Blueberry Cornmeal Buckle

On a recent visit to the farmers market I got beautiful blueberries, and was wondering what to do with them (besides popping them in my mouth) when I remembered I wanted to try making this buckle.  Upon tasting it, my baker friend at work called this "the best blueberry buckle I've ever had."

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook calls it a blueberry cornmeal butter cake, and describes it as the place where a blueberry buckle meets Southern cornbread.  If you don't like cornbread, don't be put off.  I'm not a fan of the squidgy, gritty squares that come on the side of plates in restaurants either, but this is different.  The texture is more of a background note, and lends itself well to wonderfully crisp edges.  The buckle is moist and lightly sweet, and the blueberries picked the morning of the market gave it a wonderful, summery flavor.  Make it soon while blueberries are in season, and before summer slips away.

I did have one issue with the recipe, and that was the weight measurements.  Given the choice between volume and weights, I always pick the latter.  Using a scale is more precise, I never lose count of cups or tablespoons, and I don't have to break out said cups.  But the buckle was still very liquid in the middle after 35 minutes.  A few minutes more didn't help, and it was still not fully set after sitting in the oven with the heat turned off.  On my second try I used only volume measurements, but also weighed them as I went, out of curiosity -- some of the grams were way off from what the recipe stated.  So, lesson learned: use only volume measurements for this recipe, and I've given only those below.

On a minor note, the streusel topping came out dry and sandy.  I wanted nice, big, buttery pebbles that have more crunch and stay on the top like this crumble, so I increased the butter and tweaked the method.

Looking for additional blueberry goodness?  Check out my Blueberry Roulade.

Chinese Glass Noodles with Shrimp, and Guest Posting at Ang Sarap

Have you ever tried fen si, or Chinese glass noodles?  They're not to be mistaken for the more common rice vermicelli, or mei fun.  I'm guest-posting today at Ang Sarap, and chose this childhood favorite when Raymund invited me over.  Can I say how thrilled I was at his invitation?  I'm constantly impressed by the range of cuisines Raymund makes and posts, not to mention the volume of them.  Too often I see Asian recipes lumped in one category, their distinctive characteristics muddled together.  But Raymund brings us his native Filipino dishes, along with Vietnamese and Japanese recipes, and cuisines beyond Asia.  Ever wondered about Kiwi cuisine?  Raymund's got a recipe.

To find out the difference between fen si and mei fun, and to get the recipe for Chinese Glass Noodles with Shrimp, visit Ang Sarap.  You'll probably wind up staying there for a while, checking out all Raymund's cooking.

Irish Bread & Butter Pudding with Whiskey Cream

I've made a couple discoveries: 1) I don't like whiskey.  2) Whiskey-spiked whipped cream is the bomb.

I adapted Joe's grandmother's Irish Bread & Butter Pudding for my book club's Irish tea-themed event last week.  I'd had it many times made by his mom, and it's the ultimate comfort food.  Perhaps the main way Irish Bread & Butter Pudding differs from other bread puddings is that the bread is buttered before being soaked with the custard and baked.  But I wanted to update the recipe a little.  For a fancier teatime look I made the pudding in this quiche dish instead of the ordinary 9x13-inch pan.  I also lightened up quantities of butter and eggs, and both endeavors called for messing with all the proportions.  I used my co-workers as guinea pigs for the first batch, which I can now admit was a bit soggy.  I don't think they noticed, though, because it was the whiskey-spiked whipped cream that got all the attention.  "Did you say whiskey??"  Yes, and go light on the whipped cream, at least until deadline.

That was my other update: I soaked the raisins in whiskey, and then spiked the whipped cream with some.  I love how the cream smooths out the edges of the hard stuff.  This is not your grandma's bread pudding.  Or at least not Grandma O'Neil's, though her whiskey-free original is still awesome.  I also brush some apricot jam on at the end for added sweetness and color.  And the proportions of round two worked out with the approval of Joe, who said it tasted authentic, in the family sense.

The gracious hosting and gorgeous decor were courtesy of Rebecca of A Love Letter to Rome. The amazing Mrs. Hot Potato baked the lower two tiers of Lemon; Chocolate, Almond & Toffee; and Parmesan Thyme Cheddar Chive Shortbread.

I got compliments on the pudding at book club, and my friends shared my co-workers' enthusiasm for the whiskey cream.  They even dolloped it on top of scones.  Add some Irish tea, beer, colcannon, haddock chowder, soda bread, shortbread, and Irish fiddling, and we had the makings of a lovely afternoon.

Boston Globe Review: Peruvian Place, plus other stuff

I was excited to find a Peruvian restaurant south of Boston!  Read the review to find out what I thought.  And pardon the photos -- the photographer assignment fell through, so they fell back on my cellphone photos.

Read the review: http://b.globe.com/11s4ptE

It has also been a good eats week, since my girlfriends came up for a visit, one of them all the way from Germany.  They asked to visit The Bloomy Rind, the cheese shop I reviewed last year, and we took the food to the beach for a picnic.

Clockwise from top-left: The Cherry & White Tea Preserves were divine with the Crema Kasa. Kale & chorizo salad. Gouda and Crema Kasa in front, and goat cheese with blueberries, and goat cheese with fennel & lavender pollen behind. Cubano sandwich with farro salad. Beef jerky bar I wasn't brave enough to get.

It was like an eating adventure: we got kale & chorizo salad, and farro salad, and sampled other delicious fare like fresh pea guacamole and a romesco.  Our sandwiches included a bacon & brie, Mediterranean vegetables with hummus and feta, and a Cubano.  We got several cheeses, and finished with Vermont goat milk caramels.  Other good eats of the week included getting Indian with my friends, and an Irish-themed party with a different set of friends (I'll save that for another post).

Of course all the food we've eaten together over the years hasn't been so refined as that from the cheese shop.  We did go to college together -- 'nuff said, right?  What do you eat when you get together with old friends?

Rosemary-Lavender Shortbread

One day, on an impulse, I bought a small bag of culinary lavender.  Then I wondered what to do with it.  I had always associated lavender with soap and potpourri, and imagined lavender ice cream or lavender baked goods would taste soapy.  I'm glad to report this shortbread is not at all soapy.  I'd call it herbal and lightly floral, and I wasn't prepared for the glowing reaction it got.  See, I liked the cookies well enough, but I was dreaming of chocolate ice cream, or summery peach cobbler.  And I didn't want a load of buttery shortbread around the house, so I brought the cookies to work.  Their unusual flavor combination, cute teapot shapes, and pretty sprigs got plenty of attention, and lots of compliments.

Squares of shortbread dough flecked with rosemary and lavender. Press some rosemary sprigs into some
of the shortbread for a decorative touch. Then everything gets a dusting of sugar.

The shortbread is sandy and buttery, and accented with honey along with the lavender and rosemary.  Make sure you use dried culinary lavender; the leaves in the sachet that scents your drawer might have chemicals on them.  I adapted this recipe from Epicurious to include the lavender.  I also altered the method to make lots of cutout cookies that would hold their shape when handled, as opposed to two simple rounds scored into triangles.

These are perfect for a fancy tea, but since the temperature hit 90 yesterday I made a strawberry oolong iced tea steeped with lavender.  For a bit of color, splash in about a teaspoon of cranberry juice.  Pour over ice, cool down, and have a cookie.

Spinach and Ricotta Challah

I think this is the prettiest bread I've ever baked.  Honestly, though, I stood in my kitchen beaming like I'd sculpted some masterpiece.  This is a challah filled with spinach and ricotta and pine nuts, shaped into a mock braid, and sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds.  When I realized the method for braiding was the same I had used for my Braided Lemon Bread, I dove right in.  Here's a how-to guide.

Before you assemble: Make sure your dough is on a parchment sheet or silicone mat.  Otherwise, it will be almost impossible after to move to the baking pan while keeping it intact.
1. Cut the rectangle of dough so there are tabs on the top and bottom, and evenly spaced strips on either side.  Spread the filling down the middle.  Try to avoid snacking on too many of the toasted pine nuts and depleting them, which is easier said than done.
2. Fold down the top tab, then fold over one side strip, followed by the one on the opposite side, repeating all the way down.  Easy!  So you're either folding left-right-left-right, or right-left-right-left.
3. Before you finish folding all the strips, fold the bottom tab up, then braid the remaining strips over it.  You might have noticed I don't have an even number of strips on each side -- don't repeat my mistake.  If you do, no big deal.  I just tucked the last extra strip under.  Brush on an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, and you're ready to bake!

Joe loved the bread and devoured it.  I froze the second loaf, because he vetoed my idea of giving it away.  I have to confess, however, that I didn't love the bread as much as I thought I would.  I felt like the filling could benefit from a stronger flavor like goat cheese or feta.  Also, the dough was just too wet and I had to add nearly an extra cup of flour to make the dough come together, even though I weighed the ingredients so measurements should have been precise.  And as nice as the bread was, I found myself thinking the flaky phyllo layers of spanakopita were superior.  Still, all the while, I never got tired of marveling at how pretty my loaves were.

Boston Globe Review: Turkish Comfort Food

Have you tried Turkish food?  Chicken Kabob in Stoughton offers more than kebabs: stuffed grape leaves, grilled whole fish, and these desserts.  I definitely indulged my sweet tooth with kadayif, sekerpare, and pistachio baklava.

Read my review at: http://bo.st/184UYGx