womangos

Womanure. Womandoline. Womanipulate. Womanicure. Womanicotti.

Don't mind me. Just trying to be politically correct here.

I can't think of an occasion on which I ate fresh mango before having it in this salsa. Dried? Yes, many times. Frozen? Of course. Pureed? Absolutely. Fresh? No, ma'am (or sir, as the case may be). I was positively thrilled by its intense burst of juicy flavor--'twas the perfect complement to the crisp cucumbers, spicy jalapenos, and powerful red onions accompanying it here. The presence of my favorite herb made the stuff even more refreshing. I had it as a side to some cheesy black bean quesadillas, but it would match so many things, from seafood (none for me, thanks) to grilled pork chops.

I don't mean to sound like a womaniac, but it's crazy good. Open your womandibles, put in a forkful, and womanducate!

And a(wo)men.

Womango Salsa
(based on this recipe by Ellie Krieger)
1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1-2 tablespoons jalapeno, finely chopped
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro leaves and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for a few hours to let the flavors mingle.

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zorses, zorses, zorses*

Have you ever seen a zorse?

It's a fairly awesome creation--a hybrid animal with a horse mama and a zebra daddy.

First things first: No, I did not eat any zorse.

I did, however, make a pretty terrific cake inspired by the beast's existence. You may be familiar with the zebra cake, which consists of swirled vanilla and chocolate batters and is extremely groovy. I changed it up a bit--the streaky effect is still there, but it's done with vanilla and cinnamon batters. Shocker, right?

Alternate recipe name:  Get-In-My-Belly Bella Cake

I'm pretty pleased with this twist on a classic. Granted, you have to be a true lover of cinnamon to really appreciate the taste, but as I'm sitting here pondering it, I can't think of a single person I've met who has said that she doesn't like cinnamon.

Moist, aromatic, flavorful, and attractive. Yeah, this one's worth the bit of extra effort.

*The title is a reference to the scene in Sleepless in Seattle where Meg Ryan's character is singing along to a Christmas carol in her car. Harses, harses, harses. Man, I love that movie.

Zorse Cake
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment paper and lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is light and creamy. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Measure out just over two cups of the vanilla batter and place it back in the medium bowl. Sift your marvelous cinnamon over the bowl and whisk until fully incorporated.
Put 3 tablespoons of the vanilla batter into the center of the prepared pan and let it spread slightly on its own. Put 3 tablespoons of cinnamon batter in the center of the vanilla. It will push out the other batter and, as it sits for a moment, will also spread itself. Alternating spoonfuls of the two batters, repeat the technique until all the batter has been used up. See? Easy peasy.
Bake for 38-42 minutes, until the cake is light gold and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out the cake and remove the parchment paper. Reinvert on to a wire rack and let cool before slicing.

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if you like pina coladas...

...and getting caught in the rain.*

*Is there anyone who actually enjoys getting caught in the rain?

I don't know if you've heard, but Valentine's Day** is coming up. Pink, hearts, and chocolate are EVERYWHERE. I think I've proven what a rebel I can be, so in that vein, I eschewed all three of the aforementioned Valentine's Day staples and made a treat with none of them in sight.

**Funny story--I was jotting down a note the other day and wrote 'Happy VD' and it took me a minute to realize that that's probably not the best idea for an abbreviation...

This is a refreshing little dessert for anyone feeling the least bit of winter blues. It's a light and fluffy coconut cake that's been torted, and between the moist, rum-soaked layers lies a zippy and tart lime curd. Go ahead and say it: Ooh-la-la!

The frosting marks my first experience with Swiss meringue buttercream, and I can state with certainty that it won't be my last--that's some incredible stuff! It's slick and creamy like a velvet suit and with just the right amount of sweetness, nicely off-set by the crunchy toasted coconut. All in all, this is one heck of a Hallmark-free celebration combination.

Happy VD!

Piña-less Colada Cake
(inspired by this creation)

Lime Curd:
3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, cold
1 teaspoon freshly-grated lime zest
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Rum Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Cake:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco López)
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
5 egg whites
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, cool but not cold
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
toasted coconut to garnish

Make Lime Curd:
In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, lime juice, cream, and butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture just reaches a boil. Strain the curd into a bowl and stir in the zest. Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

Make Rum Syrup:
In a heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Stir only until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes and then remove from heat. Cool slightly and stir in the rum.

Make Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and cream of coconut in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients and then the buttermilk, each just until blended.
Using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites with pinch of salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold the beaten egg whites into batter.
Divide the cake batter between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto racks to cool completely.

Assemble:
Cut both layers in half. Put one half of a cake layer on a cake plate, brush generously with the rum syrup, spread evenly with lime curd, and sprinkle with sweetened flaked coconut. Repeat steps with remaining cake layers and chill cake 15 minutes.

Make Frosting:
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and sugar together. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water but do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring often. Stop when the color is a milky white, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the egg mixture to the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with the paddle attachment. Add the cubed butter and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes more. The buttercream will look as though it's breaking, but never fear--it'll come together. Add the salt and vanilla and beat for 5 seconds to combine.
Spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the frosted cake, gently pressing into sides to adhere.

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the fluff factor

I love breakfast. Some days, it's my sole reason for rolling out of bed. I love meals as quick and simple as cereal or shmiscuits and as time-consuming (compared to cereal, anyway) as omelets or muffins.

Pre-syrup smothering.

I think my favorite breakfast of all, however, is a big ol' stack of pancakes. I enjoy many kinds of toppings and fillings--bananas, chocolate chips, blueberries, pecans, peanut butter, butter, maple syrup, and this taste of heaven have all received my official seal of approval.

My latest pancake experiment involved trying to find a way to increase what I like to call the fluff factor. See, I like my pancakes fat like an overstuffed pillow--none of those puff-free discs are welcome on my griddle. I played with a variety of things, like the amount and type of leavening agent, sugar, and fat involved.

The best I've been able to do so far makes use of an unexpected ingredient--coconut oil. At room temperature, this is a solid fat, which is a unique quality for an oil. It's also very heat stable and lasts a long time, even out of the fridge. (So ends your food science lesson for the day.) Please note that you could use any type of fat in lieu of coconut oil, but you won't get that tasty tinge of coconut.

Runaway butter!

The pancakes yielded from this carefully-honed recipe are wonderfully fluffy and flavorful, with the barest, most perfect hint of coconut imaginable. They seem to absorb the ideal amount of syrup, too. I think, for now, my quest for pancake perfection has been satisfied.

Perfectly Poofy Pancakes
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1-1 1/2 cups milk, depending on the thickness you desire
1 tablespoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted fat, milk, and vanilla until combined. Whisk in your sugar and salt, then whisk in the flour and baking powder. Add more milk if necessary to form a thick yet spreadable batter. Refrigerate for 10 to 20 minutes.
Heat and lightly grease your pan or griddle with butter or oil. Pour the batter onto pan by the 1/4-cupful or, if you're like me, heaping 1/2-cupful. Flip the pancake when the edges start to dry up and bubbles form on the top. Cook for about another minute, or until nicely golden brown.

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it's never too late...

...for pie.

Yeah, so sweet potato pie seems to be reserved for Thanksgiving, but since I'm a rebel of epic proportions (she says oh-so-sarcastically), I made it in January. For no reason. Boo-yah.

Let me get this out of the way first--the best thing about this pie is that it tastes nothing like sweet potatoes. Don't get me wrong, I love sweet potatoes and all they have to offer. I'll take sweet potatoes fries over regular ones any day, and a loaded baked sweet potato (marshmallows included) will hit the spot on just about any occasion. What I mean is that the spices take center stage, and since cinnamon is the predominant spice here, I'm a happy eater.

The sweet potatoes do play an important role here, however--they're the vehicle, and a fine vehicle indeed. They are the Lamborghini of pie ingredients, lending an awesome, silky-smooth texture and the subtlest of earthy flavors.

Feel free to use canned sweet potatoes and a frozen crust if you must, but don't you feel such pride and accomplishment when everything is made from scratch? I know I do.

Happy Thanksgiving February!

Smooth-as-Silk Sweet Potater Pie
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
salt, to taste
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9-inch pie crust, homemade or (brace yourself) store-bought

Preheat oven to 350F.
Steam the sweet potato chunks until tender and then place them into a blender or food processor with the milk, brown sugar, butter, spices, and salt; blend until smooth. Let the mixture cool a little before adding the eggs and vanilla and then blend again to combine.
If you've made your own crust, bake it in the oven for 10-12 minutes until partially cooked. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie shell and bake for a further 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

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turtles? really?

I'm not sure which schmo first dubbed the combination of rich chocolate, soft caramel, and toasted pecans, but I am sure that he could've come up with a much better name than 'turtles.'

Yes, I know certain regions of the world find actual turtles to be a yummy soup meat, but I have zero interest in consuming the critters. Why? I think it's because I feel sorry for them--anything that moves that slowly deserves at least a little bit of sympathy. Am I the only one who's tempted to stop the car and help a turtle cross the road when I drive up to one? Eh, maybe I am.

Moving on. These bars do not contain real turtle, and they are delicious. I'm pretty sure a layer of thick, chocolate-shmeared and pecan-studded caramel atop a shortbread crust is the definition of decadence. The name 'divinity' must've already been taken by those meringue-y candies at that point. Too bad.

Turtle-free Turtle Bars
(based on these)

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup pecans

Caramel Layer:
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
touch o' salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the crust ingredients in food processor or mixer and whirr until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan.
Combine butter, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the entire surface of the mixture begins to boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour evenly over crust.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until entire caramel layer is bubbly, being careful not to overbake. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips; allow to melt slightly (2 to 3 minutes). Swirl the chips leaving some whole for a marbled effect. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the chocolate and press in slightly. Cool completely; cut into bars.

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expiration date debate

I know some people who will go ahead and toss a product that has reached its expiration date, regardless of whether or not it's still edible. This causes me great pain because in many cases, the food in question is perfectly fine and just as delicious and usable as the day it was made.

Take, for example, sour cream. Folks, it's sour cream--it's already soured. So until I see green stuff growing on it, I deem it acceptable for use. The same goes for yogurt and cheese. I don't shy away until mold rears its ugly head (although I clearly do my best not to let it reach that point!). Incidentally, the one exception for me is milk. When that expiration date is reached, I very tentatively sniff the stuff, and if I pick up even the slightest whiff of sourness, the stuff's not going anywhere near my cereal. Period.

Whether or not you subscribe to my way of thinking and whether or not your sour cream is fresh, these muffins are amazing. We can argue about many things (nature vs. nurture, Team Jacob or Team Edward, cats or dogs), but we can't disagree that individual portions of moist coffee cake topped with crunchy, sugary streusel is absolutely delicious.

I sincerely hope that your opinion of me hasn't diminished since you've learned of my reckless and devil-may-care ways with food. However, it's important to note this fact: I haven't been poisoned yet.

Knock on wood.

Spectacular Streusel-ized Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins
(based on these beauties)

Streusel:
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
 
For the Streusel: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. In a large bowl, mix the pecans with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, making sure to break up and incorporate all of the brown sugar. Stir in the butter. Set aside.

For the Muffins: Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin. In a mixer, combine the butter, lemon zest, and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the egg, and then the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed until just combined. 

Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter so they are about 1/3 full.  Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of streusel over the batter in each cup. Divide the remaining batter among the cups, and sprinkle the muffins with the remaining streusel.

Bake, rotating the muffin tin halfway through, until the muffins spring back to the touch, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the tin to a wire rack and let stand for 10 minutes. Turn out the muffins onto the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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