Ina Takes the Cake

Here's the rundown on the chocolate layer cake I told you about yesterday: 

I first saw this recipe in the March, 2007, issue of Food and Wine magazine and then I discovered Ina, my best bud in the Hamptons, a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa, published it in one of her cookbooks.  You know she's got some confidence in this baby if she's blanketing the media with it.  And rightfully so.  Ina is quoted in Food and Wine saying it's the most fabulous chocolate cake she's ever made.  I bet she's made quite a few. 

The gang at the weekend crabaganza (see previous post) gave this cake high marks, and believe me, that's one tough crowd.

Double-Chocolate Layer Cake
(Also called Beatty's Chocolate Cake in Barefoot Contessa at Home)

CAKE
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 C sugar
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's dark chocolate)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 C. freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter two 8-inch round cake pans.  Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. 

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.  In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.  With the mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal.  With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting.  Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of cake.

Now here's the deal on the frosting:  I didn't use Ina's recipe because it has a raw egg in it and that grossed me out.  Turns out there's a big egg recall today so I may have made a wise decision.  But if you are brave, here is her recipe for the chocolate frosting, followed by the one I used:

INA'S CHOCOLATE FROSTING
6 oz. semisweet chocolate (Don't use chocolate chips because they contain stabilizers)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 C sifted confectioners' sugar
1 T. instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating 3 minutes.  Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy.  Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water.  On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended.  Don't whip!  Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

MY MOCHA BUTTERCREAM
6 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (Don't use chocolate chips)
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 C half and half
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 C confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 T. instant coffee granules, mixed with 1/4 C hot water

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate at high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until most of the chocolate is melted.  Stir until completely melted, then set aside to cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter at medium speed until pale and fluffy.  Add, one at a time, the chocolate, coffee, half and half, and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, scraping down the side of the bowl.  At low speed, slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar.  I keep adding confectioners' sugar until I get the frosting to spreading consistency.

Notes:  This cake was in the trunk of my car for 4 hours and when I reached my brother's house, the icing was melting.  I put it in the fridge for an hour or so, tidied up the frosting and I think it ended up looking better than in the picture, which I took before the trip.  I suggest storing this cake in the refrigerator.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Crabmas

I haven't been blogging for a few days because we went to Ft. Lauderdale last weekend for a little family reunion.  It's a rare occasion when my four siblings and I all congregate in one place with my parents.  Unlike most normal families, we don't descend on a park or a beach and have a big cookout, where everyone brings a covered dish.   Oh no, not this displaced group of Marylanders.  When we manage to herd the group together, we get crabby and haul in crustaceans by the dozens. 

This year's count totalled 12 dozen.  My Brothers Crab have taken to calling the get-together "Crabmas," complete with crab lights strung around the dining room, with a few Christmas items thrown in for good measure and holiday ambience.   It makes for an eclectic, yet festive, atmosphere.

It all began several years ago as a birthday crab bash for my brother.  With each successive year, this Old Bay fest has attracted different family members, friends and relatives.  This year, in addition to our immediate clan, we welcomed our crab-loving, Baltimore-born cousin and her sweet daughter, a new crabeater extraordinaire.  It's always fun to indoctrinate a newbie, especially when she's a willing participant who dives right in.  Must be in the blood.

Here's a peek at Crabmas Day: 

The morning of the party, my brothers round up the crabs from one of a couple of local seafood purveyors.  My father is in charge of worrying about whether the locals will have enough crabs and whether my brother's driveway will accommodate a million cars.  My mother worries about additional food to have on hand for the non-crabeaters, like herself, although rarely does anyone eat anything other than crabs.  This does not prevent her from cooking and transporting a turkey breast, a spiral-sliced ham and a crock-load of chili.

The cooking begins after everyone arrives at Birthday Brother's house.  My other brother is Steamer-in-Chief.   He starts cooking the live crabs after everyone arrives because it doesn't take long to steam crabs and he has a method.  He fires up a few turkey cooker elements and puts those crab pots right on top, where you would normally place the vat of oil in which to fry the turkey.  He heavily seasons the crabs with Old Bay and pepper because we like our lips burning and our cuticles on fire. 

This is where the ice-cold beer comes in handy.  Beer is an integral part of any crab gathering, and for some unknown reason, it's fun to drink cheap beer with crabs.  The Brothers Crab ice it down and place coolers tableside, making them easily accessible to grimy, crab-encrusted hands.   For the underage set who eye the beer longingly, there is a cooler of water and soft drinks.

Once cooked, the crabs are up for grabs in big buckets placed at intervals on a long newspaper-covered table.  Several rolls of paper towels are interspersed along the crab route.  Hours of hammering, picking, intellectually stimulating conversation about our most-hated Food Network celebrities, and beer guzzling ensue.

No brews for these three characters, who outlasted the oldsters by only a few crabs.

The evening culminates with a decadent dessert smorgasbord.  This one consisted of cheesecake, key lime pie, pineapple upside down cake, and chocolate layer birthday cake.   A sweet treat and coffee are a must when ending a spicy crab feast.  Watch for tomorrow's post about the chocolate cake. 

Crab feast cleanup is a breeze at Birthday Brother's tiled house.  He wheels in a gigantic garbage can, and the men do a wrap-and-roll routine with the newspaper, gathering up every bit of feeler, claw, shell, and lung that has been scraped off in a frenzy of seafood gluttony, the pillage piled high on the table. 

The entire mess gets dumped into the can, leaving the garbage men to wonder what the heck went on at the house over the weekend, and probably leading them to put a hex on the place. 

Have you ever smelled crab guts that have been baking in a garbage can in 90-degree heat for a few days?  I am sure they will be counting the days till next Crabmas - just like the rest of us.

In a Pickle Over Pickles

A couple weeks ago I made pickles for the first time.   Forbes Road Produce had a bunch of fresh kirby cucumbers and I was in the mood to do some canning.  Why I find making stuff and putting it into jars so rewarding I don't know - probably something only a shrink could answer - but I love looking at the finished product, knowing I made it. 

After deciding on the old-fashioned bread-and-butter variety, I referred to recipes from Southern Living and the Web site http://www.pickyourown.org/, and then went to work.  Everybody says pickles are easy to make and that it's a fun thing to do with kids.  That might be true if the kids are adept with knives, or you have the patience of a saint. There's a lot of chopping involved with bread-and-butter pickles, which require loads of thinly sliced onion and cukes sliced into 3/16-inch rounds. 

That was the most time-consuming aspect of this project, other than waiting while the cukes and onions iced down for four hours in the fridge.  After that, it was simply a matter of boiling up ingredients and plopping them into sterilized jars. 

Now, the real time-consuming part - waiting to open them.  The pickyourown people want me to wait four to six weeks!  They can't be serious.  I can't wait to try them.  What if they are terrible?  Cucumber season doesn't last forever, and I'll have to make another attempt.  I think I'll open them tomorrow...just one jar.

A Dessert So Easy, Sandra Lee Would Be Proud

Ice cream and cake...ice cream and cake...let's all do the ice cream and cake!

This dessert is so easy it's stupid.  And it is so good.  One of my daughter's favorites, this is a cake I have made for years and everyone loves it.  Since it was her birthday, I decided to make it last weekend.  It takes about 20 minutes to prepare ahead and a few minutes to whip the cream right before serving.   No oven required, it's a great icy treat on a hot summer evening.

Coffee Toffee Ice Cream Cake
(Inspired by Southern Living)

2 (3-ounce) packages plain ladyfingers
2 T. instant coffee granules
1/4 C hot water
1 (8-ounce) package toffee candy bits, divided
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
3 T. Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
1 C whipping cream
1 to 2 T. powdered sugar

1. Stand ladyfingers around edge of 9-inch springform pan; line bottom of pan with remaining ladyfingers. 
2. Combine coffee and 1/4 cup hot water in a small bowl, stirring until dissolved; let cool completely.
3. Stir 3/4 package of toffee bits and coffee into softened ice cream.  Spoon into prepared pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 8 hours.
4. With mixer on medium speed, whip cream until foamy.  Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form.  Gently fold liqueur into cream and dollop around edge of ice cream mixture.  Sprinkle leftover toffee bits on top of cake.  Let stand 30 minutes before serving. 

Notes:  The original recipe calls for an 8-ounce container of frozen whipped topping, thawed, in place of whipped cream.  This makes it even easier and more Sandra Lee-like, but I am not a big fan of all the mystery ingredients in Cool Whip.  Streamlining it even more, you can also substitute coffee ice cream for the vanilla ice cream and coffee mixture.  You can find packaged ladyfingers in the bakery department at Publix or among the frozen foods at Fresh Market.

Totally Tasty Find: Beignets at Nola Cafe

My daughter is home from college this week, on break between summer and fall semesters at the recently ranked No. 1 party school in the nation, University of Georgia.  With that kind of parental-pride-inducing competition (insert collective sigh here from parents, administration and academia), we try to show her a good time when she visits dear old Mom and Dad in Tampa. 

What better way to entertain your partying coed than to take her to a museum!  No, really.  She appreciates art, and since none of us had ever been to the Salvador Dali Museum, we went to St. Petersburg Tuesday to check it out.   A fascinating collection, even if Dali is not your artistic cup of tea, it's located in the happening heart of St. Pete.  If you know St. Pete, you know that "happening" is a stretch, but at least it is situated in an area of town near the water, the pier, and an assortment of shops and restaurants.  After touring destination Dali, we wandered over to the waterfront, Beach Drive specifically, and stumbled upon Nola Cafe.

It was about 3 p.m., an off time in the restaurant world and, as expected, the place - located in Parkshore Plaza among other eateries and shops - had a single diner reading a newspaper.  A smiling server, probably the manager, and the only employee I saw besides a cook who wandered outside for a break, told us to choose any table and then came to greet us and take drink orders.

A cursory glance revealed an inviting coffee shop atmosphere, roomier than most, with an L-shaped bar available for diners who opt for counter service or for a front-row seat to view the plasma television.  The environs are warm, the chairs are comfy, and a New Orleans theme is reflected in the music, menu and cans of Cafe du Monde coffee and a few other food-related items exhibited for sale.

Listed on a chalkboard near the coffee bar were the day's specials, which included vanilla French toast, catfish po' boy and lobster bisque.  Among Big Easy favorites on the lunch and dinner menu are jambalaya, po' boy sandwiches, gumbo, and red beans and rice.  Sandwich wraps, soups and salads are also available. 

Since my philosophy is to stick with the restaurant's theme, I ordered a bowl of chicken and andouille gumbo.  Mostly andouille sausage cut into a small dice, the gumbo was flavorful with a dark roux and a pleasant, smokey heat, but contained only one strip of chicken along with scant white rice.   For $9.99, it wasn't exactly a meal.

A few puny slices of unremarkable baguette were shared among us.  Dieting Hubmeister had a lackluster house salad, comprised solely of lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons.  The grilled chicken topper he added to it didn't help this lame effort, which was so boring it came with bottles of oil and vinegar. 

My daughter chose the lobster bisque, which she lapped up, and my son had a roast beef po' boy, the most impressive-looking plate on the table.  Juicy, shredded roast beef was served on a long French roll with an accompanying romaine lettuce-based salad.  The beef was topped with fresh diced tomatoes, the bread smeared with mayo. 

What we ordered next were the highlights of this late lunch, and appropriately enough, they are highlighted in a box on the menu.  Somebody once said always order the dish the restaurant puts in a big box on the menu because that's the item the restaurant is most proud of.  Makes sense, doesn't it?  If it's something I like I'll order it, and in this case it was not a problem to order:  drum roll, please...beignets.
 

Cafe au lait and beignets are worth a visit to Nola's in Tampa or St. Pete.

We shared an order consisting of three fluffy fried pillows of dough covered in a blizzard of powdered sugar.  Straight from the fryer and into our mouths, those, and the cafe au lait chaser - half chicory coffee and half hot milk - were a scrumptious combination. 

When I asked our friendly server what coffees they offered and she answered, "Everything, because we are mainly a coffee shop," I did a mental head slap.  A more attentive look at the menu indicated a lengthy list of coffee drinks.  Hello!

Nola's is okay for a sandwich or bowl of soup, but the real reason to stop in is for coffee and beignets. 

Restaurant Info:
Nola Cafe & News Stand
300 E. Beach Drive N.
St. Petersburg, FL
727-498-8978
http://www.nolacafe.com/

Also:
301 W. Platt St. #C
Tampa, FL
813-258-8778

Making the List: La Septima Cafe

We move around a lot, or so it seems.  About every five years Hubmeister's company moves him to another location and we go through all the aches and pains of packing up, buying and selling houses, settling kids into schools, saying goodbye to friends and neighbors, and leaving all that's become comfortable and familiar.  It's exciting yet sad, a blessing yet a curse.  In food terms, I guess you could say it is bittersweet.

So, I read with interest a recent article on a local news blog about a young Tampa woman who decided to visit all her favorite restaurants before departing for law school in Miami.  She had some intriguing choices and they got me thinking about which dining establishments I felt compelled to visit before my big moves.  The future lawyer had a couple high-end spots on her list, such as Sidebern's and Mise en Place, but the majority were affordable local favorites, including La Teresita, Zudar's Deli, and Crab Shack.  

The restaurants that crop up on my list from past moves also tend to be casual hangouts where we took the kids and had fun, not the upscale, celebrate-the-anniversary-type spots.   All had decent food but not award-winning cuisine.  I believe a pizza joint has made the list at every locale. 

A restaurant that would probably make my list here is La Septima Cafe.  Located in a tiny strip mall on Parsons Road in Brandon, La Septima is a restaurant I have visited on several occasions since my return to Tampa a few years ago. 

Exuding the intimate charm inherent in a family-run operation, this small Cuban eatery appears stuck in a time warp, as if some of the decor could be seen on "That '70s Show."  But it's a retro spot you're happy to visit and nobody seems to care about the dated wallpaper, the dark carpet, or the Tiffany-style fixtures illuminating the tables.  La Septima hasn't redecorated in a while, if ever, but it's a prime example of a comfortable place to hang out, like visiting an aunt who has lived in the same house as long as you can remember, offering you delicious meals from her trusted kitchen.

Named after Ybor's historic Seventh Avenue and bedecked with vintage photos of Ybor City, this 15-year-old cafe offers Cuban-style breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I have sampled all three menus, with multiple lunch visits to my credit.

A generous breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and Cuban toast really hit the spot, and if I lived in Brandon I would be eating it all too often.  Lunch and dinner menus incorporate traditional Cuban dishes, such as Palomilla, Picadillo, and Arroz con Pollo, and daily specials are listed on a white board near the hostess station.  Ropa Vieja with black beans and yellow rice, a menu item and often a special, has been my go-to dish until this week, when Hubmeister and I had lunch at La Septima and I ordered the Lechon Asado special with black beans and yellow rice.

Lechon Adado with Black Beans and Rice (and a side of onions)

The Lechon Asado, pork slowly roasted in sour orange mojo, was ambrosial.  The citrus and garlic marinade permeated the pork, which was so tender you forgot there was a knife on the table.  The black beans and rice were nicely seasoned and satisfying, and on all my visits the server asked if I would like onions to accompany them.   Oh yeah!  The onions are sweet with a sour bite, perhaps marinated in that same sour orange mojo mixture.  They are the perfect crunchy accent to the soft rice and beans.  When I was finished my meal, there was nothing left on that white plate.

Hubmeister, on a downward spiral in our restaurant excursions lately, didn't fare as well with his selection of the Elena Ruiz sandwich, a special listed on the board.  Excited because he discovered a similar sandwich recently in Miami and came home proclaiming he experienced sandwich heaven, he was disappointed that it was not representative of his much-beloved new find, the Elena Ruth sandwich. 

Although Ruiz and Ruth are two different names, the sandwiches are the same.  I looked it up and I have no idea why the names are different, but the ingredients are the same for this sandwich, which has several aliases:  Elena Ruth, Elena Ruz and Elena Ruiz.  Interesting name confusion.

Elena Ruiz Sandwich with Spanish Potatoes

The Miami Elena Ruth featured turkey, cream cheese and strawberry jam on sweet bread - the traditional ingredients - but La Septima's Elena Ruiz was served on regular Cuban bread with a guava spread.  Hubmeister says the key to the sandwich is the sweet Hawaiian-type bread.   Not all Cuban sandwiches are created equal, nor are all Elena Ruiz/Ruz/Ruth sandwiches.  Such is life in Cuban Sandwichland.

This is not to say the traditional Cuban bread at La Septima is forgettable - quite the contrary.  The restaurant is proud of it, too, boasting on the menu that its purveyor is Tampa's Casino Bakery, which has been making Cuban bread since 1912.

La Septima's Cuban sandwich is praise-worthy, too.  In fact, we brought one home for the kids and they scarfed it down in minutes. 

On my next visit, I will try the tempting cheesecake slices rotating in the old-fashioned glass dessert carousel in the dining room.  There is a guava cheesecake calling my name, and I want to be sure I taste it before we move again.

Restaurant Info:
La Septima Cafe
140 N. Parsons Avenue
Brandon, Florida
813-684-1948

Order Up: Spicy Quesadillas

Sometimes I feel like a short-order cook.  Somebody hates onion. Somebody else hates chicken. Somebody likes their food spicy. Somebody else detests spice.  Somebody is trying to gain weight.  Somebody is trying to lose weight.  The list drones on with mushrooms, green peppers, and blah, blah, blah.

Whatever happened to the time when you ate whatever Mom put in front of you, and if you didn't like it, your choices consisted of either going to bed hungry or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Oh, those were the days!  I grew up in a family of five kids, and my mom never would have put up with this multiple choice nonsense. 

I bet Martha Stewart wouldn't tolerate it.  Can you imagine her contempt?  Her awesome quesadilla recipe would have been the only one prepared last night, not three different quesadilla concoctions.  I know, you're saying it's my own fault - and it is!  Mom also wouldn't put up with whining, so let the complaining cease and the fiesta begin.

The full monty.  These were fantastic, Martha.

Omnimedia-maniac Martha and her gang of culinary wizards have come through with another fabulous dish.  First, the ricotta cheesecake, and now, adobo-marinated chicken quesadillas.  Oh my word, these were spicy specimens of smokey goodness!   I rarely make Martha's recipes, but with these recent successes, I'm starting to reconsider.

Except for a quick trip to the store for additional rice vinegar and some tortillas, I had all the quesadilla ingredients on hand.  Easy and quick to prepare, these Mexican treats are hearty enough that they need no accompanying sides.  If you have picky eaters in your house - ahem - you can modify the recipe in many ways.  They have a great kick to them for those who appreciate the spicier side of life.

Adobo-Marinated Chicken Quesadillas
(Martha Stewart Living)

1 can (7 oz) chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 C water
4 chicken cutlets
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced crosswise
1 C rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1/4 C sugar
8 eight-inch flour tortillas
5 ounces low-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/3 C) (I used full-fat Colby Jack)

1. Puree chiles in adobo sauce and water in a blender until smooth.  Pour mixture over chicken to coat.  Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, place onion in a small bowl.  Combine jalapenos, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer and cook until jalapenos are soft and sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.  Pour over onion, and let stand until mixture is cool.  Strain though a fine sieve/colander.
3. Heat a grill pan over high heat.  Grill chicken about 2 minutes per side, depending on thickness.  Slice into strips.  Wipe pan clean.
4. Place 1 tortilla onto a work surface.  Arrange strips of 1 cutlet to cover tortilla.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and some onion-jalapeno mixture.  Top with another tortilla.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken, cheese, and onion mixture.
5. Carefully place quesadilla onto hot grill pan, and cook over medium heat until tortillas are crisp and cheese melts, about 4 minutes per side.  Cut each quesadilla in half, and divide among 8 plates. (This is funny because I ate an entire quesadilla, both halves.  Explains why I thought they were so hearty!) 

Notes:  I spray the outside of the tortillas with cooking spray before grilling.  If you don't have a grill pan, cook them in a skillet as you would a grilled cheese sandwich.  You won't get the grill marks, but it will still taste great.  I haven't tried these on an outdoor grill, but why not?  A medium-low temperature would probably work best.

These are missing the colorful red onion and jalapeno peppers.  Criminal!

#2  Not-So-Spicy, Low-Fat Adobo-Marinated Chicken Quesadillas
(for the I-hate-onion-and-spicy-foods-but-like-chicken-and-I'm-also-on-a-diet eater)

Omit onion-jalapeno mixture, and substitute black bean dip.
Use whole wheat, low-carb tortillas, fat-free dip, and reduced-fat cheese.

My kid raved about these simple meatball quesadillas.

#3  Easy Meatball Quesadillas
(for the skinny, chicken-and-onion hater)
Makes 1 quesadilla

6 to 8 small frozen meatballs, thawed and crumbled
1 to 2 T black bean dip (I like Fresh Market)
1/4 C Monterey Jack cheese (I used Colby Jack)
Fresh cilantro, optional
Salsa, sour cream for dipping
2 eight-inch regular flour tortillas

Spread bean dip on one tortilla.  Place meatball crumbles on top of dip.  Top with shredded cheese and cilantro, if desired.  Place tortilla on grill pan and grill a few minutes on each side until the cheese melts and you have some nice grill marks.  Cut into wedges, and serve with salsa and sour cream.