pomegranate and almond pound cake

the other day i was wandering through the grocery store, trying to decide what i wanted for lunch after getting goodies for my pantry. the pomegranates were on sale, and i absolutely love pomegranates, so i threw one into my cart. i began the process of getting the seeds out, which is always a little more work than i remember...and by the time i'd gotten everything out, i decided that i needed to use the seeds for something more exciting than my lunch.

this cake is super easy to make, and has a great combination of flavors. plus, using yogurt instead of milk gives the cake a great texture.

you will need:

1 fresh pomegranate

1 stick butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 egg white

3/4 cup yogurt (i used greek vanilla yogurt, but regular is fine too)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup almonds, crushed or sliced

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tbsp milk

preheat your oven to 350 degrees. change into a shirt you don't care about, then seed the pomegranate. i didn't take pictures of this process since i decided to make a cake about halfway through it, but here are some great instructions on how to do it. wash the seeds well and make sure you don't have any pith.

use cooking spray or butter to thoroughly grease your bundt pan, then gently flour it. set this aside.

in a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until well combined.

add the two eggs and the white to this mixture one at a time, still using the electric mixer. whip it all together so that it has a nice, fluffy texture.

in a larger bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla extra and baking soda. 

slowly add the flour and the salt. it's a bit hard to stir, but combine as well as you can with a spatula.

add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and stir well, then add the pomegranate seeds.

stir until the seeds are well distributed throughout the dough, then put the whole thing into the greased and floured bundt pan. (you can also use a loaf pan.)

sprinkle the almonds on top. i just crushed mine in a food processor, but sliced almonds would look beautiful. be sure to press them into the cake so that they won't fall off once baked.

bake. i left mine in for an hour, and i think it was a bit overdone - try for 40-45 minutes and evaluate. you want a toothpick to come out clean.

let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then flip out gently and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

combine the confectioner's sugar and milk in a small bowl. i also added a splash of vanilla extract, but you could also add a little pomegranate juice or almond extract if you prefer. make sure the icing is nice and thick, and drizzle over the cake. serve to your adoring public.

(i brought this cake to a halloween party, so unfortunately i don't have any shots of the cake once it's sliced - but the pomegranate seeds look gorgeous in this cake. great with ice cream, especially topped with some fresh pomegranate seeds. delicious!)

double chocolate almond cookies

i'm really not a baker, but i wanted to make these cookies after seeing the recipe made on tv for a class in my gastronomy program. they're not hard to make and are super delicious, especially with vanilla ice cream.

kathleen king is the creator of this recipe, and it's one that she uses at her southampton bake shop. i barely altered this since i'm always scared to mess with baking recipes too much, but there were recommendations in the comments and things that i've incorporated into this version.

you will need:

3/4 cup cocoa

2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 sticks salted butter, room temperature

1 cup refined sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp bourbon vanilla extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks

1 cup almonds, chopped

preheat your oven to 350 degrees. grab a medium bowl and combine the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.

use a whisk or a fork to combine the ingredients, making sure that there are no lumps in the mixture.

in a smaller bowl, unwrap the butter and make sure it's at room temperature. (i cheated and microwaved it for a few seconds.)

add both types of sugar and use an electric mixer to whip them together.

add the vanilla and the egg, and gently combine with a spatula. then slowly combine with the dry ingredients until it's just mixed together.

then, add the chocolate and the almonds. if you can't find chopped almonds, you can always pop them in the food processor like i did.

combine until the chunks are all well distributed within the batter.

use a spoon or a little ice cream scoop to form the cookies. arrange them on baking pans that you've covered in parchment paper.

pop these into the oven for 10-14 minutes, depending on your oven - i had to keep taking these in and out to get them right. they have a tendency to fall apart when you first take them out of the oven, but after they've sat for a minute they'll get firmer, so wait a few moments before using a spatula to remove them from the baking sheets and place on a cooling rack.

let them cool, and devour promptly. 

look like you spent two days in the kitchen: one-pan coq au vin

i think it's fairly clear from the cooking/writing/photographs on this blog, but in case you haven't yet picked up the subtle nuances: i have no actual culinary training. i didn't go to culinary school, i don't come from a family of professionals, and i've never been paid to make anything fancier than a latte and a sandwich. i'm just a girl who loves to cook (and really loves to eat), and i happen to have a gigantic kitchen and a crappy digital camera. unless i directly credit them, my recipes are my own bizarre creations - although i often get inspiration from television, films, and reading blogs and recipes online.

to that end: i wanted to make my husband a delicious celebratory meal, since he's leaving his past job and beginning a new and exciting one. however, as dearly as i love him, i didn't want to spend two days slaving over a coq au van when he'd never heard of the classic french dish before. i'd seen a quick-and-dirty version on bon appetit, and i knew i had my answer. what follows is my slightly adapted version, but here's my inspiration if you want a professional's opinion.

using one pan to cook all of the ingredients in allows the drippings from each ingredients to blend, so by the time things are done you've got tons of flavors. it also helps to keep the chicken really moist, and gives the sauce a lot of depth.

you will need:

3-4 large chicken breasts

4 slices bacon

4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped - i used flat leaf italian

5 oz fresh mushrooms

1 small onion - you can also use shallots

about 8 cherry or plum tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

begin by preheating the oven to a low setting - 275 or 300 degrees is fine. heat a large skillet over medium heat, and chop the bacon into small pieces. saute the bacon until it's nice and crispy.

once the bacon is browned and crisp, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and set aside until a bit later.

rinse the chicken breasts in cold water, and pat dry. save 4 tablespoons of the flour in a small bowl for later, and put the rest into another bowl. cover the chicken well with the flour so that it sticks to both sides, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and add the chicken to the skillet with the bacon fat. top with about half of the chopped parsley.

continue to cook the chicken breasts until they're golden brown and cooked through, about 6-7 minutes on each side.

remove the breasts from the pan and place them into a pie pan or pyrex dish.

cover these guys with aluminum foil and pop them into the preheated oven - just to keep them warm while you're preparing the rest of the sauce.

grab your mushrooms and onion and chop everything up into small pieces.

throw these into the same pan, and top with a bit more salt and pepper. saute them together for about 5 minutes, until they're a golden brown color.

press or finely chop the garlic, then add to the pan. let sautee for one minute, then add the wine, 1 cup of the chicken stock, the bacon, and the rest of the parsley.

let everything continue to heat up in the pan. dice the tomatoes and add them to the pan.

turn the heat up and let the sauce come to a boil, and keep it boiling for 10 minutes.

in a bowl, combine the flour and the last 1/4 cup of chicken stock. make sure they're well mixed together, then add to the sauce.

continue to cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened - another 5 minutes or so.

remove the chicken from the oven, and arrange on your plates or on a platter. stir any extra drippings from the pyrex baking dish into the sauce, then spoon over the chicken.

this is delicious with buttered vegetables, which is how i served it for us.

watermelon and feta cheese salad

i know i've been neglecting this blog recently - between starting my master's program, moving to a new town, and trying to adjust to not working, it's been pretty crazy. i'm sorry! hopefully there won't be another big gap like this one in the posts for awhile.

this can hardly count as a recipe, but it's something simple that i absolutely love to make, and it's a nice alternative from a more traditional side salad. it also makes a great main course - just cook up some chicken tenders or breasts with salt and pepper, lemon juice and a little mint, and it makes a filling meal all on its own.

there are a lot of recipes emerging in this vein - the combination of watermelon and feta is a big deal right now. this is my own combination of several of them, as well as a few of my personal additives.

you will need:

1 bag of baby spinach, rinsed

about 1 cup of fresh watermelon

about 1 cup of fresh strawberries

1/3 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup pistachio nutmeats, roasted and salted

10 medium mint leaves, rinsed

equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 cup total)

salad is pretty self-explanatory to assemble, but just in case: throw your spinach into a bowl.

cube the watermelon - i like it in pretty small, bite-sized pieces.

hull the strawberries, then chop them into halves - or quarters, depending on how large they are.

add both the watermelon and the strawberries to the spinach.

top this with feta cheese...

...and add the pistachios.

finally, grab the mint and chop it up. i like to make the pieces big enough that you can still find it in the salad once it's tossed.

add the mint to the salad. then, in a separate container just mix together the oil and vinegar, toss with the salad and serve.

super simple, but unexpected and really delicious.

ricotta gnocchi with pesto, shrimp and asparagus

last night we had our friend oliver over, and i wanted to make a new twist on something i've tried before - gnocchi made with ricotta cheese, instead of the traditional potato. i had found a recipe online that featured gnocchi with pesto and chopped shrimp, and it sounded absolutely delicious - i really wanted to combine it with the ricotta gnocchi i'd made a few months ago, and it turned out really nicely. (it's also completely vegetarian - this one's for you, cate!) i served this with a spinach and arugula salad, and an individual chocolate soufflé for dessert - it's the post right below this one, if you want to make the whole meal.

the gnocchi are not complicated to make, but you can certainly buy them pre-made and frozen if you don't have time to make your own. likewise, i would encourage you to make your own pesto for the sauce - i didn't have time to do both, but i'll make it at some point to post here.

you will need:

16 ounces of ricotta cheese

 1 large egg

3/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups chopped asparagus (cut into 1-inch pieces)

1 pound shrimp, no skin or tails, chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp basil pesto

in a big bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, salt, lemon juice, flour, basil, and parmesean cheese. top with salt and pepper and mix well.

cover with saran wrap and pop it into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. once it's chilled, pull this out and check on the texture - you want it to be easy to roll, not tacky. if it feels sticky, mix in additional flour until it reaches the right consistency. stick it back into the refrigerator for another 15 minutes, or until you're ready for the next step.

 put a large pot of water onto the stove and bring to a boil, adding a few pinches of salt. grab a large plate and keep it next to your workspace to stack the gnocchi on.

sprinkle flour onto your work surface. unwrap your chilled dough and grab a medium-sized ball, about the size of a tennis ball.

roll the dough out until it's a long tube, about an inch thick.

 use a sharp knife, and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. stack these on your plate, and repeat with the entire batch of dough.

for the sauce, put your chopped shrimp and asparagus into a large saucepan with a bit of olive oil.

throw in some salt and pepper, and add the pesto. stir well and bring to medium heat. let this simmer for a few minutes until the shrimp are cooked and the asparagus is crunchy, then bring down to low heat.

to cook the gnocchi, drop about 10 into the pot of boiling water. they will initially sink to the bottom.

keep an eye on these - once they float to the top, let them cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from the water.

when the gnocchi are out of the water, put them right into the saucepan with the shrimp and asparagus. let the gnocchi get covered in the pesto, and keep them in the pan until all the gnocchi are cooked and mixed in.

get everything into a serving dish, top with some extra parmesean cheese and chopped basil, and serve immediately (preferably with a delicious sauvignon blanc).