Whole Orange Polenta Cake
Would you eat something pretty or something tasty, again and again? :)
This cake is made using one of those Italian staples, Polenta. Their particular version of this yellow corn flour is extraordinarily finely ground, with more of a nut meal like texture than the grits we easily find in the States. This is what lends the corn flour to their delightful use in pastries. And, you can imagine it is much cheaper than fine ground flour. After all, polenta is an everyday savory staple and its use in sweet creations is an accessible extension, especially in the heartland of Tuscany that while beautiful is a harsh agrarian land!
Triple Chocolate Buckwheat Brownie
These days I am doing a bit of experimenting. Some have been happy surprises (like working with buckwheat flour or this service) and some recipes I tested that needed tweaks and yet others that did not work out well. The best test of a new item is indeed in an old favorite. That for me in baking is always a brownie - rich, chocolete-y, moist, fudge-y brownie!
The result was a deeper flavor that stood well with the chocolate, instead just letting the latter take center stage. The brownie, overall, felt a lot lighter to eat as well!
{Gluten Free} Brown Butter Banana Loaf
The first from scratch baked item that I ever made was a banana bread loaf. It was inevitable. I LOVE bananas! As a kid, as soon as my mom brought home a bunch of bananas from the market, I would chomp through almost half of the bunch immediately. It was my every time snack!
Over the years, I have tried different versions and tweaks to the basic recipe - different flours, pureeing vs mashing the bananas, caramelizing the fruit, nuts and no nuts, loaf vs this cake, or, even muffins. The one thing I found was, while each of the variation did indeed make a small difference in the flavor and perhaps even texture, the end product was universally delightful and tasty. The thing is you simply can never go wrong with a banana loaf. It is the true magic of the bananas and its giving nature! ;-)
Today, I bring you yet another delightfully moist variation made with gluten free flours and further nuttiness of brown butter.
Redux: Rich Chocolate Chip Blondies
Happy Spring Equinox!!!!!
I have much to be happy for! Including magical sunny days and a past weekend fill with smiles and the simple joy of starting something new - plants. From seeds.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of new beginnings, I thought it apt to remember where we came from and the journey here and throw some respect back. So, in honor of my nearly 10 years of blogging, I resurrected a strong favorite with you readers from this blog - Cranberry Squares, that I had posted back in 2010! It has consistently been a highly browsed recipe despite the average to clunky photographs that accompanied the post, teaching me that nothing, nothing beats quality product!
Tart or Crostata?
On the face of it, it is simply fruit ensconced in pastry. The French call it Tart and the Italians call it Crostata and well... while we are at it, the Americans/Brits Pie. Beyond that higher similarity, though, there are deep differences - in technique, meaning and reflection of each culture. The Tart for example is the most technical and the crostata the most forgiving and the pie in between, a blend of technique and comfort.
Today's subject is a simple fruit pie made with a pastry is slightly French, slightly Italian, inspired by the amazing prune (jam) crostatas I devour here and the lattice design they typically have on top!