culinary capers – honey

I love honey. On white toast with butter when I’m feeling under the weather. Over Greek yogurt and granola for breakfast. And, if we’re being honest, straight off the spoon… just because.

And now… I have a new way to love honey. In a honey cake. Sort of reminiscent of spice cake, this one is just wonderful with a nice strong cup of coffee.

Not only is this just generally a lovely cake… making it was a nice lesson in Jewish culture. You see, honey cakes are often made for Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah – which just happens to be next week. Whether you make it for Rosh Hashanah or just because… make this cake. You won’t regret it!

Honey Cake
(adapted from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground vanilla bean (optional)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee
1/2 cup whiskey (see Note)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
6 teaspoons turbinado sugar

This cake can be made in a 9-inch angel food cake pan, a 10-inch tube or bundt cake pan, a 9 by 13-inch sheetpan, or three 8 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the pan(s). For tube and angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the oil, honey, sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee, whiskey and orange juice.

Using a strong wire whisk or an electric mixer on slow speed, combine the ingredients well to make a thick batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle the top of the cake(s) evenly with the sugar and, if using, the almonds. Place the cake pan(s) on 2 baking sheets stacked together and bake until the cake springs back when you touch it gently in the center. For angel and tube cake pans, bake for 60 to 70 minutes; loaf cakes, 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet-style cakes, the baking time is 40 to 45 minutes. This is a liquidy batter and, depending on your oven, it may need extra time. Cake should spring back when gently pressed.

Let the cake stand for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: If you prefer not to use the whiskey, replace it with orange juice or coffee.

culinary capers – raspberries, pt 2 of 2

Like I said in yesterday’s Culinary Capers post, I had one recipe left to go for this week’s challenge. Trust me when I tell you that I saved the best for last!

This starts out as a crockpot project – so you can set it and forget it until it’s time to make dinner. When you’re ready, everything will come together quickly for a great meal that’s impressive enough to serve to company!

You can certainly buy raspberry barbecue sauce if you can find it in your grocery store – but you won’t be disappointed if you make my version (just be sure you give yourself time to make it if – I threw mine together when I put my pork into the crockpot so that I didn’t have to worry about it later). It’s delicious!

Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
(makes approximately 2/3 cup)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups fresh raspberries
7 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons raspberry jam
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Place garlic on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil; drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap foil around garlic and bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes.

Once cool, place roasted garlic in a small saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a food processor or blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Brie and Raspberry Pork Tenderloin Quesadillas
with Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
(serves 4)
1-1.5 pound pre-seasoned raspberry-chipotle pork tenderloin
(recommended: Prairie Fresh Prime Raspberry Chipotle)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1/8-1/4 cup Raspberry-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows), plus more for drizzling/dipping
4 thick flour tortillas
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded and divided
4 ounces of brie cheese, sliced and divided

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Pat tenderloin dry with paper towels and add to hot pan. Sear for 3-4 minutes each side.

Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Add seared tenderloin, chicken stock and jam. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until cooked through.

When tenderloin is completely cooked, remove to a plate and allow to rest. Carefully strain the cooking liquid through a strainer and into a small saucepan. Place saucepan of liquid over medium heat and allow to simmer until thick and reduced by 1/2 – approximately 15 minutes (your reduced sauce should be the thickness of a thin barbecue sauce).

While sauce reduces, return pork to crock and shred using two forks. Pour in reduced sauce plus 1/8 cup barbecue sauce. Stir to combine (sauces should just coat the meat – there should not be extra sauce in the bottom of the crock), adding additional barbecue sauce if needed.

Once meat is prepared, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Brush one side of four tortillas with olive oil and place oil side down in skillet. Cover one-half of each tortilla with shredded pork, then shredded monterrey jack, then brie. Drizzle with additional barbecue sauce if desired. Fold tortilla carefully over filling and flip so that cheese side is down. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

culinary capers – raspberries, pt 1 of 2

An old friend of mine recently came up with the idea of starting a little group for folks who enjoy cooking… the process of creating something amazing in the kitchen… playing around with ingredients… and of presenting them beautifully. He threw the idea at me one day and we kicked around some ideas… and a few days later, the culinary capers were born.

We’ll pick one ingredient every week and group members will create and cook a recipe featuring that ingredient. Fun stuff (and a great way to get back into the swing of blogging)!

First ingredient… RASPBERRIES!

I had a hard time narrowing down all of my options this week… I blame too much time spent on the internet considering all of the possibilities. So, I settled on three recipes. That’s right. Three. I’ll share two today and another tomorrow (after I make it!). Enjoy!

First up… Raspberry Baked Brie. I adore baked brie. Creamy and warm in a flaky crust… perfection. Rather than make a huge one for just the two of us, I went with a mini for my husband and I to split. Three ingredients and thirty or so minutes later, we had an amazing, warm little appetizer to enjoy with crisp apple slices. Mmmm….

Next… the perfect welcome to Autumn (which seems to have finally arrived this week)… and just the thing for chasing away the chill of a very rainy day… Grilled Cheddar, Raspberry and Apple sandwiches. Crunchy, tangy, savory and just a little sweet all at once – these sandwiches were pretty amazing. The savory raspberry sauce is the perfect complement to the sharp cheese and the sourdough.

Raspberry Baked Brie
(serves 2)
1/3 of one sheet of puff pastry dough, thawed
1.5 tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam
1 ounce of brie (I used a wedge of Wee Brie)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place puff pastry dough on parchment-lined baking sheet. Drop jam into the center of the dough and place brie on top of the jam. Gather corners and seal  the dough around the filling completely.

Invert the dough-wrapped brie on the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve with apple wedges and/or crackers.

***

Grilled Cheddar, Raspberry and Apple Sandwiches
(serves 2 – adapted from food.com) 
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon raspberry jam
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
5 ounces white cheddar cheese, sliced
1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
4 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a food processor or blender, puree raspberries with raspberry jam. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Once seeds have been removed, whisk raspberries with honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until reduced by one-third to one-half. Remove from heat and allow to cool while assembling sandwiches.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread raspberry sauce on two slices of sourdough, layer 1.25 ounces of the cheese plus apple slices onto each slice. Top each slice with an additional 1.25 ounces of cheese and finish with a second slice of bread.

Place sandwiches carefully in warm skillet, turn heat to low and cook for approximately 5 minutes each side until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Serve any remaining raspberry sauce on the side for dipping.

Big Birthday Month 2011 – and so it begins…

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but September is a HUGE birthday month among my family and friends…

We kicked it off right with my husband’s birthday… a giant Better-Than-Hostess Cupcake.

This one started out as kind of a lark. I asked David what kind of birthday cake he wanted and he – somewhat jokingly – said “I want a giant Hostess Cupcake.”

Always be careful of what you ask for in this house. It was, in a word, ah-mazing!

Better-Than-Hostess Cupcake Cake
(modified ever so slightly from this recipe by Deb @ Smitten Kitchen)
Chocolate Cake Layers
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well.

Divide batter evenly between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. (Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.)

Marshmallow Frosting
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Combine frosting ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Use frosting the day it is made.

Ganache Frosting
1/2 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). I found that stirring this over a bowl of ice water did a great job of cooling it off quickly and evenly.

Assembly
Place the first cake layer onto a cake plate. Place the second cake layer on top of the first and carefully cut a large hole out of the center of the second layer only, about 6-inches across — remove and save for a snack later. Fill the entire cut-out area with frosting, leaving a half cup aside if you wish to pipe the signature loops or a message across the top. Lay the third layer on top of this, sealing the filling in. Spread a fairly thin coating of the ganache coating over top and sides of cake. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for a few minutes, then use the remaining ganache to create a thicker layer only on the top of the cake to replicate the chocolate frosting on the top of the cupcake. Return the cake to the fridge to firm up completely (approximately 30 minutes). Once ganache is firm and chilled, decorate with the signature swirly pattern (use a piping bag or a makeshift one, a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off).