Corn Dogs and Chipotle Baked Beans

I've had a hankerin' for a corn dog for a while now, and decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to make them today. I think the last time I had a real corn dog was at the Iowa State Fair in 1993.  That's more than a few years ago.

They really are easy to make but not something that is on the normal meal rotation.  Deep-frying anything is not on the normal meal rotation.  I would absolutely love to have a commercial deep-fryer, but I'm not going to get a counter-top home version.

But I digress.....

I couldn't tell you the last time I made a corn dog, but I'm sure it was long before Iowa.

I don't have a deep-fryer, so I took a 9" braising pan and filled it halfway with oil - about 2" - and cooked them without sticks and added the stick after the fact.  I more or less made up the batter recipe, but used Alton Brown's suggestion of rolling the dog in cornstarch to keep the batter on the dog.  (His online recipe looked really good, but I was wanting something more traditional today...)

Perfectly crusty exterior, a soft cornbready interior, wrapped around one of my more favorite foods - a hot dog.  How could it be bad?!?

Corn Dogs

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 tbsp buttermilk powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk (about)
  • pinch salt
  • 8 hot dogs
  • 8 sticks (popsicle sticks would work just fine)

Heat oil in pan or deep fryer to 350°.

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add eggs and enough milk to make a fairly thin batter.

Roll hot dogs in cornstarch and dip into batter.  (You need to work it a bit - the cornstarch doesn't want to stick right away.)

Carefully add to hot oil.  If using a pan, flip over after a minute or so.

Drain on apper towels and serve with mustard.

The baked bean recipe came from my sister, Phoebe.  I've shared this recipe many times.  I love 'em!

Phoebe's Baked Beans

The original recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine. Phoebe made these at their housewarming “Open House” and nary a bite was left!

These are now the only baked beans I make.

  • 1/2  cup minced shallots
  • 1  tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1  tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2  cup tomato puree (I use tomato paste – I never have puree in the house!)
  • 1  tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/4  cup honey
  • 1/4  cup cider vinegar
  • 2  tablespoons molasses
  • 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 2  chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
  • 2  (28-ounce) cans baked beans

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.

The potato salad is like my mom used to make.  It seems everyone I know has a potato salad recipe like their moms.  This one is actually pretty simple...  potatoes, onion, celery, carrots, pickles, hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, garlic powder.  There's a bazillion and one ways to make a potato salad, but this one is my favorite.

Chicken on the grill with Memphis BBQ sauce.

There's more Poppy Seed Cake for dessert later on this evening.

Right now, I'm ready for a nap.


'In Flanders Field' Poppy Seed Cake With Lemon Glaze and Strawberries

I'm actually old enough to remember WWI Veterans selling real poppies with real ribbons and cards that read...

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row...

We all memorized the poem as kids.  But those ancient-to-me veterans didn't sell them around Memorial Day - Flanders Field was all about Armistice Day - Veteran's Day.  November 11th.  It's an almost forgotten holiday.  Not much is closed.  It's certainly not a paid holiday for 99% of the population. (It made the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968 and the 4th Monday in October was designated Veteran's Day, but was it removed in 1975 to its original November 11th date.)

But I digress...

This cake was in Thursday's Philadelphia Inquirer and Victor was going to make it, but I beat him to the dessert punch with the Raspberry Banana Tart.

So he made it for us, today.  I'm glad he saved the paper.  It was really good!

'In Flanders Field' Poppy Seed Cake With Lemon Glaze and Strawberries

Makes 10-12 servings

  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Scant 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 pound (two sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • Rind of two lemons, zested or grated fine
  • 1/2 cup fresh poppy seeds
  • For the glaze:
  • Juice of two lemons
  • 2/3 cup sugar

Optional Memorial Day garnish:

  • Fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced (leave two or three perfect berries)
  • Whipped cream
  • Fresh mint
  • Small American flags

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a bundt or tube pan by greasing and flouring.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth, scraping the bowl from time to time to ensure complete mixing. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a third of the flour mixture and a third of the buttermilk and mix until the flour is just incorporated. Repeat twice more, adding the rind with the last bit of buttermilk, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, and mix until the batter is smooth.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for about a half hour and invert onto serving plate.

5. Mix the glaze ingredients together and brush onto the cake while it is still warm.

6. Garnish with small American flags and serve the berries on the side, or use them to fill the hole in the center of the cake.

Per serving (based on 12): 482 calories, 7 grams protein, 71 grams carbohydrates, 45 grams sugar, 20 grams fat, 112 milligrams cholesterol, 276 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

So...  the timing of the Flanders Field reference may be a bit off, but the cake certainly wasn't.  It's real good.


Cooking with Lidia

I got a new cook book the other day - Lidia Cooks From The Hearty Of Italy by Lidia Bastianich.

When we donated  those hundreds of cook books a few years ago, I thought that I would finally break the habit of getting more and more.  And more.

Let us just say that I have gotten better.

I no longer buy them just for the sake of buying then and I no longer subscribe to the yearly updates and annuals that I did for years and years.  But when Lidia comes out with a new book...  I eventually have to buy it.

I like her cooking.  I like her recipes.  I like the way she puts food together.  She may just be my favorite cook. (Actually, James Beard is my all-time most-favorite favorite cook, but Lidia is my most favorite Italian cook.)  But I digress...

So... armed with Lidia's latest, I went to work.

I started with two different recipes tonight - one for fish and one for rice.

The fish was wildly lemony and just a bit spicy.  The rice and lentils were rich, creamy, and difficult to stop eating!

Both were extremely simple to put together and dinner was done in less than an hour.

Since I can't type for beans, this recipe is verbatim from  The James Beard Foundation website.

Baked Fish with Savory Bread Crumbs

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy
“Landlocked Umbria does not have a seafood cuisine,” writes Lidia Matticchio Bastianich in Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy. “But its mountain lakes, rivers, and streams abound in freshwater fish, such as the tasty tench. This simple preparation is one I found in Umbria, and it is excellent for fillets of our sweet-water varieties, such as carp or whitefish, or even light ocean-fish fillets like sole.”
Yield:Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds whitefish fillets
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of a large lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 6 plump garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
  • 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • Zest of a large lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino flakes, or to taste, chopped fine
  • Fresh lemon slices, for serving

Method:
Lightly salt the fish on both sides, using about 1/4 teaspoon salt in all. Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, white wine, and another 1/4 teaspoon salt into the baking dish, and whisk together well. Drop in the garlic cloves, and stir with the dressing. Lay the fillets in the dish, turn and swish them in the dressing so both sides are thoroughly moistened, and arrange them, skin side down, in one layer.

Toss the bread crumbs in a bowl with the lemon zest, parsley, oregano, chopped peperoncino, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, and toss the crumbs well until evenly moistened with oil.

Spoon the seasoned bread crumbs on top of the fillets in a light, even layer. Bake, uncovered, until the crumbs are crisp and golden and the fish is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Lift the fish out with a spatula, and set on a warm platter to serve family-style, or on individual plates. Spoon it the juices left in the baking dish, and serve right away, with lemon slices on the side.

Recipe Notes:
Recommended equipment: a 4-quart shallow rectangular baking dish; a heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 12-inch diameter or larger, with a cover

And the rice and lentils...  These were soooo creamy and good.  I made half the recipe and it was still enough for six people.

Rice and Lentils

Lidia writes: "Lentils and rice are one of my favorite combinations.  I fondly recall savoring a dish just like this often as a child; it was comforting and nurturing.  It can be enjoyed in many ways:  make it dense like risotto or add more liquid to make it soupy.  Just rice and lentils are delicious and simple, but you couls easily add a few sausages or pork ribs to the pot to make quite a festive main dish."

  • 2 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut in pieces
  • 1 cup onion cut in 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup carrot cut in 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup celery cut in 1-inch chunks
  • 6 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 8 to 10 cups hot water
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 1/2 cups Italian short-grained rice, such as Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano
  • 1 cup chopped scallions
  • 1/2 cup grated granna padano or parmigiano-reggiano, plus more for passing

Recommended Equipment: A food processor; a heavy-bottomed saucepan or soup pot, 5-to-6 quart capacity, with cover.

Drop the pancetta or bacon in the food processor bowl and pulse sevral times, to chop the meat into small bits.  Scrape all the pancetta right into the heavy saucepan.  Put the onion, carrot, and celery chunks and the sage leaves into the empty food processor bowl and mince together into a fine-textured pestata.

Put the butter and olive oil into the saucepan with the minced pancetta, and set over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring, as the butter melts and the fat starts to render.  When the pancetta is sizzling, scrape in the vegetable pestata, and stir it around until it has dried and begins to stick, 4 minutes or so.  Clear a place on the pan bottom and drop in the tomato paste, toast it in the spot for a minute, then stir together with the pestata.

Raise the heat, pour in the white wine, and cook, stirring, until the wine has almost evaporated.  Pour in 8 cups of hot water and the tablespoon of salt, stir well, and heat to the boil. (Add all 10 cups of water if you want to serve the rice and lentils as a thick soup rather than a denser riso.)  Cover the pan, and reduce the heat slightly, to keep the water at a moderate boil, and let it bubble for 20 minutes or so, to develop the flavors.

Stir in the lentils, return to a gentle boil and cook, partially covered until the lentils just start to soften, 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir in the rice, return to a bubbling simmer, and cook, cover ajar, until the rice is al dente, 13 minutes or so. If the dish is thickening more than you like, lower the heat and cover the pan completely.  If it seems too thin and wet, remove the cover and cook at a faster boil.

When the rice and lentils are fully cooked, turn off the heat.  Stir in the scallions and grated cheese.  Serve in warm bowls, passing more cheese at the table.

It took me longer to type that than it did to cook it!

There are 175 recipes in the book.  I have a feeling I'm going to be making lots of them.....


Raspberry and Banana Tart

This months La Cucina Italiana magazine has a series of recipes on raspberries.  And a full-page picture of a raspberry and banana tart.

Now, I have no idea what makes a raspberry and banana tart Italian, but, after looking at the picture, I didn't really care.  I wanted to make the tart.

So I did.

Either they're growing their bananas smaller over there in Italy, or their 9 1/2 inch tart pans are bigger than ours, because I couldn't get the same number of concentric circles, but it hardly mattered.  It was good!

Raspberry and Banana Tart

La Cucina Italiana Magazine

Ingredients

DOUGH

  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into
  • small pieces, plus more for greasing pans
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

PASTRY CREAM AND TOPPING

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup raspberries (about 5 ounces)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom

Instructions

FOR DOUGH: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and rub mixture between fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Make a well in center, add water and mix together to form a dough. Knead dough 3 to 4 times, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

FOR PASTRY CREAM AND TOPPING: In a bowl, vigorously whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat.

In a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly, add about 2 tablespoons hot milk to egg mixture, then, whisking, add remaining milk. Pour mixture back into saucepan, return to medium heat and, whisking constantly and vigorously, bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly and into the edges of the pot, until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and let stand for 5 minutes.

Transfer Pastry Cream to a clean bowl, immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming and chill until cold, about 1 hour. (Pastry Cream can be made up to 1 day ahead.)

Butter tart pan and dust with flour.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Fit dough into prepared tart pan, pressing into edges. Prick bottom of dough all over with fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400º with rack in middle.

Line tart pan with parchment paper, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are pale golden, about 10 minutes. Remove parchment and weights; continue to bake until bottom of crust is pale golden and edges are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Cool shell completely on wire rack.

Fill shell with pastry cream and spread evenly. Peel bananas and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Arrange banana pieces and raspberries in alternating concentric circles.

NOTE:  Finished tart can be refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic, for up to 1 hour.

It was just what I wanted.


Super Salmon Salad

While I was working today, Victor was enjoying the first day of his 4-day weekend.  And when I got home, I got to enjoy a lovely dinner.

He created salads tonight that were just out of this world.  They had everything in them...  poached salmon, tortellini, tomatoes, cheese, hard-cooked eggs, marinated artichoke hearts - that he marinated, asparagus, kalamata olives, arugula, other assorted greens, and a simple homemade vinaigrette.

Just perfect.

I do love a man who can cook!

He did leave one chore for me, though - a loaf of bread.

I had the easy job.  So I made dessert.  A raspberry and banana tarte from La Cucina Italiana magazine...

Time to go put it together.....


Burgers on the Barbie

I was recently asked when I plan dinner.  The answer, of course, is "It Depends".

There are no set rules.  Sometimes it's a few days in advance, sometimes the night before, sometimes that morning, and sometimes an hour before we're going to eat.

I know folks who plan out their meals a week in advance and know exactly what they're going to have on Thursday of any given week.  Not me.  I just can't say on Monday what I'm going to be in the mood for on Thursday.  Or what mood I'm going to be in to cook whatever it was I thought I was going to be in the mood for.

I usually prefer to wing it a bit.

This morning, however, I knew I wanted burgers on the barbie - even at 0-dark-thirty.

I thought about them all day long.  Bacon and cheese and lettuce and tomatoes and avocados and pickles and mayo and mustard and catsup and potato chips and homemade hamburger buns. All day long.

I got home and made the buns right away.  I used the no-knead dough that is almost a regular feature in our 'fridge.  It was hot and muggy outside. A perfect proofing room.  In a mere 30 minutes they were ready for the oven.  15 minutes later, they were cooling.

I added juuuuust a little bit of Memphis BBQ Sauce to the beef for a bit of added flavor.  I mean, bacon, cheese, and all that other stuff was just crying out for more.

And all of that savory goodness was screaming for sweet fresh fruit.

I obliged.

In the meantime, the temperature has dropped 20 degrees and were under a severe thunderstorm alert.  The alert warns of the obligatory golf  ball-sized hail and 75 mph winds.

Whatever.

I need to figure out dessert.


Chicken and Ham

It's the ham that keeps on giving!

Armed with my trusty FoodSaver, I finally dealt with that monstrosity of a ham in the refrigerator today.  Two packages of sliced ham for future meals and the bone and lots of ham for a future soup went into the freezer.  Another packet is sitting in the fridge to become fried ham on Sunday.  And several slices for tonight's dinner...

Tonight's dinner.  Yum.

I lightly browned two chicken breasts and placed them in an oven-proof pan.  I then covered them with slices of ham.  Then a layer of San Joaquin cheese, and then sliced tomatoes.  I put them into a 350° oven for about 25 minutes.

Prior to starting that, though, I started the side dish - a multi-grain melange of mixed brown rices, black barley, spelt, French lentils, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes and arugula.  Oh yum.

Multi-Grain Melange

  • 1/4 cup minced leek
  • 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup assorted brown rice
  • 1/4 cup black barley
  • 1/4 cup spelt
  • 1/4 cup French lentils
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 good handfuls arugula
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • S&P to taste

Saute leeks, mushrooms, and garlic until wilted and lightly browned.

Add grains, tomatoes, and broth bring to boil.  Add arugula and stir in.  Add spices.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45-55 minutes.

It came out great and would make a great base for a lot of other dishes.  It could also be easily made vegetarian by using vegetable broth or water.

All-in-all, a successful use of just a little more ham.

Life is good.


BBQ Ribs

I've been thinking about ribs all day.

Messy, spicy, falling-off-the-bone ribs.  And I got my wish.

I got a good deal on a whole slab of ribs and - for a moment - thought about cooking the whole thing.  For two of us.  Common sense prevailed and I cut it in half and froze the rest for another day. I sliced the ribs into individual bones and into a pot they went with garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.  I simmered them on the stove for about 90 minutes and then started the grill.  And broke out the Memphis BBQ Sauce.  It was my weekly freebie from Wegmans and it had clean ingredients.  Slightly sweet with a nice tang to it.  One of the better bottled BBQ sauces I've had in a while.

I slathered it on, set the ribs off to the side of the grill and closed the lid.

Fall-off-the-bone-good!

I took some assorted fingerling potatoes and mixed in some garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper along with a bit of olive oil and coated them nicely.  Into the grill-pan they went with the ribs.

And then I made some creamed corn.

I've been looking at fresh corn-on-the-cob and haven't seen anything I really want to bring home, yet.  I'm fussy about my fresh corn.  I want it fresh.  And it ain't local corn season, yet.

So, I settled for frozen.  I boiled up some nonfat milk, added the corn and let it simmer for a bit.  I then added some S&P and just a little bit of Kasseri cheese.  I thickened it with a bit of cornstarch, smashed a few kernels of corn with my spoon, and that was that.

And while all that was going on, I baked a loaf of bread.

It was a loaf of the infamous No-Knead Bread I've been making for the past few months, now.  The recipe calls for 6 1/2 cups of flour.  This batch I used 2 1/2 whole wheat and 4 white.

All-in-all, a successful dinner.

And there's still Buttermilk Cake.


Monday Ham

An 8.6 pound ham is a bit of a commitment for two people.  Ham sandwiches last night, sliced ham tonight.  I think tomorrow a good portion is going to be vacuum-packed and placed in the freezer.  I want fried ham this Sunday.  Besides veal cutlets and dirty potatoes, nothing can invoke my father more than fried ham.  And french bread toast.  It's just amazing how some foods can conjure up someone.  Not that we ever has "spiral cut" hams growing up.  Back in the dark ages, ham came in a funny-shaped can you opened with a metal key.  (Coffee cans were opened the same way).  Fond memories, indeed.

But back to the present...

I had sweet potatoes, I had carrots, I had mushrooms, I had asparagus, and I had fresh herbs.  I had our side dish.

I peeled one sweet potato and one large carrot.  Sliced both and nuked them for about 5 minutes.  I then put them into a buttered casserole with the mushrooms and asparagus, chopped dill, rosemary, basil, and oregano, salt and pepper.  That went into a 400º oven for about 15 minutes.

The fresh herbs from the garden were great.  Veggies perfectly cooked.

And there's Buttermilk Cake for dessert tonight.

I can't wait for Sunday!


Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries and Beaumes-de-Venise

How often do you have buttermilk, blackberries, oranges, and Beaumes-de-Venise in the house at the same time?  I'm usually one out of four, maaaaaybe two out of four right after shopping.  But four-for-four?!?  Never.

Until today.  The stars aligned correctly and dessert was made!

I had a pint of buttermilk that really needed using this week so I went to Epicurious to see about a buttermilk cake.  I had the ingredients for a buttermilk pie, but I was in a cake mood.

Scrolling through the recipes I saw a buttermilk cake with blackberries and knew I had my winner.  And OMG!  I had all the ingredients - including the sweet muscat wine!  (It's actually been taking up space in the 'fridge for a while, now...)

Time to get to work.  The recipe called for a 9" round layer pan, but I used an 8" square.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe verbatim.

The cake itself is excellent.  Tender, moist, just dense enough - and lots of flavor.  The wine syrup adds a great flavor, and blackberries...  Really... how bad can blackberries be?!?

This is one I shall think of again.  It really rocks!

The recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine circa 2001.

Buttermilk Cake with Blackberries and Beaumes-de-Venise

  • 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For topping

  • 3/4 cup Beaumes-de-Venise or other white dessert wine
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 (3- by 1-inch) strip fresh orange zest
  • 1/3 cup seedless blackberry preserves or 1/2 cup blackberry preserves with seeds, strained
  • 4 cups fresh blackberries (1 1/2 lb)

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line bottom of a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan with a round of wax paper, then butter paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then, with mixer at low speed, beat in all of buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin sharp knife around edge of cake to loosen. Invert onto rack, then slide cake onto a cake plate.

Make topping:
Bring wine, 3 tablespoons sugar, and zest to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil until syrup is reduced to about 2/3 cup, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard zest.

Reserve 2 tablespoons syrup and pour remainder slowly and evenly over cake (cake will absorb syrup).

Stir together reserved syrup, preserves, and remaining tablespoon sugar in small saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 1 minute (it should be the consistency of a thick syrup). Put blackberries in a large bowl, then pour preserves mixture over berries. Gently stir berries with a rubber spatula to coat, then pour over cake, mounding blackberries on top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.


Sunday Ham

My thought this morning was to have a Sunday Ham Dinner.  Ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls...  the whole megillah.  That burger at lunch, however, curbed my enthusiasm.  It takes a lot of work to maintain this figure, but even I have to conceded defeat once in a while.

We decided on sandwiches.

Little sandwiches.  On little rolls.

The 'fridge still has lots of little pieces of right now - I did a Wegmans run last Monday - so we got to choose different cheese and different mustard for each sandwich.  Sweet beer mustard with provolone, grainy Dijon mustard with creamy gorgonzola, and hot Irish mustard with aged San Joaquin Gold.  Last nights parslied potatoes on the side.

It was just enough to do the job, and light enough to save room for dessert.

There's a buttermilk cake with blackberries coming up .....


Sunday Burgers

It's kinda cold, wet, and dreary outside today.  Perfect for breaking out the charcoal and firing up the grill!

I bought two different types of rolls yestersay.  Either would work for burgers, but the smaller ones will work better for dinner tonight, so the focaccia rolls were the choice.  I'm a fan of fatty beef for grilled burgers.   4% fat stuff makes for a dry burger  but I had some 4% fat beef that I had used for something else and wanted to use it up.  The solution was to add some sun-dried tomato butter to the beef!  I added just a tablespoon or so for the two burgers and it added just enough moistness and flavor that I didn't have to do anything else!

The rolls were the perfect  choice for the sun-dried tomato burger, so keeping with the vaguely-Italian theme, I sauteed some arugula for the bottom of the bun, added roasted red peppers to the top, and melted provolone cheese on the burger!

French fries were the A&P house-brand, America's Choice.  No nasty ingredients.

It was the type of burger one would expect to find at Barney's in San Francisco.   Juuuuust quirky enough.  And nothing stood out and overpowered anything else.  The flavors all were unique, yet blended just as they should.

Summer is approaching.  It's time to start thinking about reinventing America's favorite grilled sandwich.  Again.  And again.

The possibilities really are endless.