Chocolate Zucchini Bread

This time of year everyone has extra zucchini threatening to bust out of the produce bin!  Although most of our zucchini gets marinated in Italian dressing and grilled, we just can't eat it all.  I've already put up 10 cans of zucchini pickles (I most post this some time - they're way better then the cucumber variety), and I have a bag of zucchini fritters in the freezer, so it's time to break out the loaf pan and bake up some zucchini bread.

My usual zucchini bread is a savory version, since L is not a fan of sweet stuff.  If I can advert any major disasters and manage to photograph it decently I'll be bringing that one to you later.  Once in a while, I like to mix it up a little and see the sweeter side.  I often find sweet zucchini bread to be too dry or too dense and I often get bored with the obligatory spices that seem to be overused in all baking: cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.  Although I like to use these as showcase flavors on their own, I feel like they get lost in a generic "baked good" taste.  So instead of going the traditional route, why not use an ingredient that is at its best in in rich dense cakes, and pack it full of chocolate!  Sounds better already doesn't it?!  Then throw in some coffee to pump up the flavor and one unexpected spice to play a star role.  Moist and intensely chocolatey - now that's a sweet zucchini bread I can get into!'

Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Coffee and Cardamom

Cardamon is an acquired taste for some, so if it's not your thing I recommend substituting a tablespoon of spicy Saigon cinnamon instead.  A dash of cayenne with the cinnamon will make it a delectable Mexican chocolate cake.

2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp instant espresso granules
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional) **Edit** This amount is appropriate if you freshly grind the cardamom - if not use 1 full tsp
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup really good quality cocoa powder (I like Scharffen-Berger)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (summer squash also works well)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup chopped macademia nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a loaf pan.

Beat the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the oil, sugars, vanilla, espresso, cardamom and salt and mix well.  Sift in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Toss in zucchini, chocolate and nuts and stir to combine.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert to remove.  Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Bittersweet Summer

There are some combinations that just don't seem like they would work, but they're oh-so-good together.  Many of these feature chocolate - chocolate and chiles, chocolate and curry, chocolate and orange and so on.  But chocolate and pear?  Oh yes - it's so good!  This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen and made a great mother's day treat (yes I know I'm a bit behind).  It's chock-full of goodies but not super sweet.  Browning the butter adds a gorgeous nuttiness along with the richness from toasty pecans and a little tart background note from unsweetened dried cherries.

Brown Butter Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate and Pears

3 large slightly ripe (but still firm) red pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cherries, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
3/4 cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1-2 Tbsp all purpose flour

5 large eggs at room temperature
6 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp pecan or almond extract
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1-2 Tbsp cocoa powder (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter and flour a bundt pan, large springform pan or other suitable large baking dish.

Prepare the goodies by mixing the chopped pears, cherries, pecans and chocolate together and tossing with enough flour to coat.  The flour will help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake and will absorb some of the moisture from fresh pears.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, start whipping the eggs on high speed.  The goal is to get them very pale and thick so that they fall in a shiny ribbon from the beater.  This will take at least 5 minutes.

While they're whipping, melt the butter in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.  It will foam up and start to brown.  Stir it occasionally until it's a golden brown and smells nutty (usually 5-8 minutes on medium heat).  Remove from heat and cool.

In a sifter or mesh strainer, combine remaining flour, salt and baking powder.

Add the sugars to the eggs and continue to whip until the mixture just starts to lose volume.  Then turn the mixer to its lowest speed, sift in one third of the flour mixture, then add half the butter, repeat and then add the remaining flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

(optional) If you have a cute bundt pan like this sunflower one you can take a little bit of the batter and sift in some cocoa powder until it turns brown.  This batter can then be used at the bottom of the pan in sections that can benefit from some pattern.  For instance, it's been poured into the center well of the pan here.

Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the goodies on top.  They will sink down a bit as it bakes.   Baking times will vary depending on your pan so you'll have to experiment, but a bundt like this one took just about an hour.  Start checking after 40 minutes for thinner pans, 50 minutes for deep ones.  It's done when golden brown, springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top!

So I know I've been AWOL.  I don't have any excuse other than life happens.  It's been a rough few months, I've had to say goodbye to many of those dear to my heart, including 2 of my pets.  (P.S. - skip to the end of the post for a pic of our new puppy) And since life happens and my physical world will always take precedence over my digital world - I'm making no promises.  I will probably post lots of delicious things and then disappear again.  I have no lofty goals - I will continue to mostly maintain this site as a recipe database for myself and all of the friends who request the recipe when my treats show up at a barbeque or dinner party or at work.  I'd love for you to be part of that circle of friends.  So whatdaya say?  Will you take me back - please!  What if I say pretty please and literally put a cherry on top?

How bout if it's on top of a black forest cupcake?

Ah - I see that got your attention.  No one can resist a cupcake.  These little beauties are gracing the dessert table at a housewarming/barbeque tomorrow.    The chocolate cherry cake is from the original domestic goddess - Nigella herself.  Then I douse them in a cherry syrup and swirl on some cherry cream cheese frosting before the final flourish - a ripe, local Bing cherry right on top (pitted of course - right next to the stem so that it's hidden).  I used a tripled version of this recipe (and a doubled frosting recipe) to feed lots of hungry folk- but I'm giving you the one that makes a dozen cupcakes (actually maybe two or three more - I got 42 cupcakes when I tripled it).  One caution - these will not bake evenly and come out as beautifully if you overfill the cups or try to bake 2 dozen in the oven at once.  I learned the hard way!

Black Forest Cupcakes

Chocolate Cherry Cake
1 stick plus one tablespoon unsalted butter
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped - I prefer Scharffen Berger
1 cup good quality cherry preserves - if you can't find a local version at a farmers market Bonne Maman makes a good one
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 large eggs
1 cup (121 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease and paper a 12-cup muffin tin.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Once the butter is melted, stir in the chopped chocolate and stir constantly until it's about 1/2 melted, then remove from heat and stir occasionally until it melts entirely.  Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix in the preserves while it's still hot so that they melt a little.  Add the sugar, salt, extracts and eggs and beat until well combined.  Sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda and stir until just combined.

Use a ice cream scoop with a metal "sweeper" or a small ladle to fill the cupcake papers about 3/4 of the way full.  Err on the side of too little rather than overfilling - this batter pushes out, not up once it reaches the top of the cup.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool completely before proceeding.

Cherry Syrup
3/4 cup cherry wine or 1/4 cup kirsch mixed with 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp cherry preserves
1/4 cup sugar

Combine cherry wine or kirsch mixture and cherry preserves in a small saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil and let it reduce down for about 5 minutes, then add sugar and turn off the heat.  Leave the syrup on the burner and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Let cool to room temperature and brush on top of cupcakes.

Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting (makes more than what's needed for a dozen cupcakes)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup cherry preserves
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

12 cherries with stems, pitted carefully near the stem (the pitter should leave a small almost invisible x on the top - it will leave a big whole on the bottom but that end's in the frosting)

Beat together cream cheese, butter, preserves and extracts until well combined and it no longer has a lumpy texture with visible bits of butter and cream cheese.  Sift in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly in between, until a firm but spreadable texture is reached.  Transfer into a gallon zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, seal, and snip off a corner to use as a piping bag.  Pipe onto cupcakes, starting at the outside and spiraling in.  Top with a pitted cherry.

Here's the new baby:

Dessert For Breakfast - Tiramisu Pancakes

Tiramisu winds up on the table at every holiday gathering with family.  Everyone from my sweet-tooth-lacking husband to my doesn't-like-to-try-anything-new grandmother loves it, and who couldn't?  What's not to love - rum and coffee saturated spongy cookie layers dressed up with a lightly sweetened froth of marscapone and whipped cream.

Our favorite treat turned up again on Valentine's Day.  Of course, I never look at the recipe before I go shopping (that would be too organized and just not my style) - so I've had an extra container of marscapone ever since.  It was nearing its expiration date and not wanting it to languish in the fridge, I was searching for a worthy use.  Apparently I was not alone in this quest, because the Ivory Hut had just posted these pancakes as a solution to the same quandary set forth by Jaden of the Steamy Kitchen.

Obviously this was a temptation I could not resist.  And believe me, I'm so glad I didn't.  Here's my version - buffed up with more marscapone and a hint of the rum that I find so essential to a good tiramisu.

Tiramisu Pancakes

Makes about 18 pancakes.

Marscapone Cream
8 oz marscapone cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp dark rum - use the best stuff - I like Meyer's dark
2 Tbsp grade B (dark amber) maple syrup
1 Tbsp espresso powder

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed until medium peaks form.  Put in the fridge to chill until the pancakes are ready.

Mocha Pancakes
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 Tbsp espresso powder
4 Tbsp melted and cooled unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chocolate extract (optional - you can substitute another of vanilla or some rum)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp best-quality cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, sour cream and espresso powder until smooth and slightly frothy.  Whisk in butter, eggs and extracts and beat until well combined.

Place a large mesh strainer/sifter over the mixing bowl.  To this add all of the dry ingredients.  Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Mix these together with a whisk for about 6 stirs, then switch to a rubber spatula, stirring only until there are no more large lumps of flour.  The batter will still be slightly lumpy.

Let the batter sit as you preheat a griddle or nonstick pan with a little butter in it.  I like to start a griddle off on medium-high heat, gradually reducing the heat to medium for the first batch and down to medium-low once that gets too hot.

Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake onto the preheated griddle.  Cook until the top is a mosaic of bubbles and the underside is golden brown, then flip and cook another couple of minutes.  Serve immediately or keep warm on a rack set into a sheet pan in a very low oven (the lowest yours will go).

To serve, layer with marscapone cream and dust with confectioners sugar, cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

English Toffee Bliss

The snow just keeps coming down! Another 20 inches in the last 24 hours - and its not done yet. Maryland usually doesn't have February vacation - but we sure got it this year! We're off until Tuesday - and as you've heard before that means one thing to me - baking. But this time around I just wasn't feeling the usual cookies - instead I wanted something just as sweet and rich and buttery - but with more crunch. English toffee fits the bill and it's the easiest candy you'll ever make. It's probably my favorite as well. Almond extract ups the nutty flavor and espresso powder brings out the chocolateyness. Enjoy!

English Butter Toffee

21 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (use the good stuff like ghirardelli)
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 cup almonds, chopped and toasted

Prepare a sheet pan by buttering it or lining it with a Silpat or other silicone liner.

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the butter, sugar, salt, water and extracts to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. (This takes about 10 minutes). Turn the heat down to medium, stop stirring and let cook until the temperature of the mixture is between 300-310 F on a candy thermometer (hard crack stage).

Remove from the heat and pour out onto the prepared sheet pan. Wait until bubbles and toffee seems to smooth out, then spread chocolate over the toffee slab and sprinkle with espresso powder. Wait about a minute for the chocolate to melt over the hot toffee, then use a spatula to spread it evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle with nuts and press down lightly.

Cool to room temperature then transfer to the fridge for 20 minutes so the chocolate hardens. Once cool, break into pieces and store in an air-tight container at room temperature.


A few notes:
Get a candy/deep fry thermometer! It's almost impossible to make candy or fry things without one.
The liquid butter/sugar mixture is molten and should be treated like lava - use extreme care!
Make sure the sheet pan is on a heat proof surface when you pour on the toffee.
Be careful when pressing down on the nuts - don't press down enough that you'd accidentally touch the toffee and burn yourself.
Immediately fill the pot with water and let it soak after you pour out the toffee or you'll be scrubbing off a candy coating.
Give away about 1/2 this recipe immediately or be prepared to eat the whole batch - it's addictive!

Beware of those who want to steal your toffee - apparently humans aren't the only ones who love this stuff!

CSA Week One: Maryland's First Harvest

As you may have noticed, I've been suffering with a bout of uninspired cooking, which coupled with busy days has resulted in fewer and fewer posts. To remedy this situation, I've signed up for a CSA to force me to step outside my fall-back meals and try some new things. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and is a program where consumers buy "shares" of a farm's harvest before the season begins (I paid for mine in full in April), providing funds that help the farmers to plant and maintain their fields, and then pick up their shares as the produce reaches its peak. If you'd like more information on CSAs, or to find local farmers markets, click here.

My CSA comes from One Straw Farm, an organic farm less than 3 miles from my house. Once a week, I make a pickup. Since this was my first one, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was greeted with massive quantities of the freshest produce, sure to improve my vitamin intake!


Keep in mind this is one full share for just one week! This week's share included 1 bunch each of collard greens, curly kale, red chard, yellow chard, arugula, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce. Also included was a bunch of wacky looking garlic scapes (new to me), a small head of cabbage and 2 pints of super sweet Maryland strawberries.

So what to do with all of this bounty? The lettuce of course has been devoted to salads, one of which was a lovely vietnamese concoction topped with noodles and shrimp, inspired by Nim Chow. The chard was blanched and became a star player in a creamy mushroom, sausage and orzo gratin - recipe to come.


I have big plans for the collards and kale, braised with ham hocks to go alongside barbecued chicken and cheddar scallion biscuits. The cabbage will probably end up in cabbage & noodles - a favorite around here.


The strawberries begged to be vibrant strawberry ice cream - this time I modified my previous recipe and used port instead of creme de menthe. It's the best strawberry ice cream you can imagine. (Recipe below)


The biggest conundrum was what to do with those funky, curly garlic scapes. Some of them ended up chopped fine in an omelet. The rest made their way into a pesto with peppery arugula and pistachios. It's great for pasta, as pizza sauce or for a sandwich spread. See the recipe below.

Strawberry Ice Cream with Port


2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup port
1/2 cup 1% milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
14 oz. freshly picked strawberries, washed and hulled (please, please seek out local ones - don't buy from across the country!)

Whisk eggs and sugar together in a heat proof bowl until well combined. Heat cream, port, milk and vanilla bean with seeds over medium heat in a heavy saucepan until mixture reaches a simmer. Remove pod of vanilla bean and reserve for another application. Slowly, whisking constantly, add warm mixture to the egg mixture in a thin stream, tempering the eggs. Return to the pan and bring mixture up to 175 degrees F while whisking. The mixture should thicken significantly- you've made a creme anglaise. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine strawberries and creme anglaise in a blender. Blend until well combined and chill overnight. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions in an ice cream maker.



Garlic Scape and Arugula Pesto


1 bunch garlic scapes (about 6 large)
1 small bunch of arugula, washed and dried
1/2 cup roasted & shelled pistachios
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmeggiano reggiano
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Buzz garlic scapes and arugula in a food processor until well chopped. Add remaining ingredients and buzz in remaining ingredients until well combined. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to 6 months before using.

Tribute to the Bunny

How in the world did easter get tied up with an Easter bunny who laid eggs? What sort of person thought up this mammal-turned avian and decided it would be a great mascot to leave candy for children and thus commemorate Jesus rising again from the grave?


These questions haunt me every year. This year I decided to do some research. Apparently, the bunny predates christianity as a symbol of fertility and birth in the Spring. Not entirely surprisingly, the same people who gave us the Christmas tree, those zany Germans also were the first to associate a bunny with Easter in the 1500s, and creating the first edible Easter bunnies in pastry in the 1800s.


The eggs came along because they were also a symbol of fertility. The Pennsylvania Dutch seem to be responsible for the notion that the Easter Bunny would lay colored eggs for the children, if they were good little doobies. They brought the tradition to America in the 1700s, and their children would make a nest out of a hat or bonnet for the Easter bunny to fill. Legends suggest that the notion that a hare would lay eggs was in fact a misconception due to the fact that birds called lapwings nested on the ground on what looked like the top of a hare burrow.


So in the end, this is another example of Christian holidays bearing symbols from Pagan times, probably to make people more comfortable converts, since their traditions got carried on. In any case, I think the Bunny deserves a little attention. So here's a great carrot cake for your little bunnies. The crystallized ginger adds a hint of heat to the moist cake, flecked with shreds of carrot, toasted pecans, dried cranberries and apricots. The maple cream cheese frosting lends just the right amount of creamy sweetness.

Golden Carrot Cake


2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp ground cardamom

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter, melted (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup pineapple orange juice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp pecan extract (optional)
zest of one orange

3 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped

3 cups finely packed shredded carrots
1 cup toasted and cooled pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside.

Beat eggs with sugar until well combined. Add the remainder of the wet ingredients and mix well. Add crystallized ginger and dried fruit and stir. Then sift in dry ingredients and mix until just blended - there will be lumps.

Add in carrots and pecans and stir. Turn out evenly into the two prepared pans. Bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in their pans for 15 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting


16 oz (1 pound) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup Grade B dark amber maple syrup
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and blend until well combined and no longer lumpy. Chill 15 minutes to allow frosting to set a bit. Reserve a little bit for the carrot piping.

Assembly:


Level the two cake layers using a serrated knife and devour the scraps. If desired, split into four layers and spread marmalade between the 2 halves of each cake. Put one layer on a cake stand, then a layer of frosting, follow with another layer of cake and more frosting. Pipe carrots on top of each piece - I used a shell tip for the carrots and a leaf tip for the tops.

A Dieter's Dilemma

Like most brides-to-be, the thought of myself in pictures that I'd be looking at for the rest of my life sent a chill up my spine. I want to lose some of those extra pounds, but I've had such a miserable time on diets of old. I always found myself sacrificing home-cooked for prepackaged, if only because then I didn't have to spend tedious hours calculating how many calories I consumed, I could just look at the label. And I was always sabotaged by desperate cravings for my favorite sweets or breakfast foods. It would go something like this.

Saturday 8am.
Woke up. First thought: "I want pancakes!"
Looked up nutritional information on favorite pancake recipe. "Damn" And that's without syrup!
Ate an apple.

Saturday 9am.
"I want pancakes!"
Scoured all of my cookbooks and the internet for a low-calorie pancake recipe. Found nothing. "Damn"
Ate a cup of sugar-free, fat-free (taste free) yogurt.

Saturday 12pm.
"I still want pancakes"
Contemplated working out 2 extra hours to accommodate said pancakes. Decided there was no time for that. "Damn"
Ate a salad. Stuck my tongue out at the salad because it wasn't pancakes.

Saturday 5pm.
"I REALLY want pancakes"
Broke down and made myself fattening, maple syrup drenched pancakes cooked in lots of butter. Felt good while enjoying them. Felt fat and guilty afterwards. "Damn!"


Now, this time I was determined it will be different. I will not sacrifice time in the kitchen. I will not sacrifice my favorite foods. I will eat pancakes dammit! And I will lose weight. So here's my oh-so-yummy, crispy, creamy, sweet and buttery yet diet-friendly pancake recipe. Four - yes FOUR generously-sized hot cakes and 1/2 of the syrupy fruity goodness clocks in at just about 400 calories! That means if you have awesome willpower (which I don't), then you could presumably get by on 2 pancakes and keep your breakfast to 200 calories. But I wouldn't know anything about that, nor do I want to. I'm loading my plate with goodies and still smiling afterwards!

Four Berry Diet-Friendly Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes and a syrupy berry compote topping


1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla
zest of an orange (or lemon would be yummy too)
1/3 cup splenda or equal (or 1/4 cup stevia - which is all natural) - if you use sugar here it will be more calories, but still not bad
2/3 cup Trader Joe's Multigrain Pancake Mix (or any whole-grain mix - or make your own, but don't forget baking powder and soda)
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 egg whites, beaten into soft peaks
butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray

2 Tbsp Trader Joe's reduced sugar raspberry preserves
heaping 1/2 cup blueberries
heaping 1/2 cup blackberries
4 large strawberries, cut into pieces
1 Tbsp splenda, equal or sugar (or 1/2 Tbsp stevia)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cheese, buttermilk, egg substitute, vanilla and zest. When it is well combined, stir in dry ingredients, then fold in egg whites.

Spray a pre-heated pan with cooking spray and return to medium heat. Ladle in batter, cooking 3 pancakes at a time. Let cook until lots of bubbles appear at the surface and underside is golden, then flip and let continue to cook until golden on both sides. Repeat with additional batter.

Meanwhile, combine preserves, berries and splenda in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until berries are slightly softer and a nice syrup has formed.


Serve pancakes hot off the griddle for best texture. They should be light and fluffy, crispy on the outside and slightly creamy inside (from the cheese). Top 4 pancakes with 1/2 of the berries and syrup for a delicious treat of a breakfast that won't break your calorie bank or land you in the gym for hours every day for the rest of the week. Then tell yourself how good you are for making sacrifices. Then laugh.



P.S. You will notice there are only 3 shown in a serving here. That's just due to my inability to resist eating one right off the griddle without accompaniment before I take pictures. Like I said - no willpower!

For The Love of Lime...

Back to school tomorrow, although I won't be seeing any of those pesky teenagers ;) until next week. Another year with its own challenges, its own rewards and a whole new hundred and fifty smiling (or not so much) faces to keep track of. I love teaching, but I'm not really a fan of the beginning of the year. I never was good at introductions. Things go slowly at the beginning, before my students know what I want and how they need to do it, when they're testing me with their every move to see what they can and can't get away with. It's an uncertain time because they don't know what to expect from me and I'm not sure what I'll get from them. You develop such a relationship with kids over the course of the year, so you really know them, well enough to predict their next move. By the end of the year, I feel like my classes can almost teach themselves. Everything works together like one big machine (or at least most of the time).

Working with ingredients is much the same. New ingredients are intimidating, unpredictable. You brave it, trying a bit of the new stuff with tried and true flavors, feeling it out until you know its flavor, how it behaves, if it plays well with others. And over time, you develop your favorites, ones that you turn to time after time (OK - so I try not to do this with kids, but I'm definitely biased with flavors). My teacher's pet is lime (Ok - and vanilla and basil - why else would I have named my blog this way?). Lime lends a fresh finish to sweet and savory concoctions. It gets along best with mexican and thai flavors, tropical tastes like coconut, mango and macademia, pumps up berries' sweetness, and lends bright character to baked goods, such as these cardamom lime sweet rolls.


So on the eve of uncertainty, of course I turned to my favorite team player. Since I firmly believe in dessert first, and this is in fact the order in which I cooked, photographed and ate my lovely limey creations, I will start you off with a delicate lime cookie. If you stick around for dinner you'll get a yummy grilled garlic lime chicken, with coconut lime rice and corn on the cob. This food deserves the limelight!


This type of cookie has many aliases, russian tea cakes or mexican wedding cakes, meltaways or liar's cookies (because your shirt will give you away!). When I was growing up my mom made a gluten free version that always came out looking rather grey, so we called them moldy mice, a name that I've now realized is not all that appetizing to people outside our family. I think I like Dorie Greenspan's name the best, so these will be called powder puffs. These are traditionally made with pecans and can be made with or without citrus zest. L happens to love lime as much as I do, and it paired perfectly with buttery rich macademias, and earned the title of his favorite cookie!

Key Lime & Macademia Powder Puffs


1 cup macademia nuts, toasted until golden
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of ground green cardamom
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter at room temperature
zest of 5 key limes (or one regular lime)
2 Tbsp key lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

Grind nuts with 1 Tbsp of sugar with short pulses of a food processor, until they form a chunky paste. Add flour, salt and cardamom and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.

In the bowl of the food processor, combine butter and sugar. Pulse until creamy and pale. Add lime zest and juice. Pulse to combine. Add dry ingredients back in and use short pulses to mix until just combined (scraping the bowl as needed). Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Ball up dough into small, bite sized spheres and place on cookie sheet (don't worry about spacing them too much, they don't spread a lot).

Bake 13-16 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. When just slightly warm, roll in confectioners sugar.




Garlic Lime Chicken with Grilled Red Onions


4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp orange muscat vinegar (or other fruity vinegar)
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 packet Baja Citrus marinade seasoning (McCormick makes this)
2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (you can use boneless but cook them for less time)

Combine marinade ingredients. Marinate at least 3 hours in the fridge.

Preheat grill on high. Start chicken on hottest part of the grill (if it flares up you may have to move it or turn down the heat). Cook over direct heat 5 minutes / side. Move to indirect heat, and continue to cook with grill lid down until the internal temperature reads 165 F on an instant-read thermometer (carryover will take it up almost another 10 degrees), about 30 minutes. Baste chicken periodically with marinade during cooking. Grill a halved lime alongside chicken (only about 1 minute on either side).


Grill onions in an oiled grill pan until charred, but still crunchy in parts. Transfer to a plate, top with chicken pieces and a squeeze of grilled lime.

Grilled Corn on the Cob


1 ear corn / person

Peel back husks and remove silks from corn. Replace husks back around the corn, removing the tougher ones on the outside.
Preheat grill to high and brush with oil. Place corn in husks on grill and cook, turning regularly, until husks begin to burn. take off grill and let cool.


Remove husks and knobby end part. Brush with some of the chicken marinade and return to grill over direct heat until lightly charred.



Coconut Lime Rice


1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (not light)
2 cups chicken broth
zest of one lime
2 kieffer lime leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chile powder
1 3/4 cups basmati or jasmine rice

Mix together all ingredients except rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Add rice and return to a simmer. Turn heat down to low and pop a lid on it. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add chopped scallions or cilantro if desired (I didn't have any).



To serve:


Make a bed of rice on the bottom of a plate. Pile on grilled onions and chicken, place grilled corn alongside. Squeeze a grilled lime half down over the whole dish. Finish with a dash of salt.