Blue Cayenne

JOIN ME FOR THE WAVE!

IT’S STONE FRUIT SEASON, PEOPLE!

In my mind, it doesn’t get better than stone fruit season–ripe as it is with the promise of baking and aromas and pleasurable eating, but, alas, not everyone is feeling the love this year. There is a wonderful apricot tart recipe as the end of this post, but, first I want to tell you a cautionary tale about a small breakdown in grocery store etiquette. The story begins in the fruit aisle.

I was gathering fuzzy orange-gold apricots into my biodegradable produce bags at my local Jon’s Supermarket the other day when, out of nowhere, I was approached by a lady wearing a wide flower-patterned headband that partially covered her medusa-like reddish hair.

“What are you going to make with all those apricots?” she asked as I was filling my second bag and as she was picking up a bag of her own. (There were a gazillion apricots filling the store’s bins, by the way. There was no shortage.)

Startled, I mumbled that I was going to bake an apricot tart because Jon’s apricots looked beautiful. “It’s always hard to find good apricots,” was my distracted but not unfriendly reply and I kept bagging.

For some reason, my answer seemed to irritate my new friend at the apricot bin.  Before I could even begin to tune into the drama unfolding around me, she had pivoted to face the apple aisle and yelled to “Bob,” a casually-dressed man who apparently was her husband, “She’s going to make an apricot tart!” The edge to her voice made her point clear. She might as well have added, “Can you believe that?”

Soon it seemed that people in the vicinity of the apricot bin were staring at us curiously. Bob, however, just proffered a half-disinterested “what?” and kept studying the sale produce. Not to be ignored—especially, apparently, by Bob—the apricot lady yelled to Bob again, this time even more loudly. “She’s making a tart,” trailing out the word tart as if it were a foul four-letter word.

I just stood there. What in the world? Had I wandered into some kind of Sterlingesque cultural minefield by admitting that I was making a tart? Was I being pranked? Candid Camera, maybe?

Or, wait! Was it me? I checked the strap of my purse to see if I was still wearing my Bernie button. Nope. I was clean. No triggers there.

Or, wait–again! Maybe it was just her. Maybe road rage has found its nasty way into the produce aisles, reducing one of our last areas of semi-civility to dust. Or, maybe she just needed a hug…or an apricot.

Whatever. I tied the little twisty tops onto my bags of apricots and ducked into the anonymity of the check-out line. (What? You thought I was going to leave the apricots behind just because I was being harrangued by a stranger? Blue Cayenne had a post deadline! I can be one tough cookie when I need to.)

As I drove home, I made it a point to refocus upon my plan to bake the beautiful apricot tart recipe I had bookmarked in David Lebovitz’s book, Ready for Dessert, and to write a bit about the glories of beautiful apricots. I’d gotten my groove back.

Here is that part of my post.

After I had enjoyed every moment of baking the tart–It is superb, by the way– I started doing a little more research on apricots. Did you know that, fragile as they are, apricots have been around for thousands of years, probably first being cultivated in China and Central Asia? Or that thereafter, they were carried across the Eurasian steppe by what one writer colorfully described as bands of “nomadic, horseback-riding tribesman?” I didn’t know that but reading the history of apricots set me to musing; can’t you just picture rough-and-tumble warriors, pockets packed with apricots, bare-chested except for tight little leather vests…  Nevermind.

Apricots are called a lot of names around the world—golden apples, Armenian plums, The Precocious One, yellow plums and on and on. They’ve also insinuated themselves into colloquial expressions. There is an absolutely wonderful Turkish expression that goes like this: “It doesn’t get better than an apricot in Damascus.” (Translation: You can’t show me anything better than that!)

The Persians have an apricot saying, too. When someone makes an improbable boast, the sarcastic response is sometimes, ” when the apricots bloom…” or, “Tomorrow there will be apricots.”  The apricot expression is the Persian equivalent of  “when pigs fly.”

Lest you dismiss my promise of a great apricot tart recipe with references to apricots blooming tomorrow, here it is– and it’s a delicious gem of a recipe, too. Worth the wait.

Me? I’m going back to buy more apricots tomorrow. I’ve found an Ottolenghi recipe for Poached Apricots with Pistachios and Amaretto Cream that I just can’t wait to try.  Tell you the truth, though, I’m really hoping not to run into that downer of an apricot lady again. If I do, maybe I’ll try telling her the one about the nomadic, horseback-riding tribesmen.

Apricot-Almond Paste Tart

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Ingredients

Dough
• 1 C. flour
• 1/2 C. sliced unblanched almonds
• 1/4 C. granulated sugar
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/2 C. cold unsalted butter (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 large egg yolk
Filling
• 1/2 C. flour
• 1/3 C. packed light brown sugar
• 3 ounces almond paste (crumbled)
• 1/4 C. sliced unblanched almonds
• 4 T. cold unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 12-14 fresh ripe apricots (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1/4 C. granulated sugar (more to sprinkle on top of the finished tart if the apricots are less-than-sweet)
• Chopped fresh apricots for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare a tart pan by greasing it lightly.
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Make the dough in your food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process 1 cup of flour, 1/2 C. sliced almonds, 1/4 C. granulated sugar and the salt until the nuts are finely ground. Pulse the chilled butter pieces into the flour mixture and continue to process until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Now, add the egg yolk and process until the dough just begins to come together and form clumps.
4. Remove the dough from your processor and press it into the bottom of your tart pan with your fingers. Try to get the dough evenly distributed in the tart pan and be sure to push some of the dough up the sides of the pan so that your tart will have a pretty edge. Cover the tart pan with plastic wrap and let the dough chill in your refrigerator for at least an hour. The dough will feel fairly firm when you remove it from the refrigerator. Once removed from the refrigerator, use the tines of your fork to poke holes into the bottom of the tart shell. Make about a dozen holes. Bake the tart shell in your 400 degree F. oven for about 20 minutes. If the shell begins to puff up while baking, press the dough down with the back of a heat-proof spatula. When the tart shell is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.
5. Decrease oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
6. Use the same food processor with the same metal blade for making the filling. There is no need to clean the bowl. Process together 1/2 C. flour, brown sugar, almond paste and 1/4 C. sliced almonds until you can see that the almond paste is broken into fine pieces in the flour mixture. Add 4 T. chilled butter and process the mixture until the butter pieces have begun to break down. The butter pieces should now be about the size of peas. Set aside but move quickly to put the tart together.
7. Prepare your fresh apricots by halving and pitting them and slicing them into 1/2-inch slices. Toss the sliced apricots into a bowl with the cornstarch and 1/4 C. sugar (or a bit more if your apricots aren't particularly sweet).
8. Spread the apricot slices (now softening in the sugar/cornstarch mixture) evenly in the bottom of the tart pan. You wil want to include as much of the cornstarch and sugar mixture that is now clinging to your apricots in your pie. The cornstarch will thicken the apricot juices so that your pie won't be runny. The sugar will diminish any excessive tartness in the apricots.
9. Sprinkle the almond/flour mixture over the apricots that you have now arranged in the tart shell. Using your hands, be sure the crumbly almond/flour mixture is distributed evenly on top of the apricots.
10. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is beginning to brown. This will take about 30 minutes. Watch your tart carefully at the end of baking. You don't want your crust to burn. Remove your tart from the oven and let it cool to allow the fruit juices to thicken and to make it easier to cut neat slices to serve your guests..
11. This tart is best served warm or at room temperature and would be spectacular with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream.

7.8.1.2

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https://bluecayenne.com/apricots

You can buy Lebovitz’ book at Amazon. Here is the link: Amazon.

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Dear Meghan.

You are one lucky girl. Movie star good looks. Handsome prince. Loaded grandmother-in-law.

But why didn’t you put that elegant little foot down and insist on a real cake for your wedding? What was it with that frou-frou elderflower cake anyhow?

I know., I know. You rejected the traditional British wedding cake–the dreaded fruit cake–for a cake with organic lemons, castle-grown elderflowers and cascades of elegant flowers. Good move on that one. But, still…

I know that whole tradition “thing” must have been a powerful pressure on you and Harry in picking your cake. Someone probably started out by showing you a photo of the Queen’s cake in 1947. Whoa!

And, then, of course, there was Princess Diana’s cake for her marriage to (ugh!) Charles. Sadly, that marriage had so many things going against it from the very beginning, not the least of which was that sterile-looking wedding cake baked by the head baker for the British Naval Armed Services. If I was into conspiracy theories, I would wonder if Camilla had a hand in the cake design. Just sayin…

So, I ask you, what better way would there have been to assert your American independence than by insisting upon the quintessential American cake, the banana cake, for your wedding? Surely, the queen must have had some overripe bananas sitting around the kitchens of Windsor Castle and I’m sure that people all across America would have sent you their overripe bananas for the cake. I know I would have. It would have been a slam dunk.

But that is all, as they say, water under the (London) bridge. Your wedding was beautiful.

In any event, here is a great banana cake recipe. New brides always enjoy experimenting with recipes in their modest first homes. You’ll probably be the only one baking banana cake at Kensington Palace and it’s always nice to have something sweet on hand when the Queen stops by unexpectedly with the corgis.

Give Harry a hug.

Dear Megan. It shoulda been banana cake.

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Ingredients

Cake
• 4 T. unsalted butter (softened)
• 1/4 C. vegetable oil
• 1 C. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 C. mashed bananas
• 3/4 C. yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 2 1/4 C. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
Icing
• 1/2 C. cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 1/2 C. powdered sugar
• 2-4 T. milk
• Chopped walnuts (roasted) for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat butter, vegetable oil and sugar together in a large bowl. (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer.) You want the butter mixture to be light and fluffy when it is properly mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until the eggs are well-incorporated into the mixture.
3. Add the mashed banana, yogurt, vanilla and cinnamon to the butter mixture and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the batter.
4. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt) together with a whisk to be sure the ingredients are well-distributed in the mixture. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and beat until everything is well-combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl occasionally.
5. Grease a bundt pan and pour the batter into the pan.
6. Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes. Your cake will be done when a long skewer can be inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, invert the cake over a rack and let it cool completely.
8. Meanwhile, make your icing. Mix the cream cheese and the powdered sugar. Stir in enough milk to make the icing thin enough to drizzle over the cake. Pour the icing over the top of the cake after the cake has thoroughly cooled.
9. Decorate with chopped roasted walnuts.

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https://bluecayenne.com/dear-megan-it-shoulda-been-banana-cake

This recipe is adapted from one that appears on the King Arthur Flour website. Here is the link: KAF Banana Cake.

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I was reminded of Paul Simon’s iconic hit as I was making banana bread the other day. I’m quickly finding that there are at least fifty ways to make the sweet treat. (If you want to relive a bit of Paul Simon’s performance of Fifty Ways in the Central Park Concert while you make your banana bread, here is a link: Paul Simon. Watch out, though.You’ll be singing it for the rest of the day.)

I know that I recently posted a banana bread recipe.

Bear with me.

There is a new development on the banana bread front that you will definitely want to look at if you are a banana bread diva (or divo).

Believe it or not, King Arthur Flour’s site has posted a template that allows you to fill in the ingredients you want to put into your banana bread and the site then calculates the proper amount you’ll need of each ingredient. You can find the link here. Is that cool or what?

Also, I’ve found a new banana bread recipe I want to share. Actually, it is banana banana bread. (No. That’s not a typo.) It really IS banana banana bread. (This recipe is adapted from one you’ll find on the Genius Kitchen site here .)

I confess that the recipe did pique my interest because of the repetitive title. Grammarians have a term for this type of repetitive use of words. It’s contrastive focus reduplication. (You know grammarians. They have to make things sound hard!) Using this construction, the double mention of banana gives emphasis to the strength of the banana ingredient in the bread. It’s not just banana bread. It’s banana banana bread!  If you want to throw this bit of grammatical trivia around at your next dinner party, be my guest. Really cool cool grammarians us the term CR, by the way.

You don’t need to be coy about making this banana bread recipe.  It’s really good.

Banana Banana Bread

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Ingredients

For the Bread
• 1/4 pound cool butter (1 stick)
• 3/4 C. dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs (at room temperature)
• 2 1/2 C. very ripe bananas (about 5)
• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
For The Topping
• 3 T. chopped walnuts
• 1 T. granulated or coarse sugar
• 1/8 t.cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan. You can line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment to ensure that it will come out of the pan easily after baking.
2. Cream the butter in the mixer bowl of your stand mixer until the butter is light-colored and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating for about 2 more minutes. Add room-temperature eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after the addition of each egg. Mash the bananas and mix in the bananas. You only want small lumps of banana to remain in your batter after it is mixed.
3. Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt) together. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until all the ingredients are just combined. Pour batter into your prepared pan. Prepare topping and sprinkle it over the batter.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 65 minutes. The bread is done when you can insert a toothpick into the center of the bread and the toothpick comes out clean. If you have a digital baking thermometer, the internal temperature of the bread should read between 190-200 degrees F. when the bread is done.
5. When the banana bread is finished, remove the pan from the oven and let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes. After ten minutes, run a knife around the edges of the bread to make it easier to remove the bread from the pan and turn the bread out onto a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool completely.

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https://bluecayenne.com/banana-bread-nononono-its-banana-banana-bread