This cake, thought to have first appeared in the 1920s, has had such names as pineapple glacé and pineapple skillet cake.
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
for topping
1/2 medium pineapple,peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
3/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
for batter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cakespecial equipment: a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make topping:
Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.
Make batter:
Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)
Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.
Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.
Cooks’ notes:
• Some of the food editors found 3 teaspoons of cardamom to be too much, but others loved theintense flavor.
• Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
INGREDIENTS
- for cake:
-
potato starch (for dusting cake pan)
-
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
-
1/2 cup matzoh cake meal
-
3/4 cup potato starch
-
8 extra-large eggs, separated, at room temperature
-
1 cup sugar
-
1/4 cup orange juice
-
juice of 1 large lemon
-
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
-
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
-
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
-
1/4 teaspoon salt
for strawberries:
-
3 pints strawberries, stemmed, washed, and thinly sliced
-
1/2 cup orange juice
-
1 tablespoon sugar
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with the oil and dust with potato starch.
2. Sift the cake meal and potato starch together over a piece of foil and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks on medium speed for 3 minutes, until golden yellow and thick. Add the sugar slowly. Continue to beat 3 minutes more.
4. With the mixer on low, gradually add the orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest, and lemon zest.Add the vanilla and almond extract. Gradually add the matzo meal mixture to the batter. Mix gently until well blended.
5. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment of the electric mixer until foamy. Add the salt and beat until the whites hold glossy peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into cake batter with a spatula. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan, then loosen the sides. Cool completely.
6. Cut the cake into 12 wedges, or carefully slice the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife and cut into 6 wedges to make 12 total wedges.
7. Toss the strawberries with the orange juice and sugar 30 minutes before serving the cake. Spoon the strawberries over each cake wedge and serve.
Cook’s Tip: Gild the lily by serving the cake with whipped cream or ice cream.
Lorraine Stevenski of Clearwater, Florida, writes: “I cook just about every weeknight for my family. To speed things up, I do my grocery shopping on weekends, along with making quick breads, cakes, and other baked goods. My 12-year-old son, Billy, is also a big help in the kitchen. He has practically become my personal sous chef with all the chopping and grilling he does.”
Makes about 12.
INGREDIENTS
- 3cups all purpose flour
- 3/4cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4cup sugar
- 2tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- 1/2teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4cup chopped fresh parsley or chives
- 1cup (or more) chilled whole milk
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly sprinkle heavy large baking sheet with flour. Combine 3 cups flour, 1/2 cup cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix in parsley. Gradually add 1 cup milk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form and adding more milk by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball. Press out on lightly floured work surface to 8-inch round, about 1 inch thick. Using 2-inch-diameter cutter, cut out biscuits. Repeat, gathering and pressing out dough and cutting biscuits until all dough is used. Arrange biscuits on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
Bake until biscuits are puffed and light golden and tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to towel-lined basket and serve warm.
What to drink: A big red with lots of fruit, such as a California Zinfandel; an off-dry white with rich fruit, such as an Alsatian Pinot Gris; or pale ale.
Makes 6 appetizer servings.
INGREDIENTS
- glaze
- 1/2cup seedless unsweetened tamarind paste*
- 1/2cup fresh orange juice
- 1/3cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
- 1teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 3tablespoons fresh lime juiceapricot relish
- 2cups chopped dried apricots
- 6tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2tablespoons minced seeded red jalapeño chilies
- 2tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
- 2tablespoons cracked coriander seeds2pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; or 4 pounds lamb shoulder chops, fat trimmed, meat cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 20(about) 12-inch metal skewers
DIRECTIONS For glaze:
Bring first 4 ingredients to boil in small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice.
For apricot relish:
Mix apricots and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season relish to taste with salt and pepper. (Glaze and relish can be made 1 day ahead; cover separately and chill. Bring relish to room temperature. Stir glaze over medium heat until heated through.)
Thread lamb and onion pieces onto skewers, using about 6 onion and lamb pieces per skewer. (Skewers can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle skewers with salt and pepper. Grill lamb to desired doneness, turning once and basting with glaze during last minute of grilling, about 2 minutes total for medium-rare. Transfer skewers to platter. Serve with relish.
* Available at Indian markets.
Active time: 5 min Start to finish: 15 min
Makes about 3/4 cup.
INGREDIENTS
- 1cup coarsely chopped drained bottled roasted red peppers (6 oz)
- 1/3cup pure maple syrup
- 1tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1teaspoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce(from can), or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth, then simmer in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Serve with shrimp or chicken.
The use of leavening in a cake is first recorded in a recipe for gingerbread from Amelia Simmons’s American Cookery, published in Hartford in 1796; I guess you could say it is the original great American cake. Early-19th-century cookbooks included as many recipes for this as contemporary cookbooks do for chocolate cake. This recipe, from Claudia Fleming, pastry chef at New York City’s Gramercy Tavern, is superlative—wonderfully moist and spicy.
Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr
Serves 8 to 10
INGREDIENTS
1 cup oatmeal stout or guinness stout
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
confectioners sugar fordustingspecial equipment: a 10-inch(10- to 12-cup) bundt pan
accompaniment: unsweetened whipped cream
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Serve cake, dusted with confectioners sugar, with whipped cream.
Cooks’ notes:
• This recipe was tested with Grandma’s brand green-label molasses.
• Like the chocolate decadence cake, the gingerbread is better if made a day ahead. It will keep 3 days, covered, at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 6tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4cup fresh orange juice
- 3green onions, minced
- 3tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1tablespoon honey
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 1teaspoon grated orange peel
- 4oranges1 1/26-ounce packages baby spinach
- 2/3cup sliced almonds, toasted
DIRECTIONS Whisk first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Working over medium bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. (Dressing and oranges can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill. Rewhisk dressing before using.)
Combine spinach, half of almonds, and all orange segments in large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Divide among 6 plates. Sprinkle with almonds.
The roast can be prepped one day ahead. What to drink: A robust, medium- to full-bodied red, such as an Italian Barbera. Susan Simon also recommends a Carlo Hauner 1998 Rosso Antonello (made with Sangiovese and Nero d’Avolo grapes); it’s produced on the Italian island of Salina.
Makes 8 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 13-pound beef tenderloin piece (large end), trimmed
- 121/4-inch-thick slices peeled garlic (from about 4 cloves)
- 1tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1pound bacon slices
- 38- to 9-inch-long fresh rosemary branches
DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 450°F. Using small sharp knife, cut twelve 1-inch-deep slits all over beef tenderloin. Insert garlic slices into slits. Rub pepper all over tenderloin. Arrange bacon slices on work surface, overlapping slightly and forming rectangle. Place 1 rosemary branch down center of bacon rectangle, perpendicular to bacon slices. Place tenderloin atop rosemary branch. Place remaining 2 rosemary branches atop tenderloin. Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin and rosemary to enclose tenderloin completely. Place tenderloin in roasting pan, bacon ends down. (Can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Roast tenderloin until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125°F for rare, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Tent with foil and let tenderloin stand 10 minutes.
Transfer tenderloin to cutting board. Reserve pan drippings for Broccoli Pancotto, if desired. Using large sharp knife, cut tenderloin through bacon and rosemary into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve.
Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min
Makes 4 servings.
INGREDIENTS
- 5tablespoons olive oil
- 2cups roasted, shelled, and skinned chestnuts; see how to roast fresh chestnuts ; (1 lb in shellor 14 oz bottled whole)
- 2firm-ripe red pears
- 1teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 1/2tablespoons finelychopped shallot
- 1/2head chicory (curly endive), torn (6 cups)
- 4oz stilton cheese, crumbled
DIRECTIONS Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chestnuts with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until crisp on outside (being careful not to burn or cook until hard), about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Halve and core pears, then cut lengthwise into thin slices.
Whisk together mustard, vinegar,and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl and add remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Whisk in shallot.
Add chicory, chestnuts, pears, and Stilton and toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.
This classic spongecake is thought to have originated with German settlers—a thrifty use of the many egg whites left over after making noodles. Apocryphal perhaps … delicious nonetheless.
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups large egg whites (10 to 11)
1 tablespoon warm water
1 cup sifted cake flour
(not self-rising; sift
before measuring)
1 1/4 cups superfine granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon saltspecial equipment: a 10- by 4-inch tube pan with removable bottom and a standing electric mixer
accompaniment: sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°°F.
Put whites and water in a very clean large metal bowl and swirl over simmering water or a gas flame until barely warm. Sift together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and ginger 4 times onto a sheet of wax paper.
Beat whites in standing electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt. Increase speed to medium-high and beat just until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually beat in remaining cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, occasionally scraping down side of bowl. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. (Do not overbeat.)Sift one third of flour mixture over whites. Beat on low speed just until blended. Sift and beat in remaining flour in 2 more batches.
Gently pour batter into ungreased tube pan and smooth top. Run a rubber spatula or long knife through batter to eliminate any large air bubbles.
Bake cake in lower third of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert pan. (If pan has “legs,” stand it on those. Otherwise, place pan over neck of a bottle.) Cool cake completely, upside down.
Turn pan right side up. Run a long, thin knife around outer edge of pan with a smooth (not sawing) motion. Do the same around center tube. Remove outer rim of pan and run knife under bottom of cake to release. Invert to release cake from tube, and invert again onto a serving plate.
Serve cake with whipped cream and berries.
Cooks’ notes:
• Angel food cake was traditionally torn apart using 2 forks or a many-pronged cake breaker to preserve its prized texture; however, gently sawing with a modern serrated knife also works well.
• Cake may be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
