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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Bourbon and Blueberry Bundt Cake with Blueberry-Basil-Bourbon Glaze

What could be better than a dense, delicious, fruity bundt cake? One drenched in bourbon, of course!

This recipe was inspired by a list of ingredients from our friend and house-sitter. When asked how we could repay him for taking care of our chickens, cats, gardens, and dog while we gallivanted around the northern part of the country, he replied with his usual, kind, "Make me dinner."  He suggested a list of ingredients and among them  were blueberries, bourbon, and basil. Upon our first attempt with googling the ingredients, we discovered this combination makes quite the popular doughnut choice.  Who knew?

We went to the trusty Paprika app on our iPad and found several recipes for blueberry-bourbon cakes and glazes, but settled on  modifying this one, and then we added our own extra alcohol-y twist with a Bourbon Sauce.  Despite an appetizer of fried plantains, a peanut stew for dinner, and drinks to fill in the rest, we all had room to indulge in this keeper!

The amount of bourbon that we added to this cake would make a sailor whistle. The first saucepan of bourbon sauce soaked right in, so we cooked up another. We added that, which proceeded to soak right in as well. And then we added the glaze on top, full of bourbon. Despite using almost a bottle, the bourbon melded delightfully well with the blueberry and basil flavors. The cake was rich and moist, and it made my summer night feel all the more summery. I predict that it will make snowed-in, wintry nights all the more wintry, too.

Without a doubt, this cake will show up on our table again soon.

Ingredients for the cake:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1-2 cups blueberries (depending on your preference)

Ingredients for Bourbon Sauce (we ended up making three batches of this...we like ours real dense!):
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

Ingredients for Glaze 
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2-3 tablespoons bourbon
3 cups sifted powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Grease a 10-cup metal tube or bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To make the cake, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Cream the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about five minutes.
4. Blend in the eggs, one at a time and add the vanilla. Combine the bourboun and buttermilk in a bowl. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the bourbon mixture in two parts.
5. Pour the batter evenly in the bundt cake pan. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when touched, about 40 to 45 minutes.
6. Before the cake is finished, you'll make the bourbon sauce. Heat a small saucepan and melt the butter. Mix in the sugar and vanilla.
7. Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the bourbon, and combine butter mixture with bourbon.
8. Put the pan back on the stove and heat until slightly bubbly. Sugar should be dissolved.
9. Poke holes in your finished cake, and pour the sauce over it. You can reserve some for the top, if you'd like.
10. Let the cake completely cool, and then flip it over onto a serving platter.

11. To make the glaze, start by pulsing the blueberries, basil, and 2 Tbs of bourbon in a food processor or blender until smooth.
12. In a large bowl, measure out the powdered sugar. Gradually stir the blueberry mixture into the sugar. Taste and add the last Tbs of bourbon if you desire. Drizzle over cooked cake.

13 And then, if you like strong libations in your bakery, you can always add more of the Bourbon Sauce! 

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Salty and Crispy: Kale Chips

Kale chips have been all the rage for a few years. And why wouldn't they be? Salty. Crispy. Can't Stop At Just One. And (semi) nutritious. What could be better?

They're super easy to make, and it's fun to play with different seasonings and flavorings. I like cracked pepper!





Ingredients:
A bunch of kale
Olive oil
Salt
Seasonings of your choice

Process:
1. Wash kale to remove dirt.
2. Rip chip-sized pieces off the rib of the kale. Discard the ribs. Use salad spinner to dry kale pieces.

3. Toss kale pieces with enough olive oil to lightly coat throughout.
4. Spread on cookie sheets.

5. Sprinkle with salt and other seasonings (I love pepper, for example!).
6. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or  until kale chips are crisp.

We store ours in open ziploc bags with a piece of paper towel to soak up excess liquid over time.
They should last for up to a week.

Enjoy!  

Monday, August 3, 2015

Pickled Beets, 2015


Full disclosure: this recipe is 100% not our own. The reason? Every year, I forget from which source I located the pickled beets recipe because I have never blogged about pickling beets. I go searching online, browsing through other cookbooks....only to just choose something random and different each and every year. So, I'm shamelessly blogging about a recipe I found in a cookbook.

And ... the beets in this cookbook are wonderful! Slightly sweet, tangy, and perfectly pickled, this is my favorite recipe for pickled beets thus far. At this pint, I fully endorse The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving. Granted, this is the only recipe from the book that I've seen to fruition, but I bought this gem only a month ago. I love that the cookbook focuses on small batches because, let's be realistic, I live with only one other human: we can only consume so much food. 

Anyway, try this pickled beets recipe! We used chioggia beets and golden beets, hence the interesting colors in the jars. We also a little more than doubled this, so we ended up with 4.5 quarts

Easy Spiced Pickled Beets (makes 4 pints)

8-15 pounds of fresh beets
2 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1/3 cup water
16 whole cloves
8 whole allspice berries
2 cinnamon sticks, about 4 inches long
2 tsp pickling salt

1. Trim beets, leaving 1 inch of stem and taproot attached. Put in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and then turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 45 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them! Cook just until tender..... 

Once tender, drain and rinse with cold water. Remove skins and cut beets into desired size pieces. If you have chickens, be sure to save the scraps! They loved them....
Chicken treats or compost ingredients?
2. Combine sugar, vinegar, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir occasionally. 

3. In sanitized, hot jars, place 4 cloves, 2 allspice berries, and 1/2 cinnamon stick in each jar. Pack beats into jar. Pour hot liquid over beets to within 1/2 inch of rim. 

4. Process 30 minutes for 2-cup jars and 35 minutes for 4-cup jars.