Pantry Jam Crumb Cake

I recently came across the notion of depleting ones larder full of preserves from the previous year.  A  revelation! I've been canning since my Grandmother taught me while I was pregnant with Jake. At first, so proud of my preservation projects, I saved them. Some may use the word - hoarded. With years of experience, I've realized each season comes again and with it the joy of preserving more. No need to save (okay, hoard). Give, share, enjoy, repeat.

I am an avid collector of basic buttermilk crumb cake recipes.With berry season barreling down the pike, I took the opportunity to incorporate some of my homemade jam into my favorite kind of cake.

For the first cake, I chose a mixed berry jam full of local blueberries, raspberries and wild blackberries of foraged last summer. The second time around it was strawberry-tarragon. I vote for mixed berry.

Butter, sugar and cinnamon = A delicious crumble topping.

Cake. Delicious, delicious cake.

Only six more jars - of mixed berry - left.

For more idea for using your stock, check out Food in Jars and the Preserves in Action page.

Hurry! Summer is just around the corner.  

My Pantry Jam Crumb Cake

for the cake:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 t. vanilla extract
8oz. fruit jam of your choice

for the topping
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. butter, melted

Butter an 8" square baking pan. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the topping
In a small bowl stir flour, sugar and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over and stir into chunky crumbs.

To make the cake
Whisk together flour, soda, powder, and salt. In a large bowl beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until just smooth. Stir in flour mixture until just combine to form a thick batter.

Smooth the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop jam on top and evenly spread with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the cake with crumb mixture.

Bake in the center of the oven approximately 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cook in the pan on a wire rack 15-20 minutes.

Lovely warm but equally delicious room-temperature.

 

Welcome Back Ladies!

The ladies of The Yellow House Apiary have returned! We purchased three pounds of Italian honeybees and installed them on Sunday afternoon.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed having them in the yard. It's peaceful to watch them work and fun to share what we've learned with anyone interested. They are truly fascinating.

This year there will be honey. We are so lucky.

Whatever would we do without them?

Orange Braised Fennel

In case you may have missed it, I love fennel. It's a vegetable obsession I've not had for many years but have definitely made up for lost time.

Recently, I made Orange Braised Fennel to accompany a lovely meal reminiscent of childhood - salmon cakes.  Obviously, beyond the fennel was the orange juice. I sprung for a tiny bottle of freshly squeezed - worth every penny.

Once quartered and cored, a nice brown crust adds caramel-y flavor.

Juice, a bit of wine and slow even heat to render the fennel silky smooth and thicken the sauce.

It was truly delicious.

The essence of spring when paired with asparagus. I smashed the new potatoes and topped them with cottage cheese like my mom used to do.

The sophisticated me likes to think the fennel and asparagus elevated this humble meal.

The real me doesn't care. It included everything I love on a plate - memory, comfort, freshness and flavor.

If your sophisticated self needs a "just" side dish -  make the fennel. Your real self will love it, too.

A Killer Egg Dish for All Seasons

Every recipe box needs to a "go-to" egg dish. A strata, frittata or bake to get you through the holidays. We hosted Easter brunch for many this year and I was looking for something easy. Something that didn't require last minute work, but would be served hot and wouldn't be bad cold. I wanted something different so I scratched frittata off the list. It also couldn't include too much starch so a strata didn't fit the bill either.

A fast search brought me to this lovely dish. It was the perfect way to highlight the eggs from the yellow hen house and the chives from my garden. It saved the day - or at least a bit of my sanity.

 

The custard came together quickly in the Vitamix and I made it about an hour in advance. Once popped into a hot oven, it was on the table in about forty minutes. Gotta love an egg dish like that.

Special thanks to Doug for having the forethought to ask if I would be photographing before the masses hit the table. Gotta love a guy like that. 

Baked Egg Custard with Gruyère and Chives 

I've added a few of my own notes but it's modified in verbiage only
from Epicurious.com
 

6 oz. Gruyère, grated (1 1/2 c.) 1/2 c. chives, chopped 10 large eggs, pastured if possible 1 1/2 c. whole milk 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/4 t. grated nutmeg 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 350°F with the rack in middle. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Sprinkle Gruyère and chives evenly in the dish. Blend eggs, milk, cream cheese, and nutmeg in a blender with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Pour egg mixture over Gruyère and chives in the dish. Bake until puffed, set, and golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Let the Pickling Begin

Last weekend, Doug was hard at work with our friend Leslie developing a logo for Double D's, his food company. I had a bit of time on my hands on a dark and stormy day, so I made a small batch of pickled radishes.


I had help. (Doug just asked if I was blogging about the dog - again....)


These couldn't be simpler.


They couldn't look prettier or be more tempting.


Pickled perfection.

Check back for more pickled things soon. We love pickles in the yellow house!

A Plea For Rhubarb & A Recipe, Too.

I came home from our trip to the city with loads of rhubarb. Rhubarb is a harbinger of spring and when it's available I become obsessed. I do have plants in the garden but they are a bit stunted this year. After June ran laps along the fence with her boyfriend pre-garden protection, it was a little worse for the wear. I want to let it recover until next year so until then, I am accepting donations.


I have a long list of things to try - some old, some new, including a delicious Bundt cake with buttermilk and lemon. I've realized I have a "thing" for Bundt cakes. I make a lot of them. Chocolate and red wine, goat cheese, blueberries and herbs, and olive oil.


The recipe I want to share is from my well-worn (though fairly new) copy of Rustic Fruit Dessert by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson. It's definitely a go-to book when I am in search of ways with seasonal fruits.


It uses the basic techniques of most cakes of this nature. Be sure allow for plenty of time to cream the butter and the sugar. The sharp edges of the sugar crystals cut the butter and create small air pockets, creating a lighter cake. While Bundt cakes are a bit more dense than others, that step is just as important. Don't rush it.


My favorite Bundt tip is to use the back of a spoon to create a channel through the middle of the cake. If you've ever made a Bundt that appears to be levitating over the cake plate, this will ensure that doesn't ever happen again.


A bit of lemon glaze and it's an especially delicious bite of spring.

Perfect for a Memorial Day picnic!

Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Cake

Cake
2 1/2 cups plus 2 T. all-purpose flour (12.5 oz. + 5/8 oz.)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. fine sea salt
1 cup (8oz.) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3 eggs
1/2 t. lemon oil (I use 1 t. lemon extract)
3/ cup buttermilk
1# rhubarb, trimmed and very thinly sliced (3 cups or 12oz. prepared)

Lemon Glaze
2 cups (8 1/2 oz) sifted confectioners' sugar or more as needed
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T. unsalted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-cu Bundt pan.
To make the cake, sift, the 2 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in the lemon oil (extract). Stir the flour mixture in three additions alternating with buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture, scraping down the bowl occasionally. The batter will be very thick.

toss the rhubarb in the 2T. of flour and fold half of the rhubarb into the batter. Pour (I use a trigger ice cream scoop) into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining rhubarb on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan and cook an addtional 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake is firm and the center springs back when lightly touched. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before inverting and removing th epan.

To make the lemon glaze, whisk the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice and butter toghete. The mixture should be thick. It if is not whisk another tablespoon or two of sugar. Spread the glaze over the cake as soon as you remove it from the pan.

Storage: Covered with a cake cover or plastic wrap, the cake will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Strawberry Shortcake - To Go

A few years ago, a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cookies was published in a Martha magazine. The description called them "a portable version of a classic dessert." Perfect for a picnic and a creative use for the fresh strawberries coming our way.

Though they are not yet available locally, the organics are starting to hit the stores. The only way to go with strawberries (unless you've picked them yourself) since they are little chemical sponges. Read more about it here. I believe in knowing what's going on with my food - especially where my kids are concerned.


I digress. I gently wipe the strawberries with a damp paper towel rather than running them under water. It's way is easier than drying them and you don't want to put drippy berries in your baked goods. Or in anything for that matter.


These cookies could be described as little strawberry-filled biscuits. Chilled butter is cut into the flour to create a tender crumb. I use my fingers for this but a pastry cutter or two knives work well, too.


Gently fold the berries into the dough. Careful not to smash them and turn the dough pink. It's nice to have a nice bite of berry, too.


Portion with a trigger ice cream scoop since it's a sticky dough. The recipe calls for sanding sugar but I was out so I substituted raw sugar with delicious results.

They are delicate and delicious and unfortunately are best served immediately.


Oh, the sacrifices of strawberry season.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
compliments of Martha Stewart

12 oz. strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4" dice (about 2 cups)
1 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 T. granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse salt
3 oz. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (6 T.)
2/3 cup heavy cream
sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Pre-heat oven to 3 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 T. granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 T. granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

Using a 1 1/2" ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and bake until golden brown, 24-25 minutes (perhaps it's my oven but I found them to be sufficiently baked much more quickly . Keep an eye on the first batch to check your own timing.) Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

The Lovely Radish

A few weeks ago while at the Green City Market I found these beautiful French Breakfast Radishes. A bunch of these is as beautiful as bouquet of flowers - but edible.


I'd like to say I love radishes. In my heart I do, but when I taste them, ehhhh - not so much. Though this type of radish is very mild there is still a chest warming heat I just don't care for. So, I thought I'd cook them.


Chicken stock, shallots and a bit of butter. Cook till tender and remove from the saucepan. If the braising liquid left is more than about a 1/2 cup, cook to reduce it. Finish with a splash of vinegar, I used sherry, and season with salt and pepper.


Delicious!

Happy Easter From the Yellow House

May your baskets be over flowing...


Your eggs be brilliant....


Your buns be crossed....


...and your Peeps be most awesome when microwaved!


Happy Easter!

Sunny Day Salad

Spring has been teasing us in the Chicago land area lately. The birds are chirping, the tulips are awakening from their winter slumber and the sun is shining. Sometimes the sun even shines enough to counter balance the frigid outdoor air.

The warmish days of spring bring to mind fresh greens. We patiently watch the little spinach and mesclun seeds I sowed in our cold frame a few weeks ago. I just bought some arugula seeds and I think I'll sprinkle a row or two with hopes they'll take off just as we've polished off the spinach.

Every girls loves a crisp peppery arugula salad, particularly when paired with a bit of sweet fruit.


Especially perfect on a sunny spring day.

Getting Ready To Garden

Every year I say, "This is going to be the best garden yet!". While each year gets better, I don't think it's in the cards for me to be a fabulous gardener. Nonetheless, I forge ahead every year, researching, changing and modifying plans in search of....the best garden yet.

The most recent addition to my plan is the cold frame Doug built for me. He used found wood and an old paned storm window. (We have a habit of collecting them) Last Friday when it was beautiful t-shirt weather for a few hours, I set out to plant some spinach and greens. The anticipation of homegrown food is building.



Pretty nice cold frame, huh?

I've got a line on heirloom tomato plants, have extra space since the stump in the corner has been ground out and I am hoping that June's incessant fence line laps with her boyfriend haven't destroyed my rhubarb. (I'm not holding my breath.)

We have decided to finally invest in a proper fence to enclose our corner garden. We will line it with hardware cloth to keep the bunnies out but really it needs to be June proof. We were hoping her fence leaping would end when she no longer had access to the slightly dipping fence where the mulberry tree used to live. Then we found she could jump the full four feet. Do you think she's a floozy?


Lid down. Come on sun.

Now all there is to do is wait.

And plant peas on St. Patrick's Day.

Outstanding Rhubarb Cobbler

I love rhubarb and am so glad to have a few plants in my garden. A true harbinger of spring, it's the first to pop up in the spring and it offers endless possibilities. The smell of rhubarb calls to mind the pure joy a snack I didn't have to ask mom for. Ditto mulberries and concord grapes.

The rhubarb above was picked early and was still pencil thin and green. When I asked a farmer friend why my rhubarb never got very thick the answer was most likely over harvesting. Guilty as charged. Maybe it's the variety. I'll have to check but in the meantime, I'll have to work on that.

The rhubarb rite of spring began with a really wonderful gingered rhubarb chutney. What caught my eye about this recipe was the addition of balsamic vinegar. Perhaps needless to say, it's really not photo worthy since it's just brown. Regardless, it's really exceptional and was a great stand in for Major Grey's with curry.


For our monthly neighborhood get together in May, I decided to make a rhubarb cobbler from Outstanding In The Field by Jim Denevan. Remember him? This book thoroughly inspires me when it comes to the seasonal approach.

Sometimes baked fruit desserts tend to get watery and that equals lack of flavor and soggy topping. In this recipe the fruit is cooked before being put into the baking dish. The result? Flavorful fruit syrup surrounding tender baked fruit.


Pre-strawberry season, I decided to add the end of last year's local berries that I had frozen.


A buttermilk cobbler topping came together in moments.

Jake added a sprinkle of demerarra sugar for a bit of crunch and golden brown color.


Need I tell you how delicious it was?


The highest complement, an almost empty pan. The greatest relief, enough left for breakfast.

Rhubarb Cobbler
Outstanding in the Field by Jim Denevan
I added about a pint of strawberries to the mix and cooked it a bit longer to compensate for the extra liquid.

3# rhubarb
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 T. grated orange zest
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder

whipped cream for serving

Trim the rhubarb and cut crosswise on an angle into 1" pieces. Place the rhubarb in a medium saucepan with 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the orange zest. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is softened and has released it's liquid, about 20 minutes.

Position a rack in teh bottom third of the oven. Place a foil-lined bakins sheet underneath the oven rack that will hold the cobbler. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to a 2 quart baking dish with 2" high sides, or eight 10-12 oz. ramekins for individual cobblers. If using individual ramekins, arrange them on a baking sheet. Simmer the liquid remaining in the saucepan over medium heat until it is reduced by half and is thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Pour it over the rhubarb.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter and egg. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the flour, baking powder, and sald. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and slowly stir until just incorporated. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter over the rhubarb, covering the surface. Bake until golden brown and bubbling and a skdwer inserted into the topping comes out clean, 45-50 minutes for a large cobbler, 20-25 for individual cobblers.

Let rest for 10 miutes and serve warm with whipped cream.

Real Strawberry Strawberry Shortcake

When my brother and I would spend time with my grandparents in Tolono every summer, it miraculously coincided with strawberry time. Luck, perhaps. Grandma took us every season to the patch where we loaded up on as many as we could pick and then headed home were we ate the tiny, shiny fragrant berries until they were gone.

Years later, when pregnant with Jake I went down to spend a weekend with my Grandma during berry season. This time, I drove her burgundy Chevy sedan and we headed to a new patch. We had no idea where it was, Grandmas was nervous, I forged ahead, a firm believer you can never really get lost. Upon arriving Grandma donned an enormous hat to protect her from the sun. I, with my stomach sticking out a good two feet by this time, had chosen to wear an enormous aqua and yellow maternity top. Lovely. I looked like an Easter egg. We must have looked hilarious. I've always carried that image in my mind. We picked enough berries that day to gorge on and for me to bring some home. It was with these berries I attempted my first strawberry jam. Grandma consulted over the phone, quick snippets of updates and advice back at a time when long distance was a costly treat. I think of her every year at this time. The smell of warm strawberries makes me think of her.

Last week at the first Geneva Green Market my favorite fruit grower had these beautiful berries. I left with 2 quarts, one for a dessert to be determined and one for smoothies.

After consulting my favorite book for fruit desserts, I decided on the perennial favorite, Strawberry Shortcake. At what point did strawberry shortcake become something you could buy in the produce section of the grocery store? Marginal, at best - even organic, grocery store berries are merely a shadow of what a strawberry truly is. Placed in a nasty sponge cake cup and topped with non-dairy topping. Poetic justice.

This shortcake recipe calls for a bit of cornmeal which was the tipping point. I love the bit of crunch cornmeal imparts in baked goods of all kinds. I happened to have plenty from Three Sisters Garden and was excited to be able to use it in this sure to be delicious recipe.


The other nice addition was the citrus zest. Lots and lots of lemon and orange zest made these biscuits super fragrant!


Brushed with a bit of melted butter and dipped in sugar means....


...a pleasantly crunch top then a citrus punch. A punch with explosion. ;)

All done and ready to serve. This one is made with a dollop of creme fraiche. I like the counterpoint of the tanginess. My favorite way, (I mean if I had truly eaten more than one) was with heavy cream poured over the berries and bottom cake.

Grandma would have like it like that, too.

Strawberry Shortcake
Rustic Fruit Desserts by Cory Schreiber

1 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature, for sheet pan

Fruit
2 dry pints ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 T. granulated sugar
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Shortcake
2 1/2 cups (12oz.) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
2/3 cups granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup to top shortcakes
1 t. fine sea salt
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
4 t. lemon zest
4 t. orange zest (about 1 large orange)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Chantilly cream ( I served it with heavy cream or creme fraiche)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking sheet.

To prepare the fruit, toss the strawberries in a bowl with the sugar and lemon juice. Mash a small amount of the berries so they release their juice. Place the berries in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to draw out the juices.

While the strawberries are macerating, prepare the shortcake. Mix together the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, sugar and salt in a bowl, then stir the cream, lemon zest, and orange zest until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and form into a ball, then knead 8-12 times, or until the dough holds it's shape (but be careful not to overwork it). Cut the dough into 8 equal portions and roll into balls. Dip each ball into the melted butter, then dip half of the ball into a small bowl with 1/3 cup sugar. Place each ball on the prepared baking sheet, sugar side up. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and baked through. Cool on a wire rack.

While the shortcakes are cooling, make the Chantilly cream (if desired).

To serve, cut the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom of the shortcakes on a small plate, then ladle a scoop of the juice berries on the shortcakes so the fruit covers part of the shortcake and cascades down the side onto the plate. Top the berries with Chantilly cream, and lay the top of the shortcake biscuit tipped on it's side next to the shortcake. Serve immediately.

Storage: Once assembled, these shortcakes will not keep; however if the berries and shortcake are kept separated, you may make the leftover shortcakes the following day. Store the shortcake biscuits in an air-tight container at room-temperature, and keep the strawberries refrigerated.