Quick Bread and Butter Pickles

As the next step in my foray into domesticity, I've finally attempted pickling. (!) These pups are quick and easy. They're are refrigerator pickles, so there's no two-month fermentation (Disclaimer: I have no idea what's required of actual pickles). They're sweet and delicious. We played around with the sugar levels, and I think my preferred sweetness is somewhere between 3/4 and a cup of sugar, and I like them sweet.

Bread and Butter Pickles
As adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 4 cups of pickles, filling a 1-quart jar

1 lb kirby (pickling) cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Kosher salt
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds (if ground, use 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp celery seed

Combine the cucumbers and onion in a medium sized bowl.

In a pot, bring sugar, salt, vinegar and spices to a boil.

Add cucumbers and onions to vinegar mixture and bring almost back to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. They'll taste pickled almost immediately, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

I think I'll probably begin pickling everything in my kitchen and making Bloody Marys that are 3/4 vegetable. Seems like a healthy reason to have one daily.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces or 113 grams) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt

Filling and Topping
2 cups or 12 ounces semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate bars
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. If not nonstick coated, cover the bottom with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set pan aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl. Alternately mix in sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture until both are used up and the batter is smooth and very thick. In a medium bowl, beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter.

In a small dish, whisk together sugar and cinnamon for filling and topping.

Spread half the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon-sugar mixture and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Dollop remaining cake batter over filling in spoonfuls. Use a rubber or offset spatula to gently spread it over the filling and smooth the top. Sprinkle batter with remaining cinnamon-sugar and remaining chocolate chips. With the palm of your hand, ever-so-gently press the chocolate chips a bit into the batter. No need to submerge them, you just want to make sure they adhere bit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

As found on Smitten Kitchen.

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Corn

Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Corn
Yields 3 or 4 servings as a side dish

1 cup farro
2 ears cooked corn or a can of corn niblets
16 cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Place farro in a small bowl with water to cover. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rest overnight on countertop. When ready to cook, drain farro, and place in a small pan with water to cover. Bring to boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, until tender.

2. Scrape kernels from corn, and place in a bowl large enough to hold all ingredients. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. When farro is cooked, drain well, and toss with other ingredients. It is best served at room temperature but can be chilled.

Notes: I didn't soak the farro overnight. Instead, I cooked it like rice - just a little over 2 parts cold water to 1 part farro brought to a boil and left to simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes until the farro is al dente. Also, I substituted 3 tsp of rice vinegar and 1.5 tsp of balsamic, and it was great great great.

Another note: Farro is so delicious. Also so expensive.

Photos and a food blog that actually puts effort in to be found here.

Ukrainian Honey Cake

No photo because I ate this delicious cakebread too quickly.

Ukrainian Honey Cake
Makes 1 loaf-shaped cake

2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled to lukewarm

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-inch bred pan, then dust it with flour.

2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and smooth. Add the honey and melted butter and mix until blended and smooth.

3. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir in. Stir in the coffee, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients.

4. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter, then gently stir several times. The batter will be quite wet.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a rack to cool completely before slicing. Eat plain or buttered.

As discovered on The Wednesday Chef.

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Lemon & Feta

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more (to taste) for seasoning the salad
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon shredded parmigiano-reggiano
fresh cracked black pepper
1 large garlic clove, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Combine the quinoa, water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium size pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook (covered) for about 20 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Set aside.

While the quinoa cooks, spread the asparagus on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil, the shredded parmigiano, salt and pepper over the asparagus; toss to coat the spears evenly and spread the spears into one even layer. Place the garlic clove on top of the spears and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the asparagus is blistered in spots, but retains a bite. Allow the spears to cool slightly and slice into one-inch pieces. Mince the garlic.

While the asparagus roasts, whisk together the mustard and lemon juice in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in the remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In the large bowl holding the vinaigrette, add the cooked quinoa, sliced asparagus, minced garlic and toasted almonds. Toss to distribute the vinaigrette throughout the quinoa. Taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the crumbled feta.

Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.


As found on The Kitchen Sink.