Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

my mom made this chocolate cake for almost every birthday. after i went to college, she started making it with the mocha butter cream frosting and ganache and it got EVEN BETTER. she won first prize at the county fair with this recipe! :)

CAKE:
1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup cocoa (mom uses dark chocolate cocoa but i cant find it)
2 3/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter, add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together, add to creamed mixture, alternately with butermilk. Pour batter into three 9-inch pans which have been greased and lightly floured, lined with wax paper and buttered. Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 min. Cool completely on racks.

MOCHA BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:
Mix 2 tbsp instant coffee with 1 tbsp very hot water or coffee and set aside to cool. Beat together 3 c. powder sugar, 8 oz + 3 oz. cream cheese (cold) and 3/4 cup cut up butter (cold). Beat until fluffy then mix in coffee mixture. Frost cake and chill for at least 1 hour.

Note: instead of instant coffee i have made it with regular coffee, ground super fine. i actually prefer that. i just happened to have instant coffee in my cupboard this week. don't ask

GANACHE:
Heat very carefully 6 oz. dark chocolate, 1 stick butter and 1 tbsp. corn syrup just until melted (I take it off the stove before chocolate is completely melted and stir to finish melting). Pour ganache over top of cake and let drizzle down sides. You will probably need to let it cool a while so it is a thick enough to still pour but so it won't run to the bottom of the cake plate.

Warning: the frostings will become a pool of meltedness if you a) don't let the cake cool enough before frosting it with the buttercream, b) don't let the cake cool again after frosting with the buttercream or c) don't let the ganache cool enough before pouring it on at the end. i have made this mistake before and it makes an ugly mess.

Keep cake refrigerated until serving. If possible I like to take the cake out of the fridge about an hour before I serve it. I think the flavor comes out more as the temp rises closer to room temp and the texture is more moist.

Coconut MaCaron's

For the coconut lovers among us...

2 - 7 oz. packages of sweetened flake coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla
2 egg whites, room temperature (very important!)
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 325 F. Fold the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla together. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until stiff & soft. Fold the whites gently into the coconut mixture. Scoop by small spoonfuls onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes til toasty brown.

*For a little extra sum'n-sum'n, dip them into melted Nutella. Slip into coconut coma. Dream of white-sand beaches.

begging for...

lindsay's macaroon recipe and daphne's chocolate cake recipe. please.

Roasted Feta With Thyme Honey

this has become my new favorite appetizer. so yummy. quick n easy too.


1 8-ounce slab Greek feta, blotted dry

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Greek thyme honey, or other honey

Freshly ground black pepper

Greek-style pita bread, toasted and cut into wedges

Heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts or pickled vegetables (optional).

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Select a small oven-to-table earthenware dish or a small ovenproof sauté pan lined with aluminum foil to help transfer the cheese to a plate after roasting. Place the feta in the dish and cover with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 8 minutes.

2. Preheat the broiler. Heat the honey in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until it is fluid enough to be spread with a pastry brush and then paint the surface of the feta with it. Broil until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve immediately with pita wedges and, if desired, sliced heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts or pickled vegetables.

Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Sara Dickerman.

Found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/magazine/09food-t.html

mmmm, mmmm good

This soup is likely familiar to all of you, as it originally came from the Chocolate and Zucchini Blog. It has become a new favorite (for its simpleness and amazing taste) and we've made it several times these last few weeks now that broccoli is in season.

In the original recipe, a mimolette cheese rind is used (and while mimolette happens to be my all-time favorite cheese - one can only find it at Whole Foods in Omaha and I never really shop there ...) but we've had just as good, if not better, results using a parmesan cheese rind. So, next time you buy a big ol' block of parmesan cheese, don't go throwing that rind away! Just wrap it up nicely in some parchment paper, zip it up in a plastic bag and freeze it until you need it.

Broccoli and Mimolette (Parmesan) Soup

- one onion
- one shallot
- one clove of garlic
- two heads of broccoli
- 3-4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (depends on how much broccoli you have)
- rind from a large hunk of mimolette extra-vieille (substitute the rind from a hunk of parmesan or another firm and sharp cheese)
- a bunch of parsley stems (save the leaves for the garnish - be sure to tie the stems with twine so it is easy to remove them)
- a Tbsp of crème fraîche
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
- [optional] add a dash of red pepper flakes

(Serves 4.)

Peel and chop the onion, the shallot and the garlic clove. Heat up a little olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, shallot and garlic over medium heat until softened.

Wash and chop the broccoli. Add it into the saucepan, along with the cheese rind, red pepper flakes (if using) and the parsley stems. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Add about three to four cups of chicken stock, to cover about halfway up the broccoli. (If you're not sure, it is better to add less water now, and adjust when the soup is ready, than the other way around...)

Bring to a small boil and let the soup simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the broccoli is softened.

Remove the cheese rind and the parsley stems from the soup, and use a blender or a fork to puree the soup to the desired chunkiness. Adjust the seasoning, stir in the crème fraîche and serve.

Recent craving.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into "fry shapes"
olive oil, generous amount
kosher salt, to taste

-- toss together in bowl. Line cookie sheet with foil and spread fries onto sheet. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes, turning once.

-- Serve immediately with yummy Newman's Own Ranch Dressing.

Sesame Noodles

We all love this side dish a lot. My kids inhale it.

2 t. sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T. tahini (sesame seed paste)
Chili sauce to taste
3 T. Soy sauce
2 T. Rice vinegar
2 T. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt

1- 12(ish) oz. pkg. Udon noodles (I suppose you could use linguine)

Wisk together all items except noodles.

Cook noodles according to pkg.; rinse with cold water, but I like them a little warm.

Add sauce to noodles and mix.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and/or chopped scallions.