Tasting Spoons

It intrigues me, always, when I read a recipe and find some new or different technique. Such was the case with this recipe. It’s not exactly an innovative instruction, but normally you don’t cover a cobbler or cake while it’s baking. In this case, you cover it with oiled foil for half the baking and uncover for the second half. And this fruit pudding cake requires about 80-90 minutes of baking. That’s a heck of a long time.

Before we get to the recipe itself, I want to talk about peaches and nectarines for a minute . . . I know (because Carolyn knows all, tee, hee) that some of you, my good readers, who subscribe or use a reader, chose not to read my instructional pieces about how to buy great fruit and vegetables (I’ve done two so far – peaches/nectarines, and cucumbers). I suppose in the big scheme of things, I shouldn’t care, but I’m merely telling you, it’s worth the reading. Really it is. (If you want to read it now, just click on the links above to go to each of those posts.) I’ve learned things from the book this info has come from. In this case, when I was shopping for peaches, I remembered what Russ Parsons had told me - and I’m doing this from memory – firstly that peaches and nectarines are interchangeable, for all intents and purposes, (okay, good so far, so I chose nectarines) – then he said choose the white-fleshed fruit if it’s available (check), and choose fruit that has less rosy tinges to them – in other words, choose the more yellow skinned rather than the red skinned (I did my best, check). Once home, I placed them on the kitchen counter (check) for about 4 days, actually, until they were perfectly ripe. That day wasn’t one when I could use them, so I popped them in a plastic bag and into the refrigerator (check). It’s been 3 or 4 more days since I did that, and amazingly, they were perfectly okay once I removed them from cold storage. I’m a happy camper.

I haven’t done much cooking of late. No particular reason, other than I’ve been busy doing other things (like painting, for instance, going to my weekly art class, shopping, going out to lunch with friends, movie-going to see Mama Mia). And, we had lots of leftovers in the refrigerator. I don’t mind leftovers at all, and my DH is wonderful about eating them. In fact he rags on me something fierce whenever we have to throw out something. Alas, we do now and then. But our refrigerator, finally, is more or less bare. Well, that’s not exactly a truthful statement. If you opened my frig you’d find nearly all shelves half full – of bottles and jars of things that have to be refrigerated all the time (pickles, dressings, marinades, mustards, some liqueurs, crème fraiche, still some Devon cream leftover from the tea about 6 weeks ago, oils, jams, condiments, hot peppers, and on and on it goes). The vegetable drawer is crammed full too, as well as the shallow cheese/salami drawer. Of course, there’s also some milk, fat-free half and half, some cream, sour cream, fresh salsa, and lots of Greek yogurt too.

So, now we get to talk about the recipe. Sorry for the diversion . . . I went to my recipe trove and searched for something to do with the nectarines. Out popped this recipe. I adore pudding cakes – you’ll find that I posted a lemon sponge cake and a gingerbread pudding cake in months past, both really tasty. I’d never made a peach (well, nectarine) one. First I peeled and sliced (and measured) the nectarines. I took two little slices to taste – oh my goodness were they fabulous.  Now, a slight confession: the original recipe called for 4 cups of sliced fruit. I had 4 rather smallish nectarines, and I thought I’d be lucky to have 3 cups. Actually, it was a bit over 2 cups. So, I halved the recipe. The list of ingredients, when halved, was difficult (I hate it when you have to measure 7/8 of a cup or 3/8 of a cup). So, the recipe you’ll see below is the full 9×13 size, since I didn’t think you guys would want to have to do all the odd-estimating measurements, either. I baked mine in an 8-inch round cakepan. I don’t own an 8-inch square pan (just a 9-er), so figured the 8-inch round cakepan would be a better use of the volume/space.

The recipe appeared in Bon Appetit, in August of 2007. It was in the column where people write in to ask for restaurant recipes. When I searched online for it, it wasn’t AT the epicurious website (odd), but I did find it at somebody else’s food blog. Before I made it I wanted to read what others thought of it. Several people who have eaten at the restaurant, and had moved away from Austin, were thrilled to find the recipe online (per the comments to the blog).  Apparently the pastry chef at this restaurant is Asian, as the recipe on the menu is called Wom Kim’s Peach Pudding.

Remember, pudding cake is a unique chemistry – the batter separates into a pudding layer, and also has a second layer more resembling a cake. When this pudding cake was sliced and served, it didn’t have much ooze left (probably because I baked it too long). In this particular recipe you spread the batter into the baking dish, then spoon the freshly sliced peaches/nectarines on top. Once baked, the fruit has settled (mostly) to the bottom and the cake is on top. In my instance, since I was using a smaller vessel, I cut down the baking time. Next time I’ll bake it less time. You can see from the collage of pictures, the one with the shiny center is halfway through the baking – from then I probably needed to bake it about 30 minutes and check it with my tester in 5-minute increments. And next time I’ll know to make the full 9×13 glass pan full, and to have at least 8 peaches or nectarines on hand to make it!

The results? It was delicious (is that my most favorite word on this blog? sorry . . .). Ahem. It was very good, but I think the cake overpowered the delicate flavor of the nectarines, though. If you want straight, unadulterated peach or nectarine flavor, cut them up and serve with cream or eat out of hand. If you don’t mind the mingling of flavors (the cake part was a bit crunchy on top - which was a great texture  . . . I liked it, it was perfectly baked, a bit darkened around the outside edges from sugar caramelization, just as the recipe recommended). I served it with a small globe of vanilla ice cream rather than whipped cream – I wanted the cold contrast.

Peach Pudding Cake

Recipe: Wom Kim at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, Austin, TX

Servings: 12

4 cups sliced peaches — peeled, or nectarines

CAKE BATTER:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups sugar — or less

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

Sweetened whipped cream for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 9×13-inch glass dish with vegetable oil spray and set aside.

2.  In a bowl whisk the flour (both quantities), baking powder, salt and soda. 

3.  In an electric mixer beat butter until smooth.  Gradually beat in sugar.  Add vanilla, then eggs one at a time, incorporating both well.  Using low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk in three additions each, beating well between each addition.

4.  Transfer batter to baking pan/dish, spreading evenly.  Arrange peach or nectarine slices over batter, overlapping slightly as needed.  Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray; cover cake with foil, spray side down and seal edges. 

5.  Bake for 45 minutes, then remove foil covering.  Return to oven and continue baking until top is golden brown, edges are crusty, AND a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 more minutes.  Cool for one hour, then serve with whipped cream.

Per Serving: 335 Calories; 13g Fat (33.8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 52g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 67mg Cholesterol; 291mg Sodium.

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If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you already know that I rarely buy a box mix of anything. That started a long time ago when I learned a lot about food additives. So I prefer to use fresh products whenever possible. But I’ve been known to be lured into trying a few boxed things. My friend Cherrie (who doesn’t bake) started buying some of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa mixes and gave them superlative accolades.

So I chose a chocolate cupcake mix with a peanut butter frosting, thinking that our granddaughter Taylor would be particularly interested (she takes after her grandpa, since they both love all things peanut butter), and would like to make them. Uh, no. She was more interested in playing and taking care of her baby cousin Vaughan, so I whipped them up myself. It wasn’t much different than a regular cake mix. But oh, the taste. Oh my goodness. How in the heck can she/they make a box mix taste so darned wonderful? Will I buy one of these again? Oh yea!

We had the family over for another outdoor barbecue dinner for 9. We ate leftovers of our 4th of July meal, and added about 2 pounds of some wonderful grilled Italian sausage to the menu. And rounded out the dinner with these fabulous cupcakes. So if you ever have a time when there simply isn’t time, or you’d rather spend it creating something else, these cupcakes are highly recommended.

Well, no, Martha wasn’t there. But one of her big fans was the hostess, who prepared a dinner using four of Martha’s highlighted recipes from the Martha Stewart’s Living July ’08 issue. Kathleen invited us to her home for dinner, and we had such a fun evening. We had wine (of course) and I helped just a little bit in the kitchen with the aioli sauce. Other than that, Kathleen had done all the work ahead.

Each magazine always includes a four-recipe perforated card in the issue; color pictures on one side, recipes on the back. The recipes are designed to go together to make a full meal. Here’s the delicious menu. Click on each title to link to Martha’s website for the recipes:

Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with Herb Aioli

The lamb shoulder chops were grilled briefly (perfectly) and served with the cold herb aioli on the side which took but a couple of minutes to whiz up in the food processor. It was delicious – the hot meat and the cold sauce were great together since it was a warm evening.

Couscous Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Israeli couscous is different than ordinary (fine-grained) couscous. The Israeli version is more like the size of the large round tapioca grains. Traditional couscous is kind of irregularly shaped, but the Israeli are perfectly honed little globes. They make for a very pretty bowl. This is prepared just before serving (it can sit at room temp for awhile, so the recipe says). And this is an extremely low fat dish – only one tablespoon of oil for the entire salad for four people.

Minted Watermelon Salad

In Martha’s version, you use ricotta salata cheese. Kathleen couldn’t find it, so she used feta instead, which was wonderful. I’d never have thought to pair watermelon with feta. It was delicious, especially with the fresh mint too. I’d probably use more mint, but then I like the stuff in lots of things.

Raspberry and Lemon Sorbet Floats

Kathleen couldn’t find sorbet, so she used sherbet instead. These were just delicious with Vernors ginger ale poured over the sherbet. I mean it – so easy – and so refreshing on a hot summer’s night. She served them in brightly colored glasses, and we just sipped away. I looked up some info about Vernors – they claim to be the first American soft drink. The story is interesting – James Vernor went off to fight in the Civil War, leaving behind an oak cask in the pharmacy where he worked. It was filled with ginger, vanilla and spices. When he returned 4 years later, the cask was still there and ginger ale was born. And even more interesting to me, was that from 1866 to 1991 Vernors ginger ale was sweetened with stevia, but when stevia was banned by the FDA in 1991, they began using corn syrup. An even more obscure factlet, being the English nut that I am, is that in 1950 the company decided to drop the apostrophe from Vernor’s.

Thanks, Kathleen, for a very tasty Martha dinner and an altogether lovely evening.

My problem is: I love “afternoon tea.” It’s just so fun. And I love the food that is typical of such a tea. So it was that my friend, Cherrie, and I joined hostess forces and invited 10 of our friends to tea at my house last week. We started planning it a couple of months ago, and within about 5 minutes we’d decided on the menu and who would be invited. The date was set, invitations were mailed, and we both did an ample amount of cooking. Anyone who says doing an “afternoon tea” is easy is crazy. Even with both of us cooking and preparing the food, and with one of the guests helping an hour ahead and at hour after (thanks again, Joan), it was a tremendous amount of work. We made everything (except the fruit tarts) ourselves. I got to dig out all of my grandmother’s fancy frilly china plates and teacups and saucers. And used some beautiful pink hydrangeas from our garden as a centerpiece.

We had decided to do it at lunchtime, so we called it a “Luncheon Tea.” But the menu was typically English tea. We had:

Pink Champagne with Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

(I didn’t take a photo of that – oh darn – but it was VERY pretty and

everybody loved it – no recipe for this one)

Watermelon Blueberry Soup

(delicious – just delicious – most people liked it, although not all)

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

(different, with chopped smoked almonds on the outside edges)

Ham Mousse Sandwiches

(very different – with whipped cream in the filling)

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches with Dill

(just buttered bread, smoked salmon and fresh dill peeking out of the edges –

no recipe for this one as it’s so easy)

Mini Fruit Tarts

(the only thing we purchased)

Sarah’s Ginger Scones

(uses candied ginger pieces in the batter)

Golden Raisin Scones

(my tried and true favorite, posted long ago)

Chocolate Scones

(posted recently, also well liked)

(All of the scones were served with lemon curd, clotted cream and black currant jam)

Chocolate Ribbon Dessert

(like a chocolate pie but in a 9×13 pan, cut into small squares)

Earl Grey Tea

Lemon Rose Tea (herbal, from Peet’s)

Marco Polo Tea (a blend from Mariage Freres in Paris)

(from when I was there 2 years ago, and this was the hands-down favorite)

In the next week I’ll likely post most of these recipes. The only one I’m missing is the ham mousse (from a cooking class Cherrie and I attended), but Cherrie has it and I’ll get it from her.

The ginger scones are Sarah’s recipe – from a cooking class in San Juan Capistrano. Sarah is from Scotland, and over the years we enjoyed several of her family favorites on the cooking school menu. These are easy to make, and I decided to do something totally different – I made the scones and froze them all raw the day before the tea. Gosh, why didn’t I do this years ago? All you have to do is take them out of the freezer about 20 minutes ahead of baking (when you turn on the oven) and increase the baking time by a few minutes (maybe 5 or so). I may never, ever, make them fresh again – just pop one or two out of the freezer when I want them for breakfast. Or a bunch when I need to serve something for my DH’s Bible Study Group. Of course, they won’t keep indefinitely in the freezer, but will likely be fine for a couple of months!

Sarah’s Ginger Scones

Recipe By: Sarah at Our House South County cooking school

Serving Size: 12 (maybe 14)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter — cold, cut in tiny bits

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup candied ginger — chopped, or more if desired (also called crystallized ginger)

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon sugar — for top glaze

1.  Preheat oven to 375 F.

2.  Prepare silpat (or parchment) lined baking sheet (one large or two smaller ones).  In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and blend with a pastry cutter, or work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips.  Do this until it forms fine crumbs.  (Alternately, use a pastry blender and cut and mix until the mixture is like fine crumbs.) Add the candied ginger and combine uniformly.  Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork just until it comes together and forms a dough.

3.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about one minute.  Roll out to thickness desired (about 3/4 inch is best).  Use biscuit cutter to cut rounds.  Pat together the scraps and reroll to cut more.  Place scones on the baking sheet and brush tops with egg mixed with the sugar.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden on top.  Serve immediately. These may also be frozen raw. Defrost at room temp for 20 minutes and bake about an additional 5 minutes.

Serving Ideas: Be SURE to serve with clotted cream (Devon cream) and ginger preserves.

Per Serving: 271 Calories; 9g Fat (29.3% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 42g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 40mg Cholesterol; 467mg Sodium.

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My mother came from the era of 3×5 cards for her recipes. And when I was searching for just the right chocolate dessert to serve at the tea the other day (more about the tea later), this recipe floated out of the stack. It’s not an old-time recipe (probably it’s from the 1970’s), after the advent of Cool Whip and instant chocolate pudding anyway. I found some other versions on the internet, but none by this exact name. So I have no idea of the origin of this one. It’s basically a layered chocolate (and whipped cream) pie with walnuts.

The crust is a simple press-in bottom layer in a 9×13 pan (walnuts, flour, butter). Once that’s baked and cooled, you make a cream cheese layer (with powdered sugar, Cool Whip and the cream cheese), then a thick chocolate pudding layer. Then it’s topped with more Cool Whip and chocolate shavings and more nuts on top. This is a VERY simple and easy dessert. And it could feed a big crowd if you don’t cut very big pieces. It went well with the tea because I could cut it up into smaller pieces to look more like “tea” sized servings. We had ample leftover. It is best made the day ahead, and actually keeps for several days.

Chocolate Ribbon Dessert
Recipe By: Unknown, handed down to me by my mother in about 1980.
Serving Size: 16
PASTRY-NUT CRUST:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup walnut — minced
CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
8 ounces cream cheese — at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces Cool Whip®
CHOCOLATE PUDDING LAYER:
6 ounces chocolate pudding mix — instant, regular or sugar-free
2 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk
TOPPING:
4 ounces Cool Whip®
1 tablespoon chocolate curls — or more as needed
1/3 cup walnuts — minced
1. CRUST: Combine flour, butter, nuts and mix together. Press into bottom of a 9×13 pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 until just slightly golden brown. Cool.
2. CREAM CHEESE LAYER: Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and Cool Whip. Mixture is a little stiff, so be careful as you slather it over the prepared crust. Gently push into corners without lifting up the crust. Chill if you have time; otherwise leave out while you prepare the pudding.
3. PUDDING LAYER: Mix the large package of instant chocolate pudding with the milk. Beat vigorously with a wire whisk until completely smooth. Pour over cream cheese and spread into corners. Cover and chill completely.
4. TOPPING: Once dessert is chilled, spread the Cool Whip over the pudding layer, spreading into the corners. Chill again. Sprinkle top with shaved chocolate and nuts (or coconut, if you’d prefer). May be made a day ahead, but not longer than that.
Per Serving: 348 Calories; 21g Fat (54.7% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 34mg Cholesterol; 106mg Sodium.

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The other day I walked into my pantry – I have nice, big walk-in type – and glanced around at the bulging shelves. What to fix? I was looking for something else, but my eyes landed on this box mix for panna cotta that I bought many months ago.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for any jars and bottles of things, like pickled onions, relishes, chutneys, toppings for cheese, or fruit. Even occasionally a sauce. But this was a box, and even those who don’t know me well, will perhaps recognize early on that I rarely use a box mix for anything.

Panna cotta happens to be one of my favorite desserts. It’s relatively easy to make, but when I read the ingredients in this little Canadian Dr. Oetker panna cotta box mix, there wasn’t really anything suspicious in it. And it looked like it took no time at all to make. Even less time than the real thing, and it didn’t have to bake or cook except for heating milk and water.

Sure enough, it was absolutely cinchy easy. It took less than 10 minutes to make the entire thing. You heat up a cup of milk to a simmer, remove from the heat, and stir in the contents of one of the little packages in the box. Once whisked in, you add a cup of heavy cream and whisk some more. Pour into serving bowls and cool, then chill. Meanwhile, the other package contains a nice raspberry sauce. This dry mix is combined with a half a cup of boiling water, and it’s done too.

I didn’t have time to chill the pannas for 2 hours, as suggested, so I put them in a pan surrounded by ice cubes and they were well enough chilled to serve (I did it in the little bowls instead of turning them out onto a serving plate) in about 45 minutes. I was amazed. They were delicious. I may need to have one of these boxes on hand for those occasions when I need a dessert – quick like. I bought it at Cost Plus World Market for $2.49. Probably last year. It’s Dr. Oetker brand. I’d recommend it, believe it or not!

Strawberries are on the wane here in Southern California. They’re really at a peak of ripeness and sweetness, though. So I bought two big boxes of berries to use for a company dinner. First I made my much-loved Strawberry Gazpacho. Since I’ve written it up before, you can click on the recipe title above and get to the original posting for it. With super ripe berries, the gazpacho had a wonderful sweet taste. 

The remaining I used in the dessert. No longer do I have the original recipe for this. My notes, though, tell me it was in a Sunset Magazine. Since I found it listed in one of my military officer’s wives’ cookbooks dating back to about 1968, I know it’s at least that old. I even remember when I first made it – I was living at Whidbey Island, Washington – learning to cook and enjoying the compact kitchen I had in the small but new home I was living in at the time. Strawberries make their entrance there in late May or early June (my recollection anyway) and once the main crops were picked, the fields near Oak Harbor opened up for people to pick their own “jam” berries. But even those were very tasty; they were just small. Perfectly ripe, however.

Making this over the years (but not for at least 15-20) I’d forgotten some of the procedures, and had to refresh my memory. My typed up recipe also contained an error; fortunately, however, I recognized something was missing and went to look it up on the internet. I found several sources for this recipe, and with the exception of two ingredients, they were all the same. The differences were in the original recipe too, as I recall. This can be made with frozen berries if you want – in which case you decrease the amount of sugar. A more recent version suggested using Cool Whip instead of heavy cream if you prefer, so I included that in my recipe, although I’ve never made it that way.

First you make a sweet crumb mixture. While it’s baking you can work on the filling (strawberries, lemon juice, egg whites and heavy cream or Cool Whip). Once the baked mixture is cooled and crumbled up well, 2/3 of it is sprinkled on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. I stuck that in the freezer while I finished up the filling. The recipes all said to combine the berries, the egg whites, sugar and lemon juice and whip it all up until soft peaks form. I thought that sounded so very odd – the sliced berries would be totally decimated. I wanted them to remain in a more solid form, so I only folded in the berries at the end. Then you combine the whipped cream or Cool Whip with it, carefully spoon it over the crumbs in the pan, sprinkled the remaining crumbs on top and freeze. When ready to serve, you can decorate the square with some additional strawberries, even drizzle some strawberry juice around the plate.

What I did forget was that once frozen, this dessert needs to defrost a little bit before you even attempt to cut it up. Ten minutes out didn’t seem to be enough time. It still cracked in odd directions, and is hard to eat. It still tasted good, but with mostly frozen chunks of berries in it, it really needs that defrosting time to make it easily edible. None of the recipes I found online indicate that, and it’s been too many years since I made this to remember. So, whatever method you use, fresh or frozen berries, cream or Cool Whip, this is a refreshing dessert, and really quite easy to make.

Frosty Strawberry Squares

Recipe By: From an old Sunset magazine

Serving Size: 12

CRUST:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup walnuts — chopped

FILLING:

2 whole egg whites

1/2 cup unsalted butter — melted

1 cup sugar — or 2/3 cup if using frozen berries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups strawberries — sliced

1 cup heavy cream, whipped or 16 ounces Cool Whip® — defrosted

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

2.  To make the crust: combine flour, nuts, and brown sugar.  Add melted butter, tossing to combine the ingredients.  Spread the mixture evenly in a 9×13 inch pan. 

3.  Bake the crust at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.  Sprinkle 2/3 of the crust mixture in a 9×13 inch pan.  Reserve the remaining crust mixture for the top.

4.  Filling: In large bowl whip the egg whites until firm, then add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice.  Fold whipped topping into the mixture.  Carefully spoon filling over the crust mixture.  Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture on top.  Cover and freeze for 6 hours or until firm.  (You will need the full 6 hours).  Allow pan to sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes before serving.

Per Serving: 342 Calories; 18g Fat (48.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 21mg Cholesterol; 22mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 3 1/2 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.

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Admittedly, I’m a fan of ice cream. I came to this anomaly honestly. My Dad was an out-and-out obsessive-compulsive about the stuff. I grew up eating dessert after nearly every dinner, and I can still remember (and hear it in my head) my Dad’s spoon against the side of the bowl, systematically scraping around to get the very last possible speck of it. After going around once, he’d change the angle of the spoon and scrape around one more time. Remember, my Dad was an engineer, so methodical was his middle name. His favorite dessert was vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, or rocky road, just plain.

We go for periods of time with no ice cream in the freezer. As summer months approach, though, and the last of our home grown Meyer lemons reach mid-to-past maturity, I need to use some of that lemon juice. So, a new recipe streaked past the recipe trove – from Bon Appetit, May, 2008. It sounded delicious. And indeed it was.

You simmer water, sugar and freshly grated ginger, strain out the ginger, then chill. Add the yogurt, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice and some grated zest and freeze in your ice cream maker. Freeze further for a couple of hours and serve.

The ginger flavor does not predominate at all. In fact, if you weren’t TOLD it was there, you might not be able to identify it. I adored the elusive flavor. A lot. Enough that the next time I make this I’m going to use a bit more ginger, but not much. The frozen yogurt/ice cream has more of the texture of sorbet – to me anyway – although it does have more dairy (buttermilk and yogurt) than water. It was very, very refreshing, and with a bit of crystallized ginger on top (and maybe mango as suggested in the recipe), it’s an easy dessert to make. Next time I may try using 2% yogurt, just to see if there’s any difference. In any case, it’s a very low-calorie dessert, but lovely enough for guests. I’ll be making this again.

Lemon-Ginger Frozen Yogurt

Recipe: Bon Appetit, May 2008

Serving Size: 6

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons fresh ginger — finely grated peeled [next time, I’ll use 3 tsp]

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt — or use 2% if you’d like richer

1 cup buttermilk — low fat or regular

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon peel — finely grated

Bring water, sugar, light corn syrup, and grated ginger to boil in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Boil 2 minutes.  Strain into medium bowl and chill until cool.  Whisk in yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon peel.  Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions; cover and freeze.

Per Serving: 176 Calories; trace Fat (2.1% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 90mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 0 Fat; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

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Don’t know if you’re aware that Martha Stewart has just published a new cookbook – called Martha Stewart’s Cookies. A really thick tome, it contains 175 new recipes with super photos. This one was delicious! My friend Kathleen brought them the other night when she came to our home for dinner. Kathleen’s a good writer, so I asked her if she’d like to guest-write this posting. Happily for me, she agreed. You can find the recipe on Martha’s site. I wrote up another of Kathleen’s recipes some time back – if you’re interested, check out her Almond Custard. Here’s Kathleen’s write-up about the cookies:

I am a Martha Stewart junkie. Even her checkered past doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for everything Martha; I just can’t get enough. I also love technology, especially if somebody else installs and troubleshoots it. So here’s how technology connected me to Martha’s Cashew Caramel Cookies:

I listen in my car to Everyday Food Editor Sandy Gluck’s show on the Martha Stewart channel on Sirius radio. Sandy raved about Martha’s latest book, Martha Stewart’s Cookies, so I previewed it on Martha’s website, logged on to amazon.com and ordered it. It’s great to get exactly what you want without ever having to set foot inside a store. I guess I’m the perfect example of someone who is fully plugged into the Martha Stewart distribution network. I even asked my husband to record all of Martha’s television shows for me so that I can watch them in the evening.

So far, each recipe that I have tried has been simple to prepare and delicious. When relatives recently came to visit, they loved the cookies so much that they even ate them for breakfast. I sent the book to my niece and she is having similar successful results. I hope you enjoy your copy of Martha Stewart Cookies as much as I do mine. I swear that I am not on her payroll, though perhaps I should be!

The cookies have a salty tang to them (because you use roasted, salted cashews) and the drizzle of caramel on the top is just a lovely finale to each cookie. They look wonderful, and taste wonderful. Thanks, Kathleen!

Cashew-Caramel Cookies

Recipe By: Martha Stewart’s Cookies

Serving Size: 36

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups cashews — roasted, salted

2 tablespoons canola oil — plus 1 teaspoon

1 stick unsalted butter — (8 tablespoons) softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar — packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 cubes caramel candy — 7 ounces, soft type

1/4 cup heavy cream

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift flour and salt together.  Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside.  Process remaining 1 1/2 cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped.  Pour in oil.  Process until mixture is creamy, about 2 minutes. 

2.  Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture.  Mix in reserved chopped cashews. 

3.  Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; space 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten with a spatula.  Bake until bottoms are just golden, 6 to 7 minutes more.  Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

4.  Melt caramels with cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring.  Let cool.  Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set.  Store airtight in single layers.

NOTES: Plastic wrap and foil both stick to the caramel topping.  Ideally, freeze these individually on a large cookie sheet, then place in a plastic bag so they won’t stick together.  Someone on the Martha website suggested reducing the amount of heavy cream to eliminate the stickiness.  Don’t know if that would work or not.

Per Serving: 155 Calories; 9g Fat (50.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 15mg Cholesterol; 50mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

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In my recent frenzy to dispose of some old magazines, I read and sorted about 20 old issues of my regular pile of food-oriented magazines. And normally I wouldn’t have stopped at a recipe for almond pound cake. But the word “limoncello” was a part of the title, so I read the story. It was included in the monthly Barbara Fairchild  letter from the editor, of Bon Appetit. She explained that Inga Swenson (the actress from the tv series Benson), a friend of hers, gave her the recipe. Swedish, I would guess from her name. Then I glanced at the ingredients – almond paste, light olive oil and limoncello. Well, it got my attention because the ingredients were so unusual.

Limoncello didn’t hit my radar until a few years ago when we visited Sicily and other parts of Italy. Lemons are an integral part of the Italian – and particularly the Sicilian – food landscape. They eat them, juice them, paint them and sculpt them. And decorate everything in between (like tablecloths, napkins, plates, even silverware).

So, with a friend coming for dinner, I pulled out this recipe and my DH made a trip to the grocery store (I never keep almond paste around because it gets hard as a rock if you don’t use it very soon). The cake batter isn’t all that unusual, actually, except that you add in about 10 ounces of the almond paste (crumbled up in little pieces). I do not think – my humble opinion – that the cake portion meets the qualification of “pound” cake (used to be a pound of flour, a pound of eggs, a pound of butter). This is more like a cake-cake. It has a lighter crumb than pound cake, although the almond paste does give it a heavier texture than a cake.

After baking and cooling the cake, you slather it all over with limoncello, the lemon-flavored (vodka) liqueur that is ubiquitous in Italy. Then serve it in narrow slices. I’d serve it with whipped cream or table cream or vanilla ice cream, and maybe some berries for decoration. I didn’t have any berries or I’d have done so. Whatever the décor, this cake is scrumptious. The three of us scarfed down that cake in nothing flat. You do need to like almond as the flavor predominates through the cake. Wonderful. Worth making.

Almond Pound Cake with Limoncello

Recipe By: Inga Swenson, via Barbara Fairchild, Bon Appetit, March, 2006

Serving Size: 12

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup light olive oil

5 tablespoons unsalted butter — softened

10 1/2 ounces almond paste — 1 1/2 tubes, finely crumbled

2 tablespoons lemon peel — finely grated

4 large eggs

1/3 cup limoncello liquer

2 teaspoons powdered sugar — for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 325 F.  Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.  In a bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt.

2.  Using a mixer, beat the 3/4 cup of sugar, the oil and soft butter until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the almond paste and lemon peel.  Beat until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add flour mixture; stir to blend.  Transfer to prepared springform pan.

3.  Bake cake until golden brown on top and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes.  Cook cake on a cake.  Can be made one day ahead.  Cover and store at room temp.

4.  Remove sides from cake.  Brush top of cake with limoncello liqueur and sprinkle top with powdered sugar. Store at room temp, covered. Will keep about a week!

Per Serving: 313 Calories; 19g Fat (54.6% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 84mg Cholesterol; 112mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 3 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

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