Peach Brown Butter Cake

 

Mmm peaches. I love a good, juicy ripe peach in the height of summer eaten over the kitchen sink more than any other summer fruit. Somehow this summer I lost my streak of good peaches, and instead got ones that inevitably tasted like nail polish remover. Got me on that one, I have no idea how that happened.

I baked this cake to bring to a friend who had just moved to town, and needed dinner after a long day of driving and lifting boxes. After chicken gyros with tzaziki, tomatoes, cucumber and pita, I pulled out the cake and she found some vanilla ice cream. Sitting in her non-air conditioned new kitchen, this cake tasted like summer.

One of the best fruit saving tricks I know, when time is running out and fruit either looks like its heading south or won't reach its peak in enough time, is to bake it into something. Guaranteed, the heat of the oven will soften up any problematic fruit into what it is meant to be.

Best of all, this meant I was able to brown butter for the first time. By toasting the milk solids in the butter, it gets darker and nuttier, and well, way more awesome. Go slow, smell every step- you can tell the difference. Also, when this cake bakes, the peaches produce a lot of juice that will make the whole thing seem underdone- make sure you are testing the cake batter and not dragging the tester through the juices. 

Peach Brown Butter Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen


3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cinnamon 

1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk (or 2/3 cup milk, minus about a teaspoon. replace with a teaspoon of lemon juice, let sit for 10 minutes)

1 1/2 pounds peaches, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges (about 4 cups, 4-5 peaches)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Streusel

Reserved butter from cake (above)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1. Brown butter: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Keep your eyes on it; it burns very quickly after it browns. Set aside and let cool (the fridge will speed this along).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan or springform

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in bowl to blend.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cooled browned butter (set aside remaining 1/4 cup for topping), sugar and then eggs, one at a time. Stir in milk or buttermilk. Stir dry ingredients into this wet mixture; mix until just combined and spread batter in prepared pan.

5. Toss nectarine wedges with lemon juice and arrange them in a single layer on top of the batter.

6. Stir remaining brown butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together until large crumbs form. Sprinkle the peach-topped batter with crumbs. Bake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack.

Bánh mì

I bought an issue of Bon Appetit way back in January based off the title article- meatballs. That alone is enough to sell me on a $5 magazine. Better yet, the meatballs were mostly of the non-traditional sort- lamb kofte, moroccan cinnamon spiced ones, and these bahn mi inspired ones.  I've always wanted to try Bánh mì, but haven't made the trek out to Atlanta's ethnic food corridor, Buford Highway, to track one down. 

Bánh mì are Vietnamese sandwiches that typically have pickled vegetables, spicy peppers, cilantro, pate and other cold cuts on a baguette. I did make all the components of this recipe, along with my roommate and friend playing sous chef and patient wait-ers. For having a lot of components and looking like a lot of work, once you get started it shouldn't take more than an hour between pickling vegetables, making and cooking meatballs and assembling sandwiches.


Bánh mì

HOT CHILI MAYO
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon sriracha

1. Stir all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt.

MEATBALLS
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch- I don't know what this is for, but I still used it
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. 

2. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl.

3. Run your hands under water and with a scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet. 

4. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of meatballs. Sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often, about 15 minutes. 

5. Transfer meatballs to preheated, 300 degree oven to stay warm.

PICKLED VEGETABLES (no I'm not kidding, do it)

2 cups coarsely grated carrots
2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

1. Toss all 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

ASSEMBLY

1. Cut each baguette or baguette piece horizontally in half.

2. Spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. Arrange jalapeños, then cilantro, in bottom halves.

3. Fill each with meatballs. Drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs. Press on baguette tops.

Chocolate Cocoa Nib Cookies

Friday, after a long work week. It came down to napping or making cookies. I'd already spent all day sitting at my desk, so cookies it was. Fridays always give me a weird energy, that usually result in my jumping around the house like a gnat on meth much to the delight of my roommate. I had to scour our two pantries for enough chocolate to make anything, and luckily we had half a bar of chocolate, a scant half cup of chocolate chips and chocolate-covered cocoa nibs. Nibs? Oh yes- the dry-roasted bits of cacao beans that make chocolate. They have a dark, bitter chocolate flavor that keeps these cookies from the too-sweet side. 

Aside from being endlessly adaptable, and easily able to halve the recipe, these have both cocoa powder and instant espresso to boost the chocolate flavor to seriously intense. Add more nibs or more espresso powder for the best cookie you've had with coffee, or walnuts for nut lovers. Add dried cherries or cinnamon for a new slant. Or chili powder for a Mexican chocolate feel.  

Chocolate Cocoa Nib Cookies

Makes 48, keep on the small side

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chocolate covered cocoa nibs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 

3. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and espresso powder; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. 

4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls- keep them small! onto ungreased cookie sheets.

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Watermelon Gin Fizz

I had a full bowl of watermelon sitting in the fridge and plans to whiz it up in the blender, add lime and club soda and call it a day.

Then Nic showed up, bearing ingredients and a springform pan for another post, and everything changed. We threw in zest, and brought the party with gin. It took a while to learn, but neither of us will drink any liquor that isn't clear. Luckily, gin is my favorite.

A great summer drink, bright with lime, fizzy with club soda, and a beautiful pink color. And gin never hurt anyone either.

Watermelon Gin Fizz
Serves 2-4

1/2 watermelon- this is based off a medium sized melon
1-2 oz gin per drink
limes
club soda


1. De-seed, cut into chunks and whiz the watermelon in a blender until smooth.

2. Now strain the juice through a fine mesh strainer to catch all the bits left over. It takes a while, have patience. Think of the gin coming your way.

3. Load up glasses with ice, add your preferred level of gin. A good ratio is about 1 part gin to 3 parts watermelon juice. Squeeze a good half a lime in and top off with club soda.

4. Stir and toast dreaming up new drinks with your sister on a Friday.