watermelon cooler

i woke up 

this morning

in the pink

peonies

bubble gum

flamingoes

preppy handbook

PINK

this refreshing cocktail

made with 

vodka
although

more wonka than warsaw

will put you

in the PINK too!

NOTE:  this takes a bit of forethought as it uses "homemade" watermelon vodka

 watermelon cooler

(printable recipe)

3 TBS watermelon vodka (recipe follows)

1 tsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup watermelon dice
1/2 lime
2 mint leaves
tonic water
ice
place watermelon, mint, sugar and lime in the bottom of a highball or old fashioned glass.  muddle until the lime has been completely juiced, the mint has begun to give off scent, yet the watermelon has not been pulverized.  add a few ice cubes and pour the watermelon vodka over.  add enough tonic water to fill the glass. give a good stir and serve.
watermelon vodka
1 1/2 cups watermelon candies (i used these)--but i believe jolly ranchers would work well too
3 cups vodka
place the candies in the bottom of a large jar.  add the vodka. let sit in a cool dark place for about 3 days or until the candies are dissolved (may take less time).  Use as desired.

caramel cake

warm and sticky

like a rainbow lolly half eaten. forgotten in the crease of the car seat.

three showers a day

couldn't keep me felling fresh

add to it

a severe case of chiggers

itchy feet

my face swollen to near paralysis

and

you find yourself

smack dab in the middle of one of my favorite food moments

Mississippi 2010-Hubster's Family Reunion

I had been obsessed about caramel cake since reading about Minnie's version of it, in the novel The Help. It is a beautifully written story about fictitious people, weaving through real life. It was captivating.  Almost as captivating as its descriptions of food.

I can't help myself.

I spent the whole "girl with the dragon tattoo" trilogy wondering if people in Sweden actually eat that many sandwiches.

but i digress

Hubster and I were mid-stop in our three week southern states roadtrip, when we hit Mississippi.  I had long forgotten my barbecue binges in Texas and my creole cravings in New Orleans. We were crossing the state line, and i needed caramel cake.

As we drove through some of the most beautiful country

green as the hills of Ireland

with scattered towns

population- merely a blip
I frantically dug through travel books/notes/the web, looking for a bakery, or a sign

touting

BEST CARAMEL CAKE EVER!

nothin'

We were in Mississippi for a family reunion, not a cake walk.  So, I settled in. 

Kind of

  Not really

About 3 days in, the men went golfing.  The remainder of the family was doing other things. I'm not sure, I didn't ask, I was on a mission. I spent an hour that morning with one last ditch effort, searching the web.
i spotted it

A place called Buck's One Stop in Calhoun City

a mere 70 miles away

I'm from Los Angeles. It takes and hour to go 15 miles.  70 miles on open roads? Total breeze

The GPS was slightly off and took me to a dead end street, in a not so friendly neighborhood.  I thought to myself, this is the South, it could be that Buck was making cakes in his garage.  It could happen.  I almost knocked on the door, then thought better of it.  Because I was alone and without cell coverage, I figured i'd best to make one more pass down main street.

no buck's one stop

no buck anything

I did, however, happen upon a parking lot crowded with cars.  A make-shift sign on the front door of the building named the place Bubba T's.  It seemed nice. Actually, it seemed like a community center, possibly serving meals to the homeless.

Really hearty meals of richly smoked meats and slow braised greens

 in an all you can eat fashion

self portioned,

from a modge podge of steam pans

I got in line

Wondering if perhaps, this wasn't an invitation only, memorial luncheon for Bubba T.

I gathered my courage while filling my plate, silently practicing my lines and voice inflection.  The minute I opened my mouth, I was a tell.  Not from around here, certainly not Bubba's kin.  Thankfully, I noticed a small cashier's sign in the far corner of the room. Behind the register sat the most adorable priscilla presley circa 1968 look alike. while she tallied my bill,  we made small talk. yes, i am from out of town, yes, it is hot enough for me, no, i don't need napkins. 

And then I did it. I asked if she knew Buck's One Stop. Her reply, "Yep. The Texaco. You need gas?" First of all, I was standing there, paying for a loaded plate of food, including some sort of pudding-I wasn't going to admit I was looking for more food.  Secondly, I was embarrassed.  Embarrassed that I had driven 70 miles to buy cake I had read about in a book and that I may or may not have crashed a funeral lunch. So, I lied.

Yes, I need gas

I almost didn't stop at the Texaco which, by the way, was no longer Buck's, it had been sold to Mark. But in the spirit of optimism, I held out hope. I've experienced great food at truck stops in Italy, it could happen in Calhoun City.

Nearly a full year has passed yet that day remains an indelible memory.  I can see the patrons, hear the sounds, feel the arctic blast of air rushing me like a wave as i opened the grimy gas station door.  At first glance it looked like every road-side station snack shop--cigarettes, candy, gum, chips. 

And then

I saw it

I felt like Tony Orlando, but instead of yellow ribbons, I saw cakes and pies.

Right there, in the Texaco station, in the township of Calhoun City, population 1770, were the most beautiful, freshly baked cakes I had ever laid eyes on. Including, the object of my obsession.

caramel cake

sky high and drenched in icing

a single slice

flanked by

strawberry cake and coconut cream pie
Behind the counter was the proprietress, amply bosomed, kind-faced and seemingly unaware that people drive miles for her confections. As she and I locked eyes over the counter, my heart sank.  Just one piece remaining. A generous slice, but a single slice, none-the-less.  How was I going to eat the slice of cake while still sharing it with others? Apparently,my lips were moving and I was muttering it out loud.  To which the nice lady gave me a great big smile and pointed at a floor to ceiling shelving unit, stacked with pink boxes.

pink boxes of cake

My heart jumped. I may have shed a tear. I think I giggled a bit.  I was prepared to sell my soul. And had this been Los Angeles, I might have had to.  Because I walked out of there with 2 whole cakes--one caramel, one strawberry--an additional slice of each (for tasting purposes), and maybe some pie. I'm not exactly admitting to the pie. I'm just saying, they sold pie too.

My version of caramel cake tastes pretty close to what I remember from Calhoun City.  It combines a tender crumb white cake with a rich and sugary poured icing.

  Caramel Cake

(printable recipe)

white velvet butter cake

from rose levy birnbaum

4 oz egg whites--room temperature

1 cup whole milk--divided--room temperature

2 1/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs + 1 tsp baking powder

12 Tbs unsalted butter-room temperature

1/4 tsp kosher salt (my addition)

In a mixer combine all the dry ingredients, and mix for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix until the flour gets crumbly. Stir in 1/4 cup of the milk and bring the speed to medium high and beat for about 30 seconds.  In a bowl, stir together the egg whites, milk and vanilla.  Add to the dry ingredients in 3 additions, scraping down the sides and beating for about 5-10 seconds after each addition. Do not over mix, but make sure it is all incorporated.  Pour into 2-7" cake tins, which you have parchment lined and greased.   smooth the batter and bake in a preheated 350 oven for approximately 35 minutes.  Bake until a tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn over onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Slice each round into two horizontally to make 4 layers total.

Caramel Icing

2 cups light brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

2 Tbs real maple syrup

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Bring brown sugar, butter, milk, maple syrup and salt to a simmer.  Simmer just until the sugar is no longer grainy, don't let it boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla, stirring constantly.  Allow to cool just slightly...so that it isn't scorching hot, but nicely warm.  Whisk in powdered sugar.  You have to work fast, this will set up rather quickly.  Pour icing on each layer as you stack it, you don't want it to completely pour over the sides, but it can drip over without issue.  once all the layers are set, pour the remaining icing over the top using a ladle.  use the bottom of the ladle to coax the icing over the sides to cover completely.

sprinkle pecans on top

*full disclosure

i love this frosting, so i make 1 batch and allow it to cool a bit, then spread like frosting between the layers. this gives me a bit thicker layer of filling.  i then make a second batch and completely bathe the cake in it. it is my preferred method...but 1 batch of icing will work as well.

fennel and watermelon crudo

 

  sometimes

i like to ease into my supper

as if 

it is a hammock

rather than 

an overstuffed chair

this crudo 

 a first course

to an 

early spring meal

celebrates

fennel's season's end

where

watermelon's begins

fennel and watermelon crudo

(printable recipe)

1 fennel bulb--thinly sliced

1/4 of a small sweet watermelon--thinly sliced

2 oz feta cheese

fresh mint leaves

aged balsamic vinegar

arrange the fennel and watermelon slices on your serving plate

crumble feta cheese over the top 

add the mint leaves and drizzle with balsamic vinegar

*if you use fresh local seasonal ingredients, you will not need to do much to this and it will be juicy, sweet and delicious

prepping the drink

we love our garden

and spend countless hours

tilling soil

dead heading roses

training vines

adjusting drip lines

repairing bird houses

and

tending to our bees

however

we are in the mountains

which makes our

season

really short

and

slightly tenuous

snow seems to fall at its whim

scorching blossoms

with a cool blast

as a result

what we harvest

is

revered

i prepare and preserve

everything

very little is wasted

speaking of wasted

this year

we are trying something new

liqueurs and elixirs

are 

one of my true loves

 lucky girl that i am

my other true love

humors my every whim

which is how we found ourselves

on a beautiful spring day

perched on ladders

wiring

bottles

to our pear tree

we picked through the tree

like it was a rummage sale

for the perfect 

barely formed pear-on a just the right size branch

once discovered

we removed the leaves 

gently plied the bottle up the branch

and

tied it off

and crossed our fingers

if all goes as planned

a beautiful pear

will grow

in 

each bottle

it will then be preserved

with pear soaked brandy

blood orange caramel sauce

honestly

i don't know how much more i can do

with these bloody oranges

i have

sugared and squeezed them

turned them into jam, jelly and marmalade

rendered them drunk with vodka

tossed them in salads

lifted the flavor of cakes

and 

eaten them out of hand

and now 

i have boiled them into a golden-sticky-sugary delight

so delicious

that i am going to crown myself

the caramel queen

of

orange grove

 blood orange caramel sauce

(printable recipe)

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup blood orange juice

2 Tbs unsalted butter--room temperature

1 cup heavy cream--room temperature

place the sugar, salt and orange juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat.  bring to 275F for 3 full minutes.  quickly add the butter and cream.  be careful as it will boil up and spatter.  stir to combine and bring back to the heat.  cook to 225F while stirring constantly, letting it sit at that temperature for a full 3 minutes. remove from heat and allow to cool.  use while still slightly warm, or at room temperature. keep in refrigerator for approximately 3 weeks...if it lasts that long!

great over ice cream or in your morning tea

more recipes using blood oranges
arancello
sugared orange tea cake
sugared oranges

pistachio blancmange

10 years ago

more or less

i was a successful executive

living the dream

you know the one

where every aspect of your life

is a tax write-off

because

you

.

have

.

no

.

life

evenings were spent

dreaming about my dreams

swaying on the back of a pachyderm 

floating in rivers

briny air and olives of the mediterranean

french sweets and moroccan spices

a day of rest

that was another lifetime

one which inspires gratitude

because 

you can't know

sweet

until you know

salty

this gorgeous blancmange

handles them both

with grace

pistachio blancmange

(printable recipe)

1 ½ cup pistachios, toasted and skins removed

1 ¾ cup whole milk

1/8 tsp almond extract

 generous pinch kosher salt

1 ¾ tsp unflavored gelatin

2 Tbs cold water

½ cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream—whipped to soft peaks

place pistachios and milk in a blender and blend for a full 2 minutes.  line a sieve with a damp kitchen towel or cheesecloth and pour pistachio milk into it. squeeze out milk and discard solids.  stir in almond extract and pinch of salt.

sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand 1 minute.

 in a saucepan over medium heat, heat milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  add gelatin and stir until it is dissolved, do not overheat.  remove from heat and cool until just thickened.  fold in whipped cream. spoon into serving dishes.  let chill minimum of 6 hours, or overnight.

you may wish to decorate with silver leaf, ground pistachios or ground almonds

blood orange arancello

you'd think
that living in
near terminal sunshine
with
air naturally scented in citrus
would lead a gal
to
evenings on the porch stoop
knees touching elbows
slowly peeling an orange
while
wistfully remembering
her
 first
 love

but
i'm no rube
a blood orange tree
weeping under the weight of its fruit
is meant to be

arancello
which among other things
is
more lustful
than
wistful

arancello

made with blood oranges 

(can be made with any type of orange)

(printable recipe)

4-5 blood oranges--washed and dried

3-4 cardamom pods--crushed (optional)

4 cups grain alcohol (everclear) or vodka

3 cups water

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup blood orange juice-strained

3 Tbs honey

remove the peel from the oranges using a vegetable peeler. be careful to avoid any white pith.  place in a sterilized glass jar or crock.  add the cardamom pods, if using.  pour in the alcohol and cover tightly.

place in a cool dark cupboard for a minimum of 2 weeks and as long as a couple of months

juice the oranges and reserve 1/2 cup in a freezer safe container. freeze for use in the next step of the process.

after 2 weeks or longer, your mixture should look like this

strain to remove the peels and the cardamom seeds

pour liquid into a larger jar

stir together 3 cups of water, 3 cups of sugar, defrosted 1/2 cup orange juice and honey into a saucepan. heat over medium heat, stirring periodically, until the sugars are dissolved and liquid is clear. allow to cool then pour into the strained alcohol.  taste to make sure it is as sweet as you like. if you like a bit more sweetness, make a mixture of equal parts sugar and water and add until you get your desired taste.  cover jar and place in the cool dark cupboard for another 7-10 days.

you may also bottle it at this time and allow the bottles to sit for 7-10 days before using.  this is not critical...you can drink it now, it just gets better with age.  after the waiting period, store in the refrigerator or freezer and serve cold.

you may have seen this previously on 504Main--she featured my recipe in the month of April