FOODIE FRIDAY -- R Is For RED VELVET CAKE

When I was growing up in Southern California, Red Velvet cake was not common. I hadn't even heard of it until the 1980s, and since every recipe I came across called for oodles of red food coloring, I just couldn't bring myself to ever bake one. (I avoid artificial anything, including coloring)

The current popularity of Red Velvet cake (and of course, cupcakes) has led me to research its origin, and try to come up with a recipe sans red food coloring. Some food historians believe that home bakers started using red food coloring to enhance the natural red hue produced by the interaction of cocoa with acid--vinegar, buttermilk, etc. Perhaps home bakers started adding red food coloring after Dutch process cocoa became widely used. (The Dutch process makes cocoa easier to dissolve by adding an alkalizing agent like potassium carbonate, decreasing the acidity in the batter and thus muting the redness.) Whatever the reason, it is likely that the original Red Velvet Cake did not include red food coloring.

Red Velvet cake is neither chocolate nor vanilla, and can contain anywhere from 1 measly teaspoon of cocoa, to a full cup full. Most recipes call for shortening (not a favorite in this house) but purists insist on oil for a moist cake, and many like butter for its rich flavor. Buttermilk or milk and vinegar are also almost always called for. Boiled or Cream cheese icing is most common.

Here is a recipe I have used that has always been well received:

Naturally Dyed Red "Velvet Cake" Using Beet Root Powder

Ingredients:

* 6 eggs, separated
* 1 cup granulated sugar, divided in half
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1/3 cup buttermilk
* 1 tsp cream of tartar
* 3/4 cup cake flour
* 1/3 cup beet powder
* 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a metal bowl placed atop a pot of simmering water, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, vanilla and buttermilk for 3-5 minutes until pale yellow.
3. Remove from heat and continue whisking for an additional 5 minutes until thick and foamy, nearly tripling in size.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together egg whites until foamy. Add in cream of tartar.
5. Continue whisking until soft peaks begin to form, then gradually add remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat until peaks are stiff and glossy.
6. In a third bowl, sift together cocoa powder, cake flour and beet powder.
7. Gently sift dry ingredients into egg yolk and egg white mixtures, folding all three components together until combined.
8. Divide cake batter into two 9" round cake pans, lined on the bottom with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and invert pans over baking rake while cake cools. Gently cut cake away from edges and remove from pan. Frost and layer as desired.


Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

* 8 oz (two sticks) butter, room temperature
* 8 oz cream cheese
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 cup powdered sugar

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add in vanilla and powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Allow cake to completely cool before frosting. Makes enough to frost a two layered cake.

(recipes courtesy of suite101.com)

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Interesting additional information on the history and origin of Red Velvet Cake: http://www.suite101.com/content/origins-of-red-velvet-cake-a90997

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Any cake wold look GREAT on this vintage cake plate from mymilkglassshop.etsy.com:

Need to transport your cake? Cool carrier from keeky27.etsy.com:

FOODIE FRIDAY -- M is for MINETRONE

It's spring--at least according to the calender. The weather, however, is still stuck at STORMY. And in my house, the best remedy for stormy weather is SOUP!! Nothing like a pot of old-fashioned, made from scratch soup to warm and comfort you from the inside out! One of our favorites is a fresh take on MINESTRONE. Here is the definition of MINESTRONE from one of my favorite web sources: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Glossary/M.htmminestrone (mih-nest-ROE-nay) - Means "big soup." It is a thick vegetable soup that generally contains pasta. Pretty broad. In our house, the MINESTRONE is usually vegan, unless we add a touch of freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top. It varies each time I make it, but here is a good basic recipe: Ingredients: * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 1 medium onion, chopped * 2 stalks celery, diced * 2 carrots, peeled and diced * 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed * 1 medium zucchini squash, sliced * ½ teaspoon dried oregano and/or basil * 1 pinch hot pepper flakes (optional) * 1 bay leaf * 2 tsp branches of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried * 1 LG can CRUSHED tomatoes * 1 can white (cannelliini), garbanzo OR kidney beans, drained and rinsed * 1c. frozen green beans * ½ bunch kale or ½ head of cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces * 2 cups cooked small whole wheat pasta (optional) * Sea salt and freshly ground pepper * To serve: * Grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Preparation: Warm olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add squash, oregano, hot pepper, bay leaf and thyme, and cook 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans of choice, 6 cups of water and two generous pinches of sea salt; bring to a boil, and cover. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add green beans and kale, and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in pasta. Discard thyme branches (if fresh was used) and bay leaf, adjust seasoning and serve, with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired. Serves 4-6

glasbake soup mugs from jenzee09 on etsy

FOODIE FRIDAY--J is also for JAM TARTS

www.theoldbarndoor.etsy.com




In anticipation of VALENTINE'S DAY, and all things sweet, sweeter and sweetest, I'd like to share a recipe for a delightful, easy treat. JAM TARTS. Like a miniature pie, filled with jam. YUMMY! And, with the addition of a heart shaped pastry "lid", a perfect treat for V-Day. (this recipe is courtesy Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

Yield: About 16

* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
* 2 large egg yolks
* 1 cup jam, in assorted flavors--homemade is best!
* 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon; process for 10 seconds. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 to 20 seconds.
2. Combine 1 egg yolk with 2 tablespoons ice water and add to flour mixture. Process until the dough comes together, about 7 seconds. Transfer to a clean work surface and compress into a flattened circle.
3. Lightly dust the work surface with flour; roll out dough to just thinner than 1/4 inch. Using a round or square cookie cutter, cut out shapes and press into 2- to 3-inch tartlet tins or a small muffin pans. Shape crust as desired, fill each with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons jam, and decorate tops with cutouts of dough. *(I use a mini HEART cutter for Valentine's Day) At this point, the tarts can be refrigerated for several hours.
4. Combine remaining egg yolk with cream; lightly brush exposed dough with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tarts from tins to a wire rack to cool.


Read more at Marthastewart.com: Mini Jam Tarts - Martha Stewart Recipes

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- H is also for HONEY

Ah, honey. So sweet. So pure. Quite amazing, really. It takes on different flavors and coloration depending on the locale and flower from which it is derived. It is revered the world over for its health benefits, and has been used as everything from a poultice to a sweetener for thousands of years.

Cool link for interesting HONEY factoids and trivia:

http://www.honey.com/nhb/about-honey/honey-and-bees/

Some additional information AND a host of recipes using HONEY:

http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-recipes.html

I found a few cool HONEY and BEE related items in our member's Etsy shops:

HONEY JAR from Moon Over Marilyn

RING from Haute Country Vintage

COAT TRIM from Design Archives

Hope your NEW year is as sweet and rich as, well... HONEY!

FOODIE FRIDAY--F is also for FUDGE

Making fudge has never been my forte, I actually prefer BAKING--cookies, cakes, pies and the like. But, during the busy holiday season, I have prepared this fudge several times when I needed something FESTIVE in a hurry. It always turns out perfectly, and looks great. Even more important—it's spot on EASY, and tastes scrumptious!

Vintage Kitchen Scale from calloocallay

Rachael Ray's 5 MINUTE FUDGE WREATH

Ingredients

• 
  
  1 bag semisweet chocolate morsels (12 ounces)


• 
  
  9 ounces butterscotch morsels (3/4 of a 12 ounce bag)


• 
  
  1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)


• 
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 
  
  1 package of walnut pieces (8 ounces)


• 
  
  1/2 cup currants (a couple handfuls)


• 
  
  8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter


• Candied red and green cherries, for garnish (optional)

Preparation: Place a heavy pot on the stove and pre-heat it over low heat. Add chocolate and butterscotch morsels and milk and stir until morsels are melted and milk is combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in the vanilla and remove the fudge from heat. Add the nuts and currants and stir in immediately. Cover the empty condensed milk can with plastic wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to center the can if it drifts. The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or two that the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries, if desired---or a wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving. Chill covered in the refrigerator. Slice the fudge very thin when ready to serve – a little goes a long way!

Holiday Wreath Brooch from TRUECOLORSFORYOU