Barefoot Bloggers: Lemon Cake

And now for this months second Mother's day post. Lemon cake was this months Barefoot Bloggers bonus recipe and it looked really good so I decided to try it out for a Mother's day desert. I can tell you one thing - don't make this if you don't like lemon. The cake has a lot of lemon zest and lemon juice in it. Then after the cake is cooked you brush it with a lemon sugar wash. I think the wash makes the cake extra moist too. To top it all off you pour a lemon glaze over the top.

I was a little concerned that not everyone would like lemon as much as I do but it wasn't a problem. Everyone cleaned their plate. Served with a few berries this was a very nice desert. Thanks (and congrats for winning this months BRC) to McKenzie of Kenzie's Kitchen for this months recipe.

Lemon Cake

(Source: Barefoot Contessa Parties! on pages 104-105)

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest lightly packed (6 to 8 large lemons - Use only fresh lemon juice and zest)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans.
2. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, the key to great cakes is beating the butter and sugar until the mixture's until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed add the eggs, (break the eggs into a dish before adding to the batter to avoid a bad egg or shells in the batter) 1 at a time, and the lemon zest. Sift together the flour, to make sure there are no lumps, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Separately, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
3. Cook 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, cool for 10 minutes, invert them onto a rack set over a tray and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
4. For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
5. To freeze these cakes, prepare them except the glaze. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze. When you're ready to use, defrost and glaze.

Barefoot Bloggers Backtracking: Herb Baked Eggs

Wow - a bunch of new things over at the Barefoot Bloggers this month. First it has been a year since the Barefoot Bloggers have been active and Tara did a wonderful roundup post of a lot of favorite recipes. Check it out here - I'm in there. Another new feature is backtracking. On occasion she is going to allow us to skip one of the monthly recipes and do any of the older recipes in its place. Well the first recipe for this month is for Tuna Salad. Thanks to Kate of Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails for the choice. The Tuna Salad looks fantastic but I know it is something that only I would be eating. It has basically raw tuna, wasabi, avocado, and all sorts of things Lara would not eat. Waaaay too much work for just me. I feel a little guilty for not making the tuna but I am going to have to use the new backtracking feature to make the Herb Baked Eggs.

One of the recipes featured in the roundup was the Herb Baked Eggs. It was the favorite of BMK over at Reservations not Required and she made it look fantastic. It was Mother's day this week so that seem like the perfect occasion to make a special breakfast.

The recipe was pretty simple. You need some oven-proof shallow dishes and the whole thing is made under the broiler. I think I would have to count the recipe as a success. My one complaint was that the eggs came out a little runny. That's not a problem for me but it is for my wife and a lot of other people. The eggs on the ends were starting to get hard yolks while the middle still had runny whites. I do see now that a lot of the comments mention the same issue. A combination of baking and broiling might be the solution or some comments say just to bake at 350 for 15 minutes. I will have to play around with that next time.

Other than the done-ness issue - these were wonderful. The fresh herbs and cheese made these smell and taste fantastic. I need to get more of an herb garden going since they are so expensive to buy when all you need is a half teaspoon.

It looks like the recipe was originally picked by Tara at Smells like Home. Thanks Tara for the pick and for all the hard work this past year - I have really enjoyed it.

Herb Baked Eggs

(Source: Barefoot In Paris)

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.
2. Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)
3. Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.

Barefoot Bloggers: Croque Monsieur

I was very excited when I saw Croque Monsieur for this months recipe. We took a three week trip a few years ago to Europe (England, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France) and I loved the food everywhere except for the food in Paris. I am sure it was my fault for not researching enough and finding where we should have gone to eat. Paris was very "touristy" - at least in the tourist areas where we were and I think the food at the places we went was low quality and high price. Well I know that was not what French food was supposed to be so I was excited to try this.

Croque Monsieur is basically just a ham and cheese sandwich - a very fancy ham and cheese with high quality ingredients. You start by making a cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was very good and I probably could have just eaten that by itself. The cheese sauce get poured over a ham and Gruyere sandwich and more cheese is put on top. I decided to make up some homemade french fries to go with.

The Croque Monsieur was very good but I did have a few issues with them. The thing that hurt it the most for me was that I thought it was way too salty. I didn't notice anything being too salty by itself but I think the saltiness of the cheese combined with the saltiness of the ham was a little overwhelming. I think next time I would get rid of the added salt in the cheese sauce and maybe use a ham other than Virginia ham which can be a little salty.

My other issue was the bread I used. I bought a good bread but I thought it was maybe a little thin. I read on other blogs of people using baguettes and things like that which I think may have been a good idea.

It also didn't help that I over did my French Fries. I new I should have trusted my instinct and not believed the 12 minute cook time that was on our fryer.

Overall I think the recipe was a winner - I just might play with it a little next time. Thanks to Kathy of All Food Considered for this months pick.

Croque Monsieur

(Source: Barefoot in Paris, page 48)

Serves 4-8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• Dijon mustard
• 8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Directions

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.
2. To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.
3. Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Barefoot Bloggers: Chinese Chicken Salad

Sometimes the simplest things are the best. This was one of the easier Barefoot blogger recipes but it was also one of my favorites. My wife doesn't like peppers so I substituted about two cups or so of pea pods instead of the pepper. I put the pea pods in with the asparagus in the final minute or so of cooking to give them a quick blanch. I am sure the salad might have looked a little nicer with the red pepper but I think the pea pods were a nice addition. I was a little worried that my wife would not like this one with the Asian flavors but she even went back for seconds. This one is definitely a winner! Thanks to McKenzie at Kenzie's Kitchen for this months pick. Check out McKenzie's blog to see what it is supposed look like with the red peppers.

Chinese Chicken Salad

(Source: Barefoot Contessa Parties!, page 98)

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
• 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.
3. Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.
4. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.