This is a wonderful pound cake to make for teatime or just for a dessert. It has a wonderful delicate flavor of Lavender. The essence of Lavender will really surprise you with every bite.
Your guest won’t recognize this flavor but will be wanting more. Once you tell them that this is Lavender, they will probably be shocked. Even ones that don’t really like the Lavender scent will find this flavor very pleasing and soft.
One thing that I can’t stress enough is to chop the Lavender very fine. If you don’t, you will think you are eating soap. That’s what happened to a neighbor.
This is a fabulous pound cake to freeze and save for a special occasion. You can also make cupcake with this and use a vanilla icing. But really, this cake can stand-alone. It’s that good.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Lavender and Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
¾ cup whole milk
1 tbl. finely chopped fresh lavender leaves
1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tbl. grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
Steeping the lavender in milk infuses this cake with an intense and beautiful aroma.
1. Combine the milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer, transfer to a glass-measuring cup and let cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease the inside of a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Combine the butter, sugar, and zest in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Add ½ of the milk and mix until incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines “ Easy Desserts). This is on page43.
1 tbl. finely chopped fresh lavender leaves
1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tbl. grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
Steeping the lavender in milk infuses this cake with an intense and beautiful aroma.
1. Combine the milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a simmer, transfer to a glass-measuring cup and let cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°. Grease the inside of a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Combine the butter, sugar, and zest in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Add ½ of the milk and mix until incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk, ending with the flour. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines “ Easy Desserts). This is on page43.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Banana Nut Bread
Have you ever had ripe bananas at home and didn’t want to throw them out because you knew you had time to make banana bread? Well that was me this week. So many times I have bought too many bananas and put them in the refrigerator when they were too ripe. I had planned on making this delicious banana bread each time. But in the end, I threw them out because they were beginning to look like a science project.
This time was different. I wanted to make a banana bread to take on vacation. I wanted to bake this “different” delicious banana bread. You would think with the “10,000 cookbooks” I have, no problem. However, finding a recipe that sounded good to me was difficult. So I turned to my trusty computer. Thank-you Food Network.
This recipe look interesting because it used Crisco instead of butter and also I love macadamia nuts. I think they have a much richer taste than any other nuts.
This banana bread was super easy and quick to make. I used the Crisco flavored with butter. This bread was so moist and flavorful. The nuts had a delicate crunch and were very delicious.
This time was different. I wanted to make a banana bread to take on vacation. I wanted to bake this “different” delicious banana bread. You would think with the “10,000 cookbooks” I have, no problem. However, finding a recipe that sounded good to me was difficult. So I turned to my trusty computer. Thank-you Food Network.
This recipe look interesting because it used Crisco instead of butter and also I love macadamia nuts. I think they have a much richer taste than any other nuts.
This banana bread was super easy and quick to make. I used the Crisco flavored with butter. This bread was so moist and flavorful. The nuts had a delicate crunch and were very delicious.
Banana Bread Recipe
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup macadamia nuts
pinch of cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Oil and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the bananas and mix well. Add the baking soda, salt, flour, nuts and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. The dough with be sticky.
4. Our the dough into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour or until the center is brow and set
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup macadamia nuts
pinch of cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Oil and flour a 9x5 loaf pan.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the bananas and mix well. Add the baking soda, salt, flour, nuts and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. The dough with be sticky.
4. Our the dough into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour or until the center is brow and set
Friday, March 18, 2011
Salmon with Orange-Fennel Sauce
I was looking through a few magazines for a dish that I could make for dinner that wasn’t time consuming. This salmon recipe looked like one that was simple but had lots of complex flavors. The one caveat was that I don’t east seafood, much less salmon. So Michael was the guinea pig tonight.
I never broil salmon, so this was new to me. I had to get out the owners’ manual to figure out the right way to broil in my new beautiful oven. I really had fun preparing this dish so I hoped Michael was going to give it “a thumbs up”.
There are a few quick tips for you: Prepare the marinade up to one day in advance and refrigerate in an n airtight container. Also, Be careful not to marinate longer than 20 minutes as the citrus marinade can “cook” the fish. Crush the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle if you have one. If not, place them in a zip-top plastic bag on a cutting board and crush with a heavy pan.
Michael really liked this recipe, however he wanted you to know that the flavors were very complex and sophisticated. With that in mind, the marinade was delicious and he would have this recipe again. He never had broiled salmon, but he gave me two “thumbs up”.
I never broil salmon, so this was new to me. I had to get out the owners’ manual to figure out the right way to broil in my new beautiful oven. I really had fun preparing this dish so I hoped Michael was going to give it “a thumbs up”.
There are a few quick tips for you: Prepare the marinade up to one day in advance and refrigerate in an n airtight container. Also, Be careful not to marinate longer than 20 minutes as the citrus marinade can “cook” the fish. Crush the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle if you have one. If not, place them in a zip-top plastic bag on a cutting board and crush with a heavy pan.
Michael really liked this recipe, however he wanted you to know that the flavors were very complex and sophisticated. With that in mind, the marinade was delicious and he would have this recipe again. He never had broiled salmon, but he gave me two “thumbs up”.
Salmon with Orange-Fennel Sauce Recipe
2 tsp. grated orange rind
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
4 (6-oz.) salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a zip-lock bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning once.
2. Prepare broiler
3. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place fish, skin side down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
4. Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce head, and simmer 3 minutes. Serve sauce with fish.
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
4 (6-oz.) salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a zip-lock bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning once.
2. Prepare broiler
3. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place fish, skin side down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
4. Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce head, and simmer 3 minutes. Serve sauce with fish.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Anise Pound Cake
I have really developed a love for baking pound cakes. I love the many different flavors, the consistency and the ease of baking them. So I am always looking for “not your ordinary” pound cake recipe.
This is definitely a pound cake that will have your guests intrigued by the flavor. They will think they recognize the flavor, but they will never ever guess. It is so much fun to see the expression on their face when you finally tell them.
I don’t like licorice at all so I didn’t know what to expect. But let me tell you, this is one fabulous cake. The taste is so subtle that it will leave you with such an amazing flavor in your mouth.
To intensify the flavor of ground anise, the seeds are toasted and ground before they’re added to the batter. Vanilla ice cream complements this fragrant cake, but frankly, I love it by itself.
This is definitely a pound cake that will have your guests intrigued by the flavor. They will think they recognize the flavor, but they will never ever guess. It is so much fun to see the expression on their face when you finally tell them.
I don’t like licorice at all so I didn’t know what to expect. But let me tell you, this is one fabulous cake. The taste is so subtle that it will leave you with such an amazing flavor in your mouth.
To intensify the flavor of ground anise, the seeds are toasted and ground before they’re added to the batter. Vanilla ice cream complements this fragrant cake, but frankly, I love it by itself.
Anise Pound Cake Recipe
2 tbls. Anise seeds (toasted and ground)
1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups cake flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9” by 5” loaf pan and dust with flour. Place the anise seeds in a small skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind fine. Set aside.
2. Combine the sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla in a glass-measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-mixing bowl.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the ground anise to the batter, and then mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups cake flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9” by 5” loaf pan and dust with flour. Place the anise seeds in a small skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind fine. Set aside.
2. Combine the sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla in a glass-measuring cup and lightly beat. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-mixing bowl.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the ground anise to the batter, and then mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Induction Cooking
Induction is a third method, completely different from all other cooking technologies--
it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel,
it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat.
Put simply, an induction-cooker element (what on a gas stove would be called a "burner") is a powerful, high-frequency electromagnet, with the electromagnetism generated by sophisticated electronics in the "element" under the unit's ceramic surface. When a good-sized piece of magnetic material--such as, for example, a cast-iron skillet--is placed in the magnetic field that the element is generating, the field transfers ("induces") energy into that metal. That transferred energy causes the metal--the cooking vessel--to become hot. By controlling the strength of the electromagnetic field, we can control the amount of heat being generated in the cooking vessel--and we can change that amount instantaneously.
Put simply, an induction-cooker element (what on a gas stove would be called a "burner") is a powerful, high-frequency electromagnet, with the electromagnetism generated by sophisticated electronics in the "element" under the unit's ceramic surface. When a good-sized piece of magnetic material--such as, for example, a cast-iron skillet--is placed in the magnetic field that the element is generating, the field transfers ("induces") energy into that metal. That transferred energy causes the metal--the cooking vessel--to become hot. By controlling the strength of the electromagnetic field, we can control the amount of heat being generated in the cooking vessel--and we can change that amount instantaneously.
I’M BAAAACK
For all of you that have followed me since last year, thank you for returning. I hope you have used my recipes from last August and have enjoyed cooking, baking and most of all, eating them as much as I have loved baking them (and tasting them myself). I am sorry it has taken me so long to return, but I needed to introduce myself to my fabulous induction range and oven. For all of you who don’t know or understand induction cooking, I have added a short page dedicated to this third method of cooking.
I have one gorgeous kitchen. Thank you Chris!!!! Chris Buell, my downstairs’ neighbor, owns Atlanta Custom Kitchen. What an unbelievable job he did designing and orchestrating the entire project. If you need new cabinets, or redesigning your kitchen, he’s your man. Tell him I sent you!!! He can do it all.
I have all new granite and all new appliances. I am in “hog heaven”. As I said, I have a fabulous new range. I can boil water in under1 minute. If you live with electric and want to cook and bake like a pro, then induction is the way to go. The oven is also a convection oven. But the best part of this range is, that instead of a warming tray, I have a REAL oven. My microwave also converts to a convection oven. So all in all, in my small kitchen, I have 3 ovens. Thank you Nick, at Bob Baily’s Appliances. You guided me and listened to my needs. You really understood everything I told you. If you live in Atlanta, go see Nick, he will take real good care of you!!!
So off to the races I go, baking and cooking to my hearts content!!!
I have one gorgeous kitchen. Thank you Chris!!!! Chris Buell, my downstairs’ neighbor, owns Atlanta Custom Kitchen. What an unbelievable job he did designing and orchestrating the entire project. If you need new cabinets, or redesigning your kitchen, he’s your man. Tell him I sent you!!! He can do it all.
I have all new granite and all new appliances. I am in “hog heaven”. As I said, I have a fabulous new range. I can boil water in under1 minute. If you live with electric and want to cook and bake like a pro, then induction is the way to go. The oven is also a convection oven. But the best part of this range is, that instead of a warming tray, I have a REAL oven. My microwave also converts to a convection oven. So all in all, in my small kitchen, I have 3 ovens. Thank you Nick, at Bob Baily’s Appliances. You guided me and listened to my needs. You really understood everything I told you. If you live in Atlanta, go see Nick, he will take real good care of you!!!
So off to the races I go, baking and cooking to my hearts content!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)