Blue Cayenne

Lemon-Spice Visiting Cake

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Ingredients

• Butter and flour for the pan
• 1 1/2C. (204 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 t. baking powder
• 1 t. ground cardamom
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1/2 t. fine sea salt
• 1 1/4 C. (250 grams) sugar
• 1 large lemon (I used the zest from two medium-sized lemons)
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 1/2 C. (120 ml) heavy cream (at room temperature)
• 1 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 5 1/2 T. (77 grams) unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 1/3 C. marmalade (melted)
• 1/2 t. water

Instructions

1. Preheat oen to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter and dust a 8 1/2-inch loaf pan with flour.
3. Melt butter and let it cool. Set it aside.
4. Whisk 1 1/2 C. flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
5. Combine sugar and the grated zest of one or two lemons in a medium bowl. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until the oil from the zest makes the sugar moist and aromatic. Whisk eggs into the sugar mixture. (Add the eggs one at a time and whisk each time until the egg is fully incorporated.) Whisk in 3 T. lemon juice. Whisk in the heavy cream.
6. Slowly, add in the dry ingredients in two additions to the sugar mixture. (Use a whisk to do this.)
7. Add vanilla extract to the melted butter you prepared at the beginning of this recipe. Gradually mix this butter mixture into the batter. Your batter will be thick and glossy.
8. Scrape the prepared batter into your buttered and flour-dusted loaf pan.
9. Bake your cake on the center rack of your oven for 70 to 75 minutes. (I set my loaf pan on an insulated cookie sheet for double protection against over-cooking the bottom of the cake.) When it is done, a tester pushed deep into the center of the cake will come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake rest for about 5 minutes in the pan. After five minutes, run a blunt knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. (Be careful here to be sure that the cake is fully releasing from the bottom of the loaf pan.) Invert the cake onto a rack on your counter and then turn the cake over.
10. Melt the marmalade with the 1/2 t. water to make a glaze. Brush the cake with the glaze. Let it cool completely.
11. Let the cake cool completely for at least 2 hours before you cut it.
12. Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl.

Nutrition

Calories

3130 cal

Fat

135 g

Carbs

453 g

Protein

48 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Yields 8 Servings

Artichoke Torta

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Ingredients

• Fine Sea salt
• 2 pounds baby artichoke hearts (I used Trader Joe's frozen artichoke heart quarters)
• Unsalted butter
• 1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra as needed)
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 3 large garlic cloves (minced)
• 1/4 t. freshly-ground black pepper (plus extra to taste)
• 1/2 C. fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (chopped)
• 1 t. dried Italian seasoning or plain oregano
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 C. plain coarse fresh breadcrumbs
• 7 large eggs
• 1 C. freshly-grated parmesan cheese (approximately 2 ounces)

Instructions

1. Defrost the frozen artichokes and toss them in as much melted unsalted butter as your conscience will allow.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Add 1/4 C. olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Sauté the onion until it is translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic to the onion mixture and sauté for a minute. Add artichokes, 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper to the pan with the onions. Add parsley, Italian seasoning and nutmeg to the artichoke mixture and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
4. Using olive oil, brush the bottom of your baking dish. (You will want to use a 2 to 2 1/2 quart baking dish for this recipe.) Pour 1/2 C. breadcrumbs into your baking dish and shake the dish to evenly distribute the crumbs on the bottom of the dish. Set the prepared dish aside.
5. Using a large bowl, whisk the 7 eggs, 1/4 t. salt and a grind of pepper together. Gradually add the cooled artichoke mixture to the whisked eggs. (Be careful here, if your artichoke mixture is too hot it will cook the eggs.) Add 1/2 C. breadcrumbs and all the the parmesan to this mixture.
6. Pour the artichoke batter into your prepared baking dish and spread it out to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 C. breadcrumbs over the top of the artichoke batter and drizzle some olive oil over the crumbs. The addition of the olive oil will cause the crumbs to crisp in your oven.
7. Bake until the crumbs are lightly brown and the eggs are set. This will take 35 to 45 minutes. (You can use a toothpick to check the eggs for doneness.) When your torta is done, let it sit on your counter for at least 10 minutes before serving.
8. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan.
9. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories

503 cal

Fat

37 g

Carbs

17 g

Protein

21 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Yields 6 to 8

Mashed Potato Salad with Scallions and Herbs

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds red potatoes or small white creamers (cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks)
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (plus more juice for serving)
• 2 t. minced fresh rosemary
• 1 t. fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
• Dash or two of hot sauce (or to taste)
• 1/3 C. extra-virgin olive oil (with more to drizzle over the top of the salad)
• 6 T. mayonnaise
• 4 T. sour cream
• 3/4 T. Dijon mustard (or to taste)
• 1/2 C. thinly-sliced scallions (white and green pats)
• 1/4 C. chopped parsley
• 2 T. chopped basil or dill
• Tomato rose for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook potatoes in salted water until tender. This will take 15-20 minutes. Drain.
2. Whisk lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, salt, pepper and hot sauce in a large mixing bowl. When the salt is dissolved, whisk in olive oil, mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard.
3. Add chopped potatoes to the dressing while the potatoes are still warm and carefully mix to coat the potatoes. Mixing the potatoes with the dressing while they are warm will enhance the potato's ability to absorb the flavor of the dressing. Once this is done, mash about 1/4 of the potatoes. Stir the mashed potatoes to mix them with the remaining potato chunks. Fold in scallions and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt, lemon juice, hot sauce and olive oil to your taste. Garnish with chopped basil or chopped dill.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.