lemon yogurt pound cake

A few weeks ago, for Easter, my brother and I made a decidedly non-traditional dinner. Neither of us really eats ham anymore (unless it's prosciutto, but that's a whole 'nother story) or any of the traditional Easter offerings. Instead, we opted for a light and refreshingly springy meal of homemade wild mushroom ravioli with an asparagus and gremolata sauce.



And to finish the meal, I made the Barefoot Contessa's lemon yogurt cake. It was perfectly delicious, and was even better the next day! The recipe calls for both a simple syrup that sinks into the cake, infusing it with extra lemon-i-ness and a bit of moisture, and a lemon/confectioner's sugar glaze. I decided not to make the glaze, and the cake was delightfully without it! I imagine you could also make this with orange zest, or a mix of orange and lemon for something a bit different. OH, and did I mention the best part about this cake? No mixer needed!!! You whip the whole thing up by hand.

Lemon Yogurt Cake
The Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For glaze
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment (this will insure the cake does not stick). Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into one bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it is all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester places in the center of ther loaf comes out clean (*here's a general baking tip - always under-estimate baking times. You can always bake something longer, but you can never un-bake a burnt cake. So, if a recipe recommends a 50 minute bake time, check your baked good at 40 minutes!)

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow to soak in. Cool. (*I will admit, I had a bit of trouble with the "soaking-in" bit, and used a pastry brush to disperse the simple syrup over the loaf).

For the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice, and pour over the cooled cake.

Enjoy! - e

super herby pasta

since kris gets home from work before me, i often come home to him concocting in the kitchen. i love it! we had a fridge full of fresh herbs leftover from various things and decided to make a pasta dish bursting with fresh herby flavors. kris's take was a whole wheat pasta tossed with a lemon dill sauce and topped with parsley and rosemary-broiled zucchini slices. we had some oil-braised garlic leftover from something as well that went into the sauce and added a wonderful soft buttery garlic note (if you don't have any on hand, you could just sautee some minced garlic in stead). here's a loose recipe to follow:

herby pasta
ingredients:
1/2 pound pasta of your choice
juice of 1 lemon
white wine vinegar
handful fresh dill, chopped
handful fresh parsley, chopped
several cloves oil braised garlic, chopped (recipe below)
margarine
1 zucchini
fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

cook pasta according to instructions.

slice zucchini and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet with a few fresh rosemary leaves. broil or bake until tender.

meanwhile, in a small saucepan add chopped garlic and sautee a few seconds to heat through. add lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, dill and a small amount of margarine. continue to add margarine in small quantities and cook until melted. adjust the flavor with salt and pepper and more vinegar/margarine. continue to cook over medium heat. you should end up with a nice sort of thick sauce.*

toss pasta and zucchini with sauce and parsley, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed, and enjoy!

oil-braised garlic
2 large bulbs garlic, whole cloves peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 rosemary sprigs

preheat the oven to 350. place the garlic, oil and rosemary in a baking dish. cover with foil and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the garlic cloves are very soft and just starting to brown. (can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 weeks).

on a side note, kris and i leave for boston tonight! we're so excited to see old friends, new babies and eat some bagels already!!! erin and i will once again be reunited and should have another delicious foodie post coming soon.

*is that vague enough? sorry.

-d

citrus tart

Nothing reminds me more of the fresh possibilities off spring than a nice, simple citrus tart. Which is odd, as lemons and oranges are a winter crop. Nonetheless, when New England is reluctant, as always, to loosen its wintry grasp, I dream of fresh peas, skinny local asparagus and citrus. Lemons and oranges are just so bright and sunny, sitting in a bowl, awaiting their culinary fate. In this case, their destiny was this deceptively easy tart my mom and I made together for my uncle John's birthday. I know, I know. Tarts do not exactly scream birthday. But sometimes it's nice to steer away from tradition and try something new. This would make a lovely addition to any spring table, and would fit right in with your Easter meal (given the dairy, I'm not sure it is Passover-appropriate).

Oh - and for dinner we made this - so while prepping, you can zest all of your citrus at once!



Citrus Tart
from Not Afraid of Flavor: Recipes from the Magnolia Grill by Ben and Karen Barker

For tart shell

1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For filling

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated (with a rasp) fresh orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated (with a rasp) fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream

Make tart shell:
Lightly beat yolk with milk in a small bowl (reserve white for egg wash).

Pulse together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add yolk mixture and pulse just until dough begins to gather into a ball. Press dough into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out, about 20 minutes.

Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap into a 12-inch round. Discard top sheet and invert dough into 9-inch round fluted tart pan (discard remaining plastic wrap). Fit dough into pan, pushing edge of dough to 1/8 inch above rim. Trim dough and save scraps to repair any cracks in partially baked shell.

Freeze shell until firm, about 10 minutes.

Line shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights.

Bake until edge is golden and bottom is set, about 20 minutes, then carefully remove pie weights and parchment (or foil; gently prick any bubbles with a fork to release air) and bake until bottom is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Quickly repair any cracks in shell with scraps, then immediately brush hot pastry all over with some egg white. Leave oven on.

Make filling and bake tart:
Whisk together all filling ingredients until combined well. Put tart shell (in tart pan) on a baking sheet and transfer to oven. Carefully pour filling into shell and put a pie shield or foil strips over rim of pastry to prevent burning.

Bake tart until filling is barely set but trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 45 minutes. (Filling will continue to set as it cools.)

* we served the tart with blackberries (not so seasonal, but still tasty!) and freshly whipped cream.

- e