Sweet Mary

Crab Cake Excursion

With my internet down last week, there wasn't a whole heck of a lot I could do on the job search front, so I decided to hop in my car on a beautiful day and drive over to the Eastern Shore to the town of St. Michael's with the specific goal of eating a Maryland crab cake. Since returning to Baltimore, I realized there are a few traditional Maryland specialties I had never tried...one of which was the crab cake. 

Mind you, I wasn't seeking out the all time best Maryland crab cake. I just enjoyed the drive, walking around town, and, then, sitting down at The Crab Claw on the water to drink some pink lemonade and try a crab cake. I opted for no bun on this outing and thought it was delicious. Of course, I have nothing to compare it to yet, but who cares because I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed hanging out on the water, talking to a very friendly waitress, and chilling out instead of worrying about finding a job. 

If you're looking for a good crab cake in the Baltimore area, check out Elizabeth Large's list.  She writes for the Baltimore Sun.  This month's issue of Baltimore Magazine also has a feature on crab cakes; however, it's not up on the website yet. And, if you are interested in learning more about the history of the crab cake, here is a link to a food timeline.

 

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Well, I've had internet challenges all week; however, am back on line. It's crazy how cut off from the world you can feel when you lose your connection!. It set me back a few days in the whole blogging and job searching thing. But, I used the opportunity to hop in my car and take a little road trip and socialize a whole bunch. So, I had some fun and now it's back to work.

These cookies come right from the Martha site. They were delicious. Like mini-shortcakes minus the whipped cream. My only comment here is to make sure you chop the strawberries smaller than 1/4-inch other wise the batter is a bit too chunky and they can burn or brown too much while baking. Oh wait, one more thing. I think adding a little vanilla into the batter would have been nice, too.

*makes 2-3 dozen

12 ounces of strawberries, hulled and diced into small pieces (about 2 cups)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

2/3 cup heavy cream

Sanding sugar to sprinkle on top

Heat oven to 375 F. Combine berries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or rub it in with your fingers until the mixture looks like course crumbs. Stir in the cream just until the dough starts to come together. Then, stir the berry mix.

Using a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and bake until golden brown, roughly 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.  These are best served immediately.

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad

Yes, I know. This is a FOOD recipe and not a dessert. Contrary to popular belief, my diet includes more than cookies, cakes, and pies. And, I sure hope yours does, too!

I have decided to make a few changes to Sweet Mary because I am currently finding it very difficult to bake on a weekly basis. No, I haven't lost my love for baking and tasting sweet things. Not at all. However, because I currently do not have a day job, not only can baking get expensive, but also I have a lack of eaters/tasters/testers in Baltimore. While in Providence at my last job, there were roughly 1200 employees and I was friendly with many folks who looked forward to trying my baked goods. It was great! My pool of eaters here is much smaller; consequently, we all feel like we've gained a few pounds since I arrived in late April and I've been driving around all over creation to deliver my goods. I'd like to avoid both of those scenarios for a while.

So, from time to time, I thought I'd share some other things I like to eat or try making in the kitchen. I tend to eat healthy when I actually cook! If not, I can easily gravitate towards carbs like toast and cereal. Certainly not the healthiest of habits. Consequently, I hope that adding some food recipes up here will push me to make more healthy food each week and continue to improve my cooking skills as well. I also do believe in eating a well-balanced diet and sometimes feel guilty about having an all baking blog. I definitely believe in fat, flour, and sugar in moderation only.

I am also excited because I realized my friends and family are very good cooks and healthy eaters. Some of them will be sharing recipes, photos, and stories, too. It will be great to hear from them and see what they are up to in the kitchen.

Now, on to the recipe. When I cook, I do tend to follow recipes or parts of recipes. I often like to make some protein and then create a salad around it based on what I've bought for the week and what I already have in the pantry, like this recipe for Apricot-Glazed Chicken Spinach Salad. The Apricot Glazed Grilled Chicken came directly from Cooking Light, the only food magazine I subscribe to, and was also inspired by/adapted from this Asian Salad Recipe. I think Cooking Light runs a tight test kitchen and I have a lot of respect for them. Their magazine is filled with healthy and relatively easy recipes. I really liked the chicken, as it was tasty and great on top of a spinach salad. 

This was a good food for fuel kind of dish. It was actually hard for me to stop and measure things. When I bake, I measure everything exactly; however, when I cook, I definitely eyeball!

This should make 4 generous servings.

Apricot-Glazed Indoor Chicken from Cooking Light

3 tablespoons apricot preserves

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2 to 4 boneless chicken breasts

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. You can prepare an outdoor grill for indirect grilling or use an indoor grill pan. I did this on a rainy day so used a cast-iron indoor grill pan.

Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat pan to medium and spray with a little canola oil. Place chicken in pan meaty side down. Grill for roughly minutes or until browned. Flip chicken over and brush with apricot glaze. Grill another 10 minutes. Brush more glaze on as you go along. Turn chicken over again and brush with glaze. My chicken took 25 minutes total to be cooked all the way through over medium heat.

Cool chicken on a cutting board. When cool, slice diagonally.

Salad

4 cups of spinach

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup snow pea pods

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

2 apricots, sliced thinly

Dressing

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar if you have it)

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

pinch of sugar or squeeze of honey to sweeten it a little

Arrange salad ingredients in bowl. Top with apricot and chicken slices. 

Combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over salad and toss.

Divide into four bowls. Serve.

Canning is Cool

Click HERE to check out an article on NPR about how canning is on the rise due to the tough economic times. It's really interesting how many people are now growing their own food, as well as getting back into the kitchen and connecting to their roots.

Although I've never had my own veggie garden, I do gravitate towards local farms (or my brother's backyard in NY because he has a beautiful garden, fruit trees, and berry bushes) to do some fruit pickin' for things like preserves and apple butter that last me all year and make wonderful gifts. Although I missed the strawberries here in Maryland this year, I am waiting for word from a friend in the country outside of Washington D.C. who knows where to find the wild berries. Yes, waiting...impatiently. My jars are all ready to go, in fact! 

If you are at all interested, go to the Pick Your Own site and find a farm near you. You can also check out my post from last year on Strawberry Preserves. You may find the information helpful.

My environment is very urban right now; however, I wanted to at least have some fresh herbs and greenery, so here is a photo of what was going on out back on the concrete slab prior to all the rain this week! I got a little basil, cilantro, oregano, and lavender going over to the left.

Grilled Lime Pound Cake with Pineapple-Mango Compote and Toasted Coconut

Happy 5th Anniversary, Coconut & Lime! Here is my entry for your fantastic anniversary contest and here's to hoping I win something nice!

I was pleased with this the way this pound cake turned out. It was moist and not overly dense. I think the cake flour helped in that department. In addition, the lime taste was lovely. Why haven't I flavored my pound cakes before? This could be the start of a serious obsession. The flavor combination of lime, pineapple, mango and coconut was absolutely delicious and made me wish I was somewhere tropical instead of grilling on the concrete slab out back in Locust Point, Baltimore! I haven't made a ton of pound cakes in my time, so if you try this one, I'd love to hear some feedback about how it went.

Now, you certainly don't have to grill your pound cake to add the fruit compote and toasted coconut; however, I sure do like a little crisp and caramelization in the summer on my pound cake. And, hey, once you drag the grill out and get the coals hot, why not grill up some dessert? This was my first grill endeavor of the season. First, I made some turkey burgers and, then, threw the pound cake on. I was flyin' solo today, so only grilled up enough for me. I will say that I am no grill master and I am a bit out of practice. The heat was a bit uneven and, thus, you can tell which side of the grill was hotter in my photo! I'll practice more, I promise.

As far as the fruit compote goes, I really just made this up as I went along.  A little brown sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a drizzle of molasses made for a rich flavor. I also squeezed some extra lime over the whole thing once I slapped it on the plate. So delicious.

You can also try this recipe from last year:

Grilled Pound Cake and Pineapple with Orange-Lime-Cardamom Glaze

Lime Pound Cake

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of two medium limes

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.

Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time and combine well. Then, add the vanilla and zest.  Mix to combine.

Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low just until combined.

Add the lime juice and mix on low until combined.

Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.

Add the milk and mix on low until combined.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Even out the top of the batter with a small spatula.

Place loaf pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes.

Rotate the loaf pan halfway through. During the last 20 minutes or so, if you feel the loaf

is browning too much, you can cover it with some foil. The cake should look golden brown and

you should be able to insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center and have it come out clean.

Cool on a wire rack in the pan for about 25 minutes. Then, loosen the edges with a paring knife and remove from the pan.

Pineapple-Mango Compote

1 cup of 1/4 inch pieces of fresh pineapple

1 cup of 1/4 inch pieces of fresh mango

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

3 tablespoons of water

1 teaspoon molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

*this made about 2 cups of compote and I used about 1/3 cup on my cake

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Over medium high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce heat to low and let it reduce until desired consistency.  I kept it on the heat for roughly 10 minutes, just enough to soften the fruit without losing too much shape and have a syrup-like consistency that would soak into the cake.

Also, don't forget to toast some sweetened flaked coconut for this dessert.

To put it together

Brush a slice of cake with some canola or vegetable oil. You could also brush some simple syrup on it. Place over medium heat on the grill for 1-2 minutes each side. Then, spoon compote over warm cake, sprinkle with toasted coconut, squeeze a little fresh lime over it, and serve.

Construction

I will be working on my blog a bit this week. If you encounter any issues, hang in there and try again!

Honfest Day 1

Yes, it's true. The beehives were out in full force today.

They were everywhere and there was no escape!

If you really wanted to get your Hon on, you could go get YOUR hair done UP, too, by a handsome fellow in a mohawk.

Oh, and here is the world's biggest crab cake, which, thankfully, did not go to waste.

And, if you needed something kind of sweet and tart, you could suck on a lemon-stick. What's a lemon-stick, you ask? Well, it's a lemon cut in half with a peppermint stick stuck in it. What you do is suck the lemon juice up through the peppermint stick for a lovely mix of flavors.  Read more here from an article Rachel from Coconut and Lime did a while back on Baltimore's lemon sticks on Culinate. 

I walked right on by the lemon sticks and went straight for the.....pit beef! The smell of the grills put a spell on me from the second I stepped onto "the avenue" (a.k.a. 36th Street in Hampden). I got me some nice pit beef, dumped a heap of horseradish and onions on it, and listened to the live music for a while. Pit beef is Baltimore's version of BBQ and, if done right, it is grilled nice and crisp on the outside and kind of rare on the inside. You serve it up on a kaiser roll with horseradish and onion.  

If you're interested in pit beef, check out these links:

*Yes, even those guys (i.e. Guy and Duff) from TV like their pit beef.  Click here for a short video on YouTube.

*If you are in town, Chaps is a Baltimore pit beef favorite (also highlighted in video).

*I'd also like to mention that there is a school of folks who don't consider pit beef real barbeque because it's just grilled. I'm not taking any sides here yet, just giving you all some information.  Here is a great post dated June 2008 from the Food Nerd in Baltimore. The post also includes detailed information on making pit beef at home and, well, he happens to be a food writer for the Baltimore City Paper and a trained chef.

Honfest

If you are anywhere near Baltimore and looking for some stellar local flavor, I highly suggest you come on down and find your way to Hampden for the one and only Honfest. You will find everything from local bands to spam bowling to women in beehives calling you, what else, Hon! To top all the fun off this year, Honfest wants to go on the record for creating the world's biggest crab cake.  Read the story here. So, get your spandex out and get on down to the Honfest this weekend. You won't be disappointed.

Coconut Lime Cake

It's not often I make a layer cake, you know. However, every once and a while, I'll get those cake pans out and see what happens. About a week or so ago, I actually "catered" a friend's afternoon dessert party. This was a great exercise in the whole concept of possibly running a side business out of my home, by the way. One oven. Small prep space. Many many things to do. I definitely experienced some frustration, but nothing I couldn't handle. I made four kinds of cookies for a cookie platter, a tart, and a cake. And, I will say they were all delicious.  The Coconut & Lime cake was part of the event. Pardon the photo, as I just quickly snapped one before delivery and it isn't all that great.

Although unable to catch a photo of an actual slice, I did get to taste it and it was a pleasant cake. The recipe hails from the Williams & Sonoma website. I did have some issues with the frosting although wasn't sure why. It could have been the excessive humidity that day or maybe the way I whipped the egg whites. I would need to repeat the recipe to find out and, frankly, I am not willing to spend the money or time. I found it to be super sticky and tough to work with. And, although I did douse each layer of cake with some simple syrup just to keep things extra moist, the frosting was just tough to spread. In addition, I had to do a little repair work prior to serving because, despite chilling, the frosting slid down the cake a bit. Again, might have been just the heat/humidity or could have been how I mixed it or could have been the recipe.

I do love the flavor of Coconut & Lime, so the idea, of course, is wonderful. But, for some reason, if I wanted to make another Coconut & Lime cake, I'd either create my own recipe or find another one to try. So, I am not even going to post the recipe. You can click on the link above if you want to try it. Please let me know how it goes if you do. 

Speaking of Coconut & Lime, it is Rachel of the blog Coconut & Lime's fifth blog anniversary. She is running another recipe round up and contest. Click on her link for details. I am working on a recipe that I hope to make and post this weekend because I'd sure like to win the Vitamix! Last year, I made Coconut Lime Chocolate Chip Cookies for her round up.  They were delicious. Anyway, a very Happy Anniversary to Rachel!

Strawberry Vanilla Tart

I am always a sucker for strawberry season, no matter where I am.  Remember last year? I went a little crazy when I was out picking strawberries in Rhode Island because, well, it was one of the best strawberry seasons in many, many years. Click the links below for last year's recipes and information:

Strawberry Season in RI 2008

Strawberry Preserves

Strawberry Shortcakes

This year is tough. We have had so much rain that the strawberries seem kind of water logged. So, I had to take a deep breath and make a difficult decision. No strawberry picking this year. I know. I know. I feel the same way. It's sad; however, I don't want to waste money or time and be left with watery desserts and/or jam. I bought some local strawberries from the farmer's market and they just didn't taste as sweet and flavorful as I'd like them to be.

I did make the lovely Strawberry Vanilla tart pictured above with the local strawberries, however. It is a classic vanilla pastry cream with strawberries on top kind of tart. Simple, yet elegant. Make sure you use real vanilla beans in both the crust and pastry cream for a richer vanilla flavor. The strawberries really were rather watery, which was disappointing!

For the crust, I used a press in crust I tried once for a chocolate ganache tart. Click HERE for the recipe, which is from Chow. This is truly a fantastic recipe and one that I will use time and time again. Thanks, Chow.

Make and bake off the crust as directed. Cool completely and set aside.

Pastry Cream

*this recipe was adapted just a tiny bit from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cook Book (p.586/2006) - I like/use this pastry cream recipe a great deal.

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 large egg yolks

3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 4 pieces)

1/2 vanilla bean

Measure everything out ahead of time and place in separate bowls. Make sure you read through these directions before starting.

Put half of the sugar in a medium size sauce pan on the stove.  Put the other half in a medium bowl.

Put the half and half in the sauce pan with the sugar.  Add the salt.  Cut the vanilla bean length-wise. Scrape out the seeds and put them in the sauce pan along with the bean.  Bring the contents of the sauce pan to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally. Do not boil.

Meanwhile, add the egg yolks and cornstarch to the sugar that you placed in a separate bowl. Whisk together until smooth.

Then, slowly whisk about half of the simmering contents of the sauce pan into the yolks in order to temper them (i.e. increase the temperature without cooking them). Continue whisking.  Then, slowly whisk the tempered eggs back into the sauce pan with the simmering liquid. You can turn the heat down to medium and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.  This should take 1-2 minutes. You will see bubbles on the surface. Take off the heat.  Take out the vanilla bean pods.

Scrape the mixture into the baked and cooled tart crust. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap by pressing directly onto the cream's surface. This will prevent a skin from forming. Put in fridge until completely cooled, 2-3 hours.

To Finish the Tart

Wash and hull 2-3 cups of fresh strawberries. Dry them well. Half them and arrange them in a concentric circle on top of the pastry cream. Put the stem side down.

Then, heat up 1/3 cup of apricot preserves over medium heat till liquid. With a pastry brush, brush the liquid preserves on the berries to glaze them.

This tart is best eaten the same day.