What to do when you don't know what to do.
Sometimes it's all about necessity. You don't want to, you probably don't have time to but it has to happen. It's like being dead tired and it's late and you just want to crawl into bed but you and your kids have no clean gitch (underwear in my sister's language) for the next day. So, you haul your ass (and your clothes basket) to the washing machine and make it happen.
This cake was kind of like that for me this week. As you all know, I'm trying my hand at doing it all (or as much of it as I can manage) by hand. That means not buying junk food, snack food, processed food - you know the drill. So, if I want to have something sweet and nibbly for our week then I have to make it. This time though, it was driven by necessity and a serious case of 'now or never'. Dying sour cream in the fridge, Sunday afternoon (and trust me, once the week starts this just won't happen) and it's gotta get done.
So, instead of the washing machine it was plunking my ass in front of the computer screen and checking out sour cream recipes at epicurious.com and this is what I ended on. The cake itself was a bit half-assed for me. You are supposed to use Maple Sugar - which I don't have and had no intention of going out to get (although I did have some mean organic maple syrup handy - nice, tidy, dark stuff) mostly because I haven't the foggiest about where to get it. I just used plain old brown - so it did affect the maple taste significantly. As a result, I found the cake a little on the sweet side so in future I would cut the brown sugar by a bit. I didn't make the glaze business either. The reasons for that were two-fold:
1. I was afraid that if it stayed on the cake for more than a day or so that the cake might get quite soggy (and also I would have to refridgerate the cake due to the sour cream)
2. Too damn lazy!
Poor cake - I'm not really selling it here but for all that it was quite nice. It did well by us for the week and I would definitely make it again.
Sour Cream Maple Cake (without the Lemon Glaze)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup and separately 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
13 tbsp (WTF???), read 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 lg eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease and flour a bundt pan.
In one bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream and maple syrup.
In a third bowl mix together the nuts, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon.
In a fourth bowl (you're going to do lots of washing here!) cream the butter and 1 1/3 cups brown sugar until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour in three additions (mixing well after each), alternating with 2 additions of the sour cream mixture.
Pour about 2/3 of of cake batter into the prepared pan. Cover with the nut/sugar mixture. Pour the remaining batter on top. Spread evenly.
Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool about 10 - 15 min. before removing from pan to cool completely.
This is where I ended.
The Glaze though goes like this:
1 1/3 cups icing sugar
3 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
Mix ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes. Add to the cake just before serving.
Curry in a beautiful basket.
When something looking like this comes into your life...
You have to write about it. I mean, look at those beautiful little baskets! 'What's in them?' You ask??? Well, spices, of course. Beautiful, organic curry leaves and turmeric. They are also Fair Trade and come in adorable little baskets!! These little beauties are on special all month from the company that brings my organic food box and believe me, I'm taking advantage of the special. Last months special was Cocoa Camino Chocolate and yeah... I took advantage of that one too.
Well, when these lovely little baskets emerged from my food box, I just knew that I would have to cook with them immediately. Fortunately I had some fresh veggies to work with.
As I've mentioned before, I've been diggin' veggie food lately and with fresh stuff to go with, who needs the meat?
Well, actually this curry would be just as nice with something red. Anyway, meat didn't make it into this one. I made a delish curry with mushrooms, spinach and coconut milk. The mushrooms really give your teeth something to sink into and the coconut milk is sweet, smooth and makes you feel all warm inside.
Spinach and Mushroom Curry
5 cups mushrooms, halved
1 bunch (about 4 cups or so) spinach, stems removed and sliced thin
1/2 onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp garam masala
3 - 4 curry leaves
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp each, coriander, ginger, cardamom
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 can coconut milk
In a large, heated Dutch oven saute mushrooms and onions over medium heat. Use whatever oil of choice (I like clarified butter or leftover meat fat). Once things get a little wilted add in the garlic and the spinach. As the spinach wilts, form a paste with all the spices (use a little bit of water for this). Add the paste into the vegetables, mix well. Add in the coconut milk and add extra water if needed. Turn the heat down and let it simmer gently for about a half hour. Check the taste and add salt if needed.
Serve over rice.
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About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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