Italian Crumbly Cake

What a decadent morning treat!

One small slice with a rich cup of coffee

and you will have started your morning

in the perfect way!

What a delightful surprise this cake was!

Reading the title of the cake, I was expecting a finer crumb to 

the cake with a bit drier, crumblier texture, similar to 

many other coffee/morning cakes.

Boy, was I wrong!!

This cake has such a moist interior, It was more like  

eating an almond pastry.

The texture was not heavy or overly rich and not too 

sweet either, just sweet enough to want a cup

of strong coffee or tea.

The recipe says to bake it for 25-30 minutes, until the 

top is golden brown.  At 25 minutes, the center was not puffed, at 

30 minutes, the center was puffed, but the toothpick came out

with moist crumbs.  Finally at 35 minutes the toothpick came 

out clean, and the top was beautifully browned.

This will definitely be a repeat recipe for me!

As Always,

ENJOY!

ITALIAN CRUMBLY CAKE - SBRISOLONA

Cake:

• 1 1/4 cups “00” flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large egg
• 4 large egg yolks (one of the whites reserved for topping)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 large egg white
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 325° F and position a rack in the center. Lightly butter a 10-inch springform pan and dust with flour, tapping out excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon and set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg, egg yolks, and sugar on medium speed until thick and pale yellow, about 2-3 minutes. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract and the melted butter. Switch machine to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top.

To make the topping, put the sliced almonds in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the egg white in a small bowl until it is foamy and light, then pour half of it over the almonds, stirring to coat them evenly. Sprinkle the almonds with the sugar and toss to coat them. Spread the almond topping evenly over the surface of the batter.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is springy to the touch and golden brown on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing the sides and letting it cool completely.

The cake can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for a few days.

Rhubarb Tart

Cut this rectangular tart into pretty triangles!

Hot out of the oven with a beautifully 

browned crust and soft pink rhubarb.

Once crust is in pan, measure the interior distance

before cutting your rhubarb, so that you get 

perfect length pieces of fruit.

Rhubarb is in season for such a short time, I am always
looking for fun ways to use it.
Finding a great selection at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market,
I decided to purchase some to bring home, and experiment
on altering some recipes.

This tart is an adapted version of the
Rhubarb Galettes with Hazelnut Frangipane.
It is the same dough but formed into the rectangular tart pan.
Of course, there will be excess, which can be used for
some other delicious treat.
Only about half the frangipane goes into the tart pan.
Once you have chilled or frozen the dough prior to baking
you can carefully measure the interior space without disturbing
the dough, so you know how to cut your rhubarb.
Add these lengths of rhubarb to a bowl
along with the sugar and orange zest.

Once ready to assemble, spread your frangipane,
and carefully add the lengths of rhubarb.

Bake at 350 degress for 40-45 minutes or until nicely browned and
the frangipane has puffed.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from: Bon Appetit

featured on my blog, April 21, 2016

Ingredients

Galette Dough

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1¼ cups (2½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling And Assembly

• ¾ cup raw skin-on hazelnuts
• ⅓ cup plus ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
• ½ teaspoon rye whiskey or vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1½ pounds rhubarb, halved lengthwise, cut into 2½-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• All-purpose flour (for surface)
• ½ cup demerara sugar
• 1 tablespoon aniseed
• 
  

Preparation

Galette Dough

• Pulse flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
• Transfer mixture to a large bowl; drizzle ⅓ cup ice water over. Gently mix with your hands until a shaggy dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, pressing to incorporate any dry bits of flour. Divide dough into 2 pieces and flatten each into about a 1"-thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour.
• Do Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze 1 month.

Filling And Assembly

• Preheat oven to 350°. Process hazelnuts and ⅓ cup granulated sugar in a food processor to a fine paste, about 3 minutes. Add butter, buckwheat flour, rye, salt, and 1 egg and pulse until smooth; set frangipane aside.
• Toss rhubarb, orange zest and juice, and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit, tossing occasionally, 10 minutes.
• • Whisk remaining egg in a bowl with 1 tsp. water. Divide each disk of dough into 4 pieces. Roll out a piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to make a 5" round. Spread with about 1 ½ Tbsp. reserved frangipane, leaving a 1" border. Brush border with egg wash. Top frangipane with some rhubarb; fold edges of dough up and over rhubarb, overlapping slightly. Brush dough with egg wash. Repeat process to make 7 more galettes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets.
  • Sprinkle galettes with demerara sugar and aniseed and bake, rotating once, until crust is golden brown and rhubarb is soft, 30–40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Rhubarb Strawberry Buckle

Cut into pretty rectangles when serving on a tray.

Hot out of the oven!

Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over all the fruit.

Making fruit desserts in the summer is the perfect way
to enjoy the seasons bounty.

With a little bit of rhubarb on hand and strawberries
from my garden, this buckle comes together naturally
as an easy summer dessert.  Perfect with a cup of coffee
in the morning or to finish off an evening meal.

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart Living, May 2012

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray, for cake pan plus parchment paper
• 1/2 pound  rhubarb, trimmed and cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
• 1/2 pound strawberries, stems removed and quartered
• 1 cups sugar, divided
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream

CRUMB TOPPING

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 stick unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center position. Coat one 9-inch square cake pans with cooking spray, and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Stir together rhubarb, strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar; set aside to macerate.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together butter, remaining 1/2 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.
3. Crumb topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add softened butter; stir to combine.
4. Add batter to pan. Top with rhubarb/strawberry mixture, and sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake until golden on top and cooked through, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on wire racks, then lift cake from pan using parchment. Remove parchment. Before serving, cut buckle into 2-inch squares.

Daim Cookies

Gooey, rich cookies filled with chocolate covered toffee.

The chopped up Daim bars from Sweden give 

them there distinctive flavor.

Once baked, these cookies are quite large,

almost 4 inches in diameter.

The cookbook section in the library is one of my favorite places.

On a recent visit to the library I discovered the book called

Scandikitchen, The Essence of Hygge.

The book is very small, about the size of a children's

cardboard book.  Inside is some of the sweetest pictures

and information, plus some very fun recipes.

I am working my way through the book and testing

all the recipes that interest me.
(Already featured- Auntie Inga's Sticky Chocolate Cake)

These cookies, though somewhat similar to the all too

familiar chocolate chip cookie, are different from a classic Tollhouse.

The dough once mixed is quite sticky and the candy bits seem sparse.

The dough must be refrigerated for a few hours to chill, before you can form 

the cookie dough balls, approx. 1 1/2 oz. each.  

The recipe says it makes 20-22 cookies, however, I created 24 balls 

of dough and I thought they were on the large side.

If I am to repeat this recipe I would add more of the Daim candy bits

and form the dough into smaller balls.

The reviews from all my taste testers was a big thumbs up!

The cookies have a nice chewy texture, even when cooled, and the toffee 

and chocolate melts a tiny bit when baking to give the cookies

additional chewiness.

Since the Daim Candy bars are an import candy, you won't find them at the
local grocery store or drug store.  I found them at Cost Plus Imports.  They
came in a 7.05oz. bag of little bars(shown in the above photo). They also come
in larger sized 1oz. bars.  Have fun on your candy hunt if you choose to
try these cookies.  (Tip: you could probably substitue Skor or Heath)

As Always,

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Scandikitchen, The Essence of Hygge by Bronte Aurell

Ingredients

1 1/4 sticks butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated/ caster sugar

2 cups plus 2 Tbs. flour

1 egg

1 egg yolk

½ tsp Baking soda

2 tbs milk

¼ tsp Sea Salt

½ tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla

5 Oz. Daim candy, roughly chopped

Method:

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down a bit.

Combine flour, baking soda, vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl and set side.

Combine the sugars with the cooled, melted butter and stir until no lumps remain. Combine egg, egg yolk and milk and mix with the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined.

Add the flour bit by bit until everything is incorporated, then add the Daim pieces and combine. Chill the dough for a few hours.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Line your baking trays with parchment paper(this is essentially) and form cookie dough in rough balls, approx. 1 1/2 oz. each, space about 2 inches apart. Cook for 8-10 minutes – or until just golden, then remove from the oven immediately and transfer to a cooling rack (the middle should still be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven – they will harden up after a while. The cookies will be best after about half an hour – slightly warm but chewy in the middle.

Jicama Salad

Such a refreshing salad for the summer!

Gather all your ingredients to put this salad together quickly.

Recently, I ate this salad in a great restaurant near my house. 

The restaurant has a nuevo rancho menu.

This salad compliments so many of their wood-fired foods,

and I think it will compliment many meat dishes

you may be preparing on the grill this summer.

Not having a recipe from the restaurant, I came home and created

my version of what they serve.

It is so refreshing and crunchy of a salad with all that jicama,

you could just eat it by itself for lunch.

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 of a large jicama

3 persian cucumbers

3 radishes

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Juice of 1 lime

olive oil 

salt

pinch of red pepper flakes(optional)

    Peel the skin of the jicama and cut into 1/4 inch julienned sticks.  Place in a large bowl. Cut cucumber lengthwise into quarters and thinly slice, add to bowl, with a mandolin, slice the radishes, add to bowl, slice red onion into long pieces, also add to bowl.  Add chopped fresh mint to bowl, drizzle vegetables with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and pepper flakes, and add juice of 1 lime.  Stir well. Serve.

Rustic Peach and Raspberry Tart

One very large crust rolled out and heaped with fruit.

Very Carefully fold in edges, making sure

not to create any cracks in the dough.

You can easily get 12 servings out of this
type of tart, since it is hand shaped  and is wider
than a pie pan.

As Always,

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

8 large peaches, skinned and cut into slices

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbs. instant tapioca

16 oz. frozen raspberries

1 recipe for double crust pie dough

extra sugar for sprinkling on top of tart

DIRECTIONS

  Prepare dough mixture.  Form into 1 large disk.  (You can not use pre-made frozen dough for this recipe, since those are too small.  They are made for pie pans.)  Wrap dough disk in plastic and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

   In a large bowl add sliced peaches, sugar and instant tapioca.  Stir together.  Let set for 15 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Very carefully roll out the dough disk to form a 15 inch round.  Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet.  

     Now add your frozen raspberries to the peaches and stir together.  Raspberries are very fragile and so I do not defrost them before baking because otherwise they fall apart.  By adding them frozen, they can cook in the tart with out breaking down.

     

   Mound your fruit mixture in the center of the rolled out disk.  Gently lifting an edge,( without creating any cracks, or all the juice will flow out during baking since this is free-form,) bring it up over the fruit.  Repeating 6 or 7 more times, to create a round shape.  Leaving the center of the tart open and fruit visible.  

    Sprinkle the top with sugar and put into the hot oven.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 40 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.  Cool completely before serving

Japanese Plums

Identifying Japanese plums is not too hard.  They have a dark

exterior skin, that has speckles to it, the fruit is very dense and dark red, and

the shape can be heart shaped more than round or flat. If you look 

in the photograph above, you can see the shape from the two

plums that I cut.

These plums are not sold in the grocery store, at least not 

that I am aware of, and not in my neighborhood.

However, you can find them at Farmer's markets. I found these

at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market which is held

on Wednesday mornings.  I think it is the best Farmer's Market

in the Los Angeles area.  Maybe though,  if you are 

really lucky you might find someone who has it in their backyard.

These are Satsuma plums.  If you are a plum lover like I am, and

have ever thought about planting a plum tree, I highly recommend

this variety.  One catch though... it needs to be cross pollinated.  That

means you will have to plant two plum trees. The Satsuma cross

pollinates with the Santa Rosa, which is also a delicious eating plum.

We had a Satsuma plum growing right next to a Santa Rosa plum

in my backyard when  I was a child, that is how I fell in love with them!!!

The Satsuma plums are my favorites, because they are so

flavorful, not watery tasting, they are really meaty and not overly juicy, and the seed

is small and comes out really easy.

With fruit that has such hearty flesh, you can make all sorts of desserts, 

like crisps and cobblers, German Plum Cake, wonderful jam, 

but best of all..... tarts!

Go to your local Farmer's Market and see what you can discover!

As Always,

ENJOY!