That Ginger Cake

No recipe has elicited as much love as this adaptation from Joy of Cooking's Fresh Ginger Cake. I have given this recipe out a million times and I always hear back that no matter how you make it, it turns out totally delicious.

Derick said it was the best desert he had ever had.

Tonight, I had all the mixings fixed so just before I served dinner on the table, I mixed them up and threw the cake in the oven so it baked while we ate.

Tonight I served it with soft whipped creme sweetened with a little maple syurp, blackberries and pistachios.

Here is the blueprint:

Heat oven to 350 and grease a round cake pan. (I like the 9" kind whose sides "pop off" to make for easy cake removal).

In a small bowl, combine
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, combine
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup dark corn syrup (or golden syrup, honey or light molasses...maple syrup would probably also work...)
- 1 large egg

Melt a stick of unsalted butter, and add to the molasses mixture with 1/4 cup water.

Add a very generous 1/2 cup of minced fresh ginger to the molasses mixture and stir.

Stir in flour mixture.

Pour cake batter into greased pan.
Bake for about 25 minutes until ye olde fork in the center trick reveals a clean fork.

Let cake cool enuf to remove from pan.
Slice and serve warm.

Grilled Cheese Take 2

A while ago I published instructions for my first foods. The things I first learned how to make. One of them was a grilled cheese sandwich for my dad. Today I updated it with my beuaitul Southern California life vegetables.

1. Turn on broiler.
2. Slice Ciabatta bread to desired thickness.
3. Put toast on cookie sheet and toast one side under broiler.
4. Thinly slice the raw hard goat cheese they carry at Rainbow Bridge and put on non-toasted bread side. Put under broiler to melt.
5. Meanwhile, in the nooks and crannies of toasting time, halve or quarter your favorite delicious cherry tomatoes. (Lately I am using the big orange ones from Farmer and the Cook). Toss tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some shredded lemon basil and salt. (Some chopped shallots might have been good too).
6. When cheese is at desired meltiness, remove toasts to a plate and spoon tomato mixture on top. Grind some fresh pepper on and serve with knife and fork.

Cardamon Pod Tea with Maple Syrup and Lemon

It's just turned to fall. The light is softer and the mountains are blushing in the mornings.
I am just starting to make tea again. This is the one I made tonight and used to make a lot.

Start the water.
Lightly Crush 6 or 7 Cardamon Pods
Slice a piece of lemon (tonight i sliced a round one).

Pour a hit of Mountain School in Vermont maple syrup into your mug. Put the lemon slice and crushed cardamon pods in. When water is boiling, pour water onto. Let steep for about 5 minutes. If you want, filter, but I usually just drink it with all the stuff still in it.

Steve Sprinkle's Cherry Tomatoes with Blue Cheese

Last night we were on our way to the OVLC Moonlight on the Meadow Fundraiser. Seemed like a good idea to make a little snack before going. Steve Sprinkle had gifted me a basket of the most beautiful orange sweet small tomatoes. They are bigger than cherry tomatoes and probably have another name. Be sure to get some before they are gone.

1. Quarter 6 of the delicious small orange tomatoes from Framer and the Cook.
2. Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinegar that Kim brought you back from Argentina
3. Crumble the blue cheese that is in your fridge over the tomatoes
4. Drizzle some good olive oil over the tomatoes
5. Sprinkle some good salt

We ate it with forks.

Poblanos Rajas for BFF

My BFF (that's Best Friend FOREVER) just asked me to post this recipe. I did not make it up. It's a classic Mexican thang. The ratio of onions to poblanos can vary depending on your taste and aesthetics.

1. Roast 3 or 4 Poblanos under the broiler, turning occasionally so they are totally charred and black. (If the cute boy next door is grilling, you can put them on the grill and char them there). Time varies depending on the shape of the peppers and your broiler. Once charred, you need to steam them. You can do this is a zip lock bag or in a brown paper bag. My favorite technique is in a bowl covered with that new amazing Press n' Seal. Let them rest at least 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, slice up a big white onion into 1/4 inch slices.

3. Mince a clove of garlic.

4. When poblanos are ready, remove from "steamer set up" and peel off the skin. This is where you will wish you really charred them, cuz if you got lame in step 1, it will be hard to peal here.
Remove the stem and seeds and then thinly slice.

5. Turn on heat under a pan and add some olive oil. Add the onions and saute until softer, but not brown or soggy. I think the dish tastes better when the onions still have a little crunch, so usually no more than 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute more. Add the poblanos strips and and heat through. Add some crumbled Mexican Oregano.

6. Remove from heat and when you are ready to serve, add a hit of heavy creme and good salt.

A Variation on a Theme: Pasta with Tomotoes and Other Stuff

Eric says I have been dialing this dish in since the winter. Using canned tomatoes and chard and sausage and some other unusual things like adobo sauce from the chitpole pepper can and sun dried tomatoes, the first version of this dish made Eric say, "Wow, this dish would make Uncle Cuccio so mad. Because he would love it and it would be like nothing he ever tasted before."

The ingredients keep changing with the seasons. Here is the version that we made tonight:


1. Start a pot of water boiling
2. Start Heat under your favorite meat searing pan. (Tonight I used non-stick cuz I am going out of town tomorrow and did not feel like having a lot to clean up).
3. Remove casing from Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (or other sausage of choice) and pull into bits and add to hot pan. Brown and when done, turn off heat and leave in pan.
4. Meanwhile, finely mince or press 2 cloves of garlic. Mash with some salt and throw in large bowl with some olive oil.
5. Half a small red onion and slice half moon shapes out of one side. Add to bowl.
6. Core and chop 4 large Delicious Big Beef or Heirloom Tomatoes.
7. Thinly slice about 7 marinated sun dried tomatoes and add to bowl.
8. Drain and add about 1/2 a jar of pitted Kalamata olives.
9. Pull Lemon Basil Leaves off the stems and add to bowl.
10. Stir and pour some more olive oil in, along with some Balsamic Vinegar and lots of Ground Pepper. Allow to sit while sausage finishes cooking and water begins to bowl.

Tonight, Eric and I were working and he asked me to delay dinner an hour, I turned water off and once sausage seemed done, turned it off to, but the tomato mixture was allowed to marinate. This seemed to work out.

11. Once sausage is done, turn off heat and let it rest till needed.
12. Once water is boiling, throw in pasta. I have been a huge egg pasta fan lately and tonight we used the fettucini width egg pasta noodles.
13. When pasta is done, drain. Add Sausage and lots of salt to tomato mixture. Mix with pasta and serve with chopped fresh mozzarella on top.

Quick Chard Bruschetta

I came home late from teaching and wanted something yummy to go with a glass of red wine.

1. Thinly slice up some Russian Kale
2. Heat too much olive oil in a pan.
3. When hot, add kale and stir. Once it looks kinda fried and bright green (i think about 5 minutes), add some Fire Raisins and continue to cook until raisins plump up. Squeeze some lemon on the greens and remove from pan and put in a bowl. Grate Parmesan into warm greens and stir.
4. Add some more olive oil to the pan and "pan toast" up 2 slices of Pane Rustica Bread till desired toastiness is achieved.
6. Rub Toast with a cut piece of garlic.
7. Place toast on a plate and pile greens on top. Good Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper.

Eat with a knife and fork. Goes well with Bill Moses's Casa Barranca 2006 Pinot Noir.