Meyer Lemon Cake

It's meyer lemon season. I love love love meyer lemons. I have a small plant in a pot on my balcony that generate fruit all year long but I usually beg, borrow or buy the fruit in larger quantites this time of year. Each season I try to think of different things to make with them. Some of my favorites are:

Meyer Lemon Cake. Serve with coffee or tea for dessert. A slice for breakfast is not too bad either.

Lemoncello. Keep it in the freezer and serve ice cold. It also makes a wonderful martini. We use the juice of the lemon in the martini too.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade. I was never a fan of marmalade until I made this one....and then I was hooked. Serve on really good toast with some french butter.

Lemon curd which can be used in various ways. I use it as a filling for buttermilk cake and make a simple syrup to top the cake layers. Again this can be served on toast.

I thought I would share with lemon cake recipe with you in this post.

Ingredients for cake:
8 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup meyer lemon juice
1 tbsp meyer lemon zest
2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt


Ingredients for glaze:
1/3 cup meyer lemon juice
1 2/3 cups confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in saucepan and set aside to cool. In mixer beat egg yolks and 1 cup sugar until thick and light in color, about 3 minutes. Add buttermilk, lemon juice and zest. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl beat egg whites to soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture, followed by the beaten egg whites, taking care not to deflate the batter. Gently fold butter into the mixture. Pour into buttered and floured 9 inch cake pan and bake for 60 minutes or until cake is lightly brown and pulling away from sides of pan. Cool slighty and invert on plate. To make the glaze mix the lemon juice and confectioners sugar in a bowl until very smooth. Poke holes in top of cake and spoon glaze over. The glaze gets down into the cake and makes it extra special yummy.

New Potatoes with Caviar

My friend Nancy was sent 5 jars of caviar for Christmas. Yes I said 5 jars! (Her sister is very generous.) Imagine how disappointed I was when she asked me to cook with her so we could eat the caviar. Oh yea baaabeee! We made these new potatoes topped with caviar and ate them with a bottle of Frank Family champagne. One word. Fantastic!

I look for the smallest new potatoes I can find but if they are larger just cut them in half. Cover the bottom of a pan with them and then add a bottle of inexpensive champagne or sparkling wine. Add some lemon peel and fennel seed. Boil the potatoes until just tender using a paring knife to gently check them being careful not to break the potato. Remove them from the liquid, plate and allow to cool. Use a melon balleror a small knife to create a little hole in the top. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and some caviar. Be sure not to use metal when touching the caviar. If you don't have the traditional mother of pearl caviar spoon, use plastic.

You can make these for a party and refrigerate the potatoes for a couple of days. Just add the creme fraiche and caviar at the last moment.

I can't wait to see what we do with the other 4 jars of caviar!

White Bean Soup with Sausage

Nothing is more satisfying than homemade soup during the cold winter months. I like the fact that when I make a big pot of soup I always have some left over to freeze. On those busy nights when I don't have the time, or energy, to cook I just pull it out of the freezer and dinner is ready in minutes.

Beans are inexpensive and a good source of protein. You could make this soup without the sausage but......I have a husband and what man does not like a big hunk of meat in his soup?

Ingredients:

2 lbs of smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/3 cup shallots, minced

3 garlic oves garlic, minced

2 cups dried white beans

1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs

1/4 tsp pepper

2 (14) oz cans chicken stock

Salt to taste

2 cups water

Soak the beans in a large pot of water overnight. The next day cook the beans for 1 hour. They should be slightly undercooked so they finish cooking once the soup is assembled. Drain the water off the beans.

In a large pot add half the oil and saute the sausage until brown on all sides. You want some carmelization on the pan to enhance the flavor of the soup. Remove the sausage from the pan to a separate dish and hold. Add the other half of the oil to the pot and saute the shallots and garlic, slightly browning. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot including the beans and the sausage. Allow to simmer slowly on top of the stove for about an hour. Taste and adjust seasoning. It will likely require salt at this point. If the soup looks like it is too thick simply add a little water.

For the thyme I cut sprigs off my plant in the garden and throw them in the soup. I don't bother stripping the thyme off. Once the soup is done I pull the sprigs out prior to serving. I feel that I get the supple flavor of the thyme without it being over powering. When serving the soup you can also drizzle it with some good quality olive oil. I like to serve this soup with some multi grain bread and a spinach salad.

Lets talk cookware for a moment. I have an 11 quart Le Creuset dutch oven that is absolutely my favorite piece in my kitchen. In my younger days I used whatever cookware I had on hand. As my cooking skills improved I realized the importance of having high quality equipment in the kitchen. Investing in a few key items has made a huge difference in the enjoyment of cooking in addition to the end product.

Balsamic Salad Dressing

Balsamic vinegar....what a wonderful ingredient! I developed my own version of balsamic vinegar salad dressing because I was not thrilled with the store bought brands. I like my salad dressing to be light, not over powering, and I want to taste the other ingredients in the salad. I also want something fresh and free of preservatives. My recipe includes balsamic vinegar, mirin, walnut oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Walnut oil is a nice change from the standard olive oil used in most dressings. And walnuts are high in antioxidants!

Balsamic Salad Dressing $7.95.

Serving idea: 1 bag of organic salad greens, very thinly sliced red onion, kalamata olives cut in half, toasted walnuts, gorgonzola cheese. Toss the lettuce, onions, olives and nuts in a bowl with the dressing. Plate, then top with cheese.