Cherry-Cranberry Fennel Scones

The Fennel and Golden Raisin Scones looked so pretty in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook that I decided to try them. My plan was to use up all the ingredients in my pantry before leaving for the States, but  I didn't have raisins on hand. I did have dried cherries and cranberry raisins. I didn't know how the combination would work but I went ahead anyway. Halfway through preparations, this recipe has to be frozen so it must be started the night before if you want them for breakfast. Or get up really early! Since Andy will be baking a few at a time for one person, I decided to brush the tops before freezing. To make these scones from start to finish takes at least 3 hours to 13 hours at most.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons fennel seeds, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups dried cherries and cranberry raisins combined, coarsely chopped
4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
1 large egg lightly beaten

Prepare the ingredients. In a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seeds coarsely. Set aside. Coarsely chop the cherries and cranberries and set aside. It's important to chop up the fruit otherwise large pieces get stuck in the biscuit/cookie cutter.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Add the dried fruit, cream, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Stir until the dough just comes together.

Make scones for freezing. Prepare a baking tray lined with waxed or parchment paper. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured board. Dust your hands lightly with flour. Pat the dough into a circle about 1 inch thick. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut rounds out of the dough. (My cookie cutter is 2 1/4 inches in diameter.) Place on the prepared baking tray about 1/2 inch apart. Gently pat the scraps together and continue cutting out rounds. I got 18  rounds out of this amount of dough.  Firm up the scones by freezing them for at least 2 hours or overnight. At the point, the scones can be put up in plastic bags for baking later. They can be stored for up to 3 weeks frozen.

Bake the scones. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Combine the beaten egg with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and brush lightly on top of the rounds. Using your thumb and forefingers, sprinkle the top of each round lightly with fennel seeds. Place the scones 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the scones are golden and the tops are flecked with brown spots. Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool. Scones are at their best on the day they are baked.

The Cake Baker's Notes: I discovered that the scones were underdone even after 25 minutes. Perhaps the egg wash made them soggy. In any case, I recommend baking an additional 5 minutes or more, in 5 minute increments, up to a total of 10 additional minutes. The flavor was a cross between a savory and a sweet scone. The fennel gave it a light licorice flavor and the cranberries were tangy-sweet. The cherries were negligible, probably because they were unsweetened. I'd make this again using the flavored dried cherries since they have a stronger flavor to complement the fennel.

Egg Muffin

That's right. I didn't leave out no "Mc"!

I made these muffins at 3 a.m. I have have such bad insomnia since I went back on the South Beach Diet. Anyway, I found this recipe for Egg Muffins on Kalyn's Kitchen which has a number of recipes dedicated to SBD. I liked it because it's been improved upon, but I used large eggs and had left over egg mixture. The recipe did state to use 12 eggs but did not stipulate what size eggs. Obviously large eggs were too large. I wish I had known that before. Still, it gave me the opportunity to use up the mummified veggies and leftover broccoli and peppers from dinner. I chopped them up along with three scallions and added them to the egg mixture. As you can see, I also have trouble following directions because I was supposed to put them in each cup before adding the beaten egg. I used salt and pepper instead of that Spike Seasoning, whatever it is. I know I'm grouchy. It's the lack of sleep.  The egg muffins came out pretty looking and didn't fall in the center as they did when I made them before. And how did they taste? As they say in Oz, not bad!

Glorious Sponge Cake

It really is a gorgeous cake! Light and airy yet moist and tender. I baked this cake for AJ and I frosted it with my favorite crème fraîche topping. It's better than ice cream! This cake recipe comes from allrecipes.com . For best results use a high speed mixer and a large (minimum 6 quart) aluminum mixing bowl.

6 eggs, cold, separated
1 cup superfine or caster sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lime juice (lemon juice in original recipe but I like lime)
1 teaspoon lime zest (lemon zest in original recipe)
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Prepare to bake. Preheat oven 350˚F. Use a two-piece tube cake pan, ungreased and unfloured.

Mix the yolks. Separate the eggs. It's best to separate them cold. In a large bowl, whip egg yolks on high speed until the yolks thicken and turn lemon yellow. It took forever with my 280 watt hand held mixer. Gradually add the sugar. Add the water, lime juice, lime zest, and cake flour. Combine until dry ingredients are just moistened. Set aside.

Whipping the egg yolks until smooth and lemony

Whip the egg whites. In another large bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Whip until stiff peaks form. Add egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. Using a spatula, combine egg whites and yolk mixture with a cut and fold motion. Turn the bowl one quarter turn after each folding. Do not overmix the batter.

This is perfectly mixed and ready to pour into the pan

Get ready to bake. Scrape the batter into the tube pan. Cut the batter with a thin blade spatula to eliminate air pockets. Bake 1 hour or until done. The cracks should be dry, or the surface of the cake, when it is lightly pressed, springs back. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately invert onto a metal funnel or bottle.

The bottle with the thinnest neck in my kitchen happened to be a bottle of Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce

Perfect sponge cake

Frost the cooled cake. Cool in the pan one hour. Using a thin blade spatula, separate the sides and tube. Push down the tube onto a wire cooling rack and remove the sides. Using the thin blade, separate the cake bottom from the pan bottom. If desired, frost the cake by whipping up a batch of crème fraîche. Frost the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Crème Fraîche (from The Cake Bible)
1 carton heavy cream (about 8 ounces)
1/2 carton sour cream (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate 15 minutes. Whip until stiff peaks form. Frost the cake. Reserve any remaining crème fraîche for serving with the cake.

Sponge cake with crème fraîche frosting

To slice the cake, use a knife with a serrated edge, sometimes called a bread knife. Cut with a sawing motion. Don't press down. Refrigerate any uneaten portions. Tip:  cover the exposed cut cake with a piece of waxed paper to prevent it drying out in the refrigerator.

Perfect!

The finished height of this cake is approximately 5 inches. There are about 124 calories in each slice of cake and 110 calories per two tablespoons of crème fraîche.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Baking is always a challenge, especially in Bangkok. Finding the ingredients here is like embarking on a treasure hunt! A simple Christmas staple like Ginger Cookies takes some ingenuity and resourcefulness. I like to try out a new recipe as it is written, but I was forced to make two substitutions at the outset. Molasses, for one,  is difficult to find and it's expensive. Preserved ginger, for another, should have been available since it is an ingredient in Asian cooking, but as it is with most foods here, it's a mystery. So, instead of molasses I used maple syrup, which I happened to have in my pantry,  and I used fresh grated ginger instead of ginger preserves. And once in a while, an ingredient will have a different name. I recognized demerara sugar in the packet though it goes by the name namtaan thammachart or natural sugar here.  I made these cookies in the afternoon and brought them over to Lek's house, where we ate them for dessert. We all agreed: this recipe from foodnetwork.com is a keeper!

Clockwise from left: ginger root, vanilla, maple syrup, and a Japanese ginger grater

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
5 cracks black pepper (I took this to mean 5 twists of the pepper grinder)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar (use brown sugar if you are not using molasses)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses or maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar (original recipe: 2 tablespoons ginger preserves, minced)
1/2 cup namtaan thammachart or demerara sugar for rolling

Namtaan Thammachart (Natural or Demerara Sugar)

Grate the ginger. I discovered this unassuming little tool, the ginger grater, in a Japanese section of a department store. I saw from the picture on the package what it was for so I bought it. It was definitely cheaper than a microplane grater but not as easy to use. I had to press hard. I grated two tablespoons of ginger, put it in a small bowl, and added two tablespoons of sugar.

Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, mustard, salt, and black pepper.

Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, beating until just combined. Add the molasses or maple syrup or honey and the ginger-sugar mixture. Beat until the batter turns a light brown color all over.

Add the dry ingredients. All at once, add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape and turn with a rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are moistened. Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate for 25 minutes.

Cookie Balls Rolled in Demerara Sugar

Scoop and roll. Spray two baking sheets with cooking oil or cover with silicone baking mats.  Pour a 1/2 cup demerara sugar into a small bowl.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop out a tablespoon of dough. Roll into a ball in your hands and dip one side in the sugar. Put sugared side up on a baking sheet. Continue scooping and rolling. Refrigerate 25 minutes. Chilling will make the cookies chewy on the inside and crackly and crisp on top. Preheat oven 375˚F.

Lightly Golden Chewy Ginger Cookies

Bake cookies. Pop the trays in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool the cookies in the pan for about two minutes, then remove to wire cooling racks until completely cooled. The cookies came out light brown because I did not use unsulphured molasses. It didn't affect the taste at all! In fact, they were deliciously chewy and moist, spicy, and crunchy on top.

A Plate of Ginger Cookies from My Kitchen

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

The last time I made an angel food cake it was for AJ's first birthday in Lake Zurich, Illinois. I don't remember that recipe but this one is from Betty Crocker. It's lightly sweet and moist and quite spongy in texture. It uses 12 egg whites, which leaves me with the problem of what to do with a dozen egg yolks. I've frozen them--yes, they do freeze well but are the hardest thing to get out of the ice cube tray. Serve this angel food cake plain, without powdered sugar or frosting. It only has 130 calories per slice!

Ingredients
Have at room temperature~
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cake flour
12 large egg whites (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Move the oven rack to the lowest position and preheat the oven 375˚F. Use a two-piece 10 inch tube cake pan, preferably with "feet" for keeping the cake off the counter as it cools upside-down.

Prepare the flour-sugar mixture. In a large bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and cake flour together. Set aside.

Separate the eggs. Eggs are easier to separate at room temperature. Be careful not to get any yolk in the egg whites or they will not whip. If you aren't going to use the egg yolks immediately, freeze them in an ice cube tray, one egg yolk per cube. [Tip: they'll be easier to remove from the tray if they defrost a few minutes. Store the frozen egg yolks in a zip-lock plastic bag. Defrost in the refrigerator 8-10 hours before using.]

Whip the egg whites. In a large bowl  put the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip on medium speed until foamy. Beat on high speed, adding the granulated sugar 2 tablespoons at a time, until soft peaks form. Slowly raise the beaters. If the peaks fall over, that is soft. Add the vanilla, almond extract, and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Slowly raise the beaters. If the peaks stand up tall, that is stiff.

Add the flour-sugar mixture. Dip and sweep a 1/4 cup measure into the mixture and sprinkle it over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold into the meringue.  Scrape into a tube cake pan. Using a thin blade, cut the batter to release air pockets. Here's a video at Allrecipes.com that shows how to fold the flour into the meringue.

Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake 30-40 minutes or until the cake, when pressed lightly, springs back. Remove from oven and immediately invert over a wine bottle. If you have a pan with feet, let it hang upside down. Cool completely in the pan, about 2 hours. Using a thin blade, loosen the sides and invert onto a cake plate. Then carefully slide the blade between the cake and the pan bottom and  remove it.

Meringue at soft peak stage

Black and {Black-and-White} Cake

Ever had those "senior moments" in the kitchen?  Hmm. Forgetting the sugar in the batter of a butter cake once taught me forcibly that baking is an exact science. Today was another one of those moments when I used soy sauce instead of hoisin sauce because the recipe said "Kikkoman's" and I read no further. Nevertheless I remain optimistic in the kitchen, fool that I am, willing to experiment so long as I have willing souls brave enough to try my cooking; last week's attempts at Haupia Cake, notwithstanding. John was very diplomatic to say he liked my first attempt, which he called a haupia "torte," and Richard said that for my second attempt the haupia was exactly right. Well, some things do work sometimes!

This recipe was originally called a Black and White Cake in Diane Mott Davidson's book Fatally Flaky a detective novel-cum-cookbook. As a genre I'm not sure how it's supposed to work--should I read the book or put it down and cook?  I decided to cook. AJ requested an ice cream cake so I decided to give this one a try. It was originally supposed to be a chocolate layer cake with a vanilla ice cream filling; hence a black and white cake. However, AJ wanted a chocolate vanilla swirl filling instead. And I used a different chocolate cake recipe only because I happened to have all the ingredients for that cake in the Teeny Tiny Kitchen.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake (New York Times Cookbook)
Have at room temperature:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease two 9x1 1/2 inch layer cake pans, bottoms lined with parchment or waxed paper and greased. Flour pans. Set aside.

Mix all ingredients. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter, eggs, water, milk, and vanilla. Blend on low speed to moisten all the dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium and blend until just combined. Do not over mix.

Bake the cake. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan 10 minutes on wire racks. Then invert the cakes and remove the pans and the parchment/waxed paper circles. Cool completely.

After this I followed the Davidson recipe for Black and White Cake.

Make the ice cream layer.
1 quart vanilla or vanilla swirl ice cream
1 9x1 1/2 inch layer cake pan, buttered

Soften the ice cream in the refrigerator about half an hour; 15 minutes on the kitchen counter. The consistency should be soft to the touch and spreadable. Spread the softened ice cream in the prepared pan and freeze until it is solid again.

Assemble the cake and ice cream layers
Remove the frozen ice cream layer from the freezer. Use  a thin spatula to separate the ice cream from the sides. An offset spatula will help to remove it from the pan. If it breaks apart, just push it back together. 

Put the bottom layer upside down on a serving plate. Place the ice cream layer on top and smooth it together. Put the second layer on top of the ice cream. Loosely cover with foil and freeze for at least 3 hours.

The next part is the fun part!

Making and pouring the chocolate glaze.
10 oz. (1 1/2 cups) bittersweet chocolate chips (easier than chopping up the chocolate, I find)
20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons corn syrup

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and the butter. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and whisk in the corn syrup. Let cool to room temperature. I would say when the glaze feels warm when you dip your finger in it.

Set a wire rack over a baking tray. Take the frozen ice cream cake out of the freezer and using a large pancake turner, take it off the plate and put it on top of the wire rack. With a thin blade spatula, smooth the ice cream layer flush with the cake layers. Pour the glaze all over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. The frozen cake will solidify the liquid glaze into a thin coating of chocolate! Is it ever neat!

Refreeze the cake for about an hour to set the ice cream. To cut the cake, heat a serrated knife in hot water--I poured boiling water over the blade--and wipe dry. Slice the cake using a sawing motion--don't press down.

The cake was cold, lightly sweet, and creamy--but the texture was holey like the last two cakes I made. Over mixed. This disappointing result is because my mixing bowl is too small. Time to get a bigger one!

Crustless Quiche

This is a very forgiving recipe in that I've done just about anything to it and it invariably comes out right. I've added spinach and bacon. I've substituted ham for bacon. I've put in chopped sweet peppers and broccoli. This time I didn't have spinach on hand but arugula. 

Crustless Quiche (adapted from Butterfly Breeze Bed and Breakfast)
4 strips bacon, fried until crisp, drained, and crumbled
1 1/2 cups milk
dash of black pepper
1/2 cup prepared biscuit mix (recipe to follow)
3-4 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled slightly
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
6 cups arugula, chopped (It's an acceptable substitute for spinach)
3 cups shredded cheese (low-fat mozzarella is recommended)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325˚F.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add arugula and cook until just wilted. Remove from heat. In a blender or food processor, combine milk, black pepper, biscuit mix, melted butter, eggs, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Pour into one 8 inch square pan or one pie plate.  

Scrape arugula mixture and sprinkle cheese on top of the egg mixture. Use a fork to push arugula-cheese down beneath the surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle cooked bacon on top. Bake 50-60 minutes or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the quiche cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. It tends to fall a bit after it's taken out of the oven.

You can use packaged biscuit mix from the supermarket or you can make your own.


Home made Biscuit Mix
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in the shortening. Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Plum Cake

One of the characters in a book I loved to read as a child was named Plum Tucker. The name sounded so full in the mouth; full of sugar, plums, and spices. So I found this plum cake recipe on cooks.com and it has exactly the same feel in the mouth.

Laying out the plum slices on top of the batter

Cutting in the flour to make the topping

Hot from the oven in the Teeny Tiny Kitchen

Ready for slicing

Plum Cake

Plum Cake
I made some changes to the original recipe. The pan size was 8x11 but as that was not an available option in the Teeny Tiny Kitchen, I used a 9 inch square glass dish instead. I reduced the plums from 2 pounds to 1 pound and found that I had about 2/3 of a plum left over. Each prune plum was approximately 2-3 inches long. 
 
Have at room temperature:
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pound plums (about 5), pitted, halved, quartered, and cut into eighths
Cinnamon, for dusting

Topping (The original recipe said this was optional, I say it's required!)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup flour (increased from 1/4 cup in the original recipe)

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Grease and flour one 9-inch square glass baking dish.

In a large bowl, cream the 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition until just combined. Add vanilla. Scape down the sides. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrape down the sides.

Scrape batter into the prepared dish. Gently press the plum slices into the top of the batter in rows. Sprinkle the top liberally with cinnamon. In the same large bowl and using the same beaters (no need to wash), cream the 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 cup sugar. Add the cinnamon. Cut in the 1/2 cup flour by hand. I pinched off bits of the batter to distribute evenly on top of the plums.

Bake 55 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. There may be some moisture on the tester because of the plums. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

The top is slightly crusty because of the butter-sugar topping. Serve with coffee or tea, or eat it with ice cream or whipped cream as a dessert.

Plum-Apple Pie

I was in Chinatown on Friday morning to pick up pastries for our trip to Philadelphia. The fish/fruit market on Canal Street was selling these prune plums. Plums are in season. I try to buy what's in season and of course, buy local. It's economical, as prices are lower for fruit in season, and  it makes sense to cook and eat what is available rather than what has to be flown in or trucked for miles.  I found this recipe on The Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite cooking blogs, and thought I'd share it. This is a single-crust pie and it's somewhat unusual in that the crust is on top rather than on the bottom.

Pie Filling:
1 pound (2 cups) prune plums, halved and quartered
1 pound apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into chunks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
squeeze or two (or three) of orange juice

In a large bowl combine the fruit, sugar, cinnamon and orange juice. Butter a 9 inch glass pie plate and pour the fruit mixture in it. Set aside.

Halving and quartering plums. That's a $1.99 Farberware knife from Boscov's

Scoop out the apple core with a spoon

Apples and plums in the buttered pie plate

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

Pie Lid:
Have at room temperature~
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup plus 6 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
beaten egg, milk, or cream for brushing on the crust
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling

Cream butter with sugar and orange zest. Add egg. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture in three batches. Beat until just combined. Do not over mix. Turn out into a sheet of plastic or waxed paper. Freeze for 10-20 minutes or until firm. Roll out onto a well-floured board. Carefully fold the dough and unfold it on top of the fruit in the pie plate. Trim the edges and crimp. Don't worry if the dough tears. Patch any tears with the excess dough. Gently press down the dough on top of the fruit. Crimp the edges. Brush the top with beaten egg, milk, or cream. Sprinkle the top with sugar.

Grated orange zest. I love my microplane grater!

Pie lid dough. Don't over mix!

Roll out pie lid dough onto a well-floured board

Unfold dough on top of the fruit. Don't worry if it tears!

Patched, crimped, and brushed with beaten egg

Sprinkle of sugar

Bake the pie in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Plum-apple pie on the cooling rack, bubbling over with juices

Juicy

Spoonful of pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

The pie lid crust crumbles and is lightly sweet, like a flaky sugar cookie. Serve with crème fraîche, sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Peach Kuchen

Kuchen is German for cake. I saw a recipe for it on allrecipes.com but it used canned peaches. Why use canned when fresh peaches are still available? So I searched until I found another recipe. This one comes from the Jackson Rose Bed and Breakfast. After mixing, the cake batter is covered with a layer of peaches. During baking, the batter rose and covered the peaches so that it became a filling. I'm not sure this was the intended effect as there were no photographs to go with the recipe. This cake should be served from the cake pan rather than removed as I had done.

Have all ingredients at room temperature. It is best to position the rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and grease one 9x2 inch cake pan or one 8 inch square pan. I used a 9 inch spring form cake pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Set aside the flour mixture. In another large bowl, beat
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup superfine sugar

Add 2 large eggs one at a time. Beat until just blended. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading batter evenly.

Scatter on top
2 cups fresh peaches (about 3 large peaches or 6 medium), peeled and cut into wedges
According to ehow.com, blanching peaches for 5 minutes in boiling water will remove the skins. Not so. Not all the skin came off.  I also found it was easier to just cut the peach off the stone rather than trying to remove it. Slice the fruit into wedges. Drain the fruit well. Scatter the cut fruit in a single layer on top of the cake batter.

Combine and sprinkle over fruit
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Imagine my surprise when the peach layer "disappeared" underneath the batter. That's why photos are so important for recipes that could be unfamiliar to other bakers.

I unmolded the cake and put it in a plate. It was too delicate for such rough treatment.

The result was a tad overmixed but it was lightly sweet and slightly crisped on the outside. This cake would also be good with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning!

Broccoli Cheese Pie

 Preheat the oven to 350˚F and spray a 9 inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Sprinkle with whole wheat breadcrumbs and tilt the plate to coat the bottom and sides.

 Add eggs, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. And I forgot to add one thing. Do you know what it is yet?

 Chop the onion, ham and broccoli florets. Blanch the florets in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water to stop the cooking process and to keep that bright green color.

 Add 2 slices of cubed bread to the egg mixture. Still don't know what I forgot yet. Hmm. I used the Texas Toast bread I bought at Trader Joe's to make the breading for the center cut pork chops. I froze the rest of the loaf and just take out what I need.

 Fry the onions and ham until the onions are wilted and fragrant. Yum.

 Combine the bread-egg mixture with the blanched broccoli and the ham and onions. Still haven't figured out what I forgot yet?

 No, it's not the cheese. I remembered that.

 Doesn't it look dry? Yikes. I forgot the milk! I poured everything out and added the milk to the mixture. This meant I had to wash and dry the pie plate. Then spray it again with cooking spray and dust it with breadcrumbs. Then I poured the mixture back into the plate and as an after thought, sprinkled the top with seasoning salt. Then I put the pie in the oven. And crossed my fingers.

 After 50 minutes in the oven, the eggs had set and the top was golden brown.

 This is why I like glass plates. I can see the sides and the bottom. I let the pie rest for 5 minutes before cutting it into wedges.

 The broccoli cheese pie makes a great breakfast by itself or, if served with a side of salad becomes a light brunch or lunch.

Of course, you have to serve it with Sriracha Sauce on the side. Everything tastes better if it burns the palate. Here's the list of ingredients, and if you forget the milk, you can always add it at the last minute!

Broccoli Cheese Pie (from: eating well.com)
2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
cooking spray
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (This is too conservative. Feel free to add more)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups zero percent milk
2 cups cubed bread (the hearty kind, as America's Test Kitchen likes to point out)
3 cups broccoli florets
1/3 cup diced sliced ham (Canadian bacon in the original recipe)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup grated Cheddar-Jack cheeses (can substitute any low fat low calorie cheeses)
Seasoning salt, optional