36-hour Ciabatta

This is my second bread recipe for weeknight baking, adapted from the original in the King Arthur Baker's Companion. It does require a fair bit of advance planning, and it doesn't hold super well in the fridge for extra days -- all the bubbles rise to the top and create a giant pocket.

The bread is probably not much like "real" ciabatta, but it makes a large flat loaf with a soft and almost sponge-like crumb -- large but even holes. It's wonderful for sandwiches because it soaks up any juices / dressings / sauces -- try grilled beef and chimichurri. With the crust peeled off and the bread battered, it also makes a killer fried sandwich (can't find the recipe right now).

When you wake up, the day prior to baking:
Mix together in a medium-small bowl to form a dry, firm, shaggy dough

1. 1/4 t instant (bread machine) yeast
2. 4 oz (1/2 c) water
3. 6.25 oz (1 1/2 c) King Arthur all-purpose flour

Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for about 12 hours, give or take a few.

As soon as you get home from work, the day prior to baking:
Pull the starter into walnut-sized pieces and place in mixer bowl. Add

1. 1 t instant yeast
2. 2 t nonfat dry milk powder
3. 1 1/2 t salt
4. 7.75 oz (1 c minus 1 T) water
5. 1 T olive oil
6. 8.5 oz (2 c) flour

Mix for ~3 min with paddle, then up to 10 more minutes with dough hook. Dough will be too wet, sticky, and slack to work by hand. Transfer to oiled bowl and cover. Every 40 minutes for 2 hours (3 times total), fold the dough over on itself a couple times. This is the key to developing enough gluten for the bread to hold its shape later. Turn it out onto a half sheet pan covered with a Silpat, forming a large flat oval blob. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise 1.5 - 2 hours at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator until the next night (about 20 hours).

Total time for this step is approximately 4 - 4.5 hours, or from 6pm until 10 - 10:30pm. It's tight for a workday, but doable. If you've changed the schedule so you'll bake without refrigerating, total rising time should be 2 - 3 hours at room temperature. (With refrigeration, the room temperature rising time is shorter because the dough will continue to rise somewhat in the refrigerator, especially before it gets chilled all the way through.)

As you start making dinner, the day of baking:
Preheat oven and stone to 425 F. Move second rack to top of oven. Heat 8oz of water to a rolling boil in a covered cast-iron skillet over high heat. Three minutes before baking bread, uncover skillet and transfer to top rack of oven. Place sheet pan with bread directly on baking stone and bake about 25 minutes total. Remove skillet with water after the first 10 - 15 minutes.

I use cast iron because it holds heat so well, so the water continues to boil in the oven and create steam. Also, you don't have to worry about the pan warping from the heat if it runs dry. To me, this is the best and easiest way to get steam in the oven of all the ones I've tried.

Chocolate pecan pie

A very tasty dessert from my friend Louis Metzger, who was a fellow graduate student with me in the Duke biochemistry department. He reports that it's an adaptation of a recipe in Taste and Tour of Texas.

Combine over low heat, stirring constantly until melted:

1. 2/3 c sweetened condensed milk
2. 2 T butter
3. 1 c semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine

1. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
2. 3/4 c granulated sugar
3. 2 T flour
4. 1/4 t salt
5. 1 t vanilla extract
6. 1.5 c whole pecans

Stir chocolate mixture into contents of mixing bowl. Pour into

1. 9” pie crust, unbaked (homemade or purchased)

Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes.

Magnolia Grill food processor pie crust

This is my favorite pie crust recipe, taken from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff cookbook (she of Magnolia Grill fame). The idea of using half harder and half softer flour came from the King Arthur Baker's Companion; this gives just enough gluten to hold together but not enough to make the dough tough. This recipe makes enough for two 9" pie crusts, with plenty to spare.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine

1. 12.5 oz flour (half all-purpose and half pastry flour)
2. 3/4 t Kosher salt
3. 3/4 T sugar

Pulse to cut in fats until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (very small chunks of fat)

1. 4 oz (1 stick) butter, cut in small pieces and chilled 20 min. in freezer
2. 4 oz (1/2 c + 2 T) shortening, cut in pieces and chilled

Sprinkle most of water over dough, adding last 1 oz if needed, and pulse just until dough starts to come together

1. up to 1/2 c ice water

Dump dough out and separate into halves, flatten into relatively thin disks (so they're as close as possible to the final desired shape!), wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least a few hours and as long as overnight. I like to roll the dough out between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap, as this makes it much easier for me to roll quickly without having the dough stick or tear.

Baked Gruyere Scallops

Taken from the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, this dish has become a family tradition whenever we go to the beach. And you need a hard day playing in the surf to work this off...

The cheese for this dish will be relatively expensive, in the $10+/lb range, but don't skimp: you need good-quality ingredients to make this dish shine. Scallops aren't cheap either, come to think of it. I guess that's why I make it at the beach when my parents are paying!

In a large skillet, saute 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside:

1. 2 T butter
2. 1 lb bay scallops

In same skillet, saute until tender:

1. 2 T butter
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

Stir in scallops and

1. 6 oz shredded Gruyere or other Swiss cheese (e.g. Emmentaler)
2. 1/2 c mayonnaise
3. 1/4 c dry white wine
4. 1 T lemon juice

Spoon into greased oven-safe dish (one large or four individual) and broil 6" from heat until browned, about 2-3 minutes.

Tony Chachere's

"Tony's" is a hot and smoky seasoned salt product from Louisiana. Katy's cousins swear by the stuff, carrying a can with them everywhere in their purses. They gave us some for Christmas, but I just tried it the other day. I have to say: it's the best seasoned salt I've ever had. It rocks on french fries. I don't know what else it's good on ("great on everything," the label says), but I'll keep some around just for that!

Two pizza recipes

I recently created two successful pizza recipes and thought I would record them here. They're both built on my Refrigerator Flatbread dough, stretched out thin and baked on a pizza stone at 450 F for 10 minutes. (I tried using 1/3 part higher-protein flour and some dough relaxer, but the standard recipe is fine.) I put the dough on parchment to make it easier to slide into the oven. The high heat and stone are important for getting a nice crisp crust and nicely browned cheese.

I find that freshly shredded part-skim mozzarella works best; the whole-milk stuff gets awfully greasy. I use Polly-O because that's what the store carries. The secret is to go light with both cheese and sauce: too much of either makes the pizza heavy. Use less than you think you need, and it will come out just right.

Pork BBQ Pizza

Top the dough with a thin film of sweet tomato-based barbeque sauce, such as KC Masterpiece. Add diced red onions, fresh herbs if you have them (parsley, cilantro, or chives would all be nice), and some shredded pork barbeque. Top lightly with grated mozzarella and bake as above.

White Pizza

Brush dough with extra virgin olive oil. Use the really good stuff; this can make or break the whole thing. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and grated Parmesan and bake as above.

Carolina-style pulled pork barbeque

This is a really easy recipe for pork barbeque that produces a reasonable imitation of the real thing. I got it from my friend Bryan Arendall, a true grill master. Since Carolina BBQ is going to be hard to find in Seattle, I'm really glad to have this recipe.

It's important not to get too large a piece of meat: 5 lbs would be about the limit of what my crockpot can handle. Removing the bone from a picnic ham was hard work and not something I would like to try again.

The key to NC barbeque is the sauce, made primarily of vinegar and cayenne pepper. I don't have a recipe for homemade sauce yet, but Scott's Sauce (www.scottsbarbecuesauce.com) is awfully good. Using some generic, tomato-based sauce in this recipe would really change the results (not for the better, in my opinion).

Start with

1. a 5 - 10 lb. Boston butt or picnic shoulder

Make sure it will fit in your crockpot! Start on the small side if you're not sure. 5 lbs is all mine will hold. Season liberally with choice of spices, such as

1. garlic salt
2. black pepper
3. cayenne pepper

Place meat in slow cooker and add

1. 32 oz vinegar-based Carolina barbeque sauce (enough to cover)

Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and cook for one hour per pound of meat, up to a maximum of 8 hours. (Adjust for your cooker as experience dictates.)

Remove meat from sauce and shred with two dinner forks, removing fat. Ladle over some of the leftover sauce to moisten. Serve on big fluffy hamburger rolls with coleslaw and extra sauce on top. Feeds a crowd!

Italian Bread with Sesame Seeds

This recipe makes a light, soft, slightly salty loaf that I just love. It comes from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It's amazingly similar to my Refrigerator Flatbread: both recipes use 19 oz flour and 12 oz water to make 2 lbs of dough, and both use some of the ingredients to make a pre-ferment. However, this one is slightly saltier and contains no oil, and its pre-ferment is not as wet and goes much longer. The result is a fairly different -- but equally delicious -- bread.

Make the starter (biga) the night before at about dinner time. It needs to sit at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours before you start the bread. In a medium bowl, mix

1. 8 oz water (at room temp.)
2. 8.5 oz (2 cups*) hard flour, such as King Arthur AP
3. 1/4 t instant or "bread machine" yeast

Mix just until a dough comes together. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

The next morning, add to the starter

1. 4 oz water (room temp.)

and mix until fairly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in

1. 10.5 oz (2 cups*) hard flour (19 oz / 4 c total)
2. 2 t instant yeast
3. 1 1/2 t salt

Mix until smooth but not necessarily elastic, about 3 minutes by machine or 5 by hand. (The gluten will be further developed as the dough rises, so you don't want to over-develop it initially.) Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Every half hour, gently fold the dough in half and turn it over, to develop the gluten.

Divide the dough into thirds, shape into balls (see below), cover, and let rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until puffy. Brush and sprinkle with

1. 1 egg white lightly beaten with 1 T water
2. sesame seeds

Bake 25 - 35 minutes at 425 F, until the internal temperature reaches 190 F. Cool on a rack.

There are several options for shaping. The easiest is balls, which come out a nice size to use as (large) bread bowls for soup. Grab the piece of dough by opposite edges, and tuck them underneath. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Continue until you get a good tight skin -- near the end you may form a ring near the bottom of the ball with one thumb and forefinger draw it closed as you push the dough up inside. Set the ball on the counter. Gently cup one hand on either side and roll in small circles to tighten the skin further -- a good tight skin is the key to having the dough hold its shape as it rises.

If you're feeling more ambitious, roll the three pieces into ropes and braid them into a single loaf, as described in the original recipe. Again, pay attention to getting a tight skin on the individual ropes, or you end up with a fairly flat loaf. This is harder.

* 2 cups flour actually weighs 9.5 oz, so it evens out in the end if you use cup measures instead of weight.

Spicy Chicken with Green Onions

A yummy little recipe from a tiny book called "Bon Appetit Quick & Delicious". It definitely is hot, though, so you really have to serve it with some creamy coleslaw.

In a small bowl, whisk together

1. 2 T olive oil
2. 1 T hot pepper sauce (Tabasco, Texas Pete, etc)
3. 2 t honey
4. 1 green onion, minced

Save 2 T of this mixture and pour the rest into a zip-top bag with

1. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then remove and grill along with

1. remaining green onions from the bunch, lightly salted

until done. Place on top of or alongside coleslaw and top with reserved marinade.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

A family tradition passed down from my great-grandmother (at least). It's not really a pot pie in the usual sense, but rather chicken, potatoes, and homemade noodles in a thick broth. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave (yummy) or pan-fried in butter (haven't tried it, but sounds good). Total prep time is 2.5 - 3 hours.

In a large (10 qt) pot, bring to a boil over high heat

1. 2 lbs. bone-in chicken (small chicken quartered, or two breasts and a thigh)
2. 4-5 qt. water (about 3/5 full, still needs to be measured)

Boil for 20-25 minutes, covered, until chicken is done. Remove from heat and uncover. Remove chicken to a plate. Cool 20-30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, combine in a large bowl

1. 4 c flour (King Arthur all-purpose)
2. 1 stick butter (8 T)

Rub butter into flour until the size of small peas. Whisk in

1. 1 t salt (maybe 2 if using unsalted butter)

In a Pyrex cup measure, beat

1. two eggs

Supplement with

1. ice water (about 1/2 cup)

to make 1 c total liquid (or a touch more). Mix into flour until a firm dough forms. Mom suggests working the dough as little as possible, but it still requires kneading to bring together. Cover with plastic and refrigerate.

Bone chicken and cut into bite-sized chunks. Strain cooled broth, clean pot, and return broth to pot. Add to broth

1. 1 large or 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" or 1.5" chunks

Cover pot and heat to a gentle boil. Take 1/8 of the dough from the refrigerator, flour liberally, and roll out as thin as possible, until translucent. (A pasta machine might make this easier, though don't go to the thinnest setting.) Cut noodles into 2" squares and add to boiling broth one at a time. (As the pot fills up, aim for the bubbling places.) Add a grind of

1. black pepper

stir carefully, and re-cover. Roll out another portion of dough, stirring pot again gently before adding noodles as before.

Cook at a gentle boil for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom. Add flour paste or chicken broth as needed to adjust the consistency to that of a thin gravy. Add chicken and cook until warmed through. Serve and gorge! Pass pickles on the side, if you like that sort of thing.

Crook's Corner Shrimp & Grits

Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill does a mean rendition of some Southern classics. This recipe, published in Duke Magazine, claims to be the authentic recipe of the late Bill Neal. I can't vouch for that, but it sure does taste like the wonderful stuff served at his restaurant.

Cheese grits
These take 4 cups of liquid rather than the 3 called for on the package because the cheese thickens up the grits considerably.
Bring to a boil

1. 4 c milk (or water, in a pinch)

Stir in

1. 1 c stone-ground or quick grits (not instant)

Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in

1. 1 c grated Cheddar
2. 1/4 c grated Parmesean
3. 4 T butter
4. 1/2 t salt
5. 1/8 t pepper
6. pinch cayenne pepper
7. 1/4 t Tabasco (or more to taste)

Shrimp and Grits
In a skillet, saute until browned but not crisp

1. 6 slices bacon, diced

Remove to paper towels to drain, leaving grease in pan. Add to pan

1. peanut oil (as necessary to cover the pan bottom with fat)
   
2. 1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined (optional), rinsed, and patted dry
   

Turn shrimp when colored on one side and add

1. 2 c sliced white button mushrooms

Saute about 4 minutes, stirring. Add

1. 1 c minced scallions (white and green parts)
2. 1 large clove garlic, minced

Cook another minute, then add

1. 4 t lemon juice
2. Tabasco sauce
3. salt and pepper
4. 2 T chopped fresh parsley

Divide grits (above) among 4 plates, top with shrimp mixture and reserved bacon. Serve immediately!

Guacamole

This was an accompaniment to some Emeril recipe on Food Network, but it's the best guacamole I've ever had. It's pretty much the only one Katy will eat, too. We like to serve it with the scoop-shaped tortilla chips and the white queso you can find in the refrigerator case (not the nasty orange "nacho cheese").

1. 2 large firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cup in 1/2-inch pieces
2. 1/4 cup minced white onions
3. 2 T minced fresh cilantro leaves
4. 1 T fresh lime juice, or more to taste
5. 1 t minced Serrano or jalapeño chile
6. 1/4 t ground cumin
7. 1/4 t minced garlic
8. 1/4 t salt
9. Pinch cayenne

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash with the back of a fork until mostly smooth with a few chunks. Adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve. I tend to substitute 2 t dried cilantro or use less of the fresh stuff to tone down that flavor.

Turkey salad

A nice use for Thanksgiving leftovers, kindly provided by my Mom. The eggs really make it. I usually think Miracle Whip is too sweet compared to mayonnaise, but in this case it's not objectionable.

1. white and dark turkey meat, cooked and diced
2. eggs, hard-boiled and diced
3. celery
4. onion
5. celery seed
6. salt and pepper
7. Miracle Whip

Port Wine Apple Sauce

Mmm, more apple goodness. This is a slight variation on a great Emeril recipe -- I didn't have any bourbon (and don't like it), but I had some port left over from a wine tasting at A Southern Season. It's full of spice flavor, and great hot or cold. I developed it to go with cast-iron seared pork chops, but it's yummy solo too.

In a medium pot or large (4 qt) sauce pan over medium heat, saute for 1 minute:

1. 1 T butter
2. 1 1/2 T chopped fresh ginger

Add in

1. 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
2. 1 c dark brown sugar
3. 1 t ground cinnamon
4. 1/2 t salt, plus more to taste (about 1 t total?)
5. 1 c port wine

Simmer uncovered until apples are tender but not mushy, about 40-45 minutes. Some liquid will have been absorbed or reduced away, but a lot will be left. Mash by hand with a potato masher until broken up but still chunky.

Tarte Tatin

That's [tar-TUH tah-TAHN], a rustic, French, upside-down apple tart -- apparently I'm on a quest for upside-down pastry. I somehow got it into my head to make this without really knowing what it was, but the good news is it's easy and delicious. I used a recipe from Sara Moulton / Food TV, which seems to have come by way of Gourmet magazine. It's short and simple, but her directions are so terse I'm going to elaborate on them a bit here. Start-to-finish time for me was just under 2 hours.

Pull out to thaw on the counter top

1. 1 sheet (1/2 lb.) puff pastry

Keep it covered with a bit of plastic wrap. Once it gets a bit pliable, you can prop it open as a triangle. If it gets fully thawed before you finish with the apples, just put it in the fridge.

Now start with

1. 3 lbs. apples, peeled, halved, and cored (about 5 grocery store large size)

Sara recommends Golden Delicious, and I used Braeburn because they were on sale, but I think Granny Smith would be the killer app here. If you don't have a corer, don't use a small cookie cutter like I tried to -- you do too much damage. Just cut a triangular wedge with your knife. To prevent browning, brush each apple as it is finished with

1. Juice of 1-2 lemons

In the bottom of a 10-inch skillet, layer

1. 1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, sliced thin
2. 1/2 c sugar

On top of that, place the apple halves in a circle, rounded side down, with two more pieces to fill in the middle. After searching Google Images, I think I have it right -- see the picture.

Cook the apple mixture over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, until the carmel bubbling up starts to become golden. Slide the whole thing into a preheated 400 F oven for 10-15 more minutes, until the apples are tender. Let cool 5 minutes.

While the apples are cooking and cooling, pinch together the seams on the puff pastry and then roll it out and trim to a 12" diameter circle. Two sheets of wax paper and a little sugar to soak up the condensed moisture helps here. I use the destination plate as a template to cut the circle. Oh, and Alton Brown would want you to use a sharp knife on the pastry. Return the circle to the fridge to firm up again.

After the apples have cooled 5 minutes, drape the pastry over top. As the heat softens it a bit, tuck the edges down between the side of the pan and the apples. Prick the dough with a fork and return it to the 400 F oven for 15-25 minutes, until the pastry is dark golden but not burned. Remove from oven and invert on serving plate to cool. Yummy hot or cool, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Dinners out: Spice Street and Four Eleven West

I had some fantastic meals this weekend. It started off with a quick dinner at Spice Street after working wine tasting at A Southern Season. I had seared scallops over saffron rice with peas, red beans, and other goodies in it. This is the first time I've recognized what saffron actually tastes like, and I loved the savory richness it brought to the whole dish. I've been really impressed with that restaurant the two times I've been there...

Saturday night Katy and I went to Four Eleven West for some Italian food. They've always been good, but the dishes we had that night were outstanding. The starter was an artichoke dip served cold with thin, crisp pita wedges. The pita was on the edge between bread and cracker, and it had the wonderful, slightly ashy crispness that comes from a really hot wood oven -- similar to pizza crust in Rome. The icecream scoop of dip looked like industrial chicken salad, but it tasted more like a Caesar dressing, with that little bite the really good ones have. We tried to figure out what was in it, and we know artichoke, mayonasise, dill, and Parmesean; and possibly sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, and anchovy. I'm not sure what else, but I'll try to recreate it some time.

My entree was black pepper angle hair (pepper in the pasta dough), covered in a dill cream sauce with more black pepper, and topped with a mostly raw slab of smoked salmon (cold). Killer good. I'm too lazy to make pasta and don't have access to that kind of salmon, but I'd definitely go back for that dish!

Sunday brought a tarte Tatin and homemade vanilla ice cream, but that's another post...

Berry sauces / syrups

I love berries, of all varieties, and this is the time of year for them. I've recently discovered two berry sauces that I love, both based on the same ingredients: fruit, wine, vinegar, sugar, and heat. The flavors are amazingly intense, and they'd be delicious on many things -- cheesecake, ice cream, even meat! I don't think you'd need particularly good berries because of the strong extra flavors, so frozen would probably be fine. But if you have some nice berries already...

Recipe number one comes from Gail Kyle at the Jordan Follow Farm Inn, via Food Network. It was originally intended to serve with pork crusted in herbs, but its so sweet it would work fine with desserts too.

Wild Huckleberry Sauce
In a medium saucepan, combine

1. 2 c fresh huckleberries or blueberries
2. 1/3 c sugar
3. 2 T raspberry vinegar (I used balsamic; red wine vinegar would probably also work)
4. 1/4 c white wine

Simmer gently until most berries burst and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

Recipe number two from an elaborate but delicious recipe for semolina cake (almost like cheesecake in texture) in some spring 2006 issue of Bon Appetit. I don't know if this one would work for meat dishes, but it's great on cakes and other desserts!

Strawberries in Red Wine and Balsamic Syrup
In a medium saucepan, combine

1. 1 bottle red wine (750 mL, something fruity, I use a Cab)
2. 6 T sugar (3/8 c)
3. 1 T balsamic vinegar

Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature and combine with

1. 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced

Upside-Down Cakes

I've had good luck with upside-down cakes lately, an apple one and a banana one. The recipes are quite similar, so I thought it would be fun to put them side-by-side for comparison. Personally, I think I prefer the apple variation -- chunks of fruit in the cake is really nice, and the butterscotch is a nice twist.

Banana Upside Down Cake(s)
Butter 8 1-cup ramekins or a 9 inch cake pan. Over medium heat, whisk together until smooth and bubbly:

1. 12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2. 3/4 c brown sugar

Pour into the bottom of the ramekins or cake pan. Peel and slice 1/4" thick, placing in concentric circles in bottom(s) of ramekins/pan:

1. 4 large ripe bananas (spotted but not mushy)

Sift together:

1. 1 1/2 c cake flour (6 5/8 oz White Lily)
2. 1 t baking powder
3. 1/4 t baking soda
4. 1/2 t cinnamon
5. 1/4 t Kosher salt

In the mixer, cream together:

1. 1 c sugar
2. 8 T butter, room temperature (1 stick; 2 1/2 sticks total for this recipe)

Scrape down sides and mix in:

1. 2 eggs
2. 2 t vanilla

Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, and mix until smooth:

1. 5 fl. oz. buttermilk (1/2 c + 2 T)

Pour batter into ramekins/pan and bake at 350 F, on a rimmed baking sheet (this bubbles over). Ramekins need 35-40 minutes; cake pan needs 45-50 minutes. Cool slightly, then loosen sides and invert onto serving plate(s).

This recipe comes from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff, she of Magnolia Grill fame. She suggests blueberries, plums, fresh pineapple, and cranberries as possible alternates for the bananas.

My two cents on this: the baking powder (1 t) and baking soda (1/4 t) have equivalent leavening power, but the 1/4 t soda will neutralize the acidity from the ~1/2 c buttermilk completely, so the other half of the leavening needs to supply its own acid (which is what baking powder does).

Upside-Down Butterscotch Apple Sour Cream Cake
In a 10" skillet over medium heat, melt and whisk together till smooth and bubbling:

1. 6 T butter
2. 1/3 c brown sugar
3. 1/3 c butterscotch morsels

Add and cook about 5 minutes:

1. 2 large apples, pleaved, cored, and sliced (1/4")

Cool slightly, then arrange slices in concentric circles if desired. (Too much work for me.) If your skillet is shallow or not ovenproof, you should move the contents to a deep 9" cake pan instead.

Sift together:

1. 1 1/2 c flour (6 5/8 oz White Lily)
2. 1 1/2 t baking powder
3. 3/4 t salt

In the mixer, cream together:

1. 8 T (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2. 2/3 c sugar

Scrape sides down and mix in:

1. 2 eggs
2. 1 1/2 t vanilla

Beat in dry ingredients, then

1. 1/2 c sour cream (low fat is OK, not fat free)
2. 1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (~3/4 c)

Spoon batter carefully over the apples and smooth it out. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 F, with something in place to catch any drips. Cool slightly, loosen edges with a knife, and invert onto serving plate.

I would use Gala apples for this, or maybe Granny Smiths, but the original recipe from Bon Appetit (March 2006) called for Golden Delicious (ugh).

As I said, these recipes are very similar. I slightly prefer the effect of sour cream to that of buttermilk, and I think the fruit in the cake and the butterscotch morsels are both killer additions. On the other hand, a little cinnamon in the batter is also a nice touch.

Apricot-ginger-jalepeno sauce

This was originally a dipping sauce for the coconut shrimp recipe below, but it's so tasty and versatile it gets its own entry. I'm going to serve it with grilled salmon later this week, or you could pour it over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers for a tasty appetizer.

In a food processor, blend until smooth:

1. 1/2 c apricot jam
2. 1 T freshly grated ginger*
3. 1 T Dijon mustard
4. 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
5. 2 T rice wine vinegar and/or fresh lime juice
6. up to 2 t sugar, to taste

* The easiest way to do this is with a microplane grater/zester. It's really a great kitchen tool for ginger, nutmeg, citrus zest, etc. and well worth the money.

Coconut shrimp

To continue the frying madness, we made some coconut shrimp. (We had a bag of shredded coconut left over from one of Katy's class projects.) These turned out far better than I ever expected -- crisp and sweet, with none of the objectionable texture of shredded cononut. I got this recipe from Food Network.

For the beer batter, mix together:

1. 1 c flour
2. 1/2 c beer (something pale and mild)
3. 3/4 t baking soda
4. 1/2 t salt
5. 1 t cayenne pepper
6. 1 egg

Peel and devein

1. 12 shrimp (16 to 20 count)*

Dip the shrimp in the beer batter and roll them in

1. 2 c sweetened shredded coconut

Fry shrimp in oil at 350-375 F until golden brown and crispy. They're delicious on their own, or with the apricot-ginger sauce described in the next entry.

* Smaller shrimp work fine too; we used some frozen ones from Costco.