No one will ever guess that one of the main ingredients in this cake is a yellow cake mix. That’s because it is completely overshadowed by the earthy sweet taste of pumpkin, accented with warm cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. As you can see in the photo, the cream cheese, powdered sugar topping glistens after it’s baked.
This is not just another burger. This one is layers of fabulous textures and flavors—soft brioche buns, Parmesan crisps, creamy mayo, charred burgers, red wine-glazed onions, tender lettuce, another Parmesan crisp and soft bun.
One of my favorite pastry chefs just wrote a cookie book that if you like to bake, you’ll want to get. It is called Craving Cookies by Helen S. Fletcher. Her website is pastrieslikeapro.com. Her book has more how-to tips and photos than any cook book I’ve seen in a long time. That is because Helen and her husband, a retired photographer, wrote, styled and photographed everything.
The recipe is from Charles Phan of Slanted Door fame in San Francisco. It had garnered one of Food & Wine’s top best recipes and after one bite your taste buds will tell you why this is Vietnamese cooking at it’s best. The dish is intensely sweet, hot and totally tantalizing.
Let's get one thing out of the way. This is NOT another Kale Caesar. It has some similarities, but this salad is so much more exciting. One bite and you'll understand why I call it baby kale's newest BFF.
Melon wrapped in prosciutto has been around for centuries. In Medieval times melon was considered such a highly dangerous fruit due its cold and juicy nature that cooks would counterbalance it by wrapping it in something dry and warm. I’ve gussied up my version to make it au courant.
When you hear guacamole, you think avocados. But surprisingly, peas add a delicious sweetness and offer other advantages: They don't turn brown when mashed ahead and you can always find them ripe.
One night out of longing for the sweet taste of hoisin, I mixed it with plum sauce and brushed it on chicken before and after I grilled it. This has very little to do with authentic peking duck, but it is pretty fabulous on its own.
This recipe comes from Robin Miller who calls it, Absolute Best Banana Cake. I hesitate to give my recipes such effusive titles. After all, I like to think that I would only be sending you a recipe if it is superb, outstanding, terrific… (you get the point
You most likely won’t be able to guess the ingredients in this extremely flavorful dip/spread. The cilantro is almost indiscernible, as is the dill. The only ingredient you will probably taste is the feta and maybe the pistachios. Let’s just say it is a marvelous blend of flavors.
Summer calls for burgers and instead of making the same old beef ones, make these fun and more exciting ones.
These Greek turkey burgers, gyros, (pronounced yee-ros) are moist and juicy because of the addition of mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is one of my favorite go-to ingredients to add moisture to lean ground meats and meat loaf. Oregano and cumin give these burgers a distinctly Grecian flavor.
To carry out the Greek theme, the buns are spread with a tangy yogurt dressing accented with chopped kalamata olives. If sliced red onions are too strong for your liking, soak them in a little ice water for a few minutes to reduce their bite.
Instead of adding sliced tomatoes to the burgers, a feta tomato salad on the side is the perfect complement. Simply cut up tomatoes, add some fresh mint , radishes and feta, toss with lemon juice and olive oil, and you’re good to go. Happy summer everyone. Stay cool,.
Burgers
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey (this will give you the juiciest burgers)
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon +1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
2 cups arugula (about 1 oz.)
1/2 cup sliced cucumber (about 3 1/4 oz.)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
Yogurt Sauce
1/3 cup plain whole or low-fat milk-Greek yogurt
1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1.To make burgers: In a bowl, mix together turkey, mayonnaise, oregano, cumin, salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. (I find it easiest to do this with my hands.) Shape into 4 equal patties.
2.To cook burgers: Heat a large heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, or your charcoal grill over high heat. Lightly coat skillet or grill rack with cooking spray. Add turkey patties. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165 degrees F, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
3.To make sauce: In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, olives, lemon juice and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
4. To assemble burgers: Spread yogurt mixture evenly on cut sides of top and bottom buns. Divide arugula evenly among bottom halves of buns; top with cooked patties, cucumber and red onion. Cover with top halves of buns and serve.
Makes 4 burgers
This take on a Roman salad bursts with zesty flavors and textures. I love that the tender zucchini plays against the chewy cherries and the crunchy pistachios and it is all topped off with the salty Parmesan.
If you don’t have a mandolin, this salad is a reason to purchase one. On my website under Marlene’s Favorites I have one that is very simple to use, easy to store and costs around $20. It is great if you don’t slice too often. You do need to be careful of your fingers though, so I suggest when the vegetables or fruit get down toward the slicer that you stop and cut the rest by hand. Mandolins can be dangerous little things.
I have made many substitutions when making this salad, all with great success. I like to think of it as a canvas and you can design the picture. Dried cranberries are a simple swap for the cherries, toasted pine nuts for the pistachios and crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese for the Parmesan. When I have mint, it makes a fabulous addition.
So go ahead and enjoy creating. Happy Summer, everyone.
Zucchini Carpaccio with Pistachios, Dried Cherries and a Lemony Vinaigrette
4 small zucchini (1 lb. total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, such as Fluer de Sel
1/4 cup pistachios
2 tablespoons dried cherries
1 (6-oz) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
1. Slice zucchini diagonally into paper-thin slices with slicer. Arrange slices on 4 plates.
2. Whisk together oil and lemon juice in a small bowl, then drizzle over zucchini. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper to taste, and pistachios. Let stand 10 minutes to soften zucchini and allow flavors to develop.
3. Just before serving, use a vegetable peeler to shave cheese over zucchini.
Makes 4 first-course servings.
This is the best asparagus stir fry I’ve ever made—or eaten, for that matter. It is meant to be on the spicy side with a hint of orange zest to add sweetness and balance the spicy chilies.
If recipes could be a ball game, these are a home run. I hadn’t made them in years when I decided to make them for a brunch class I was teaching for high schoolers in LA.
What do you do when you have half of a pound of shrimp in your freezer? Cook them, of course. I was debating what to season them with when I spied the jar of pesto hidden behind the package in the freezer.
This fabulous recipe comes from baker and cook extraordinaire, Rosemary Mark. Rosemary admits that she is a bit obsessed with Shaker Lemon Pie and has experimented with it dozens of ways before concluding this the best. .
This recipe is from my new children’s cookbook, The Fall of General Custard Cookbook. It is a companion to the wonderful, Indie nominated, children’s book, The Fall of General Custard.
In order to promote my new book, I offered a free kid’s cooking class to anyone who bought the book. In the class I taught 2 recipes from the book; one The Bold Blueberry Cobbler Cake and the other, Taco Bake Pie.
My assistant chef, Kelly, and I were ecstatic when we tasted the recipes and found them awesome. I never know when I go back to revisit a recipe if it will stand up to my high standards. I am glad to say, they did. The recipes may have been written for kid’s but you don’t need to be a kid to love them.
I begin each recipe in the book with a poem, because the original book is written in poetry. Here’s the poem accompanying this recipe:
It’s not quite a cake, ‘cause it’s lower and flatter,
It’s served in a casserole dish not on a platter.
it’s sort of a cobbler without globs of batter,
Oh well, it’s so awesome that name shouldn’t matter!
I think that says it all.
If you want to purchase the book along with the accompanying story book or just the cookbook, please click on my website, www.cookingwclass.com and then click on the General Custard tab on the top,.
The Bold Blueberry Cobbler Cake
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole or 2% low fat milk
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cups fresh or frozen (not defrosted) blueberries
1. Arrange the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9 x13-inch baking dish with non-stick coating.
2. In a small bowl, stir the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, flour, baking powder, salt, milk and melted butter until blended and smooth.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
5. Sprinkle the berries over the top. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over the top.
6. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
In France they serve these cakes with wine as an aperitif. That works for me. I uncorked a bottle or rosé, took small bites of these cakes and decided to pass them on to you.
This is the cake of your dreams. It is everything a cake should be: tender, moist, creamy and lemony. Plus it is gorgeous. But wait. There’s more. It gets even better when made a day or two ahead.
I have spent umpteen hours testing this cake to ensure it has perfect texture and flavor, but also to make it easy enough for nonprofessional bakers to make it in stages. I wouldn’t think of making this cake all in one day. When made in stages, you won’t be overwhelmed with any of the steps.
THE CAKE
It is a pretty basic yellow cake. The directions are straightforward and if your butter and eggs are at room temperature when you begin, you should have no problems. I like to make the layers the first day, wrap them in foil and leave them on the counter overnight. But they can also be frozen. The key to the moistness of the cake is soaking each of the layers in a lemon syrup. Everyone who tastes the cake marvels at how moist it is.
THE FILLING
The filling is actually lemon curd, a thick, creamy spread that is made by cooking together lemon juice, eggs and sugar. enriched with butter. Fresh lemon juice and sugar provide the flavor, while the eggs serve to thicken up the mixture as it cooks, just as eggs thicken up a cooked custard. It is done when it is thick, shiny and glossy and leaves a heavy separation when you run your finger along it on a rubber spatula. Press the curd through a medium mesh strainer (be sure to scrape the bottom to get off every bit of it) into a bowl and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap directly on the curd, not over the top of the bowl. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Many layer cakes of this type are simply filled with lemon curd. But I prefer to lighten the curd by folding in whipped cream. Several hours before filling the cake, beat the cream and gently fold into the curd. If time permits, return it to the fridge for the filling to thicken up before frosting. This can be done one day ahead.
ITALIAN MERINGUE
Italian meringue is the most stable type of meringue as the melted hot sugar cooks the egg whites, resulting in a soft, glossy finish. It is most often used for piping on top of pastries and desserts such as baked Alaska because it holds its shape so well. You need a candy thermometer in order to make it. When the thermometer reaches 240 degrees, slowly pour the hot syrup into the beaten whites. You can control the temperature of the syrup by turning the heat up and down until your egg whites have reached firm peaks.
BROWNING THE MERINGUE
I haven’t tried baking the cake to brown the meringue, because I have such good luck with the torch. If you are going to go to all the trouble to make this cake, invest in a Creme Brulée torch. You’ll be glad you did.
Here’s a schedule to help you make the cake:
Two days or more make the cake. It can be wrapped in foil and held at room temperature overnight or frozen.
Three days before: Make the filling and lemon syrup.
Two days before: Soak the cake layers in lemon syrup and fill.. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Day before: Frost and brown the meringue. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Cook the curd until it is so thick that you can see a definite path on the spatula when you run your finger along it.
Cover with plastic wrap directly over the curd and refrigerate.
When lemon curd is cold, fold in whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to fill cake. This can be refrigerated overnight.
It is easy to divide each cake layer in half if you mark off the cake with toothpicks as guides,
After soaking the layer in syrup,. spread the filling to within about 1/2 inch from edge of cake.
Fill the cake, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before frosting.
To make the meringue, cook the sugar syrup until it reads 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. That is the soft ball stage.
Mixing on low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup toward the edge of the bowl into the whites.
Using an offset spatula, spread the meringue over the top and sides of the cake, making swirls as you go.
To match the photo, pipe rosettes of meringue on top and sides of cake then brown with a Creme Brulée torch.
LEMON MERINGUE CELEBRATION CAKE
Sponge Cake
3 cups (360 g) cake flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
Lemon Syrup
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Lemon Filling
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks (save the whites for meringue)
3/4 cup whipping cream, whipped to firm peaks
Italian Meringue Frosting
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
6 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash salt
MAKE THE CAKE
1. Adjust rack to lower third of oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment.
2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until very soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
4. On low speed, add a small amount of the dry ingredients to the batter using on-and-off bursts of the mixer. This keeps the flour from flying outside the bowl. Add 1/3 the buttermilk. 1/3 the flour, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix to blend. Spoon batter into cake pans and spread it evenly.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until tops are golden, a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean and the sides of the cake begin to pull away. Cool in pans 10 minutes, gently go around edges of cake with a small knife and then invert cake layers onto a rack, turn right side up and cool completely.
TO MAKE AHEAD:: Cake layers may be wrapped in foil and held at room temperature up to 2 days or frozen.
MAKE THE SYRUP
In a small saucepan, heat water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. TO MAKE AHEAD: Syrup may be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
MAKE THE LEMON FILLING
1. To make lemon curd: In a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, heat lemon juice, sugar and butter, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, briefly whisk eggs and yolks. When butter is melted, whisk some of the warm liquid into egg mixture, then stir the warmed eggs back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the curd thickens enough to leave a definite pattern on a spatula when you run your finger along it. (170 degrees). Press the curd through a strainer into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface and refrigerate until cold.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Curd may be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Several hours before filling the cake, stir stir curd well and fold into whipped cream. Return to refrigerator to firm up.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Cake may be refrigerated covered overnight
TO ASSEMBLE
1. Cut each cake in half horizontally.
2. Arrange bottom layer on a cardboard round slightly smaller than the cake. Brush with a quarter of the syrup. It seems like a lot, but not to worry. You might use a little less on the bottom layer and go a little heavier on the top layers. Spread with 1/3 of the filling, stopping about 1/2-inch from the edges. Top with second layer, brush with syrup and spread with 1/3 filling Top with third layer, brush with syrup, spread with remaining filling and top with cake layer. Brush with remaining syrup.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Cake is best refrigerated overnight and can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
MAKE THE MERINGUE FROSTING
1. Combine water and sugar in a 1 ½ quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves, then increase heat to medium high and boil until a candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees.
2. While sugar is boiling, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. If whites are almost ready before the syrup, reduce mixer to low and mix slowly until the syrup reaches 240 degrees. .
3. Turn the mixer to low and while it is running, very slowly pour the hot syrup into a steady stream down the edge of the bowl onto the whites. Continue to beat on high speed until the whites are room temperature, thick and glossy like marshmallow cream, about 10 minutes. The sides of the bowl should no longer feel warm.
4. Frost sides and top with frosting using a spoon or a star tip to make swirls. Brown with a blow torch.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Cake may be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature several hours before serving. Serve at room temperature.
Makes about 14 servings.
cookingwclass, Bay Area, San Francisco, CA, United States
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