had Momma Kaye's Macaroni Salad for the first time this past Saturday at a BBQ. My friend Patrick made his mom's dish and I was so impressed I had to ask for the recipe! Unlike most macaroni salads, this one is unique in that it incorporates lots of fresh veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes. The vegetables lighten up the salad and prevent the mayonnaise dressing from making it taste too heavy. One of my favorite aspects of this recipe is that, as Patrick explained, it's made almost entirely "to taste." What a great excuse to eat while cooking ;) and have a fail-proof way to make it taste just right.

Momma Kaye’s Macaroni Salad:
I large box of elbow macaroni2 large cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 jar of chopped pimentos, drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
Celery seeds

Mayonnaise
Mustard (optional)
Salt
Pepper

Cook macaroni as directed an drain. Cool the macaroni completely. In a large bowl, mix the macaroni, cucumbers, onion, eggs, bell peppers, and pimentos. Add enough mayonnaise to the mixture until it is fairly moist. Add a splash of yellow mustard (or spicy mustard) if you prefer (remember less is more here). Add a few dashes of celery seeds and salt. Use lots of fresh ground pepper. Once you

have the flavor and moisture you desire, gently fold in the diced tomatoes. Cover the salad and place in the fridge until completely cool (I prefer to make this at least a half day in advance and let chill). The salad will absorb the mayonnaise, so it is best add a bit more just before serving.

3.Pan-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad was made by my friend Brad at the same BBQ last weekend. It's Mark Bittman's recipe and has a wonderful balance of flavors as well as a great spiciness from the chilies.

Pan-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad

1/4 pound bacon, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

4 to 6 ears corn, stripped of their kernels (2 to 3 cups)

Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste

2 cups cored and chopped tomatoes

1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

2 fresh small chilies, like Thai, seeded and minced

Salt and black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, more or less.

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to render fat; add onion and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes, then add corn. Continue cooking, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until corn begins to brown a bit, about 5 more minutes; remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Drain fat if you wish.

2. Put lime juice in a large bowl and add bacon-corn mixture; then toss with remaining ingredients. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Chicken in Riesling

I have to admit, Gourmet Magazine's Chicken in Riesling dish exceeded my expectations on flavor. Similar to the traditional French Coq Au Vin, it was composed of almost all the same ingredients but used white wine instead of red.

The success of the recipe is achieved by braising the chicken in the creamy, sweet sauce. After browning the meat to get a nice crust, the chicken is combined with a mixture of shallots, leeks, carrots, and wine to braise in the oven for 25 minutes. At the end, creme fraiche is added along with a hint of lemon juice and red potatoes. I thought the sauce could have been a hint thicker, but the flavor was spot on. Because of the braising, the chicken was infused with the wine's same sweetness. The creme softened this sweetness and the lemon juice added enough acid to balance the boldness of both the wine and dairy.

The only thing I would change about the process of making this meal was cutting the chicken myself. I decided to buy the meat try carving it, but I learned that is not my best skill. Next time I plan on having the butcher do this for me!

We ate our chicken with a lovely Riesling wine called Clean Slate.

Browning the chicken

The freshly seasoned potatoes

Finished product

The cherry on top: Clean Slate Riesling

Cupcakes Delicious

This weekend I made a very easy and tasty cupcake recipe for carrot cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. Filled with healthier ingredients like carrots and raisins, these cupcakes without the frosting could very well be called muffins instead. The simple recipe follows:

Mix in large bowl:
1 pound carrots, grated*
3 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise with seeds scraped for use
1/2 cup raisins

Mix in separate bowl:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/8 cloves (ground or chopped)

Fold the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture. When mixed, line cupcake tins and fill each 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 23-28 minutes, turning the cupcakes midway through baking.


Frosting:
2 sticks butter
12 oz. cream cheese
1 lb. confectioners sugar**
3/4 tsp. vanilla


Cream butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. After blended, add sugar 1/2 cup at a time while continuing to blend the butter and cheese. Add vanilla and mix well.

Ta Da!

Frosting is easier with a spatula knife thingy like this one.

Here's a picture of me grating carrots. This was the most time intensive part of the recipe.

*I highly recommend using a microplane instead of a grater. It will cut your grating time in half.
**The recipe does not call for the powder sugar to be sifted, but it would be a good idea. I found that the sugar was quite lumpy when blended with the butter and cream cheese. Sifting would eliminate this problem.

Poached Eggs: Patience is a Virtue

My boyfriend and I have cooked several recipes from one of our new cookbooks, Ad Hoc at Home, and since purchasing the cookbook we have had our eye on the grilled asparagus with prosciutto, fried bread, poached egg and aged balsamic vinegar dish.

We finally got the chance to make this simple dish last week. The ingredients are served fresh, allowing the poached eggs to be the stars of this combination. Neither Jordan nor I had ever made poached eggs before, so we read the recipe carefully and did our best to get it right the first time. Unfortunately, we didn't.

I learned that poached eggs are not any easy fix.

Poached egg attempt #1

Poached egg attempt #2

Poached egg attempt #3

On the fourth attempt, we finally produced a beautiful and edible poached egg. They were buttery and delicious.

Instead of using Keller's recipe for croutons, I made my own. By cubing bread, drizzling with oil and baking for 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven, I made a simple crouton with just the right amount of crispiness and flavor.

The saltiness of the prosciutto, crispy croutons, tart asparagus and buttery eggs all married well perfectly together. I have a feeling this dish will become a go-to for us.

Jamie Oliver's Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is an extremely popular dish at Indian restaurants. I love the Indian food and I love the taste of curry, so this dish was a win-win for me.

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's cookbook Jamie's Dinners, a great cookbook with beautiful illustrations. Along with a handful of spices, cashews and chicken; yogurt, heavy cream and cilantro balance the spiciness of this dish, giving a cool touch to the tongue. Since the sauce is made separately from the meat, this dish could also be served with lamb.

Here are some of Jordan's pictures from when we made this recipe.*

*Jordan took the lead on this recipe.

Thomas Keller's Spring Vegetable Garbure

I've really been enjoying Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook. And over the last few weeks, I've been simmering, stirring and straining my way through some of the best recipes I've tested in a good while.  

In honor of Nashville's amazing sunny weather, I decided to make Keller's Spring Vegetable Garbure this past weekend. Keller writes that "a critical step, as in many of our stews and soups,  is the long, slow sweating of the vegetables." And so, this garbure involves slow cooking raw fava beans along with a colorful mixture of carrots, leaks, potatoes, peas, and asparagus.  I found that this technique brought out the best of these vegetables, as did the smoked bacon (which, as Keller notes, adds an "abundant collagen" to the body of the chicken broth). 

Aside from tasting delicious, this is also a hearty dish that offers several servings for plenty of guests or leftovers. I served my soup with an easy grilled cheese made with Gruyere, but this addition wasn't really necessary since the soup was so filling on its own.  

Keller is meticulous about his craft and his recipes certainly reveal this quality. Although this characteristic has undoubtedly helped make him one of the most successful chefs in America, I must warn you that his recipes are time-intensive and extremely detailed. Patience is of the most importance when attempting a Keller dish!

Honestly, the photo I took doesn't do this dish justice. So, close your eyes and imagine the taste of a rustic mix of beans, asparagus, carrots, cabbage, and potatoes with a hint of smoky bacon and sweet honey.