Almond Cake

Love Almond Cake!

SERVES 8 TO 10

If you can’t find blanched sliced almonds, grind slivered almonds for the batter and use unblanched sliced almonds for the topping. Serve plain or with Orange Crème Fraîche.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2cups plus 1/3 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
• 3/4cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/4teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8teaspoon baking soda
• 4large eggs
• 1 1/4cups (8 3/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 3/4teaspoon almond extract
• 5tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3cup vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. Pulse 1½ cups almonds, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in food processor until almonds are finely ground, 5 to 10 pulses. Transfer almond mixture to bowl.
   2. Process eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and almond extract in now-empty processor until very pale yellow, about 2 minutes. With processor running, add melted butter and oil in steady stream, until incorporated. Add almond mixture and pulse to combine, 4 to 5 pulses. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
   3. Using your fingers, combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest in small bowl until fragrant, 5 to 10 seconds. Sprinkle top of cake evenly with remaining 1/3 cup almonds followed by sugar-zest mixture.
   4. Bake until center of cake is set and bounces back when gently pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes, rotating pan after 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of pan. Invert cake onto greased wire rack, discard parchment, and reinvert cake onto second wire rack. Let cake cool, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. (Store cake in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

HOW WE GOT THE BEST ALMOND FLAVOR—AND CAKE TEXTURE

For a rich, nutty taste and a consistency that’s not too dense, we toast blanched almonds (we dislike the slight bitterness imparted by skin-on almonds) to deepen their flavor. Then we grind them in the food processor. The ground nuts give the crumb an open, rustic texture.

START WITH BLANCHED ALMONDS

TOAST UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN

GRIND WITH FLOUR, SALT, AND LEAVENERS

EGG FOAMS: MIXER VERSUS FOOD PROCESSOR

The goal when mixing most cake batters is to incorporate a lot of air into the eggs so that the cake will bake up light and tall, and a mixer is usually the best tool to get the job done. For our Best Almond Cake, however, we wanted a flat, level top; just a moderate rise; and a texture that was neither too fluffy nor too dense. Ditching the mixer in favor of a food processor did the trick. Here’s why: When eggs and sugar are whipped in a mixer, the whisk gently unfolds the protein strands in the eggs while incorporating lots of air, producing a foam with a strong network that holds on to that air. The outcome? A tall, well-risen, domed cake. A food processor, with its high rpm and very sharp blade, similarly unravels the eggs’ protein strands and incorporates air, but it also damages some strands along the way. The result is just what we were after: a flatter, slightly denser cake.

MIXER: Tall and domed.

FOOD PROCESSOR: Perfectly flat.

Source: Cook's Illustrated

Bacon Cheeseburger Calzones

What an awesome concept for a variation of the same ole cheeseburger!

This recipe comes from Pillsbury, so they will naturally recommend one of their products.  After reading the comments on the recipe page, I decided to use our usual pizza dough recipe instead of the 2 cans of crescent dinner rolls. One reader used the seamless crescent dinner roll dough with great success.  It is up to you which item you use!

As a reminder . . . if you decide to use another method for the dough, don't forget to adjust cooking time.

I'd make some changes to suit our taste, like use fresh onion and maybe leave out the tomato.  Ranch dressing would not be my favorite choice for a burger, but I do remember the cheeseburgers at Frisch's Big Boy back in the day used tartar sauce and it was delicious.  

Looking forward to making this variation of a cheeseburger!

Ingredients

4

slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1/4

cup dried instant minced onion

1/4

cup chopped hamburger pickle slices

1/4

cup ranch dressing

2

Italian plum tomato, thinly sliced, if desired

4

slices (3/4 oz each) American or Cheddar cheese, each cut in half

2

cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1

egg, beaten

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat 2 minutes. Add ground beef and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain if necessary. Stir in pickles and ranch dressing.

• Unroll dough and separate each can into 4 rectangles; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press each into 7x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
• Spoon about 1/3 cup ground beef mixture onto one end of each rectangle. Top each with tomato slices and 1 piece of cheese. Fold dough over filling; press edges with fork to seal (sandwiches will be full). Brush tops with egg.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Photo and recipe source

Tater Tot Muffins

Oh my . . . two of my favorite things all rolled into one!

What an awesome concept!

This recipe comes from Peggy Trowbridge Filippone from About.com who always comes up with such great cooking ideas.

Peggy suggests experimenting with other ingredients like sour cream, chives, bacon, cheese and also commented that it can be baked as a casserole.    Her recommendation for leftovers is to scramble them into some eggs . . . now that sounds delicious!  I would top the egg dish with some cheddar cheese.

Can't wait to try these!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Resting Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 package (28 ounces) frozen mini tater tots, thawed
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1 can cream of celery soup (undiluted)
• 2 cups fine-shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided use
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• 1/8 cup chopped chives
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray standard-sized muffin tins with vegetable oil.

Break each tater tot in half. Combine tater tots, diced onions, undiluted cream of celery soup, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, sour cream, butter, bacon bits, and chives.

Compress potato mixture into prepared muffin pans, pressing firmly, and place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Top with remaining Cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 servings 

Source: Tater Tot Muffins Recipe Photo © 2011 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Julius Caesar Salad and Homemade Ranch Dressing

The following recipes come from The Pioneer Woman on The Food Network. We were watching the episode entitled "Shakespeare Movie Night" that included a very tasty looking Supreme Pizza Lasagna.  

Oddly enough, the thing that really caught my attention was the caesar salad she prepared.  I have been thinking about making one of these salads since watching that show.  The dressing looked creamy and delicious paired with the crunchy croutons on that bed of romaine lettuce.  The grated cheese is like the icing on the cake.

Usually I don't get too enthused about a salad, but she made it look awesome!

Since The Captain's favorite salad dressing is Ranch, I have also included her homemade recipe.

Sometimes I love eating the rabbit food as a main meal when I have a strong craving!

Ingredients

Salad Dressing:
1 cup (real) mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk, plus more if needed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic, smashed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Croutons:
1 loaf ciabatta, crusts on, roughly chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Salad:
2 heads green leaf lettuce, sliced
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, slice


Directions

For the salad dressing: Put the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, Parmesan, balsamic, Worcestershire, anchovies, garlic and some salt and pepper into a blender or food processor and pulse the processor or blend on low speed for several seconds. Adjust the consistency if needed with a little extra buttermilk. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours (it just gets better!) before using it on the salad.

For the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Throw the bread cubes onto a baking sheet and toss them in the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle on half of the Parmesan, toss, sprinkle on more and toss again. Bake, tossing again halfway through, until crisp and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the salad: Throw the green leaf and romaine lettuce into a bowl. Add some dressing, and give it a good initial toss, just so you can evaluate how much more dressing you need. Add more dressing to taste. Add the cooled croutons. Toss gently and serve.
Recipe Source

Homemade Ranch Dressing
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup real mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash hot sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (as needed for desired consistency)


Directions

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle on the salt and mash it into a paste with a fork.

In a bowl, combine the garlic paste, mayonnaise, sour cream, parsley, dill, chives, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, vinegar, paprika, cayenne and hot sauce. Add the buttermilk to desired consistency and mix to combine, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thinning with more buttermilk if needed.

Recipe Source