ChezCindy: Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake

 

I made this delightful Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake as I had an abundance of zucchini, both standard green zucchini and also yellow zucchini.  The owner of the farm where I buy farm-grown produce recently raved about a lemon zucchini bread with a lemon glaze that she made using the yellow zucchini.  I normally use standard green zucchini when making zucchini bread, or these sweet zucchini cakes, or zucchini muffins, all of which are delicious.   Thus, I searched for a recipe using yellow zucchini with a lemon glaze.  I came upon a recipe for lemon zucchini Bundt cake on the New York Times Recipe site.  To no surprise, the recipe worked perfectly yielding a tender cake with a sweet-tart lemon glaze.  Perfect to share with family at my niece's birthday celebration.    

Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

2 lemons

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups grated zucchini, yellow or green

2 cups powdered sugar (for the glaze)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter a 10-cup Bundt pan to evenly coat, then lightly dust the pan with flour.  Set aside.

Zest the lemons directly into the bowl of a standard mixer.  Add the granulated sugar and mix for 1 minute.  Add the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  

Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well before adding the next egg, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl each time.  

In a separate bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, whisking to combine.  Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing on low to combine.  The batter will be thick.  Using a flexible spatula, add the grated zucchini to the batter, folding to combine.  Using a large spring-loaded scoop or a large spoon, transfer the batter to the Bundt pan, smoothing the top evenly.  Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles and to help the batter settle in the pan.  

Bake the cake until puffed and golden, about 50-55 minutes.  A cake tester inserted into the cake should come out clean with a few moist crumbs.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.  

Meanwhile make the glaze.  Juice the lemons, setting aside.  Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl.  Add in about half of the lemon juice, stirring to combine.  Add the remaining lemon juice in small bits until the mixture is smooth and becomes a thin glaze.  

To the mostly cool cake, brush the cake with about half of the glaze.  Allow the glaze to set up on the cake, about 10-12 minutes.  Brush the remaining glaze on the cake as a second coating.  When the glaze has set, cut the cake and serve. 

ChezCindy: Summer Salmon with Olive-Basil Vinaigrette

 

Searching this blog will lead you to many salmon recipes.  Yet, here is one more.  The star of this recipe is really the olive-basil vinaigrette.  It is less of a vinaigrette and more of a sauce with the components of a vinaigrette, being olive oil and lemon juice.  

The olive-basil recipe is delicious and versatile.  It is fabulous with this salmon preparation.  But it would also be great in place of the typical mayonnaise that is often mixed with a can of tuna.  Or consider serving it as a dipping sauce with toasted bread and drizzled over a seared steak.  Spooned over a slab of feta with warm pita bread added to a meze platter would be really great.  And lets not forget about tossing it with pasta!  

Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes

4 6-ounce pieces center-cut salmon, skin removed

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

8 Campari tomatoes, or similar small-sized tomato

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  

Lightly season the salmon with kosher salt.  Working with a large oven-safe skillet, place the skillet over medium-high heat.  Add in 1 tablespoon olive oil, swirling to coat the pan.  Carefully place the salmon flesh-side down into the hot pan cooking for 2-3 minutes without moving the salmon.  Turn off the heat.  The salmon will not be cooked through and will finish cooking in the oven.  Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and scatter the tomatoes around the salmon lining the perimeter of the pan, sprinkling the tomatoes with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Place the pan into the preheated oven, center rack, cooking for about 8-10 minutes.  The salmon should be firm to the touch, an internal temperature of 125 degrees.  Depending on the thickness of the salmon, it may take a few minutes longer.  Remove the pan from the oven.  Allow the salmon and tomatoes to rest in the pan for 3-5 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette.  

Picholine Olive-Basil Vinaigrette

2-ounces fresh basil leaves

1-ounce fresh parsley leaves

1 medium garlic clove

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons lemon zest, from 1 large lemon

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped picholine olives

3 tablespoons capers

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon

Place the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and salt into the bowl of a small food processor.  Process with a few pulses until the mixture is coarsely chopped.  Add in the olive oil and process for about 1 minute, or less, until just combined.  Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.  Stir in the chopped olives, capers, and lemon juice.  Set aside for serving with the salmon.

Putting it all together:  Place a generous portion of the olive-basil vinaigrette into the center of a shallow serving bowl.  Place the salmon piece on top of the vinaigrette.  Place 2 baked tomatoes, and a few leave of basil along-side of the salmon.  Serve with grilled/toasted bread.