Well…more like she’s “getting” skills. Cooking skills, that is. As I’ve mentioned before on the blog, I’ve taken a few cooking classes over the last few months. These cooking classes, sponsored and hosted by the wonderful chefs of Amelie’s French Bakery, have been amazing.
Chefs Maggie Boehlert and Lucia Renzi have led us through classes ranging from Farmer’s Market, Low Country Boil, Pies and the latest and greatest, Soups & Stews. These classes are super informative and the relaxing atmosphere, coupled with the small class size and the amazing talent showing us the ropes, has made each experience truly wonderful. (not to mention the free flowing libations, those are pretty nice too!)
Last night’s class featured homemade chicken noodle soup, buttermilk biscuits and snickerdoodles. At first, the chicken noodle soup idea threw me off because really, how hard can it be, but this was unlike any chicken soup I’ve ever made and it was SO easy. If you’re picturing the Campbell’s Soup lame-o version, go ahead and put it OUT OF YOUR MIND and OUT OF YOUR PANTRY (no joke, throw that garbage where it belongs).
We started with a mirepoix {definition: a flavoring made from diced vegetables, seasonings, herbs, placed in a pan to cook with meat or fish} which consisted of celery, onions, carrots, garlic and thyme. We then chopped some mushrooms, green beans and whole leaf spinach to add to our soup a little later.
- pardon the iPhone quality
And here is how we REALLY started the class…Chef Lucia giving directions and me…doing a little “pre-gaming” 
.
- Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie’s French Bakery
One reason I wanted to start taking cooking classes was to learn the best and proper way to prepare & cook food. My mother always comments on my cutting (or lack-there-of) skills and I want to watch and learn the proper way to cut, dice, chop, etc. Here I am cutting an onion…BEFORE I started crying (couldn’t help it…onions get me every time!).
- Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie’s French Bakery
So we started by sautéing our mirepoix in a little oil oil in a saucepan until the onions were translucent. I LOVE the smell of onions and veggies sautéing in a pan…it truly is delightful. From there we added our mushrooms, green beans, chicken broth and water. We let that simmer for a bit.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
Then came the noodles. We used egg noodles and added those in already cooked (al dente).
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
While our soup was simmering, we started the buttermilk biscuits. A couple key tidbits to making GOOD homemade biscuits…you need butter, shortening and buttermilk. You also don’t want to overwork the dough – you want to make sure the butter and shortening are covered and crumbled within your flour using just your finger tips (the butter will melt quickly so the less you touch it, the better).
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
{side note: my wine glass magically stayed full:) Thanks, Stef!}
You want to mold the flour into a volcano, then pour the butter milk into the middle. Lightly pull the flour from the edges to cover the “milk hole” and trapping the buttermilk. Start lightly integrating the milk within the flour.
It is MESSY.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
I mean…REALLY MESSY.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
We added some sharp cheddar cheese to our flour mixture, then rolled and cut our biscuits. We got eight HUGE biscuits out of the dough ball like the one in front of me {behind the full glass of wine}.
again...iPhone quality:)
From the biscuits {and while the soup is simmering} we moved on to the dessert of the evening…snickerdoodles!
These were SUPER easy and for anyone who loves cinnamon {me! me!} these are a HUGE HIT. Also for those of you with kiddos, this would be a really fun and easy baking project to do with them.
courtesy of my phone.
Photo Cred: Stefanie Haviv, Amelie's French Bakery
After the meal prep is over, the soup is simmering, the biscuits are rising and the cookies are becoming UBER delicious, we all moved to the dining area where we continued snacking on drinks and fresh baguettes & spreads from Amelie’s.
Once our food is finished, we EAT…laugh and conversate.
my finished product! and crappy iPhone pic
We finished the evening by partaking of our yummy snickerdoodles and enjoying a smooth, delicious cup of coffee from Magnolia Coffee. Magnolia Coffee Company is Charlotte, NC’s only boutique, artisan roaster that provides truly customized specialty coffees with the additional focus of forming local partnerships to make a difference in the community. I heart Magnolia Coffee in a BIG way.
So that was my latest cooking class experience. One of my life goals is to host a dinner party with 4-5 people where we prepare and cook the meal together over drinks and conversation. I hope that goal happens soon but in the meantime, I am so thankful I get to take part in these wonderful classes hosted by Amelie’s. You guys really are the GREATEST!
This year, for Christmas, I wanted to give the women of my family a special gift. My grandmother (mom’s mom…I call her Nanny Sis) is a GREAT cook and like most really great cooks, she does NOT use recipes…or measurements for that matter. She cooks from the soul…it’s about timing, the smells and how it “feels”…which is really a beautiful thing…UNTIL you want to replicate any of her “famous” dishes.
I was determined to record some of her recipes so we can keep them “in the family” and not let them pass with time. So, this year, I spent some time with my Nanny to watch her every move, take photos and record some of her famous holiday candy recipes. I compiled what I saw, what I heard, what I smelled. I asked the other women in my family for some of their famous recipes too…my aunt…my cousins…my mom…my sister. We all put in 3-4 of our best recipes. I compiled them and designed my very first cookbook…The Branham Women in the Kitchen cookbook. Here it is:
Cooking and the love of food is something that runs in our family and that is one tradition I intend to continue.
It’s on tv, it’s on the news, it’s on blogs, Facebook, Twitter and pretty much every magazine cover for the month of January…New Year = New Year’s Resolutions = Dieting and Exercise for EVERYONE!
Here’s the thing, I’ve never really been one to hop on the dieting train…no, I’m not super skinny nor have I ever been a bajillion pounds, but I’ve always been of the mindset that if you eat SMART, splurging in MODERATION for the sweet stuff every once in awhile, you don’t NEED to diet.
pretty bacon
Being a lover of food, I can’t think of one thing that I would be willing to give up forever. One huge reason why I could never be a vegetarian is because I could NOT give up bacon. That stuff is just legit and don’t you dare suggest I drop it for that turkey bacon substitute {YUCK}. It’s NOT the same and I don’t care who you are or how you “make it”…it’s FULL of sodium and not at ALL like the real stuff. BUT…I’m not going around eating a whole pound {I COULD though…boy, I could} of the good stuff in one sitting either or even everyday…just a couple slices once in awhile…in moderation, people.
via
So I don’t believe in diets…they’re so temporary…like a band-aid over a wound that will just open right back up after it’s removed. Stick to the good stuff, the real stuff {vs. processed} and the sustainable…think organic, local, fair trade and all-natural {really and NOT just the labels…do your research}. Fruit and veggies are KEY! Keep it colorful. If you’re going to eat meat, try to stick to the all-natural farm raised, grass fed whatevers or the wild caught sustainable fishies. Limit your sugars, breads and dairy. Don’t completely cut out, just limit…in moderation.
Pay attention to what certain foods do to your body or how they make you feel after you eat. For women especially, certain foods don’t jive as well during the “lady time” as others. Portion size…good lord, most restaurant meals equal at least 3-4 servings when you should really enjoy only 1 serving of that delicious meal. Don’t worry, no one is making you clean your plate folks…eat what you need to be full.
I mean, if you have that luxury to eat what you need to be full {when SO MANY do not}, be a good steward of that blessing. We can only be in control of our own bodies, so the food we put in those bodies should be helpful…not harmful. Dieting doesn’t work because you’re limiting certain types of foods in order to follow diet rules or meet a calorie restriction…but depriving yourself a balanced meal can result in lack of satisfaction, which is not sustainable…which is why most people don’t stick to said diet.
So for 2012, instead of the usual dieting binge, resolve to eat smart, eat good and be thankful you even have food to eat.
Happy 2012!
I’ve had the itch to start blogging again for the last couple of weeks, but this time, it’ll be with a different focus…a FOOD focus. A few months back I finally achieved one of my 2011 NY resolutions…to take a cooking class! I started taking monthly classes at Amelie’s French Bakery in NoDa (a fantastic 24/hr. bakery in Charlotte, NC) and have LOVED them.
I LOVE food. I’ve always loved food, well, really just eating it, but it wasn’t until I got married that I even considered learning how to actually cook. For the first few months of our marriage, I tried a new recipe every single day of the week. As with all new adventures, there were some victories and boy, there were some pretty terrible failures (what a brave, PATIENT husband I have). Nevertheless, out of all those victories and failures, I grew to absolutely LOVE cooking.
So here we are. I thought I would start this new blogging venture off with the recipes I tried today for our New Year’s Day Lunch. I recently subscribed to this amazing Southern living magazine, Garden & Gun. If you haven’t seen it yet, go out and get it RIGHT now. The tagline is “South of the Soul” and every issue I’ve received has truly rekindled my love for the South…the food, the culture, the art…everything. In the Dec/Jan issue, they featured Stephen Stryjewski’s recipe for Hoppin’ John. Jay, my husband, immediately insisted that I try my hand at THIS particular recipe to start our 2012 off the right, Southern way…”the beans represent coins and the pork optimism, because pigs forage forward and don’t look back.” Amen.
In addition to the Garden & Gun-inspired pork and beans dish, I HAD to make collards! They’re the dolla-dolla bills, ya’ll!? And THAT…is MY southern grandmother’s tradition, so I found a lovely Collards & Bacon Recipe via The Wall Street Journal a la Donald Link, chef and co-owner of Herbsaint and Cochon in New Orleans.
You know what is so RANDOMLY awesome about this recipe being paired with the other?? Chef Stryjewski is actually the NEW co-owner of the SAME restaurant, Cochon, as Chef Link!? It was MEANT to be and these two dishes paired beautifully together…and by the amount of empty plates at my table following lunch today, I think my guests agreed. So here are the photos of my cooking adventure today:
Collard Greens w/Bacon Recipe
{via WSJ}
Yield: 6-8 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
4 strips thick-sliced bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
Several dashes hot sauce
1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar
2 pounds collard greens, stems removed, sliced into 3-inch-wide strips
1 cup homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth or water
- Place the bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until it just starts to brown around the edges, stirring occasionally. Mix in the onions and cook until they’re soft and starting to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and hot sauce and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, stirring often. Pour in the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot to work any browned bits into the sauce.
- Stir in the greens and the chicken broth (or water) and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until completely wilted and the color of the greens have lost their brightness, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce and serve with a generous ladle of the pan juices from the pot.
Hoppin’ John Recipe
{via G&G}
INGREDIENTS (Stage 1)
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and picked over
¾ lb. Tasso ham, diced
1 onion, halved
3 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
PREPARATION
In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine ingredients with 6
cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to
2 ½ hours. Drain the black-eyed peas and ham, saving cooking liquid separately. Remove and discard the onion pieces,
garlic, and bay leaves.
INGREDIENTS (Stage 2)
½ lb. bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ tsp. fresh thyme
1 cup Cajun Grain rice (or a good-quality long grain rice)
6 green onions, sliced
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
PREPARATION
Wipe out the pot and return to stove over moderately high heat. Add bacon and render until golden (8 to 10 minutes), then add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Using a wooden spoon, stir occasion-ally, cooking until onions look translucent (8 to 12 minutes). Add the thyme and 2 ½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in the rice, cover, and simmer until the
rice is tender, about 17
to 22 minutes.
Stir in the green onions, parsley, and black-eyed peas and ham, season with salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking liquid. The hoppin’ John should be lushly moist but not soupy.
We.are.knee-deep.in.boxes.
Moving is tough business and NOT for the faint of heart. As we are packing up, we are doing a major PURGE of things we haven’t touched, used or even thought about in a year. I totally forgot we had an amazing George Forman Grill/Griddle combo. We had our first yard sale this weekend and my thought on yard sales is…they are way more effort than they are worth.
We definitely made money but the most satisfying part was dropping the remaining items off at Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity…it was a true purging and it was exhaustingly beautiful.
Even though the majority of our house is now in boxes, I’m keeping our cooking stuff out until the last possible minute. I’ve started my summer of recipe experiments already and wanted to share some of the “keepers” I’ve come across so far:
Mediterranean Salad w/Chickpea Patties via Real Simple
This recipe from Real Simple is super easy to make IF you have a food processor. I tried to make it once before sans processor and it was REALLY messy. This time around, with my handy food chopper, it was super simple and really delicious!
Thai Spring Rolls via WrightFood
These are so great because there’s really no cooking involved and you can put whatever you like in them. You soak the rice wrapper in water for 10-15 seconds and then fill it with your choice of fillings…I’ve made them with julienned carrots, shredded purple cabbage, rice wine vinegar soaked cucumber slices, rice vermicelli noodles, basil and cilantro and voila! Dip it in a yummy hoisin sauce or my favorite…thai peanut sauce.
Basil Spaghetti w/Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes
This photo is actually from my cooking experiment this evening. The tomatoes and basil came from my own garden! So exciting and they were DELICIOUS! The recipe came from the June issue of Real Simple Magazine. I have this thing where I don’t like to read a magazine before the actual month of publication, so this weekend was the first time I cracked open the June issue and I LOVE it and the yummy recipes featured this month.
My next experiment this week is to try this Harmony Bowl from the delightful Jessie Mathis. My good friend, Kara, featured this recipe on her blog a couple days ago and I’ve wanted to try it ever since. I bought tempeh for the first time EVER and will give it a whirl this week, I’ll let you know how it goes.
What are you cooking up this summer??
Happy National Strawberry Month!
May is ALMOST over and I just realized that it’s National Strawberry Month! Without even knowing that, we’ve been consuming strawberries at a probably alarming rate…all month. We actually went strawberry pickin’ at a local farm at the beginning of May.
That day we picked 2lbs. of strawberries for $4…and they were divine! Red all the way through, none of that crispy white center crap you get in the grocery stores. Speaking of grocery stores, we did get strawberries from Harris Teeter last week (buy 1, get 1 free!) and they were actually REALLY good…red and juicy…who knew?!
So for today’s Foodie Friday, I wanted to feature some fun strawberry recipes and leave you with one that I am going to try this weekend (perfect for the wilting on-the-way-out berries):
FRUIT PIZZA
This was actually a go-to recipe for me in high school! Anytime our classes would have parties, I would bring this delicious dessert pizza. Don’t let the name gross you out, it really is yummy:
This recipe is SIMPLE!! Sugar Cookie dough, rolled out and cooked according to the package (10-12min). Mix together 1 8oz. package of cream cheese and 8oz. of whipped cream (I try to make homemade whipped cream instead of the cool whip stuff). Let cookie cool and then spread topping evenly on top. Arrange fruit of choice…kiwis, strawberries and blueberries are my favorite and VOILA!
Strawberry Avocado Salsa
from Cooking Light
Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
Strawberry, Pistachio & Goat Cheese Pizza
from Cooking Light {this is another one I am trying THIS week!}
Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr
and lastly, for those wilted berries in your refrigerator…this recipe comes from Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. Remember back when I gave away a copy of her beautiful Super Natural Living Every Day cookbook? Well today’s super special recipe feature comes from that book. I can’t tell you the number of hours I’ve already spent oogling the food photography and delicious in that book…and I think it might be my summer challenge book (still deciding). So enjoy:
Roasted Strawberries
Photo credit: Heidi Swanson © 2011 via design*Sponge
Ingredients
8 ounces / 225 g small to medium strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon port wine
A few drops balsamic vinegar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C with a rack in the middle of the oven.
It is important to use a rimmed baking sheet or large baking dish for this recipe—you don’t want the juices running off the sheet onto the floor of your oven. If you are using a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper.
Cut each strawberry in half. If your strawberries are on the large side, cut them into quarters or sixths. Add the berries to a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. Pour this over the strawberries and very gently toss to coat the berries. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast for about 40 minutes, just long enough for the berry juices to thicken, but not long enough for the juices to burn. Watch the edges of the pan in particular.
While still warm, scrape the berries and juices from the pan into a small bowl. Stir in the port and balsamic vinegar. Use immediately or let cool and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
makes about 1/2 cup / 5 oz / 140 g
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc. via design*sponge.
or tea or whatever you fancy in the mornings. This isn’t really a new post today, it’s more of an addendum to yesterday’s post on Stress {if you missed it, check it out here}.
coffee from a pretty mug makes a HUGE difference:)
Before I even start the madness of the day, I try to literally take a few deep breaths…with eyes closed…and my fresh brewed cup of coffee in hand. I’ve been a coffee drinker since high school and a reformed coffee drinker (no flavored creamer) for only a few months, but goodness…a cup of strong coffee can do a body good…the smell alone is a glorious thing.
So grab some coffee (or hot tea), grab a fun mug and get to breathing…
Now you’re ready…happy Thursday!
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. -Matthew 11: 28-31
One of my favorite things to do in the Spring and Summertime is to head to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings. Charlotte, NC actually has a couple GREAT Farmers’ Markets. It’s always a bummer when you go to a market and there’s a guy selling Chiquita Bananas…”you KNOW you didn’t grow those, my friend.”
Some of the markets I’ve been to in Charlotte have a few vendors like that, but for the most part, you’ve got sweet old men and women who own farms in and around the area. One of my new favorite farmers’ market items are RADISHES.
check out that iPhone photography:)
The only time I’ve ever really eaten radishes are on a salad, but they are beautiful vegetables, so I thought…they MUST have more culinary clout than just salad toppings.
A couple weeks ago when I traveled to NYC for a girls’ weekend (which was AMAZING btw) Marie took us to Le Pain Quotidien…a super cute bakery and communal table. This place really was beautiful and the food was so delicious. Marie and I split a Tuscan Platter with Shaved Parmesan, tapenade, basil pesto, sundried tomatoes, ricotta, RADISHES & prosciutto. We dipped the radishes into the ricotta cheese and VOILA!…straight perfection.
As soon as I got home, I rushed to the market to pick up these beautiful red veggies and stop by the store to get ricotta cheese. Seriously…think mid-day snack or light lunch addition, you will NOT be disappointed.
Radishes are typically in season year-round, but their peak is RIGHT NOW…April to July. When at the market or store, look for radishes that are plump, firm, smooth, and free of cracks and bruises. Buy them with the leaves still attached if you plan on eating them raw.
Once you buy them store radishes in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper. Radishes with leaves on should be used within a day or so because the leaves don’t stay fresh very long…those without the tops can be kept for up to a week.
Here are some other ways to eat this sassy RED veggie:
Radish Butter on Toast
Cabbage & Radish Slaw w/Peanut Dressing
Roasted Radishes from Kalyn's Kitchen
Hope you have a great Tuesday!
It is officially the end of what I’ve dubbed “The MOST Busiest of my Entire Year and It’s Only MAY” week! I have two major events at school, Girls on the Run Awards and my GOTR team’s season culminating party AND the 5k race this morning. To top it all off, it is Mother’s Day weekend! What a sweet way to end this crazy week. Jay and I will head down to the wonderful town of Blythewood, SC to visit and celebrate my mother and grandmothers.
I apologize for missing yesterday’s Foodie Friday and for being a little MIA this week, I’ll do better next week…hopefully:) Today I wanted to dedicate this post to my mother. My mom and dad have the sweetest marriage. They just happen to be two of my most favorite people in the world and they are HILARIOUS. I wish you all could meet them because they will make you smile and most likely have you rolling with the greatest “pee-your-pants” laughter you’ve ever experienced.
My mom is the most beautiful woman I know. She is firm and sensitive, funny and sweet…she is loving and fiercely loyal. She had me at a young age and was and is one of the MOST servant-hearted women I’ve ever met. She ALWAYS put others before herself. She is hilarious when it comes to shopping. She’s getting better, but she is one of those…”well it’s on sale, so I must buy 5 of them” kind of shoppers. She is secretly creative and has so many skills…of which gardening is NOT one:) She is a wonderful cook and loves to play games, watch (or fall asleep during) movies, loves to dance (my mom LOVES some hip hop) and is seriously the most generous person I know. I love her for all her good, all her bad and for every freckle on her face. I take a huge, huge amount of pride when family and friends tell me how much I am like her, because if I had my choice of mentors and influences, she would be my pick.
I can only hope that some day soon I can be a mother so that my mom can be the AMAZING grandmother I know she will and wants to be. She is super special and today, tomorrow and everyday I am thankful that she is mine.
My mother…Myra Branham Boulware
told you she's got mad skills
thank God for freckles
my family...this is what we do
she dyed my hair pink...looks pretty proud about it too...
I can’t leave you hanging with NO Foodie Friday recipe…so I’ll leave you with a quick, simple recipe that my MOM made me all through high school:
Myra’s Breakfast Burrito
2 Eggs
1 Tortilla (I used whole wheat tortillas)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Mayonnaise (DUKE’s…DUH!)
1. Scramble the eggs in a skillet over med-high heat.
2. When cooked through, sprinkle cheese and bacon on top.
3. Heat tortilla (covered) in microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften it up.
4. Spread mayo down the middle of tortilla (about a tablespoon worth)
4. Place egg mixture on mayo and roll tortilla like a burrito
Delicious! So if you hate mayo, you can use your favorite salsa…and if you’re feeling really sassy, throw some onions and green peppers into the egg mixture with the cheese and bacon. That’s the way we do in the COUNTRY…:)
Have a great mother’s day weekend!!
For all the pomp and circumstance leading up to today’s Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton and all the love/hate people feel for the occasion, this morning’s wedding was beautiful. Kate, channeling the beautiful Grace Kelly, looked absolutely gorgeous in her Sarah Burton (of Alexander McQueen) wedding dress.
Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
I haven’t obsessed about this wedding or the details or the flare of it all leading up to this point, and I’m not obsessed now, but she was stunning and the sweetness of their nuptials and of Prince William (now to be known as the Duke of Cambridge) made me love every second of this day.
Of all the royal brides, Kate’s dress is definitely one of my all-time favorites. Grace Kelly and Princess Di are also on the list. Here’s a little comparison:
Prince Rainier of Monaco & Grace Kelly
Prince William & Kate Middleton
Prince Charles & Princess Diana
The wedding was beautiful and I hope for true love & happiness for the new Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. So enough about that…almost…
For today’s Foodie Friday, I thought I would feature Kate’s favorite dessert:
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Joseph De Leo via People.com
(Serves 6-8)
Ingredients
8 oz. pitted dates, chopped
1¼ cups boiling water
½ cup softened buttered (3½ tbsp. for batter, use the rest to butter the pan
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. black treacle or dark molasses
1 tbsp. Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups self-rising cake flour
1 tbsp. baking soda
For Toffee Sauce
½ cup superfine sugar
7 tbsp. butter
6 oz. English double cream
Directions
1. In a bowl, cover dates with boiling water. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375. Place a roasting pan filled with about 1 inch of water into the oven.
3. Butter a 9″x9″ pan. Dust with flour. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat 3½ tbsp. butter with sugar until combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add treacle, Golden Syrup and vanilla. Mix until just combined. On low speed, add the flour.
4. In a food processor, puree the dates. Stir in the baking soda and stir the mixture into the batter. Pour into the prepared pan. Place in roasting pan and bake about 35 minutes until top is just firm. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt sugar and butter until mixture turns a deep amber color. Watch closely so it does not burn. Slowly mix in the double cream. Be careful: It will bubble up at first. Once all the cream is added, cook mixture until it is thick enough to coat a spoon. Cut cake into squares and serve with sauce and vanilla ice cream.
_________________________________________________________
and even though it seems like the baby train has come to town again with all these newly preggos running around, I wanted to feature a favorite Royal drink for those of us without a train ticket:
Blackwood Gin Spring
olive magazine
Ingredients
12 fresh green grapes , plus extra to serve
50ml Blackwood’s 2007 vintage gin
a couple sprigs dill
20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
5ml violette liqueur (available from drinkon.com)
a dash egg white
Directions
Muddle the green grapes in a shaker. Add the gin, a couple of sprigs of dill, the lemon juice, violette and a dash of egg white. Shake for 10 seconds then fill the shaker with ice and shake again.
Strain into a coupette or martini glass and serve with three green grapes threaded on to a cocktail stick.
Sounds like a perfect way to start the weekend?!
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