What a bounty!!

Last night, friends Abby and Courtney held a tremendous Columbus Day pot-roast-pot-luck.  We ate with much merriment, and outside the universe pelted hail on Brooklyn, as if to urge us to have one more glass of wine.  I brought some food I'd been dying to make... first, the cake. 

Seckel Pear Upside Down Cake

A lot of research went into this cake, and I am thrilled with the results.  

Cake mixture itself modeled after Food & Wine's Apple Cake. 

Step 1:

15-20 seckel pears (those tiny little guys)

1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar (either will do)

1/2 stick of butter

(If butter is unsalted, 1/8 tsp salt)

Cooking Oil Spray

Spring Form Pan

Step 2:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

1.  Halve the seckel pears, scraping out the core carefully.  Set aside.

2.  Combine the 1/2 stick of butter, softened, with the brown sugar and possibly salt to make a paste.  Spray the pan generously with oil, and spread paste on the base.  Arrange the pears in the paste in your chosen design.  If you still have pears, line the side of the pan with them. 

3.  Combine the dry ingredients of step two, and  in a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients.  Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Stir with a fork until most lumps have gone. 

4.  Bake at 350-375 for about an hour and a half.  This really depends on your oven and the fruit's moisture, so start low, monitor, and adjust as necessary. 

5. Enjoy as demonstrated: 

News

Dear all,

 Two major peices of news:

1. All hands on deck will be required... as I move kitchens from Cobble Hill to Park Slope.  Jack has been vigorously packing our kitchen, hence the lack of posting.  Stay tuned for next week when some true hands on action will commence.

2. Secondly, and hugely awesome, is the public launch of Dinevore, the brain child of my friend Jeremy.  You may have read the praise on Thrillist and Eater.  While an algorithm that weights professional reviews is the center of the site, take my word, the best part of it is tracking your own dining experiences and wishes.  It is sad to admit that I log on after every time I eat out, which, truth be told, is almost daily.  Something to chew on in my absence!

 Love,

    All hands on deck

TV dinner

   1 burrata (For those unfamiliar, mozzarella stuffed with cream, left to curdle. Yes, it is real.)
   3 heirloom tomatoes with basil, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper
   2 oz spicy salami
   1/3 cup mixed olives
   1/3 cup peppadew pickled peppers
   1 loaf of salted whole grain bread
   1 bottle of wine (uh... or more?)
   1 episode of Breaking Bad
+  2 people
----------------------------------
=  a lovely, air conditioned evening in.

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pops(icles)

I have a new toy... a pops(icle--- ugh why is everything a brand?) mold.  Please enjoy round one of my experiments, inspired by People's Pops.

PS: I'm going calling this photo a nod to Terry Richardson, but the truth is less fun.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pops
1 lb rhubarb
1 lb strawberries, trimmed
1/2 cup sugar, plus some for tweaking
cinnamon (optional)
water

1.  Chop rhubarb into 1 inch pieces, place in a saucepan and add enough water to just about cover.  Simmer until it disintegrates.
2.  Add sugar, taste, and add more sugar if puckeringly tart.  Not all rhubarb tastes the same.  Stir until dissolved.
3.  Blend strawberries and a ladle or two liquid, pour strawberry liquid into pan.  Season with cinnamon if desired.
4.  Pour into molds, freeze overnight, and ta-da!

Rigatoni with Wilted Radicchio and Sausage

I love my CSA and I love radicchio.  But one head of radicchio goes a long way.  Faced with a fridge slowly filling with radicchio, I was challenged to find a good use.  I  prepared this meal, and served it to Jack without explanation.  Bitter, sweet and savory, it's a surprising dish.

Rigatoni with Wilted Radicchio and Sausage
2/3 lb whole wheat rigatoni
1 lb sweet Italian chicken or pork sausage, casing removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 cubanelle pepper, finely chopped
1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped,
1/2 large head of radicchio, sliced into rings and separated (think of cabbage)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt (careful: it may not need any more)
pepper
chopped parsley (for garnish)

1.  Prepare the rigatoni, drain and set aside.
2.  In the meantime, pour olive oil into a large skillet.  Heat on medium to high heat, add the sausage, and stir until cooked thoroughly.  Break up the sausage into crumbles as it cooks.
3.  Add chicken broth and peppers, let simmer for two minutes.
4.  Add radicchio and red pepper flakes. Cover the skillet so that the radicchio wilts.  This should take a couple of minutes.
5.  Season sausage mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Add rigatoni, combine, and separate into bowls.  Garnish with parsley (cheese may be too salty) and enjoy.

Basil Blueberry Muffins

Yesterday I had the pleasure of stopping in to Crop-to-Cup/the Co-Op on Atlantic Avenue where I tried a Bread Meat Bread blueberry muffin with basil.  It changed my life.  These should be a staple.  Here is my own version, a simple recipe with no cinnamon, citrus or vanilla so that the basil shines.

Basil Blueberry Muffins
2/3 cup buttermilk 
3/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 pint of blueberries (add an extra handful if you have it)
3-4 tbsp chopped basil (fine but not invisible)

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Liberally butter muffin tins (18) and set aside.
2.  In a large bowl, beat the egg.  Add the oil and buttermilk, combine and set aside.
3.  In another large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.  Make sure everything is evenly distributed.
4.  Rinse the blueberries, shaking off excess moisture.  While still damp, toss them into the dry mixture.  Add basil.  Fold gently until blueberries are coated.
5.  Fold wet mixture into dry until just combined, careful not to overwork it.
6.  Using an ice cream scoop (trust me, this is the way to go) or a large spoon, distribute the batter into tins.
7.  Place tins in oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

What I did on my summer vacation...

My apologies for being so delinquent.  I must start the blogging catch-up somewhere.  For a glimpse of "what I did on my summer vacation," please admire MJ Mojer's beautiful container garden in Nantucket.  The woman can do no wrong.