pear-fectly nuts.

Expectation: Making a breathtakingly beautiful but simple cake that looks exactly like the picture.
Reality: Not following directions and adding this and that and getting a cake that looks "okay"

I guess that's an insane thing to think, especially since I din't even follow the directions. I'm just one of those people that looks at a perfectly good recipe and says, "that's good, but what if I . . .". And that, as they say, is that.

But despite the substitutions and everything, the directions were surprisingly a little hard to follow. While it's stated in very simple terms, I'm more of a detailed baker. How much am I supposed to stir it? Do I whisk the dry ingredients together first then add it to the batter? How am I supposed to put the pear on it? Directions like that would've definitely helped.

While the directions did say to peel the pears first, I figured that leaving the skin on would be okay. I should've listened to the directions. Cutting into the cake was a little hard and the skins pulled slices of pears from the top of the cake. Also, I found that one thinly sliced pear was enough for the topping. Where she put the other pear is beyond me.

Regarding sweetness, this was a lightly sweetened cake. I knew that this wasn't going to be sweet enough for me, so I decided to pour some honey on top to not only add sweetness, but also to caramelize the nuts and pears since they didn't seem to be sinking into the batter like it showed in the picture. But again, this was probably the substitutions at work.

When all was said and done, this didn't turn out too bad. I served this with some additional honey, a dusting of powdered sugar, and some sweetened whipped coconut cream. Below is the "next-time-I-make-this" recipe adaptation:

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Pear Walnut Cake
(slightly adapted from Tartelette)

2 large eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup good quality olive oil
1 cup plain, low-fat or whole milk yogurt
zest and juice of a lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large pear, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup honey, warmed
powdered sugar, for garnish

 
Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper sprayed with a little cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes until light and lemon-colored. Add the olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice and zest and whisk again so that everything is well mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.

Pour the mixture in the prepared baking pan. Place the pear slices on top, slightly diagonal and pressing gently into the cake, then sprinkle with the walnuts. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out free of crumbs. In the last 20 minutes of baking, drizzle the honey on top of the cake and return to the oven to finish baking.

Let cool completely before slicing and dusting with powdered sugar. Serves 8.

striving for perfection.

So, ever since we got to Georgia, I've been adapting a more Southern-style of cooking. I think it's because I'm surrounded by that kind of food environment and it just seems to make sense to cook that way. Even my eating habits are turning Southern: The polenta that I used to cook all the time turned to grits, hummus makes a rare appearance in my fridge, and I seem to be buying a whole lot more butter. Because of this, I've switched to light butter to make myself feel better.

Speaking of grits . . . I was surprisingly having a hard time trying to make a decent pot of grits. I just assumed that using my favorite polenta recipe would be fine but it's surprisingly NOT. The texture is off, especially for shrimp and grits, and it's much stiffer than I wanted it to be. I've tried several different recipes, and each time I get closer and closer to my ideal pot of grits.

Today yielded success.

My perfect grits? Always savory that that specific mouth texture. These grits are exactly how I want them: soft and fluffy with just a bit of tightness and texture. While they aren't flavored with anything specific, per se, they're still flavorful and taste like grits. The best part? Even if you put it in the fridge, they stay the same consistency even when you reheat it the next day! Yay!!

For the shrimp, I decided to make it more in the Françias-style of cooking. So fancy, I know . . . but not really! Thanks to my recent binge-fest of an old series of Jacques Pépin: Fast Food, My Way, I've been taking some notes and renewing my love of French cooking. It's kind of like Southern cooking but with a more funny accent, lol.

I like how in one episode, Monsieur Pépin added some chopped mushrooms to his shrimp casserole so that it'll soak up the shrimp flavor. He also did a ragù with tomatoes and onions similar to this recipe, but much more reduced. And man, does that man use a lot of olive oil!!

So, taking ideas here and there, voilà ! Shrimp and grits, my way. :D I did forget to add some peas to the shrimp, though. I think that would've made it über-françias, along with some oil-cured olives as a garnish. Eh, c´est la vie ! No? :) Bon appétit!

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Creamy Garlic-Tomato Shrimp
(makes 4 servings)

24 pcs jumbo shrimp (peeled, deveined, and butterflied)
2 tbsp bottled garlic
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch (about 8 sprigs) fresh thyme
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped white button mushrooms
1 to 2 pcs thick sliced deli ham, finely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1/4 cup low fat half and half
1/2 cup chopped parsley
low sodium chicken stock, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste

 
Marinate the shrimp:
Combine shrimp, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, onion powder, and paprika. Add olive oil to moisten the shrimp then season with ground pepper. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight.

Make the shrimp:
In a large pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil with the bunch of thyme. When the oil is fragrant and hot, add shrimp (reserve any leftover marinade) and cook until lightly browned on both sides (about 6 minutes). Remove shrimp from pan and set aside; discard the thyme.

In the same pan, add shallots, mushrooms, and ham. Season with salt and pepper. When vegetables start to brown and the ham becomes slightly crisp, add the tomatoes and any leftover marinade from the shrimp. Reduce heat and cook until tomatoes break down to a paste (about 10 minutes).

Return shrimp to the pan and toss to incorporate. Stir in half and half and parsley. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, then add chicken stock to thin as needed.

To serve, portion out 6 shrimps per person and top over grits or pasta with additional parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for garnish.

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My Perfect Grits
(makes 4 to 6 servings)

1 cup coarse ground grits or polenta (white or yellow)
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 to 2 tbsp light butter
1/4 tsp dried parsley
ground pepper, to taste

 
Bring water, half and half, and salt to boil. Slowly stir in grits/polenta, reduce heat to low, then cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and parsley, then season with pepper to taste.

For Savory Cheese Grits: Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1/4 tsp onion powder, a dash garlic powder, and a dash smoked paprika to cooked grits.

fancy chicken.

Wanted to make a fancy little dinner for the hubbs. Since I didn't have any lavender for this recipe, I decided to go for something equally "French": Herb de Provence. So with a little kitchen magic, I subbed this for that and tried my best with making *my* version of this dish. Turned out pretty, pretty tasty and not to shabby. :)

Game Hen with Roasted Root Veggies and Herb de Provence Velouté
(adapted from What Lolita Eats...)

3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp molasses
handful of Italian parsley, minced
2 large red potatoes, largely cubed
1 medium russet potato, largely cubed
10 baby carrots, cut in half
7 large radishes, quartered
1/2 onion, sliced thin

1 (24oz) Cornish game hen, deboned
3 tsp herb de provence, divided
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika

3 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbs flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup or so half and half

extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Add vinegar, molasses, and Italian parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, and a little onion powder, and some paprika. Whisk to combine. Toss in the potatoes, carrots, radishes, and onion to evenly coat he vegetables. Spread on a foil lined baking sheet and place in oven to bake. Flip and stir occasionally, for 45 minutes, or until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork.

Meanwhile, season hen with 2 tsp herb de provence, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Add a couple splashes of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Rub the hen inside and out to thoroughly coat the bird with the spices. Set aside. Take a large oven-proof skillet and add about a tablespoons of olive oil and a large pat of butter. When the fats become frothy, place each bird carefully breast side down on the hot surface. Sear for about 7 minutes then carefully flip with tongs to sear and baste on the backsides.

Reduce oven heat to 350F. Place the skillet into the oven to roast for about 20 minutes, occasionally reaching in to baste the bird with their drippings.

As the hen and vegetables finish roasting, start the veloute. Make a roux with the remaining 2 tbsp butter whisked with flour over medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup of stock, some of the pan drippings from the hen, and bring to frothy boil. Whisk in the half and half and remaining 1 tsp herb de provence. Season with salt and pepper, and let simmer until thickened to desired consistency.

To serve, cut hen in half and drizzle with veloute with a side of the roasted vegetables. Makes 1 to 2 servings.

the elusive torrini sundae.

so here's an interesting dessert: the torrini sundae.

i fist came across this when i was flipping through a magazine in my doctor's office about a year or so ago. it was in a summer issue of a family-type magazine highlighting things that you could do with tomatoes. i remember looking at the pictures and wondering what the heck it would taste like. so i jotted down the main things it had right in the nick of time before i got called in.

months later, after forgetting about it, i'd go through my phone and occasionally stumble on the little note i made to myself. the same curiosity came and every single time i would search throughout every corner of the internet i could find looking for the recipe: roasted grape tomatoes, simple syrup, vanilla ice cream. no recipe in sight. i tried using different search engines, word combinations, key words...you name it i used it. the only recipe that came close was a parisian-inspiried cherry tomato sundae from the vegetable gardener website that used cherry tomatoes but was peeled and stewed in a liquored simple syrup. close but not quite what i remembered (it had said it was of italian descent). so i would get frustrated with the search and put the note away.

today, i stumbled on the note again and the same words jumped out at me from the screen: roasted grape tomatoes, simple syrup, vanilla ice cream. then suddenly it dawned on me....i could totally *make* that dessert. the ingredients were already there and all i had to do was put it together. so after work, i went to my local grocery store and decided on combining two types of tomatoes to use: grape tomatoes and yellow sunbursts. both were midly tart and should sweeten nicely when roasted. i also boought a quality vanilla bean ice cream as a base for the syrup hoping that it would make the experiment worthwhile.

after researching tomato roasting, i went to work and started on the experiment. the ending result was interesting: the roasted tomatoes (even though they were a bit more crispier than i intended them to be) gave the syrup that familiar intense tomato tang but was mellowed by the simple syrup. the vanilla was also prominent but it somehow melded together to this sort of wierd, pleasant aftertaste. definitely interesting but not bad. i certainly enjoyed it and so did test subjects who tried a couple of bites. so the final verdict? thumbs way up for this savory-sweet treat!!

 
Torrini Sundae
(makes about 2 cups of syrup)

1 clamshell grape tomatoes, cut in halves
1 clamshell yellow sunburst tomatoes, cut in halves
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plus 1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup water
pure vanilla bean ice cream
fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, salt, and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for about an hour or until juices release and the tomatoes are caramelized. Set aside.

Meanwhile as the tomatoes roast, prepare the simple syrup by stirring the water and the rest of the sugar together in a small sauce pan. Heat to a rapid boil, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes then reduce heat to low. Simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes and remove from heat.

When the tomatoes are finished roasting, add them to the simple syrup and bring to a boil. Cook for just a couple of minutes to infuse the syrup and then remove from heat. Let cool slightly then serve a few spoonfuls of the tomatoes atop vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with some extra infused syrup from the mixture. Garnish with a couple mint leaves if desired.

Alternatively, you can also cool the syrup completely and top the ice cream...your preference completely. I opted for topping my ice cream right away since I was super curious about the taste. For any leftover syrup, store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two to three weeks max. Enjoy!