Breathe a sigh of relief

Ok, I don't want to admit what we've been eating lately. My stockpile of prepared foods in the freezer is fine; I can feel good about pulling a lentil soup out of the freezer and microwaving it for lunch. Takeout and frozen pizzas I'll admit to. But the hotdogs without buns microwaved and wolfed down on an evening when it was just C and me at home? That's just wrong. I won't admit to it. Needless to say, I can't exactly write about the recipes I've been trying lately.

I've been working ridiculous hours trying to get pottery prepared in time for the Ellis Holiday Shoppe, with the idea that then I'd also have a good stash of work left to give to PCA for their shop, as well as some to sell out of the studio, etc. I made a ton of work. Or at least half a ton, if you count it by the weight of the clay I used. . .

The holiday shop is over, and after several hours at the school yesterday setting up, a good 13 1/2 hours there today and more hours ahead of me unpacking, I can say that sales were better than expected. Although I can't say that I'm anywhere near making a good hourly wage as a potter, at least I can say that I have finally broken the barrier and have now sold enough to cover my expenses (not counting the kiln) and made $50 profit. I have a good stock of supplies in the studio and the reasonable hope of making some money selling at PCA over the next month, so things can only get better.

I'm exhausted. My whole family is exhausted. I have to wonder if it's worth it. Time to pull my life back together and re-assess. After a good night's sleep.

Orange Ginger Cake

Z turned 13 last week. I can't believe how fast she's growing up. She sometimes seems like such a little girl still (like when she wants to cuddle at bedtime) and at other times she seems so mature. I watched her browsing at Barnes and Noble the other evening, and was struck by how tall and how confident she is.

On Z's request, we had a fantastic birthday party for her at Artists Image Resource, where the girls made images and silkscreened them onto paper, t-shirts, and tote bags. Some of them made some amazing drawings. They were all pretty excited about it and had lots of fun. I heard from one parent that her daughter had worn her t-shirt all weekend. Z is wearing her t-shirt today.

She also requested orange ginger cake with cream cheese frosting. This is what I came up with. I used a recipe for white cake from Beth Johnson. She was in our ward several years ago and made the best tasting decorated cakes I've ever had. I added 2 Tbs. orange zest, 2 Tbs. triple sec (orange liqueur - could use 2 tsp orange extract) and 2 Tbs. chopped crystallized ginger. I was planning to use orange marmalade for the filling, but when I had 6 egg yolks left over from the cake batter, I decided to make some orange curd for the filling. I used a recipe I found online from Emeril Lagasse that called for 6 egg yolks - perfect! Then I added orange zest to the cream cheese frosting and sprinkled crystallized ginger and curls of orange zest on the top to decorate. Z felt there wasn't enough ginger flavor, but most of her friends found it a little frightening as it was, so I think it was fine.

If I were to repeat this, I would skip the cream cheese frosting and use an orange glaze instead - maybe the one from the pan de muertos. The orange curd was maybe the best part, though, so don't skip that. The cream cheese frosting was just a little too overwhelmingly sweet with the rest.

Orange Ginger Cake
(based on Beth Johnson's Sam Houston White Cake)

3/4 cup butter, softenend
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
2 Tbs. orange zest (optional)
2 tsp orange extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare three 8 or 9 inch pans (grease and flour the bottoms only - use parchment paper if you have it).

Cream butter in an electric mixer. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Combine milk and water. Add flour mixture in fourths to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture in thirds, mixing after each addition. Stir in almond extract and other flavorings if using.

Beat egg whites with clean beaters in a clean bowl until nearly stiff but not dry peaks. Fold gently into batter. Pour into pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top of cake will be golden brown, inside will be a beautiful white.

She recommends other variations: use mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and no frosting, baked in a sheet pan. Or add the zest of 2 lemons and 2-3 Tbs. poppyseeds, then fill with lemon curd.

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, the turn it out and wrap with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. If you're going to leave it in the freezer for more than a day, be sure to double wrap it. By wrapping while it is still warm you prevent moisture from escaping and the cake is not so dry. It's easier to fill and frost the cakes while they are frozen, so based on Beth's advice, I now always bake a cake the day before if I'm going to decorate it.

The filling works best if you pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of each layer before you put in the filling.


Orange Curd

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
6 large egg yolks
6 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut in pieces

Set a small heatproof liquid measuring cup next to the stove. Reduce the orange juice in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat to 1/2 cup. Use the measuring cup intermittently to check your volume. Set aside to cool slightly.

Fill a small pot one-third of the way with water and bring to a boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and orange zest. Slowly add the reduced orange juice while whisking continuously until completely incorporated. Set the bowl over the pot of simmering water. Reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk constantly for 6 to 7 minutes, or until curd thickens and holds its shape when stirred. Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the butter.

Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl set over a bowl of ice water. Stir the curd occasionally until cool, about five minutes. Transfer the curd to a small container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled. Use within one week.

Ricky's Tortilla Soup

So a while back I promised to do a taste comparison of my two tortilla soup recipes.

And the winner is . . .

Rick Bayless's tortilla soup from Authentic Mexican. It takes a little longer to prepare, but the broth just has so much more depth of flavor. I usually double or triple the soup base, freeze it, and add the last quart of broth to each bag when I thaw it.


Sopa de Tortilla

2 Tbs. oil
1 med. onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 15 oz. can tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 quarts good broth, preferably poultry
4-6 corn tortillas
1/3 c. oil
1-2 cried chiles pasillas
8 oz. cubed Mexican queso fresco or monterey jack
1 large lime, cut in wedges
1 avocado (my addition)
fresh cilantro, chopped (my addition)

1. The broth flavoring: In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbs. lard or oil over medium low. Add the onion and garlic and fry until deep golden brown - about 12-15 min. Scoop into blender or food processor, add tomato, and process until smooth. Heat the remaining Tbs. oil in the same skillet over medium high. When hot, add the tomato mixture and stir constantly until thick and considerably darker, about 5 minutes. Scrape into large saucepan.

2. Stir the broth into the tomato mixture, partially cover and simmer for 1/2 hour over medium-low heat. Season with salt to taste.

3. The garnishing ingredients: If the tortillas are fresh, let them dry out in a single layer. Slice them in half, then slice the halves cross-wise into 1/4 strips. Heat the 1/3 cup oil in medium-small skillet and fry, turning frequently, until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Cut the chiles into 1-in. squares and fry in the hot oil very briefly, about 3-4 seconds; immediately remove and drain. (I usally just blend some pasilla into the soup base).

4. Assembly: In each bowl, place some cheese, tortilla strips and avocado. Ladle on the hot soup, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with the lime and chiles on the side. (I usually also add the lime to the frozen soup base to taste so that it's one thing less I have to provide fresh when I serve the soup later).

Edamame Hummus

I've been trying to keep myself moving lately - I feel kind of like I'm in a dream where you can't get your legs and arms to move - kind of sluggish and lazy. It's hard to be motivated to do anything sometimes, but right now I don't know why I'm feeling that way. I'm not depressed, the sun is shining, and I've got lots of interesting things to do. Maybe it's just that the mountain of interesting things to do is a little intimidating. At the top of my list is making pottery; I'm going to be selling work at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts this holiday season. I just dropped off a bunch of work there this morning. Their Holiday Shop opens on Nov. 19th, so if any of you want to come to the opening, please do. I'm very excited to be transitioning into a professional potter and not just a hobbyist, but at the same time I'm a little nervous. Why should I be afraid to go work in the studio? It often takes me until mid afternoon before I can drag myself up there, and then it's hard to leave.

Perhaps as an avoidance technique, I checked out a bunch of books by Ellie Krieger. This delicious recipe comes from her book, The Food You Crave. This one is destined to become a new lunchtime staple in our home! I made it as the recipe instructed (I usually try to do that when I'm first trying a new recipe), but I found the amount of lemon a little too harsh, so I added more of the tofu and edamame to tone it down a bit. So I'd recommend starting with 1/2 the lemon juice and adding more to taste. It packs well in a lunch; we all liked it with baby carrots and rye crispbread crackers. I packed it in individual serving sized containers and popped a couple in the freezer. I think it ought to freeze well, but I'll let you know if it doesn't!

Edamame Hummus

2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 cup silken tofu, drained
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, to taste

Set 1 tablespoon of the edamame aside for garnish. Place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if desired. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Pan de Muertos

To celebrate Dia de los Muertos on Tuesday night, we made this delectable pan de muertos from allrecipes.com. It's a chance to think about loved ones who have died and honor their memories. Pan de Muertos is a lot like a challah bread (made with eggs, butter and milk), but flavored with orange peel and a hint of anise, then glazed with an orange glaze. It was much better than the ones we used to get in Mexico! We ate it all up, far too fast.