Plum Cake for Dummies

This has got to be the easiest cake to bake on the planet.

If you have an hour, you can bake this cake.

The recipe from Martha Stewart says it makes 2 cakes.
Not a chance. It made enough batter for one 8" cake only, which was fine by me.

The baking temp was listed at 400F, but I am always leery of cakes baked at such a high temp in my hot oven, so I turned it down to 375F to be safe.

I used two lovely plums, sliced into 8 slices (pit removed) and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.



This was the perfect breakfast cake. No icing, not too sweet and just right with vanilla ice cream (well, not for breakfast).

This was like a plum kuchen my grandmother used to make. Simple and nice.
Makes the house smell so good.

It is best made the night before and served the next day.



Easiest Plum Cake (adapted from Martha Stewart):

I used an 8" buttered springform pan, which makes removing the cake so easy.

1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl

3/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk

Mix wet ingredients and add to the dry mix.

1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 plums, cut into thick slices
2 tbsp butter

Place your plum slices on top of the batter, pressing down a bit.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot the top w/ the 2 tbsp of butter. Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes.



I plan on making this cake again in the fall with apples. It was so easy and so delicious!

Roasted Corn & Cherry Tomato Pasta

I have had so many delicious cherry tomatoes this summer, I wish it would never end.

They grow in my garden, and my neighbors grow them, so we have a bunch.
Red and yellow, sweet as candy.

I make an easy weeknight dinner in the summer, roasting the sweet things, tossing them w/ penne, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil and olives.

This week I changed it up a bit and roasted fresh sweet Jersey corn with the tomatoes and the results were fantastic.
Wow, was this good! A perfect end of summer meal.

Roasted Corn & Cherry Tomato Pasta:

a large basket of cherry tomatoes
2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off with a sharp knife
sliced basil leaves
kosher salt & pepper
olive oil
1/2 box (8 oz) pasta of your choice (I used farfalle)



In a large roasting pan, lay the tomatoes and corn in a single layer.
Pour a healthy dose of olive oil over the vegetables and season liberally with kosher salt. The oil and juices from the tomatoes should turn out to be enough of a sauce to coat the pasta.



Roast for about 20 minutes, until tomatoes are blistering, at 400F.

Boil your pasta as per directions and drain.
Mix the pasta directly in with the corn and tomatoes in the roasting pan.



Add black pepper and torn basil leaves and dig in!

Quick Appy: Crabmeat in Cucumber Cups

Chance are, if you are reading this blog today, it must mean you need a last minute appetizer or idea for your Labor Day party today.

Well click thru the last few days of posts, I posted some good ideas for summer parties.

I love using cucumber cups instead of bread for appetizers.

It saves on the carbs and keep you light on your feet.

I usually make a salmon tartare for cucumber cups, but I had some leftover crab salad, so filled these cups in no time.

You could also do shrimp salad if you don't have fresh jumbo lump crabmeat.

For the cucumbers cups:

Slice a seedless cucumber into 1" thick slices and scoop out the center w/ a melon baller, making sure not to go thru to the bottom.



Turn upside down and drain on paper towels so all the moisture comes out.

Crabmeat Salad:

1 lb. fresh jumbo lump crabmeat (found refrigerated in the seafood section)
2 ribs celery, chopped fine
2 green onions, chopped
fresh dill
2 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper

Scoop some crabmeat or shrimp salad into the cups and garnish with fresh herbs.
Can be prepared one hour ahead.



Happy Labor Day!

Good a.m. Ratatouille Frittata

Good Morning!

Here is a great idea for using leftover ratatouille.

At the end of summer, I always make a big batch of ratatouille, since eggplants, red peppers, plum tomatoes, zucchini and onions are plentiful in my neck of the woods.

I love it just on its own or served over rice. I make it differently every time, depending on what I have on hand.

It usually lasts all week in the fridge, but by day 5, I am a bit tired of it.
Here is my favorite way to make use of every last bit.

It's a great breakfast or brunch, served warm or room temp and also delicious warm on a fresh baguette.



Ratatouille Frittata (basically a big omelet!):

1 cup of ratatouille (click here for recipe)
6 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl.

Pour about an 1/8 cup of olive oil in a heavy skillet. You don't want the omelet to stick.

Pour in egg mixture and cook a few seconds, then turn the heat down low and cook until the sides are starting to solidify, but the center is still wet. I use a fish spatula to check it.

Make sure you are using an ovenproof skillet and not a wooden or plastic handled one!
Place under the broiler about 3 minutes to set the middle.



Using your thin spatula, carefully slide the omelet onto a serving plate and slice into pieces.

Enjoy!

Downtown Random Bites

Once again, a vacation day takes us 18 miles from our front door to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A "staycation", get it?

There are too many new restaurants to try and not enough time to taste everything.

This neighborhood is so interesting. You like Chinese food? (and I'm not talking about beef & broccoli), Deli? Dominican? Italian? Kosher? It's all down here in this wonderful melting pot of working class immigrants and hipsters. (I am no longer hip, nor an immigrant, but I fit right in).



We started with lunch at a brand new place called FISK.



A strange little Swedish takeout counter offering herring sandwiches, caviar, gravlax and this delicious cardamom cake.



I loved the owner and the decor was really cool. I am glad I stumbled upon this place during their first week of business.



We had a terrific dinner at Frankie's 17. Remember I mentioned the Frankies Spuntino Handbook? Some of the tourists eating here were toting the cookbook with them, maybe seeking an autograph from one of the Franks?



A tiny place in a old tenemant building with tin ceilings and old tile floors.
Not a lot of elbow room, so go early.



The crostini was off the charts good.



We tried the ceci w/ guanciale (chickpeas w/ pork jowl), fresh ricotta w/ honey, and cannellini beans w/ parsley. Each piece was $3. and what a bargain.



We loved them so much, we had a double order.

We had Frankie's famous homemade cavatelli w/ locally made sausage and sage butter.
2 can share this, it was huge and RICH, along w/ a beet and avocado salad and great wines to match.



For dessert we walked over to Laboratorio del Gelato. This place used to be an actual "lab" for creating crazy ice cream flavors, wholesale only, sold only to NYC's best restaurants. But the public demand became too popular, people were begging for a scoop when passing this tiny hole in the wall, so the owner finally opened a retail window for takeout, and it is now opened past 6 pm.
And that's that story.

This guy was deciding whether to get mascarpone or ricotta gelato.
and he was taking it on the train back to Brooklyn in 90 degrees!
Good luck with that.



I had dark chocolate, the perfect ending to the perfect day in my favorite city.




hipsters? I think not.

Tuscan White Bean Dip

From my photos, this may not look like much, but trust me, it's really great.

You can make this in the food processor, creating more of a smooth paste, but I like to feel my beans, see my beans and taste my beans, so I use my potato masher and hand mash the beans.

Start with any can of your favorite white beans, cannellini being my first choice.

Roast a head of garlic in a toaster oven at 400F, wrapped in foil drizzled with some olive oil for about an hour (I like to do it in the toaster oven, because why turn on the big oven for such a small package?).

When the garlic is cool enough to handle, pop those beauties out of their skins and add them to the can of drained and rinsed mashed beans.

Now add some fresh chopped rosemary, sea salt and pepper.
Drizzle with enough olive oil to make a nice consistency and serve with crackers or on crostini.

I have made this with raw minced garlic (one clove), and also with sauteed onions.



It's all good.

End of Summer Tomato Tart

I hope you are not growing tired of tomato recipes!
Don't worry, the season is almost over. Soon enough I will only have squash and carrots to use, so stop complaining.

My lovely neighbors are still bringing me the weekly basket of heirlooms, but I can only eat so many tomato sandwiches.

I made my traditional French Tomato Tart, but this time did a double layer in a store bought deep dish pie crust.



Spread grainy French mustard on the bottom of your pie crust, then spread 1/2 cup of shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese on top.



Slice your tomatoes and layer them over the cheese, overlapping them (I used about 8 heirloom tomatoes). Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper and sliced basil leaves.



Repeat with another layer of cheese, tomatoes and basil and bake in a 350F for about 40 minutes.

Drain some of the liquid off the top, since heirloom tomatoes tend to have more water in them. Wait about 20 minutes until the pie sets before serving.



Serve with a green salad and enjoy!



I will miss the beautiful tomato season, it's been a great one this year.

Grilled Chicken & Orzo Salad

If you are wondering what to make for your Labor Day party, I have the answer!

This is so easy and so delicious. There are many variations of chicken and orzo salad recipes, but I think I have finally found a winner.

Don't be afraid of the tarragon, which is not my favorite of herbs, but it works in this recipe with the sweet currants and salty olives.

I changed the dressing a bit, and used a wonderful French tarragon mustard that I am addicted to. I love it on grilled cheese and whole grain bread. It's hard to find, but if you can find it, then buy a few jars.



This is a great way to use leftover roast or grilled chicken breasts.
This recipe serves 4 people generously, so feel free to double it if you are having company.

Grilled Chicken w/ Orzo Salad (adapted from Bon Appetit):

Dressing:

1 heaping tablespoon of tarragon mustard (or Dijon mustard w/ a tsp of dried tarragon)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (plus a tbsp to drizzle on the orzo)
6 tbsp olive oil

Salad:

8 oz. of orzo (half a box)
3 boneless chicken breast halves, grilled and cubed
1/4 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 heaping tbsp of drained capers
1/3 cup of currants
6 oz. jar of marinated artichokes, drained and sliced
pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

Grill the chicken breasts w/ kosher salt & pepper and a little olive oil for about 6 minutes per side. Let rest and cool before cubing.

Make your dressing, whisk and set aside.



While the orzo is cooking (follow package directions), cut up the olives, and add them to the currants, capers, artichokes & tomatoes in a big bowl.

Drain the orzo and add to the bowl, add the reserved tbsp of vinegar, then last add the cubed grilled chicken.



Spoon your dressing over the salad and toss. You will have some leftover dressing.

Serve at room temperature or cold.

I think it's really the tarragon mustard vinaigrette that makes this salad sing.
I made it a second time and added grilled zucchini chunks to it and more of everything. We loved it. It is the perfect picnic food.

Enjoy!

Gin Mojitos

I usually don't post booze recipes for a Monday a.m., but we had some great cocktails this past weekend!

Our bartender friends always roll their eyes when a customer asks for a mojito.
Especially on a busy Saturday night!

Muddling the mint for each individual drink can be time consuming........so I only order them when I see the bartender is in a good mood!

We felt like mojitos this weekend, but I had no rum! So, why not gin?

I was lucky enough to sample some Farmer's Gin this weekend.
A new organic gin made in the Midwest. Go figure.



I thought only the Brits knew how to make gin.
So what do Midwesterners know about gin? Plenty.

This gin had aromas of lemon grass, coriander, juniper berries and elderflower. It was so delicious, and I am not getting paid to say that.

I made some fantastic cocktails with the Farmer's (read the NY Times review here).

You can make your own simple syrup by boiling 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar for a few minutes, then keep in the fridge all week for drinks.

I cheat and use Sprite or a splash of ginger ale, because I like bubbles.

This is a refreshing, citrusy nice summer cocktail.
Try it, you'll like it!

Gin Mojito: (makes 1 drink)

2 oz. of Farmer's Gin
a few sprigs of fresh mint (I like the light green spearmint)
2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp of fresh lime juice
a splash of Sprite or ginger ale (or simple syrup if you made it)

Muddle the mint in a rocks glass and add the juices and ice. Pour in the gin.



Pour the ginger ale or simple syrup over the ice and sip!
Garnish with mint or lime.

Enjoy!