I Think it was the Fourth of July

And what better way to celebrate than with some (patriotic) cupcakes! I adapted this recipe from Ina's flag cake: instead of doing a sheet cake, I made 2 dozen rather large cupcakes, topped with the white frosting and some fruit. I had a fruit trauma, so I ended up using strawberries instead of raspberries, but they were still divine and kept within my red, white & blue color scheme.

I find it's best to use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tin with the batter. As this was originally a sheet cake, it doesn't rise too terribly much so you really do want the muffin cups to be rather full. Also, if you make the whole recipe and don't fill the muffin cups, you'll spend all day making cupcakes there will be so many! Anywho, I opted not to (because I didn't have any) add lemon zest, but you very well could. In fact, the other sheet cake recipe I use is identical to this one, but it adds lemon zest.

I will share with you the original recipe, which is really only altered by whether or not you use a sheet pan or muffin tin. I baked mine for 30 minutes at 350.

Flag Cake

Barefoot Contessa Family Stlye (Ina Garten)

Serves 20-24

For the Cake

18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the Frosting
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

The Art of Giving

One of my favorite hobbies is giving gifts. Therefore, food + gifts = me so happy. The first gift basket I made was for my grandpa's birthday. I made all of his favorites and presented it to him at his birthday party.

I just got a basket at the craft store, one that can stay open on it's own for presentation. I got some blue ribbon (grandpa's favorite color) to decorate the basket and to tie the treat bags. The next step is to get some sort of filling, also found in your craft store. Some sort of straw is nice: nothing heavy, but sturdy enough that food won't sink too far down. If it's a little messy (as mine was), I recommend a piece of wax paper at the bottom of the basket to keep it from falling through the wicker.

Onto the food. Some sort of pound cake or bread (banana bread, say) is nice to "ground" the basket. Just wrap in plastic wrap and pop into the center of the basket. I like symmetry, so I put flowers on each side along with peanut butter cookies in two treat bags. Next came the truffles, in a decorative bag, a jar of peanut butter, and finally, homemade strawberry jam in the center.


A basket can be made for any occasion and as simple or elaborate as you (or the recipient) desire. Craft stores have all sorts of packaging options for a fair price and can really spruce up a basket, if you will. Not to mention their lovely assortment of faux flowers, if you don't have fresh available. Next time you get stuck for a gift idea: try your hand at a basket. Or give me a ring and I'll whip one up for you!

Cranniversary

One of my oldest friends was kind enough to support my business and buy a cranberry walnut bread for her parents' anniversary. Of course, as a friend, she got the friends and family discount. I did this even though she requested cranberries (!) in the off off season. Lucky for her, I saved almost a whole bag in my freezer at Christmastime. I didn't taste it but they finished it off within a couple days. Goodness!

I think there are some changes I would make to this recipe, but I'll give to you as is, straight from the Ocean Spray Test Kitchen. I think a spot of vanilla and cinnamon would have been a nice touch, and this one didn't have either, but I stuck to my rule of making the recipe as written the first time. It calls for 3/4 cup of orange juice and I used fresh squeezed, not OJ from the carton. The recipe does not specify what type of nuts, but I used walnuts as requested. They add a nice flavor and a little crunch. Another nice thing about this recipe is that you really don't need to get out the mixer. It's simple enough that you can just mix it in a large bowl by hand if you want. A word of advice? It's much easier to chop the cranberries if they're frozen.

Cranberry Walnut Bread
Ocean Spray
Serves 8

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs
3/4 cups orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.

'Tis the Season

For strawberry rhubarb! Here in Maryland, we're getting the freshest of fresh strawberries so they must be put to good use. We (belatedly) celebrated Daddy's birthday and he requested "anything rhubarb." This came about because Cousin made strawberry rhubarb pie for my aunt recently. My family is very susceptible to peer pressure . . . so I did up a little crostata. It was a hit, in case you had any doubt. For once there were no leftovers. 

If you don't feel like going to all the effort of a pie or tart crust, go for the crostata base. It's very easy to make, and you can make it ahead. All you have to do is toss everything into the food processor and give it a whirl. I added some blueberries into the fruit mix, but of course you can really choose any fruit combination you like. Not to mention, I don't think a hint of cinnamon or nutmeg, or ginger would hurt anyone. 

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crostata

Stonewall Kitchen Cookbook

Serves 6

For the Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for rolling out the dough

3 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

About 1/2 cup ice cold water

For the Filling

3 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (about 1 pound), cut into thick slices

1 cup chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (amount will vary based on sweetness of fruit)

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

For the Vanilla Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

To Prepare the Dough

In the bowl of a food processor, whirl the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse the mixture about 15 times, until the butter resembles small peas. With the motor on, add enough ice water until the dough just begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and comes together. Don't worry if it still looks crumbly. 

Pour the dough onto a large sheet of aluminum foil and close the foil up to create a ball with the dough. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

To Prepare the Filling

In a large bowl, mix the berries, rhubarb, brown sugar, flour, and orange juice and stir well to make sure the fruit is thoroughly coated. Let marinate, stirring once or twice, while you roll out the dough.

Place a wrack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

Unwrap the dough. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a circle about 12 to 14 inches in diameter. Place the circle on a large, ungreased cookie sheet. Using a slotted spoon, place the fruit into the center of the dough, leaving a border of about 2 inches. Pour any accumulated fruit juices from the bottom of the bowl over the fruit. Drape the edges f the dough over the filling and press down lightly to crimp them. The dough won't cover the filling completely; you should have a fair amount of exposed fruit in the center. (The crostata can be made several hours ahead of time; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or about 28 minutes if the crostata was refrigerated), or until the dough is a light golden brown, the fruit in the center looks soft, and the juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.

To Prepare the Cream

In an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until the cream holds its shape.

Transfer the crostata to a large serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature, with the whipped cream on the side. 

We Be Jammin'

A couple weeks ago I decided to try my hand at strawberry jam. My parents had a couple fancy jam jars from Christmas, so I wanted to put them to good use. In the future I'll be using Mason jars, which aren't as decorative, but just as useful. In these airtight jars, the jam should last a while; in a regular container it should keep about 2 weeks.

This task took less than an hour start to finish, none of this overnight business. Someone like me would get too nervous about burning down the house. Nono, this recipe cooks for about 30 minutes give or take. Make sure you use a heavy-duty pot though. Not to mention a stove with evenly distributed heat. I'm sure Le Creuset is the best, but some of us haven't made our fortunes yet so we use the grandmother's old (but darling) pot.

I won't lecture you about pectin, but I'll just let you know that's why the apple is in there. For the curious among you, you can look it up. Or not that I've learned how to read the "comments" you can leave one and I'll answer you.

Easy Strawberry Jam
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics (Ina Garten)
Makes 3 cups

3 pints fresh strawberries
3 cups superfine sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and small-diced
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Place the strawberries in a colander and rinse them under cold running water. Drain and hull the strawberries. Cut the larger berries in half or quarters and leave the small berries whole. Place the strawberries in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot such as heavy Dutch oven and toss them with the sugar and orange-flavored liqueur.

Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Add the apple and blueberries and continue to keep the mixture at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, until the jam reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. This should take 25 to 35 minutes. Skim and discard any foam that rises to the top. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then store covered in the refrigerator. It will keep refrigerated for at least 2 weeks. To keep the jam longer, pack and seal in canning jars according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Rice is Nice

This is a nice little summer "salad" and can be made somewhat healthy if you want. Say, if you don't use cheese, or use low fat cheese. The original recipe doesn't use cheese; I used feta, but mozzarella would be good too I think. Also, I used a block of feta and cut it into a chunks instead of using the crumbles. It's a bit more fresh and looks prettier that way. 

I served this on Mother's Day and now Ma wants it on her birthday too. I'm sure it will be even better after the tomatoes sprout in the garden and we don't have to buy them. I used home-grown basil in this and once the tomatoes come up this salad will actually be rather cheap to whip up. Not to mention it's about the easiest thing to make. And now I will share with you the recipe.

Brown Rice Tomatoes and Basil

Barefoot Contessa Family Style (Ina Garten)

Serves 6

1 cup Texmati brown rice

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1/4 cup champagne or rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon good olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ripe tomatoes, large-diced

1 cup chopped basil leaves, chopped

Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and add the rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a bowl.

Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the rice. Add the tomatoes and basil. Mix well and check the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

*To make a day in advance omit the basil. Add the basil just before serving. 

 

Tea Time

Not to be confused with the football players' tee time. However, this is iced tea, so maybe they'll enjoy it at the driving range. Who knows. Anywho, iced tea can be a spot dull . . . just plain old Lipton tea bags with water and sugar. Maybe some lemon for the adventurous ones. Meh. But, leave it to Ina, to "turn up the volume" and make it a bit more exotic. She uses lemon zinger and red zinger, but honestly you could probably use whatever kind of zinger you want. The apple juice (the Martinelli's is not product placement - it really does make a difference here) sweetens it so you don't need to dump in the sugar, Splenda, Stevia or whatever else you use to make it go down easy.

I served this on Mother's Day to complement the top shelf weather at cocktail hour. I put a couple lemon slices in the tea itself and one on the pitcher's rim for garnish. So, Ma could have her iced tea and cheese, crackers, and olives. I frequent the olive bar at Whole Foods and another local store and find these olives to be far superior to those things in a jar. While not as elaborate as many of my cocktail hours, the olives, served along side brie, gouda, and "entertaining crackers" created a nice little cocktail hour.

Herbal Iced Tea

Barefoot Contessa Family Style (Ina Garten)

Serves 6-8

4 Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger tea bags
4 Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea bags
4 cups pure apple juice

Steep the 8 tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Combine the tea with the apple juice and refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice.