Strawberry Cake

 

If you're like me, when the end of May rolls around and strawberries are bursting out of the farmer's markets, you're on the hunt for a new strawberry recipe.  Something easy, something light, something that highlights the strawberry flavors.  We actually took a trip to a local farm and went strawberry picking, which is a total rip off, but a lovely experience on a beautiful day, made all more cute by a strawberry smock I stumbled upon in my daughter's drawers of clothes.  When you come home with a few pounds of fresh strawberries you're expected to throw on an apron and get baking.  This cake recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart.  I cut back on the sugar, like I always do, and I added a drop of almond extract as I find that often makes things seem ever so slightly French.  The batter is incredibly easy and when fused with the strawberries it becomes like strawberry shortcake.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, or enjoy alone in the morning with a cup of coffee.  I brought this to a friend's dinner party and it was served with Indian ice cream (kulfi) which was infused with cardamom.  It was perfect.   




6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (original recipe calls for 1 cup sugar mixed into batter)
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate (I used a springform pan). Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl (or don't sift, like I did).  Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla (and almond extract).  Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack.

Hibiscus Mimosa

Can you still call something a mimosa if it doesn't have orange juice in it?  I'm big on hibiscus, especially when the weather gets warmer.  I pick up packs of dried hibiscus flowers from a local international market (Grand Mart for any Washingtonians) and make, well, basically, hibiscus flavored water.  It's lovely as iced tea, or mixed with tequila and lime.  It is incredibly refreshing.  You can make it as strong as you like, and as sweet as you like.  Just fill a pot with some water (say, 3 cups), sprinkle in a few flowers (say, 1/4 cup), let water come to a simmer and simmer for several minutes while the water turns a deep crimson.  Add some sugar to sweeten, anywhere from a few teaspoons to 1/2 cup (sweet hibiscus tea, anyone?) and let sugar dissolve.  You can let the flowers steep for a bit longer off the heat, and then strain.  You could really boil the hibiscus down to make more of a syrup, but I served it as more of a "juice" to go along with sparkling wine at a brunch I hosted.  


I decided to have a Mother's Day brunch for some of our family because I was in the mood to entertain.  Also, overpriced, subpar egg dishes at restaurants make me sad.  I used to host brunches often before I had our daughter, and I knew I would now have to show more restrain in my menu planning.  The menu was: fresh fruit, bagels with lox, croissants with chicken salad, pasta with pesto, shredded beef hash, cinnamon rolls, and a rustic plum tart (my mother made).  Overall this was a very easy menu to prep for and I think everything went really well together.  Since my mom was making a fruit tart, I had told myself I wouldn't make the cinnamon rolls unless I really had the extra time.  Apparently, you make time for cinnamon rolls.  The pesto, the hibiscus juice, the chicken salad, the beef and the cinnamon rolls were all prepared the day before, and the table was set two days before, so the day of I had only about an hour of work to do and my husband picked up bagels and croissants from our favorite bakeries the morning of.  I would love to use this same menu again as it was a good combination of room temperature (pasta), cool (chicken salad), warm and spicy (egg), and sweet dishes.  Although the pasta was probably unnecessary, there were enough carbs. I used to always have a cooking project while guests were eating (like crepes or fresh toast) but this was the first time I didn't, and it was a nice change.  I prepared the egg dish after guests arrived but with my mise en place it came together in just a few minutes and then I was done.  Oh, except for pulling out the warm cinnamon rolls, holla!  Menu planning and organizing prep is one of my favorite parts of entertaining (something I definitely get from my mother) and it felt good to be able to challenge that creative part of my brain again.      

Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Quiche

Oh, another swiss chard recipe, shocker.  I know, I should just rename this blog, Mehan's swiss chard kitchen.  I just can't resist it, and always have a bunch in the crisper ready to jump into my next recipe.  I was testing out this quiche recipe because I was considering adding this to my menu for a brunch I'm hosting on Mother's Day.  I'm not.  Every time I make a quiche I think "that was a pain, why do I make quiches?"  I think it's the pie crust that gets me.  Sometimes you're just not in the mood for pie crust.  And this was store-bought, you guys!  But the whole pre-baking and pie weights and then covering the sides with foil so the crust doesn't get too brown, I just didn't have the patience for it.  But aside from my whining this was a lovely quiche, and the flavors go extremely well together.  I was inspired by this caramelized onion quiche recipe from a recent Southern Living, and knew swiss chard would go well.  I'm clearly turning into my mother as I steal her old Southern Living issues (it's a good magazine!).  Caramelized onions just make any recipe completely rock.  Of course it'd be nice if recipes didn't lie about how caramelized onions take.  But they are worth it, in my opinion.  



1 pie crusts
2 large onions, sliced 
1 cup cheese (cheddar, goat, whatever you like)
1 cup half-and-half (or whole milk)
4 large eggs
handful of swiss chard leaves, finely chopped
salt, pepper, paprika


Preheat oven to 425°. Fit pie crust into your tart pan with a removable bottom; press into  edges. Trim off excess pie crust along edges. Line pie crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes. Remove weights and foil, and bake 8 more minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack (about 15 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Meanwhile, cook onions in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until onions are caramel colored (or, you know, like 45 minutes or so, and add water along the way when it gets dry). Remove from heat.   Saute swiss chard in a pan until wilted.  Salt and pepper.  Place onion mixture in tart shell, and top with cheese.   Whisk together milk and eggs, salt, pepper, add a dash of paprika, and pour over cheese until filled.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until set. Cool before serving.

Spring Radishes

Radishes are in season so get to your local farmer's market and pick some up!  They put grocery store radishes to shame, of course.  These have such a peppery, spicy taste with their cool, crisp texture.  There are two common ways to enjoy spring radishes, sliced on buttered bread, or braised (very different tastes but both incredibly flavorful).  We picked up some fresh French baguette and some fancy butter from a local cheese shop to enjoy with the radishes.  Spread room temperature butter on your bread of choice, salt, and layer thinly sliced radishes.  The creamy butter pairs perfect with the crunchy radish. Braised radishes have a deep tangy, peppery, citrus like flavor to them.  They are incredibly unique, give them a try!

For braising you'll need:

  

1 shallot, chopped

1 T butter

~1/4 c sherry vinegar

salt, pepper

desired amount of radishes (1 cup or so)

Heat butter in a pan (that has a cover) on medium high heat, and saute shallots.  Slice radishes and place face side down on pan.  Let sear for a few minutes.  Salt, pepper, pour in vinegar and let simmer.  Stir.  More liquid will probably be needed so add a little water.  Cover and let simmer for several more minutes until radishes are tender.  Lift cover and let simmer until water evaporates.       

Mango Yogurt Sauce

If you have a local Indian store or market near you, stop by, and leave with a box of Marathon mangoes.  Yes, a whole box, silly.  You'll probably see a hand written sign that reads "no replacing mangoes from other boxes" because Indians love their mangoes and are super picky and not only demand the best kind out there, but will want the best of the best.  And Marathon mangoes are the best, and it's the best time of year for them.  My mother created this lovely yogurt sauce as a refreshing accompaniment to her fruit tart.  It's a nice (and healthy) alternative to whipped cream or ice cream.  Depending on how sweet you like things, and how ripe your mangoes are, you probably won't need any additional sugar, or you could use a sweetened vanilla yogurt instead of plain.


2 mangoes, peeled, chopped (reserve a spoon or two)
2 cups plain, Greek yogurt


Puree mangoes in a Vitamix or blender.  Stir puree into yogurt, top with chopped mango pieces.  Serve with a tart, a pie, some pound cake, enjoy with granola, the list goes on.