Now, I have nothing against fancy cakes with frilly frosting, but when I’m baking, I go for something that doesn’t need that little bit extra.  I must be honest and admit part of it could be a touch of laziness as I often run out of steam when it comes time to whip up a buttercream frosting.  As I see it, this failing of mine is a virtue, as a cake is already sugar and fat a-plenty, and frosting only makes things worse.  So I’m not making a tremendous effort to reform my ways.

A gingerbread cake, with the warm, complex flavors of molasses and spice, certainly can stand on its own, though it can handle a drizzle of icing if you must. Because it’s homey and unfussy, it takes beautifully to a bit of whole-grain flours as well, which is all the better–as you know I’m often tweaking recipes to add a bit of whole wheat pastry flour here, or buckwheat flour there…

So here I am, tinkering a Fannie Farmer recipe.  I came across this in the current issue of Edible Boston (where else would Ms. Farmer, of the Boston Cooking School, get a shout-out?).  If you don’t know the Edible Communities series of magazines, you can check here to see if there’s one for your city or region–they round up the best of local food producers and purveyors, together with thoughtful articles, beautiful photography, and of course, recipes.

This cake pulls together easily, but is fun to make as it has an unusual method–melting the butter and molasses together.  You add baking soda directly to the hot mix, causing this fragrant concoction to foam and bubble up furiously.  Speaking of which–make sure to have that baking soda all measured and ready to go:  you don’t want a sticky mess of molasses and butter spilling out of the pot while you’re looking for that 1/4 teaspoon measure.  Stir it down, let it cool a bit, and add in the remaining ingredients.

I have no idea what the purpose is behind this unusual set of steps, but it’s fun and I don’t have to get out the stand mixer, so I’ll go with it.

The cake is not overly sweet, but it is rich, which means that a dollop of tart (but admittedly also rich) creme fraiche on the side complements it quite well.

Gingerbread Cake, adapted from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Soft Molasses Gingerbread

Notes:  I used spelt flour in place of some of the all-purpose flour, but I’m certain you could easily use whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour as well.  And make sure to line your cake pan with parchment–like any good gingerbread cake, this is moist and sticky.  

• 1 cup molasses
• 1/3 c unsalted butter (80g), plus additional butter for greasing the pan
• 1 3/4t baking soda
• 1c buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1c all purpose flour (125g)
• 1c spelt flour (125g)
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• pinch mace
• pinch allspice
• 1/2t salt

Preheat oven to 350F (175C).  Butter a 9″ round cake pan and line with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit.  (This cake is very dense and moist).

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and the molasses together, and heat until boiling.  Turn of the heat (and remove to a surface it won’t be too hard to clean up) and add the baking soda all at once.  Stir it down–it will froth and foam and bubble up for longer than you’d expect.

Allow to cool for a few minutes.  (You might prepare the pan now if you haven’t done so).  Add half of the flour, then the milk and egg, and then the remaining flour.  Pour into the prepared pan, and bake for about 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan.

It’s 606 R and D. It’s recently been highlighted in some magazines as an up and coming new restaurant. For the New Yorkers who read this blog, the chefs are from the famous City Bakery in Manhattan.

There is so much to talk about at this restaurant. My husband and I woke up the next day still talking about how good the food was. Nuf said. There is kombucha ON TAP, freshly made donuts made out of their donut machine (which you can get with ricotta and honey on top), and a wide variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables that are so hearty you won’t be craving any meat at all.

I will be sure to go back plenty of times to go into detail about any of the above ingredients, but I wanted to get back to what I enjoy best. Cocktails.

We waited an hour to be seated so we had some time to drink up at the bar. I got the Winter #12 which is hum (no, not rum-hum), sherry, mezcal and grapefruit juice. This is a strong cocktail that has a slight smokey aftertaste. I actually blogged earlier about Mezcal’s version which obviously has many drinks with this type of liquor in it. Supposedly it’s made from the same type of plant as tequila but is definitely different (so the bartender said) and is made in the region of Mezcal, Mexico. This is what gives the drink that smokey flavor which is a great drink to clear up those sinuses in this middle winter period we are all forced to live in!

The hum is something I’ve never heard of. Basically, it’s a new type of liquor made with ginger and hibiscus. I think this helped cut the smokey flavor (along with the grapefruit juice).

My husband got the Odd Fashioned which is a spin-off of his favorite– the Old Fashioned. I’m not too much of a fan, but this is not because of the bartender’s lack of skills, just a strong drink that’s not much up my alley. His was made of bourbon, brown sugar (yum), parsnip syrups (weird, huh?), and orange bitters.

This salad I’m going to tell you about continues in my new vein.  I roasted chunks of squash and chopped brussels sprouts in the oven, while a pot of brown rice simmered and steamed its way to tenderness on the stove.  Meanwhile, to bring out the sweet caramelized flavors of these vegetables, I made a pomegranate molasses vinaigrette.

Pomegranate molasses is an intense syrup made by boiling down pomegranate juice until thick and viscous–you can do it on your own, but unless you have a source for affordable pomegranate juice, it would be prohibitively expensive.  (But if you do have a source, please let me know!)  Much easier to buy it in the middle eastern section of the grocery store or online.  I’m always searching for interesting uses for it, and it occurred to me that its acid tang could brighten a winter salad.  I chose apple cider vinegar to complement the fruity notes of the molasses while cutting its intense sweetness.  A little salt, a healthy glug of olive oil, and your dressing is ready.

For a stunning visual effect I garnished with pomegranate seeds–I love the way they are both chewy and yet burst in your mouth, and their unusual mix of flavors:  an almost berry-like flavor with a gently bitter finish.  To prepare your own, cut the pomegranate in half and hold over a bowl while you use your fingertips to massage the seeds out.   Remove any white membrane that falls into the bowl and discard.  There’s one additional tip that I find indispensable–wear something you don’t mind staining.  This juice is dark and red and no matter how careful you are seems to squirt everywhere as you fish out the fruit.  An apron is just not enough.  (Or, I’m particularly messy, which is a possibility that cannot be discounted).

You don’t have to use the pomegranate seeds, but they are a nice touch.  Persephone found them tempting enough to get herself stuck six months of the year in the underworld, but I promise there’s no downside for you.

Either way, this turned out to be a great addition to my growing repertoire of hearty salads.  Unlike a green salad, you can make it in quantity and, find that the flavors have improved and melded the next day.  Perfect for stocking your lunchbox for the week, and for not leaving you hungry.   Rabbit food it most definitely is not.

Roasted Squash and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

Note:  All the ingredients are approximate–tweak and adjust to suit your taste.

• 2c cubed squash (approximately 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1c brussels sprouts, cut in half
• 2 t pomegranate molasses
• 2T apple cider vinegar
• 6T olive oil
• 1 cup brown rice
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

To roast the vegetables, preheat the oven to 425.  Toss the squash with a little olive oil and salt and spread on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Do the same on a second cookie sheet with the brussels sprouts.  Roast for about 20 minutes or until the squash is tender and the sprouts are wilted and even a bit crisp at the edges.

While you are doing this, cook your rice.   I use Saveur’s method, as modified by Pinch my Salt.

Make your vinaigrette:  whisk together the pomegranate molasses, vinegar, and a pinch of salt, then whisk the in the olive oil, adding it in a thin stream.  I always mix the vinaigrette in my serving bowl–that way there’s plenty of room to mix the dressing, then I add the salad ingredients.

Allows the the rice, squash, and brussels sprouts to cool slightly, then mix together with the dressing.  Adjust for salt.  Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds if desired.

Related articles

• Pomegranate and Brussels Sprout Salad
• Barley and Pomegranate Salad
• Pomegranate Molasses Almond Torte

So, my husband and I took a trip out to the butcher and picked up 3 pounds of beef short ribs cut to 2 and a half inches.

The biggest thing to remember about braising anything is that you need to allocate an afternoon or an evening to cooking it. We had a bit of a snow storm on this particular day so it was the perfect opportunity to stay indoors for the evening.

Some tips that the cook Matt Greene told us about braising that I didn’t know is to season, season, season. Everytime you enter a big step in the process you are to make sure you aggressively add salt and pepper. I also learned some other great tips like: Use grapeseed oil instead of olive oil because it has a milder, less overpowering taste.

The main seasoning to use in this dish (besides a good amount of salt and pepper) is 5 spice mix. This is the ultimate seasoning for this meat. It brings so much flavor. It’s a mix of cinnamon, ground fennel seed, ground clove, and ground star anise and paprika. I was happy to find out about this type of mix because it would have been pricey to buy all of some of these seasonings that I doubt I’d use again.

After this adventure, I was too tired to make some elaborate side dish. So, what was on the recipe? White rice. It didn’t matter to my husband. He was extremely pleased with the meal and I was too, however, it didn’t have as strong of that tangy taste that I had at my class. What was I expecting though-perfection on the first try? Doubtful.

I never thought I’d be one to cook such heavy meat. I also never thought I’d be one to really be excited about seeing meat “fall off the bone” (as the chef told us it would do and that would be the signal that the meat was ready to eat). But, I really enjoyed making this meal. Growing up in the Clevering household we always ate very healthy. I’m very, very thankful for this and when I cook I usually look for more healthy options. Every once in a while though…it’s nice to have something sinful like this cooking up in your kitchen.

(And yes, I can’t deny it, we are all susceptible: I did after all make bacon spice cookies a while back.  It’s no fun to be Serious Cuisine all the time is it?)

So–even with everyone jumping on this bacon bandwagon, using lard or bacon fat is still a bit out there.  (When did you last eat an apple pie made with lard?)  But even though it’s head-spinning to try to keep up with these things, it looks as if these animal fats aren’t quite so bad, or at least not in comparison with their trans-fat laden substitutes. (My crude understanding of this being to stay away from vegetable fats that are solid at room temperature).

I don’t know if I was inspired by healthier living (nor can I really say that with a straight face, we’re talking pork fat here), an attempt at kitchen frugality, or just this bacon craze, but I’ve recently been saving the (massive amounts of) drippings that render from our CSA bacon.  As this bacon is from heritage breed  pigs, it is by no stretch of the imagination lean.  But it’s amazingly good.  So good, that why would I not want to draw out the flavors of a Sunday breakfast through the week, especially if I can convince myself I’m being virtuous by, well, um, using bacon drippings?

I’ve made broccoli rabe pan-fried with potatoes many times since I first read about it on Leite’s Culinaria.  The slightly bitter but fresh tasting rabe with crisped soft potatoes is a perfectly rib-sticking winter food.   The original recipe is from Julia della Croce’s Italian Home Cooking and thus calls for olive oil.  I’ve found that it’s equally wonderful with bacon fat–all those meaty aromas melding into your potatoes and flavoring your greens.  Either way, it’s just right for mid-January.  And I guess it means I’m trendy.

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe and Potatoes, inspired by and adapted from Julia Della Croce’s recipe available here or here

Note:  The original recipe uses olive oil, so if you don’t like, don’t have, or just don’t eat pork, fear not as I can assure it’s equally wonderful either way.

Put the potatoes in a deep bot and cover with cold water to cover by an inch.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to gently boil for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife (total time will depend upon the size of the potato).  Lift the potatoes out of the water (don’t drain the water but rather leave it in the pot as you will be using it momentarily).  Allow the potatoes to cool.

Related articles

• The Minimalist: Baked Broccoli Rabe with Parmesan (markbittman.com)
• Polenta with Roasted Broccoli Rabe, Cauliflower and Tomatoes (frshforce.wordpress.com)

However, I did sign up for the Modern Baker Challenge, and a few weeks ago, you might just recall, was Christmas, so it’s practically obligatory to turn a few batches of cookies out of the oven.  With no particular plan in mind I leafed through my second copy of the Modern Baker down in DC. (It’s not because I’m obsessed that I have a spare:  Nick Malgieri was kind enough to send all us participants a personalized signed copy so I now have two, which turned out to be quite convenient).  I paused at the page for the lime-scented wafers–citrusy, simple, with a single batch turning out enough to feed a crowd, this seemed like the perfect option.

This is nothing more than a basic roll cookie–formed into a tube, chilled, and sliced–scented with lime juice, coated in lime zest and sugar crust.  Pretty simple, but like many things that are simple, difficult to get absolutely perfect.  Aesthetically at least.  It might be failure begetting failure, with me making bar cookies too infrequently to get the technique down, but my carefully rolled cylinders always emerge from the fridge flattened at the base.  So instead of crisp little cookie disks I get something looking either like a deflated tire or worse, a badly drawn rectangle.  I tried to smoosh them back into the desired shape as I placed them one by one onto the baking sheet but it got to be tedious, and with the dough softening more and more I wasn’t improving matters.  For those of you baking along, I also ended up using only about half of the lime sugar coating.    I meant to find some creative use for it, but with kitchen real estate being very tight in a full house, down the garbage disposal it eventually went.  If you make these, I’d say you only need half the quantity called for.

Fortunately, I am not a professional baker, and my in-laws are not so fussy about the details as long as the cookie tastes as it should.  (Substance over form here, people).  Crisp and fragrant, with a crunchy sugar edge, it was a welcome component of my husband’s family’s traditional “Platter of Sin.”  They softened a bit after a few days, but were still being happily nibbled on.

So while these cookies were definitely not a disappointment (and there was an impressive quantity of them), I’d still say I have to work out a few kinks before I become a cookie-making superhero.  In the meantime, if there’s any secret tricks you’d care to share, I’m all ears.

I leave you with a shot of the infamous Platter of Sin.  And be assured, that’s only a small portion of it, lest you have any fears that it’s not sinful enough.

We were down in DC for Christmas, at my husband’s parents’ house.  My sister-in-law’s copy of Boston restauranteur Barbara Lynch’s cookbook Stir  has taken up semi-permanent residence in their house thanks to her currently reduced kitchen space.  For me this works out well since it means I get a chance to have a good look at it while I am down there.  (Yes, I go to other people’s houses and read their cookbooks.  Is that weird? It’s better than raiding the medicine cabinet).  

My mother-in-law has the typical list on the fridge, except it’s not quite what you’d expect:  rather than writing down the things that need to be picked up on the next trip to the grocery store, it’s a list entitled, things we have too much of.  A “do not buy” list.  You see, my father in law likes to stock up on those staples that don’t go bad, so there are always plenty of dried beans, boxes of pasta, and 28-ounce cans of plum tomatoes.

Canned tomatoes on the do-not-buy list.  Spicy tomato soup in in-law’s cookbook.  In need of a light meal after Christmas excess.  Bingo!

There are many things that are fantastic about this soup.  First, it’s tremendously pantry-friendly (I suppose that goes without saying) and easy to pull together.  Onions, canned tomatoes, olive oil, and seasonings.  I used dried oregano instead of fresh basil, and in a soup like this it worked just perfectly, as the slow gentle simmer allows the herbs plenty of time to release their flavor into the liquid.

Not only that, it’s a real two-fer.  After you puree and strain the soup, you can save the leftover pulp to make a fiery bruschetta spread for crusty bread or (as Barbara Lynch suggests) even use it to top roasted eggplant.

It’s a delicious soup that manages to be elegant yet homey at the same time.  And thanks to the red pepper flakes, it’s also peppy. And I was almost surprised by how much I liked it:  sometimes tomato soups can be a little too sweet.  I don’t know if it’s the onions or the hot pepper that tones this down, or both, but the flavors are perfectly calibrated.  It’s a real treat to enjoy vibrant tomato flavor in the middle of winter.  A nice dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream on top doesn’t hurt either.

And now my father-in-law can buy more canned tomatoes.

Spicy Tomato Soup adapted from Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition by Barbara Lynch, original recipe also available on www.chow.com or with a video of Lynch demonstrating here.

Although we did not make the grilled cheese sandwich to go along with the soup, enjoying instead some gruyere and cured meats, you can find the recipe here.  I’ll definitely be trying it soon–the method looks so easy and straightforward.

If you’re wavering on how much red pepper to use, I’ll let you know that I used 1 1/2 teaspoons–and while I loved it, I’ll just say I definitely won’t be adding more in the future.

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes (preferably Italian plum tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Crème fraîche or sour cream for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the onions red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, including the juices, and the water.  Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool briefly, about 5 minutes.

Balance a fine-mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl. In a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth.  (If using a blender, remove the pour lid from teh center of the lid and cover with a kitchen towel–this will allow steam to escape from the hot soup so the pour lid doesn’t pop off).  Pour the blended soup through the strainer, pressing the liquid out of the pulp.  Reserve this pulp to use to top bread or as a condiment.  Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat on medium low until hot.  (Beware of reheating purees other than gently–it will look and act like molten lava).  A dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche makes a nice garnish.

I first tried meringues in the traditional lemon meringue pie.  I thought it was just the most beautiful cloud of sweetness.  One evening when I was in 5th grade — circa 1989 (?), I decided I should surprise my mom when she came home from work with a lemon meringue pie.  Don’t ask me why but I got it into my head.

Mom worked evenings at the library from 6 to 9 which honestly felt like an eternity for us, especially when we were in elementary school.  Somehow I managed to gather all the ingredients and successfully followed the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook, so I could present Mom with the surprise she she made it home.  No, there was no pie crust involved — a frozen, pre-made pie crust was a staple in those days.  And, it wasn’t that we had fresh lemons around, but the liquid lemon juice in the faux lemon plastic containers magically had enough. I’m actually most surprised that I was able to successfully whip the meringue as it requires a patience, that is tested to this day, with a hand mixer.  There is no Kitchenaid in the Clevering household.  But, it was a success, and I think Mom was surprised.

We did attempt several things in the kitchen while Mom was working and under Dad’s “supervision.”  I remember Sara attempting to made fudge even though we didn’t have the fail safe- marshmallow creme. She was reading the directions in Betty Crocker about how to test the temperature of the boiling sugar.  In the end, fudge was never made, and the pan was barely salvageable.

But, the next foray with meringues came in college.  I was in love with the Moosewood’s Low-Fat favorite’s cookbook.  I was transitioning into vegetarian food and it was the “fear of fat” craze of the late nineties.  One of the recipes was for bake meringue cups fills with fruit.  I was having to much fun shaping the meringues via the plastic bag/frosting decorating technique that I never tried it with the fruit.  I just cared that it was “low fat.”

With that history, I was naturally intrigued by this meringue recipe.  It just might be the ONLY recipe in the cookbook that doesn’t contain flour — hey it’s GLUTEN-FREE!  But, this cookie was much more than I anticipated.  I wasn’t that excited for a chocolate flavored crunch of a cookie, but this is not your average meringue.  I was baffled why we were “folding” in the walnut and the sliced chocolate but the result was exceptional.  The center of the meringue were delicious bites of chocolate and the walnuts gave it an extra weight.  Delicious!

My meringues were on the soft side – probably because they were so big, but I almost liked them that way.  I baked them for 35 minutes, an extra 5 and was concerned about them being too dry anyway.

** also note that the directions list “remaining 1/2 cup of walnuts and sugar” which is a bit confusing because “the remaining 1/2″ modifies sugar and not the walnuts.  I reread the recipe a few times to make sure I hadn’t skipped a step, but you do fold in the entire 1 1/4 cup of walnuts all at once.

The ingredients

The egg whites  are always a challenge.  I followed the best directions and separated each yolk separately before adding to the mixing bowl.  It’s a good thing too because the second egg was a mess.

And patience and persistence pays off.

And folding in the ingredients.  It felt odd to layer it as directed but Nick knows what he’s talking about!

I decided to see which was better — foil or parchment paper.  I don’t think it makes a difference.

And, the final product – forgive the blurriness.  We’ll see how the folks at work like them.  They got a thumbs up from Paul who doesn’t typically think meringues count for much of anything.

For those of you that haven’t had the wonderful opportunity to go to this fabulous kitchen store, then I’m sorry. This is a great little spot located off the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Williamsburg is known for it’s oh so trendy restaurants and chocolate stores and beer stores and really just about anything culinary and cool. The Brooklyn Kitchen is no exception. They also have The Meat Hook which is located on the second floor of the shop and serves as the stores butcher.

The reason I finally got myself back there is because I’ve been trying to get (along with my other sister’s resolutions) a bigger reportoire of items to cook. I often blog about cocktails. Yep. I know you have noticed. So I’m trying to branch out. So I took a Braising class. It was Fabulous. (Yes, I meant to capitalize the ‘F’). You have a cook (Matt Greene was ours for the night) show you how to make three fabulous meals (For this class it was Pork Osso Bucco, Coq a Vin, and Vietnamese Braised Short Ribs) and then they serve you a nice Brooklyn Beer to wash it down.

In a couple of weeks I will be blogging about my first braising adventure in the HOME kitchen: Vietnamese Braised Short Ribs and much more about my experiences…..Stay tuned!

The same goes for almost every weekend. We have quite opposite work schedules so we love going to a bar and having a nice drink. One of our favorite places to go is Bearded Lady.  This is a dark little bar/lounge.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s steps away from our apartment. It serves all sorts of mixed drinks with some small bites such as homemade beer cheese (sounds gross-it’s good) or a sweet pea veggie sandwich. There is tons of seating. None of that standing up for me! I try so many drinks there and they are all fabulous (Ginger Prince, Hot Toddy), but one that I recently tried that I wanted to blog about is the TED DAMSON.

Ingredients:
Damson Plum Gin

Lemon Juice

Q Tonic

Rosemary

Super simple ingredients. I could try it at home but I have to say that being a bartender is a lot harder than it looks. I’ve been trying to make more of my own cocktails at home and the ratio of what to put in is very tricky.

So if any of you want to try it–there it is! The rosemary in the drink is essential. It was very sweet, but the rosemary had such a nice aftertaste. It also makes me interested in trying more drinks with plum gin. hmmm….