Thursday, January 31, 2013

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I decided it was about time I blog something!  I mentioned recently that I have some Meyer lemons and have had a hard time deciding just what to make with them, more so because they are so good and I want to do them justice.  After recently seeing these oatmeal cookies at A Cozy Kitchen, I thought it sounded like a good idea to try lemon in an oatmeal cookie.  Meyer lemons are not as tart as regular lemons and the zest from one added a great sweet citrus flavor to these cookies!  These oatmeal cookies are the perfectly chewy kind, which are my favorite kind of oatmeal cookie.

I ended up adapting the recipe from Adrianna’s A Cozy Kitchen quite a bit, but she deserves the credit for the idea of adding lemon, which I hadn’t seen before in an oatmeal cookie.  I also only made half the recipe in case we didn’t like them.  Now I can’t wait to make them again.

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies 1-28-13

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

3/4 cup (90 grams) white whole wheat flour (can also use all purpose)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

3/4 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest (about 1/2 to 3/4 of a lemon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup dried cranberries

1  1/2 cups (120 grams) old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Set aside.  Cream together with an electric mixer the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg, lemon zest and vanilla.  Mix well.  Fold in the oats and dry ingredients just until the all incorporated.  Stir in the cranberries. 

Place mounds of cookie dough (about ping pong ball size) on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Let cookies sit on baking sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.   

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies 1-28-13

I like that I made these whole grain using white whole wheat flour.  I think I’ll even make them again soon and use coconut oil.  They would also be good with pecans or walnuts added!  If you like oatmeal cookies, give some a try with Meyer lemons!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

French Apple Tart—Tuesdays With Dorie

TWD French Apple Tart 1-81-13

This week we got to make a true French classic for Tuesdays With Dorie—French Apple Tart.  I know there will be some beautiful tarts in the group

First a pie crust is made and put into a tart pan.  With my current cutting back on sweet treats, I decided to make two mini tarts (they were made in four inch tart pans).  For the applesauce layer, I cut the recipe in the book down to 1/6.  The recipe uses 6 apples, I just used one.  Then about half an apple for each of the top layers. 

This became an even easier task for me when I saw some pie crust dough in my freezer.  I didn’t write on the outside what crust it was, but decided to use it up.  It was probably a pate brisee' which is a simple short crust recipe/method I learned from Paige at For Love of the Table.  Yes, there was still a lot of crust leftover.  I made a quick peach pie with some canned filling I had.  My oldest son ate the whole thing within a couple days. 

I knew the French Apple Tart would be good, since apple pie is probably my favorite pie.  The few bites I had were great!  Love the soft applesauce layer on the bottom.  This would definitely be a wonderful show stopper of a dessert for company.

French Apple Tart

Gaye from Laws of the Kitchen is hosting this week and has the recipe on her blog.  You need this recipe in your file.  But I’ll say it again, you should have Baking With Julia in your cookbook collection.

French Apple Tart 3

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Lemon Yogurt Mousse—Healthy, Fat Free and Low Carb

.Lemon Yogurt Mousse (Fat Free) 1-18-13

I found a great healthy, fat free, low carb, but-still-perfectly-sweet and tasty treat!  The recipe for this is in the January/February 2013 issue of Food Network Magazine.  Still trying to cut way back on sugar and eat less carbohydrates, I was happy to find this and couldn’t wait to try it out. 

I made mine even better (for me) by using nonfat Greek yogurt (the magazine suggests low-fat).  Use could use whatever Greek yogurt you like.  My favorite is the nonfat plain Fage yogurt.  This is perfectly tart and lemony and just sweet enough and although Greek yogurt is already high in protein it is kicked up even more in this mousse with egg whites. 

You can sprinkle a little crumbled shortbread cookies on it, as I did just because the recipe suggests it.

Lemon Yogurt Mousse 2 But what I like even more (and is healthier) is a little homemade granola on top.  I also put a few blueberries on one (but didn’t get a picture of it.)

Lemon Yogurt Mousse 3

Lemon Yogurt Mousse, Fat Free, Low Carb/Sugar, by Katrina, Baking and Boys! (adapted from Food Network Magazine)

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)

pinch of salt

1  1/2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

crumbled shortbread cookies or granola for topping (optional)

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk the egg whites, salt and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  When the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the heat and transfer the mixture to a mixer.  Beat until stiff peaks form. 

Fold in the yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Chill for a couple hours.  Makes 4 servings.  When ready to serve, put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe in to serving dishes (optional, but pretty). ;)  Serve with crumbled shortbread cookies or granola and/or blueberries or raspberries!

Lemon Yogurt Mousse 1-18-13

Can’t wait to make this again—and I’ll be using Meyer lemons next.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

No Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

No bake Granola Bars 1-15-13

No Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

One of my boys’ favorite snacks is granola bars.  They only seem to like one brand—Sunbelt.  I often joke that we should own stock in the company because of just how much we alone spend on their granola bars.  I found a recipe for some homemade bars that seemed quite similar to the Sunbelt ones my boys eat daily and wanted to try it out.  I ran in to this recipe at Tracey's Culinary Adventures, but have seen it on other blogs and I’m not sure where it originated.

I loved that it was super simple to make these.  I wasn’t sure what the boys would think.  When they got home from school, but they actually liked them and before the evening was over, the pan of them was gone!  Taylor had a friend over after school that day.  He ate two.  I think they each ate two.  Kevin came home from work and ate one.  And I tasted a bite of one—and they were actually very good.  I haven’t tasted one of the Sunbelt granola bars for a long time, so I’m not sure how close they are to them, but I’m happy to have found this recipe and will make these more often now than buying the processed-brands granola bars.  These are simply made with ingredients I almost always have one hand.

No Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, adapted from all over the internet, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with non-stick foil (or use regular foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray).  Combine the oats and rice cereal in a large bowl.  In a small saucepan, add the brown sugar, honey and butter.  Bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently.  Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for one more minute.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the sugar mixture over the oats and cereal and stir to combine until all is moistened.  Transfer the mixture to the pan and spread evenly.  Press down until it is compact.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the bars and press down to make sure they stick to the mixture.  Allow the bars to set until firm, about 2 hours, and/or put them in the refrigerator until firm.  Remove the bars from the pan using the edges of the foil overhang.  Peel the foil off the bars and cut to desired sized pieces.  Store in an airtight container.

No Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars 2

I’ll be making these again soon, they are too easy not to and I love homemade anything. ;)

No Bake Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars 3

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Cashew Cherry Chocolate Cookies (Sugar Free, Raw, Healthy)

Sugar Free Raw Cashew Cookies 1-12-13

Cashew Cherry Chocolate Cookies, Sugar Free & Raw—A Healthy Treat

I love these healthy, sugar free cookies.  They are just what I needed since I’ve been going down an almost no-sugar road since the beginning of the year.  I, like many others, feel like I need to take a break after the holidays.  I do find that I’m going more crazy to bake things than actually eat them.  I had to make some of my “famous” chocolate chip cookies to take to some friends, just so I could bake something.  Proud to say that I didn’t eat any of the cookie dough!

I heard a health and fitness gal say if you are really craving a treat to eat 12 dark chocolate chips (my favorite—Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips).  She said eat one per minute and really savor each one, within 12 minutes you’ll feel like you had a great treat.  I’ve done that a few times in the last couple days and it really does work.  After relishing the 12 chocolate chips I’ve felt like that was enough of a treat to keep me from eating other things.  Try it!

That said, sometimes I do want a snack with a little more substantiality.  I remembered these Cal-mond Cookies I made a couple years ago that are made with raw nuts and dates and dried cherries.  They were so good.  I started looking through the ingredients and realized I had everything to make them.  They are made with almonds and walnuts.  I decided at the last minute that since I have some raw cashews I’d try them instead of walnuts.  While I think the Cal-mond Cookies looked a little nicer, I love these new ones I made today.  They are kind of like the ever popular Larabars or other raw power bars out there.  These are a perfect treat for that little something more than just a bite of chocolate.  Of course, I had to put a little chocolate into them as well. ;)

Cashew Cherry Chocolate Cookies, Sugar Free and Raw, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/4 cup raw almonds

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped

1/4 cup dried tart cherries

dash of salt

2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1/4 cup of the almonds and the coconut.  Pulse until it is finely ground.  Put in a separate bowl and set aside.

In the food processor (no need to clean), put in the cashews and almonds and pulse until almost finely ground.  Add the dates and cherries and pulse all together until well combined and all chopped to about the same uniform size.  Add the salt, agave and vanilla.  Pulse to combine.  Add the chocolate chips and pulse just to break them up a little bit. 

Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture and shape into a balls with your hands.  Roll each ball in the almond/coconut mixture.  Set on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and press down slightly on each one.  (You can leave them in a ball if you’d like.)  Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.  Makes about 18 cookies.   

Cashew Cherry Chocolate Cookies-Raw, Sugar Free 2

These might not be the prettiest things, but they are mighty tasty!

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Pizza—Tuesdays With Dorie—BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza--TWD 1-7-13

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

Tuesdays With Dorie!  Happy to be back.  Feel like it’s been a while.  I missed the last one, which was a great looking braided bread, Finnish Pulla.  Just wasn’t able to get it done, but it seems like a great one to make sometime.  Today we got to make pizza!  Mind you, it was supposed to be pizza with onion confit—which just saying almost makes me cringe.  For those that don’t know—I hate onions.  Oh, I’ve tried my whole life to like them.  I just don’t.  So, pizza—yes, onion confit—NO!  I’m glad the recipe said after making the dough to put the onion confit on top OR any other toppings you choose.  Whew.  (As if I wouldn’t have made the pizza with something else anyway. ;)

We made some BBQ pulled pork in the slow cooker recently and after having company over and eating lots of sandwiches, I decided to use the rest of it on a pizza.  BBQ pizza is a big hit at our house, but we usually make it with chicken.  The pork worked perfectly.  Even Sam, age 5, exclaimed that this was his favorite pizza!  Kevin said the crust was good.  (I didn’t actually have any, trying to eat healthier things, but a whole baking sheet of pizza was almost devoured and Kevin has just the right amount of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

I’m glad I made the pizza dough for Tuesdays With Dorie.  It turned out quite simple as long as you give your dough the three hours it needs.  After making a sponge for the dough and letting it rise for an hour and a half, you just add the rest of the flour and some salt and let the mixer knead it.  Then it just does another stint of rising and is perfectly ready to go for any pizza of your choice.

TWD--Pizza Dough 1-7-13

Pizza Dough ready to roll

After the dough was ready, I decided to roll it out and fit it on a 10 x 15 inch baking sheet and just make one big pizza.  We often make individual ones here where the boys get to decide what to put on them.  I spread some BBQ sauce over the dough, added the pulled pork, which was probably about three cupsful. I sprinkled on some chopped red pepper.  Then I added about a cup of shredded mozzarella (that was all I had at the time) and about 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza Ready for the oven

The pizza baked at 425 degrees F for about 17 minutes, give or take—I started with 12 minutes and baked it a few more, but didn’t keep track.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza 3

I served the pizza with some salad and everyone seemed happy.  Have you ever made a pizza with BBQ sauce?

If you want the recipe for the pizza dough (and the onion confit), which was contributed in Baking With Julia by Steve Sullivan.  You can check out everyone else’s pizza at Tuesdays With Dorie.  If you want the recipe, our host for this week is Paul from The Boy Can Bake.

Monday, January 07, 2013

Precipizi, an Italian Hanukkah Treat, Rigatoni with Braised Chicken in Saffron Cream, and Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies—Secret Recipe Club

Precipizi--Jan. 2013 SRC

Precipizi, an Italian Hanukkah Treat

Seems like it’s been a long time since we’ve had an assignment for the Secret Recipe Club.  Guess that might be because we all took December off.  But we’re back!  How were your holidays?  Getting right back into the swing of things and here we go with another secret revealed.  With the blog I was given for this month, I simply could not decide what to make, so I decided on three recipe to choose from.  After making each over the last couple weeks, I still couldn’t decide which to share, so today you’re getting three, three for the price of one! 

The blog I had this month is Katherine’s blog, appropriately named Katherine Martinelli.  Read Katherine’s About Me Page to learn about her wonderful life of travel and food writing as well as photography.  I love that she says she’s a wanderer.  I’d say so, a native New Yorker, she currently lives in Israel!  (I’m jealous.  Just kidding.  I love my life.) ;)  Her writing is published all over the world!  Like I said, I had quite the time deciding what recipe to make from her blog.   You may have noticed, I tend to gravitate toward treats and goodies.  After looking through so many of Katherine’s posts, I found a cookie I wanted to make, a delicious braised chicken with pasta and these precipizi.  It was fun to make all three.  Originally, I thought I’d try each and pick one, but they were all three so good I decided to share them all here.

What is precipizi?  It’s an Italian Hanukkah dessert, perfect for the holiday as a centerpiece or addition to a table full of desserts.  I think they are delicious.  My family wasn’t too thrilled about how chewy they become after the honey hardens a little on them.  They are perfectly bite-sized and the flavor is great.  Of course, I needed to change the recipe a bit, since it called for rum or other clear spirits and we don’t have any alcohol in our house and don’t use it.   So this is my “virgin” version.  I used vanilla extract and some orange extract.

Precipizi, an Italian Hanukkah Treat, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys! from Katherine Martinelli

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1  3/4 cup (210 grams) all purpose flour

2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

pinch of salt

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract

a splash or two of water if the dough is too dry (I didn’t use any, but probably could have)*

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

powdered sugar (optional)

Mix together the flour, sugar, a salt in a medium-sized bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and flavorings.  Combine the two and mix together until combined, then lightly knead it on a flat surface until it is a smooth, soft dough.  Shape the dough in to small balls, about the size of olives (making about 24 balls).  Heat the canola oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the balls of dough (in batches with the pan not too crowded) and fry until golden on all sides.  Transfer to a paper towel lined wire rack. 

Remove any excess oil from the pan and wipe it clean.  Add the honey.  Once it is hot and bubbling, add the fried dough balls back into the pan and stir to coat.  Pour them onto a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil and allow to cool.   As they cool the honey will harden slightly.  Serve by arranging them into a tower, stacking them on top of each other in a pyramid shape.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

*The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of rum, and I didn’t use a total of two tablesoons of liquid/flavoring, so a little water could be added to form the dough.

Precipizi--SRC January 2013 The recipe said to fry them with the heat on high, which I felt was a little too much, so use discretion anywhere from medium to high.  The oil is shallow, so they fry quickly on each side.

Rigatoni with Braised Chicken in Saffron Cream Rigatoni with Braised Chicken in Saffron Cream

Next—I love braising meat, which just means browning it off, then cooking it in liquid until it’s very tender.  I love pasta, too and then was excited that this chicken pasta recipe had saffron in it and I had just the right amount left that a friend gave me a few years ago for my birthday.  Not sure when I’ll ever be able to afford saffron again.  It was fun to use in different things.  This pasta was delicious.  The boys all actually liked it.  Kevin really liked it and I did, too.  Once again, this recipe called for dry white wine, so I substituted some non-alcoholic sparkling cider that we had for the wine.  May be a lame substitution to some, but I have used fruit juices instead of wine before and it tastes good to us!  This didn’t make the dish taste apple-y, but I would like to try a white grape juice next time.  I’ll for sure make this again sometime….when I can get my hands on some saffron.   Besides the wine substitution, since I don’t like onions and this was supposed to have two cups of chopped onions, I was bold enough to put in one large shallot—and that was plenty for me. ;)  Also I think it would be delicious with fresh basil, I don’t have any right now during wintertime, but I did have some basil that I froze in olive oil this summer, so I used that and this was still a great dish.  Can’t wait to try it with fresh basil, which I love.  Please check out Katherine’s recipe here.

Rigatoni with Braised Chicken in Saffron Cream, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

2 pounds boneless chicken breast (bone-in with skin or thighs with skin and bones would also be great and add lots more flavor, I just had and used boneless)

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups sparkling cider (or grape juice, or apple juice)

1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

2 cups chicken broth (I used low-sodium)

1 pound rigatoni pasta (penne would be fine, too)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons (or more to taste) fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup frozen basil, packed in olive oil, thawed (or 2/3 cup fresh basil, chopped)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until golden, about 7 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate.  Add shallot and cook until softened.  Add garlic and cook just another minute or so.  Add sparkling cider and saffron to the skillet and bring to a boil.  Continue to boil until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced by almost half, about 8 minutes.  Add the chicken broth.  Return the chicken to the skillet, bring it all to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Cover it and simmer it gently until chicken is very tender, 30 minutes or so, depending on if you’re using bone-in chicken with skin, may require a little bit longer cooking time.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and let cool enough to handle.

Shred chicken and set aside.  Reserve skillet juices.  Cook the rigatoni in a pot of boiling salted water to al dente, according to package directions.  Drain pasta.  While it is cooking, add cream to the skillet and boil until sauce is reduced to  about 2  1/2 cups and is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.  Once it is boiling, turn heat to medium.  Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then the chicken pieces.  Stir over medium heat until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the pasta and toss to coat.  Stir in the basil.  Serve.

Rigatoni with Braised Chicken in a saffron cream

Frozen/thawed basil is definitely not as pretty as fresh, but it’s just as tasty!

And finally—cookies!  I always like trying new cookies, especially if they are chocolate chip cookies and even more so if they have whole wheat flour.  Yes, because then I can use the excuse that they are healthier and I don’t feel as guilty eating them. 

WW CCC's

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made half the recipe for these cookies.  Katherine adapted the recipe from Kim Boyce, author of Good to the Grain.  My cookies aren’t quite as thick as Katherine’s, but it is probably because I did not adjust the recipe for my high altitude, as I often do.  These were still great, especially if you like a crunchier type of chocolate chip cookie.  These were perfectly chewy with a crisp outside when they came out of the oven and cooled just enough to eat.  They were pretty crispy the next day, but certainly still great tasting.  When I make them again, I will probably bake them a few minutes less, though the recipes says 16-20 minutes and I only baked them for 15 minutes.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1  1/2 cups (180 grams) whole white flour (I used white whole wheat)

1 teaspoon baking powder  (I did adjust this slightly for high altitude baking)*

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (I also adjusted this slightly for high altitude baking)*

3/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar (recipe called for dark)

1/4 teaspoon molasses (because I didn’t use dark brown sugar)

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 ounces bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60%)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a medium sized bowl and whisk together.  Cream the butter in an electric mixer and add the sugars, beating until well combined and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Add the eggs and mix in the vanilla.  Beat until combined.  Scrape sides of bowl.  Add the dry ingredients and mix just until fully incorporated.  Scoop the dough to about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

*The regular recipe uses 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, in case you want to use that amount instead of my small adjustment for high altitude.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies 2

Mmmm, now I’m hungry and it’s bedtime!  Thanks, Katherine, love your blog!

image

 

 

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake with Blueberry Compote

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake 10-23-12

Happy New Year!  I’m still here.  Looking back and seeing that I haven’t blogged since Dec. 19, I couldn’t believe it had been that long.  So, the holidays are over and I’ve decided out with the old and in with the new.  What does that mean?  Looking back and the number of recipes I have made and didn’t get to share with you, I have picked a few that I decided needed to be here—so out with the old. ;)  Stay tuned for plenty of new.

This Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake was just perfect.  I made it for my book group back in October.  It was a big hit and as much as I love chocolate desserts and seem more drawn to them, this was great and makes me think I need to choose other options besides chocolate more often.

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

After reading the book that was chosen for book group, Edenbrooke, by Julianne Donaldson, which was based in the 1800’s in England, I wanted to make something from that time period.  I did some searching on the internet and found that pound cake was popular in that time period.  By the way, the book was a great, simple, enjoyable read.  Here’s a description of the book from Amazon, which says it better than I could.

“Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry. From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke.”

The cake was simple and just has just the right amount of lemon.  I will for sure be making this again—when I’m back to eating sugar again.  Taking a break after the holidays, as many are, I’m sure.  Let’s just say, it’s no piece of cake, because I love cake…and cookies…and brownies…and pie….yeah, anyway, I’ll still post some more delicious things for you, but for now I’m cutting way back on treats myself.  sigh

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake 10-23-12

I found the recipe after Googling it to look at different ones, from Stephanie’s blog, Just a Georgia Peach.  I think I must have looked at hundreds of recipe and I’m not sure what made me decide on this one.  Here’s my adapted recipe.

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake with Blueberry Compote, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Just a Georgia Peach

1  1/2 cups (180 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1  1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (just of 2 lemons)

zest of one lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

1/2 cup (120 grams) light sour cream  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease a 9x5 inch bread pan with butter.  Dust pan with flour and tap out the extra.  Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.  Add the sugar gradually and beat for 5 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time until each is combined.  Beat in lemon juice and zest.  Stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula.  Finally, add the sour cream and fold it in to the batter.  Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Cut around the edges of the pan to release the cake and remove it.  Cool it completely on a wire rack.  Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.  Serve with blueberry compote and sweetened whipped cream

Blueberry Compote, adapted from Paige at For Love of the Table

2 3/4 cups blueberries (about 14 ounces) (I used frozen, thawed)

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

4 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch (1/2 ounce)

zest of 1 lemon

Combine the berries with the sugar and citrus juice and let macerate for 30 minutes.  Transfer the berries to a saucepan.  Dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of water and add to the berries with the zest.  Bring to a boil, stirring gently.  Let boil until the juices are clear and very thick—about 30 to 60 seconds.  Empty into a bowl and cool to room temperature without stirring.  Chill.  Makes a generous 2 cups.

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake 6

This is a great go-to lemon pound cake.  You should try it.