Sweet: Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Lemon is just the thing to punch up an otherwise ho hum dreary and cold winter day.  It's zing and dazzle cuts cleanly through a wealth of ingredients, complimenting and highlighting everything until it seems that Mr. Clean himself has baked with love.  And poppy seeds, well they are a lovely and wholly optional addition to this wonderful cake.  I love the way they crunch against the fine crumb of the cake, and must confess that I also get a kick out of pouring out what must be hundreds of thousands of them into my cake batter and watching them spread throughout the bowl like stars across the sky.

I have made this cake many times over the years; it is a go to favorite that looks more time consuming than it actually is, especially if you have one of those fun Nordicware fancy bundt pans on hand...people just love them.  My most recent turn with this recipe was on my husband's behalf.  He recently started a new job, and the office has an annual holiday bake off.  "It's on", I told him, as I began scouring for a good recipe to rightly impress his colleagues.  I mixed and baked and glazed and then popped it into a paper box, ready for the next day.  On his way out the door, I reminded him to grab some berries en route to work and to pour them in the center of the cake and let them spill over.  A quick kiss, and he was gone.

He came home later that day, smiled brightly, and told me how much everyone loved the cake.  To prove it, he showed me the remains in the box, in which about a third of the original was left behind.  And then he told me what happened:  the previous office champion, apparently a bit proprietary, took one look at the cake, stared at the box, and cried foul.  "That's a bakery box!" And many others, while they were fond of the fare, took one look at the well formed cake and nodded in agreement.  Which is sort of a compliment.

Happy New Year Readers.  I hope your 2013 is blessed with much love, joy, health, and happiness.  Enjoy every bite.

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Adapted From Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbothom

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups of flour (cake is best, but all purpose is fine - do not use self rising)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 1/4 cups of sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp + 2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup lemon juice

Method

1. Position rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together,  twice.
3. Beat butter in mixer with paddle attachment until fluffy (medium speed).  Add 1 3/4 cups of sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mix and milk, alternating until the last addition of flour.  Add the zest, vanilla, lemon extract, and poppy seeds.
4. Transfer batter to pan and place in oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes.
5. While baking, make the glaze:  Add 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp zest, and lemon juice to a small sauce pan and stir on medium-high, until sugar has dissolved.  
6. Turn cake out onto a rack and brush syrup immediately onto cake.  Let cool and serve.  

Savory: Lamb Stew (Fasulia)

So, as I have mentioned before, my husband is a lamb fan, like Mary before him.  Loves the stuff.  One of the first dishes I started preparing for him while dating/wooing was Fasulia, which is a Lebanese lamb stew.  Simple to prepare, yet full of delicious surprises mostly brought on from the unexpected heat and flavor the hint of cinnamon brings to the dish.  Even though lamb is more of a spring delicacy, I always find myself preparing this recipe when the weather begins to turn colder, as it is very satisfying and hearty fare, best served over rice or potatoes and with lot's of love.  Enjoy every bite.

Excerpted from A Taste of Lebanon by Mary Salloum

Ingredients
1 pound lamb stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 tbsp vegetable oil (I use grape seed oil)
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 lbs green beans, fresh or frozen (do not use canned), cut into 2 inch pieces if you use fresh
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. In saucepan (one with a lid), saute meat in oil until meat is browned.  Add onions and cook until they are softened (about 5 minutes).
2. Add beans, stir until ingredients are mixed.  Add water to cover.  Cover with lid and cook until beans are tender, 40 - 50 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.  Cook and additional 10 - 15 minutes.  
4. Serve with rice or potatoes.  

Summer on the Vineyard

Summer on Martha's Vineyard is a gorgeous, delicious, parade of wonder and I am blessed to be here on the island again with my family.  I have been doing less cooking and more observing this year, and have a few lovely photos to share with you all, including our annual pilgrimage to Morning Glory Farm, my favorite farm stand on the island, as well as a day trip to the Farm Institute.  I have been a fan of the latter for sometime, and enjoyed their lectures and programs over the years.  But this year my daughter and I ventured out for their "Farmer for a Day" program, which was a wonderful experience, demonstrating how a modern farm should ideally be run.  Imagine seeing cows actually roaming and enjoying clover, grass, and other goodies. Or the spectacle of a heritage chickens anxiously spreading their wings all over the farm; that is something your average chicken can no longer do, and it was a pleasure to see them enjoying themselves.  Pictures are below.  Enjoy every bite :)

Beautiful morning glories flowering outside of  Morning Glory Farm

A butterfly stops to rest outside the farm.

Herbs of all varieties are grown on and available from the farm.  As the sign says, the best way to preserve them is to snip the bottoms of, and put them in a shallow glass, much like you would with flowers in a vase. 

Aren't these lettuces gorgeous?  All of them are grown on the farm.

Yummy tomatoes and peppers...love the nightshades.  Brought home some heirloom yellows for dinner.

Here we are in the friendship garden at the Farm Institute.  In the background, notice the small henhouse.  

Beautiful cherry tomatoes in bloom in the friendship garden at the Farm Institute

Full size heirloom tomatoes are coming into their own.

A few pumpkins have come up early.

Cows...roaming...eating grass.  Who knew?

Kiss my ass!

Week old chicks, still brooding.  Just lovely.

Why did the chicken cross the road?  To get away from the crazy lady with the camera.

A hen eating a fallen egg.  Happy Mother's Day.

Beautiful heritage hen roaming the farm.

Our loot, which my lovely daughter carefully deposited into an egg carton at the farm store. They were then ready to be sold.  So simple.  

Sheep in the meadow.

A very large sow, clocking in at about 400 pounds.  

Overlooked: Watermelon Soup With Chile and Lime

Hello again faithful readers...been a long since I've rock and rolled.  Lots going on here at Chez Noonie, and I apologize for stand still.  When last we talked it was Autumn and now were are in the dead heat of Summer.  Rather than fill in the gaps, I say we get on with it and beat the heat.

Summer is a great time to experiment.  Lots of fresh food coming in off the trucks from the farms, much of it local and at its peak.  I tend to get a little zealous at the markets and grab everything on hand, and then regretfully come home realizing that I have no energy to actually turn on the stove in this weather.  And that is when I hunt for no cook recipes and eye my immersion blender like a hunter oils its gun.

My husband is familiar with this paradigm and has learned to shrug his shoulders and let it go when I excitedly walk in the door with 15 pounds of mixed produce and no real plan.  He mutters quietly to himself and even helps me clear space in the fridge, knowing that some of it will wind up in the trash but much of it will come to fruition...somehow.  Today he silently but suspiciously takes inventory of my haul...watermelon, green onions, jalapeno peppers, mint, limes..."what the hell", he thinks I cannot hear him whisper.  No matter, because today, I actually have a plan.

Watermelon soup my friends is refreshing and unexpected on a hot and muggy day.  It is a pause that refreshes, providing necessary water, carbs, and electrolytes as well as tasty and surprising zing that hits the spot on an otherwise oppressive landscape.  And best of all, it meets my TEN Hat Trick:  TEN  :1) minutes to cook, 2) dollars to make, and 3) servings per recipe.  As an added bonus, you get to use your immersion blender or food processor, which is very satisfying if you are feeling put off or perhaps even pissed off by the endless heat and all the languid aggravation that comes with it.

Enjoy every bite.


Watermelon Soup With Chile And Lime
Adapted from Cooking for Friends
Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm

Ingredients
6 cups of seedless watermelon
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeded
3 chopped green onions
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth.
2. Place in a bowl and cover with a top or saran wrap.  Chill in fridge for one hour.  
3. Serve in small bowls - this is a a refreshing but strong soup and should be enjoyed in small portions.

Sweet: Lemon Tart

Every year I try something new for the Thanksgiving holiday. You know, to keep myself sharp and on edge. Maybe even show off a little. But this year all the knives in Chez Noonie's mental toolbox were a little dull, and my plans went awry.

I had planned for a fabulous, complicated 'Lemon Chocolate Ganache Tart', from one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, Luscious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham. I know, a lot of alliteration, but worth the tongue twisting. I have been using this book for years, as it is predicated on two of my favorite things in the world: dessert and lemons. The former speaks for itself. The latter, well just take a look at the Chez Noonie citrus decor and you kind of get the picture.

Lemons are a great choice for Thanksgiving, when it is hard to find fresh fruit and people are finishing a heavy, generally somewhat bland meal. The occasion calls for something bright and fresh to cleanse the palate and lift the spirit. Unfortunately for me, the recipe I wanted to use was a bit complicated, involved rolling out dough (which I had over processed - oops), needed to be executed over several one hour increments, and by the time I realized it was not happening, I was in great need of a hug sprinkled with valium.

Anyway, spilt milk aside I still needed a desert for the holiday. And then I remembered that Ms. Longbothom includes a recipe entitled 'The Perfect Lemon Tart'. Now this is a stand by; I bring to occasions, serve it for guests at home, and bake it when my husband needs a quick pick me up. It is easy to make, looks gorgeous, and the taste is over the top lemony and delicious. And fortunately, I had all the ingredients on hand. So this year, an old stand by is about to become a new tradition, as I have decided to literally make the best of things and celebrate in comfortable style.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy every bite.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 pinches of salt

6 large eggs

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Method

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Ad 1 tbsp of the zest and let stand for five minutes.
3. Whisk together flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Finely stream in the butter mixture and mix with a fork until it comes together. Transfer mixture to the tart pan and press it in with your fingers until evenly distributed. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is light golden brown.
4. Process the remaining sugar and zest in a food processor until zest is finely ground.
5. Whisk together the eggs, sugar mixture, lemon juice, and another pinch of salt in a separate bowl.
6. Beat cream with a mixer on medium-high until soft peaks form. Fold into egg mixture gently, until just blended.
7. Place a baking sheet in the oven Place tart pan on top and pour the filling in the still warm crust. Bake 20 - 30 minutes, until the filling is just set in the center. Remove and cool on a rack.
8. When cooled and just before serving, sift confectioners sugar on top and slice into wedges to serve.

Savory: Braised Onions

Pearl onions are one of those things you either love or hate - not a lot of middle ground here. I personally do not prefer them, but my husband does and I do prefer him. So come Autumn, when they are at their most fresh and delicious peak, I always pick out a few bags and bring them home with me.

Now, the tricky part about pearl onions is prepping them. Teeny tiny onions with thin papery skins can make one bitchy chef. I advise buying them fresh and already peeled or purchasing the frozen brands which are also pre-peeled. If not, swallow a valium and have at it - plan on adding an extra 20 - 30 minutes to cooking time. Basically you cut an 'x' in each onion, blanch them for 1 minute, let them cool, and peel away.

This recipe comes from the back of the Trader Joe's fresh peeled onions I picked up this week. It is a quick recipe, and despite my prejudice, kind of tasty. Enjoy every bite.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

6 oz pearl onions, peeled

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 - 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used vegetable)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pat of butter

Sprig of fresh thyme

Method

1. Place oil in medium skillet and heat on medium. Add onions and saute until just brown, approximately 10 minutes.
2. Add vinegar and continue to saute until sauce becomes a rich brown.
3. Add broth to cover the onions halfway. Stir to incorporate. Bring to a simmer.
4. Partly cover pan and lower heat. Continue to simmer and braise for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add butter and thyme; stir until incorporated. Remove from heat and serve.

Savory: Triple pepper stuffed peppers

I have a problem with ordering online. That is to say, I have some sort of deficiency that inevitably causes me to order more than what I need by accidentally entering the wrong quantity. Usually I just make the best of it, like the time I ordered two 5 lb briskets for the holidays and ended up reorganizing my entire freezer to manage them. That year, we had brisket two ways; one stove top, one oven braised, both delicious.

Well, recently I started ordering spices online, which has been going pretty well. I order whole spices whenever I can, as they keep longer and taste better when freshly ground. These you have to buy in bulk, so my poor and addled husband has adjusted to the site of 1 lb bags of peppercorns and cinnamon sticks.

But there are somethings that cannot be purchased like that, things that are only available pre-ground. Like smoked paprika, a household staple. I love it - it adds this mysterious, deep, rich flavor to everything, not to mention a gorgeous crimson hue. I put it in everything; paella, mayonnaise, deviled eggs, you name it. So when I ordered it I thought I would be fine. I chose 1 as the quantity, pressed the button, and waited patiently for it to arrive.

The box seemed a little bigger than I would have expected. Can you guess why? Because I ordered an 8 oz bottle, which is more than 4 times the amount of a normal spice jar. Yes, 4 times the amount - I mean I like smoked paprika and all, but this definitely presents a challenge.

Anyway, I panicked a little and started to fret about what I was going to do with all of it, and so I got to thinking about recipes with smoked paprika. Then I remembered that paprika comes from peppers, and bell peppers are so very in season at the moment, and that I like cracked pepper, and to make a long story short, the triple pepper stuffed pepper was born.

This is a festive looking recipe, and one the feeds a crowd. Use different colored peppers for contrast, and serve hot. Enjoy every bite.

Triple Pepper Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

one large yellow onion, chopped small

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper (cracked)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp of smoked paprika

2 yukon gold potatoes, chopped small

1 lb of chopped meat (beef or turkey will work)

6 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded

Method

1. Preheat the oven o 400 degrees.
2. Warm oil on medium/high heat. Add onions, salt and pepper, and heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic, paprika, and beef and cook for 5 minutes. Once finished, set the pot aside, away from heat.
5. Place peppers up on a greased pan. Fill each with 3 - 4 tbsp of the meat mixture.
6. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.