Flipping for Grapefruit

We have been getting citrus in the farm share, and none of us at the house are really big grapefruit fans, so I thought I would give this recipe from Martha Stewart a try.

Grapefruit Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

• 2 small pink grapefruit

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup milk

• Whipped cream, (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 4 tablespoons butter in a 9-inch round baking pan. Place the pan in the oven just long enough to melt the butter. Remove pan from oven; scatter 1/2 cup brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
2. With a sharp knife, peel the grapefruit, removing all pith, and slice. Arrange the slices to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and allspice. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter until creamy. Add granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar; beat until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
4. Pour batter over grapefruit in pan. Bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; turn cake out onto serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if desired.

Earl Grey Shortbread

The holidays are a stressful time, and when I get stressed, I bake. I'm also on a special diet because of some tummy trouble that landed me in the hospital for the last few days, so I decided to make something pretty simple.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar (or powdered sugar for a more satiny cookie)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp loose tea leaves
2 cups flour
Instructions:
Cream butter, sugar, and salt
Add vanilla and tea leaves
Gradually add flour until dough comes together
Shape into a log 2-3 inches across (I like to shape mine into squares)
Chill from 30 min to overnight
Slice abt 1/4 inch thick
Bake at 375 for 9-12 min until edges are browned

Drunken S'more Brownies

Ingredients:
Crust:
6 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crusts
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar

Brownies:
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate
1 oz semisweet chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup boubon (optional)
1 cup flour

1/2 bag mini marshmallows
1/2 cup choc chips

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350
Combine crust ingredients, and press into baking pan lined with foil and greased
Melt 1 1/2 sticks butter, reduce heat
Melt chocolate then add sugar, salt, vanilla, expresso powder, eggs and optional bourbon
Add flour gradually
Pour over crust
Bake for 25-30 min
Set oven to broil
Take brownies out, top with marshmallos and chocolate chips
Put back in oven until marshmallos toast, 2 min or less
Let cool

Kir Royale Jello Shots

It was my roommate's birthday the other day, and champagne always seems like a good choice for celebrations. We had plans to go to our friends' house that evening, so Kir Royale Jello Shots seemed appropriate. I am a  big fan of the more grownup alcoholic jello shots, where you mimic the ratio of a classic cocktail.  The basic formula is this:

4 packets flavored or unflavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
4 cups liquor, juice, mixers, in the ratio of the cocktail

In this case, I did 3 1/2 cups champagne, 1/4 cup lime juice, and 1/4 cup chambord
I was going to sink the raspberries into the jello after letting it chill for an hour, but I fell asleep, so the next morning i poured some hot water over top to melt a bit of the top layer and stuck the raspberries on that way.

A Tale of Two Cookies

I own and love the baking book from Rosies, a local bakery that makes (among other things) the best brownies in existence. I originally had a craving for a Peanut Butter cookie with chocolate chips. I started with her basic recipe

Ingredients
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup + 1tsp white sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tsp brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups + 2tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Instructions
combine dry ingredients
Cream butter and sugar
Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter
Gradually add dry ingredients
Chill dough for a few hrs
Bake at 350 for 8-10 min

Alterations
For the peanut butter cookies, I only did a half cup of each sugar, and added a tablespoon of honey (peanut butter and honey sandwiches are a favorite treat of mine). I also added peanut butter anc chocolate chips and an extra 1/4 tsp salt to balance the honey.  Also, to chill the cookies I rolled them into tubes, wrapped them in cling wrap and threw them in the freezer for an hour. Then when you want cookies, preheat the oven, slice and bake

These cookies led to another idea: nutella cookies. I replaced the peanutbutter with nutella, only added 1/2 cup of each sugar, and upped the salt ( I did a whole teaspoon, next time I would do 3/4). I also added an additional 1/2 tsp of hazlenut extract because we had it on hand, a half cup chopped hazlenuts and a cup of white chocolate chips. I am pleased with the result.

http://www.rosiesbakery.com/rosies-bakery-cookbook/

Experimental Cherry Bourbon Sour

To supplement our farmshare produce, I like to hit up Haymarket, a chaotic outdoor produce market in downtown Boston that happens every Friday and Saturday. It is crazy cheap, with vendors shouting and people from every walk of life jostling for the best deals.

A few tips:
1. make a pass through before you buy. One vendor may be selling 3 lemons for a dollar, but a few stalls down another vendor will be selling 5 for a dollar

2. Bring a market bag. Otherwise you get stuck with a zillion crappy thin plastic bags that rip

3. Bring small bills. Its cash only.

4. Best deals are on rainy days and later Saturday

Anyhow, there have been a bunch of bing cherries, so I pitted about half a pound and soaked them in some Jim Beam with a slice of orange peel to make cherry infused boubon.

I made myself a whiskey sour of a sort tonight.

2oz bourbon
1.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz agave (couldn't find the simple syrup)

The cherry infusion makes it pretty sweet, as does the agave. I like it, but I like sweeter drinks than some. Next time I might cut back on the agave, and/or use lime instead of lemon

Quickie Farmshare Panzanella

I'm always looking for ways to use our farmshare veggies. We had some cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and flat leaf parsley. I also picked up some "fresh yesterday" bread and fresh mozerella. I had a lemon that was about to go, and the usual garlic and olive oil in the pantry.

First, I crushed some garlic and heated it up in olive oil to flavor the oil.

I cubed up the bread and tossed in the olive oil. Then I toasted it in the oven.

I used the leftover oil, juice and zest of a lemon, a grated garlic clove, salt, pepper and fresh oregano from the garden to make a vinagarette.

Then I chopped up a cucumber, one and a half tomatoes, and some fresh mozarella.

I took the toasted bread cubes, veggies, and cheese, and toss with the vinagarette.

Then I took a fistful of basil and parsley, chopped it up and sprinkled on top.

It may need extra salt

Let it sit so the bread can soak in the dressing

NOM!