The Houndstooth Gourmet

OK. So it’s not exactly low fat, nor does it have enough bran to clean you out like a card counter at a black jack table. But, I did make a go of trying some things that make this recipe a bit more healthy. First, instead of using all bleached AP flour, I substituted 2/3, or 2 cups whole wheat flour. Next, to cut down on dairy fat, I used 2% fage. You could also substitute light plain yogurt, or sour cream. And, instead of using 2 WHOLE STICKS OF BUTTER (ack!) I only used one. Paula Deen would not approve!

I think what really makes this cake taste delicious is the combination of juicy blueberries in the batter and the lemon glaze that is drizzled over top while the cake is still warm. If you like the taste of whole wheat pancakes, you ought to try this recipe out. The wheat flour gives it a distinctive flavor that is a bit different if you are not used to using anything but AP flour.

In our efforts to maximize our use of whole grains, I find that I am getting more acquainted with preparing and eating whole grain foods which are not stripped of their most nutritious components.

*These lovely berries are from Mount Olympus Berry Farm (Kingstowne Market). I froze them for a couple weeks prior to using them. The texture is not quite as firm, but they were still at the peak of their flavor and quite juicy.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Yogurt Cake

makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup low fat fage, plain yogurt or sour cream
• 1 cup AP flour + 2 cups whole wheat flour (reserve 2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups blueberries*, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add reserved 2 tablespoons flour mix to blueberries and stir to coat. Set aside until later.

In a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light yellow. Add vanilla and mix for another minute.

Add eggs and egg white, one at a time. Mix on medium in between eggs.

Add fage and mix for an additional minute.

Add baking soda and salt to remaining flour. Turn mixer on medium-low speed and slowly add flour until incorporated.

Add floured berries and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix and break the berries or else you will have a purple cake.

Pour the batter into a 10 inch bundt cake mold or fluted pan which as been sprayed with a non-stick baking spray. Place cake on middle rack of oven and bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake come out dry.

Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a baking rack which is sitting on a baking sheet. Pierce the top of the cake all over to allow the glaze to seep in.

Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake. If some glaze winds up in the baking pan, drain it off and re-pour it over the cake.

Allow cake to cool for about 30-60 minutes. Serve or cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serving suggestions: dust cake with more powdered sugar prior to serving, accompany each slice with ice cream or whipped cream and a few fresh berries.

Tags: Recipe, fruit, cake by Ramona
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For the 4th of July, Frank and I attended a neighborhood bash. I offered to bring a dessert, and when I saw the huge blackberries at Mt. Olympus Farm last week at the Kingstowne Market, I knew I had to use them in my dessert. I froze them for the week, while I contemplated what to make.

A tart? A fruit salad? Hmmm. Nope….a cheesecake! A decadent cheesecake that I could enjoy a small piece of. One that wouldn’t be hanging around, taunting me to eat more. Perfect. I would use those blackberries to make a blackberry coulis to top off my New York style cheesecake.

A coulis (koo-LEE) is a thick sauce using vegetables or fruits. The term coulis initially referred to the juices from roasting meat and is French for “strained liquid”. Coulis are smooth and even in texture, and generally used to accent a dish. For example, meats can be artfully plated with a pool of vegetable coulis underneath or on the side, and desserts can be accented with a sweet and tart berry coulis.

Berry coulis are sweetened with sugar to mitigate tartness as needed. Lemon is also commonly added to brighten the flavors. In my blackberry coulis, I used a cornstarch slurry to thicken it at the end of cooking, before straining the sauce through a chinois.  The slurry must be heated to the boiling point, or about 203 degrees to activate its thickening properties prior to straining.

The end product was a dense, moist cheesecake topped with the blackberry coulis, which looked like a deep purple ganache flowing over the sides. I reserved a handful of the largest berries to garnish the center of the cake.

The cheesecake looked beautiful plated on a white cake stand. Guests at the party admired it before the first piece was cut. After that, it went in a flash! Fortunately, Frank and I were able to enjoy a piece before it was gone.

New York Style Cheesecake with Blackberry Coulis

serves 8

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 5 tablespoons melted butter

For the cheesecake

• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream, full fat or light (not non-fat)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 large egg yolks
• 6 large eggs

For the coulis

• 2 pints blackberries (minus a few reserved for garnish)
• 2/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar (more if needed)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees.

For the crust.

In a bowl, combine the graham crackers, sugar and melted butter. Mix with a fork to incorporate fully. Spread the crust evenly into the bottom of a spring-form pan that has been buttered on the bottom and sides. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until it becomes aromatic.

Take the crust out of the oven, and allow it to cool while you make the batter.

 For the batter.

Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.

**Between each step of adding ingredients to the batter and mixing, use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and the paddle. This helps prevent chunks of cream cheese in the final batter product.**

In a mixer using a paddle attachment (this might be tough for a hand mixer due to the initial thickness of the batter) add the softened cream cheese that has been cut into 2-3 inch chunks. Mix on medium-low for a minute to soften.

Add the salt and half of the sugar. Mix on medium-low for a minute.

Add remaining sugar and mix on medium-low for a minute.

Add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix on medium-low for a minute

(are you scraping?)

Add egg yolks and mix on medium-low for a minute.

Add eggs, two at a time and mix for one minute between additions.

Place the spring-form pan on a baking sheet and butter the sides. Add batter and place on middle rack of oven. Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn the heat down to 200 degrees and continue to bake for 90 minutes.

Remove cheesecake from oven and allow to cool for 3 hours, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The cake can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for 4 days.

For the coulis.

Place berries, water and sugar into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium simmer. Allow to cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until the berries are completely softened. Add the lemon juice and taste for desired balance of sweet and tart. Add additional sugar if need and cook until the sugar is fully dissolved.

In a small bowl, make the slurry by mixing corn starch and water. Whisk until smooth. Add slurry to the simmering berries and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened.

Remove the coulis from the heat and strain through a fine sieve or chinois. Allow the coulis to cool, covered, in the refrigerator along with the cheesecake.

To serve, pour coulis over cake, allowing some to drip down the sides. Leftover coulis can be served on the side. Garnish witha few berries in the middle.

Cutting pieces of the cake can be made easier by using a knife which is warmed in hot water, then wiped dry. Cut cake, wipe knife, warm in water, and repeat.

Tags: cheese, Recipe, cake by Ramona
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Seeing familiar faces behind the fruit and vegetables at Allenberg Orchards was like seeing old friends. Except I don’t really know them. Or their names. And I’m not a stalker. Really.

The thing is-when I discovered how wonderful the Kingstowne market is last year, and AO in particular, it made me a little sad to say see you next year when the market season ended. I had come to discover how delicious their cherries and tomatoes are. Plus the peaches were the best I’d ever eaten. I hoarded all those good things and still have some vacuum-sealed in my freezer.

This week, Allenberg made thier 2008 season market debut. Along with yellow and red raspberries, they had sweet cherries and a nice selection of greens (note the signage). I bought up 2 quarts of cherries in my frenzied excitement, only to find that they were not at the peak of ripeness. They’re not bad, just not as sweet as they’re going to get. The raspberries were another story all together. They were perfect without any hint of sourness.

I decided that my preshus berries needed to be frozen right away, lest any of them suffer from compression or exposure or just me picking at them before I could use them in a tart the next day.

First, I needed a tart pan. I don’t own any and usually cheat by using my spring-form pan. But I had perfectly gorgeous berries which needed that perfect crinkle edge that the pan gives. I found tart pans (loads of them) at La Cuisine in Old Town Alexandria. They were actually inexpensive, so I decided to get a large pan, along with 6 individual serving pans. OK, I threw in copper cleaner and a real Microplane microplane (truly, they are the best)for cheese. At that point, Frank looked at me and said “you planned this all along didn’t you? Just a tart pan, eh?”

For my dish, I found Raspberry Tart May on the Food Network site. It got good reviews and was from Gourmet Magazine, and made by Sarah Moulton. I had a feeling it would be a winner.

While the tart was blind baking (oh, by the way…if you don’t have pie weights or spare beans to weigh down the dough, you can use rice) I took the berries out of the freezer to thaw before I used them to top the tart. I used apricot jam to gloss over the top of the tart, because it’s what I had on hand and it worked perfectly.

This tart is like a thin cheesecake with fresh fruit. It’s elegant and easy. Plus, now that I’ve had a test run with it, I’m going to make 2 to take to a 4th of July get-together in my neighborhood. I think I’ll use blueberries and red raspberries for the whole patriotic color scheme thing.

Check out the photos for more information of what was at market and more berries, berries, berries!

Until the next At the Market, eat and buy local when you can.

Tags: Alexandria, farmers markets, cheese, cake by Ramona
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Tags: Recipe, fruit, cake by Ramona
3 Comments »

I already miss cherry season ! First, the Mt. Rainier cherries showed up at the markets. So red and yellow with a hint of sour balanced by sweet cherry goodness. I made cobblers and crisps galore!.

Next, came the sour “pie” cherries. Who would have thought sour was good? Oh my. These cherries, found at my local farmer’s market and grown in Maryland, are delicious. I bought 2 quarts at a time, but when I realized the season was nearly over, I stocked up with 4 more quarts and froze them whole. I washed and dried them, then placed them on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, I store them in Zip-lock baggies.

Tonight, I thawed about a cup and a half for this recipe by running them under tepid water in a colander for a couple of minutes. I pitted them, and reserved the juices for the recipe. If you can’t find sour cherries, use bing cherries instead.

This recipe is easy, quick and most of all, delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans– coarsely chopped
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons for coating cherries and nuts
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sour cherries, pitted with juice
8 tablespoons unsalted butter — softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh orange juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.Toast the chopped walnuts in a baking pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees.Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. In a second bowl, combine the cherries and the nuts.In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy; add the sugar and honey gradually, beating the mixture until it is very light. Add the eggs, one at a time. With mixer at lowest speed, add the flour mixture (reserving 1/4 cup), alternating it with the orange juice.Toss the cherry-nut mixture with the reserved 3 tablespoons of flour, and add to mixer. Blend into the batter on low speed just until incorporated evenly. Turn the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan (or use non-stick spray), approximately 10 x 7 x 2 inches. Bake the bread in the center of the oven for 45 minutes and check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should pull out dry.

Cool the loaf for 15 minutes in the pan; unmold onto a rack to cool down.

This bread is good warm or cold, and goes well with a pat of butter.

Tags: Recipe, fruit, cake, baking by Ramona
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