Butter makes it better
Salted caramel cheesecake. I almost feel like I don’t have to write anything else….if you need to be talked into eating cheesecake, you’re someone who needs cheesecake the very most. Especially this gorgeously rich salted caramel cheesecake. Each bite is perfection. Sweet, salty, and outrageously …
Caramel is delicious, but salted caramel is something else. Especially this salted caramel sauce. Whether you drizzle it on ice cream, use it to soak a chocolate cake, or dip apple slices in it….you’re in for a good time. A few notes: if you’d like …
A quick bread that takes an hour tops, and is impressively buttery and craggy? I’m in! This Irish soda bread is easy and sweet, with a hint of tang. Eat it with your corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, or slather it with butter for a hearty breakfast any time of year.
What is soda bread? Soda bread is actually named for its rising agent. Instead of using yeast, baking soda is combined with an acid to create the rise the bread needs.
Okay, let’s talk about buttermilk. I don’t know about you, but it’s not a staple for me to keep in the house. But plain whole milk yogurt is a great substitute, as is sour milk. To make sour milk, just combine a cup of milk and a tablespoon of flour, whisk to mix, and let sit for five hours. Good news, you can make a great buttermilk substitute at any time! So you now have no excuse not to try this lovely dense bread.
Finally, I think you should know that this soda bread doubles beautifully. The loaf it makes is a good size for a few bread lovers to share, but any more than four or five people and you’ll want to make two. You can double the recipe just for yourself; I won’t judge. Enjoy!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Cut in margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, combine 1 egg, the buttermilk, and the raisins. Combine with the flour mixture until just mixed.
Knead the bread for 2-3 minutes on a floured surface. Place your dough on a greased baking sheet and shape it into a round loaf. Score it with a cross and brush with 1 beaten egg. Bake in a 375 oven for 35-40 minutes until golden. Enjoy with lots of butter!
I wasn’t originally a fan of beets. Let’s just say they’ve grown on me. Especially since eating this gorgeous roasted beet salad. Beet salad might not seem like something you’d love to eat, but this roasted beet salad with honey lemon dressing is. The leafy …
I do love this potato leek soup. This is the perfect soup for when you feel that winter has been SO long that spring must be right around the corner. It’s rich and easy, as a winter soup should be, but the leeks always remind …
Happy Valentine’s Day! These lemon strawberry entremets would be perfect for any time of year, but they’re ideal for Valentine’s Day. The lemon and strawberry keep it light and fruity, but the ganache adds a silky richness that makes it perfect for the holiday.
A few notes about this recipe: it may look very involved, but if you remember to let the butter and cream cheese soften ahead of time (which I never do), these lemon strawberry entremets may only take you about an hour and a half. Also, the cookie sheet that I used produced five three-layer cakes, with lots of extra cake on the edges. (Cake pops, anyone?) Feel free to make these two-layer cakes, if you prefer.
As for tools, I highly recommend getting a piping tool like this one from Wilton. It has a few different attachments, and it’s helped me a lot. But a classic piping bag or even a Ziploc bag will do just fine. I hope you like these lemon strawberry entremets! Let me know what you think.
For the cake:
For the strawberry puree:
For the cream cheese frosting:
For the ganache:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a silicon lining or parchment paper on one cookie sheet to help the cake release well.
The cake is very easy to make. Combine the dry ingredients and set them aside. Beat the softened butter and sugar together in another bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, and then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. The batter will be lovely and thick, but don’t be worried. Pour the batter in your prepared cookie sheet, and bake for 11-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Cut up all but a few strawberries and puree them in a food processor until smooth. Warm the puree in a small saucepan, and add the sugar and lemon juice. Allow to simmer until somewhat reduced, and remove from the heat.
While the puree is reducing, cut your cake into discs, using either a cake cutter or the top of a mason jar.
Make the cream cheese frosting by beating the butter and cream cheese together until creamy and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and salt, and gradually stir in the powdered sugar. If needed, add more powdered sugar or some cornstarch to thicken the frosting.
For the ganache, heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it begins to rise, and then add the chocolate. Stir until smooth and well-blended. Remove from the heat.
Time for assembly! Get out a cookie sheet and place a drying rack on top. Place one third of your cakes on the rack, and pipe cream cheese frosting around each side. Add strawberry puree to the middle of each cake, and top each cake with another plain cake. Repeat. When the ganache has cooled slightly, spoon over each cake until it drips prettily over the sides.
Finally, thinly slice the remaining strawberries, and place one slice on each cake. You’re all done! Enjoy your lemon strawberry entremets!
Boeuf bourgignon is one of Julia Child’s signature dishes, and for good reason. It may look like beef stew, but it is gorgeously complex. Thick chunks of beef melt in your mouth as the steamy scent of herbs wafts up from your bowl. Boeuf bourgignon …
Most salad ingredients may not be in season, but citrus fruits are bountiful and extra sweet at this time of year. This winter citrus salad is the perfect plate to chase away any blues. I call it a winter salad, but a basil-mint citrus salad …
Winter means staying inside and being cozy, so braising is the perfect wintertime cooking method. If you’re not familiar with braising, it’s a cooking method where you lightly fry the food and then let it cook, low and slow, in a bit of liquid. Braising is the perfect thing to do with a cheaper cut of meat, or even if you just want to spend an afternoon at home while deep and delicious smells seep out of the kitchen. If you’re new to braising, this lemon-thyme braised pork is the perfect place to start. It’s based on an Italian dish called maiale al latte (pork braised in milk), and Italian food is rarely a mistake.
Lemon-thyme braised pork may not be terribly photogenic, but the pork is tender and fragrant, and the milk curds in the sauce are salty and rich. Try this on your next lazy weekend, and you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
Begin by searing your pork roast in a large frying pan on all sides until brown. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, and cook on high for four hours. (The pork is safe to eat after about two hours, but you’ll want the sauce to reduce.)
Alternatively, if you’d like to use the oven, cook your pork in a large Dutch oven at 325 F for 2-3 hours.
Transfer pork to a rimmed cutting board and slice. Serve drizzled with sauce, and with fresh bread and a green salad on the side.