Lunch For Two

The Broke and Chic Project

It's a bit slow getting up and running but come by and visit at The Broke and Chic Project where we'll be talking about dinner party menus that are fabulous and thrifty! All manner of chic fun will be discussed

Lemon cake recipe

Baking, the saw goes, is like chemistry. You can't really mess with the recipe or you will create a messy, disaster or just a disappointing cake. But still there is some room for those of us who aren't really bakers or the types who like to follow the recipe. You can combine different flavors, experiment with tastes and see how it goes. This recipe, for lemon cake, is basically an add-on of a simple vanilla layer cake with store bought lemon curd for the filling and a buttercream frosting that has lemon juice added to it. If you know someone who loves lemon this is the cake to make...

So the recipe goes in three parts; cake, filling [I highly recommend buying a jar], and icing. The cake can be made a day ahead, filled and iced the day-of.

This recipe serves 12

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 Tbs grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups (white) sugar

2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 cup buttermilk

 

1 - pre-heat oven to 350 while you are preparing the batter. Butter and flour two 8 inch cake pans. In a bowl mix together flour, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2 - Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in eggs and yolks, on low, one at a time. Then mix in 2 Tablespoons of the lemon juice. Then beat in buttermilk and flour, alternately.

3 - Pour batter into two pans, making sure they are even and level. Bake 35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert and cool on wire racks.

When you are ready to put cake together:

Filling:

1 jar of lemon curd

Stack the two cakes so that the smooth ends are face up. If you are feeling ambitious, carefully slice them in half, length-wise to make two layers so that you have a four layer cake. Carefully smooth the lemon curd and stack the cakes. Cover with plastic wrap, then refigerate for at least one hour before frosting.

 Icing:

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 - Beat the butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds - 1 minute until it is creamy. Then, gradually beat in confectioners sugar. Add the cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and vanilla. Increase the speed and beat for approximately three minutes until the frosting is creamy and fluffy.

Frost the cooled, assembled, lemon-curd filled cake. I like to leave a few hours for the whole thing to settle but it is ready to go. Yum. If you want, you can sprinkle it with dragees, silver or another color...

 

 

To brine or not to brine?

Awesome post from Patio Daddio about whether to brine your turkey or not. Guess what he thinks? That's right, brine away...

Sweet chicken couscous

Now that I'm in the arena of the chic and Moroccan –– a place I could happily stay for a long time –– I have to share this recipe. I made it for one of the best chefs I know, Manny Howard, whose book My Empire of Dirt is an amazing read. It's all about how he turned his Brooklyn backyard into a producing farm. Anyway, I made this for him and he loved it. It's a pretty sophisticated dish, at least by my standards, and you will probably be shocked or at least surprised by all the raisins involved. And maybe even by the large amount of onions. But preservere! You will wind up with an unusual, delicious dish. It is a very ancient recipe from the city of Fez.

 

Couscous m'hassel Sweet Chicken couscous:

serves 6

Canola oil for frying

2lbs 4oz onions, peeled and sliced

3 tsp crushed saffron

3tsp ground ginger

3tsp ground black pepper

1 lb 2 oz raisins

3tsp ground cinnamon

1-2 tbs sugar

3 lbs 6 ounces chicken pieces

5 ounces toasted, sliced almonds (for garnish)

 

1- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onin and 1 tsp each of the spices except the cinnamon over a low heat until the onion is soft. Add the raisins, 1 tsp of the cinnamon and the sugar. Cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside, off the heat, to let the flavors meld.

2 - Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining spices (saffron, ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon) and cook in a steamer OR bake in a 375 oven for 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through.

3 - Make enough couscous for 6.

4 - Arrange the chicken pieces over the couscous, pour the onion and raisin mixture, then garnish with the toasted almonds and serve.

Fez

Thanksgiving recipes

Had a request to list Thanksgiving recipes so here they are:

 

Roast Turkey recipes:

Delia's Traditional Roast Turkey

Simple Roast Turkey with Rich Gravy

Apple pie recipe:

The Best Apple pie evah

Squash recipes:

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash tagine

 

Tulips by Robert Mapplethorpe

 

 

 

 

 

Chic, Moroccan cabbage salad

This is quite possibly one of the chic-est salads I've ever made. It's not a salad in the fresh, crunchy school –– this is a warm, cooked salad that can be served at room temperature. In fact it's actually best at room temperature but it's so good that when you make it, it's hard to stop eating.
This is an ideal accompaniement to Moroccan food, but it's also great as one of a series of appetizers or as a side dish to chicken or pork. It's a bit delicate tasting so I wouldn't put it up against beef. Could you serve it on Thanksgiving? Oh, my could you!

 

Chicest ever Moroccan Cabbage Salad:

1 white cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced

3 1/2 ounces water

2 Tbs canola oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

small bunch of coriander, leaves chopped

1 preserved lemon, pith removed, finely diced

 

1- Boil the cabbage in salted water in a covered saucepan for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the heat and drain.

2 - Heat the canola oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin, pepper, garlic and sauté for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant but not burnt. Stir in the lemon. Mix in the cabbage.

 

Butternut squash tagine

It is hard to find a recipe for a really good vegetable tagine because, conceptually, tagines are all about slow-cooking meat. This one, though, is made for the butternut squash itself, not a missing piece of lamb or beef. The cinnamon flavor is light and alluring and the honey stirred in at the end is the sweetness that is usally supplied by dried fruit in the meat tagines. If you are cooking for a vegan, use maple syrup or agave syrup. This is perfect as a side dish with a piece of fish (awesome with salmon) or chicken and can be dinner or lunch on it's own. Serve it on top of steamed couscous. It's also great as a generous side dish with the apricot and prune tagine...yummy, healthy and inexpensive. More of what to make when you're feeling chic and broke.

Butternut Squash Tagine:

2 Tbs canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1 cinnamon stick

2.5 lbs peeled butternut squash, cut into cubes

400 g can of chopped tomatoes

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

a handful of green beans, topped

2 Tbs chopped mint

2 Tbs chopped coriander

2 Tbs honey

 

1- heat the canola oil in a large, deep frying pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes then add the garlic and grated ginger to the pan. Cook, stirring for about one minute. Add the cumin, ground coriander, paprika and cinnamon stick, then stir for another minute until fragrant.

2- Add the chopped squash, the tomatoes and the stock. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

3- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Add the green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes until they are tender and bright green.

4- When you're ready to serve, stir in the chopped herbs and honey.

 

Big, beautiful, budget Thanksgiving

  Turkey-stuffing-gravy-cranberry sauce is a deep, uncontestable truism. The Thanksgiving menu is just non-negotiable for some people, especially the people I love (and cook for.) But this year, I have decided to make the most delicious, gourmet, traditional Thanksgiving I can on a budget. The rules I have set out for myself are as follows: the most important thing is that everything tastes amazing, that the food is traditional and elegant, and that I can bring the grocery bill as close to $100 as possible (not including wine.) I'm cooking for six which is a much smaller group than usual but these guidelines work for doubling, tripling etc. This year I am only using seriously time-tested, majorly trustworthy recipes.

 

The Big, Beautiful, Budget Thanksgiving Menu:

Roast Turkey with gravy

Sage, sausage and apple stuffing

Sweet potatoes

Best ever Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Fresh cranberry relish and traditional cranberry sauce

Home made pumpkin pie

 

This recipe, for a simple, roast turkey is really easy and turns out a delicious bird. It calls for a 16 pound bird which feeds 12 people. I am going to make a 10 pound bird and adjust the time accordingly. Here's a handy chart:

Approximate Turkey Cooking Times:
The new roasting times are based on the recommendations above and on a 325 degree F. oven temperature. These times are approximate and should always be used in conjunction with a properly placed meat thermometer.

UNSTUFFED TURKEY

4 to 8 pounds.............1-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours
8 to 12 pounds................2-3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds...............3 to 3-3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds...............3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds...............4-1/4 to 4-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds...............4-1/2 to 5 hours

STUFFED TURKEY

8 to 12 pounds................3 to 3-1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds...............3-1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds...............4 to 4-1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds...............4-1/4 to 4-3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds...............4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours

 

SIMPLE ROAST TURKEY WITH RICH GRAVY

All the special equipment you need for this recipe is in bold....

 

1 16 lb turkey at room temperature for one hour. Neck and giblets removed and reserved.

1 Tbs salt

1 3/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups water

7-8 cups turkey stock

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbs cider vinegar

 

1- Put oven rack in the lowest position and pre-heat oven to 450. Pat the turkey dry and make sure there aren't any feathers, quills etc still on it. Sprinkle turkey cavities with salt and pepper. Fold neck skin under body and secure with a metal skewer. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string and fold wings under body.

2-Put turkey on rack in roasting pan. Add 1 cup of water to the pan and roast without basting rotating pan halfway through roasting, until meat thermometer inserted into fleshy part of the thigh (test both thighs and make sure not to touch the bone) registers at 170.

3- Carefully tilt the turkey so that juices from inside the large cavity run into the roasting pan. Transfer the turkey to a platter, then cover loosely with tin foil and allow it to sit for 30 minutes while you make the gravy.

4- Pour the pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup then skim off and discard fat. If you have a fat separator pour the pan juices into the separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top, which will take about 2 minutes. Carefully pour pan juices from the separator into a measuring cup.

5- Straddle the roasting pan across two burners and add remaining cup of water and deglaze the roasting pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits for 1 minute. Pour through sieve into measuring cup containing pan juices. Add enough turkey stock to pan juices to bring total to 8 cups.

6- Melt butter in a 4-quart heavy pot and stir in the flour. Cook this mixture (called a roux), whisking over a moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add stock in a stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Stir in any turkey juices that have accumulated on the platter and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the cider vinegar.

 

 Here's some further reading about making a fabulous budget Thanksgiving:

epicurious

cbs news

Lincoln's proclamation of Thanksgiving

 

Cooking for a Crowd or, and Now We Come to The Tagine...

Cooking for a crowd is nerve wracking; and while everyone I know is wracked with Thanksgiving nerves I'm focusing on a different kind of anxiety: twenty for dinner at my house the week after Thanksgiving. This is an interesting project because I'm a) on a major budget b) determined to make it delicious and c) insistent on spending time with the guests, rather than sweating over the stove.

After weeks of fussing and futzing over the menu I've determined to make a tagine. They are delicious, festive, and while not exactly easy, they reward the effort you put into them. After recipe testing for the past few months I've found the most truly divine recipe from a book called Medina Kitchen: Home Cooking From North Africa.  I've modified it a bit, and man is it good. "Ambrosial stuff, straight from the gods" the book says and is that true. Since this is the centerpiece of my menu I will start here:

Prune and apricot tagine:

serves 4-6 generously (you can double or triple) (also the first part is *better* made ahead)

 

9 oz canola oil

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp butter, melted

3 Tbsp ground coriander seeds [yes, Tablespoons]

3 Tbsp ground ginger

3 Tbsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 3/4 -2 1/4 shoulder of lamb, cut into chunks [this is important; you want the shoulder not the leg]

4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 Tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

2-3 Tbsp water

2 large onions, peeled and diced

10 ounces pitted prunes

6 ounces pitted apricots

pinch of ground cinnamon

5 Tbsp sugar

large knob of butter

1 Tbsp rose water

1 cinnamon stick

 

1 - In a large bowl, mix the oil, salt butter, spices, and turmeric. Add the lamb and turn to coat. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 or 2 hours.

2- Transfer the lamb, with the marinade, into a large, deep saucepan. Cook over a high heat, stirring continuously for a few minutes. Add the garlic and herbs. Keep the meet moving around, then add the water, cover and simmer hard for another 10 minutes.

3- Add the onions and more water if neccesary and cook, covered, for another twenty minutes. Cover the lamb with water and simmer, covered for about 1 and half hours. This is the point to stop and refrigerate if you are making this the day before. If you are making it all on the same day, continue on!

4- Prepare the prunes and apricots. Put the prunes in a pan of water and simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes, until they are soft and swollen and the water has reduced down slightly. Add the cinnamon stick and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, then stir in the butter, then the rose water. Shake the pan to settle the ingredients but make sure not to break up the prunes. Prepare the apricots in the same way, minus the butter and rosewater, and adding the cinnamon stick in place of the ground cinnamon.

5- When the lamb is done -- or when you have re-heated it out of the fridge (stick it on the stove approximately half an hour before your guests are due so you don't have to worry) --- transfer it onto a wide platter. Arrange the prunes and apricots over the lamb. Pour the meat sauces around the edge and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

 

This is such a great recipe. The lamb comes out just insanely delicious, and the fruit is so good with it. Of course it needs to be served with couscous but that's for tomorrow's post...

 

COOKING FOR A CROWD/MOROCCAN MENU [serves 20]

prune and apricot tagine

couscous

cabbage salad

sauteed broccoli and cauliflower

lemon cake

 

All this and more to come including what to drink...

 

suite: the tarocco orange

These Italian oranges have just started showing up around Brooklyn. They're not blood oranges, more like blush oranges. They have an amazing flavor of passion fruit and Meyer lemon. The Tarocco is really gently on the palate; it would be amazing after dinner with some dates. Or squeeze them and add to prosecco for a beautiful brunch drink. If you see some, grab them. They don't look like much from the outside but they are by far the most interesting orange (including the adored clementines) I have encountered in years.