ChezCindy: Gingerbread Cake with Clementine Cream Cheese Frosting



Gingerbread has become a Christmas favorite of mine, but only in recent years.  It was not a holiday standard learned from my mother for traditional Christmas baking.  We grew up on thumbprints, cut-out cookies, and later peanut butter chocolate kisses as we gravitated to more modern cookie recipes.  

I came upon this cake recipe in Bon Appetit magazine last year.  It uses fresh grated ginger in the cake batter, as well as ground dry ginger.  The cake is very moist and is actually better the next day.  This year I decided to make a cream cheese frosting for it, although it is very good as a cake plain.  I added juice from a clementine to the frosting and topped with clementine zest.  Adding the clementine frosting turned a plain sweet treat into an upscale comfort cake. 

Gingerbread Cake with Clementine Cream Cheese Frosting 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking oil spray.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.  Spray the paper. 

Whisk the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the butter, pour the boiling water over the butter, stir to melt the butter.  Stir in the sugar, molasses, lightly beaten egg and the fresh ginger.  Add the dry ingredients, stir to combine.  Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or the cake tester comes out clean when tested in the center of the cake.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Invert onto a wire rack.  Allow to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup of powder sugar

1 tablespoon of juice from clementine

clementine zest

Cream together the softened cream cheese and butter until well combined.  Add the salt and vanilla.  Mix in the powder sugar.  Add just enough clementine juice to loosen the frosting until you have a smooth consistency, about 1 tablespoon.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of clementine zest. 

Frost the cake or cupcakes.  Sprinkle with additional clementine zest.

To make this cake as a Chocolate-Gingerbread Cake:  Add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder to the dry ingredients.  Melt 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate along with the butter and increase the boiling water with 2 tablespoons in addition to the 1/2 cup.  

ChezCindy: Corn Tortilla Chips Breakfast Strata - GF

As I walked through the kitchen this morning looking for a breakfast idea, I spied the bag of corn tortilla chips sitting on the counter, left-over from a previous guacamole snack.  I began to wonder if I could use the tortilla chips much like stale bread is used for breakfast strata.  I have never seen that done before.  So I set out to experiment with the corn tortilla chips breakfast strata.  I must say it came out very well.  I ate three pieces before I made myself stop. 

The recipe below represents the ingredients I used, but really, this can be made with whatever vegetables, cheese, or meat you have available, or is your preference.  Thus the beauty of a breakfast stata.  The basics are eggs, stale chips (normally bread) and cheese.  In this recipe I used parsnips, which is somewhat unusual, but I encourage you to try it.  Parsnips are an underused winter vegetable that are related to carrots, but are sweeter and richer in nutrients and minerals (a good source of potassium).  In this breakfast bake, the parsnips provided a contrast in texture and a surprising sweetness as a compliment to the heat of the salsa.  This turned out to be a delicious experiment.  Try your own experiment by using spicy chorizo sausage or ham, or sun-dried tomatoes and sweet potatoes.  Just follow the basic process as described below.

 

Corn Tortilla Chips Breakfast Strata
2 cups crushed corn tortilla chips
1 1/2 cup Egg Beaters egg substitute*
3 whole eggs
1/4 cup sliced parsnips
1/4 cup slivered onions
1 tablespoon green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped bacon
2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon oil
cooking oil spray
salt/pepper

Spray an 8-inch baking pan with cooking oil.  Place the crushed corn tortilla chips in the baking pan; set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a non-stick skillet, place over medium heat.  Add the thinly sliced parsnips and the onions to the pan.  Season with salt; cook for 5 minutes.  Add the chopped green onion; cook for 1 minute.  Allow to cool.

In a medium size bowl, combine the eggs and the Egg Beaters.  Whisk together.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper.  Add the parsley, red peppers; stir to combine. 

To assemble:  Spread the cooled parsnip/onion mixture evenly over the crushed tortilla chips.  Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and chips.  Sprinkle the cheese and bacon bits over the top of the egg mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until set in the center.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with prepared salsa.

* if not using egg substitute, use a total of 8 whole eggs.

ChezCindy: Pan-seared Utah Red Trout

Every winter my husband and a few of his friends travel to Utah to go skiing at Deer Valley.  This year will mark their 15th year doing so.  Most of the fellas are not too particular when it comes to the dinner options.  So, when they are out dining at a restaurant, he'll call me with his restaurant dinner update.   

A few years back, all of the guys were excited about the Utah Red Trout they had at a restaurant in Park City named Mustang.  Chef/Owner Bill Hufford presents this dish as one of his signature entrees which has received accolades such as "Utah's best fish dish".  Which led me to the challenge of researching the chef's recipe.  Below is my take on his recipe.  

The trout is quick sautéed, served with a lemon butter sauce with capers and diced Roma tomatoes.  If you want a quick dinner that cooks in 10 minutes or less, this is it. This recipe can also be made with tilapia in place of the trout.


Mustang Restaurant's Utah Red Trout
4 6-ounce trout fillets
Olive oil to sauté the trout
salt & pepper

1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced shallots
juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
4 tablespoons diced fresh Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

Start by heating a large sauté pan over medium-high heat; add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Season the trout with salt and pepper.  When the oil is hot, add the fillets flesh side down and cook for 4 minutes.  Flip the fillets over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove the fish from the pan; keep warm.
 
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan; add the shallots, sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low; add the remaining butter a tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition.  Once all of the butter has been whisked in, add in the capers and the diced tomatoes.  Turn off the heat.  Swirl to combine the capers and tomatoes with the brown butter and shallots.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as necessary. 

Carefully remove the trout skin (it should remove easily by pinching one end with tongs and gently pulling backward).  Place a trout fillet on each plate, spoon the sauce over the trout.  Garnish with the chopped chives. 

ChezCindy: Fear of Cooking Fish

It is no wonder people are hesitant to cook fish at home if they are uncertain about where and how to buy good fresh fish.  If you start with smelly old fish, what you are cooking is going to result in an awful, finished product, no matter how good of a cook you are.  Knowing where to obtain quality goods is key to making great food.  Pictured above is golden trout from my neighborhood fish purveyor.  I am fortunate to have Carol as manager of the local market where I buy fish.  Carol manages her fish counter with the proper turnover of the fish and knowing the correct amounts to order, so that her customers can rely on fresh product with each purchase.  If you can find a good fishmonger like Carol, you are halfway there to cooking great fish at home.

Here are a few tips to consider when buying fish:

• As you approach the fish counter, it should not smell "fishy".  Fresh fish smells like the sea, the ocean or the stream from where the fish came.  If the area smells "fishy" the fish could be old and not well kept. 
• Looking at the fish display case, it should be well-iced and clean.  Same with the working area behind the fish display.  If there is fish sitting out on a back work counter with no one attending to it, the fish is losing its freshness and breaking down as the temperature of the fish is rising to dangerous numbers.  Fresh fish needs to stay on ice to maintain its quality.  Same goes for when you bring it home.  Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
• Ask when the fish came into the store.  It should no more than a few days old.  Do they receive it as a whole fish or already cut into portions?  If they are receiving whole fish or entire sides of filleted fish, it will be fresher for you.  Less handling is better.  You want fish that came directly from the water, to the boat, to the store.  Of course, if you are not fortunate enough to live near the shore, the fish is express over-night shipped from the docks to the store.  Living in the mid-west, we can't get much fresher than that. 
• Buy fish that is abundant and in season.  Just like produce, some fish are seasonal.  Not only will you have a better price, but you will also have a fish at its peak of goodness. 
• Frozen fish can be good but know what you are buying.  The fish in the display case should tell you whether it was previously frozen or is fresh.  If not, ask the fishmonger.  If the fish appears dull and ragged, don't buy it.  The fish should almost glisten, have clean edges and the flesh should be smooth.  And it shouldn't smell fishy!  Frozen fish in the vacuum packaging can usually be relied on.  It is caught, filleted, frozen within minutes of coming off the boat and shipped as a frozen product.  This fish can be fresher than what is sometimes found in the display cases. 

Tonight, I will be cooking this beautiful trout in a Mediterranean style recipe.  It is quick seared in olive oil, with shallots, capers, and lemon juice, finished with diced red Roma tomatoes.  Click here for the recipe

ChezCindy: Tomato Soup with Puff Pastry Dome

One of my favorite joys of traveling are the food memories created while visiting a special get-away location.  For us, it's all about the food in a beautiful new setting.  We plan out where we will eat, which restaurants to dine at, much like others plan which site-seeing spots they'll visit.   Fortunately, we are both food-obsessed.  Oh yeah, we fit in some hiking, walking, and visit scenic non-food sites too.  We need to have something to do before the next meal! 

I used to challenge myself to try to create a dish from my "taste memory".  But I have since learned that sometimes all you have to do is ask the chef for the recipe.  Often times, you can find the recipe on-line with a quick internet search.  So many restaurants and chefs have their own cookbooks now, it is much easier to find the actual recipe, that I no longer need to rely on trial and error.  The results being much more successful now.  And it is so much fun to relive the experience of traveling through your taste buds.   

Today's recipe is from a French restaurant in Yountville, California,  Bistro Jeanty.  Chef Philippe Jeanty, born in the Champagne region of France, has owned and operated his restaurant in Napa Valley since 1998.  I highly recommend dining at Bistro Jeanty if you can make it out to California.  Chef Jeanty has the most amazing tomato soup with an equally stunning presentation.  He serves the soup in an oven-proof bowl, with puff pastry baked on the top exterior of the bowl, puffed up like a dome.  It is not only beautiful, it is incredibly delicious. 

Now I didn't say the soup was low-calorie or healthy.  This is French cooking.  It has more butter and cream than you would ever imagine being included in tomato soup.  But it is delicious.  I have provided the original Bistro Jeanty recipe (full butter & cream amounts listed), but I have also noted my substitutions for reductions in the amounts of butter and cream. 


Bistro Jeanty Tomato Soup
Creme de Tomate en Croute

2 1/2 pounds tomatoes - ripe, cored & quartered
1/2 cup unsalted butter (my reduction: use only 4 tablespoons)
1/2 pound yellow onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup water - use only if tomatoes are not ripe & juicy
4 cups heavy cream (my reduction: use only 1/2 cup cream)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (my reduction, optional)
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound puff pastry
1 egg - beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a large stockpot over medium-low heat.  Add the onions, cover and cook for about 5 minutes.  Do not let the onion color.  Add the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and water if needed.  Simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes and onions are very soft.  Remove the bay leaf.  Puree in a blender (working in batches) or use a hand-held immersion blender; strain*.  Return the soup to the pot.  Add the cream, salt, white pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.  Bring soup back to a boil. 

Let the soup cool for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.  Divide the soup among six 8-ounce bowls (oven-proof).  Roll out the puff pastry to 1/4 inch.  Cut 6 rounds slightly larger than the bowls.  Paint the dough with the egg wash and turn the circles egg-wash side down over the tops of the bowls, pulling lightly on the sides to make the dough tight like a drum. 
Lightly paint the top of the dough rounds with egg wash without pushing the dough down.  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.  Do not open the oven door in the first few minutes or the dough will fall.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

You can make the soup without the puff pastry for a less eventful dinner, as it is quite delicious without.  Or you can bake the puff pastry, cut into squares, on a sheet tray and then place on top of the soup as a large crouton.  This is also great with fresh baked cheddar scones.  See my recipe from another post, click here Cheddar Scones

*Note: straining the soup results in a very refined, silky texture.  I do not strain mine for a more rustic version.

ChezCindy: Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart

Earlier this week, I like many "foodies" across America, acknowledged what would have been the 100th birthday of Julia Child.  Julia served as an inspiration to many home cooks and professional chefs, and still does.  Breaking barriers and declaring that cooking should be enjoyed and celebrated in our homes, shared with family and friends.   This being the idea behind my blog site, sharing a collection of what I am cooking.  I hope my recipes inspire you to do the same.

In honor of Julia, I made 2 of my favorite recipes, Bacon-Leek Quiche and Riene de Saba, affectionately known in our house as "chocolate booze cake".  Both were fun and delicious.  I made homemade crust for the quiche and had extra crust left-over.  Once again being the frugal person that I am, I wanted to be sure I used the remaining crust.  On the counter were gorgeous heirloom tomatoes reaching the peak of their ripeness.  I decided to make a Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart.

Roasting tomatoes intensifies and accentuates the true tomato goodness of any tomato.  Even when using mid-winter grocery store tomatoes, roasting will bring you closer to summer tomatoes than eating them raw.  The water dries-out, concentrating the tomato flavors; bringing forward the natural sugar.  It is a simple process that can then be used when making a tomato tart, or adding to pasta, fish or topping a salad.

Roast Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a sheet of parchment paper in the bottom of a baking tray with sides.  Slice ripe tomatoes into thick slices.  Place the tomatoes on the tray in a single layer.  Add thinly sliced garlic and sprigs of thyme, scattered over the tomatoes.  Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 20-25 minutes.  

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart
1 pastry pie dough for 9-inch tart pan - homemade or store bought
1 pound tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
5-6 sprigs of thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Press the pastry pie dough into a tart pan with removable bottom.  Dock the dough by pricking it with a fork.  "Blind" bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Remove from oven; set aside to cool.

Roast the tomatoes as described above.  Set aside to cool.

Arrange the roasted sliced tomatoes in the bottom of the baked tart crust.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the tomatoes, place dollops of ricotta cheese over the tomatoes.  Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.  Cool before serving.

My favorite savory pie crust recipe and the quiche recipe are found by way of this link.
 Quiche and Savory Pie Crust Recipes

ChezCindy: Corn Cakes with Sweet Honey Butter

Corn cakes are simply pancakes but just a bit better.  The history on corn cakes is a rich part of America. Most commonly thought to have been taught to the early settlers from the Native American Indians. Early corn cakes were mostly made of ground corn and water, fried as a flat bread over an open fire. Although, recipes for corn cakes vary, from rustic with fresh corn added to a corn batter, to a refined cake similar to a pancake. Corn cakes are also versatile in that they can be served as a sweet breakfast item, or as a savory appetizer with sour cream and smoked salmon. 

To remove the corn kernels from the cob, hold the corn vertically resting on one end, standing upright in a deep bowl.  Slide a sharp knife down the length of the corn, just removing the kernels, and not cutting too deep into the cob.  The cut corn can be frozen in a zipper plastic bag for 3-4 months.  Or for several days in the refrigerator.  

 

 

 

Corn Cakes with Sweet Honey Butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch of white pepper

1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels cut form cobs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons unsalted melted butter

1 large egg

Working in a medium bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt & pepper; whisk to combine.  Add the corn kernels, buttermilk, butter, and egg to a blender, process until pureed.  Add the pureed corn mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined. 

 
Heat a non-stick griddle to 375 degrees or medium-high heat.  Ladle 1-2 ounces of batter onto the hot griddle, slightly spreading outward with the back of your ladle.  Cook until the tops have lost their shine, and are covered with bubbles, about 2-3 minutes.  Carefully turn the corn cakes over, cook for another 1 minute.  Remove from the griddle.

Sweet Honey Butter
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons honey


Place the softened butter in a small bowl, stir until smooth.  Add in the honey, stirring to combine.