August 2020 – Cooking the Books

August 28, 2020

Cake and amaretto, let’s go!

The general state of the US, the Republican National Convention, and bars closing down again in Ames has got me thinking about booze. A lot.

Of course, now that I’m an old and immunocompromised, I haven’t seen the inside of a bar since I can’t remember when, but well enough before the pandemic hit Iowa that I can’t be sure of my last stop in my preferred ye olde saloon. The GOP, OTOH, is lately a constant source of making me think about the drink. (I thought about linking to separate articles for everything, but I don’t need the higher blood pressure or swollen liver.)

But I’m a baker at heart, and I have a blog to do, so I turned to my old favorite cookbook of “Booze Cakes” to find the perfect recipe for this week.

Though there are many wonderful recipes, few work in a little 9-inch skillet, and I’ve already made one this year.

I’ll admit to some initial skepticism about the amaretto cake. It was simple but not necessarily my idea of a great cake. I’ve never been happier to concede I was wrong.

I loved it. I loved it a lot.

I had an inkling it might be good when the mixture yielded a wonderfully spongy batter; I was a little more concerned when to cook it through the top was rather darkened. By the time I used my silicone spatula to loosen the cake from my Le Creuset and turn it onto a large plate, I was sold.

The topping of a boozy glaze (amaretto simmered with apricot jam!) and some toasted almond slices only made it better.

It also had the benefit of being a simple boozy cake. Just one layer. Mixed in a stand mixer. A simple glaze. Simmered for just a few minutes (a little longer for me because I was convinced the apricot pieces were just jelly that hadn’t broken down rather than the obvious pieces of fruit that they were).

All in all, a pretty great way to spend a bit of time away from news and in the comfort of a kitchen.

Here’s what I did, sticking to the recipe:

Ingredients

For the cake:

¾ c. (1 ½ stick) unsalted butter
¾ c. sugar
1 (7 oz.) tube almond paste
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
¼ c. amaretto liqueur
1 t. vanilla extract
3 eggs
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder

For the amaretto glaze:

2 T. apricot jam
¼ c. amaretto liqueur

For finishing:

¼ to ½ c. sliced almonds, toasted
Confectioners’ sugar, to desired level

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch coated skillet (or springform cake pan if you’re traditional).

For the cake, in a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar 3 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mix in almond paste, orange and lemon zests, amaretto, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, flour, and baking powder. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

For the glaze, in a saucepan over low heat, stir jam and amaretto together until smooth.

To finish, Unmold the cake onto a large plate or serving dish, pour glaze over the top. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy, perhaps even with an amaretto sour!

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020

Homemade beanie weenies, yes please-y

It was a close thing when our power was out after the derecho that I almost made this week’s recipe of homemade beanie weenies hobo-style on a campfire. My sweetie rightfully reasoned, however, that the canned food would keep; the hot dogs and other freezer meat wouldn’t.

We had the campfire (read: firepit) going and were T-minus about 20 minutes from having a meat feast when the branches were removed from our power lines and the refrigerator started running again. Many people haven’t been as lucky.

While I was slightly bummed I was spared from making this on open flame, especially since the recipe even called for a campfire dinner, I must admit that it was nice to have the power back, the ability to control the temperature on the stove, and use my fancy Le Creuset and not worry about ruining its beautiful lilac finish. So, I opted for an indoor dinner. Plus, fewer biting bugs were a bonus!

What I found is not only a delicious, if sorta trashy, meal but also my favorite baked beans recipe to date.

The meal, while it worked perfect for the little skillet, did not leave any room for leftovers, and was rather hot dog-y. However, I am considering doubling it up, so I can have a better beans to hot dogs ratio, and just more of these yummy beans.

The recipe was adapted from a Country Living recipe that just called for beans but had hot dogs with buns as part of the meal. Me, I saw hot dogs and beans and immediately knew I needed homemade beanie weenies. Frankly (pun most definitely intended), if we didn’t like it so much, there may have been leftovers.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
15 oz. can small white beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. molasses
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 t. red wine vinegar
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
6 hot dogs, cooked and sliced (I cooked them in oil in the Le Creuset before cooking the beans, but you can cook the hot dogs however you prefer)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a 9- to 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, garlic, molasses, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down. (I covered the skillet for part of the time to reserve some sauce, but I don’t think it was as necessary as I assumed it might be.)

Add the hot dogs, and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the hot dogs are reheated and the flavors have slightly combined.

Remove from heat. Stir in the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and enjoy!

August 14, 2020

Shelf-stability a plus for three-ingredient dinner

Well, this was a trying week, after weeks of trying weeks. My 2020 Bingo card did not have my first derecho on it, and it was not a welcome addition.

However, at this point, with no loss of life nor limb, no property destroyed, few groceries lost, and power restored, it’s quite easy for me to feel grateful for this week. Plus, I had so much unexpected free time to binge through my favorite lesbian necromancer fantasy series.

For those still suffering through the fallout from the storm, my thoughts are with you.

This week has also given me a new appreciation for having shelf-stable items in our pantry. Before the pandemic, I wasn’t a survivalist, and I am still not there yet, but I have been thinking more about being adaptable and having on-hand items that will keep. That’s part of what made this week’s recipe of three-ingredient (plus salt, optional) mac & cheese from Serious Eats such a draw.

It’s quick, it’s easy, and two of the three ingredients will last a very, very long time, and one will merely last a long time and is pretty easily replaced. Just keep some macaroni, or other small pasta, and some evaporated milk on your shelf, and some cheese in your fridge, and you’ll almost always have a dinner that takes just 10 minutes to make.

It is great.

Since I wanted to make it in my 9-inch skillet, I could only use half of the evaporated milk — which is as the recipe called for — but if you really wanted to double it, I’m sure it’d work in a larger skillet or Dutch oven.

The proportions are pretty easy to remember (though it helps to have a scale) as it’s 6 oz. each of the evaporated milk, dry pasta, and cheese, and a pinch of salt, plus some water to cover the pasta. The evaporated milk, for us, came in a 12 oz. can, so doubling would I assume/hope come up with 12 oz. of each, but only the 6 oz. amounts will fit in a 9-inch skillet.

Plus, since I made it twice, I did learn that you can either buy a block of cheddar (or other cheese) or buy pre-shredded cheese, and both work just as well. Though I only played with sharp cheddar, it does say you can use any other cheese that would melt down well.

It’s nothing fancy, obviously, but these days, simple and shelf-stable are so welcome.

Here’s what I did, following the recipe:

Ingredients

6 oz. evaporated milk
6 oz. shredded cheddar
6 oz. dry macaroni pasta
Pinch of salt, for boiling, optional
Pepper, for serving, optional
Water, to cover the pasta

Directions

In a 9- to 10-inch skillet, pour in the dry pasta, and add water to just cover the pasta. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt, if using. Bring to a boil over high heat, and continue to cook on high to medium-high heat, stirring often to prevent sticking, until the water is mostly evaporated and the pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes (another easy to remember number!).

Add the milk and bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the cheese, and cook until melted, and the sauce has cooked down, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Season with more salt, if desired, and pepper, to taste, and serve immediately and enjoy!

August 7, 2020

Treat yourself with some cobbler

I figured it’s the appropriate time of year to make a cobbler. In fact, I think it’s only because my sweetie now does the shopping for us that I haven’t stopped to stare at the summer produce and be reminded sooner.

Peach and blackberry cobbler ingredients.

Since I didn’t grow up with a family cobbler recipe—our desserts tended to be store-bought cookies—every time I make it, I go searching for anything that strikes my fancy. This time, I happened to be going through Taste of Home when I came across a recipe from an Iowan. (Yay!)

I was intrigued but was ultimately won over when the recipe included my two favorite summer fruits: peaches and blackberries (it was actually a berry mix but blackberries were listed first, and honestly, I just made it with blackberries).

Plus, it had cardamom, and I almost never have excuses to use this most exciting of spices.

I may have overdone it by adding a full 1 t. of cardamom when the recipe called for just ¼ t., but I *really* like it, so I didn’t mind and my sweetie has been enjoying bowlfuls for breakfast (don’t judge!) alongside me without complaint. My other adaptation was using lemon zest in place of orange zest in the topping, and that worked well for my tastes as well.

I also went ahead and used my Le Creuset that measures 9 in. not 10 in., as the recipe called for. It all fit like a charm, though the liquid did bubble over a little in the oven and we got the delightful aroma of burnt sugar. Not the worst deal but perhaps a 10 in. skillet is the wiser course.

There’s fruit underneath all that, I promise!

Here’s what I did, adapting slightly:

Ingredients

For the fruit mix

½ c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1 t. ground cinnamon
¼ to 1 t. ground cardamom, to taste
6 c. peaches (6 to 8 peaches), sliced
2 c. blackberries (about 12 oz./two small containers)
Juice from ½ lemon

For the topping

1 c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
¾ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
¼ t. baking soda
3 T. cold butter
¾ c. buttermilk
Vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and spices. Add the peaches, blackberries, and lemon juice. Toss to combine, and then transfer to a 9- to 10-inch cast iron skillet (10-inch probably preferred).

In a medium bowl, bring together the first six topping ingredients (flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, and baking soda). Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk, and stir until just moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls over the fruit mixture.

Bake uncovered until topping is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!