cookblog vs. cookbook -- which do you like best?
View Results
..and here is tonight’s dessert. I searched far and wide for a pound cake that uses oil instead of butter, and I think this one is a keeper. So mmmmoist…
2-1/2 cups flour 1-1/2 cups sugar 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup orange juice 1/4 cup lemon juice 3/4 cup canola or safflower oil 2 tsp. vanilla 4 eggs 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Beat well until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until dark golden brown. While cake is in oven, combine powdered sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice and whisk to blend. Remove cake from oven, beat powdered sugar mixture again, and carefully spoon 1/2 of the lemon and powdered sugar mixture over cake. Loosen edges of cake and turn out onto serving plate. Slowly drizzle remaining lemon mixture over cake. Let cool. Serves 10-12
The kids and I just made these (and the kids did the dishes). Very good.. Nice and tart.
The crust
2 2/3 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 2/3 c. oil (Puritan, Canola, etc.) 6 tbsp. skim milk
Combine flour and salt in bowl. Blend oil and milk in bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir with fork until forms large clumps. Press into ball. Flatten to form 5-6 inch “pancake”. Roll between sheets of wax paper. Peel off top sheet. Flip into 9 inch pie pan. Remove other sheet. Press dough into 9×13 pan and cook for 10-15 min.
For the lemon topping
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons) 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 cup flour
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes (less if you are using the thinner topping), or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
So here goes nothing. Our first (of many) post with a picture of our dinner, for your viewing enjoyment.
Clockwise, starting at about 2 o’clock: Homemade multigrain bread in the bread machine, Karenin’s strawberry salad, and then over there at 9 o’clock is the famous fennel bulgur salad. The meal was a hit, so I’ll post recipes:
Fennel plum salad sprinkled with goat cheese
1 c uncooked bulgur 1/4 c chopped walnuts 1 bunch watercress, chopped 1.5 c shredded purple cabbage 1 c shredded carrot 1 c thinly sliced fennel (or celery) 2 plums, thinly sliced (or pears) 1 c green grapes, halved 6 dried figs, chopped 3 oz crumbled goat cheese 1/3 c maple syrup 3.5 T apple cider vinegar 2 T dijon salt & pepper to taste olive oil (optional)
1. Cook the bulgur like couscous: Put bulgur in a bowl, pour 1 c boiling water over it, cover with a plate, let sit for 30 min.. 2. Cook walnuts in a skillet over med-low for 3 minutes to lightly brown them 3. Chop watercress and add to bulgur 4. Make the dressing: whisk syrup, vinegar, mustard. We added a little olive oil. 5. Add the rest, pour on dressing, enjoy
3 cups of this superfood has 425 calories, 12 g fat, 71 g carbs, 12 g protein, 11 g fiber.
Lemon-glazed cornmeal cake with crushed blueberries
This cake was in the April 2009 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, but as usual, I’ve modified it slightly:
Glaze:
Cake:
For glaze: Combine powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in small bowl. Stir with spoon until smooth and paste-like, adding more lemon juice by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. Set aside.
For cake: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line bottom with parchment. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla in small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture and oil into flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently fold liquids into flour mixture until just blended (do not stir). Scrape batter into pan; spread evenly.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes.
Immediately run knife around sides of cake. Place rack atop cake in pan. Using oven mitts, hold pan and rack firmly together and invert cake onto rack. Remove pan from cake. Place another rack on bottom of cake; invert 1 more time so that cake is top side up. Stir glaze until blended. While cake is still very hot, drop glaze by tablespoonfuls onto cake; spread to within 1/2 inch of edge (some glaze may drip down sides of cake). Cool completely. Serve with Crushed-Blueberry Sauce.
This is delicious served with chocolate gelato
1 ½ C chopped walnuts 1 C all-purpose flour 1 T baking powder 4 eggs 1 ½ sugar grated zest and juice of 1 orange (about ½ C juice) ½ olive oil powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat to 350 degrees. Spray 9 inch spring form pan with oil
Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until finely ground, almost to the consistency of bread crumbs. In a bowl, combine the ground walnuts, flour, and baking powder.
Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light, thick, and lemon colored. Slowly add the walnut-flour mixture, beating continuously. Then, with the mixer on low speed, add the orange zest and juice and the loive oil and mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 min. Se the pan on a rack to cool.
Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a transportable serving platter. Dust the top with powdered sugar, creating a decorative pattern if desired. Serve at room temp, cut into wedges.
One of my favorite parts of this dessert is the maple syrup in the whipping cream One pastry (use our pie crust recipe that is healthy for you) For the filling: ½ C firmly packed dark brown sugar 2 T all-purpose flou pinch of salt ½ C maple syrup ½ C corn syrup 3 eggs 1 T butter, melted 3 C pecan halves, lightly toasted 1 T powered sugar 1 C heavy whipping cream ¼ C maple syrup, chilled
Preheat oven to 400 degrees To make filling, in a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, glour, salt, maple syrup, dark corn syrup, eggs, and melted butter until well combined. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 13 inch round. Transfer to an 11 inch tart pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Spread the pecans in the shell. Pour in the filling and bake for about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees and bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is set, 15-20 min longer. Let cool before serving In a bowl, whip together the cream and maple syrup until soft peads form. Place in a serving bowl and pass at the table.
½ C butter ½ C shortening (I use butter) 1 C sugar ½ C packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 t vanilla extract ½ t almond extract 2 ½ C all-purpose flour 1 Tbs ground cinnamon 2 t baking soda 2 t cream of tartar 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 2 t grated orange peel 1 t grated lemon peel ½ t salt additional sugar
In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugars. Add the egg and extracts; mix well. Combine the next eight ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into 1” balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on un-greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: about 6 dozen. These cookies freeze well. (I only cook about 8 minutes because I like them softer)
1 1/3 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 c. oil (Puritan, Canola, etc.) 3 tbsp. skim milk
Combine flour and salt in bowl. Blend oil and milk in bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir with fork until forms large clumps. Press into ball. Flatten to form 5-6 inch “pancake”. Roll between sheets of wax paper. Peel off top sheet. Flip into 9 inch pie pan. Remove other sheet. Press dough into pie plate. Trim and flute.
1 large package of cream cheese, light or low fat 1 cup sugar (or less…) 3 T lemon juice 1 t vanilla 1 package lemon jello 1 can evaporated milk
Dissolve jello in water and add the sugar and lemon juice. Then mix the cream cheese and vanilla. Combine with the jello. Whip the milk and fold in mixture. Pour over graham cracker crust.
It’s hard to believe these chocolate chip cookies are low fat. By using half the normal amount of butter, and substituting an egg white for a whole egg, these make a wonderful and almost guiltfree indulgence. The chocolate flavor is enhanced by using cocoa powder as well as the chocolate chips. And by using mini chocolate chips, we’re making a smaller quantity go a long way.
1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg white 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg white and vanilla and mix until well blended. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Gradually add flour mixture to egg and sugar. Use a wooden spoon to work the dough together. Don’t worry if the dough seems a little crumbly at first. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop cookie dough by the teaspoonful on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you have one. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 30 cookies Per Serving: Calories 65, Calories from Fat 21, Total Fat 2.3g (sat 1.8g), Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 44mg, Carbohydrate 10.3g, Fiber 0.5g, Protein 0.7g
