Cold Oven Pound Cake

Today I wanted to bake with my little girl, Erin.  So, we made a wonderful pound cake recipe.  It makes a nice dessert or even breakfast bread. 

3	cups cake flour
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
1	teaspoon salt
1	cup whole milk
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
20	tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
2 1/2	cups sugar
6	large eggs

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Grease and flour 16-cup tube pan. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk milk and vanilla in measuring cup. 

2. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of milk mixture. Mix on low until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use rubber spatula to give batter final stir. 

3. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Place cake in cold oven. Adjust oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake, without opening oven door, until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 80 minutes. 

4. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Serve. (Cooled cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Dying to know why a cold oven makes the difference?? A Cold Oven Really Makes a Difference Curiosity led us to try baking our Cold-Oven Pound Cake in a preheated oven. The cake baked more quickly (no surprise), but it was squat and lacked the thick crust we’d come to expect. Evidently, the hot oven stopped the small amount of leavener in our recipe before its work was done. And it turns out the crust on our Cold-Oven Pound Cake is formed by moisture in the oven reacting with starch in the batter. A hot oven is drier than a cold oven (heat evaporates moisture), so there wasn’t enough moisture in the preheated oven to form a nice, thick crust.

Dave's Take:  Another slice please!

Nancy's Take:  Everyone loved it!!!  Super easy and tastes just great!

Salsa Verde

2 cans tomatillos  - drained                                   
1/2 onion  - quartered                                         
1-2 jalapeño peppers                                           
2 cloves garlic                                                
Lime juice of 1/2 lime                                         
1/2 teaspoon salt                                              
5-6 sprigs cilantro                                            

Put all of this into the food processor and just process until you get the right consistency. 

Easy as pie.


Nancy's Take:  AWESOME!!  The trick is salt and lime - and a little kick.  I know it is right when my shoulders bounce up and down with delight.

Apricot Chicken

Tried a new recipe last night...

1 1/2 pounds apricots, roughly chopped, pits removed and discarded

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces

Salt

1 Tbsp unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 cups chicken stock or broth (use gluten-free stock if you are cooking gluten-free)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot sauce (you can add more if you like)

Black pepper

1 Place the chopped apricots in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and the vinegar. Let sit while you brown the chicken in the next step.

2 In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place chicken pieces in the pan, without crowding the pan, and brown them on each side. As the chicken cooks, sprinkle salt over it. Once the chicken is browned, remove the pieces from the pan to a bowl and set aside.

3 Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. As the onion cooks and releases moisture, use a flat edged spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off the browned bits from the chicken (called fond) from the bottom of the pan.

4 Once the onions have browned a bit, add the chicken stock and lower the heat to medium.

5 Put about 2/3 of the apricots, along with any juice they have given up, into a blender and blend into a purée. Pour the purée into the pan with the chicken stock and onions.

6 Add the cinnamon, rosemary and Tabasco and taste. You may need to add some salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10-20 minutes.

7 When you are ready to serve, put the chicken and the remaining apricot pieces into the pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rice.

Dave's Take:  Good, but surprisingly spicy.  Would enjoy it again with a few less shakes of Tobasco.

Nancy's Take:  Super yummy.  Liked it a lot.  Did not taste too spicy for me.  Will make again ... with lots of Tobasco!

Red Quinoa with Grilled Summer Veggies

Quinoa has also scared me for a while.  Could not even think of trying it.  Not even sure why - it was different.  But, I've been adventerous lately...................

1 small zucchini
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup quinoa (I used 2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa)
Salt and pepper
4 ears of corn

1.Chop 1 zucchini, 1 orange pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, 1/2 onion and minced garlic and toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper.I added the corn to the basket - but some will fall out.  But, I liked the flavor of it grilled.

2. Grill in a vegetable grill basket.

3. Cook quinoa according to instructions on the package.

4. Combine cooked quinoa with grilled summer vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add some fresh chopped parsley or basil from the garden if you have it!

Dave's Take:  Awesome.  Never had it before and did not know what it was, but really good.

Nancy's Take:  Loved the grilled veggies!  Making again this week - a total keeper!!  I've missed out on so much..................

Fish Tacos

Fish tacos have grossed me out for years.  Just the thought is icky.  I like fish - I like tacos - I didn't think I'd like fish tacos and never gave them a try.

Well, I've been feeling adventurous lately.  And, today was the day to try them out. 

For the fish:
1lb fish, skinned and de-boned.  I used tilapia.
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground garlic powder
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt & pepper

For the mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 large bulb green garlic, or 2 cloves regular garlic, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin, toasted in a pan over medium-low heat until fragrant
8 sprigs mint, leaves picked, stalks discarded
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

For the tacos:
10 corn tortillas
1/4 head of green cabbage, shredded - toss in a little rice vinegar - I didn't have rice, so used cider.
Pickled banana pepper strips (optional)
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

1) Marinate the fish: In a bowl, combine oil, spices, salt and pepper. Add fish and make sure each piece is coated with the marinade. Let sit for 20 – 30 minutes.

2) Make mayo: Put mayo, garlic, mint, cumin and lime juice in a food processor. Whizz until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and more lime juice if necessary. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

3) Grab a large nonstick saute pan, and warm it gently over medium heat; no need to add oil since the fish is already coated in oil. Once warm (test by sprinkling some water into the pan, if it sizzles and evaporates, you’re ready), place each piece of fish in the pan. It should sizzle gently but firmly when it hits the pan. Cook about 3 minutes per side, until cooked through, but still moist. The fish should flake easily with a fork. Don’t overcook your fish! It’ll taste awful!

4) Remove fish from pan and cut into 1/2″ chunks. Serve immediately with warmed tortillas: I put a light layer of cabbage on the bottom, then the sauce, a few chunks of fish, a couple of slices of banana pepper and a squeeze of lime. 

Dave's Take:  Thought they were excellent.  Never had them before - Nancy wouldn't let me.  But, they were really good.  makes me less afraid of fish tacos in the future.  Really liked the mayo and don't skimp on the banana peppers.


Nancy's Take:  Yummy!!!  Will definitely make again.  Super yummy.