poppy seeds

Perfect Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake: Tips & Techniques

08 Feb 2011
Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

One-pound flour, one-pound eggs, one-pound butter and one-pound sugar. That's pound cake, right? Add lemon and poppy seeds, that's Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake. Right?

Well if pound cake really were that simple, all pound cakes would all be the same.

But how many times have you tried to make pound cake, only to find it flat, heavy, dry, or just flat-out boring?  I'm here today to rescue you from another failed, overly dense pound cake. Or worse, a sunken, molten mess of a cake. But your redemption today won't come in the form of a recipe. You aren't getting off that easy. In fact, I'm here today to argue that you can make a great pound cake with just about any good recipe. Because technique is just as important, maybe even more so, than any good recipe you'll come across.

To prove that point I chose a pound cake recipe from A Thought For Food, who adapted it from Rose Levy Beranbaum. Brian can recognize a good recipe, because he knows pound cake. So I can trust that this is a good recipe. That was part of the reason I chose his recipe. The other reason is the sweet story of love and connectedness that comes with his version of this cake. I am a sucker for silly love songs, what's wrong with that? I'd like to know. So here I go again.

Enough silliness, I want to pass along techniques you can use with just about any pound cake recipe you already have. I want to share the secrets of making the perfect pound cake. But I'll warn you this is certainly a case of "do as I say not as I do"; perfect baker I am not. But these tips have helped me.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 17 Comments

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
By jgreghenry Published February 8, 2011
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 3 T milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1.5 t vanilla
  • 1.5 c sifted cake flour
  • 0.75 c sugar
  • 0.75 t baking powder
  • 1 T lemon zest
  • 3 T lightly toasted poppy seeds
  • 13 T unsalted butter, at about 70 degrees f.
  • 2 T confectioners sugar
  • 0.25 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 0 egg wash of 1 egg & 1 t water (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl lightly combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, including the lemon zest and poppy seeds, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture in 2 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. The batter will be less than 1/2 inch from the top of a 4-cup loaf pan. (If your pan is slightly smaller, use any excess batter for cupcakes.) If you like a shiny surface you may use the optional egg wash at this point. Bake 55 to 65 minutes (35 to 45 minutes in a fluted tube pan) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Shortly before the cake is done, prepare the Lemon Syrup: In a small pan over medium heat, stir the powdered sugar and lemon juice until dissolved. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, place the pan on a rack, poke the cake all over with a wire tester, and brush it with 1/2 the syrup. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a spatula and invert it onto a greased wire rack. Poke the bottom of the cake with the wire tester, brush it with some syrup, and reinvert onto a greased wire rack. Brush the sides with the remaining syrup and allow to cool before wrapping airtight. Store 24 hours before eating to give the syrup a chance to distribute evenly. The syrup will keep the cake fresh a few days longer than a cake without syrup.

Notes:

serves 10 to 12 Source: Adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum

Beet Greens: Because a Top is a Terrible Thing to Waste

18 Mar 2010
beet greens

Let’s say you are at the grocery store, okay? You grab a cart with one broken wheel (naturally) and wind your way through the aisles somehow avoiding that nice Mrs. Johnson who always manages to run her cart over your foot when she wheels over to say hello.

Let’s say you safely steer clear of the candy aisle and arrive in the produce section. You decide you are in the mood for something healthy, delicious and fresh. So you spend what little free time you have today really checking out what’s available– and let’s say you chose a perfectly ripe, red apple.

Then you make your way to the check out and get stuck behind cell phone guy and his very public conversation about his ‘effin wife and her ugly divorce proceedings. His third and final credit card somehow finally gets approved and he pays for his Lamisil and gets out of your way (with a look over his shoulder like you’re the one with the problem).

Then after three price-checks and lots of rolled eyes from the people behind you, you hand over your hard-earned cash to pay for that apple, packing it up and taking it to the car. Once you bully your way out of the parking lot and make that nearly impossible left turn into rush hour traffic, you spend 45 stressful minutes driving 2.75 miles to your house (let’s say you live in Los Angeles).

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 26 Comments

Beet Greens with Anchovies

beet greens with anchovies and poppy seeds
By jgreghenry Published March 18, 2010
Prep time: 20
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1 bn beet greens, thick stems removed
  • 2 whole salt packed anchovies, tails & heads removed
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 clv garlic, minced
  • 0.25 T crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 2 T water
  • 2 T parmesan cheese, grated
  • 0.5 t poppy seeds

Directions

Wash the greens extremely well by immersing them in cool water and agitate the water to remove any grit. Drain and repeat. Dry the greens well, then roll them, cigar style. Slice them crosswise into 1/4" chiffonades. Set aside. Fillet the anchovies by brushing away any residual salt and press along the backbone with your thumb, turn it over and easily pull the backbone a ribs away. This step in unnecessary with canned fillets. Soak the fillets in cool water for 10 , then drain and set aside. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes, if using. Cook, stirring, until fragrant with garlic, about 30 seconds. Using a box grater held over the skillet, grate the tomato allowing all the pulp, seeds and juice to fall into the skillet. Add water and greens. Stir to combine, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are extremely tender and flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Transfer the warm greens to a serving platter and top them with the grated parmesan cheese and (optionally) the poppy seeds.

Notes:

serves 2

Remembering Beets So Red It's Fusilli!

01 Dec 2009
red beet fusilli

I am "Cooking Red To Remember" today. Because today is World AIDS Day. Angela at SpinachTiger organized this as a way to remember that AIDS is not over. Not by a long shot. So please visit SpinachTiger to fully understand why this day and this event is so important to her. As for my own reaction and my own feelings about this tragic disease, you may read my previous post about this event here.

But today is about remembrance and it need not be sad day. Even under these circumstances. So I am reaching back into the archive of this blog and pulling out a memory of my own. Red Beet Fusilli with Balsamic, Poppy Seeds and Mint. I am reaching backwards both as a tribute to this day, and also because I never cooked more RED in my life! My brother has his own way to remember, so he's also brought us an excellent wine pairing for this recipe. A red wine naturally, and an Italian wine to boot, appropriately remembering Angela's heritage. Sipping Red To Remember! Good job, lil bro!

So let's all jump in and remember joyfully and with a real showstopper? Are you ready? I mean really ready! Because a showstopper is what this really is.

Sippity Sup Continues »
Tags: | 23 Comments