Blueberry Lemon Teacake

When you live in a two room apartment encased in brick there aren't many reasons to have your oven compete with the AC in summer. This blueberry lemon teacake, however, is definitely one of the better reasons to initiate an appliance show-down. The lemon flavor is light, fresh, and bright. The blueberries retain their juiciness; bursting with each push of the fork and staining the dense crumb with purple flecks. It's a perfect cake to serve with a dollop of sweet whipped cream at the end of a summer meal on the patio.

Duck and Apricot Risotto with Mint ~ Final Round Integrale Risotto Gauntlet

Duck and apricot risotto with mint sounds like one of those, "wait, you put what with what?" kind of meals but in this case, it's just so crazy it works!

For the third and final round of the Marx Foods Integrale Risotto Gauntlet* I wanted to pull out all the stops and create a feast of a dish that encompassed the richness of the Integrale along with the fresh flavors of summer. Although duck is often considered a winter food it pairs beautifully with the apricot and mint for a seasonally appropriate offering. The richness is cut with a sweet and tart balsamic glaze and the seasoning is highlighted by a garnish of ricotta salata - a dry, salty form of ricotta cheese.

Brown Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips & Toasted Walnuts

Banana bread is one of those foods, like mac & cheese or pizza, that just about everyone enjoys. It's easy to make, easy to freeze, easy to wrap up and give as a gift. In fact, several weeks ago my very dear friend Liz brought over a heavenly banana bread studded with chocolate and peanut butter chips, prompting me to post to Facebook, "a true friend knows your ups and downs and loves you no matter what. A best friend does all that AND brings you banana bread. "

I only like fairly firm bananas for eating raw. Once they start to hit the over-ripe stage I pop 'em in the freezer. The result is a pretty icky looking banana; but it's perfect for banana bread. And remember what Grammie always said, "waste not; want not." In fact, I can't write about banana bread without talking about my grandmother.

Brown Butter Carrot & Walnut Integrale Risotto

Brown rice risotto is not a phrase you hear uttered very often. It is, however, a deliciously nutty alternative to arborio rice with the same toothsome, al dente quality. Paired with earthy sweet carrots, rich walnuts and brown butter this Integrale Risotto makes for a wonderful spring risotto dish, equal parts virtuous and decadent.

Risotto and I have a long history together. I first fell in love with the slow, methodical process of making risotto while living in Italy. I was impressed with the versatility of this humble dish and loved trying different recipes in various cities such risotto ai frutti di mare (seafood risotto) on the coast or the classic saffron infused risotto Milanese in Milan. Risotto for me is a comfort food - albeit the most elegant comfort food out there - and was the first dish Thom ever cooked for me (smart man!). As you know, that love affair continues as well.

Mascarpone Meatballs & Farmer's Market Pasta

These mascarpone meatballs are so tender and flavorful they just melt in your mouth. Fragrant with herbs and just a hint of spice they pair beautifully with a variety of sauces for pasta or just sop them up with a crusty loaf of bread for a quick and filling lunch.I love them paired with fresh vegetables and a roasted pepper sauce - my Farmer's Market Pasta.

Like many people I have beautiful memories of my Mom making tomato sauce and meatballs. It was an all day affair that mostly involved shooing me out of the kitchen. This was probably wise since when Mom wasn't looking I would take one of her worn wooden spoons and scoop out a meatball to eat. So hot I would almost burn my tongue, but so worth it for the way they fell apart when bitten into, sauce dripping from the wooden spoon.

Eight Layer Coconut Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Toasted Coconut

This eight layer coconut lemon cake with raspberries and toasted coconut is a birthday cake to end all birthday cakes. A behemoth of a cake that took nearly all day to make but was the birthday present in itself.  My sister-in-law loves coconut cake. Last year for her birthday I made a chocolate cake with orange marmalade filling and a coconut frosting. It wasn't one of my best. This year, I decided to make the biggest, bestest, tastiest, moistest, most coconutty cake possible. Behold! The Eight Layer Coconut Lemon Cake!

Several days before Andrea's birthday I sent her about three emails with various options for coconut cake pairings. I wasn't able to procure passion fruit, which was our combined first choice; I couldn't get coconut-chai out of my head so I made this Chai Almond Cake with Toasted Coconut Buttercream for a dinner at my mother's house the day before Andrea's birthday. Seriously. Baking cakes for days and days. And I'm surprised there's too much buttercream around my middle layer? Oouf. Or should I say oeuf? Heehee... just a little French baking humor.

Right. Back to the cakes. Mmm... cake. Andrea's close second choice was a coconut lemon cake and so this is what happened... 

Country Farmhouse Salad

This Country Farmhouse Salad is a hearty combination of fresh baby spinach, asparagus, and sauteed mushrooms and shallots, topped with a buttery fried egg and garnished with crispy bacon. Perfect for a brunch or as dinner on a warm evening this salad strikes a pleasing balance between healthy greens and a touch of decadence.

Blood Orange and Strawberry Jam

Sweet, fresh, tart, ruby-red blood orange and strawberry jam. Absolute heaven on buttered toast with tea. Home cooks have been making jam for hundreds of years with recipes passed on from grandmother to mother to daughter as a way to preserve the family's home grown fruits throughout the winter. For those of us who grew up in suburbia, with neither fruit trees nor a family canning recipe, homemade jam is something for the trendy or intrepid.

Perhaps you make jam because you care about the food you eat and want to serve minimally processed food to your family. Or, maybe you simply want to be able to eat a gourmet jam that isn't available on your supermarket's shelves. It's possible I simply fall into the "mmm... yummy jam!" category.

Pastalove Bloghop - Meyer Lemon and Ramp Pasta with Arugula

A creamy combination of Meyer lemons and ramps, sprinkled with fresh arugula and tossed in fettucine make for a fresh, yet satisfyingly decadent, pasta dish. While both ramps and Meyer lemons may sound exotic or unusual depending on where you live, they can generally be found along the East coast in the spring at farmer's markets or specialty produce stores.

Balsamic Onion Jam

Balsamic onion jam is one of those things that generally makes people cock their head to the side and say, "huh?" Generally that's followed by, "is it sweet? What do you put it on?"

Well, dear reader, it is sweet in the sense that it's loaded with caramelized onion goodness and sweet-tart balsamic vinegar, but it isn't breakfast jam style sweet. I use a combination of onions in my jam to provide a balance of flavors and textures to the finished product.

Morel Brioche with Onion Jam Swirl ~ Morel Recipe Challenge

As part of a recipe development competition for Marx Foods* 4th Annual Morel Recipe Challenge I recently set my mind to work to create a recipe using dried morels. I did what I usually do when I begin brainstorming - I made a list. Then I called some foodie friends and asked which of those ideas they liked best. Overwhelmingly they picked "bread." Now all I had to do was figure out what kind of bread! As I started thinking about the flavors that work wonderfully with morels I kept coming back to how I enjoy mushrooms the most: sauteed in butter with herbs. But of course! A butter bread! A brioche.

If you know me in real life you know I'm not a "bread person." I don't go gaga over bread and I don't even eat it everyday. But once a year, at Christmas, my mother makes brioche and I swoon. Because I am the baby of the family (cough *spoiled* cough) she always makes me a few little extra "baby brioche" to eat on Christmas morning with tea. I shan't tell you how many years this has been going on, but I will say you are never too old to enjoy your mother's love.

Mediterranean Lamb Stuffed Peppers

I am very pleased to be guest posting today at Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves. I was first introduced to Becky through the lovebloghop we co-host with a number of other talented bloggers and later had the opportunity to get to know Becky better through the Food Bloggers Network. We share an "equal opportunity" love of all things culinary since we both feature both savory and sweet recipes on our blogs. Who wouldn't love a blog filled with yummy treats like Kahlua Cinnamon Brownies? I am honored to be posting on Becky's wonderful site - the hardest part of this guest post was deciding whether to bake or cook!

In the end I let the season be my guide and decided these Mediterranean Lamb Stuffed Peppers were a perfect choice for spring. The red peppers are a light yet savory compliment to the olives and feta that enhance the rich lamb filling. Combined with brown rice and paired with a fresh green salad this is a flavorful and satisfying dinner for spring. Hop on over to Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves for the complete recipe.

Enjoy!

Rêve de Crêpes ~ Coconut Crepes with Kiwi & Strawberries

I vividly remember my first real-live-authentic-made-in-Paris-by-a-professional crêpe. I was twenty-one years old, visiting my best friend Gabriel during her study abroad program in Paris. To prevent jet lag from taking me to a more somnolent state Gaby walked me around the neighborhood where her host family lived. Alongside the beautiful architecture, lovely spring flowers bursting bright and cheerful colors, and of course the chic pedestrians, was a tiny roadside crêperie stand. Gaby helped me to order a savory chicken and guyere lunch crêpe and assured me I was in for a treat.

I was in for a trance.

I don't know if it was the overnight plane travel, the bright spring sunshine, or the joy of a simple repast well-prepared, but I was wrapped in a wafer-thin pancake reverie punctuated by mellow, gooey gruyere. As I stumbled along beside her, Gaby smiled knowingly and confided, "wait til you taste a nutella one!"

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Truffle Scented Croutons

Does anything else announce spring like asparagus soup? It's very color is evocative of the budding trees and nascent blades of grass peeping out from under the dry brown cover of their older brothers lost to winter chill. Then the flavor - fresh and bright like early morning but with a warmth that says, "I know it's still chilly out there, girl. Here, let me wrap you in my velvety soup love and keep you warm."

Confession time: I was a picky eater as a child. Gasp! You're shocked, I know. And here's the kicker: not only did I love to eat (yeah, big surprise), I didn't know I was a picky eater! I ate everything my mother made me. I just didn't realize that she only gave me food she knew I would eat. Oh, those crafty Moms! My Mom (both my parents, really) were adamant that their children not grow up to be rude and spoiled brats. If someone else cooked for you, or invited you to their home, you ate as much as you could, even if you wanted to die inside, and you thanked them for it.

Chai Almond Cake with Toasted Coconut Buttercream

The deep color and flavor of this chai layer cake is balanced by the delicate middle layer of almond sponge cake and the sweet coconut buttercream. I have been thinking about making a chai cake for a long time and am thrilled with the way this layer cake turned out. Chai is such a luxurious drink; The sweetly aromatic flavors in the tea are heightened by the creamy milk in which it is steeped, leading me to think a chai cake paired with a buttercream frosting would combine to form a similar, deeply flavorful and creamy result. Adding a rum syrup in between the layers provided additional moisture and flavor ensuring this cake will have a lasting place among the pages of my family's favorite recipes.

Quite frankly, I'm immodestly pleased with myself over this cake. Allow me to pose this little question: whose got two thumbs and knows how to make a damn tasty cake?

This gal.

Blackberry Peach Teacake

It is no exaggeration to say that this Blackberry Peach Teacake was devoured in twenty-four hours between Thom and me. I have a spectacular fondness for cake... which you... uh... probably already knew considering the name of this blog... but anyway... this style of teacake is one of my particular favorites. The cake is dense and rich while remaining moist. The fruit on top adds a wonderful fresh burst of natural flavor to the mildly spiced and creamy cake.

If you've been reading this blog regularly you know this cake is a springtime variation on a theme; the Pear Marzipan Teacake is brilliant in early autumn and the Orange-Fig Teacake with Caramel Glaze is perfect for bridging the gap between the fall and winter seasons. For spring I lightened up the cake a bit with less sugar and cream as well as added richness to the flavor with almond flour and almond extract. Some slivered almonds on top of the cake would be great, too.

Berrylove ~ Flower Berry Angel Food Baskets

I found this darling shortcake basket pan on sale recently at a local shop and I couldn't pass it up. First off, I absolutely love Nordic Ware designs (I use this petit fours pan for bridal showers); second, I absolutely love that their products are made in the USA when so many industries have moved overseas and I will always buy as local as possible; and third, as soon as I saw it the idea for this recipe sprang into my head. I had to have it!

If you don't have an adorable basket weave mini cake pan you can use mini angel food molds or you can double the recipe and make a full size angel food cake.

Deviled Eggs Three Ways

Deviled eggs are not safe around my husband. He pops 'em like candy and can easily eat an entire plate of the soft, creamy, flavorful treats by himself. Our good friend Ann is the Queen of Deviled Eggs (we should get her a crown) and has been commissioned to prepare them for all parties and events until the end of the world. Thom loves Ann's deviled eggs so much that she can't even set the tray down on the coffee table before he's eaten at least two. Ann, however, has decided to go be with her family in Pittsburgh for Easter so it is up to me to prepare the deviled eggs for Easter.

I have big shoes to fill... I better make three different versions so Thom can choose his favorite...let's see... why don't we try chipotle bacon, a classic version, and a fresh lemon-chive deviled egg. Yeah... those sound good!

Lamb Stuffed Phyllo Packets

Thom and I share a love of many things culinary related, but absolutely nothing matches his love of lamb. One night when we were out to dinner with my Dad and brother my brother started to ask Thom a question and Thom, the most mild-mannered man I know, actually shushed him and said, "shhh! I'm lambing."

Thom likes lamb.

When my Mom hosted an engagement "meet the future in-laws" dinner for us she made a delicious lamb stuffed phyllo dish. She worked on that menu for weeks, wanting everything to be perfect, and it was incredible. Flaky, buttery phyllo stuffed with savory lamb and salty, tangy feta. I was inspired by that dinner when I developed this recipe which can be made ahead in bite sized pieces and frozen, unbaked, until you need to pull a tasty appetizer out for unexpected guests. Or just, you know, because it's delicious. I made mine into larger portions, two of which form a reasonable portion with a salad or another side dish.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes - a Teddy Bear's Picnic!

I'm guest posting with these lemon blueberry cupcakes over at Java Cupcake today. It's a deliciously sweet blog filled with goodies galore. In honor of the arrival of Betsy's baby boy these luscious lemon cupcakes are topped with a blueberry cream cheese frosting and a sweet little chocolate teddy because...

If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise. If you go out in the woods today you'd better go in disguise. For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain, because today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

When I was a little girl my Mom would read me stories in the voice of my teddy bear. My favorite were when she would make up stories about what Teddy did all day while I was at school. When I was going through a problem with a bully Teddy had advice for how she handled her bully, Ruthie Bruin (Mom really should have been a children's book author). Teddy was as real and loving to me as... well... as my Mom.

So for all the Moms who love their babies and all the kids at heart who still love their teddies... have a cupcake today.

Enjoy!