TWD: French Strawberry Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie featured a recipe for a gorgeous, beautiful three-layer cake filled with sweetened strawberries and fresh whipped cream.  This cake was beautiful, refreshing and so much fun to make.

The cake layers were composed of a basic genoise batter which utilizes whipped egg whites to provide height.  The genoise was baked in a 9-inch springform pan, allowed to cool completely, and then split into three layers, topped with chopped fresh strawberries, and slathered with a lightly sweetened whipped cream.  The end result was not-too-sweet and the berries really were the star of the show.  I did branch a bit from the decorating technique detailed in the book, choosing instead to spread the whipped cream between the layers and on top of the cake, leaving the sides exposed.  I lined halved strawberries along the outer edges of the cake and filled the centers with the macerated berries and whipped cream.  Because I love the combination of kirsch and berries, I could not resist adding a few tablespoons to the macerated berries.  Divine!

I had a couple of college friends visiting and we devoured this cake between the six of us.  My husband did cut us some gigantic pieces, but the cake was really light, making it easy to consume a large portion.  Matthew loved it, declaring:  "Mommy!  It's good!"

If you would like to try making this excellent summertime dessert, our hosts for this week have the recipe posted on their blogs or pick up a copy of Baking with Julia.

Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza

Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza.  A gorgeous homemade pizza crust is topped with roasted chicken, bacon, cheese, a spicy-sweet strawberry sauce, and...yep...strawberries.  Sounds weird, right?  But this is hands down my new favorite pizza recipe.

Paul was very excited when he heard I was making pizza for dinner, but his enthusiasm quickly turned into apprehension when I told him we were having a strawberry pizza.

"So...we're like having strawberry version of one of those dessert pizzas on the Pizza Hut buffet?" he asked, without even trying to hide his disappointment.

"Not at all - it has a bacon and chicken on it too!"

That made him perk up a little.  Everything is better with bacon.

We really did not know what to expect with this pizza.  But the combination sounded interesting enough that I definitely wanted to give it a try.  Instead of your normal tomato-based sauce, the sauce for this pizza is composed of balsamic reduction, strawberry jam, and Siracha sauce.  Once everything is mixed together, the taste is reminiscent of a barbecue and Teriyaki sauce hybrid.  Very unique!

This makes a beautiful looking pizza.  And the taste?  Unbelievable.  Sweet, tangy, salty, and just a little bit of residual heat from the Siracha sauce made this one nice party for the taste buds.  The chopped strawberries and cilantro on top add just a touch of freshness.  I really consider this the perfect gourmet pizza.

And Paul and Matthew loved it as well!!  Give this a try for a unique twist on pizza night!

Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza
adapted slightly from Annie's Eats

For the dough:
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
1/2 cup good-quality strawberry jam
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons Siracha sauce

For the toppings:
1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken
4-5 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 oz. shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
2 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and diced

To make the dough, place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix briefly to combine.  Mix the warm water and yeast in a small bowl until the yeast swells.  Add the oil and room-temperature water to the bowl with the yeast.  With the mixer set to low, slowly and steadily stream in the yeast mixture.  Once the dough comes together, turn off the mixer and switch to the dough hook.  Continue to knead the dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.  Knead for about 30 seconds on a lightly floured countertop and form into a ball.  Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for the dough to double in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, make the sauce.  Place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.  Alternatively, if you already have a bottle of balsamic reduction on hand, you can skip this step and just use 2 tablespoons of that in the sauce recipe.  Whisk together the reduced balsamic vinegar, the strawberry jam, and the Siracha sauce.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once the dough has doubled, gently deflate and turn out onto a lightly floured countertop.  Divide the dough in half.  Let the dough rest at least 10 minutes but no more than 30.  (If you are planning on only making one pizza, wrap the dough ball you do not plan on using with plastic wrap and then place in a ziploc bag.  You can freeze the dough for up to 1-2 months).

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone set on the middle rack for at least 20 minutes before baking.

Stretch/roll the dough into a 12-14 inch round pizza shape.  At this point, I usually like to place the pizza dough on a large sheet of parchment paper to help when transferring it to the pizza stone.  Spread the sauce over the entire surface, then sprinkle with the chicken, bacon, and sliced onion.  Cover with the cheeses.  Finish with the cilantro and chopped strawberries.

Using a large cutting board, transfer the pizza to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the cheese is melted.  Remove from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Crumb Bars

This past weekend, we ventured over to a nearby farm for our annual day of strawberry picking.  The berries were abundant and we walked away with over eight quarts of ripe, juicy, gorgeous red berries.  I am looking forward to all the strawberry goodies we will be making with these babies!

Matthew loved picking the strawberries.  He probably liked eating them a little bit more.  As we were sorting through the berries we brought home, we discovered that Matthew took a bite out of most of the berries he contributed to the basket.  Lovely.  He was also very disturbed by the hulls and insisted on ripping them off each berry he managed to wrap his chubby little hands around.  He was covered in bright red berry juice by the time we were through and I was nervous that the farm would charge us double based on how many berries Matthew probably consumed during the hour we were there.  Judging by the looks of him, he probably ate about two quarts worth.

Here is a fun little look back at our strawberry picking adventures through the years:

Summer 2010

 

Summer 2011

Summer 2012

So sad to see my baby so big.  I do not realize how much he has grown until I look back at where he was this time last year.  At the same time, he is so much fun right now.  I love running around with him and making him laugh.  His speech is taking off to at a rather alarming rate.  Yesterday, we were walking past a small Methodist church located near our neighborhood and he pointed his little finger at the cross and said:  "Church! Jesus!"  That was a proud Mommy moment.  Whenever we go to church, I explain to Matthew that we are going to see Jesus and I guess that concept is finally starting to sink in!

Anyway, after picking all the strawberries, we immediately set out to make one of our favorite summer snacks:  Strawberry Crumb Bars.  This recipe was actually developed by Paul and I after testing a couple different recipes for various fruit crumb bars over the past couple years.  We tried various recipes for blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry crumb bars.  We combined all the elements that we enjoyed in all those recipes and adapted for the high water content of strawberries and came up with this recipe.  The end result is a delicious, buttery cookie bar that is incredibly difficult to resist.  Seriously, half the pan was gone as soon as these came out of the oven.  And the smell of them baking is intoxicating.  I plan on making many, many pans of these to freeze for Paul's lunches (or midnight snacks!).

Give these a try and don't skip on the white chocolate even if you're a white chocolate hater.  Its flavor is a subtle complement to the berries.

Strawberry Crumb Bars
Nistler Family Original


2 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3-4 cups fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2-3/4 cup white chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Measure the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and 1/3 cup white chocolate into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse to combine, about 30 seconds.  Add the chilled butter and continue to pulse until coarse crumbs remain.

Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Pre-bake the crust for 15-20 minutes or until firm, light golden, and fragrant.  While the crust bakes, toss the sliced berries with the cornstarch.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with the sliced berries.  Try to get the strawberries into a single, even layer (if you can!).  Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the berries.  Sprinkle with the remaining white chocolate and return the pan to the oven.  Bake until the top is lightly browned and the berries are bubbly, about 20 minutes longer.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Rhubarb Buckle

When Paul and I went out to lunch following the closing on our new home, one of the first things we discussed was where we wanted to plant rhubarb.  After spending part of this week getting rid of the fire pit that the previous homeowners had installed in the backyard, we are ready to plant a little garden which will include several rhubarb plants.  Paul and I adore rhubarb.  We both grew up with rhubarb plants in our backyards and always looked forward to springtime when those ruby red stalks would be harvested for pies, cobblers, and jams.  We want our kids to enjoy rhubarb as much as we did.

However, we have to wait about five years until we can harvest our little rhubarb plant.  In the meantime, I hope the gazillion rabbits we have prancing around the area do not gang up on our fledgling plant.  Maybe we should put Matthew to work and have him stand guard over it with his BB gun.

While rhubarb is commonly paired with a sweeter fruit, like strawberries, to offset its tart nature, Paul and I actually prefer desserts in which the rhubarb flavor is allowed to shine.  While perusing the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living while waiting to see my dermatologist (gotta get those moles checked once a year, ya know!), I saw a recipe for rhubarb buckle that looked absolutely incredible.  I have made my fair share of blueberry buckles in the past, but had never thought to ever use rhubarb.  What a brilliant idea!  Annoying as she is, Martha Stewart does have some pretty fabulous ideas.

Normally, I try to reserve desserts for Sundays, birthdays, feast days and anniversaries.  However, I really wanted to make this cake TODAY.  I looked at my liturgical calendar and saw that today is the feast day of Saint William of York.  I have never heard of him before, but we are going to celebrate his sainthood with some rhubarb buckle!

A fluffy lemon-kissed cake topped with macerated pieces of rhubarb and sprinkled with a crumb topping that bakes up into a perfect hand-held dessert, perfect for an early summer picnic.  The cake was a breeze to put together.  Seriously, the most trying part was zesting the lemon (I always manage to get lemon juice in my eye!).  The aroma that filled our home was so intoxicating, we had a hard time waiting for it to cool before sampling a slice.  It was worth the wait.

If you have any spare rhubarb, take a break from the pies and crisps and make a buckle instead!


Rhubarb Buckle
barely adapted from Martha Stewart Living (May 2012)

For the Cake:
1 pound plus 10 ounces rhubarb, trimmed and cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
2 cups sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Zest of one lemon
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

For the Crumb Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center position. Coat two 9-inch square cake pans with cooking spray, and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Stir together rhubarb and 1 cup sugar; set aside to macerate.

Whisk together flour, bak ing powder, and salt. Beat together butter, remaining cup sugar, and the lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Make the crumb topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add melted butter; stir to combine.

Divide batter between pans. Top with rhubarb mixture, and sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake until golden on top and cooked through, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks, then lift cakes from pans using parchment. Remove parchment. Before serving, cut buckle into 2-inch squares.

Our Starving Child

Lately, I have been paranoid that people may begin to suspect that I do not feed my child.  These fears are not unfounded.  With the way Matthew has been acting in public lately, I would not be surprised if I did receive a critical stare or two from passing strangers.  Most of the time, Matthew is an excellent companion when it comes to running errands.  As we move from store to store, he is perfectly content to be at my side, chatting away as usual about puppies, rabbits, or any of his other current favorite topics of conversation.  However, lately that has all changed.  When we are at the grocery store, Matthew will oftentimes start whining nonstop:  “Hungry!  Hungry!  Huuuuuunnnnnnngrrrry!”  We will pass the produce section where there are piles and piles of different varieties of apples, which are Matthew’s favorite fruit, and he will start listing to one side of the cart, his arm outstretched in a desperate attempt to snatch a piece of the fruit:  “Please?  Please?  Hungry!  Apple! Apple!” I do appreciate his love for fresh produce, but seriously.

j

Paul and Matthew hammering away at our kitchen chairs during the move.

Paul and I took Matthew to a furniture store the other day to choose a new bookcase for the office.  As we were consulting with the salesman, I noticed that Matthew was missing.  I immediately went searching for him and found him sitting on one of the chairs in a display dining room.  In his hand was a plastic piece of fruit that had been on display in a silver bowl in the center of the table.  He had taken a bite out of it and was chewing away with a rather disconcerted look on his face that said: “Why does this apple taste so funny?”  I noticed that the apple was not the only thing Matthew had sampled.  There was also a fake bread loaf, a banana, and a pear with little tiny bite marks on them scattered on the table.  And people were definitely staring at him, feeling sorry for my poor son who was so hungry that he had to resort to eating fake fruit to settle his stomach.  A lady who had been watching him nearby approached me and suggested that I might take him to the doctor as the paint on the plastic fruit was probably toxic.  Maybe I’m a horrible parent, but I just shrugged off this suggestion.  It’s been a little over a week and Matthew is still alive and kicking.  No harm done.

Despite what appearances may suggest, we do feed Matthew.  And Matthew does eat.  A lot.  In fact, last Sunday Paul and I had planned on making scrambled eggs for breakfast.  However, we had failed to check how many eggs we had left in our refrigerator and discovered a little too late that only four remained.  We scrambled them up and divided them evenly between Matthew and ourselves.  Matthew gobbled his down instantaneously and asked for more.  So, Paul and I scraped our portions of the eggs onto his plate and let him eat the rest.  We had to settle for English muffins and jam for breakfast.  

Speaking of breakfast, as I have mentioned before Matthew adores baked oatmeal.  Recently, Paul has declared this Banana-Nut Oatmeal his favorite.  Unlike the other versions of baked oatmeal I have made in the past, this recipe incorporates very little liquid and some oil which makes the final product emulate the taste and texture of a granola.  This recipe feeds a crowd.  I normally bake a big batch of it on Sunday night for us to have for breakfast all week long.  With the price of breakfast cereal continuing to rise, this is a much more economical option for us!


Banana-Nut Baked Oatmeal
adapted from Allrecipes


1/2 cup canola oil (you may substitute half with applesauce)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats
3 bananas, chopped finely
1/2 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar.  Whisk in the egg and milk.  Add the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and stir vigorously to combine.  Add in banana and give the whole thing another good stir.  Add in the oats and walnuts and stir well to combine.  


Pour into a 8x8 pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer jiggly and is browned on top.  Serve immediately or let cool completely on a wire rack before covering and refrigerating.

TWD: Oasis Naan

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie featured Oasis Naan, a version of the familiar flat-bread that is topped with chopped green onions, salt, and cumin seed.

The instructions for this recipe indicate to make the dough by hand, but I was feeling lazy and just threw it together in my stand mixer.  It was such a breeze to mix up and then place in a bowl for a two hour rise period during which time I was able to get some much-needed yard work done.  I got a little lazy when it came to rolling these out, choosing to hand stretch them instead.  I sprinkled some extra cumin seeds on top and even topped half the batch with some shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

My little son saw me put the first batch in the oven and instantly waddled over begging for a piece.  He is a carb-lover, like his mother.

My husband and I have been on quite the curry kick lately.  In the past few days we have eaten nothing but homemade Indian and Thai-style curries and soups.  This bread made a perfect accompaniement to each of those meals.  Soft, salty, and slightly chewy, this was a great version of naan.  Paul especially enjoyed the cheese-topped version.  But then again, he would eat a shoe if it was smothered in cheese.

Since this was such a sturdy dough, I might make it again to use as a base for grilled pizza!

If you would like the recipe for the Oasis Naan, Maggie and Phyl have posted it on their blogs.

Plum Kuchen

It was only a matter of time.  Matthew has discovered a new toy:  the blender.  Or the "Mmmmmm" as he likes to call it (after his interpretation of the sound it makes while running).  Why can't this child play with his own toys and leave his Mommy's alone?!?!?!?

We have been crazy busy moving everything into our new home.  There are still quite a few boxes hanging around, but for the most part things are starting to finally get back to normal.  I can't believe it has only been a week since we started the moving process.  I feel like I have not had a decent night's rest in weeks.  Paul and I have been staying up far past our bedtimes hammering away at various pieces of furniture, organizing the basement, applying Spackle to the walls, and searching for important items that somehow managed to disappear during the chaos of moving.  We will have some photos of our new place up as soon as most things are in order!

In the meantime, I took a break from all the business to bake a Plum Kuchen.  This was a recipe that I had been eyeing for some time on the Smitten Kitchen blog and decided to make it for the inaugural baking recipe for my new kitchen.  Plus, I had just brought home a bagful of beautifully ripe Plumcots from the grocery store!  Perfect timing!

This batter is a dream.  The scent of the lemon zest and vanilla made me want to grab a spoon and eat it right out of the mixing bowl.  But that would be gross, so I didn't.  My husband, however, did manage to lick the bowl clean.  He was apparently completely  unruffled by the fact that the raw egg might just give him salmonella.

The cake tasted great...but it didn't look so great.  As you can tell, it kind of fell apart a bit when I unmolded it.  I think this was partially due to the fact that I made my plum slices really chunky and ugly.  At least the colors were pretty!  And Matthew, Paul, and I really enjoyed the flavor of this cake.  It was refreshing and light - perfect with a scoop of ice cream.  Paul has already proclaimed that he is looking forward to gobbling down the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.  Not if I get up first!

Give it a try and I'm sure yours will turn out much better looking than mine!  It sure wouldn't take much!

Plum Kuchen
from Smitten Kitchen

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

1 cup sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature

1 large egg, warmed in shell in warm water five minutes

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened, divided

3/4 pound firm-ripe plums (about 4 small), halved and pitted

Stir together yeast and warm water in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about five minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Add two cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, yogurt, egg, zest, and vanilla to yeast mixture and mix at medium-low speed 1 minute. Beat in one stick of the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and shiny, about five minutes.  Scrape down side of bowl and sprinkle dough with remaining two tablespoons flour. Cover bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Spread remaining two tablespoons butter in bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Cut each plum half into five or six slices and arrange in one layer in pan.

Stir dough until flour is incorporated, then spread evenly over plums. Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Bake until kuchen is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan five minutes, then invert and unmold onto a rack to cool completely.