Columbus Foodie

Today is my birthday, and I have just got to say that I’m the luckiest girl alive. See what my wonderful husband made me, from scratch? :::swoon::: It tastes as good as it looks.

Italian Cream Cake
recipe courtesy Southern Living Magazine
serves 12

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flaked coconut

Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup chopped pecan, toasted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.
Add vanilla; beat until blended.

Combine flour and soda; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in coconut.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.

Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round baking cakepans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool on wire racks. Spread Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Nutty Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed with and electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until smooth; stir in pecans.

As a matter of course, I don’t celebrate Bastille Day. But, in the same way that I don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but engage in all of the traditions associated with it, I decided to make these burgers in honor of Bastille Day after seeing the recipe on Recipezaar. Yes, they are every bit as good as they sound. We used a Cambozola (blue/brie combination) that wasn’t French, but it lent just the right amount of kick where a more medicinal cheese would have been overwhelming. This recipe is highly, highly recommended. Just a word of warning, though - this is definitely a knife and fork burger.

Bastille Burger
recipe courtesy French Tart @ Recipezaar
makes 2 burgers - scale recipe as needed

12 ounces good quality minced beef
4 ounces french blue cheese (I used Cambozola)
2 hamburger buns or 2 pieces French bread, halved
2 tablespoons bearnaise sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced into rings
lettuce, washed and shredded
tomato, sliced
cornichon, sliced
pepper

Heat/light up your barbeque and allow the flames to die down. Season the beef with pepper, but NO salt - salt draws out the juices and toughens the meat! (You can add salt if you need it at the end.). With damp hands - shape the minced beef into two patties/burgers.
Cook the burgers to your liking - remember to place your blue cheese on top of the burgers to melt just before serving; then toast the burger buns or French bread.

Assemble your burger like so: bottom bun: lettuce, tomatoes, Bearnaise sauce and burger with melted blue cheese. Spread the Dijon mustard on the top bun, then place the onions and cornichons on top of the burger, with an extra dollop of Bearnaise sauce if you wish - then add the top bun.

If making these for a crowd - have all the condiments and salad ingredients handy and on a platter - and people can help themselves, as soon as the burgers are cooked. You could fry your onion - but I like the taste of raw red onion in these burgers!

Wow, did this long weekend fly by in a flash or what? As I mentioned in my last post, we made a foodie field trip to Cincinnati to go to Jungle Jim’s, and Sunday was the start of what ended up being a 2 day feast of food and far too many libations. So what kind of spread did I end up putting out? Since it’s a very picture-intensive post, click on through to see.
Read more…

So, about the rest of Easter dinner - each of these recipes were winners, and went over like gangbusters - so much so that everyone was fighting over the au gratin potatoes. My mother declared them the best she’s had in her 56 years. I guess that recipe, along with the others, is going into my permanent rotation.

We had some ham - since there were just 4 of us at dinner, I got another cottage ham from Thurn’s. It was just the right amount, and I even had a little tiny amount of leftovers for the next day. I used a different glaze recipe this time, though - which made a great sauce that complemented everything else on the plate. The picture came out a bit shiny.

Apricot Glazed Ham
recipe adapted from Recipezaar

3 lb. cottage ham (smoked pork shoulder)
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 c. apricot preserves
3/4 c. hot water
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. dry mustard

Simmer cottage ham in a pot of water on stovetop for 2 hours. Remove netting from ham and place ham in baking pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients. Blend well, and pour over ham. Bake 40-50 minutes, and baste every 15 or 20 minutes with pan juices. Slice and serve, using extra glaze as a sauce.

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Along with the ham, we had the aforementioned au gratin potatoes - I don’t know if these were so good because of what I cooked them in (a Le Creuset 2-quart casserole), or because of the recipe itself. Either way, the flavoring is spot on and it formed a nice crust where it met the pan. I used New York Cheddar, kind of on the sharp side.

Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin
recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (not too thin - about 1/4″)
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
onion powder, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a medium gratin dish with butter. Cover the cottom of the pan with an overlapping layer of potatoes. Lightly season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and top with a layer of cheese. Continue layering potatoes, seasoning and cheese, ending with the remaining cheese on top.

Pour the cream over the potatoes, pressing lightly with your hands to cover the potatoes with cream. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese is absorbed into the potatoes and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 50 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake until the mixture is bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

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And to complete the meal, we had some balsamic glazed carrots - we had a hard time deciding exactly what vegetable to have, but these were quite delicious and balanced the saltiness of the ham out nicely. We halved the recipe and still had a lot of leftovers.

Carrots Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar and Butter
recipe courtesy Bon Appétit

For ease, use the peeled baby carrots sold in plastic bags in the produce section of most supermarkets.

Makes 10 servings.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 1/2 pounds peeled baby carrots or regular carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces, halved lengthwise
6 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Cover and cook until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in sugar and vinegar. Cook uncovered until carrots are tender and glazed, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chives and toss to blend. Transfer to bowl and serve.

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Oh, I almost forgot - we also had store bought hot cross buns. I think we didn’t even cut into these, and sent them home with my mother for her to enjoy with coffee.

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All in all, quite the satisfying plate. I may just replicate this entire meal for next Easter as well.

And how was YOUR Easter?

Well, I promised you all that I would finish posting about our Easter Dinner. Since I rejoined The Daring Bakers this month, I decided to make this month’s recipe, Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake, as the culmination to our Easter feast. I can assure you it really was much more pretty than this picture makes you think. I took the picture with really low light, unfortunately.

As for what I thought about the cake? I’m not a big frosting gal (much of the time I find it much too heavy/sweet), but this hot meringue-based frosting was light and fluffy and not overpowering. The lemony smoothness paired perfectly with the raspberry in the filling. The cake itself was light and tender. Some of the Daring Bakers had problems with it rising, but I alleviated that by using less flour (or cake flour) and buttermilk, and beating the crap out of the egg white/buttermilk mix before mixing it with everything else. It truly wasn’t a lot of work to produce a really stunning cake. Be sure to stop by the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see how everyone else made out with the cake.

Perfect Party Cake
Courtesy of Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours (page 250).

Stick a bright-coloured Post-it to this page, so you’ll always know where to turn for a just-right cake for any celebration. The original recipe was given to me by my great dear friend Nick Malgieri, of baking fame, and since getting it, I’ve found endless opportunities to make it – you will too. The cake is snow white, with an elegant tight crumb and an easygoing nature: it always bakes up perfectly; it is delicate on the tongue but sturdy in the kitchen – no fussing when it comes to slicing the layers in half or cutting tall, beautiful wedges for serving; and, it tastes just as you’d want a party cake to taste – special. The base recipe is for a cake flavoured with lemon, layered with a little raspberry jam and filled and frosted with a classic (and so simple) pure white lemony hot-meringue buttercream but, because the elements are so fundamental, they lend themselves to variation, making the cake not just perfect, but also versatile.

For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable

Getting Ready
Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.

Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.

The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream. Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.

Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.

On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla. You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake
Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half. Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

I figured I may as well post about what we had for our St. Patty’s Day spread before it ceases to be relevant.

We had my mother and her boyfriend over for the meal, and in addition to a really nice cheese plate (that I won’t bore you guys with), we had this:

While I was at Whole Foods getting Irish Cheddar, I got a quart of their Shamrock Chowder for the four of us to share. Nice creamy soup with potatoes, carrots, corned beef, cabbage - it was really delicious with some shredded Irish cheddar sprinkled over it.

I also made a batch of Julie’s Irish Soda Biscuits. These were a breeze to throw together, and were quite tasty slathered with some butter. They were a nice complement to the soup.

For our main course, I made a nice point cut corned beef (love the extra fat - it’s where all the flavor is!) with Everybody Likes Sandwiches’ Colcannon with Leeks - mine came out looking nothing like theirs, and was a bit too liquidy for my tastes, but the flavor was quite excellent. With some adjustment, the recipe is a keeper.

We never did get around to dessert… It was nice to spend the day with family, though - rather than spending the time alone like we usually do.

A couple of days late, for sure - but to continue my overview of our Easter dinner, one of the appetizers we made was from the blog of my Taste & Create partner, Krishna of Cooking from A to Z. I’ve got to admit, I had a bit of a tough time finding something to choose from her blog, not because she doesn’t make fabulous food (she does!), but because I’m a through and through meat eater, and most of her recipes use protein replacements - I didn’t want to butcher (excuse the pun!) her recipes by adding meat where she had tofu.

But her recipe for Lavash topped with Brie and Chutney was perfect, although I had to make a couple of last-minute substitutes. As hard as I looked, I just couldn’t find pears on Easter eve, so I ended up buying some Stonewall Kitchen Old Farmhouse Chutney for some savory pieces, and used some of the Kumquat Marmalade that I got from We Love Jam for a few sweeter ones. Both were absolutely delicious, and flew off the plate in no time flat. Excellent recipe, and one that I will serve again at other dinner parties.

Wow. Wow x 2. We just had the most incredible Easter dinner - from start to finish, everything was just fan-friggin-tastic. Over the next couple of days, I’ll share a few dishes with you, starting with the appetizers and working our way to dessert, which I’ll post at the end of the month for a food blogging event I’m excited to be participating in again. But let me begin by saying a Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it.

Even though we don’t have any kids, we still dye eggs every year. There’s just something about the bright hues of the shells that make me realize that spring is just around the corner and that cheers me up incredibly. We used ours in a basket centerpiece filled with other goodies for our guests.

And hard boiled eggs make my favorite appetizer in the world - deviled eggs. These are simple and delicious. I usually pipe them in so they end up pretty (and if you do, you’ll probably need to add extra mayo to thin them enough to go through the tip). It only uses a handful of ingredients, mostly to taste - the ones listed below are the minimum I’ve found necessary to acheive the right flavor - scale up from there.

Deviled Eggs

1 dozen white-shelled extra large eggs
1/3 c. mayo (will need more, this is the amount I start with)
1 tbsp. finely chopped shallots (you can get these in a jar at Whole Foods, or chop your own)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt, to taste
Paprika, for garnish

Hard boil eggs using a coddling method: place eggs in pan and cover with water. Bring eggs just to a boil, and then cover them with a lid and remove from heat. Let them sit 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drain and cover with cool water to stop cooking. Place eggs in fridge or allow to cool to room temperature. (Hint: Old eggs always peel easier than fresh ones - use the oldest eggs you can get your hands on).

When eggs are cool, peel and cut in half lengthwise and set egg whites aside. Place yolks in a small bowl, and then use a masher to mash yolks to a crumbly texture. Add other ingredients, and then whip using a hand mixer until smooth. Adjust seasonings (adding more mayo, shallots, mustard or salt as necessary), and then put yolk mixture into the fridge to chill.

When ready to prepare eggs, fill the cavity of each egg white liberally with yolk mixture, until all egg white halves are filled equally. Sprinkle with paprika, and serve. These go fast, so double or triple the recipe depending on the size of your crowd.

Well, here it is the last day of the year, and I’m looking forward to a ton of changes in my life. The same time last year, I made a bunch of “foodie promises”. Let’s take a look at those promises, and see how I did in fulfilling them.

I’d like to have a healthier relationship with food in 2007. I’d like to gain enough control over it to lose 100 lbs. by this time next year. This will mean more moderation on my part, something which I severely lacked in 2006, and also increased activity, which means I’ll need to incorporate exercise into my life. Kalyn’s post about the South Beach Diet is almost enough to convince me to give it a try, especially considering my known insulin resistance problem

Okay, I did alright with this one. I lost 33 pounds, which is better than gaining weight. I’ve arranged surgery for next week that will allow me to lose more than 100 lbs. in 2008. For me, developing a healthy relationship with food meant not obsessing over it, or dieting, and letting my appetite and cravings guide me. I sucked at exercise, since the hernia and knee/back/ankle pain got worse, not better. The hernia is getting fixed next week, and the weight loss should help the other pain, so no excuses for 2008! And the surgery will pretty much force me into eating lower carb if I don’t want to have my body declare a mutiny on me.

I’d like to attend more food related functions this year - last year I attended the North Market Apron Gala and Taste the Future, which I hope to attend this year as well. I’d like to attend more industry functions and more festivals next summer.

I went to both of these, along with a couple of other food related events this year. I didn’t make it to any festivals at all this year, unfortunately. No industry functions either.

I’d like to learn how to take better photographs, which means learning how to use my new photo in a box for lighting, and acquiring and learning to use a DSLR by the end of the year.

I didn’t get a DSLR, because I figured that the need for a smaller camera that I could carry everywhere was more important than photo clarity or “wow” factor. I did set up the Photo in a Box, and improved the lighting of my pics this year.

I’d like to learn how to preserve food, either by canning or cold storage, so that I can enjoy nature’s bounty in the months of no local food.

I acheived this one, in spades! I learned how to can this summer, and my basement is currently chock full of jams, pickles, tomato products and more local bounty than I can dream to use by myself before summer. I hope to do a lot more canning this upcoming summer.

I’d like to expand the site to include links to more restaurant menus, more local resources for foodies, and more things that make this a Columbus-centric site rather than having the focus so much on myself and my family.

I nearly doubled the number of menus this year - in the next year, I plan on scanning in the menus of restaurants that don’t have a web presence, and adding a section that gives information about local food producers and how to acquire their goods.

I’d like to get to know more local artisans and food producers.

Again, this is something I’ve done a lot of this year, especially at Denise’s party on Saturday. I’ve spent more time talking to the people who grow my food.

I’d like to either establish or join a supper club this year.

I didn’t do that this year, but I did set up a Meetup group for local foodies. Maybe there are some in the Meetup Group who are also interested in something like this?

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So, all in all, I didn’t do too badly. Here are my foodie resolutions for 2008!

- I’d like to learn how to bake bread from scratch, kneading by hand. This also includes learning how to make sourdough bread, either from my own starter or one someone gives me.

- I’d like to learn how to make my own cheese and butter using local dairy products.

- I’d like to try my hand at container and small scale gardening, using my deck and part of my back yard.

- I’d like to make at least one 100% local meal per week. In similar spirit, I’d like to try to find as many local sources for food as possible.

- When in town, I’d like to review at least one new restaurant per week.

- I’d like to uncover at least one new to me “hidden gem” in Columbus per month.

- I’d like to host at least one dinner party and/or one potluck this year.

- I’d like to take at least one cooking class this year.

- I’d like to have at least one romantic picnic lunch/dinner in the park with my husband this year.

- I’d like to hit ALL of the local farmers markets (not just North Market, Clintonville, Worthington) at least once this summer.

- I’d like to put together a cookbook including my recipes and pictures to give to family and friends.

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And there you go, my wish list for 2008! What would you like to do next year?

I really wish I had taken pictures…I had a FABULOUS time last night at Denise’s (of 2Silos fame) wine party last night. I feel honored that she invited us, and am so glad that she did. In addition to feasting on homemade cheese, delicious chicken paprikash (Denise, I *want* that recipe ), muscovy duck, lamb, and much more, I got the opportunity to try tons of wine I would have never had the opportunity to otherwise, and met so many cool people, like Ginger, a jill-of-all-trades who in addition to growing garlic and horseradish, makes her own local vinegar, bakes amazing bread (trust me, I tried some!), and plans on teaching classes of all sorts at her farm in Morrow County. And then there was Vanessa and her husband, who raise organic turkeys and cows. And the lovely couple (I’m sorry I didn’t catch your names!) whose delicious duck I’ve tried already in many of my favorite restaurants. (Update: After a bit of research, I’ve discovered that the lovely couple is Dennis and Angela of Cota Farms in Cardington). I’m telling you folks, that party was a locavore’s heaven.

I can’t wait to communicate further with my newfound friends. If the knowledge and kindness and dedication to their work is representative of what our local food producers are like, I feel even better about my decision to try to eat as locally as possible.

Best of all, I got a chance to see Sweetie, my “adopted” hen. I’m going to miss all those eggs while I’m gone. I’m homesick already.