Come to the Table

Meringue Jam Squares

I'm going to an "Is My Blog Burning - Sugar High Friday" Cookie Swap Party and I'm bringing...Meringue Jam Squares.

This is a recipe handed down from my Grandmother.  My Dad requests these for his birthday dessert instead of cake, and they are festive squares for birthdays or Christmastime. 

The cinnamon meringue is soft and fluffy with a bit of crunch on the browned top.  Next your teeth sink into a sweet jam layer (I used red raspberry preserves this time.)  The berry taste is followed by a satisfying shortbread cookie base.

Sake Steak & Rice

While browsing through Nigella Lawson's Feast, I stumbled on her recipe for Sake Steak and Rice.  It's found in the chapter called "Ultimate Feasts."

I wanted to try it for several reasons:

1. Who can resist Nigella's declaration, "I cook this more often than I cook anything else, bar the roast chicken, in my repertoire." 
2. Cooking with sake sounds like a fun adventure. 
3. As a rule, marinating meat is a good thing to do.

We weren't disappointed with the results.  I was unable to find a few ingredients, namely cardamom pods and fresh cilantro.  (The grocery store tried to trick me into buying parsley, but it's just not the same as fresh cilantro, so I'll have to try that addition to the recipe next time.)  I also couldn't find fish sauce (nam pla) or brown rice vinegar.  That leaves me with some items for future gourmet grocery store quests. 

The recipe is fairly simple and the meal was delicious.  I was glad to learn Nigella's method of cooking the steaks briefly on a ridged griddle and then resting them on a wooden board in double-wrapped aluminum foil packets to finish cooking.  The meat turned out very tender and the juices within the packets were used to make the sauce.

The recipe can be found on p. 342-343 of Nigella Lawson's Feast: Food to Celebrate Life.

St. Michaels, Maryland

The first thing to note about St. Michaels, Maryland is this: there is no apostrophe in the name of the town!  Now that that's over with, I can tell you about all the wonderful things there are in this town on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Eric and I headed over the Bay Bridge in late August for a mini-vacation.  We stayed at a beautiful bed and breakfast, Folly's Cove.  We chose it sight unseen from the Internet list of bed and breakfast establishments because it met some key criteria for us: full gourmet breakfasts, a pool, and a water view.

For breakfast every day we enjoyed a large pot of coffee, juice, a muffin or sweet bread appetizer, a fruit parfait, and a main breakfast dish such as french toast or waffles or eggs with cheese and vegetables.  One of the many nice touches with the breakfast in the sunroom was the pewter knife rest at each place setting.  It was also a treat to have fine china, a tablecloth, and cloth napkins at breakfast time.  We had our own table for two overlooking the water and the pool and the meal was leisurely while fueling us for the vacation day ahead.

We're excited to return to Folly's Cove and St. Michaels someday!

Pure Chocolate Pilgrimage

It wouldn't be a vacation without at least one food pilgrimage.  On this past summer's annual Washington State visit, it was Fran's Chocolates.

I first heard about Fran Bigelow and her amazing confections on NPR almost one year ago.  A few months later, I acquired her book, Pure Chocolate.  Then one of my friends raved about her dark chocolate caramels topped with gray sea salt. 

Eric and I stopped at Fran's in University Village near the University of Washington.  We bought the caramels, coconut gold bar, and chocolate wafers.  The caramels and wafers we took outside to the Village courtyard and savored under a blue Seattle summer sky.  The coconut gold bar I managed to hold off eating until we were back home and it was worth the wait.  Sometimes I go to bakeries and come away disappointed because their offerings have a bland and processed taste.  Not so at Fran's.  Everything we tried was satisfying.  The flavors were pure and the delicious chocolate brought a sweet ending to our pilgrimage.

Now I'll have to try some more recipes from Pure Chocolate.  I like how the beginning of the cookbook serves as a "chocolate 101" course for those who want to learn "everything you need to know about chocolate" (that's the title of the introductory section).  Bigelow even addresses "chocolate kitchen clean-up" and recommends stocking dark brown or black kitchen towels and aprons so the chocolate doesn't stain your kitchen linens. 

Oh!  I almost forgot to mention the other Fran's recipe we've tried and loved: Pure Chocolate Sauce.  On ice cream or straight off the spoon, it's the best.

Pure Chocolate Sauce
From Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a small saucepan bring the cream just to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate.  Let set one minute.  Stir with a heatproof rubber spatula until smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.  Serve warm or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

To reheat, place the container in a pot of warm water until the sauce is warm and loose.

Day Off Cupcakes

Rather than fight the Friday lunch crowds to visit with a friend, today Eric and I had a delightful lunch date at our friend's new home.  I made and brought Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting from the Penzys Spices Catalog.  I cut the recipe in half and made 9 cupcakes.  The frosting turned out a bit lighter brown than I expected but it was still delicious.  The cupcakes had a subtle vanilla flavor with cinnamon sprinkled throughout.  The cupcakes were moist and soft and not overly sweet.  The frosting (spread thickly on the cupcakes with some left over for a yet-to-be-determined use--graham crackers, maybe?) had a light texture and complemented the cupcakes well.

Vanilla Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375.  Line muffin pans with 18 cupcake papers, set aside.  Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth (Paige's note: I used a hand-held electric mixer until just combined and smooth, trying not to overmix.)  Spoon batter into cupcake papers, half full.  You should get 18 cupcakes.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk

Put the softened butter into a bowl.  Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa over the butter.  Cream together on low speed to blend.  Add the vanilla and milk and mix on medium speed until frosting is smooth.  You may add more milk if you like a thinner frosting.

Makes 18 cupcakes

About the Table

If I could have any kind of table, I would have a round one.  At that table, there would always be room for one more.  My name is Paige and I live in the Baltimore, Maryland area.  My husband Eric and I like to have friends over for food and conversation in the midst of our hectic work lives.  We have a guest book that we started on the night we held our first party together and we have chronicled many meals, desserts, and brunches with friends and family from all over.  With "Come to the Table" I am excited to enter the food blogging world and share recipes, books, and stories from our table.  Come in and find a seat!