Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Mini-Bundt Cakes

What's a girl with a craving for citrus cake that extends deep down to her toes to do?  And in the midst of said craving, she's fortunate enough to receive a case big, fat, beautiful Texas Grapefruit from Bonnie at Sweet Life and find an adorable mini-bundt pan on clearance and have some plump, fragrant Vanilla Beans from Beanilla that she happened to win from Dessert Wars beckoning her from the cupboard?

She gets busy baking.

This are light and spongy and mini...which always reels people in.  Really.  Just ask the looky-loos who were lurking behind me while I was busy with this photo shoot.

Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Mini-Bundt Cakes

from the kitchen of girlichef

makes 12

½ c. unsalted butter, at room temp.

¾ c. vanilla sugar

2 Tbs. finely grated grapefruit zest

1 vanilla bean

2 large eggs, at room temp.

½ c. sour cream, at room temp.

¼ c. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

1½ c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. fine sea salt

½ tsp. baking soda (my favorite is Rumford by Clabber Girl...it's aluminum free)

icing:

~ ¼ c. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

2 c. confectioners' sugar

 seeds from ½ of a vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 325° F.  Set out a non-stick mini-bundt cake pan to use.  Or, if it's not nonstick, grease the pan.

In a large bowl, cream butter, vanilla sugar, grapefruit zest, and the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean until light and fluffy.  One at a time, beat in the eggs.  Add sour cream and grapefruit juice and beat until just combined.

Whisk flour, baking powder, sea salt, and baking soda together, then add to bowl and beat until just combined. 

Scoop batter into a pastry bag (or large zippered baggy w/ one corner snipped off) and pipe evenly into 12 mini-bundt forms (my pan makes 12 individuals).  They should be ~¾ of the way full. Alternately, you could use this batter to make cupcakes or even one small cake (~8"...and in this case, no pastry bag required, simply scoop/pour batter into prepared pan).  Slide into the preheated oven and bake for ~20 minutes, or until it passes the tooth pick test.  Cake will be golden and springy and pull away from edges.  Time may need to be adjusted if making one large cake...but it shouldn't take too much longer. 

Immediately (and carefully) turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

While the cakes are cooling, whisk together the ingredients for the icing.  If it seems stiffer than you like, add a bit more juice to adjust consistency.  Drizzle over slightly cooled cakes.

These are equally delicious without any icing, or try sifting some confectioners' sugar over the top or serving with some lightly sweetened whipped cream.

The grapefruit that I used to make these cakes was sweet.  Super sweet and juicy.  I do recommend tasting your grapefruit before using it to make these...if it's extremely sour, you may want to add more sugar.  As they are, the cakes are not overly sweet. 

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Dessert Wars: Vanilla Dreams
Iron Chef challenge: Baking Powder sponsored by Clabber Girl

The Wisconsinite Grilled Cheese (+ a cookbook review: grilled cheese, please! by Laura Werlin)

Were you aware that Colby cheese was invented in Wisconsin?  Or that Wisconsin lays claim to 46 different blue cheeses?  How 'bout the fact that cranberries are Wisconsin's numero uno fruit crop?  Or that the Mustard Museum makes its home in Wisconsin?  Did you know that for a very short time period I made my home in Wisconsin?  All of those facts, aside from the last, were laid out in the intro to this utterly addicting grilled cheese sandwich in grilled cheese, please! by Laura Werlin.  Hence the name of the sandwich...you know, for those of you who hadn't caught on yet.  Even though I felt like I lived there longer than I actually did, Wisconsin and alot of its people will always hold a special place in my heart.  I think it feels like I lived there for longer than I actually did (less than a year) because I visited so often.  One of my best friends in college was a Wisconsinite, born and bred, and I'd make the road-trip from East Lansing to Milwaukee many times before I actually moved there for a bit.  Man, those were good times.  When I remember Milwaukee I remember music (and other things that matched really well with music.  Especially when you're a college student.).  Home, concerts, bars, friends, work, the band in the basement, a drummer, camping, Summer Fest, road trips, cats...music was just a part of the air we breathed.  And my send-off was epic (at least in my mind)...two kegs of Leinie's, an integral part of daily life in Milwaukee.  They got one keg of Berry Weiss just because it was my favorite back then.  Jeff, Steph, Kel, John, Andy, Matt, Chris, Shel, Dan, Tony, Bryan, Marna, Ben, Eric (and anybody else my sometimes forgetful mind might have missed) this one's for you!  Thanks for making me an honorary Wisconsinite.

The Wisconsinite

from grilled cheese, please!

makes 4 sandwiches

¼ c. cranberry sauce

4 tsp. Dijon mustard (use a Wisconsin mustard if you can)

2 Tbs. butter, room temp.

8 sandwich sized sliced dark rye or marble rye

8 oz. Colby cheese, shredded

2 oz. blue cheese

In a small bowl, mix cranberry sauce and mustard together. fyi...this sauce rocks...make extra, you'll want to dip!

to assemble:  Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread.  Place 4 slices of bread, buttered side down, on your work surface.  Spread the cranberry mixture on the bread.  Distribute the colby, and crumble the blue cheese over the colby.  Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side up.

stovetop method:  Heat a large nonstick skillet I used cast-iron over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Put the sandwiches into the pan, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until undersides have darkened and become crisp.  Turn the sandwiches, pressing each one firmly with a spatula to flatten slightly.  Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, until undersides are crisp.  Remove the cover, turn the sandwiches once more, and press firmly with spatula once again.  Cook for 1 minute, or until the cheese has melted completely. (You might have to peek inside to make sure.)  Remove from the pan and let cool for 5 minutes.  Cut in half and serve.

Alternately, you could make this in a sandwich maker.

Drink with a Leinie's for a true Wisconsinite experience!

So, you may have heard me mention once or twice that I'm a total cheeseslut and mustn't go long without having a bit.  And what other quality goes better with cheeseslut than breadwhore?  Not many.  Since I'm fortunate enough to house both of those qualities deep in my being, I'm pretty sure that Laura Werlin wrote grilled cheese, please! with me specifically in mind.  It's possible, don't you think?  That while she was penning chapters with names like Just Cheese, Meat and Cheese, Anything Goes, Veggies and Cheese, Global Grilled Cheese, Grilled Cheese on the Go, Regional American Grilled Cheese, and Old Favorites and Modern Sides it was completely possible that she had my picture taped to the corner of her notebook (or computer monitor or clipboard...whatever the case may be).  But in all seriousness, don't let the compact appearance of this cookbook fool you, it is brimming with every type of grilled cheese sandwich you could imagine from Sweet-Tart Cheddar and Chorizo to the Chips and Guacamole Grilled Cheese to the Creamy, Cheesy, and Smoky Croissant (which I also tried...it was awesome) to ones you could never imagine like Erika's PB & Cheese (which has bologna, peanut butter, pickles and cheese all in one) and so, so many in between.  Werlin is an authority on cheesy things and I hope she wouldn't mind me ranking her high on the list of influential cheesesluts (because I do).  After testing so many varieties (this is actually her second book on grilled cheese), she shares the best techniques for making them in the beginning, such as when to grate the cheese, what type of bread to choose and what "fat" to use, sandwich makers, types of pans, and cooking methods.  So, if  you are a lover of warm, toasty bread filled with melty, delicious cheese...and other fillings...this is a can't-miss book for you. Check it out!

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher to review, should I choose.  All opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

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Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

With the nicer, warmer weather beginning to settle in, my urge for meals that seem a bit lighter are beginning to fall into place.  When Spring hits, I always feel a need to clean and cleanse and get ready to come alive after a few months of hunkering down and slumbering.  I mean this for both my eating habits and for the house and the yard and habits that have gotten lax and slovenly while being cooped up inside for so long.  This meal is lighter than what you would normally think of when you hear the word "stroganoff", but still full of flavor...creamy and citrusy and a bit tangy, even.  Plus, the whole family enjoyed it...and that is always a bonus.

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

from Jamie's Food Revolution

serves 2 (I tripled this)

sea salt

¾ c. brown basmati rice

1 large leek, cleaned well then halved & sliced thin

a big handful of crimini or oyster mushrooms, sliced

2 chicken breast fillets, cut into fingers

olive oil

butter

glass of white wine

freshly ground black pepper

a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped (stems & all) I didn't triple this, just used one bunch

1¼ c. heavy cream*

1 lemon

Cook your rice. 

Put a large pan on high heat and add a good lug of olive oil and a pat of butter.  Add the leek to the pan with the wine, a small glass of water, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Let it bubble away for 5 minutes, loosely covered.  Add chicken, most of parsley, cream and the mushrooms.  Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn heat down to medium and simmer for ~10 minutes.  Drain your rice.  Just before serving, cut your lemon in half and squeeze on half into the stroganoff. Season to taste.

Spoon some rice onto each plate and top with stroganoff.  Scatter with the rest of the parsley and serve with other half of lemon, cut into wedges.

*You may be tempted to use half & half in place of heavy cream.  Don't do it!  At least not if you want your sauce to be smooth and creamy and cohesive.  While heavy cream keeps it that way, half & half will "break" and cause your sauce to curdle and separate and look like you were trying to make cheese instead of sauce.  That said, it'll still taste good, but you won't win any photo contests.  And remember, we eat with our eyes first.  Although, if you're able to get everybody at the table to take their first bite with their eyes closed...or by candlelight, you may be okay.

Book Tour & Review: The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher (+ win a copy!)

Two years after the death of her husband, Heidi is still as lost and heartbroken as the day the tragic accident took him from her.  Coaxed by her family, she takes her son, Abbot (a worrier since his father's death) and her niece, Charlotte (a troubled, misunderstood teenager) to a home in Provence that has been in her family for generations.  But this is no ordinary home.  It is filled with magic!  Its very walls were laid through the sheer power of love.  Heidi's mother knows this home will heal her...give her what she needs...because it has always done that.

Though the journey began out of a sense of obligation, Heidi gradually realizes that through interacting and letting her heart gradually open again actually brings her closer to not only her son, her parents, her sister, her niece and friends from the past...but also to her lost husband, Henry.  She needed to learn to let go in order to hold on.  But it's not simply about Heidi.  Each character grows and develops and pulls at your heartstrings as the story unfolds.  I grew to adore Henry as much as Heidi did with her descriptions of him and how he grew up... "...Henry had been raised so differently.  His family was loud, rowdy, bawdy, quick to anger, quick to forgive--with food everywhere--Southern food mixed with Italian set to the mantra of Mangia! Mangia!--always frying, bubbling, spattering, the kitchen pumping like a steamy heart." p.37

Laced with mouthwatering descriptions of food, meals, wine...and scenes in the kitchen and around the table...this is one of my favorite types of books (books with descriptions of lands I want to visit and things I want to see and food I want to taste). "I loved the order of the vineyards.  The thick trunk of the vine, the neat rows, the way leaves and fruit were supported by the guidelines.  But there was also chaos in those vineyards...The leaves and the gnarled vines and the lurid green grapes grew up wildly from their ordered rows.  It was green against dusty rouge, chartreuse against chocolate." p. 190 A story of love and relationships set amidst food memory and travel.  "The very thickness of the vines showed their age, their maturity, their ability to bear fruit that years later would be the wine on a table with a simple meal of pistou and crusty bread." p. 192  It's a story of sharing your heart, even when it's vulnerable.  The kitchen is the heart and soul of the home and the people who spend time in it.  The sense of calm and unity and grounding become obvious when you just drop your inhibitions and let your senses take over.  It's about realizing that there is more than one kind of love.

Okay, I should probably stop quoting...but everytime I look back to the pages of this book and the penciled in underlines and stars that I added as I was reading it for the first time, I get nostalgic and want to jump in and head back to Provence to spend time with Heidi and Abbot and Charlotte and Julien and Véronique all over again.  Let me end this by saying that I adored this book and to wrap up with my favorite section in the whole book...the one I flip back to time and time again...

    "Véronique then limped into the room, placed the Crock-Pot on the center trivet.  When she pulled away the lid, a breath escaped, and the room filled, and my mind emptied.
    I could see the pale gold chicken resting in its deep sauce of tomatoes, garlic, peppers.  I could smell the garlic, wine, and fennel.  Véronique served and the juices ran sparkling to the edges of my plate, carrying a hint of citrus.  And the smell bloomed  ...  I began to eat, and it was like eating for the first time since Henry's death.  Why now?  ....  The first bite was almost too much for me, so much flavor, and I was so hungry." p. 240-1

Um, in case I wasn't clear, The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher...I loved it.

She said, "I love the way the French shove chocolate into everything.  It's, like, the best nervous tic, ever." -Charlotte p.145

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher to review.  All opinions stated in this post are 100% mine.

 ***The publisher has kindly offered to send one of my readers a copy of The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted.  If you have a mailing address in the United States and would like to be entered to win a copy, please let me know by leaving a comment below...just for fun, tell me where you would like to go to "clear your mind and get some fresh perspective" if you could choose anywhere.  All entries must be received by April 19th at 11:59 pm (Eastern) and I will draw a random name to receive a copy.  Please make sure I have a way of contacting you via blog or email address if you win.  Good Luck!***

Update 4/20/11: This giveaway is now closed.  A winner has been chosen by random draw (Pierce....congratulations!!!) and contacted via email. Thanks to all who entered. 

Kids On Food: Cinnamon Crunch Biscuit Bites

How big can one moms smile get?  So big that her cheeks ache and her eyes water and she feels like her heart will burst.  Come on moms...you've all been there numerous times and you know what I'm talking about, right?  Sweet Thang has library day once a week at school and gets to pick two books per week to bring home.  How awesome is it that one of the books he picks (quite often, actually) is a kids cookbook!?  He flips through it and has a few choices picked out by the time he brings it home.  The very first thing that he showed me he wanted to make in his latest selection was (amazingly) something that we had all of the ingredients in the house for already. Yes, I let my kids eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  And for some reason, I felt an urge to buy a couple cans of refrigerator biscuits when they were on sale for dirt cheap just a few days before.  Kismet.  They turned out to be a fun snack that scented the house with comfort and anticipation.  Warm and straight from the oven with a cold glass of milk...yum.

Cinnamon Crunch Biscuit Bites

inspired by/adapted from Pillsbury Kids Cookbook

makes 32-48 bites

¼ c. sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tube (16.3 oz.) Large Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits (like Grands, 8 per tube)

 6 Tbs. butter

2-3 c. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a gallon-size zippered baggy.  Cut each round of biscuit dough into four or six wedges (depending on how big you want the bites).  Drop into the baggy with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Zip up the bag and shake and toss and turn to coat.  Pour everything into a large, wide bowl or deep dish.

Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.  Pour the cereal into the same baggy that you just emptied out.  Seal it and crush the cereal with a rolling pin.  Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the cinnamon-sugar coated dough wedges.  Toss around so that all of the surfaces are coated.  Now pour the crushed cereal over the top of that and toss them all around until the crushed cereal sticks to the butter coated cinnamon-sugar dough wedges.  Basically, you're breading them.

Spread out evenly on a sheet tray that has been lined with a silpat, parchment paper, or foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Make sure none of the wedges are touching...they need space to brown well.  Slide into the oven and bake for ~11-13 minutes, or until golden.

Eat warm with a big glass of milk to wash them down.  Or pop leftovers in your mouth later.  They're still good.

We decided that next time we were going to try this using our favorite homemade biscuit dough.  We'll simply roll it out and use a biscuit cutter per usual, then cut the biscuits into wedges like we did for the refrigerator dough.  It might take a few moments longer, but I'm guessing they'll be even better this way.  No matter which dough you decide to go with, this is fun business for the whole family to get involved in...the eating and the making.

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Ribollita, inspired by The Kitchen Daughter

What is "normal"? Can it be defined...or is it all a matter of perspective? Ginny, a twenty-something who uses the sensual nature of food as a focal-point in her daily struggle to understand herself (and her Asperger's), grief, those around her, and just being normal, is the main character of The Kitchen Daughter, a novel by Jael McHenry. But what Ginny doesn't expect when retreating to the safety of her familiar kitchen are the spirits that are invoked when she cooks a handwritten recipe, as written. I am a believer in the supernatural...and I am a believer in the the power of food memory...so these moments in the book were what fascinated me the most. I wish they would have lasted longer, actually.

The story of the struggles between sisters and lovers and family also played their role at keeping me wondering what was going to happen next. Sometimes it is the things that our loved ones work so hard at sheltering us from that actually wind up bringing relief and a sense of who we are once they are out in the open. While she "collected" normal her whole life (read it...you'll understand), it took the death of her parents for Ginny to actually believe that she was just as normal as the checker at the market, the girl with red hair down the street, or the doctor in the next room.

From tears in my eyes to cheeks that ached from grinning to a belly that grumbled at me from the fabulous descriptions of food and recipes on these pages, there were many different aspects of this book that I enjoyed. I actually find myself wanting a sequel so that I can experience the next stage in Ginny's journey. From the first ghost-summoning recipe for her Nonna's Ribollita all the way to Ginny's own version in the end...I knew that this was what I would wind up making first from this book. And I am so glad that I did.