Say “Bye-Bye” to Citrus Juice & “Hello” to Citrus Zest (Part II)

I know you can’t see it, but there is actually an orange and lemon yogurt cake under all of the fresh berries and homemade whip cream.  Citrus zest intensifies this cake’s wonderful flavor and makes your house smell like a citrus grove on a warm day.  The aroma of lemon and orange completely fill your home as the cake is baking…it’s a great way to relieve stress.

The bottom line is that this is a very easy recipe that gives you a deliciously light and moist cake for breakfast, with tea or coffee, or for dessert with berries and cream.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1  cup sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 1 tbsp. citrus zest (both lemon and orange)
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed citrus  juice (use the juice from the orange and lemon that you zested)

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 º.  Butter and flour a standard loaf pan.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon and orange zest and juice, and the vanilla.

3.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients (a little at a time).  Fold the vegetable oil into the batter making sure it has been incorporated throughout.

4.  pour the batter into the buttered and floured loaf pan and put it into the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

5.  While the cake is baking, you can make the topping for the yogurt cake.  Put 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese in a bowl.  Sweeten the cottage cheese by adding sugar to taste.  Then add 1/4 – 1/3 cup homemade whip cream.  Fold the whip cream into the cottage cheese to keep the topping light and fluffy.

6.  When the cake is done, cool it on a wire rack for 10-20 minutes.  After 10-10 minutes, carefully take the cake out of the pan and allow it to cool completely through.  Serve with mixed berries and whipped topping.  I think a mixture strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries go really well with the cake.

Say “Bye-Bye” to Citrus Juice & “Hello” to Citrus Zest (Part I)

Citrus is at its prime in the late winter and spring.  Now that it feels like summer is finally starting to come to Southern California,  citrus will slowly start to disappear from your local farmers’ market.  I have been thinking of how I can use citrus zest, so I can still have the sweet, tart, and fresh flavors of citrus in the things I eat.  I decided to try to make scones using orange zest.  I wanted to pair the orange flavor with cherries and almonds.  I result was a delicious flakey breakfast scone.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for your work surface)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces and chilled in the fridge)
• 1/2 cup cold buttermilk (plus 2-3 tbs. for brushing the tops of the scones)
• 1 tbs. finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup dried Bing cherries
• 2-3 tbs. sanding sugar (for sprinkling on the tops of the scones)

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400º.  You will need to put the ones in the lower third of your oven, so you might need to move your oven racks around.  In a food processor, place the flour, granulated sugar, baking power, salt, and butter.

2.  Pulse until the butter is incorporated into the flour and is about the size of a pea.  Empty the flour and butter mixture into a large bowl.

3.  With a fork or wooden spoon, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  To the well, add the buttermilk, orange zest, orange juice, egg yolk, cherries, and toasted almonds (make sure you toast them on the stove and let them cool before you add them into the batter).  Stir just to incorporate all the ingredients.  Do not over stir the batter.

4.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough several times.  make sure the dough is not sticky.

5.  Use a rolling-pin to shape the dough into a 7″ x 7″ square.  Cut the dough into 9 squares.  Cut each square in half diagonally.  Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle them with sanding sugar.

6.  Put the scones in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.  Make sure you rotate the pan half way through baking.  Cool on a wire rack.  Serve with honey almond butter and/or cherry jam.

A Trip to The Farmers’ Market: Caramelized Butternut Squash and Cranberry Salad

I went to the Framers’ Market this week to look at the seasonal vegetables and to let them decide what I was going to eat.  Everything looked so great, but I finally decided on butternut squash, beets, and some chard.  When I started putting everything away, my cat, Hank, was very curious of the new smells that I brought home.  It took him a good 20 minutes of exploring, batting, and sniffing to finally lose interest and go back to his cat nap on the sofa.

I decided to use the butternut squash in a salad and it turned out really well.  It was a great fusion of winter vegetables meeting spring greens.  The mustard dressing I made was a great contrast to the sweet butternut squash and cranberries.  I hope you this salad helps you look back on this winter and say hello to spring all in one bite.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium butternut squash (4 to 6 pounds total)
• 6 tbs. unsalted butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• arugula

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400º F.  Cut off and discard both ends of the butternut squash.  Peel the squash and cut them in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds form the center of the squash (you can either roast these like pumpkin seeds or throw them away).  Dice up both butternut squash into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Try to make the pieces as uniform as possible, so they all cook at the same rate.

2.  Place the diced butternut squash onto a large a roasting/baking sheet.  Make sure the baking sheet has sides.  Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to the baking sheet.  Use you hands to toss all of the ingredients on the sheet together.  Make sure you spread the squash into a single layer on the sheet.  Roast the squash for 30 minutes in the oven.

3.  After 30 minutes, toss the squash and add the cranberries to the squash.  Return the pan to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until the squash has caramelize.  While the butternut squash is finishing off in the oven, toast your walnuts in a pan on low heat.  Keep a careful eye on the nuts, so they don’t burn.

4.  When the squash has cooked, take the baking sheet out of the oven and allow the squash to cool off (but still be warm).  While the squash is cooking, you can make the Dijon vinaigrette dressing or you can use a good quality store bought vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing on your salad.  Plate the arugula first, then the butternut squash and cranberries, and then the roasted walnuts on top.  Drizzle with Dijon vinaigrette.

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup champagne vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 4 tsp. whole seed Dijon mustard
• 1 cup and 3 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. finely chopped shallot
• fresh ground pepper and salt to taste