by Kathy Douglas | Jul 21, 2016 | Breakfast
Delicious blueberries are at their peak right now. Our cake recipe is loaded with fresh berries and flavored with a walnut cardamom topping. Perfect with just a cup of coffee for breakfast or as a dessert. Add icing as a special treat by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Then whisk until completely smooth. Lightly drizzle the icing over your cake right before serving.
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided, plus more for greasing the pan
2 ⅓ cups plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pan
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup plus ⅔ cup sugar
⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon, plus ¼ teaspoon cardamom
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8×8 inch square baking pan. Place the walnuts on a sheet tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes; remove from the oven and cool. Leave the oven on.
Put 5 tablespoons of butter, ¼ cup sugar, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture forms large clumps. Scrape into a bowl, stir in the toasted walnuts. Cover tightly and refrigerate.
Gently toss the blueberries in 2 teaspoons of the flour to coat; set aside. Whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon cardamom. Set aside.
Into the work bowl of a stand mixer add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter. With the paddle attachment beat the ⅔ cup sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating for about 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend just until you have a thick, creamy batter; do not over mix. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the flour coated berries.
Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and smooth the top gently with the spatula. Using your fingertips, break the topping into pieces and scatter over the batter, gently pressing them into the batter. Place in the oven and bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The topping should be nicely browned. Cool before serving. You can serve this cake warm or at room temperature.
by Kathy Douglas | Jul 21, 2016 | Frozen Desserts
The smokey essence of grilled peaches goes perfect with bourbon and vanilla. There is no better combination for a summertime dessert on a hot July night.
Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
6 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 cup bourbon, (for a non-alcoholic version, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
Stir milk, cream and brown sugar in saucepan over medium high heat until comes to rolling boil. Whisk yolks, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until pale yellow and sugar is dissolved.
Place medium metal bowl in a large bowl of ice water to chill. Set with fine mesh strainer.
Add hot cream mixture to egg yolks gradually, whisking constantly. Return to pan and cook over low heat until nappe (coats the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into the chilled bowl. Cool, stirring occasionally. When cooled, add the vanilla extract and bourbon, then cover and chill overnight. Freeze in an ice cream machine following the manufacturers directions.
Grilled Peaches
4 fresh peaches
Grape seed oil for brushing
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Cut peaches in half and remove the pits. Brush cut side with grape seed oil. Place peach halves cut side down on grill. Grill for about 3 minutes. Turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve with Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream.
by Kathy Douglas | Jun 21, 2016 | Entrees
Easy to grill, these delicious chops soak in a mustard brine for only 2 hours. Perfect for a casual cookout or 4th of July summer celebration.
INGREDIENTS
4 – 1″ thick pork loin chops
2 cups cider vinegar, heated
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 pound ice cubes
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the vinegar to a simmer then add the salt and sugar. Stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Pour in a large bowl and add the peppercorns and mustard powder, stirring to combine. Cool the mixture slightly for 10 minutes then add the ice cubes and stir to melt most of the ice. Pour into a large doubled plastic bag, plastic, or glass container. Add the chops making sure they are completely covered with brine. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours turning the chops halfway through the brining period.
Heat a grill to smoking hot, grill the chops for 4-5 minutes per side or until they reach 145 degrees. Rest 10 minutes loosely covered with foil before serving.
by Kathy Douglas | May 18, 2016 | Appetizers
Perfect for spring parties, these bite-size portions of delicious noodles look and taste great. Easy to put together, they are superb on any buffet. For best flavor, go ahead and make them up ahead of time but serve at room temperature.
Ingredients
1/2 lb soba noodles
1 tbsp pickled ginger — finely chopped
2 tsp Chinese hot chili sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp sesame oil
6 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
green onions, green portion sliced thin
Directions
Bring a pan of water to a boil, over medium heat and add the noodles. When the water returns to a boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Continue cooking until water returns to a boil again. Repeat this process 1 or 2 times until the noodles are tender to the bite, 5-7 minutes. Drain and cool noodles in cold water. Let stand in the colander for 5 minutes to drain well.
Combine noodles, ginger, chili sauce, vinegar, soy, and oils and stir to coat the noodles well.
Toast seeds in a dry pan over low heat until nutty and golden, 3 minutes. Twirl each noodle portion around a fork and make a nest. Transfer to spoons. Garnish with sesame seeds and greens. Serve at room temperature.
by Kathy Douglas | Mar 14, 2016 | Entrees
Lamb is a great main dish to serve for a holiday like Easter but it also deserves a spot on the table for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. “Persillade” is french for a seasoning mixture of parsley chopped together with garlic and butter. This delicious combination make a tasty topping for rack of lamb.
INGREDIENTS
Two 1-1/2 lb frenched rack of lamb
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
6 ounces onion, small dice
3 ounces carrot, small dice
3 ounces celery, small dice
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
5 oz fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoon garlic paste
1 1/4 ounces chopped parsley
3 1/2 ounces butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly brush the lamb with oil, season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper and rub with the chopped rosemary and thyme. Place the lamb in a roasting rack.
Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, basting periodically with rendered juices and fat. Scatter the onion, carrot and celery around the lamb and reduce the heat to 325 degrees. Continue roasting until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Transfer the lamb to a sheet pan, cover with foil and keep warm.
Place the roasting pan on the stove top and cook until the onion, carrots, and celery are browned and the fat is clear. Pour off the fat and deglaze the pan with stock stirring to release the bits of meat that have stuck to the pan; stir until completely released. Simmer 20-30 minutes. Degrease the sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
While the sauce is simmering, mix together the bread crumbs, garlic paste, parsley, butter and 2 teaspoons of salt in a bowl to make an evenly moistened mixture. Spread half on each rack of lamb. Return to the oven until the persillade is lightly browned and the lamb is 140-145 degrees. Rest 10 minutes covered with foil and then cut into chops and serve with the sauce.
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