Marinated Zucchini and Yellow Squash

August 29, 2022

Marinated Zucchini and Yellow Squash

This refreshing salad checks two boxes: the last of the weekly August zucchini recipes and a craving for bright and tangy side dishes. After a week of quick pickling (remember escabeche and kimchi?), I found Marinated Zucchini and Yellow Squash Salad is an even speedier pickle.

Sometimes raw zucchini can be thick and clunky in fresh salads (so.much.chewing). So, the secret here is paper-thin slices. They soak up the marinade and yes, are easier to chew.

Plus, a salad like this helps keep dinnertime cool in triple-digit heat. At least the weather isn’t humid.

Humidity

Traveling to escape the heat is always an attractive idea and I had the opportunity to spend some time in Bermuda this summer with my mom and brother. The island has stunning beaches, great food, and a relaxed atmosphere.

It’s also humid.

Humidity, as you may recall from high school science class, is the amount of water vapor in the air. High humidity can make you feel like you are wearing a hot, wet blanket around your shoulders. Why? Because the sweat doesn’t evaporate on our skin and cool us down.

Low humidity means dryer air and quicker dissipation of sweat. As the moisture evaporates on the skin, it carries away the heat with it. There is also the subject of dew point, but that’s another physical science lesson for another day.

Let’s circle back to zucchini.

Zucchini

We’ve talked about how they are a cooling food, are great on the grill, roasted in spirals, and even folded into a yummy coconut bread. This green member of the squash family is a versatile vegetable for sure.

Plus: vitamins!

Zucchini is rich in vitamins A, B6, and C. It’s high in fiber and antioxidants. And low in calories, fat, and sugar. There are lots of wins here.

Marinade ingredients: garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, vinegar, olive oil

Lessons Learned

A mandoline slicer or mixer attachment is your friend. If you have mad knife skillz then I am happy for you. For all other mortals like me: these tools can be ordered on Amazon.
Any thin-skinned squash will work in this recipe: crookneck, green and yellow zucchini, pattypan, yellow, and Mexican grey.
Once prepared, this recipe keeps in the fridge for several days. It’s a nice make-ahead item!

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Molly Krebs at Spices in My DNA and Martha Rose Shulman at New York Times for their marinated zucchini recipe inspiration!

Strawberry Vinegar

August 26, 2022

Strawberry Vinegar

Red colored vinegar in pint-size mason jar

Summer fruit is coming in hot and sometimes it’s hard to eat it fast enough. But, we are not letting any strawberries go to waste! Let’s make some Strawberry Vinegar for today’s project during Quick Pickling and Preserving Week.

Whole ripe strawberries, bottle of vinegar and smidge of sugar on a wooden board

Homemade Vinegar

To be clear, we are not making vinegar from scratch. That’s another recipe for another day. But! We are making a homemade fruit-infused condiment and it is delicious.

Fruit-infused vinegar carries the aroma of the fruit from which it was made. It is tart like vinegar should be but is also slightly sweet.

How to use it?

Salad dressings
Marinades
Pickling Vegetables
Reduction Sauces
Cocktails (yes, really!)

The fruit: strawberries, including the tops.

Strawberries with tops on, cut in half lengthwise

Nose to Tail

Nose-to-tail eating usually refers to using every part of an animal, not just the choice muscle cuts. It includes bone marrow, liver, and organ meats. This style of eating allows nothing to go to waste, providing for more complete nutrition.

What does this have to do with our strawberries? We are also using them nose-to-tail, or rather stem-to-tip. The whole shebang.

Normally, strawberry tops are removed and discarded. But you and I are thrifty and nothing-goes-to-waste kinds of people, aren’t we? So, we are leaving those green leafy tops intact.

Plus, they’re pretty!

Lessons Learned

The reality is you can use any type of vinegar you want to make this strawberry version. However, distilled white makes the final product pretty astringent. A better choice: white wine, rice, or white balsamic.
There is some waste when you make this recipe, it’s true. The strawberries are discarded after the steeping. Your choices include 1) composting them or 2) not using the entire strawberry but just the tops to make it.
Label the mason jar clearly. Certain family members may think it is a fruity drink and be unpleasantly surprised. Whoops.

Hat Tips

Thanks go to Pam Greer at Sidewalk Shoes for her strawberry vinegar recipe and to Stop Food Waste for their strawberry top version!

Kimchi

August 25, 2022

Kimchi

It wouldn’t be Quick Pickling and Preserving Week on Betty Eatz without kimchi. Are you are looking for a spicy, salty, and funky side dish? Then read on.

A gate to Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, Korea with overhanging green and yellow leaves

What is Kimchi

Kimchi is a Korean side dish. It is made of fermented vegetables and served as a side dish, also called banchan, at a meal. The main ingredients can include cubed white radish, cucumber, and ponytail radish, among others.

The most well-known type is made from cabbage and is the one my mom always made when I was growing up. This version includes napa cabbage, daikon radish, green onions, and carrots. The cabbage is salted and combined with the other veggies, then it is rubbed with a spice paste.

Afterwards, it’s fermented!

Napa cabbage, daikon, carrot, green onions, garlic, and ginger

Fermentation

Many cultures eat fermented foods. Kefir, miso, sauerkraut, and even sourdough are some examples of foods from around the globe. Fermentation is a way to preserve food and has been around for centuries.

Probiotics or “good” bacteria are found in some fermented foods and may provide health benefits. People claim that fermented foods are important for gut health and overall gastrointestinal support. However, science sometimes agrees and sometimes it disagrees.

Regardless, fermented foods are delicious and add a unique zesty goodness to whatever you are eating. These foods have a certain aroma, appearance, and taste thanks to the microbial growth that happens during fermentation.

There is an important ingredient in making cabbage kimchi: gochugaru.

Gochugaru

Gochugaru is Korean red pepper chili powder or flakes. It is instantly recognizable for its bright red color. I once owned a pair of pants this color and yes, I was instantly recognizable, too.

This type of dried chili is different from others because it is made from the Korean red pepper called taeyang-cho.

The dried spice is used in kimchi, soups, stews, marinades, and gochujang (chili paste). It’s an important component in Korean cooking. Gochugaru’s heat intensity ranges from mild to burn-your-hair-off hot.

Daikon, carrot, and green onions chopped into matchsticks

Lessons Learned

You can adjust the heat of the kimchi. Use just 1 or 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes if you want milder kimchi. Add 4 or 5 tablespoons if you like it hot.
This entire recipe will fit into a 1-quart jar, believe it or not! The veggies soften as you work the paste into them. As a result, they can be pressed down into the jar.
Gas and brine will overflow! Keep small children and smell-sensitive husbands away when you open the jar after fermentation.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Emily Han at thekitchn and Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee at Simply Recipes for their recipe inspo and to Yujeong Huh on Unsplash for the photo of Korea.

Overhead view of mason jar filled with kimchi

Homemade Blueberry Jam with Rum

August 24, 2022

Homemade Blueberry Jam with Rum

Overhead view of homemade blueberry jam in mason jar and saucepan scraped clean

It's Quick Pickling and Preserving Week on Betty Eatz and today we are making homemade blueberry jam with rum. Making jam from scratch might sound daunting, but I assure you it is not. It is easy to put together and done in less than 30 minutes.

First, let's talk about toast.

Delivery truck painted as a toaster with toast coming out the top. A virtual toastermobile!

Maillard Reaction

How is it that toast is so wonderful? I may not be hungry, but the moment I smell toast being made by someone in my house I want some, too. It smells so good.

There is something cozy about the aroma of bread baking, and maybe that’s what makes toast such a comforting smell. Thanks to the browning caused by radiant heat from an oven, toaster, or even campfire, slices of bread become toast.

The process is called the Maillard reaction.

French chemist Louis Maillard first described the chemical reaction in 1912 after conducting experiments in protein synthesis. Scientists have since discovered that when the Maillard reaction takes place and all the lovely browning occurs, hundreds of different flavor compounds are created. These compounds produce even more flavors.

Maybe this is the answer to why toast is so wonderful. But perhaps it’s also the jam.

Jam ingredients: blueberry, sliced lemon, sugar, and Gosling's Black Seal Rum

Making Jam

I used to get together with some mom friends when my kids were younger. We would make jam while our kids played. Between the crates of berries, pectin, hot water baths, and tongs, it was quite a sticky production.

The resulting jars of jam were spread between peanut butter sandwiches and plopped on yogurt. My favorite way to eat it? On toast.

Years later, I’m still making jam. It’s still delicious. But now, I don’t use pectin.

Bubbling homemade blueberry jam on the stovetop with berries being mashed with a masher

Pectin

Pectin is a starch that is found naturally in some fruits. Powdered pectin is added to jams, jellies, marmalades, and preserves during the cooking process to quickly thicken and produce a gel-like texture. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t add longevity to the shelf life.

You don’t have to use pectin to get your jams to gel, however. Pectin alternatives include agar agar, chia seeds, cornstarch, gelatin, and tapioca starch. Also, citrus!

This recipe uses lemon juice to help set the jam.

Lessons Learned

If you don’t want rum in your jam, leave it out. The jam will still be delicious.
Want a more pronounced rum taste? Cook the jam and then stir in the rum at the last moment. If you add more than a tablespoon the jam will be loose and runny.
Don’t despair if you don’t have a candy thermometer. You can eyeball the jam to see when it has thickened enough. It will continue to thicken as it cools down.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Jamie at Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom for the blueberry jam inspiration and to Benjamin Lehman on Unsplash for the toastermobile photo.

Jam topped toast with a bite taken out of it. Next to it is the jar and a spoon.

Escabeche

August 23, 2022

Escabeche

It’s Quick Pickling and Preserving Week here on Betty Eatz! We are going to do some easy and quick pickling and jamming of summer vegetables and fruits. And I promise it’s not hard.

Today’s project: escabeche. It’s a cool and zingy side dish to any grilled meat or fish, a bright and crunchy topping on burgers and tacos, and a beautiful addition to charcuterie boards.

Drawing from Spanish-influenced global cuisines, escabeche can be meat, fish, or vegetables cooked in vinegar and spices. I’m doing a variety of vegetables that will be plunged in a hot vinegar bath.

This is different from canning.

A view of my mother-in-law's very green backyard property in Oregon. Don't sit on the wooden bench because the seat is gone.

Canning

Do you know someone who cans? My mother-in-law is a canning queen. She has pickled and preserved food for 50-plus years, and I am in awe.

Every year she puts up green beans, tomatoes, and veggies of all kinds that are grown on her Oregon property. Jams and preserves are also made from locally grown fruit and rhubarb from her garden. She has even tinned freshly caught fish!

To properly can something, there are a number of essential steps that must be done to ensure food safety and longevity. Canning jars and lids are sterilized, filled with food, and sealed. Then, filled jars go through a period of hot water immersion to vacuum seal them before storing them.

Food prepared this way lasts for a year or more if stored correctly. In years past, this was the only way anyone was going to have out-of-season tomatoes or peaches in the middle of winter. It was also a way to not let any fresh produce go to waste.

What I’m doing this week is pretty amateur, I’ll admit. No hot water baths here. But! The results are delicious and fun is had along the way.

Head of cauliflower, stalks of celery, whole mini bell peppers, baby carrots arranged artfully on a wooden cutting board

Quick Pickling Escabeche

You don’t have to go through the canning process to quick pickle vegetables. All it requires is a squeaky clean jar, fresh veggies, and a piping hot vinegar-water combo. Plus, some spices, if you want.

Good candidates for quick pickling: bell peppers, carrots, celery, cucumbers, fennel, green beans, onions, radishes, and zucchini. Starchier vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli should be blanched for a few minutes before being added to the mason jar.

If you add red onions or beets they will eventually make everything pink once the pickling occurs. Everything. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but be aware.

Next, you will prepare a vinegar and water mixture and heat it to boiling. This is what you will pour over the veggies to quickly pickle them.

Cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves, whole black peppercorn, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, a small mound of kosher salt, and some demerara sugar spread on a wooden board

Homemade Pickling Spice

Here is where you can custom mix the spices you want in your quick pickling project. Some popular options include bay leaves, celery seeds, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel, star anise, whole black peppercorn, and whole cloves. Plus kosher salt and sugar.

Play around with the spice combination to find what you like. You can quick pickle on the spur of the moment by keeping a big batch of spice mix on hand that you have pre-mixed. You will need about 1 tablespoon of mixed spices per 2 cups of liquid.

For This Escabeche, Quick Means Quick

So, how fast is escabeche ready to eat? In 24 hours. Yes, it is ready to eat the next day.

Always keep quick pickled items in the refrigerator. Because it does not include any preservatives, escabeche needs to be eaten within 2 weeks.

Drone view of veggie mason jar ready to become escabeche

Lessons Learned

I like to fill clean jars with boiling water and let them stand for 10 minutes to ensure they are squeaky clean. Don't forget to place the lids and rings in a bowl and cover them with boiling water, too.
White vinegar will give the cleanest looking results, but you can use any vinegar you'd like. I used a 50-50 combo of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar for this recipe.
Use common sense. Check for mold in any jarred item before eating. Just like other disappointments in life, things sometimes go bad and should be thrown away.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Seizan Dreux Ellis of Cafe Gratitude for his escabeche recipe and to Sue from The View From Great Island for her comprehensive quick pickling guide!

Side view of escabeche in a mason jar with hot vinegar brine being poured into it

Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad

August 22, 2022

Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad

Black plate piled with spinach, grilled zucchini, grilled corn, and halved grape tomatoes arranged by color.

The barbecue is one of the best ways to cook zucchini! Incorporating charred veggies with fresh ones makes Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad into a delicious main or side salad. Add a sumac dressing for some brightness and acid.

Sumac

What is ground sumac? It is a dark red spice that is widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine. The flavor manages to be deliciously tart and lemony, but also kind of sweet.

This versatile spice can be used on seafood, meats, and vegetables like you would use lemon juice. It also adds tartness to marinades and salad dressings without adding any extra liquid. Sumac plays well with other spices and is an ingredient in spice blends like za’atar.

One of my favorite ways to use it is in salad dressings. Combined with oil, lemon juice, and a few other goodies, sumac brings an earthy, tangy twist to vinaigrettes. It’s especially good with grilled items.

Two ears of corn, two zucchini, and a mess of itty bitty grape tomatoes in red, yellow, and orange

Grilled Zucchini

Zucchini was made for the grill. Seriously. Cut the ends off, split them lengthwise, and oil the cut sides. That’s it.

How long do you leave it on? It depends. If you like it very tender and almost melty, you can grill it for 15 to 20 minutes.

I recommend you grill it for no more than 10 minutes if you are using it for salads like this one. The zucchini will be tender and have nice char marks but will hold together when cut into smaller pieces.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

If you have never tried grilling an ear of corn, I highly suggest you do it soon. The heat adds a subtle smokiness to fresh sweet corn. The yellow kernels make a pretty addition to any salad or side dish.

There is the option of grilling corn with the husks still on if you prefer. The kernels will steam rather than barbecue, but you might like that. You’re an adult, so you can do what you want.

Grape Tomatoes

Fresh and bite-sized, these tomatoes are favorites in a salad. Red ones are the most common. But I like that my local grocery store carries them in a variety of colors: red, orange, yellow, and green.

These pretty little jewels add some juicy freshness as a counterpoint to the grilled veggies. Plus, a pop of color!

Ingredients for sumac dressing: lemon, garlic, salt, and sumac laid out on a wooden board

Lessons Learned

Want to grill the tomatoes too? I say go for it. There is still fresh (spinach or leafy green) as a contrast to the cooked.
You can make this salad a few hours ahead of when you are going to eat it. Add the dressing and fresh herbs at the last minute so things don't get soggy.
Don't like or have ground sumac? I'm sad for you. But you can use any tart or zingy dressing you have. It's still a great salad!

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Alida at Simply Delicious for her corn and grilled zucchini salad inspiration and to Manu at Manu's Menu for the sumac dressing recipe!

Close up of this delicious salad with dressing on it

Roasted Zucchini

August 15, 2022

Roasted Zucchini

This roasted zucchini has crispy edges - no frying required!

Zucchini Season

Do you have a vegetable garden? Growing vegetables like zucchini in a home garden isn’t always easy. I fail every year.

Each spring, I get very ambitious and plant various vegetables and herbs in hopes of a bountiful summer harvest. Some things do well (rosemary, sage, oregano, and lavender), but others do not. Rest in peace, bell peppers, tomatoes, and jalapenos.

I wonder sometimes if the old World War II victory gardens were so named because the gardener was ecstatic that the plants survived.

World War 2 poster depicting an attractive woman in an American flag dress sowing seeds in a field

Victory Garden

During World Wars I and II, the U.S. National War Garden Commission encouraged the public to start home gardens to help offset consumer demand from food suppliers. Commercially grown crops were needed to help feed the service men and women who were fighting overseas.

Sometimes called war gardens or liberty gardens, these victory gardens were in backyards, public parks, and on apartment building rooftops. At one point, these gardens collectively yielded 40 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed nationally!

That’s a lot of zucchini.

Five whole zucchini piled on a wooden cutting board

How to make Roasted Zucchini

Because it has high water content, zucchini can become squishy and watery when cooked. There are ways to help eliminate some of the moisture, such as salting, squeezing, and slicing very thinly.

Another solution: tornadoes.

Cross section of zucchini with the ends trimmed

Tornado Zucchini

This genius way of roasting zucchini involves slicing it diagonally in a continuous swirl. When done right, the result looks like a giant, green, veggie rotini. Or a tornado.

Because it has more cut surface areas exposed to heat, the zucchini offloads excess moisture while cooking. They are delicious plain, but are extra good with a crunchy topping made from panko, herbs, and spices.

Three veggies skewered and cut diagonally into twirly tornadoes

Lessons Learned

Most zucchini are not perfectly straight, so it can be hard to push a skewer through the middle of the entire thing without it veering off to one side. Cutting the zucchini into shorter lengths helps to keep the skewers centered down the middle.
By all means add cheese to the crumb mix if you like. I have previously added finely grated Parmesan and it was delish.
This same skewer/cutting technique can be done with potatoes and other vegetables.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Tasty Recipes for their recipe and instructional video and to the Library of Congress Public Domain Archive for the photo of the James Montgomery Flagg war garden poster.

Twirly zucchini tornadoes with panko topping ready to be roasted

Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread

August 8, 2022

Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread with first two slices laying flat surrounding by a pool of delicious lime glaze

Thanks to shredded coconut and lime zest, this Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread recipe brings tropical flavor to the green garden veggie.

Don't Leave Without a Bag of Zucchini

Zucchini season continues. Gardeners, grocery stores, and grandmas are peddling the green squash right now in an attempt to get someone, anyone, to take it. Everyone, please take a bag home with you.

Now when zucchini is cooked right, it’s sublime. But when it’s not, it’s pretty terrible.

At some point in history, someone clever started cutting zucchini into tiny pieces and adding it to sauces, soups, and even bread. Zucchini in bread can be fantastic. It just needs a good squeeze.

Pile of cassette tapes, most likely used by an angst-filled teen to make mix tapes for their friends

Squeeze

If you think this section is going to be about the 80s UK band, I’m sorry it’s not. However, I did listen to a lot of Squeeze's music and am pretty sure Black Coffee in Bed was on several mix tapes that I made for friends. Yes, I was that friend.

Squeezing here refers to what needs to happen to the zucchini once it is shredded. It has a high water content and all that moisture will weigh down your batter if you don’t press it out. Shred, squeeze, then add to the recipe.

By the way, if you are wondering if the band is still touring, they are.

Zucchini sliced in half, two brown eggs, limes sliced in half, and a messy cup of shredded coconut arranged on a wooden cutting board

Best Zucchini Desserts

Listen, I know you are thinking that these three words don’t really go together. Nothing like a chopped-up green vegetable hidden in something sweet. Is deception really delicious?

Because we’ve all had our share of soggy zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini bundt cake gone wrong, I can understand the wariness surrounding green flecks in baked goods. But! This really is a yummy bread that doubles as a dessert.

Baked zucchini bread, naked and unadorned

Unadorned, the bread is moist, but not overly so, and sweet, but not overly so. Add the sweet-tart lime juice glaze, toasted coconut flakes, and lime zest and now you’ve got yourself something special. Proof that those three words do go together after all.

A pile of toasted shredded coconut flakes

Lessons Learned

Squeeze the shredded zucchini in batches. I found that doing it in small handfuls allowed me to really wring out the excess water.
Take the extra step to toast the coconut before using it as a topping. It adds aroma, flavor, and crunch. It’s worth the 2 minutes it takes in the toaster oven.
Garnish with the lime zest just before serving. It will start to discolor and go slightly brown after the first day.

Hat Tips

Thanks to Diane Morrissey for the coconut lime zucchini bread inspiration and Bruno Guerrero on Unsplash for the retro cassette photo.

Zucchini bread iced with lime glaze and topped with shredded coconut and lime zest. Also a random whisk and scratched up lime

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

August 1, 2022

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Ribbons of sliced zucchini nestled in a white Mikasa bowl that I received as a wedding gift.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad is a fresh and refreshing way to to enjoy the summer bounty.

A Summer Salad in Season

People have a love or hate relationship with zucchini. Has someone gifted you with a bag of it from their garden or are you tempted by the low price of it at the grocery store? This cool zucchini ribbon salad may convert you into a zucchini believer, regardless of whether you love it or loathe it.

If you like to eat your veggies in season as I do, you will be happy to know there is a zucchini recipe coming your way each week this month! You may be tempted to try one (or all) of the recipes even if you don't consider yourself a zucchini aficionado. Yes, they are that good!

Zucchini, lemon, arugula, pine nuts on a wooden cutting board

Cooling Foods

Foods that are high in water content help keep us hydrated and cool, particularly during the summer. Cucumber, peaches, lettuce, tomatoes, watermelon, and yes, zucchini, all contain a lot of water and also happen to be in season. Zucchini contains 90 percent water along with dietary roughage, meaning that it provides fluids and fiber to your diet.

Thin slices of zucchini on a wooden cutting board and in my hands

Courgette

Sometimes, zucchini is referred to as courgette in recipes, particularly those that originate in the U.K. They are the same thing. But I think courgette is way more fun to say.

This salad also incorporates arugula in the dressing. It is called rocket in the U.K. Just think! We could rename this salad: Courgette and Rocket.

Zesting a lemon and trying not to cut myself, plus mint, basil, arugula, and pine nuts on a cutting board

Lessons Learned

You may be able to get your slices thin enough if you have great knife skills. I don't, so I use a mandolin slicer and it is worth every penny.
The pesto-like dressing can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
This salad is best the day it is assembled. The zucchini softens overnight if you kept leftovers. The salad is still good the next day, but beyond that, it starts to go downhill.

Hat Tips

Zucchini ribbon salad inspo came from recipes by Alton Brown and Tia Mowry, both from Food Network.

Close up of pesto dressing on a pretty spatula

Mango Pineapple Hand Pies

July 25, 2022

Mango Pineapple Hand Pies

hand pies sitting pretty on a white rectangular tray

This installment of Friday Pie Day brings Mango Pineapple Hand Pies filled with fresh mango and canned pineapple cooked down into a jam.

Friday Pie Day

Are you a person that likes themes? You know, like middle school crazy hat day, luau birthday party, or Hitchcock movie marathon in October. It's fun, right?

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've been doing Friday Pie Day every week this month. The end of the week calls for a mini celebration. So, pie it is!

Typically, a pie is round and cut into triangular pieces. Depending on the filling, it can be a messy affair. But smaller hand pies are easier to eat and great for toting to potlucks and picnics at the beach.

But watch out for the Portuguese man o'war.

Man o'War

Natural things that wash up on the shore are called beach wrack. Examples include seaweed, driftwood, and small invertebrates. The occasional fish, crab, or jellyfish will also get left behind by the tide and wind up stranded to bake in the sun.

This summer, there have been scads of Portuguese man o'war in Atlantic waters.

They live in tropical and subtropical oceans and their gas-filled translucent bladders look like discarded plastic baggies on the shoreline. Long tentacles inject venom upon contact, even if they are detached from the main body. If you are stung, vinegar and heat are your friends.

We managed to avoid them on our beach outing while on vacation in Bermuda, but the couple next to us was not as fortunate. After they got stung, we left the beach that day, taking our hand pies with us.

Pie dough rolled out with a dollop of filling in the middle

Mango Pineapple Hand Pies or Empanadas?

Hand pies are sometimes called empanadas, pasties, or turnovers. They can be filled with meat, veggies, or fruits. For this recipe, we are using two kinds of fruit: mango and pineapple.

Fresh mango, canned pineapple, and spices laid out on a wooden cutting board

Using canned crushed pineapple saves you the trouble of peeling and chopping, but you can use fresh if you like. I chose to use fresh mango since I had grabbed one at the local market, but frozen will work too. The two flavors together: major tropical vibes!

Prebaked pies on parchment paper, awaiting oven time

Lessons Learned

If the filling is being teenager-ish and not behaving as you want, you can do something about it. To make the filling less runny, combine 1 Tablespoon of cold water with 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and mix. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the simmering filling and continue to cook until it thickens.
Both the cooled filling and dough can be refrigerated for up to two days before assembling and baking the hand pies.
Don't forget to make a steam vent on the tops of the pies! Whether you dock with a fork or cut with a paring knife, make a way for the steam to escape or it will find a way out and usually in an unfortunate place. It's hard to see the holes in these photos, but they are there!

Hat Tips

Like most of the recipes I feature, this one is not my creation. I find, try, and adapt recipes, then share them with you. Thanks go to King Arthur Flour, Sugar Geek Show, and Muy Bueno for their hand pie recipe inspiration!

Baked pie bitten in half to show the luscious inside with other baked pies lounging in the background

Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad

July 18, 2022

Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad

Sliced grilled chicken atop salad greens with mandarin oranges and cashews

This bright and fresh Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad makes an easy meal!

Bring the Zing

Salads are a go-to dinner and a fast pain-free meal in summer, or really any time of year. It is easy, however, to fall into a rut of making the same type week after week. Greens and chicken, greens and steak, greens and fish.

Yawn.

Solution? Bring some zing! Three easy ways to do that are toppings, dressings, and a special root: ginger.

Benefits of Ginger

Fresh ginger, the root of the flowering plant called zingiber officinale, has been used for centuries in cooking and traditional medicine. One of its main benefits: settling the tummy. It aids in digestion, bloating, and nausea.

If you have stomach issues or have ever been pregnant, you know this.

There is also some evidence that ginger contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. In addition to supporting gastrointestinal and general well-being, it is a delicious addition to food and beverages.

Sweet, warm, and zesty, ginger appears in both sweet and savory dishes. In this salad, ginger shows up in the marinade and dressing.

Homemade Ginger Cashew Chicken Salad Dressing

Anything that doubles as both marinade and salad dressing earns heart eyes in my book. And that is the case here. One batch of dressing, two uses. Pour some over the chicken and save the rest to dress the salad.

Two surprise ingredients that make this dressing different are fresh minced ginger and mild molasses. Whaaat? Yes, my mind went down the gingerbread trail too, but really, it works here.

plate of salad greens, bowl of mandarin oranges, cut red onion, green onion, and carrot

Salad Toppings

Depending on the type of salad person you are, you either love toppings or think they are just meh. Salad toppings are worth their weight in gold at my house. They can make or break a salad.

This particular salad has crunchy, tender, salty, and sweet toppings. Scattered over fresh greens, grilled chicken, and the zingy ginger vinaigrette, they offer something different in each forkful.

Plus, they are pretty.

raw meat and marinade ingredients on a wooden cutting board

Lessons Learned

Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise into two thinner cutlets. This gives you a piece of chicken that cooks quicker, soaks up more marinade, and is more likely to be the recommended 4-ounce single serving size.
Don’t marinate the chicken overnight. This marinade/dressing contains vinegar and an overnight soak will break down the connective tissue in the meat making it tough once cooked. Marinating anywhere between 3 and 8 hours is perfect!
Cashews add a subtle buttery-ness and soft crunch, but if you don’t like them substitute another type of nut.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Taste of Home for their recipe!

Assembled salad in all it's green and orange glory

Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

July 11, 2022

Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

Apple pie is a quintessential American dessert. It also happens to be my husband’s favorite pie. He likes a traditional version, not too sweet with a dash of cinnamon, made with Golden Delicious apples.

But I occasionally get middle-aged wild and do something different.

Granny Smith and Gala apples on a wooden board

Apple Pie with Cheese

An apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.

Depending on where you grew up in the United States, you either eat your pie with a side of ice cream (called a la mode) or with a slice of cheddar cheese on top. Mostly folks in the Midwest and New England seem to be in the pie with cheese camp.

Vermont, where apple pie is the official state pie, even has laws regarding how the pie is to be served. The law reads:

When serving apple pie in Vermont, a "good faith" effort shall be made to meet one of more of the following conditions:

(a) with a glass of cold milk,

(b) with a slice of cheddar cheese weighing a minimum of ½ ounce,

(c) with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

That is some major dedication to having dairy with your pie.

Cheddar

Buttery white or bright orange, cheddar is among the five most popular kinds of cheese in the U.S. When young, cheddar is mild and slightly nutty. If aged over six months, the cheese progresses to develop tangy and more complex flavors that are perfect with fruit, especially apples.

Best Apples for Apple Pie

Can you use any kind of apple for pie baking? You can, but you might not get the results you want. Some apple varieties are better eaten raw as snacks because they break down to mush when baked.

Apples that hold their shape and their apple-y taste after being cooked are what you are looking for when it comes to the perfect pie.

Using a single variety? Golden Delicious or Braeburn is the way to go. They both retain their shaped when baked and don't descend into applesauce territory.

Using two types? A combination of Granny Smith for tartness and Gala for sweetness produces a good balance of apple flavor and aroma. These varieties also bake well.

Homemade Pie

Yes, making a homemade pie takes time. But we all know the results far outweigh the effort put into it. Plus, you can customize the crust and the filling to your liking.

This next-level apple pie includes browned butter in the filling, adding a slight nuttiness and depth. The crust? Why the cheese is baked right in, thank you.

Lessons Learned

Don't be afraid of the cheddar. No one is going to mistake this for a quesadilla. The cheese gives the crust some salty notes which complement the sweet filling.
Take the extra time to chill your pie crust. I know you don't want to. But skipping this step may cause your crust to produce the dreaded soggy bottom. Paul and Prue would not approve.
Use whatever apples you like, but aim for a combination of tart and sweet varieties.

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Jenny Park at Spoon Fork Bacon for her recipe!

Preserved Lemon Loaf Cake

July 4, 2022

Preserved Lemon Loaf Cake

Lemon loaf cake sliced on parchment paper

Bright, yellow, and sunshiny! Is this a description of:
A) Your summer so far
B) Preserved Lemon Loaf Cake
C) The T-shirt I’m wearing
D) All of the above

Hint: the answer is D!

Rays of sunlight shining through branches of lemon tree

When Does Summer Start

Summer is officially here according to the calendar on my phone. But only recently did I learn that there is an astronomical start and a meteorological start to each season.

What’s the difference?

The astronomical start of a season is based on the earth’s position in relation to the sun. The meteorological start is based on the annual temperature cycle and 12-month calendar. So in the Northern Hemisphere the first day of summer, astronomically speaking, was June 21. But the meteorological start was back on June 1.

You very well know when summer has begun if you live in a warm climate as I do. A tell-tale sign: driving the parking lot multiple times while looking for a shady parking spot.

Another sign: lemonade. Fresh lemons are available year-round to squeeze into beverages, salads, and marinades but are especially refreshing in summer. If you are like me, you also have some preserved lemons on hand.

Eggs, oil, sugar, preserved lemon paste all on a wooden cutting board

How to Use Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons are lemons that have been cured in their juices with plenty of salt. They provide a bright, tangy, umami hit to meats, veggies, pasta, and anywhere else you would add fresh lemon. Plus, they are so easy to make!

Once they are cured, the preserved lemons can be blended with the juices to make a preserved lemon paste.

An unexpected and out-of-the-ordinary place to use preserved lemons is in baked goods. One of my favorites is this preserved lemon loaf cake. It is lemony, not-too-sweet, and the color of sunshine.

Batter in loaf pan lined with parchment paper

Preserved lemons are pureed and added to the batter of this loaf cake, giving it some major citrusy notes and summer vibes. To amp up the lemony color: ground turmeric.

Close up of the top of a baked lemon loaf

Lessons Learned

Be sure to measure the amount of preserved lemon paste correctly. If you are blending your jar of preserved lemons down into a paste, you will only need 2 ounces or about 55 grams. If you are heavy-handed with the paste, you run the risk of your cake being too salty.
Don't stress if you don't have sour cream. I subbed in plain Greek yogurt and it worked great.
You can skip the turmeric if you don't have it, but your cake will be barely yellow instead of sunshine bright.

Hat Tips

Thanks go to Zaynab Issa at Bon Appetit for her recipe!

Cross section slice of loaf showing the inside

Korean BBQ Ribs (LA Galbi)

June 27, 2022

Korean BBQ Ribs (LA Galbi)

Grilled beef short ribs with chopped green onions and sesame seeds

Do you love grilling as much as I do? I especially like to make Korean BBQ Ribs (sometimes called Korean short ribs or LA galbi) on the barbecue. The outdoor grill cooks them fast and provides a nice char on the meaty edges.

It’s also great that cooking meat, fish, veggies, and pizza on the backyard grill prevents my kitchen from heating up in the summertime. And after a day inside looking at a computer screen, it’s so nice to be outdoors.

Except for the mosquitos.

Why are Mosquitos Attracted to Me?

Mosquitos are attracted to people who exhale, are hot and sweaty, and wear black. This describes just about every menopausal woman I know including myself.

So ladies, what now?

Sit near a fan. This shouldn’t be hard for those with hot flashes. Mosquitos are flimsy things so a stiff breeze helps keep them away.
Wear repellent. I’m not opposed to DEET-based sprays every once in a while. For everyday use, I wear either Off! Botanical Plant-based Repellent or Avon’s Skin So Soft Bug Guard Lotion.
Avoid beer and chips. I know it isn’t going to happen but I thought I’d mention it. Mosquitos like the lactic acid your body produces after you eat salty snacks and drink beer.

Some other potential solutions? Wear white. Maybe eat ribs. But not at the same time.

How to Cook Ribs on the Grill

A rack of beef ribs or slab of pork ribs can take anywhere from one to six hours on the grill, depending on the heat, if you are smoking them, and how tender you want them. And while these ribs are delicious, sometimes you want some that are ready a lot faster. Solution: LA galbi.

Garlic, ginger, onion, apple and other marinade ingredients in a bowl

The meat used for Korean BBQ ribs is labeled LA-style cut and is cut laterally across the bones. These long strips of meat are around one-quarter inch thick with each strip containing three or four bone sections. After soaking in a soy sauce marinade, the ribs can be cooked in the oven, on the stovetop, or on the barbecue grill.

Because they are thin, they cook fast! How fast? In about the same amount of time it takes to grill a burger: three to four minutes per side.

What to Serve with Korean Short Ribs

My mom is Korean so I grew up eating these ribs with a side of steamed rice and homemade kimchi. Most Korean restaurants will serve these with a variety of banchan (side dishes) like cucumber salad, seasoned bean sprouts, spinach salad, and other pickled items. The acidity in these side dishes cuts through the meatiness of the ribs and complements them nicely.

Lessons Learned

Rinse the ribs before marinating them. When the bones are cut laterally, they can leave tiny bone fragments clinging to the meat. A quick rinse under cold running water will remove them and prevent any grittiness.
Leave enough time for the ribs to marinate. Overnight is best, but six to eight hours work, too.
Don’t freak out if you slightly overcook these. The marinade and the fat keep it tender even if you cook them past the 10-minute mark. Total cooking time depends on the thickness of the ribs, so they may need a longer or shorter time on the barbecue.

Hat Tips

Many thanks (kamsahamnida!) go to Korean Bapsang and My Korean Kitchen for their inspiring LA Galbi recipes.

Lemon and Herb Potato Salad

June 20, 2022

Lemon and Herb Potato Salad

A perfect food to bring to the beach: Lemon and Herb Potato Salad!

Summer has arrived. School is out, the weather is heating up, and the beach is calling. My google searches right now consist of cute sunglasses, tummy-minimizing swimsuits, and best beachy picnic food recipes.

How about you?

Rocky sand beach and ocean with sea cliff

Best California Beaches

If you live in California, you might disagree with what I'm about to say right now. You probably have a favorite beach and no one is going to change your mind about it. I respect that.

But! If you live outside of California and are interested in some beautiful beaches to visit, I have several to recommend. These are beaches that I regularly visit and love. A caveat: these are all located in Southern California.

Seven favorite beaches are:

Crystal Cove Beach
Coronado Beach on Coronado Island
Descanso Beach on Catalina Island
Laguna Main Beach
Tamarack Beach (aka Carlsbad State Beach)
Thousand Steps Beach
Torrey Pines State Beach (pictured above!)

What to bring with you? Low profile beach chairs, a large beach umbrella, a good book, and some no-mayo potato salad.

Baby potatoes, green onions, lemon, parsley on a wooden cutting board

Beach Picnic Food

Mayo-less anything is the way to go when packing food for the beach. Commercially made mayo is unlikely to go bad in the heat if it is by itself but combined with other ingredients it can turn and taste weird. Way to ruin a nice day at the beach!

This no-mayo potato salad is the perfect beach picnic food. The lemony vinaigrette provides a nice zing to the tender potatoes and fresh herbs. A bonus: this salad tastes great at room temperature (or beach temperature).

Plus, it's pretty.

Lemon herb salad dressing in a mason jar

Prepared baby potatoes, jar of dressing, chopped herbs on a wooden cutting board

Lessons Learned

Don't boil the potatoes too long or they will fall apart. Kind of like I did after watching the final episode of Poldark.
This keeps well overnight in the fridge so you can make it the day before.
If you especially like lemon, consider doubling the amount of lemon zest. I tried that and loved it.

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats for this delicious potato salad recipe!

Homemade Egg Pasta

June 13, 2022

Homemade Egg Pasta

There is nothing like the silky taste and comforting chew of homemade egg pasta!

Easier than Ironing Sheets

Have you eaten fresh homemade pasta? If you have, you know it is a completely different food than boxed pasta. One is not better than the other, but they are miles apart in texture and taste.

Boxed dried pasta is meant to last. It is made from semolina flour and water, dried, and able to be stored almost indefinitely. This is the pasta that pairs well with hearty tomato sauces and ragus.

Fresh pasta should be eaten within a day or so of being made. Made from eggs and finely milled flour, it is soft, smooth, and delicate. It's delicious with cream-based sauces.

You may be thinking fresh homemade pasta is difficult to make. It's not! I think it's easier to do than ironing bed sheets.

Bicycle riders stopped in front of grocery shop in Rome

How to Iron Sheets

Have you ever slept in a bed in which the cotton sheets had been ironed? My first time was in Italy. I think the hardworking housekeepers at the Albergo Santa Chiara must have put freshly ironed sheets on our beds daily.

After spending the day exploring Rome with my mom and eldest son, we would return to the hotel each evening in anticipation of bedtime. It’s hard to believe that while on vacation in the Eternal City one of the highlights of the day was sliding into bed between cool, crisp sheets.

The feeling is so dreamy and luxurious!

So, how does one iron cotton bed linens? Slightly damp sheets + light starch + high heat iron = five-star luxury hotel sheets. Well, something close to it.

Have I done this at home? Yes. Once. It’s a lot of work. I’d rather spend the time making pasta from scratch.

Sheet of homemade egg pasta dough being folded

How to Make Fresh Pasta Without a Machine

You may be thinking you must have a stand mixer and pasta roller to make homemade pasta. Nope. Italian grandmas make it by hand, and so can you.

Only two ingredients are necessary and you probably have them in your kitchen right now: flour and eggs. However, I highly recommend you order some Italian 00 flour because it will make your fresh pasta taste better. Other things needed: a good rolling pin, patience, and some music to listen to while you work.

The result? A fresh, light, and springy pasta. The soft and chewy texture pairs particularly well with creamy sauces, seafood, and veggies.

Folded sheet of pasta next to a ruler showing width of noodles

Lessons Learned

It's true. You really don’t need a pasta roller attachment to make pasta. I rolled this out with a regular rolling pin.
This looks like a long and kind of scary recipe. There is a lot of explanation, so don’t be frightened by the number of words. You will stop and re-read the recipe multiple times the first time you make it, but it really is simple.
Buy the Italian 00 flour. It is more finely ground than other types of flour and yields silky smooth noodles. I’ve tried to make pasta using American all-purpose flour and the noodles were not quite right. You won’t regret buying the 00 flour (you can also use it for pizza crust!).

Pairs With

A bread that pairs well with homemade pasta is Ligurian Focaccia.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Samin Nosrat for her recipe and method to make the homemade egg pasta. It’s a classic that you will make again and again and again. Piazza della Rotunda photo credit goes to Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash.

Grilled Salmon, Corn, & Tomato Salad

June 6, 2022

Grilled Salmon, Corn, & Tomato Salad

Grilled salmon atop bed of spinach, corn, tomato salad

Fire up the barbecue! This Grilled Salmon, Corn and Tomato Salad features tender salmon, fresh veggies, and a crispy topping.

A Kodachrome Kind of Salad

Summertime is approaching and that means salad season! While plopping a cooked piece of meat on top of some greens can qualify as lunch or dinner, I like salads to be a little more interesting, delicious, and colorful. Especially colorful, like Kodachrome.

Kodachrome 64

Long ago in a galaxy far away, people used to invite friends over for dinner and a living room slide show of their latest vacation photos. Kodachrome 64 was the popular Kodak slide film for cameras in the pre-camera phone, pre-DSLR age. This film produced sharp and saturated images that appeared in places like National Geographic magazine, the town cinema, and home slide projectors.

If you are anywhere near my age, you will recall these slides and even may have had the job of loading them into the projector wheel. Remember you had to put those slides in upside-down! I kind of geeked out reading about Kodachrome’s history and appeal.

Some may roll their eyes at the thought of sitting through a friend’s monologue describing each stop on their vacation, but the whirring projector fan, clicking slides, and vividly colored images made it extra fun to me. Scrolling through someone’s vacay photos on their Facebook page isn’t the same experience.

Although Kodak's film and slides are no longer available, their memory and allure live on. Commercially sold camera presets can almost mimic the look. Or you can enjoy some tonally rich colors by making a salad like this one.

Chopped tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and corn in a glass bowl

Eating the Rainbow

This salad is rainbow bright with yellow corn, red tomatoes, purple onion, and green parsley. Eating an array of different colored fruits and vegetables provides us with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

Plus, it’s pretty.

It’s easy to substitute other vegetables, hopefully equally colorful, for the ones listed in this recipe. Veggies provide not only color but also fiber and crunch to an otherwise boring salad. And a fresh counterpoint to any cooked meat or seafood.

Whole fillet of salmon with marinade poured on top

Grilled Salmon

Don’t be afraid to put a piece of fish on the barbecue. Some fish is better if baked or pan-fried, but salmon was made for the grill. It’s thick, it’s meaty, and it doesn’t fall apart.

Hot and fast, or low and slow, are both good ideas for cooking meat. In the case of salmon, hot and fast is the way to go. A 450 F to 500 F degree grill will give you perfectly cooked salmon in just under 10 minutes.

Crispy Salmon Skin

Now this will either totally excite you or completely freak you out: crispy salmon skin. When you bake salmon skin-side down, it usually gets soggy because of the pan juices and you wind up scraping it off before eating the fish. Admittedly, just a little gross.

BUT! If you grill salmon skin-side down, that skin gets deliciously crispy and crunchy. Like pork rind and potato chip crunch level. It's uncommonly good.

Spinach on a plate, corn and tomato in a bowl, grilled salmon in a pan

Lessons Learned

Make sure your grill is HOT. This ensures that the salmon cooks relatively quickly and that the skin will crisp up. Don’t be afraid of the heat.
Flipping a whole salmon fillet on a hot barbecue was daunting to me, so I cut the fillet in half crosswise to make two equal-size squarish pieces. It worked!
Not everyone in your household will appreciate the crispy salmon skin. Leave it off and instead offer it on the side as an optional topping. Good news: you will probably have it all to yourself.

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Diane Morrisey for the salad inspiration and to Foodie Crush for her detailed description of how to perfectly grill salmon. Kodak slides photo credit goes to Nathan Anderson on Unsplash.

Close up of grilled salmon on corn and tomato salad

Milk Bread

May 31, 2022

Milk Bread

Milk Bread, also known as shokupan, is soft, tender, and delicious. How delicious?

More Delicious than Squishmallows

Do you remember The Great Before? It seemed that no one ate bread anymore. Low-carb, no-carb, and bread is bad.

It was sad.

Then, the pandemic came along and suddenly everyone was baking and consuming mass quantities of homemade banana bread and sourdough. Imagine: everyone was making, scoring, and eating sourdough loaves!

Now, thankfully, bread is back. I never totally stopped eating bread but I certainly ate more of it during the lockdown years. And I don’t regret it. Let’s call it comfort carbs.

Because I am a longtime challah baker, I know my way around a yeasty bread bowl. I kept seeing milk bread on social media but had never made it. People were obsessed!

This Asian-style bread intrigued me. I decided to try it.

Plush

Milk bread is sometimes called shokupan or Japanese milk bread. It is soft, fluffy, and tender. The crust is golden brown and glossy.

The interior is pillowy, plush, and deliciously cotton-like. It’s the Squishmallow of the bread world.

By the way, does everyone own a Squishmallow yet? My twenty-something daughter has several. Sometimes I “borrow” one from her room when I’m watching TV.

It is an aptly named squeezable bundle of polyester fiber and spandex joy.

The inventor of Squishmallows, Jonathan Kelly, was inspired by a trip he made to Japan. He saw the “kawaii” or “cuteness culture” and plush toys that were popular there. After he returned to California, Squishmallows were born.

You could say Squishmallows are the milk bread of the plush toy world.

Shokupan

Shokupan means “food bread” in Japanese and has a murky past. Did it arrive in Japan with Dutch and Portuguese explorers in the 1500s and 1600s, or was it invented by a British-Japanese baker in the 1800s? It’s not clear.

What do we know? It's soft. And addicting to eat.

Milk bread is made with just a few ingredients: flour, yeast, milk, salt, sugar, and butter. You can bake all kinds of bread with these basic ingredients. But the technique is what sets milk bread apart from the rest.

It starts with either yudane or tangzhong.

Whisk filled with tangzhong starter and saucepan

Yudane and Tangzhong

Yudane (a Japanese term) is a water roux made by combining equal parts boiling water and flour. Tangzhong (a Chinese term) is also a water roux but is cooked in a saucepan. The Chinese-style roux has a 1:5 flour-to-water ratio.

Both methods yield a sticky, gelatinous blob. This blob is cooled, then added to the yeast mixture. The point of the water roux? Moisture is added to the finished product.

As a result, the bread is fluffy, tender, and squishy.

I prefer the tangzhong method after having tried both ways. The cooked water roux adds a taste and texture that I happen to like. Try both and see what you think.

Risen milk bread dough being brushed with milk

Lessons Learned

Do not walk away from the saucepan when making the tangzhong. The flour-water mixture heats up fast and will scorch if you have the burner on too high or don’t whisk it continually. You’ve been warned.
Don’t freak out if the dough seems overly sticky. This is a wetter dough than many bread doughs. Add additional flour to the mixer a tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts to pull away from the bowl cleanly.
Make a double batch. Milk bread is very addicting to eat. You might be sad if you only make one batch. I was.

Hat Tips

This recipe, like most that I feature, is inspired by the many recipes that I find on Pinterest, Instagram, and Google searches. I combine bits and pieces of several recipes to suit my needs. Many thanks go to Chopstick Chronicles and Hungry Huy for their shokupan bread recipes!

Fruit Dome Cake

May 22, 2022

Fruit Dome Cake

Layers of sponge cake, whipped cream, and fruit make up this light and tasty Fruit Dome Cake.

The Igloo You Eat

Have you ever pinned something to a board on Pinterest and forgotten about it? That’s what happened with this cake. I pinned it because it looks so cool, kind of like a fruity igloo.

Then I forgot about it.

But! A friend went to Alaska to view the northern lights and stayed in a glass-domed igloo at a base camp outside Fairbanks. The northern lights, sometimes called aurora borealis, are an atmospheric display of colorful dramatic light waves seen in the night sky.

northern lights over snowcapped mountain and a town at night

Seeing the Northern Lights

How does this atmospheric phenomenon occur? Grade school explanation: solar wind particles + earth’s upper atmosphere = aurora borealis. The lights are best seen in winter and usually within a 1,500-mile radius around the North Pole.

Is this on your Pinterest bucket list board? Finland’s Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is where you can lodge in a glass igloo and watch the northern lights while lying in bed. I certainly have it on mine.

Somehow, my friend’s northern lights trip made me remember the fruit-filled dome cake I had pinned.

Inside of fruit dome cake with whipped cream being spread on sponge cake layers

Inside of fruit dome cake with strawberries and blueberries arranged on whipped cream and cake layers

Fruit Dome Cake is an OCD Riff on Trifle

Trifle is a layered dessert that usually includes cake pieces, custard, jam, fruit, and whipped cream. The fruit dome cake is really a pared-down version of a trifle with artfully arranged fruit. It is built upside down in a glass bowl that will eventually be flipped after being assembled.

The cake’s pretty pattern of fruit and the snowy white of the whipped cream will almost make you forget about wanting to stay at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort. Almost.

blueberries, sliced strawberries, and sliced kiwi

sponge cakes in baking pans cooling on wire racks

Lessons Learned

Beat the genoise sponge batter long enough for it to nearly triple in volume. The prolonged beating incorporates air into the batter and allows the cake to rise properly. Otherwise, you will have a sad, slunky mess of a cake once it is baked.
The baked sponge cake has been described as hygroscopic. I didn’t make up this word. It means that this cake will absorb moisture from the air or anywhere else it can get it. Make that moisture flavorful, meaning booze. I chose triple sec.
You can use any kind of fruit. But not bananas. They will turn brown, even if you toss them in lemon juice, and make your finished creation slightly unlovely. But you’re an adult, so do what you want.

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Tastemade for their beautiful fruit dome cake idea and Natasha’s Kitchen for the no-fail sponge cake recipe (which I have made many, many times!). Northern lights photo credit goes to Johny Goerend on Unsplash.

cross section slice of fruit dome cake showing layers of cake, fruit, and whipped cream

Cape Gooseberry Pavlova

May 17, 2022

Cape Gooseberry Pavlova

Whole Cape gooseberry with calyx pulled back

Crunchy meringue, creamy whipped cream, and sweet-tart gooseberries make for a spectacular dessert: Cape Gooseberry Pavlova!

The Dangerously Good Superfood

Superfoods? Yawn. I already know about them.

What about one that might kill you?

Wait. What? Why the heck would I eat that?

Um, because it’s delicious. Oh, and it combats cancer, slashes bad cholesterol, and knocks down inflammation.

But, is it actually yummy?

They are Scary Delicious

The fruit display brought me to a full stop. I had only seen Cape gooseberry in my copy of an Ottolenghi cookbook. When I spotted the fruit at my local grocery store last week, I stood in front of the display open-mouthed. Wow.

The taste? Imagine if candy Sweetarts were a fruit. That’s what these taste like. Slightly sweet, slightly tangy, yet hard to describe. They are unlike anything else I’ve tasted. Why yes, I bought a small box of them from that grocery store display.

Cape gooseberry is a beautiful, yellow-orange fruit about the size of a marble. It goes by many names: aguaymanto, Aztec berry, goldenberry, harankash, husk cherry, Inca berry, Peruvian groundcherry, pichuberry, poha berry, topotopo, and uchuva. Seriously, SO MANY NAMES. For my gardening geek friends: the binomial nomenclature, or Latin name, is Physalis peruviana (yo, thanks Carl Linnaeus!).

Originally native to Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, Cape gooseberry is now grown all over the world in tropical and subtropical climates like Hawaii, where it is called poha berry. The fruit is enclosed in a papery husk, like that of tomatillos. Once the fruit is ripe, that papery husk, or calyx, can be opened to show off the yellowy orange orbs.

By the way, they might kill you.

Leopard Seals of the Fruit World

Cape gooseberries are the leopard seals of the fruit world. Leopard seals are so dang cute! But wow, don’t tick them off, especially if they are eating. They can be dangerous.

Because Cape gooseberries (also so dang cute!) belong to the nightshade family, they contain a toxin called solanine. It is present in green, unripe berries. When consumed, solanine causes cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, slowed pulse, and labored breathing which can be fatal.

Not a pretty way to die.

Easy solution: only eat them once they turn orange. This shouldn’t be a problem because grocers only carry the ripened fruit. Whew!

Cape gooseberry cut in half surrounded by whole gooseberries in calyx

Cape Gooseberries have Superfood Status

How superfood-y are these yellow orange berries? In a word, very. According to registered dieticians, they contain several vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and withanolides (I didn’t make up this word, although it sounds like it).

Cape gooseberries contain:

Vitamin A: important for immunity, vision, reproduction
Vitamins B1, B2, B3: needed for brain health, energy production, breaking down of fats and drugs in the body
Vitamin C: bolsters immune system and wound healing
Vitamin E: antioxidant that supports blood vessels, immune system, brain
Vitamin K: regulates blood clotting to prevent excessive bleeding
Iron: helps the body produce blood, mostly in the form of hemoglobin. The red blood cells help oxygen to be carried to all parts of the body
Phosphorus: assists the bones and teeth in staying strong, but also helps filter waste from the kidneys
Antioxidants: protect against destructive free radicals and certain types of cancer.
Phytosterols: help reduce the bad type of cholesterol, LDL
Withanolides: anti-inflammatory steroids that assist in lessening inflammation

Cape gooseberry with caramel toffee coating

How to Eat Cape Gooseberries

How are they eaten? In salads, salsas, sauces, and other savory dishes. They are also used for sweets like jams, cakes, ice creams, and tarts. Cape gooseberries can go into just about any category of food. They’re category fluid.

I’ve been eyeing a recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s cookbook, Sweet, ever since I bought the book a few years ago. Their Cape Gooseberry Pavlova consists of crisp meringue, yogurt cream, and toffeed Cape gooseberries. Gorgeous! My version of their recipe takes a few shortcuts but is definitely inspired by the original.

Lessons Learned

Do not walk away from the sugar as it melts in the saucepan. It melts and scorches fast, leaving you with a kitchen that smells like a tire fire. Monitor the sugar at all times!
Do not open the oven door when the baking time is done. Your meringues, and heart, will break. Leave them undisturbed to cool in the oven for several hours.
Read the instructions twice. I misread the circle tracing instructions and made 8 giant pavlovas instead of 16 little ones. So, not to brag, but my pavlovas were huge. It made them harder to eat once they were assembled.

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Ottolenghi and Helen Goh for their recipe! Leopard seal photo credit to goes to Bob Brewer on Unsplash.

Stacked meringues with whipped cream and Cape gooseberry halves

Preserved Lemons

May 11, 2022

Preserved Lemons

A must-have condiment in my pantry: Preserved Lemons.

Why You Need Preserved Lemons in Your Fridge

Do you have a lemon tree? Or have you been gifted with a plastic grocery sack full of lemons by a well-meaning friend? You may be wondering what in the world to do with all that sunshiny fruit.

I have a Meyer lemon tree. At certain times of the year, my kitchen counter looks like a citrus stand at the local farmer's market. I am always looking for a way to make the most of the backyard bounty (in addition to giving it away in plastic grocery sacks to friends).

Lemon scored in quarters and packed with salt

The Solution: Pack Them in Salt

The goal with any fruit or vegetable surplus is to use it all before it rots. Yes, I could always make lemonade or something sweet. But there is a limit to how many lemon bars one can eat, theoretically.

Taking a page from the old world practice of preserving food with salt, lemons are cured in their juices with lots of salt. They are basically lemon pickles. Now if that sounds terrible to you, read on.

How to Use Preserved Lemons

You wouldn’t think that something sour and salty is what you want to put on your food, let alone spend an afternoon making. But think about all the sour and salty condiments you already use: capers, anchovies, and miso paste. No? How about soy sauce, kimchi, and pickles?

Preserved lemons offer a bright, slightly tangy, umami hit to whatever you serve them with, like chicken, fish, lamb, root vegetables, pasta, and grains. I also like them whizzed into vinaigrettes, sauces, and dips.

Did all those suggestions confuse or overwhelm you? Here, my darling, are some specific recipes that utilize preserved lemons:

Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons
Yas Queen Pizza with zucchini, feta, and preserved lemon
Bucatini with Preserved Lemon, Swiss Chard, and Cream
Ultimate Winter Couscous
Shrimp and Arugula Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing

They Provide Vegan Umami

When we talk about umami, we are referring to a meaty savoriness that certain foods and condiments possess. Things like aged cheeses, fish sauce, meats, and seafood are rich in umami flavor.

But what if you are vegan? You can enjoy umami savoriness in mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, seaweed, and certain veggies. And yes, preserved lemons!

Any salted, fermented, cured item will lend umami flavor to whatever you are cooking and eating.

Mason jar filled with lemons packed with salt

How to Make Preserved Lemons

Now that you have decided that you need preserved lemons in your life, let’s make them. You only need two ingredients: lemons and kosher salt. Plus a mason jar.

Well, you will also need patience. These take a minimum of three weeks to cure before they are ready to be used. So, hang on to all those recipes you just bookmarked and make them three weeks from now.

Because I was going to use preserved lemons in a variety of dishes both savory and sweet, I chose not to include any optional ingredients like peppers, bay leaves, or spices, but include them if you want.

Lessons Learned

Choose your lemons carefully. Some of the lemons from my tree are the size of grapefruit and getting them into a quart-size canning jar was like me trying to squeeze into my favorite pair of skinny jeans after Christmas cookie season. Pick the ones that will fit.
Discard any visible seeds as you are cutting the lemons. You won’t get them all, but that’s okay. There will be fewer seeds to fish out later.
This will keep in the fridge for up to a year. If the canning jar is taking up too much real estate in your refrigerator, puree the contents into Preserved Lemon Paste and store in the fridge in smaller jars. The paste is easy to use and provides the same flavor.

Hat Tips

Inspiration for preserving lemons came from many great recipes, all with clear directions. Thanks go to Simply Recipes and Yotam Ottolenghi for sharing theirs.

Ligurian Focaccia

May 11, 2022

Ligurian Focaccia

The dimples and crevices of Ligurian focaccia trap olive oil and salt, giving the bread a crunchy and delicious taste and texture.

The ASMR of Ligurian Focaccia

One could fall asleep watching focaccia being prepped for the oven. It is mesmerizing to watch hands and fingers massaging the bubbly dough into peaks and valleys. I relaxed, but now I am also hungry for bread.

What is Focaccia?

Focaccia is the irresistible yeasted flatbread of Italy that is fancy enough to be served in fine dining restaurants yet humble enough to be made at home. The characteristic dimples that are scattered all over the top trap olive oil and salt, adding to the deliciousness.

Can you really make it at home? Yes. But most folks (including myself until recently) wind up with a mediocre focaccia.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s a little brutal. Well, if we are going to take the time, effort, and expense of making bread at home, let’s make sure it is spectacularly good.

And an extra benefit? The visual ASMR.

Visual ASMR

ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a pleasing and relaxing reaction to certain stimuli. I associate it with sounds like ocean waves, rain, and background noise at a favorite coffee shop.

I learned recently that there are six types of ASMR and one is visual. This explains why our brains get tingly while watching things like Bob Ross painting happy little trees on The Joy of Painting. It chills us out.

That satisfying cooking video of hands and fingers dimpling the focaccia dough? It’s visual ASMR and I am here for it.

Fingers of a left hand making dimples in focaccia dough

How to Make Focaccia

My daughter and I recently watched Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat on Netflix and were immediately obsessed. We decided that Samin Nosrat is cool and funny, someone that we would want as a friend. Additionally, the food she was preparing and eating in those episodes—just wow.

The Fat episode featured the foods of Italy and a local baker helped Samin prepare Ligurian focaccia. Normally, focaccia dough is proofed, dimpled, then baked. It is pizza crust’s thicker cousin.

We gasped as the baker poured a small cup of salt water over the dough after dimpling it. What the what. This not-so-common add of briny water before baking gives the finished bread a hit of salt and crispiness that most focaccias lack.

This. This is how to make stellar focaccia!

What happened to Crystelle’s focaccia?

On a side note, what exactly happened to Crystelle Pereira’s focaccia on the 2021 season finale of the Great British Baking Show? It was raw enough that Paul and Prue deemed it inedible. No one, including Crystelle, really knows.

The audio ASMR sound on that: hearts breaking everywhere. She almost won.

Lessons Learned

Planning ahead is important to this recipe’s success. I know, our tummy wants it right now. But the dough benefits from an overnight rest.
This dough has a lot of spring and will try your patience by resisting as you attempt to stretch it to the edges of the pan. Like parenting a twenty-something year old, be patient and give it time to relax.
I was afraid that pouring the entire one-third cup of salty water on the dough was going to be a disaster. It wasn’t. Do it.

Hat Tips

Many thanks go to Samin Nosrat and Salt Fat Acid Heat for leading me down the briny path to the most delicious focaccia in the world.