CHOCOLATE-STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE (Adapted from Bon Apetit, June 2010)

This cake is extremely moist!  The original recipe called for raspberries, but strawberries are very cheap and very much in season right now so I opted for 4 pints of those.  Really, you can use any berry - get creative!  Also, this recipe is for a two layer cake.  I made extra batter for an ambitious 3rd layer. 

What You Need:

CAKE
nonstick spray
2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND BERRY TOPPING
18 oz chocolate (61% cacao or lower), chopped
2 1/4 cups heave whipping cream
6 tbsp seedless raspberry jam, stirred to loosen, divided
24 oz berries
10 tbsp berry liquor - such as kirschwasser (optional), divided

What To Do:

Position rack on lower third of oven; preheat to 350 F.

Coat two 9-inch diameter cake pans with 2-inch high sides with nonstick spray.

Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray rounds.

Sift flower, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. 

Whisk to blend and form a well in the center.

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl.  Whisk in water, buttermilk, and oil to blend.

Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients.  Whisk to blend.

Divide cake batter between prepared pans (about 3 cups each).

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.   

TIP: If cakes for domes, place kitchen towel atop hot cakes, then press gently with palm of hand to level - this works great!  Just don't push too hard.  You don't want it to fall and become concave either.

Cool completely in pans on cooling racks.  Can be made 1 day ahead.  If made in advance, cover cakes in pans and let stand at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND BERRY TOPPING


Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl.

Bring cream just to a boil in heavy medium saucepan.

Pour hot cream over chocolate.  LEt stand 1 minute, then stir until ganache is melted and smooth.

(peek-a-boo!)

Transfer about 1 1/4 cups ganache to small bowl.  

Cover and refrigerate until ganache is thick enough to spread (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally. 

Let remaining ganache stand at room temperature to cool until barely lukewarm.

If using strawberries, slice into 1/8"-1/4" slices and set aside. 

strawberry colony!

Gently remove cakes from pans and peel off parchment paper.  Set on a cookie sheet or other portable flat surface.  

Sprinkle or brush 5 tbsp of liqueur evenly over each cake. 

Spread 3 tbsp berry preserves evenly over each cake.

Spoon all of the chilled ganache over one of the cakes.  Spread to coat evenly.  

Arrange one layer of sliced strawberries (or other berries) over the ganache.  

Place the top layer of cake over the strawberries.  

Pour half of the barely lukewarm ganache over the cake, spreading over sides to cover.  Freeze until ganache sets, about 30 minutes.  

Pour remaining ganache over cake, allowing to drip down the sides.  Spread with a knife or rubber spatula for smooth, even coverage.  Freeze to set ganache, about 30 minutes.  

Cover with cake dome and refrigerate until shortly before serving time.

Remove from refrigerator and top with berries.  

Slice and enjoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!

Fresh Cabbage and Edamame Salad with Peanut Dressing

This salad has undergone several transformations since its inception, but this is the latest version.  There are two things I really enjoy about making this dish.  1. It solves the question of what to do with the head of cabbage that's been staring you down from the crisper.  2. It is extremely versatile, so vegetable substitutions are encouraged.  I love recipes that make it easy to play with ingredients.  In the past I have used pea shoots, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, scallions, and tofu as alternatives in this salad.  This time around I used the watercress, red onion, and whole carrots I had in the fridge.  

For the dressing, I either make my own, if I have peanut butter on hand, or I use Trader Joe's Thai Peanut dressing.  


What to gather:

For the salad

1/2 head of green cabbage
1 carrot
1/2 bunch watercress (about 1 cup chopped) or 1 cup sprouts
1/2 red onion and/or 6 scallion, chopped
1/2 cucumber
1 cup edamame or firm tofu, diced
2 tbsp sesame seeds

For the dressing

4 tbsp peanut butter, room temperature
6 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt and sriracha or asian chili paste to taste

Tips:

• When preparing a big salad, I like placing all the ingredients in a large tupperware bowl.  When it's time to toss the salad, put the cover on and shake it up!  Transfer to a nice dish to serve.  
• Because cabbage is so tough, it helps to make this dish several hours or a day in advance.  The salt in the dressing draws out some of the moisture in the cabbage, making it a little bit softer.

 What to do:


Cut the cabbage in half and remove the stem by cutting it out in a V shape.  Halve the piece that you are using for the salad.  Slice in the opposite direction, like so.  Rinse thoroughly in colander.  Place in bowl.

Cut the end off of the carrot and, using a vegetable peeler, remove the outer layer of the carrot.  Use the peeler to shave the carrot into thin, wide strips.  Add to bowl.

Quarter the cucumber and cut into thin long strips.  Add the onion, edamame, cucumber, watercress and sesame seeds to the bowl.

For dressing:
Combine peanut butter and sesame oil.  Whisk together until homogeneous and smooth.  Add vinegar, salt and sriracha.  Whisk until blended.  Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and toss to coat.
Serve and enjoy!

Seat-of-the-Pants Broccoli Soup

Welcome to my first post!  I have been wanting to do this for so long.  I'm thrilled to finally have a place where I can share my love of cooking, dining out, gardening, entertaining, etc.  Even if no one is listening!  When cooking for myself, I try to focus on low fat, low carbohydrate ingredients and I use as many vegetables as possible.  When cooking for a group, those rules get thrown out the window and delicious fat and sugar calories abound!  

Tonight, I decided to experiment with the broccoli that's been waiting very patiently in my fridge.  I also had some leftover milk from last weekend's cornbread so I improvised a creamy broccoli soup.  The soup turned out alright, but there are some things I will change next time around.  This is more of a test-run to see how I like this blogging business.  Let's get to it!

What to gather:

For Soup
5-7 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 medium white onion - chopped
1 and 1/2 tbsp olive oil (separate)
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups milk/soymilk or 1 cup cream
2 heads of broccoli (stalks optional)
1/2 bunch of kale or other dark leafy green
salt, paprika, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper - to taste

For Tofu
1 package firm or extra firm tofu
3-4 tbsp peanut butter or prepared peanut sauce
sriracha if you like it hot

What to do:

Sauté the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until they are tender and begin to brown.

Tear the leaves away from the stems of the kale and add them to the pot along with the broccoli.  Stir in the broth.  Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil.  Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the milk or cream and spices to taste.  Simmer until broccoli has reached desired tenderness.  I like my vegetables al dente so I didn't keep it on for too long. 

Blend until desired consistency is reached.  I went for a chunkier soup but I think it might taste better if I blend it longer for a smoother texture.  Leftovers!  

Now for the tofu!  Chop the tofu into one inch squares.  Sauté in 1/2 tbsp olive oil on high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the peanut butter or peanut sauce.  I used the Trader Joe's brand peanut satay sauce.

 Add the sriracha to taste if desired.

Serve and Enjoy! 

"And what to drink?" you ask.

I've been enjoying this unoaked, unfiltered $10 Bonarda from Mendoza Argentina the past few weeks.  Argentina's Bonarda grape can also be found growing in California under the name Charbono.  I don't believe I've ever tried this varietal before finding this bottle, which is surprising because it's wonderful!  I purchased the wine at West Lakeveiw Liquors - 2156 W. Addison St, Chicago.  I love this store!  It's a little on the expensive side, but it is just so lovely and quaint and they just opened an even more quaint little grocery right next door.

Well, that was really fun even though it took me a long time.  Next time around should be easier.  I might check out some other blog hosting sites to compare platforms.  Until tomorrow!