Strawberry Summer Cake

As a kid, one of my favorite memories is "helping" my mother make ice cream with the old crank ice cream maker complete with dry ice. I sat on top of the thing and my mom would crank that handle for what seemed like days (to her it probably felt like a month). Strawberry was my favorite flavor of course and O.M.G.- this cake is going to be the death of me. I've already made it once and am waiting for the second one to come out of the oven. Eaten warm with the super sweet berries or late at night cold from the counter- either way your bound to want to go find Deb in NYC and kiss her for sending this recipe along.



Strawberry Summer Cake
From: Smitten Kitchen
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform or cake pan.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. (Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given.) Let cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly whipped cream.

Do ahead: Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days, loosely covered.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts

Hey there! I'm still here... doing a bit of rescheduling in our lives, but I hope to be back in the kitchen more often now. Now on to the good stuff...
The very first thing I ever baked was a batch of brownies for my Mofa many moons ago, so they hold quite a bit of nostalgia for me. But the melting chocolate, or worse yet- using the cocoa packets that have already softened, adds one too many pans for my patience. But low and behold- a recipe that is quick and amazing delicious. Browned butter adds a nice nutty component and keeps them soft and chewy. Enjoy!


Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
From: Bon Appetit, February 2011
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup walnut pieces

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.
*Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Cinnamon- Oat Pancakes

So, with Mr. Smith and I's new schedule, we seem to be making a lot less dinner at home and a whole lot more breakfasts. Since we have also been doing a little bit of traveling, I have also neglected any and all grocery shopping over the last couple of months. So when we ran down to our last two eggs last week my mind jumped right to pancakes, but guess what... almost all of the recipes I have call for buttermilk, and if I don't groceries, I sure as hell don't have buttermilk. Seriously- who keeps that around? After checking out some magazines that my neighbor gifted me, I found this recipe that saved the day, and has become a favorite here as well.

Cinnamon- Oat Pancakes
From: Everyday Food, May 2009
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for skillet
In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup oats and pulse a few times to coarsely grind oats. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and oil. Add dry ingredients and 1 cup oats and whisk just until moistened.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium. Lightly oil skillet. Using 2 to 3 tablespoons for each pancake, drop batter in skillet and cook until a few bubbles have burst, 1-2 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until browned on undersides, 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with more oil and batter until all batter is used.
*To freeze, cool pancakes on a wire rack, then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer pancakes to a resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer up to 3 months.

Wish you were here....

Snow days- Miami Style

So with all of the snow we've been getting here- I got outta dodge last week for some QT with the sis on the other end of Route 95. Now if only these pictures had enough heat to melt the snow banks in front of our house....

Cauliflower Gratin

After much needed practice, last night I was psyched to have one of my first dinner guests' in the new digs! My favorite photographer type person came over to catch up on gossip and enjoy some tasty morsels, and I was more than happy to oblige. I had just read all about cutting down on meat in our meals, but with homemade pizza, risotto and this side, it looks like I missed the boat on no carbs. Oh well... there's enough time in 2011 to catch up- right?


Cauliflower Gratin
From: Barefoot in Paris
1 (3 pound) head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
Salt- kosher or sea salt preferred
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all- purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Pre- heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5-6 minute, until tender but still firm. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter- flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup Gruyere, and the Parmesan cheese.
Pour one-third of the sauce on the bottom of a 8x11x2 inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*This recipe is easily halved for a smaller party.
**This dish can also be made and assembled in advance (up to one day). Hold off on the topping until ready to cook.

Maple- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This past week had me thinking a lot about family and how much they mean to us here. We have a couple of people close to us that are not feeling 100% so I headed into the kitchen to whip up some meals for them so they can use all their time getting better and Mr. Smith headed out onto the ice to show one of our favorite little guys how to skate:

This soup is the perfect thing to warm your bones whether your just off the ice or resting up.

Maple- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
From: Cooking with Shelburne Farms

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 coarse kosher salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoons creme fraiche, or heavy cream
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the squash lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. An ice cream scoop or serrated grapefruit spoon works well for this task.
Place the squash halves, flesh side up, in a 9 by 13- inch baking dish. Put a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup in each cavity. Sprinkle each half with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the squash is very soft. Cool just until the squash can be handled.
Carefully pour any liquid from the squash cavities into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade or a blender and then scoop all the flesh into the food processor. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, remaining tablespoon of maple syrup, remaining teaspoon of salt and creme fraiche (or heavy cream). Puree until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor as necessary.
Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan, whisk in about 2 cups stock to start, and heat through over medium heat. Thin with additional stock and adjust seasoning to taste. Swirl nutmeg and cinnamon into soup as needed.