House Arrest and Lemon Cake

My 8-year old is flopped over on the couch for the third day straight -- rosey-cheeked with a fever, a pile of crumpled tissues (yes..some used) strewn across her belly, remote control clutched in her steamy little hand....'feeling poorly', as my Grandmother used to say. Zack & Cody, Hannah Montana, and SpongeBob are keeping her company in a steady, tvo'ed stream and she's sipping Coke on ice through a bendy straw.....she feels crummy, but at least she's comfy!

Remember being sick as a kid? In my day (I'm probably dating myself), my mom would set me up on the couch with "Love, American Style" on the tube, and a tv tray with 7-up and buttered toast. Before she left for work, she'd drag the phone (along with it's tangly, 10 foot cord) from the kitchen to where I lay in the livingroom "just in case you need anything". What a bummer when my show was over and I had to get UP out of my cozy spot to change the channel -- or else suffer through Richard Dawson and The Family Feud. My little patient has it pretty good. *sigh*..... I do feel bad for her though. Being sick is a drag.

So with all this talk of fevers and illness, you probably think I'm about to chat about chicken noodle soup -- actually, that's not a bad idea -- but unfortunately, that's not on the menu today. Since I'm tethered here at home by my sniffly, 53-lb. house anchor, I thought I'd head in to the kitchen and see what kind of trouble I could stir up. Heh, heh......stir up. Sorry.

Remember the Lemon Chicken I made a few days ago? I had a big, beautiful bowlful of lemons leftover (what can I say, I always overbuy - it's a weakness of mine), so I decided to bake up a batch of this tangy Glazed Lemon Cake.

I love this cake because it's not too sweet, it makes two loaves, and it freezes beautifully. It's nice to keep one on hand for a last minute dessert, and it's perfect with a cup of hot tea! If you have Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa PARTIES!, the recipe can be found on pp. 104-105. Otherwise, here you go....enjoy!

GLAZED LEMON CAKE
Source: Barefoot Contessa PARTIES!, by Ina Garten
Makes 2 8-inch loaves

2 sticks butter at room temperature
2 1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 c. grated lemon zest (from 6-8 large lemons)
3 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. kosher salt
3/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 c. buttermilk at room temperature
1 t. vanilla

For the glaze:
2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease two loaf pans and set aside.

Cream the butter and 2 c. sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 c. lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alterately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 c. granulated sugar with 1/2 c. lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. ** see note *** When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

**note** I think this step is superfluous and I always skip it. I still love the cake, I just don't believe in making extra work for myself!

Dessert Chic....Poached Pear Sundaes

When I picture a dessert that's company worthy, I don't usually think of a fruity dessert....unless of course, it's summertime and berries are abundant (and thereby economical of course).

It's not that I don't like fruity desserts, I just normally gravitate to the richer and luxurious treats -- y'know, cheesecakes, mousses, custards, and the like. But ingredients like best-quality chocolate, cream cheese, and fresh whipping cream can really drive up the price of these homemade confections, and since I'm a team player, I've agreed to keep costs down. So today the sale pears caught my eye, and I decided to give 'em a go.

I thought of creating a gorgeous tart, but I dislike futzing with pastry dough. A crumble or crisp? That would have been great, but I really wanted to attempt a dish I've never done before (plus, I was running low on butter). I found this recipe for Poached Pear Sundaes, which sounded simple but upscale, and (bonus!) also incorporated the Breyer's Ice Cream that's on sale this week.

This recipe could not be easier; I think there are a grand total of oh, six ingredients?! If you decide you'd like to try it, make sure you have about five hours to spare....not because it's gonna take you five hours slaving in the kitchen, silly. You'll need a good four hours for these to chill in the fridge.

POACHED PEAR SUNDAES
Source: Epicurious.com

Serves: 4

Actual Cost Per Serving: Roughly 1.00

2 c. water

1/4 c. honey

2 long strips of orange zest, orange part only

4 pears, peeled and cut in half top to bottom

Vanilla Ice Cream & Hot Fudge Sauce for serving

Bring the water, honey, and orange zest to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the pears and return to a simmer. Cover pan and continue to poach the pears for 12 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork (but not falling apart). Remove the pan from the heat and allow the pears to cool in their poaching liquid for at least three hours.

To serve: Place a pool of fudge sauce on a serving plate. Top with a pear ** and a scoop of ice cream; garnish with orange zest if desired.

**If you'd like to fan the pears as shown, place them cut side down on a cutting surface. Using a sharp knife, make five or six long cuts down the length of the pear. Gently fan the pear as shown. Pretty, no?

July in January.....or, Dessert on the Cheap!

Lawd have mercy, I wish I had the occasion to serve these to company tonight. It would go down in history as by far the least expensive dessert I would have ever served to anyone!

This week strawberries (yes, strawberries) are on special at 2 quarts for $5.00. Unbelieveable, especially since we're smack in the middle of the winter doldrums in Wisconsin. But, because I don't like to argue or quibble, I snapped up 2 quarts and brought them home, where I challenged myself to come up with a dessert using the super cheap strawberries and ingredients from the pantry only. Well, the fridge too.

Here's what I ended up with:

Crepes with Strawberry Sauce

Crepes Recipe Source: The Joy of Cooking

Strawberry Sauce Source: I have no earthly idea; I've been making it for years!

Serves: 6

CREPES:

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. lukewarm water

2 large eggs

2 T. butter, melted

1 1/2 T. sugar

pinch salt

Combine the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour the batter in to a Pyrex container (or some other container with an easy-to-pour lip). Cover and let stand for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 2 days.

Place a nonstick pan over medium heat. Coat the pan with a little bit of butter. Stir the batter and pour about 2 tablespoons into the pan, lifting and tilting the pan so that the batter is evenly distributed, forming a nice, thin layer. Cook until the top is set and the underside is golden. Turn the crepe over (trust me, your fingers will work better than any fancy gadget here) and cook until the second side is browned. Remove the crepe to a piece of wax paper. Continue to cook the rest of the crepes in the same manner, buttering the pan before each new crepe. Stack the finished crepes between sheets of wax paper. Use immediately or let cool. Wrap airtight, and freeze up to one month.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE:

3 c. strawberries (I used one whole pint)

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

1 T. cornstarch

dash salt

1 t. butter

Clean and stem all of your strawberries. Remove one cup of berries and slice them evenly. Set aside. Place the remaining berries in a smallish saucepan and crush them -- I use my pastry blender here with a pretty good result. Add the sugar to the berries. Dissolve the cornstarch and salt with the water in a small bowl, add to the berries in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When mixture comes to a boil, continue to boil and stir for a full minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and the sliced berries. Serve with the crepes or on top of ice cream sundaes.

I think the approximate cost of this dessert is around .50 per person -- I added an additional .10 per person for the pantry ingredients I had to use. Now, if you choose to purchase whipped cream, that 's a horse of a different color. You'll have to adjust accordingly for whipping cream!

Because I'm nice, I'm not going to eat all of these myself; instead, I'll serve them to my kiddos tomorrow morning. I plan on filling them (the crepes, not my kids) with a little bit of vanilla yogurt, top them with the strawberry sauce, and change my name to International House of Overachieving Moms. Ha!