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.

Drinky Drinks: Gin Fizz and Gin Daisy Fizz

I'm getting ready to go on a trip home to Buffalo this weekend, and I've been cooking up a storm, and enjoying some adult beverages.

Gin Fizz:

1 oz lemon juice (abt 1 lemon)

2 oz gin (I have New Amsterdam in the house because it's a good mixing gin, and affordable)

1 tsp simple syrup

seltzer

make it in a highball glass (tall glass)

pour the first three ingredients over ice, then top off the glass with seltzer

to make it a daisy fizz, add 1/2 oz grenadine

Radiant Bok Choi

Radiant Bok Choi
Originally uploaded by kel h

One of the best parts of having a CSA Farmshare is getting a variety of different veggies and learning different ways of cooking them. I have this great cookbook Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka, which is a must have if you've got a farmshare. Not only does it have a bunch of great recipes for every vegetable you can imagine and then some, but it also has a great index with general buying and preparation information on all sorts of veggies. This recipe is from that cookbook

1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp tumeric
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 lbs bok choi (halved lenthwise)
1 can coconut milk (add water until = 3c liquid)
1 tbsp lime juice

Heat the oil on low and add the tumeric and salt. cook for 1 min

Add bok choi in one layer in the pan

pour the liquid over the bok choi and bring to boil for medium heat and cook covered for 6 minutes

turn bok choi over and cook another 6 minutes

add lime juice and stir

Lemon, Ginger and Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream

Lemon, Ginger and Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream
Originally uploaded by kel h

My dad and sister come and visit me in Boston a couple times a year, and I am always looking for something fun to do with them. One year we went to Northampton, and I had a Honey Ginger Lemonade in a little coffee shop that was just fantastic. I wanted to try to recreate that flavor, and came across a recipe for creamy lemon popsicles from Whipped, and decided to modify it.

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 pinch salt
1 2/3 cup buttermilk

whisk everything together except the buttermilk. Once the sugar dissolves, add the buttermilk and whisk. Refrigerate for an hour before putting in the ice cream maker. Follow your ice cream maker's instructions.

The texture is kind of like ice milk. I think next time I might try to use yogurt or cream along with the buttermilk to make it smoother. The flavor is good, but you might like it a bit sweeter. It's pretty lemony.

These also make good popsicles

Lemon Rosemary Scones

Lemon Rosemary Scones
Originally uploaded by kel h

I got a bunch of rosemary with my trader joes pick up this week, and I decided to make Lemon Rosemary Scones. I really like lemon and rosemary together, and this sounded like a good way to combine them

based on a recipe by Martha Stewart

Makes 8

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup plus 3 tbsps buttermilk
Juice of one lemon
3 large eggs (2 for scones, 1 for egg wash)
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (abt 1 lemon)
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary (about 1 sprig)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix at low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp lemon zest, rosemary, and vanilla. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and form into a flat disc, about 8 inches across and 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into 8 wedges and transfer to prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining egg and 3 tablespoons buttermilk to make an egg wash. Brush scones with egg wash. Combine 3 tbsp sugar with 1 tbsp lemon zest and sprinkle scones with lemon sugar.

Bake until the tops are golden brown and firm, 40 to 50 minutes.

The colder the butter, and the less you mix the scones, the better they turn out