Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts from NYT Cooking

The NYT Cooking columnists, (as wonderful as they are), seem to assume that everyone has a stand mixer and that it is essential for mixing things. Just not the case. A run-of-the-mill electric mixer works just as well here, as would vigorous mixing with a wooden spoon.

I happened to get a doughnut pan for Christmas, cuz' that's what happens when you order your own presents online, but a muffin pan will also work for this recipe.

It turns out that I am no longer reading recipes all the way through these days, but am only giving them a cursory scan. So, I dumped all the cinnamon into the batter, rather than leaving half for the cinnamon sugar. They taste fine. 

Ingredients:

•  nonstick cooking spray
• 1 ¾ cup/225 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature (divided)
• ¾ cup/165 grams light brown sugar
• ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar (divided)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup/120 milliliters apple cider

Methods:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Lightly grease a 12 cavity doughnut pans (or a 12-cup muffin tin) with nonstick spray. 

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Cream 10 tablespoons of the butter, the brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the apple cider in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous.

Spoon the batter into prepared doughnut pans, filling them about 2/3 of the way. (You can also do this using a disposable piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with a 1/2-inch opening cut from one corner.) Bake until evenly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the thickest portion comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking. (If you are making muffins, divide batter evenly between the prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.)

While the doughnuts bake, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl to combine. In a separate small bowl, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Let the doughnuts cool for 5 minutes after baking, then unmold them from the pans, brush with the melted butter and dredge them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm. 

Sweet Corn and Ricotta Sformato by Clare de Boer of NYT Cooking

What is a sformato you might ask? Well, it's not exactly clear to me. Appears that it might be a cross between a soufflé and a flan, that ends up, in this case, like a corn casserole. Just don't ask me for the pronunciation. At any rate, I made this recipe for a Thanksgiving (Canadian) weekend meal. It had a good flavour but I suspect the texture would have been different had it not been frozen prior to baking. Note to self: Do not freeze sformato.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing
• about 5 cups of fresh off the cob corn kernels (6 cobs approx.)
• 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups ricotta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1& 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
• 4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
• coarsely ground black pepper
• about 20 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 lemon juiced

Methods:

In a large skillet, soften the corn over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of flaky sea salt (not table salt). Transfer half of the corn to a food processor and puree with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Combine the remaining kernels with the puree and let cool.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. When the corn is cool, add the ricotta, heavy cream, sour cream, 1 cup Parm and remaining 1 tablespoon of flaky sea salt.

Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks on a high speed. Stir the yolks into the ricotta mixture and then gently fold in the whites.

Rub the sides of a 6 by 10 or 8 by 8 baking dish with butter. Add 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and knock it around to coat the bottom and sides of the baking dish, then follow with a few grinds of pepper. Pour the ricotta batter into the dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the sformata has set in the centre.

Grind the basil and lemon juice together with a mortar and pestle if you happen to have one. Add a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup oil.

Just before serving, top the sformata with some Parmesan and drizzle with the basil oil.

Pasta with Fried Lemons and Chiles - from the New York Times

This is a NewYork Times recipe. I thought it looked good. I love lemon. Of my diners, some liked it, some didn’t. Myself, I found the instructions unduly complicated for a so-called “ pantry pasta”.

I served it beside a heap of garlic scape pasta to give people options and because I liked the summer colour combo of green and yellow.

Ingredients:

• 4 lemons
• 1 pound linguine
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon chile flakes
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• Black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped celery leaves ( optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley ( optional)
• Sea salt for garnish

Methods:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Finely zest 2 lemons . Trim the tops and bottoms of the other two lemons, quarter them then very thinly slice the quarters into triangles. Blanch the lemon slices in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then remove them to dry.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente. Drain and keep a 1/2 cup of the Pasta water.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet and add the lemon pieces with a pinch of salt and sugar. Cook until the lemons are caramelized at the edges. Remove to a plate.

In the same large skillet, melt the butter with the remaining oil over medium heat. Add the Chile flakes and lemon zest. Cook until fragrant and then add the reserved pasta water.

Toss in the pasta, juice of one lemon, cheese, and pepper. Cook until the pasta is well- coated then add the caramelized lemons, parsley and celery leaves. Add more lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste.

Sweet and Spicy Roast Chicken from NYT Cooking

From Melissa Clark of the New York Times Cooking column. This is another one of those tasty trendy sheet pan dinners.

Ingredients: 

• 1 lemon, plus 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• black pepper to taste
• 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 onion halved and sliced thinly
• 2/3 cup sliced dates
• 3 cups sliced carrots
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 scallions thinly sliced, for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios for garnish (I didn't have any)

Methods: 

Cut thin wedges of the lemon, removing the seeds as you go. Blanch them in a small pot of salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and reserve.

In a saucepan whisk together the lemon juice and orange juice, oil, mustard, honey, salt, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then allow the mixture to cool. Put the chicken in a bowl or large plastic freezer bag, add the marinade and coat the chicken.  Then add the carrots, onions, dates, thyme and lemon slices. Allow everything to marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place all ingredients on a sheet pan with a rim. Roast until the chicken is browned, and both the meat and carrots are cooked through, perhaps up to 40 minutes. 

Spoon the carrots over the top of the chicken to serve and garnish with the parsley and scallions.

Berry Buttermilk Cake from the NYT's Cooking Column

The texture and taste of this cake was reminiscent of what I would call a cottage pudding. I did cut the amount of sugar by about half, which was perhaps too draconian a decrease, but the result was still tasty. Fresh berries will work as well as frozen in this recipe. Speaking of fresh fruit, I was given some rhubarb yesterday, so am on to baking a pie today. But is rhubarb really a fruit?

Ingredients:

• ½ cup/120 mls vegetable oil or other neutral oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• ½ cup/120 mls buttermilk or milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup/200 grams plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups/190 grams plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups frozen berries, any kind, any combination (large berries quartered)

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9-inch baking dish or pan (square or round) with oil and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and 1 cup sugar. In a separate medium bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Toss the berries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour then fold them into the batter before pouring it into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the batter in the pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 53 to 58 minutes. 

Orange Beef.....made during a pandemic

This NYT's recipe by Sam Sifton is not really a pandemic-style recipe aside from the fact that it can be served up on some of your stockpiled rice. However, it does demonstrate how you can switch up, or leave out ingredients altogether, and still produce something tasty. Remember, perfectionism impedes progress.

Ingredients:
For the Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 & 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (Didn't have, so used some ground ginger)
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (Didn't have, didn't use)
• 2 tablespoons orange zest, plus the juice of one orange
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup rice vinegar (Didn't have, so used cider vinegar)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

For the Beef:

• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 boneless rib-eye steak, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 pounds, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ¼ cup neutral oil
• 6 scallions, white and green parts cut into inch long pieces and separated
• 2 to 4 dried red chiles, or to taste (Didn't have, so used some dried pepper flakes)

Methods:

Make the sauce first. Heat the oil in a small sauce pan set over medium-high heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the ginger, jalapeño and orange zest and stir to combine. Sauté the mixture until the ingredients soften, approximately 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic and continue cooking until it softens, approximately 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and reduces by half.

Meanwhile, prepare the meat by combining the egg white, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Add the steak, and toss it to coat with the batter.

In a large skillet or wok set over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers, then add the beef in a single layer and cook without stirring until the bottoms of the pieces are crisp and golden, approximately 60 to 90 seconds. Add the white pieces of scallion and chiles to the pan, then turn the beef pieces over and cook the other sides, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer the meat to a platter, then pour the orange sauce into the pan, let it boil and stir it as it thickens. Add back the meat and white scallions and stir to coat with the sauce. Scatter the dish with the green parts of the scallions when serving it up over the stockpiled white rice. 

New York Times Twice-Cooked Pork Tenderloin

This is a simple dish that seems fancy. 

FYI: I didn't garnish this dish with parsley because I hate wasting food, particularly during a pandemic. Parsley is sold at my grocery store in a sheaf so large you could garnish a entire wedding buffet table with it. Most recipes only call for about a tablespoon of the stuff. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 boneless pork tenderloin, about a pound
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter, or extra virgin olive oil, or a combination of both
• 1/4 cup of 35 %cream ( aka whipping cream)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, lemon juice, or Calvados, optionally
• 1/2 cup water
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish, also optional

Methods:
Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, then add it to a skillet in which 2 tablespoons of butter/oil/or a combo of fats have been placed. When the fat is foaming/sizzling, add the meat to the skillet and brown it well on all sides (4-6 minutes). Remove the meat from the pan and let it rest for a few minutes while things cool down.

Cut the meat into inch thick slices, then turn your burner to medium-high, place the remaining fat in the skillet and add the pork slices to the pan. Brown on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove the meat to a warm plate.

After the first searing....

Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and turn the heat to high. Scrape and stir for a minute, lower the heat slightly, then add the cream. Cook until slightly thickened. Stir in the mustard, lemon juice or Calvados if you are using them, adjust the seasoning as you want and spoon over the meat. Ta-dah!

Apple Skillet Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting from the New York Times Cooking column. It's the "best cake ever".

I made this cake to take to a luncheon at my cousin's home. Her husband, who is a cake aficionado, declared it "best cake ever". My husband raved about the salt on the frosting.

I admit to changing up the original recipe ever so slightly. I did not use a skillet, so it took quite a bit longer to bake than the recipe stated. And, I used my sister's recipe for a brown sugar frosting rather than the frosting made with caramel candies as suggested by the NY Times. Below you see the un-iced cake. I somehow missed photographing the iced cake. 

Ingredients for the caramel apples:

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large baking apples, peeled cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Ingredients for the cake:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter plus more for the pan
• 1 & 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Ingredients for the frosting: 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla 
• 2-3 cups of icing sugar
• several pinches of sea salt

Methods:

The apples:

In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, then add the apples , brown sugar and salt,. Cook stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the apples soften slightly. This will take 4-5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

The cake: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10 -inch oven proof skillet with butter. Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl (flour salt, baking powder and spices), then add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold the apples and all of their caramelized liquid into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and bake it until the surface is a golden brown  for 30-35 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool. Note, if you use something other than a skillet to contain the cake, the baking time may vary.

The Frosting:

Melt the butter in a pot on the stove over a medium heat, then add the brown sugar, syrup, salt and milk. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Beat in 2-3 cups of icing sugar depending on how stiff you want your icing to be and the nature of your icing sugar. While the icing is still warm, pour it over the cooled cake. When the icing has set, sprinkle some sea salt on top before serving.

Brined Pork Chops from the New York Times Cooking Column

These brined chops were moist and flavourful,  although slightly too salty for my taste. The NYT recipe called for fennel as an accompaniment, which I think would be delicious. I only had onions so that's all I used. It also called for allspice berries. I'm not exactly sure where one finds allspice berries. Perhaps in New York city.

Ingredients for the Brine:

• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 6 allspice berries, crushed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
•  2 bone -in pork chops, about 12 ounces each

Ingredients for the Pork Chops:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced 1/4 inch think
• 3 or 4 trimmed fennel bulbs, sliced 1/4 inch thick (that's a lot of fennel )
• salt and papper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• a few fennel fronds

Methods: 

Make the brine by mixing 4 cups of water into the brine ingredients. Put the pork chops in a glass or plastic container and submerge the chops in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Remove the chops and pat them dry. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place a skillet on high heat and add the olive oil. Brown the chops for 3 minutes per side, then remove the chops from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium high and add the onion and fennel. Season with salt and pepper and cook while stirring for about 5 minutes. Stir in the fennel seed and garlic and turn off the heat. 

Lay the chops on top of the fennel mixture and place the pan in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

When you serve the fennel-onion mixture and chops, sprinkle them with parsley and garnish with fennel fronds.  

Chicken Francese from the NYT Cooking Column

This yummy chicken dish is from Julia Moskin of the New York Times Cooking column. Over the years, I have figured out that lemon and chicken pair well, and this recipe seconds that emotion. The recipe serves four, but I halved it for my husband and myself, and I still had leftovers. I guess we're delicate eaters. The other change I made was from necessity. Unbelievably, I had no white wine in the house, so substituted a small splash of white vermouth.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4-6 large boneless skinless chicken cutlets
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 lemon sliced thinly with seeds removed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• juice of one lemon
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3-4 tablespoons minced parsley

Methods:

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in a separate shallow bowl.

In a large skillet, heat the oils over medium heat until shimmering. Lightly dredge each cutlet in flour, then dip them in the egg batter, allowing the excess to drip off. Fry, turning once, for 4 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer the cutlets to a paper towel lined pan as they finish browning and repeat the process with the remaining the cutlets.

When all the cutlets are done, remove the oil from the pan, wipe it out and return the pan to low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan, add the lemon slices and saute until brown around the edges. 

Remove the lemon slices, then add the additional butter, wine and lemon juice. Boil for 3-4 minutes until syrupy, then add the stock and cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and return the cutlets to the skillet. Heat through, turning the cutlets in the sauce. Place the lemon slices on top and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Lamb Steak with Lebanese Spices from NYT Cooking

I made two new recipes for dinner guests this week; this lamb steak recipe is one of them. This was a bit of a risk, especially because I had never used Lebanese baharat, a seven-spice powder and key ingredient in this dish. However, my anxiety about this meal was all for nought. The lamb was a hit. Yahoo!

Ingredients:

• 1 butterflied lamb leg, about 1&1/2 pounds , or 4 lamb steaks or chops, 6 ounces each
• salt
• 2 teaspoons Lebanese baharat 
• 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, plus 1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 & 1/2 cups of plain yogurt
• about a cup of chopped cucumber 
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 large bunch of rainbow chard, cut in 2 inch wide ribbons

Methods:

Trim the fat and gristle from the lamb and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Season the lamb on both sides with salt and the seven-spice powder. Drizzle the meat with olive oil and massage the spices into the lamb. Sprinkle the sliced garlic on to the meat, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.

To make the 'yogurt sauce', place the yogurt in a mixing bowl and season it with salt. Stir in the cucumbers, mint, grated garlic and red pepper flakes.

Now, to the lamb. Heat a splash of olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high and add the lamb steaks when the pan is hot. Cook for several minutes until nicely browned then turn and cook for another few minutes. Remove the skillet from the stove-top and place it in a 400 degree F oven to finish cooking. The length of time you leave the meat in the oven will depend on the thickness of your steaks. Mine, which ultimately were cooked to medium rare, were in the oven for close to 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook the meat under the broiler. After cooking, let the lamb rest for 10 minutes beneath a foil tent before cutting.

While the lamb is resting, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chard and 1/4 cup of water. Cook for 1-2 minutes until just wilted.

Carve the lamb in 1/8 inch slices against the grain. Serve with the chard and yogurt sauce. I also served mashed turnip, as a second strongly flavoured vegetable accompaniment to the lamb.

Re: The Seven Spice Powder

Shortly after reading this New York Times recipe, I just happened upon a store that sold baharat. I'm not sure that it is available in most North American grocery stores. However, you can make your own by combining the following: 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon ground allspice, 1 tablespoon ground coriander,1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. 

Blond Puttanesca from NYT Cooking

This is another very tasty New York Times Cooking recipe, which I have successfully added to my repertoire. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the end product, but it basically looks like linguine with some green bits added in. Mostly blond, as its name implies.  

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces linguine
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 10 anchovies, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 5 ounces baby arugula
• 6-7 ounces of canned tuna, drained and flaked
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley
• pasta water

Methods:
Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted water as per the package instructions. While the pasta cooks, add the garlic and pepper flakes to the olive oil in a large skillet and cook for about a minute over medium-low heat. Add the anchovies and capers and cook for another minute or two. Turn the heat to medium. Stir a ladle of pasta water into the mixture and simmer for a minute or two. Add in the arugula with another ladle of pasta water and when the arugula is wilted, add the pasta. Then stir in the tuna to warm it through. After about a minute, add another ladle of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Sprinkle parsley over the pasta and season it with salt and pepper. Serve it with flaky salt and a lemon wedge on the side.

Peach Upside Down Cake a la New York Times

To my mind,  this recipe combines aspects of pineapple upside down cake, cottage pudding, coffee cake, and tarte Tatin, that famous French caramelized topsy turvy apple dessert. It is drawn from the New York Times cooking column, and a recipe maker whose fabulous name is Florence Fabricant. Ms. Fabulous Fabricant recommends serving this cake with a dollop of creme fraiche.

The recipe makes one cake but I made two at once, to double my pleasure and double my fun.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound softenened unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
• 3 large ripe peaches (peeled)
• 1 and 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch cake or pie pan , then line it with parchment paper and butter that as well.

Slice the peaches and arrange them on the bottom of the pan.

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup of water in a saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the mixture turns amber. This takes 12 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat and pour it over the peaches in the pan.

Combine the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light, then beat in the eggs one at a time.Stir in the flour mixture, then spread the batter evenly over the peaches. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden and the cake feels set to the touch.  

Cool the cake somewhat, then run a knife around the sides of the baking pan and invert it on a serving dish while praying to the baking gods.

Sauteed Corn, Greens, Bacon and Scallions

This is a great way to eat your veggies, and 'tis the season for vegetables. By Julia Moskin and the New York Times Cooking column.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 shallot or small onion, minced
• 3 cups of corn kernels, sliced from 4-5 cobs of corn
• 1/2 cup of diced red pepper
• pinch of chili pepper flakes\salt and pepper to taste
• 2 or 3 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
• 4- 6 cups of tender greens like baby chard or kale or spinach

Methods:

Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp then drain it on a paper towel. Reserve a teaspoon (or more) of fat in the skillet. Add the butter and the shallot. Sizzle but don't scorch the vegetable. Stir for about 2 minutes before adding the corn, peppers and pepper flakes. Stir about 5 minutes before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Add the bacon and scallions. Then add the greens about 2 cups at a time, stirring to wilt before adding more. 

Roasted Asparagus with Almonds and Capers

I’ve misplaced the name of the author of this recipe, but I’m quite sure I found it in a recent NYT Cooking column. The original recipe called for fresh dill as an accompaniment to the asparagus in addition to the almonds and fried capers, but I decided enough was enough, and omitted the dill. I used some very healthy, chunky-looking asparagus when testing this recipe and they stood up to roasting well. This was my first attempt at frying capers and I'm not sure that I was entirely successful. C'est la vie.

Ingredients:

• ⅓ pounds/600 grams asparagus, woody ends trimmed 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons/30 grams unsalted butter
•  Scant 1/4 cup/20 grams sliced/chopped almonds
• 3 tablespoons/30 grams baby capers, patted dry on paper towels

Methods:

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange asparagus on a baking sheet and toss them in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Space the asparagus well apart on the baking sheet, and roast, shaking the pan occasionally, until the asparagus is soft and starting to brown in places, 8 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. In a small or medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until foamy. Add almonds and fry, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the almonds and butter over the asparagus. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat over high heat. Once hot, add the capers and fry, stirring continuously, until they have opened up and become crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the capers from the oil and sprinkle over the asparagus.

Spicy Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli Rabe by Melissa Clark

This is another sheet pan dinner from the folks at the New York Times. I love these types of meals because they are so fantastically easy to make. Having said that, I'm not exactly sure that broccoli rabe is the best vegetable to team with shrimp.

Ingredients:

• ¾ pound broccoli rabe, tough bottom stems removed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional
• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes, or to taste
• ¾ pound large shrimp, peeled
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• Orange wedges, for serving
•  

• Methods:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sesame oil if using, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon chile flakes. In a separate bowl, combine the shrimp, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the orange zest, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon chile flakes.

• Spread broccoli and shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast, tossing once or twice halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Serve with orange wedges.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes with Arugula and Garlic Yogurt

Here is another sheet pan dinner as divined by the folks writing the online New York Times Cooking column. This recipe was attributed to Melissa Clark. My sister Penelope gave this dish a thumbs-up.

Ingredients: 
• 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 ¼ pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, more as needed
• 2 tablespoons harissa (or use another thick hot sauce, such as sriracha)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest 
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt 
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 ounces baby arugula
• Chopped fresh dill, as needed
• Lemon juice, as needed

Methods:
Combine the chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the hot sauce, cumin and 3 tablespoons oil. Pour this over the chicken and potatoes and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the leeks, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. in a bowl. Arrange chicken and potatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes then toss the potatoes lightly and scatter in the leeks. Roast until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and everything is golden and slightly crisped, 25 to 30 minutes longer.

Place yogurt in a small bowl  and grate the garlic into it. Stir in some chopped fresh dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon the yogurt over the chicken and vegetables either in the pan or after plating. Scatter arugula and dill over everything. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and serve.

Lemon Ginger Tart

Here's another recipe from Sam Sifton's New York Times Cooking column, and more specifically, from someone by the name of Alison Roman. 

So, this attractive dessert was a difficult bake for me. I ended up altering the recipe somewhat because a) I didn't have enough sugar, so decreased the amount called for in the lemon filling by almost a half cup, and b) I didn't have enough butter because I spilled 3/4 cup of melted butter on my kitchen floor during the course of this baking adventure. I ended up with about two-thirds of a cup of butter in the crust; that's all I had left in my fridge. I actually think the recipe may have been improved by the dearth of sugar, or at least, made more to my taste. The lemon filling was certainly more tart than it would have been had I used the called-for amount.

I was a bit baffled by the author's instruction to sieve the lemon mixture after adding the grated ginger since I was sure that I thereby removed most of the ginger I had just put in. However, I have to say that despite the sieving, there was a certain subtle heat to the lemon filling which I attribute to ginger having been briefly in the mix. The turmeric merely enhances the colour of the tart.  

It's gorgeously sunny looking and tastes like pure gold (would taste, if gold had a taste). 

Ingredients for the crust:

•         1 ½ cups all purpose flour
•         ⅔ cupconfectioners’ sugar
•         1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
•          ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted (try not to spill this)

Ingredients for the filling:

•          1 cup fresh lemon juice
•          1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (I used a scant cup)
•          4 large egg yolks
•          1 large egg
•          ¼ cup all-purpose flour
•          1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
•          ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
•          ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
•          ½ lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed (optional)

Methods:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and, using a spatula, mix until it’s well combined. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Bake the tart shell until it’s a pale golden brown on the edges and baked through on the bottom, about 15 to 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, egg, flour, ginger, turmeric and salt, then pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Add the lemon slices, if using, and stir to coat. Pour the filling into the crust and bake the tart until the edges of the lemon filling are set and the center no longer jiggles, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.  

Lemon leftovers