Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

I recently brought this cake to a dinner for ten, and it was much enjoyed by all. I don't make it very often, and then each time I do, I resolve to not wait so long!

CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

8-10 servings

adapted from Cooking Light, November 2009

 

Topping:

butter for preparing the cake pan

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. butter

6 oz fresh or frozen, thawed, cranberries

 

Cake

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs, separating out whites/yolks (both used in recipe)

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. skim milk (other milk also fine)

optional: serve with vanilla ice cream

 

Preheat oven to 350. 

 

To prepare topping, generously butter a 9" round cake pan.  (If you have a “quick-release” pan with a slider, that will help get the cake out; see NOTE at bottom.)  Heat brown sugar and 2 T. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.  Pour sugar mixture into prepared cake pan, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly.  Arrange cranberries evenly over sugar mixture.

 

To prepare cake: set out a small, medium, and large bowls.

In the small bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside; this will be stirred into the batter.

 

In the medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a whisk.  

 

In the larger bowl, beat sugar and 1/2 cup butter at medium speed until well blended and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add egg yolks and beat well.  Beat in vanilla.  Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Then gently fold the egg whites into the batter.  

 

Spoon the batter over the cranberries, spreading evenly.  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  

 

Cool in pan 15 minutes on wire rack.  Place a serving plate upside down on top of cake, and invert the cake pan onto the plate.  Let stand 5 minutes and remove the pan.  Serve warm (or see below for making further ahead).  

 

NOTE: I have also made the cake as much as a day before serving. I left it in the pan until ready to serve.  When I used a pan with a "slider" to loosen it, it came out easily.  When I used a pan without a slider, I had to work to loosen some of the bottom as well as the sides, and lost some around the edges.  

Fresh Tomato Tart

I am starting to get some tomatoes from my garden, but not enough yet to make a batch of spaghetti sauce, so my eye was caught by this recipe for a fresh tomato tart in David Lebovitz's blog. I had one large Purple Cherokee tomato on hand and a few tomatoes like Roma but a larger (I forget the name of the variety), and that was plenty for the tart. It was delicious! The crust is unusual in its inclusion of cornmeal, a very nice addition.  Because the tart bakes for about 40 minutes, I think this would likely be fine with grocery store Roma tomatoes if you don't have any home-grown or farmer's market tomatoes. I served it as a side dish with eggplant parmigiana. It would also be nice with some soup or a hearty salad.

FRESH TOMATO TART

adapted from https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/p/fresh-tomato-tart

serves 6 as a side dish

 

For the dough

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup polenta or cornmeal

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

5 tablespoons ice water, plus more if necessary

 

For the tart

about 3 T. Dijon or whole-grain mustard

3 medium tomatoes (about 1-1/2 pounds)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 ounces ricotta (whole milk or part skim)

1-1/2 tablespoons melted butter (I used a little less)

Parmesan cheese, grated

To make the dough, mix together the flour, polenta, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. or (and use a pastry blender or your fingers to mix the dough). Add the cubed, cold butter and cut into the flour with a pastry blender (or blend in with your fingers) until the pieces of butter are the size of large corn kernels. Add the water mix with a spoon and/or your hands until the dough starts to come together. If the dough feels too dry to do that, add more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together. (I used about another 1-1/2 T.) Use your hands to gather the dough and shape the dough into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or an eco-friendly alternative and chill for at least an hour. (The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

To make the tart, preheat the oven to 400. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap it and, holding the disk of dough perpendicular to the counter, rap the sides of the dough on the counter, turning it as you go, to soften the edges, which helps them stay together and not get too ragged when you’re rolling out the dough.

On a lightly floured countertop or large silicone mat, roll the dough out to a 14-inch circle, turning the dough and sprinkling more flour on the counter and the dough to keep it from sticking as you’re rolling.

Place the dough on a flat (not rimmed) baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread a layer of mustard on the dough, leaving a couple of inches empty around the perimeter, which you’ll fold over the filling later. 

Slice the tomatoes about 1/3-inch thick and layer them in concentric circles, overlapping them a little, over the mustard. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. 

Place chunks of ricotta cheese over and, in some places, partially tucked under the tomatoes.

Fold the edges of the dough over the tomatoes to make an outer crust. Brush the edges of the dough with melted butter and grate Parmesan cheese over the entire tart, including the crust. 

Bake until the tomatoes are soft and cooked through and the crust is dark golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Slide the tart off the pan onto a wire rack and let cool for about ten minutes before putting on a large round plate to serve.

Strawberry Shortcake Cobbler

This recipe was quite easy to make and really good. The only time-consuming part was hulling and slicing the berries. I think it would be nice with other fruit as well--I think I'll try peaches next.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE SKILLET COBBLER

https://www.driscolls.com/recipes/strawberry-shortcake-skillet-cobbler

8 servings

 

To serve 9-10 people instead of 8, up the strawberries to 40 ounces and add just a tad more sugar and cornstarch. Everything else can stay the same.

32 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T. cornstarch

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 T. baking powder

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup milk

pinch salt

1 large egg

 

PREHEAT oven to 375°F.

 

GREASE a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with butter. (I used a 10.5” stainless steel straight-sided skillet, which worked well.) I think the 8-serving version would probably also work in a 9” square bake pan, but I’d put it on a sheet pan in case it might bubble over.

 

In a large bowl, COMBINE strawberries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

 

In another large bowl, WHISK together the flour, cornmeal, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and baking powder. Add butter and salt and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter is incorporated. (I started with a pastry cutter and then continued with my fingers.)

 

WHISK egg and milk in a small bowl and then stir into the flour mixture. Set aside the batter.

 

SCRAPE strawberries and juices into the skillet.

 

DROP batter by the spoonful onto strawberries. (The “islands” will merge together as the cobbler bakes.)

 

BAKE 30 to 35 minutes or until the top of the cobbler is golden brown.

 

REMOVE from the oven, and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

TOP cobbler with whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream whipped with 1 T. confectioners sugar), vanilla ice cream, or low-fat vanilla cream (recipe here).

Flan

FLAN (Spanish caramel custard)

Adapted from Craig Claiborne, The New York Times Menu Cookbook (1966)

12 servings 

The first cookbook I used, back in my college days was The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne, and I added in the NYT Menu and International cookbooks. They’re all very good, and David and I have favorite recipes from each of them. Here’s a recipe from the Menu cookbook that I turn to when I need a dessert that will serve 8-12 people. The bonus is that it’s very simple to make. The recipe says it will serve 12, and it will. But last night I served it to 9, and everyone wanted the small second serving that I could pass out.  It’s so good that I find myself thinking about halving the recipe for a smaller dinner party. I think that would work, maybe baking the custard in an 8” cake pan. I’d reduce everything in half except for the sugar that is caramelized—I’d probably do 2/3 cup for that.

The flan can be made a day ahead; but leave it in the casserole, only turning it out until you’re ready to serve it.

1-1/2 cups sugar (divided 1 and 1/2)

1/8 t. salt

2 t. vanilla extract

7 large eggs

1/2 cup cold milk 

4 cups hot milk (heated up, but not to boiling point)

(I used skim milk for all the milk, which made for a lighter dessert. Using 2% or whole milk would also be fine.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Warm up the 1-1/2 quart casserole that you’ll be using by letting it sit in a pan of hot water. This will prevent the caramel from hardening before you can coat the bottom and sides of the pan in the next step.

Stir and cook one cup of the sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until it is melted; it will be an amber color. (Along the way it will form into crystallized chunks, which made me very nervous the first time I did this, but just keep stirring and it will all eventually melt.) Pour the caramel into a 1-1/2 quart casserole, turning to coat all the bottom and as much of the sides as possible.  

In a medium or large bowl, combine salt, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Mix well. Add the eggs and beat lightly with a rotary beater or electric mixer. Stir in the cold milk, then slowly add in the hot milk, and mix well.

Pour the custard into the caramel-coated casserole. Set in a pan of hot water. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the filling comes out clean. (I left it for about 15 minutes more last night, using a friend’s oven. The knife came out clean at 1:20, but I didn’t like how very loose the custard looked.)

Remove from the oven and cool. Then chill in the refrigerator. Just before serving, run a knife around the edge of the flan; go around twice. Then turn it out into a shallow bowl or a slightly cupped serving plat that is about two inches larger than the flan. Serve by slicing or spooning out, drizzling caramel over the top.

Rosemary Gin & Tonic

I was very excited last night when I improvised a new cocktail, applying the principle of the rosemary gimlet recipe I love to a gin and tonic. The gin and the lime juice are the same, but including tonic makes a nicer drink for summer. Why not add in some rosemary syrup too? This drink is definitely delightful. 

When I sat down to write up my discovery, I thought I should google “rosemary gin and tonic” to see if someone else had thought of it too, and of course they had. Here’s a recipe very close to what I came up with, just with somewhat different measurements. 

ROSEMARY GIN & TONIC 

1 drink 

Note: You’ll want to make the rosemary syrup in advance, giving it time to cool. 

• 1-1/2 oz. gin (or however much you like in your gin & tonic)

• ice cubes 

• tonic water 

• 2/3 oz. rosemary syrup (recipe below) 

• lime wedge 

Put some ice cubes into a tall glass. Add gin and then as much tonic as you like. Add the rosemary syrup and squeeze in the lime juice. That’s it! 

ROSEMARY SYRUP 

(enough for about 4 drinks; will keep in fridge for several weeks) 

1/4 cup water 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves 

To make the syrup, heat the water, sugar and chopped rosemary leaves in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cool, strain the rosemary syrup into a jar (discarding the rosemary), and refrigerate until ready to use.

Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake

I already have a blueberry cake recipe that I like very much, but when I saw this recipe that combines blueberry cake with poppy seed cake, I couldn't resist trying it. And now this is my favorite blueberry cake—enjoy!

BLUEBERRY POPPY SEED CAKE

adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022250-blueberry-poppy-seed-cake

nonstick cooking spray

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup canola or other neutral oil

2 large eggs

¾ cup sour cream (can substitute yogurt—I used about half sour cream, half plain no-fat yogurt)

1 ¼ teaspoons almond extract (optional—I did not use)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

some lemon zest (optional; I used some dried lemon zest I had on hand)

¾ teaspoon kosher salt 

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup all-purpose)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 ⅓ cups fresh blueberries (divided--leaving out 1/3 to put on top)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted if desired (optional; I didn't use them, but will try with the next time)

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square pan (this is what I used) or 9-inch round pan with cooking spray and line the base with parchment paper. (The parchment paper is useful for blueberries that may sink to the bottom.)

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the granulated sugar, butter and oil until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until well combined, then add the sour cream, almond extract (if using), vanilla extract and salt. Beat until well combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and lemon zest (if using). Mix on low speed until just combined, then fold in 1 cup blueberries (and nuts, if using) with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup blueberries on top, then sprinkle on the turbinado sugar.

Bake until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack. I served the cake from the pan. If you prefer to turn the cake out onto a serving plate plate, let it cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack and remove the parchment paper. Place a plate or another wire rack on top of the cake and invert it again so the sugared side is up. The cake will keep loosely wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Rosemary shortbread

Readers of this recent Times recipe were wildly enthusiastic, and now so am I. It is so simple to make (assuming you have a food processor). Lining the pan with parchment paper is the most time-consuming part, but worth doing for easy removal of the shortbread. The results are delicious, with many compliments received when I served it last night.

So long as I have fresh rosemary on hand, I think I'll stick with the recipe as given. But I might also be tempted by one or more of the add-ins, maybe currants or mini chocolate chips.

I used an 8" square pan, which resulted in thick squares. I've just purchased a 9" square pan for my next batch, as I think I'd prefer them a little thinner.

ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD
adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015820-rosemary-shortbread

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 t. kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted cold butter, cut into 1/2" chunks

suggested add-ins (can use one or more)

minced dried fruit or currants

1/2 cup nuts (pecans or pistachios?)

mini chocolate chips

1 t. lemon or orange zest

1 t. cardamom

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Prepare an 8" or 9" square baking pan: Spray lightly with baking oil and then line with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang that you can lift out the shortbread when done. When doing the lining, I pressed the parchment paper into the corners and then cut out the overlap.

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, rosemary, and salt. Add the butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess. NB: Mine stayed fine crumbs, with no sticking together. Still turned out fine.

Press dough firmly into the baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes for a 9" pan, 45-50 minutes for 8." (My 8" pan took 55 minutes.) 

Put pan on wire rack to cool. After a couple of minutes, cut into rectangular pieces but leave in pan. When entirely cool, lift out using the parchment paper "sling." (The cookies are crumbly, and this method, recommended by readers, helps keep them intact.)