Another Yummy Failure

The nice thing about cooking is that a failure can be just as yummy as a success.

In this case, it's one more Yummy Crummy Coffee Cake. Blueberries have been on sale, so I'm trying to come up with a beautiful, blueberry-studded golden coffee cake, like one I remember that was baked in an iron skillet. I have a clear image of a perfect yellow cake, polka-dotted throughout with plump blueberries and topped with a sugary crunch topping. You know, the kind shown on boxes of cake mix. Except that I'm determined to produce one from scratch, without all the mysteriously dubious chemicals involved in a mix.

One problem has to do with the odd tendency of blueberries to turn cake batter green. It's a chemical thing that has nothing to do with artificial ingredients. Blueberries naturally have anthocyanin pigments under their skin, and when that touches baking soda (which is alkaline sodium bicarbonate) the result is green batter. It doesn't affect the taste, but the appearance is not appetizing. I want a nice yellow cake with blue spots, not green smears. The solution is to combine the dry ingredients separately, so the baking powder (which contains soda) is thoroughly mixed with the flour before added to the butter and eggs.

A second problem is keeping the blueberries suspended throughout the cake. Their natural tendency is to sink to the bottom, which would be fine if I wanted a blueberry upside down cake. But I want those pretty blueberries floating throughout the batter. One trick I learned with chocolate chips and nuts is to dust them with flour, which for some unknown reason prevents sinking. It works with chips and nuts, but so far the blueberries continue to dive straight for the bottom of the pan.

While producing one failure after another, this particular cake stands out as worth keeping. It calls for both cornmeal and ground almonds, which are usually available at stores that sell trail mix and natural baking stuff from bins.  It baked nicely in my iron skillet, with the edges that rose and turned inward before the center of the cake was set. Instead of those uncooperative blueberries, I'll use orange zest, and post the Yummy Crummy Coffee Cake for your approval.

And if you happen to know how to get those blueberries to behave, let me know in the comments, okay?

Summer Delight: A Fruit Meringue

Here's a Fruit Meringue that makes the best of summer delights. The idea is pure simplicity: cut up whatever fruit happens to fall your way and combine it in a baking dish. Top with meringue and bake slowly until beautifully browned. Cool for an hour then enjoy.

That's really about all there is to it. No fat, no dairy, no gluten. Just whatever fruit is ripe and a fluffy meringue, baked till brown. Well, almost any fruit. Maybe not watermelon. But practically anything else. Plums, bananas, pineapples and kiwis were all on sale this week, so that's what I threw in this example. Coconut seemed appropriate, so that went in, too. But no sugar, sour cream or mini marshmallows, please. The fruit provides its own fructose, and the brief baking brings out juices. To keep the dish from being too juicy, toss it with a tablespoon of cornstarch before you spoon on the meringue.

Recipe: Fruit Meringue

Cut up fruit
Shredded Coconut or Slivered Almonds (optional)
1 Tbs. Corn Starch

Meringue for 8"-9" pan:
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1/3 c. sugar (not turbinado)

Meringue for 9" x 13" pan:
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar

Brush a baking dish with oil; fill half full with coarsely cut-up fruit.
Toss with 1 Tbs. cornstarch for 8" pan, 2 Tbs cornstarch for 9"x13" pan.
Add coconut or almonds if desired.
Meringue:
Add salt to egg whites and beat until fluffy.
While beating, slowly add sugar to whites in a slow steady stream.
Whip on high speed until whites form glossy peaks.
Take a pinch of the mixture between finger; there should be no grains of sugar. Try not to lick it - raw eggs, y'know.
Pile meringue on top of fruit in baking dish.
Bake 15 - 20 minutes at 325 degrees (F), until meringue is nicely browned.
Cool at least an hour before serving.

Easy Dinner, Simple or Fancy

This simple dinner is easy enough for a quick family supper, and can be made quite fancy for guests.

Back in the '70s, no one had heard of rolling high-end sandwich fillings in flour tortillas and calling them "wraps." But I'd found flour burritos at the local grocery and started wrapping them around simple stuff that our kids would eat. One evening when guests dropped by, and the only "fancy" thing in the kitchen was a can of asparagus, I thought of sticking those into my "roll-ups" along with some deli ham and Swiss cheese.  I stirred some honey into mustard for a quick sauce.

That quickly thrown-together supper became one of our family classics. Now "wraps" are everywhere, and my Ham & Asparagus Roll-Ups aren't particularly special except for one secret: mine are browned in just a shimmer of olive oil, which makes them golden and crisp.

Spoon the Honey-Mustard into the center of an avocado half, or serve the Roll-Ups with ABC Salad. Whether you're serving a family supper or a houseful of guests, you just can't go wrong.

Recipe: Ham & Asparagus Roll-Ups

If you're serving a houseful of guests, you can make the Roll-Ups ahead by using lightly steamed fresh asparagus that is well drained. Tightly cover a tray of Roll-Ups, then brown just before serving. Cut each Roll-Up in half for easy finger-food.

Soft Flour Tortillas: 6" for party food, 8" for supper
Asparagus Spears: canned and drained, or lightly steamed fresh
Ham, sliced thin
Swiss Cheese, sliced thin or shredded
olive oil for brushing and browning

Combine for Sauce: 
1/2 c. Dijon Mustard
2 Tbs. Honey

Place one slice of ham, cheese and several asparagus spears on each tortilla.
Roll tightly, secure with a toothpick.
Brush each roll with olive oil.

Heat a griddle or skillet, add enough olive oil to create a shimmer on the surface.
Brown Roll-Ups on the hot oil until nicely browned and crisp all over. Mine often end up with 3 brown sides.
Serve immediately with Honey Dijon Mustard Sauce. Spoon sauce into the center of avocado halves if desired.

Fresh Figs for the Finish

What better finish to a light summer meal than fresh sugared figs?

To those of us whose only extra-biblical experience of figs involved the name Newton, the idea that figs are actually fruit might come as a surprise. I experienced that epiphany one holiday season when friends presented our family with one of those mail-order arrangements of dried fruit. What were those squashy brown chewy disks? Figs? Really? I grew up in the rust belt of Ohio, what did I know? Many more years passed before I encountered the same fruit in its fresh form.

Now that we live in Arizona, I have found all sorts of biblical things growing on trees - olives, dates, pomegranates and several different sorts of figs. At the end of the summer when the family back in Ohio is overrun with overgrown zucchini and overripe tomatoes, we're hoping our neighbor's tree will produce enough figs to share. Because figs do not travel easily or keep well, the few that reach the Midwest command impressive prices. So if you aren't among the lucky folk living in California or the Southwest, you'll want to take the best advantage of any fresh figs you might find.

This recipe is about as simple and foolproof as anyone could hope for, and it will showcase your figs nicely. It's simple enough to make as an afternoon snack for the kids - which we do here where the figs grow. But if you're in the Northeast, you might want to present it to guests, alongside a bowl of sorbet and a glass of madeira.

Recipe: Broiled Fresh
Figs

Remove stems slice each fig in half lengthwise.
Press cut side of each piece in sugar.
Arrange on pie plate or broiling pan.
Broil 4 to 8 minutes, until sugar is bubbly and browned.
Remove to serving dish and serve immediately.