onion upside-down pie.

I came across this recipe while flipping through How to Be a Domestic Goddess on my way to the chocolate babycakes and remembered that it's been languishing on my ever-growing mental must-try-this list ever since I received the book as a gift a few years ago. (Thanks, S.!) Determined to make it before summer temperatures cause me to break out in a sweat at the mere prospect of turning on my oven, I decided it would be the perfect reward to end a long day of drafting papers.

I made just a few minor adjustments, like cooking the onions for longer and adding a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end to deglaze the pan. Served with a big green salad, this was simply satisfying. And while my pie did NOT look like the picture in Nigella's book, the pale mauve of the onions was quite pretty. M. and I speculated that the pie might work with different combinations, too, like leeks and blue cheese. Yum!


Supper Onion Pie
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

Filling/topping:
4 med. red onions
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
3-4 sprigs of thyme, de-stalked
5 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about a heaping 1/2 c.)

Scone dough:
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 scant tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
scant 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 scant tsp. dry English mustard
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (*optional; I liked the depth of flavor this gave the onions)

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel the onions, halve them, then cut each half into 4 segments. (*I then separated each segment so that the onions would cook evenly.)


2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet, then add the onions and cook over med. heat, stirring regularly, for about 45 mins. (*my adjustment; Nigella suggested 30 but I wanted the onions softer). (*Add the vinegar at the end, scraping the pan to get all the yummy browned bits.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add thyme.


3. Turn the onions into a 9-in. pie dish and scatter 2 oz. of cheese on top. Let sit while you make the scone dough.

4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add remaining cheese. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, butter, mustard, and egg well, then pour into the flour mixture. Mix to a dough using a fork or a wooden spoon; it should be quite sticky.

5. Tip onto a (*lightly floured) work surface and pat it out into a circle roughly the size of the pie dish. Place it on top of the onions, pressing it down lightly and making sure all the edges touch the dish, to seal it.

6. Bake at 400F for 15 mins., then turn oven down to 350F and give it another 10 mins. (*mine needed about 15), by which time dough should be golden and crisp on top. Let stand for a few minutes, then cover with a large plate and flip over, releasing the pie.

molten chocolate babycakes.

After savoring a few restaurants' variations on the molten chocolate cake over the past few months, I thought to myself, "Hmm. I could probably make something like this. Then no one would see me if I decided to actually lick the plate." I then remembered Nigella Lawson's molten chocolate babycakes. I'd made them once before a few years ago with so-so results (I was too cautious and overcooked them) and burnt fingers (you have to flip the cakes out of their oven-hot ramekins). But I had chocolate-loving friends who volunteered to bring along their grippy silicone potholders, so it seemed worth another try.

And was it ever. I forgot how easy these are to make; even better, you can make them ahead of time and then pop them in the oven just before you're ready to eat them.

You might lick the plate. I would understand.


Molten Chocolate Babycakes
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, beaten lightly with a pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. flour
6 oven-safe ramekins

1. Lightly butter each ramekin. Fold a sheet of parchment paper in half and trace the bottoms of 3 ramekins in pencil. Cut out the discs (*slightly smaller, so that they'll fit inside the ramekin) and press one into the base of each ramekin.


2. Melt chocolate and let it cool slightly.

3. Cream together butter and sugar, then gradually beat in eggs and salt, then vanilla. Add the flour and combine until smooth. Scrape in the cooled chocolate and mix until smooth.

4. Divide the batter between the ramekins. (*It's quite thick, like chocolate mousse, so I just scooped up spoonfuls and plunked them down. It will all smooth out in the oven.)


5. Place the ramekins in the fridge and cover lightly with a large sheet of waxed paper. (*If you're baking the cakes right away, skip this, of course.)

6. Preheat oven to 400F with an empty baking sheet. When oven is ready, quickly place the ramekins on the hot baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins. - 12 if they've been in the fridge, otherwise 10 should do it. (*Don't overbake! They'll look barely done, but that's the whole point.)

7. As soon as you take them out of the oven, tip each cake out of its ramekin onto a plate and pry off the parchment on top. (*This was where I needed the silicone potholders, and even then there was some decidedly clumsy wrestling with the hot ramekins. Luckily, the cakes come out easily.) Serve with whipped cream or ice cream - you'll need something to cut the richness. I also made a quick raspberry sauce by heating frozen raspberries with a dash of water and a tbsp. of sugar in a saucepan until the berries broke down and then forcing it through a fine sieve to strain out the seeds.

lemon crepe cake.

I saw this cake recently while browsing through my mom's Martha Stewart Living and immediately declared out loud, "I must make this." Sophie, my parents' pug, looked at me skeptically, but I was determined. The classy jello party provided the perfect occasion - this has gelatin in it, after all!

Martha recommends Meyer lemons, and I was willing to give them a try. However, my produce place had run out and so I used regular lemons instead. I actually liked their tartness and think it helped to cut the richness of this cake.

I will certainly make this again, though not for a little while. (Because of all the "do-this-and-then-refrigerate-for-an-hour" parts of this recipe, it did take the whole day to make. Which can be very satisfying, but not in the headlong final rush of the semester. I also find making crepes somewhat stressfully unpredictable.) I might try playing with the recipe to make it a bit lighter; I think it would also be lovely topped with fresh berries.



Lemon Crepe Cake
from Martha Stewart Living (April 2010)

Lemon curd mousse:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp. cold water
4 eggs plus 6 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
Zest of 2 lemons plus juice from 6 lemons
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 c. heavy cream, whipped

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl; let stand 5 min.

2. Whisk together eggs and yolks in a small saucepan. Whisk in sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat for 8-10 min., until thickened.

3. Remove pan from heat. Add gelatin, stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is cooled slightly. Add butter a few pieces at a time and stir after each addition until smooth.

4. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl (*this was important to get out eggy bits), pressing with a rubber spatula to get as much through as possible. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto curd to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Stir the curd and then fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate 1 hour. Stir before using.

Crepes:
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. whole milk, room temp.
3 eggs, room temp.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. heavy cream, whipped (for topping)

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually pour milk mixture into dry ingredients, whisking until smooth. Whisk in butter. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. (*Martha recommends using butter. I didn't, mostly to make the process somewhat less harrowing, and my nonstick skillet worked fine.) Pour about 3 tbsp. (*I used a 1/3 c. measure, filled about halfway, for easy scooping) of batter into pan - off the heat - and swirl to coat evenly. Cook about 30 sec. on each side, until brown on the edges and dry in the middle. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the finished crepes on a plate and let cool. You should get about 14-17 crepes, depending on how thick you're making them.

Assemble cake:
1. Place one crepe on a flat plate or serving dish. Spread about 1/4 c. lemon curd mousse onto it and top with another crepe. Continue layering crepes and mousse. Use 15 crepes, ending with 1 on top. (*I used 16 and spread a thin layer of mousse on top. I'm a rebel, Martha.) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.


2. Top cake with the whipped cream. You could also make the Candied Meyer Lemons, though I simply used lemon zest.

classy jello.

Last night, we had a classy jello party. Oxymoron? No way.

The challenge was to make alcoholic jello that didn't belong at a frat party. So I turned to Martha Stewart. (Naturally.) And she didn't disappoint: her "Dessert Wine Gelees" were fantastic. I used moscado instead of mixing Sauternes and orange muscat and cut back a bit on the sugar. They were so refreshing that I would make them again for a summer party or picnic.

Other jello experiments were similarly delicious:

sambuca and grapefruit peel, by M.

masterful jello rendering of the Slough of Despond, by D.

strawberry jello with tequila and sour worms, by J. and C.

The menu was rounded out with a mushroom-leek galette, mojito popsicles, and gin-soaked fruit salad. Yum! I also made a cake. More on that in its own post.



White Wine and Citrus Jello Cubes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Weddings

5 tbsp. cold water
3 tbsp. unflavored gelatin (about 3 1/2 packages)
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
2 1/4 c. moscado wine (*any sweet white would probably work)
2 grapefruits, 2 oranges, 2 tangerines (*or another combination)

1. Combine the 5 tbsp. cold water with gelatin in a small bowl. Let stand 5 mins.

2. Combine sugar, 1/2 c. water, and wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until sugar has dissolved, whisking occasionally. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until melted. Cook 1 min. Remove from heat and pour through a fine sieve into a 9 x 13" glass baking dish. (*I forgot the sieve, but it didn't seem to matter.)

3. Cut peel and pith from the citrus. With a sharp knife, cut each segment from the membranes and then cut them into thin slices, around 1/8" thick. (*This part was a bit of a sticky mess, but the side benefit was that I ended up with a good-sized glass of juice when I squeezed all of the leftover membranes. Yum!)


4. Arrange the citrus in the baking dish, making sure it's in a single layer and evenly distributed.


5. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.

6. To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the dish. Using an offset spatula, gently loosen the sides of the jello. Invert onto a large cutting board. (*If yours doesn't release right away, as mine didn't, try placing a hot towel over the inverted pan for 30 seconds, which should loosen the jello.) Trim the edges and cut into cubes. (*I'll admit that I used a ruler for this!) Refrigerate, uncovered, for up to a day.

granola bars.

Some days it's just not enough to read and/or to write. Some days I need to make something: to pour, to measure, to crumble, to chop, to stir. Just for the pleasure of it. This was such a day.

So I made granola bars. I love mixing together all of these ingredients that are good individually but together form something delicious. I'd made this recipe from smitten kitchen once before and loved it, but I found the bars a tad too sweet and almost too moist. So this I switched from white to brown sugar, added a bit more cinnamon, and cut down the butter just a bit: yummy success!

The best thing about these, other than their taste? You can play with all sorts of combinations of dried fruits and nuts. I used whatever I had on hand; next time, I think I'll throw in some chocolate chips, too!

Chewy Granola Bars
Adapted from smitten kitchen

1 2/3 c. quick rolled oats (*I only had old-fashioned and actually really liked the results)
1/3 c. oats, processed until finely ground, or oat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 3 c. dried fruit and nuts (*see note below)
1/3 c. smooth peanut butter or other nut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. light corn syrup (*I might try replacing this with more honey next time - will report back)
1 tbsp. water

*Note: Any combination seems like it would work. I used 1/2 c. dried Bing cherries (processed until coarsely chopped), 1/2 c. dried cranberries, 1/2 c. wheat germ, 1/2 c. shredded coconut, 1/2 c. sunflower seeds, and 1/2 c. chopped walnuts. Smitten kitchen's suggestions also include dried apricots or apples, pecans, and pepitas.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" baking pan/dish with parchment in one direction so that it sticks up on both ends. (You'll need these handles later to get the bars out smoothly.) Lightly grease parchment and exposed pan.

2. Stir together all dry ingredients, including fruit and nuts.


3. In separate bowl, stir together vanilla, melted butter, peanut butter, honey, corn syrup, and water. (*Hint: coating your measuring cup/spoon with a little melted butter makes it a lot easier to get the peanut butter/honey/corn syrup out cleanly.)


4. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in about 3 batches, to make it easier to combine. Make sure the mixture is evenly crumbly.


5. Spread into the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Use a sheet of plastic wrap or, even more efficiently, lightly butter your fingertips to press the mixture down. (And really press - I learned my lesson last time with too-loosely-packed and therefore too-crumbly bars, so this time I pressed down firmly with the flat of my hand. Much better.)

6. Bake for 30-40 mins., until lightly browned around the edges and beginning to brown on top. Don't worry if they seem underbaked in the middle; they'll firm up. Let cool in the pan. If you're in a hurry, you can lift them out in their parchment sling after about 20 mins. and let them finish cooling on a wire rack. Whatever you do, let them cool completely before you cut them. (Smitten kitchen suggests refrigerating them for another 30 mins. after they're cooled to make them even easier to cut; I was too impatient, so there was a little crumbling.) Wrap individually in plastic or store in an airtight container.

baked shrimp scampi.

I don't often remember to make shrimp dishes. This recipe caught my eye because it looked beautiful in the cookbook - and, surprisingly, it looked just as beautiful when I made it. (An especially rare thing for shrimp!) My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can really taste each ingredient. It's fresh and bright and couldn't be easier to make, as long as you don't mind a little chopping.

I've made this twice now, with just a few adjustments. Ina unabashedly loves butter. Usually I do too, but this recipe seemed like it could work with a bit less, and it does. I also cut the recipe in half because I was only feeding 2 people; although the original says that it feeds 6, 2 of us managed - both times - to polish off each and every shrimp without a problem. It worked so well that I'll give the halved recipe here, with some adjustments to keep the wonderful flavors of the fresh herbs.

Baked Shrimp Scampi
from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

1 lb. shrimp in the shell (*frozen shrimp work perfectly - just thaw them in a colander under cold running water; if you can find them already deveined and butterflied, that's even better)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. butter, room temp.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. shallot, chopped finely
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (*more for more heat)
Zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c. panko


Preheat the oven to 425F.

1. Peel the shrimp but leave their tails on. If they aren't already deveined and butterflied, do so. If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure they're thawed before moving on to the next step, otherwise they'll get too watery.

2. In a med. bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, wine, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Allow to sit at room temp. while you make the butter mixture.

3. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, panko, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper until combined. (*I was polite and used a fork at first, but using your hands works really well!)


4. Starting from the edge of a small casserole dish (*I used an 8" square), arrange the shrimp in a single layer with their tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over them.


5. Dot the butter mixture evenly over the top of the shrimp. (*Again, using your hands works nicely.)

6. Bake 10-12 minutes until hot and panko is browned slightly. Serve with lemon wedges.


Serves 2 hungry people.

happy spring!

dark chocolate tart with gingersnap crust.

I've been looking forward to sharing this one: a decadently, perfectly chocolate tart in a subtle gingersnap crust. After eyeing it longingly on smitten kitchen for weeks, I made it to bring to a southern-cooking feast orchestrated by L., fabulously talented herself in the art of the pie/tart. Even when it doesn't come at the end of a meal that includes fried catfish, butter beans, okra, and hush puppies (!), this is a tart to serve in small slices. The filling falls somewhere between flourless chocolate cake and a brownie, with just a hint of chocolate mousse: rich, dense, and close-your-eyes-to-savor-it chocolatey.

Without a doubt, I'll be making this again. However, I'm looking forward to tweaking the crust a little bit. (The filling is wonderful as it.) I think it might still work with less butter, since the moistness of the crust almost overwhelmed its gingery taste AND, more importantly, the tart was sitting in a small pool of melted butter on its baking sheet when I took it out of the oven. I'm also wondering about mixing chopped crystallized ginger right into the crust, rather than sprinkling it on the top of the cooked tart as the original recipe in Bon Appetit suggests. I'll report back; in the meantime, this one is too good not to share!

Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust
Bon Appetit by way of smitten kitchen

Crust:
8 oz. gingersnap cookies, coarsely broken (*I used Trader Joe's Ultimate Ginger Cookies - yum.)
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.

2. Finely grind the ginger cookies in a food processor (yields 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 c.). Then add melted butter and process until moistened.



3. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. (*Using a hint from smitten kitchen, I used one of my measuring cups to pack in the mixture so that it formed a wonderfully straight and uniform crust. So handy! My measuring cups are All-Clad, so they have a flat bottom and straight sides; if you have rounded measuring cups, I assume that a water glass would also do the trick.) Place pan on rimmed baking sheet. (*Important! See note about melted butter above! Imagine melted butter all over your oven! Ick!)



4. Combine finely chopped chocolate and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is just melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat.

5. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, pepper, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl to blend.

6. Very gradually whisk (*slightly cooled) chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended.

7. Pour chocolate filling into crust.



8. Bake until filling puffs at the edges and center is softly set, about 30 mins. Transfer to rack. Cool in pan 20 mins., then gently remove pan's sides and cool tart completely.



Note: this can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the cooled tart and refrigerate it, then bring it back to room temp. before serving.