Tag: Blue Cayenne

Woo-hoo! Blue Cayenne is FIVE!

Woo-hoo! Blue Cayenne is FIVE!

  Break out the champagne and the party whistles. Cue the birthday music. Blue Cayenne is five! Who knew! I certainly didn’t. When I clicked “post” that first time five years ago, it was with no small amount of trepidation. Would anyone read my posts?…

A Salad Obsession: Me, Samin Nosrat and Via Carota’s Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

A Salad Obsession: Me, Samin Nosrat and Via Carota’s Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

This is a very good vinaigrette. Glorious, in fact. The hot new chef, Samin Nosrat, featured this salad dressing recipe in a recent New York Times Magazine food piece titled “Best Green Salad in the World.”  That kind of high praise made me think this…

Caramelized Pear Upside Down Spice Cake

Caramelized Pear Upside Down Spice Cake

It’s a beauty!

I shared this cake with my friend Gene. He was “baching it” while his wife, Sarah, was having surgery. Cooking is not his thing. Gardening is.

The other day he confided in me that he portioned the cake out so that he could enjoy it for as long as possible. I love it when people enjoy the food I prepare. That, for me, is one of the true joys of cooking.  Gene is one of the kindest and most decent people I know, so I particularly appreciated his remarks.

This is a very moist cake with not only pears cooked decoratively into the brown sugar and butter topping but also with a generous amount of grated pears incorporated into the cake batter. If pears are your thing, this cake has it all.

And then there are the spices! Lots of them.  The ginger in the cake, both in ground form and as finely-chopped candied ginger, is particularly good.

Caramelized Pear Upside Down spice Cake
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Ingredients

  • 6 T. unsalted butter
  • 3/4 C. packed light brown sugar
  • 6 Bosc pears (peeled and cored and divided)
  • 1 1/3 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 C. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 t. ground cardamom
  • 1/4 t. freshly-grated nutmeg
  • 1 t. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. ground ginger
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. sea salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 t. orange zest
  • 3 T. finely-chopped candied ginger
  • 1 t. vanilla bean paste
  • 1/2 C. vegetable oil
  • Whipped heavy cream for serving
  • Raspberries for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, melt the butter in the pan. As soon as the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter.
  2. Prepare the pears. Peel the pears. Grate two Bosc pears into a bowl and set aside. Quarter the remaining four pears and thinly slice them. Arrange the sliced pears on top of the brown sugar in the cast iron skillet in a circular pattern. (I was using large Bosc pears and did not use all of the pear slices on top of my cake.)
  3. Mix flour, sugar, spices, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and whisk. Set aside.
  4. Add eggs, orange zest, candied ginger, vanilla and vegetable oil to the bowl with the grated pears and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to this bowl and stir the mixture just until it is combined.
  5. Spread the batter evenly over the sliced pears in the cast iron skillet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 40 minutes. When your cake is done, a skewer inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean and the cake will be springy to the touch. The finished cake will be moist, particularly on the day it is baked.
  6. Leaving the cake in the skillet, cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to ease removing it from the skillet. Carefully invert the skillet over a serving platter and the cake should come out of the pan easily. (Remember that the cast iron skillet is pretty heavy.) Garnish with fresh raspberries.
  7. Serve at room temperature with a generous dollop of heavy whipped cream. Enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories

4208 cal

Fat

187 g

Carbs

670 g

Protein

30 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
7.8.1.2
186
https://bluecayenne.com/caramelized-pear-upside-down-spice-cake

This cake is adapted from one that was taught in a holiday dessert workshop at Sur La Table. Their classes are wonderful!

Beyonce and Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Beyonce and Cream Cheese Banana Bread

We are enjoying the first glorious days of spring here in Southern California. Plants are budding and the sweet little birds are singing their sweet little songs. I have a Black Phoebe in my backyard who is entertaining me and Juliet with  swoops and other…

Wow! Savory Cauliflower Cake

Wow! Savory Cauliflower Cake

This one’s a keeper. On my first taste, I knew that this cauliflower cake would be a party dish on my table. I’m pretty picky about what I serve my guests but this beautiful dish is that good. Love at first bite, I guess. This…

Bailey’s Irish Cream Poundcake

Bailey’s Irish Cream Poundcake

 

 

May you have rye bread to do you good,
Wheaten bread to sweeten your blood,
Barley bread to do you no harm
And oatmeal bread to strengthen your arm.

…and a wee bit of Bailey’s Irish Cream.

 

Wishing you a happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Bailey’s Irish Cream Poundcake
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Ingredients

    For the Cake:
  • 1 C. unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 C. light brown sugar
  • 1/2 C. granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 1/4 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. fine sea salt
  • 1/2 C. Irish cream liqueur
  • For the Glaze:
  • 1 1/4 C. confectioners' sugar
  • 3 T. Irish cream (or more as needed-I used more to get a pouring consistency)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare a 9-inch loaf pan by spraying it with non-stick spray and dusting it with a bit of flour.
  2. Cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time while running the mixer at medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after the addition of each egg. This should take about 30 seconds for each egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Slowly, add this dry mixture to the butter mixture in your mixer bowl and mix until the dry mixture is fully incorporated. This will only take about 30 seconds. Add the Irish Cream and mix on low to combine for about 15 seconds more.
  4. Pour your batter into the loaf pan you have prepared and spread it so that it makes an even layer.
  5. Bake cake at 350 degrees F. for 55 to 65 minutes. When your cake is done, a skewer inserted in the center of the cake will come out clean. (I baked my cake for about 60 minutes. For the last few minutes, I put a piece of foil over the top of the cake to keep it from getting too done on top.)
  6. Set cake on your counter to cool for about 10 minutes and then unmold it onto a wire rack to cool completely before applying the glaze.
  7. To make the glaze, mix confesioners' sugar and Irish Cream until you have the glaze at the consistency you want for your cake. Pour the glaze over the cake and let it cool.
  8. Cook's Note: I covered my cooked cake in plastic wrap and let it sit over night. Both the texture and the flavor of the cake were better on the second day. This cake dries out very quickly. Be sure to keep it tightly wrapped.

Nutrition

Calories

3731 cal

Fat

186 g

Carbs

509 g

Protein

23 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
7.8.1.2
182
https://bluecayenne.com/baileys-irish-cream-poundcake

 

This recipe is adapted from one that appeared in the NYT. Here is the link: NYT Irish Cream Poundcake.

A Belated Happy New Year: Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables and Noodles

A Belated Happy New Year: Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables and Noodles

Happy Year of the Pig. I’m a bit late cooking for Chinese New Year. Life got in the way.   Here is a wonderful stir fry served with noodles that I’m pretty sure you will enjoy. No pigs here, though, just a great melange of…

Pearl Couscous With Creamy Feta and Chickpeas

Pearl Couscous With Creamy Feta and Chickpeas

I’m loving this dish. Couscous has long been a staple food in North Africa’s Maghreb but it has become popular around the world in recent years. I remember discovering it on a long-ago trip to startlingly-beautiful and exasperatingly-strident  Morocco. Most of us here in the…

Happy Valentine’s Day: Apple Pie and Roses

Happy Valentine’s Day: Apple Pie and Roses

Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Roses.

These sweet little roses are made with apples, puff pastry, a wee bit of apricot jam and a smidge of creativity.

Trust me. You can do this. Despite looking intricate, these apple roses are a cinch to make and they make an impressive presentation for someone you care about.

To do Valentine’s Day right, you’ll need a poem to go with your apple roses. I’m partial to this one by Mary Oliver. I only have one rose bush in my yard, but, like Oliver, I’m pretty sure she sings when nobody’s listening.

 

Here is a video that explains how to do it: How To Make An Apple Rose.

Happy Valentine’s Day from the executive team here at Blue Cayenne. That would be me and Juliet.

 

Apple Roses
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Ingredients

  • 1 large sheet of defrosted puff pastry
  • 2 red apples ( cored but unpeeled and sliced very thin)
  • 3 T. apricot jam
  • 2 T. water
  • Granulated sugar (to taste)
  • Cinnamon (to taste)
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. This recipe is adapted from the one that appears in the video link above.
  2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. Roll out defrosted puff pastry on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the puff pastry into six to eight strips.
  4. Put the apricot jam and water into a heatproof bowl. Melt the apricot jam in your microwave for about 1 minute and brush each strip of puff pastry with the melted jam. Set aside.
  5. Microwave sliced apples in a bowl of water mixed with the juice of 1/2 lemon until the apples are partially cooked and pliable. Your apple won't roll properly if the apples aren't pliable. Perhaps my microwave is wimpy but, rather than the three minutes recommended in the video, I needed to microwave my apple slices for a little more than twice that amount of time. Drain the apples.
  6. Arrange sliced apples along the long side of a strip of puff pastry with the red peel facing out. Sprinkle the apples with the granulated sugar and the ground cinnamon. Fold half of the puff pastry strip over the apple slices. Roll the strip tightly and put your apple rose into the well of a muffin tin that has been sprayed with oil or greased with butter. Repeat until you have used all the strips.
  7. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 375 degrees F. Cool on your counter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. I'm thinking this would be wonderful served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition

7.8.1.2
178
https://bluecayenne.com/happy-valentines-day-apple-pie-and-roses

 
Yum

Oh My! Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Oh My! Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

You’ll want to treat yourself to this one! It’s decadently delicious. While applesauce cake has been around in America since colonial times, it became especially popular during WWI. In fact, it was considered downright patriotic to eat applesauce cake during the war. By foregoing the…