And this little figgy stayed home....

Fall is in the air and there's nothing like cool weather to make you want to bake. Who wants to make cake in the summer in a hot kitchen when it's 100 outside? Really!
   This is always how my baking adventures start....At the store I find some yummy item and buy it, not know what to do with it. Then I have to hunt through all my cookbooks, or God forbid....google....to find something to do with my food item. Luckily, I didn't have to work all that hard this time.
   Yup, I bought figs....again...I can't help it, they are so good and only come out for a short time. I also had just returned from the library where I picked up a copy of John Besh's "My New Orleans". After drooling over all the seafood I noticed a whole section on figs! Huzzah! What goes better with an LSU Tiger's game than a fig cake?

Cane Syrup Fig Cake

2 Cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup milk
2 cups chopped fresh figs
Grated zest from a quarter of a lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons Steen's Cane Syrup (or Golden Syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
4 egg whites
Cooking Spray

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a Bundt cake pan with cooking spray.

Put the sugar and butter into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 7 minutes.

Adding the butter and sugar

Add the milk, figs, lemon zest, cinnamon, cane sugar a vanilla and beat on moderate speed until everything is mixed together.

Everything but the figs in my favorite measuring cup from
The Museum of Useful Things

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula to fold the flour mixture into the sugar and butter mixture. Fold in by making figure eight motions with the spatula. Just fold in until everything is mixed together. 

In a clean mixing bowl beat the egg whites with clean beaters. Clean, and you want to make sure you separate your eggs in a separate container and transfer them into the mixing bowl one at a time. Beat the eggs on medium high speed until stiff peaks form (5 minutes). 

Carefully fold in one-third of the egg white mixture at a time. Do not over mix-you need the whites to be fluffy and airy in this cake! 

Folding in the egg whites

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the cake is golden brown, 35-40 minutes.

Cooling the cake on a rack.

The cake is delicious and freezes quite well. The sugar settles in the crust giving it a crisp crunch and the figs add a nice tartness to the cake. It's great as a mid morning snack or a simple after dinner dessert.

Impressionism and Fashion

  It seems I just can't get away from the Impressionists. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a new exhibit currently on show at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris will be making its' way to New York and Chicago next year.
   Featuring 74 paintings and 37 period costumes the exhibit seeks to show how the times were changing during the Belle Epoque period. Fashion during the end of the 19th century was rapidly changing from the rigid crinoline to a free flowing silhouette. The sewing machine was also readily available and couture fashion houses were starting to pop up.
   If you read my post about Sacre Bleau, you know that Paris was coming out of the Franco-Prussian war and the Impressionist's (and the new middle class) were starting to enjoy a life of leisure. Not to go off on a fashion tangent, but fashion and economy have always been tied together. Just look at the lipstick indicator or the hemline indicator. Hemlines always fall during bad times. I used to think this was a backwards was of approaching things, longer hemlines=more fabric=more money. But, the longer hemlines relate more to economic uncertainty and the need to be covered up and secure than a monetary value. The 1960's and 1980's had micro hemlines while the 1920's and the start of the economic downturn til now have seen longer hemlines. If you look at most of the collections from last week's Fashion Week-longer hemlines still rule.
   While a trip to Paris would be wonderful, I think I'll wait until the show comes to Chicago's Art Institute in June 2013. If you can pony up the money for a trip to Paris I would recommend it, most of the fashions' won't be coming over sees due to their fragility.
   I do hope their will be paintings from Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassat, Eva Gonzales and Marie Bracquemond. Especially Berthe Morisot. In Belinda Thompson's book "Impressionism: Origins, Practice and Reception", there is a wonderful passage about how Morisot was able to capture life in her paintings in a way that differed from her male counterparts.

Morisot's advantage over her male colleagues lay precisely in her experience of living in contemporary clothes. She knew the discomforts of corsets, the inconveniences of the crinoline and the restricting effect of tightly swathed skirts. She also understood the relative irrelevance of looking immaculate when sitting on the grass or playing with young children. Although the settings are similar, her pictures differ from the detail staged vignettes of fashion plates; rather, Morisot adapted ideas from the realm of fashion to the intimacy of the domestic interior. With a combination of careful observation and an ability to make rapid notations of effects with swift, long and nervous brush marks, she achieved the artless, unposed look she wanted. Where Alfred Steven's fashionable subjects somewhat resemble clothes horses, Morisot's women get on with their lives, often with the ribbons on their bonnets adrift. Instead of fanning themselves flirtily, or holding their parasols above their heads as Tissot's women do, they constantly discard such encumbrances.

For more information about the Chicago Exhibit, you can visit The Art Institute, if you are interested in the New York exhibit, head here to The Met.

A squirrel salt and pepper shaker....

I am always amazed when I go to antique/ flea/ craft/etc markets and see salt and pepper shakers. There is never just one set of shakers and they come in all shapes and sizes, most of them cringe worthy.

   Like this angry squirrel salt and pepper shaker. More disturbing is the fact that there were 5 of these guys on a table. Angry, angry squirrel giving disapproving looks as you reach for the salt....

Sacre Bleu-A book Review

      Well, this week was the time of my annual horrible sinus infection-lovely, I know. Now most people don't go pick up a book when they are horribly congested, have a runny nose and lymph nodes the size of baseballs. But, since the weather finally turned colder and I had two boxes of Vicks Vap-o-Rub Kleenex, I thought a book might be a good distraction from not being able to breather through my nose (or breathe in general). 
     Christopher Moore's latest book, "Sacre Bleu", could just have easily been called, "Why did van Gogh Shoot Himself in a Cornfield and then Walk to His Doctor", or, "Why most Impressionistic Painters Died From Syphilis", or even, "The Book that Might Ruin Art History for the Elite". In fact, the afterword in the book is a big apology about how art is now ruined for some people (hardly-I think most people new the Impressionists were bastards that drank and hung out at the Moulin Rogue a bit too much.). 
   "Sacre Bleu" is a book that does attempt to answer the question, "Why did Vincent van Gogh shoot himself in the middle of a cornfield and then walk a mile to a doctor's house for help?". Moore weaves together many famous faces and names; Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Berthe Morisot, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, James Whistler-just to name a few. The author notes leaving out Edgar Degas because he was, "a miserable, unlikeable guy" and if he, "hadn't been such a jerk" he would have gotten a speaking part in the book.
   The book follows Toulouse-Lautrec and his friend Lucien Lessard (a purely fictional character) through Paris and the art salons to see if a mysterious color man and beautiful woman may be behind Vincent's death. What they find out, well, I will let you figure that out yourself. Let's just say that yes, a woman is involved. Women are, according to Lucien's mother, "wondrous, mysterious, magical creatures who should be treated not only with respect but with reverence and even awe". 
     Moore starts his book with a Prelude:
"This is a story about the color blue. It may ridge and weave, hide and deceive, take you down the paths of love and history and inspiration, but it's always bout blue. How do you know, when you think of blue-when you say blue-that you are talking about the same blue as anyone else? You cannot get a grip on blue. Blue is the sky, the sea, a god's eye, a devil's tail, a birth, a strangulation, a virgin's cloak, a monkey's ass. It's a butterfly, a bird, a spicy joke, the saddest song, the brightest day. Blue is sly, slick. This is a story about the color blue, and like blue, there's nothing true about it. Blue is beauty, not truth. True blue is a ruse, a rhyme; i's there, then it's not. Blue is a deeply sneaky color. Even blue is shallow. Blue is glory and power, a wave, a particle, a vibration, a resonance, a spirit, a passion, a memory, a vanity, a metaphor, a dream. Blue is a simile. Blue is a woman."
   Personally, I loved the book-though having Lucien be a baker made me constantly crave coffee and a nice loaf of french bread. The book rides the fine line of art history; Moore did take a good portion of his research from actual letters from the Impressionists; and good old fashion fiction-there was never a Lucien Lessard. Jumping through the 1800's and going back to 38,000 B.C, the book puts forward that great notion of art and madness and where inspiration comes from. Could all great paintings have come from a single muse? Or at least all great paintings that contain blue? From that question we're left with another, "How the Hell did Picasso live so long after his Blue Period?".
   The book itself is beautiful. Heavy pages with a lovely blue font contain pictures of whatever artist's work is talked about-great if you don't happen to be an art history buff. 
    I would highly recommend this to art history buffs, teachers and art haters as well. Especially art haters, nothing like a whole lot of sex to get people into art, right? Just make sure you have the coffee brewing and a nice plate of French pastries on standby. 

Write to us!

Can I just say how much I love this dd?  With letter writing going the way of the dinosaur, it's nice to see a company asking for letters. Too bad that this ad is from the 1960's....

   Why do people feel the need to dismiss penmanship? You can't e-mail every form of communication, and I wouldn't want to. Texting, Messaging and E-mail is all to instant. You rarely get time to mull something over before you hit the send button and your thoughts are permanently sent out for all the world to see. 

   When you write a letter there's almost a ritual to it. You get out your paper (or stationary if you are lucky enough to find some), a pen, your address book and get started. Most people don't know how to write a proper letter of any kind. How sad is it that people break up over text now? God forbid someone messages you "regrets on ______ dying". 

   There's also something really nice about getting mail. Real Mail. Not bills, or charities looking for money or even mindless catalogues. When you open up the mail box and theres letters with postmarks from various places its thrilling. Someone took the time to write and tell you a story, or send a funny picture or an inspiring poem. It can be uplifting, especially when life is getting you down. When I lived across the country, the thing that really brightened up my day (my soul crushing 14 hour work day that started at 4:20 A.M. when the alarm blared at me) was a letter from my family. They always included some cut outs from the local paper so I would feel at home. You can't get that from a text message. 

Shoot It, Hook it n' Cook it, or what I found hiding at the Flea Market

I always make sure to keep an eye out for the strange and unusual when I go to any antique/ flea markets. I don't just collect one thing ('cause that's just silly). I collect hats, typewriter ribbon tins, buttons, aprons and cookbooks.
  I love vintage cookbooks, they give you a great insight into what was going on in a certain time period. World War going on, they will help you ration-even if that means adding Post Toasties to your B grade mashed meat and forming it into a steak (don't think you're really fooling hubby). Is is the 1960s? Well, hello Jell-o!
   This sweet cook book? Published in 1981 by a couple from Colorado Springs, CO. It's out of print, so keep your eyes open for copies.
  Showing that nothing ever changes, the inside cover reads, "With our inflation rate climbing perhaps some knowledge of how tasty this wild game and fish can be will relieve the family budget and encourage the total utilization of all game and fish taken from our forests and waters".
 The best part of this book? The clever illustrations that go with each recipe. Here's a sample for your viewing pleasure....

Love her eyelashes and magazine. 

Bundled Bunny would certainly help my veggie garden!

Dinner and a show!

"I shall ne-vah go hungry again!"

Look at her cute chastity belt!

A properly fitted corset does wonders for one's figure!

A pineapple tutu! 

The Class of 2016

   Every year since 1988 Beloit College has come out with "The Mindset List". The list is a look at the minds of the incoming college students. Often funny, sometimes sad, the list was originally meant to help teachers connect with their students.
   Among many things on the list,  the class of 2016 has never seen an actual airline ticket, they have always lived in cyberspace, they never listen to the car radio, exposed bra straps are a fashion statement, Kurt Cobain has always been dead, the Met has always translated their operas into English,  and "Twilight" means vampires, not Rod Serling.
   My additions are as followed:

The Soviet Union has always been dissolved.

They will question the Olympics when they talk about "East Germany" and "West Germany".

Yugoslavia has never been on a map.

There have never been maps, they prefer a GPS unit to direct them to their destination.

They prefer a car that has connectivity rather than good gas mileage.

Most of them can't read or write in cursive since schools are saying that computers make handwriting obsolete.

Chefs have always been rockstars and there has always been  Food Netowrk.

The 1980's are so "retro".

Texting has always been around.

They have never been tethered to a phone cord or computer cable.

They are more connected than ever, but have few actual friends.

Aunt Jenny and Paula Deen

    Seeing how I was way to engulfed in work to make any attempt at a Julia Child post (like cooking something really French and having a bottle of wine) here's some vintage cook book pages for your enjoyment. 

    Technology and the plethora of cooking shows are changing the cooking landscape. A few years ago the average person had no idea what molecular gastronomy was and they didn't care. Now there are many websites and kits that you can buy. Do we really want tapioca beef with a string bean foam? 

  Then on the other end of the spectrum you have Paula Deen and here obsession with butter...But Ms. Dean and her cooking don't even hold a candle to Spry's Aunt Jenny. Aunt Jenny helped many a housewife whip up cakes and cookies and fried goods. All in a day's work...she even had a recipe for deep fried mac and cheese. Take that Paula!

Aunt Jenny in all her glory.

And yet obesity wasn't an issue in the 1940's....stop blaming the food people!

Not only did Aunt Jenny help brides and feed the neighborhood,
she also helped out our serviceman overseas.

Notes from the Fair, Again

Another month, another antique fair. At least today it was pleasantly cool and overcast. Here's some highlights of what was offered...A note, I did not buy any of these things, instead I bought some rather loverly stationary sets because, you can't find them anymore...crazy!

Chicken Purse! I would have bought this for a friend is not for the $50 price tag. Made me chuckle...

Ba-gawk!

In the land of childhood tea time in Scary-land....I prefer my tea parties creepy, but this is a little much...

Ummmm......Yeah...

Am seriously confused by this one...

He actually pees....water that you put in him.....

Knit a really long yarn snake! Why?! Boredom!

Bowling for cute fuzzy bunnies....so sad....

Olympics

I love the Olympics, winter or summer. The opening ceremonies, playing the "how well do I know my flags/ geography". The geography part especially, the last Winter Olympics my co-workers mistakenly thought that Russia had invaded Atlanta, Georgia.
   I am quite disappointed in some of the coverage. Why did NBC feel that Americans wouldn't need to see the moving tribute to the terrorism victims. So, what? These things only happen to Americans? Hardly! They should have left that in, cut out all the commercials and gotten some new commentators. I thought the concept of going from the pastoral to the industrial was quite brilliant and where else could you have dozens of Mary Poppins battling He Who Shall Not Be Named?
  For two weeks athletes from across the world come together to compete on a world platform. Wars, conflict, race, religion and economic status can be lifted; temporarily.

Etsy Shop now Open!

Out Etsy Shop is now open! Please visit Mink Couture and check back as we get more items on our "shelves"!

This little figgy...

Fresh Fig Gelato with Orange and Cinnamon

   I love fresh figs, there's just something about them. The best figs I've ever had were in Italy, I was with a tour group and we finally had an hour of "free time" which to everyone else meant eat gelato and shop for crappy souvenirs. I was with some family members and we stopped in this tiny cafe and ordered a few appetizers (the standard fare for most of the trip was pizza and french fries-yuck!) One of the dishes we ordered was a fresh fig, honey and cheese plate. There was just something about the sweetness of the figs and the bite of the Manchego cheese and a quiet moment away from the group that made it special.
    Fig season is incredibly short but I look forward to it every year (just like quinces). Barely having bought my figs, they started to ripen. Pushing off my plans of making licorice gelato I thought fig gelato! A couple of searches later and I found a lovely recipe from the Times-Picayune and I was on my way. I love making gelato at home. There's less air, more cream and the flavors are so intense you will never purchase ice cream from the frozen food section again! On top of that, its been bloody well over 100 degrees here (after 90 does it really matter that the heat index makes it 116?) and a nice dish of  creamy cool gelato helps with your air conditioner conking out. And there's fruit in it, so that makes it healthy, right?

Ingrediants


8 ounces fresh figs, chopped into bite sized pieces (I cut mine into 8 pieces)

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tblspn plus 1/2 cup brown sugar (divide the 1/2 cup)

1/4 tspn ground cinnamon

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 large egg yolks at room temperature

1/2 tspn vanilla (real vanilla, not that substitute crap)

Pinch of kosher salt

Cooking the fig mixture

In a small saucepan place the figs, orange juice, 1tblspn brown sugar and cinnamon and cook over a low heat until the figs are soft but not mushy. This should take 10-15 minutes and will make your kitchen smell delicious. Set it aside until it reaches room temperature.


 

After Cooking the Figgy Mixture

Cooking the milk and cream

Egg yolks, Brown sugar, Vanilla and Salt

  While the figs are cooling, place the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and whisk them until they are completely mixed. 

Place the milk, cream and 1/4 cup of brown sugar in a large (ish) saucepan and cook over a low heat, whisking occasionally until the temperature reaches 175 degrees. 

Now you are going to temper! It is VERY important when making gelato to always add the milk mixture to your eggs. If you reverse it, you will get scrambled egg gelato and thats gross.....

So...Slowly add the milk mixture to the egg mixture-Whisking! Return the now combined mixture back into the saucepan-whisking.....Cook the mixture until it reaches 185 degrees. Make sure your mixture doesn't boil. Put a fine metal strainer on the bowl that contained the eggs (wash first) and pour the milk and egg mixture in. 

Let the mixture reach room temperature and then add your fig mixture. Cover and refrigerate it for about 3 hours. Pour it in your ice cream maker , wait until it is the right consistency and enjoy!

Just about ready to eat!

This ice cream is super creamy with a strong fig flavor that deepens by the day. I recommend eating it within 2 to 3 days, by itself or on top of a nice piece of pie.                        

Midwest's Fiber and Folk Art Show

Look at all the pretty colors!

 If the corn is almost knee high, then it's time for the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Show! This is my second year attending the fair and it's always a treat to see the vendors and learn something new. Last year I was fascinated by spinning, but it seemed like every booth that I went to that had drop spindles was too crowded or had no instructors willing to teach. Lucky for me, the first booth I stopped by was the Hollow Tree Spinners Guild where I received wonderful instructions on how to use a drop spindle. I got to stay and spin at the booth for over 30 minutes (about when I was confident that I could remember what the heck I was doing to continue at home).

                               

 Above is my second attempt at making yarn from wool and the ball of yarn is my first attempt. The Guild not only gave lessons, but for $5 I got a spindle and two large hunks of wool roving. I picked out the lovely chartreuse above and a browny/ruddy/green as well. Personally, I am fine with having my yarn be a little thick and thin and uneven. If you want mass produced uniformity go to Walmart, if you want something one of a kind, make it yourself. Speaking of, how cool is it that you can make your own yarn and then knit something? I was told you only need 150 yards to make a hat. Guess I better get spinning....

Just some of the cool things at
Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods Booth

 My favorite booth is the same as last year's, Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods. Looking through their booth is like digging through your Grandmother's sewing bin (if your Grandma was super cool and kept little bits of everything). The cool things is everything is color coordinated. The greens had little frog buttons and leaves, yellow had cute bumble bee trim and black and white hat these super cute flapper/swimmer buttons.

Bees and Elephants and Leaves, Oh My!

 These would be perfect accents on a dress or as one of our friends is making, a beaded bracelet. Very 20's Great Gatsby!

The tiniest knitting needles every!

     If I could own now vintage item, price be damned, it would have to be a beaded handbag. Since most of them run in the hundreds of dollars, it was great to see Nancy Allison's booth of knit beaded handbags. You could buy them already made, but liking a challenge, I bought a kit......last year....and I've opened it, looked at the needles and decided that a day with more patience was required. This year, I will knit it!!! Or, next year I'll bring the kit to the show with me and have Nancy help me out some more.

   I also stepped by Esther's Place to make a felted flower pin. Last year I bought one of their cookie cutter felting kits, so much fun. There's something so relaxing about needle felting, maybe it's because every time I stab the needle into the felt I think, take that stupid insurance/mechanic/rude person that cut me off in traffic....I think this year I'm going to try to felt on silk and burlap, just to shake things up.

Alpacas! 

Could have taken one of this fluffy
guys home...

There was quilting, looming, dyeing, basket weaving, spinning wheel spinning, raw yarn, Alpaca races, bunny hugging, live music and so many things to cram into a weekend. Maybe by next year I'll have made enough yarn to make a hat, or if nothing else a pot holder.....
 

An Update from the Garden

     My garden is in a sad state, or will be if we don't get any rain soon. The papers are all printed with "Lack or Rain My Lead to Drought"....*Really* papers? You mean lack of rain doesn't lead to puppies and rainbows??? Anyone can tell you that there's a drought going on, the plants are withering, the grass is brown and crunchy and my carrots are not growing! Hopefully rain will come tonight, if not, well, at least I have documentation that I did grow something this year...

Summer Squash

Peas-in-a-Pot-I love these peas! You can grow them
in an eight inch pot and they don't creep.

Nothing beats freshly shucked peas.

The big dilemma...Eat the blossom or let it become
a squash??? 

Look at those tiny squash (squashes?) starting to grow!

My radishes demand rain!

Soon, soon I will have lots of cucumbers! Cucumber salad,
Cucumber drinks, Cucumber soup....

This flower is going to grow up to be a Fairy Tale Eggplant.

Oooooo! A tiny tomato! Go tomato! Go!!!

How's everyone else's garden doing?

Summer Reading List

    Yesterday started the "official" start of summer reading, the library kicked off its' Summer Reading Program.  Lately, I've decided that I should have a theme to my summer reading list, regardless of what theme the library is following.
   Last year I read only "noir" books; Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Maltese Flacon, Mildred Pierce, Strangers on A Train and so on.....Something about the patter in the dialogue just sizzled and that can never be captured on the big screen.
   This year, I decided that the circus would lend itself a good theme for summer reading. The first book I picked out (and just finished reading) was "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. Here the circus serves as a luscious backdrop to a game of magic and illusion. The players have been bound to each other for ages; yet they don't fully comprehend the rules or the magnitude of the stakes involved. The Midnight Dinners alone are well worth the read and make me long for such a dining experience. A circus that is only open at night might make you think evil clowns or other sinister characters, but there are none, save for a few people that could be quite at home in any of Edward Gorey's stories. 
   Also on my list is a rereading of Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes", my favorite of Bradbury's books. Here the circus does take on a sinister edge, where anything can be bought for a price. Mr. Dark's promise of fulfilling our deepest desires always come with a catch. Mostly, I like how the boys are changed throughout the book.. There is always an event that you can point to in your life that transformed you from a child into an adult. Sometimes we don't realize the transformation when it happens, other times it is crystalized in our minds forever.
   Keeping with a sinister circus I have "Johannes Cabal the Necromancer" by Jonathan L Howard. In order to get his soul back from the Devil, Johannes must get 100 people to sign over their souls and he only has one year. With the help of his vampire brother and a traveling circus (provided by Satan) Johannes must try and save his soul by damning others. From the couple of pages I have already read, Hell seems to pride itself on a person filling out many, many forms and not giving you the courtesy of erasing anything (I always knew Hell would be like the DMV).
   Last on my list (it's short now, any suggestions would be appreciated) is "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn. A carnival family decides to get more bang for their buck by creating their own freak show. I have heard nothing by great things about this book and I always forget to grab it while I'm at the library.
   I have a lot of other books in consideration for my circus list: Carter Beats the Devil, Water for Elephants, The Prestige, The Circus in Winter, Secret Heart, Roustabout, Wonder When You'll Miss Me, Dixiana Moon, Ascension, The Final Confession of Mabel Stark, Dark Carnival, Pilo Family Circus and Circus of Fear.....Did I miss any books???

Eat your vegetables and have your cake too

  There are tons of books on the market right now on how to fool your kids into eating vegetables. When did this happen? Gone are the days of finishing your plate and now we have hidden vegetables in cookies, cakes, pasta sauces and fruit juice. Why do we need to hide produce? I love freshly picked vegetables; maybe that's the problem. All those sad wilted veg's at the mega market leaking they're flavor and nutritional goodness by the second.
   That's partly why I grow my own (well, as much as the constraints of my backyard and the wildlife let me) and this year is (fingers crossed) going to be good. The eggplant are nibble free, I spy some blossoms on my squash (I think I over planted, anyone know some good summer squash recipes?), there's a tiny green tomato on one of the 4 varieties I have, the radishes are almost ready to be picked, the carrots leafy tops are slowly poking out and my peas are starting to curly-cu their way around the pots I planted them in. What I don't have in the garden I try and buy from the farmer's market and this past week it was a lovely bushel of beets.
   Now, I know beets aren't everyone's cup of tea (some people think they tasty to "earthy" or "like dirt") but I couldn't resist. Most beet recipes require an initial roasting and then the transformation into whatever salad (the beet world is overrun with beet and goat cheese salad recipes), veggie mash, etc. I felt like something different and I've had Nigel Slater's "Chocolate-Beet Cake" recipe ever since I read his book, "Tender, A Cook and His Vegetable Patch". I did a review some time ago, if you feel like looking through the archives here.
   Adding veggies into the baking world is nothing new, zucchini makes great breads and cookies and who could forget the good stand by of carrot cake and cream cheese frosting? I have tried many a chocolate beet cake recipe, always searching for the perfect balance of chocolate to beet (some cakes just taste like spongy beets...ewww....) and Nigel's recipe has it. His recipe lists ingredients by weight and measurement, but I stuck with weight when I could just in case something went wrong with the editor's metric conversions. The cake is delicious, spongy on the outside, gooey molten in the center. If you make it and then put it in the fridge, I recommend taking the cake out an hour before serving it so the center can warm up and become gooey again. Nigel suggests serving with creme fraiche and poppy seeds for a, "nod to the sour cream so close to the beet's Eastern European heart", but I think most Americans would prefer a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cake does need some form of cream to cut through the chocolate.
  Another word of warning, this dish (like most I make) makes a TON of dishes and uses a lot of kitchen equipment, its sooo worth it though!

So, without further waiting.....

An extremely moist chocolate-beet cake with creme fraiche and poppy seeds


enough for 8 as a dessert (if you had giant pieces of cake...)

beets-8 ounces (250g)
fine dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids) (I used Valhalla 72%)- 7 ounces (200g)
hot espresso (I used instant)- 4 tablespoons
butter ( I used salted)- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200g)
all purpose flout (King Arthur is the best)- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135 g)
baking powder- a heaping teaspoon
good quality cocoa powder (I used Penzey's brand with a high butterfat)- 3 tablespoons
eggs- 5
superfine sugar- scant cup (190 g)
creme fraiche and poppy seeds to serve


 Cook the beets, whole and unpeeled in boiling unsalted water. Depending on their size, they will be tender when pierced with the tip of a knife within 30 to 40 minutes. Drain them, let them cool under running water, then peel them, slice of the roots and stems. This can be done a day or two ahead of time and the beets can be cooled in the fridge.
  Lightly butter an 8 inch (20cm) springform cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
   In a food processor (I used a ninja slicer) blend the beets until the form a coarse puree. Set aside.
   Break the chocolate up into small pieces and place them in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Do not stir!

I love these "vintage" Pyrex bowls!

When the chocolate looks almost melted, pour the hot espresso over and stir once. Cut the butter into small pieces- the smaller the better-and add them to the melted chocolate. Push the butter under the surface of the chocolate with a wooden spoon (as best you can) and let soften.
  Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa (I did this step after I processed the beets). Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a large mixing bowl. Stir the yolks together.
   Now working quickly, yet gently, remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and stir until the butter has melted into the chocolate. Let is sit for a few minutes (during the waiting work on the whites), then stir in the egg yolks. Do this quickly, mixing firmly and evenly so the eggs blend into the mixture. Fold in the beets. Whisk the eggs whites until stiff, then fold in the sugar. Firmly, but gently, fold the beaten egg whites and sugar into the chocolate mixture. the key to folding in is to make figure 8 movements. Do not over fold though....Lastly, fold in the cocoa and flour. *whew* see why I don't have a lot of pictures? This is some quick working...
   Transfer quickly to the prepared pan, put in the oven and decrease the temp. to 325 F (160 C). Bake for 40 minutes. The rim of the cake should feel spongy and solid white the inner part should still wobble a little if the pan is gently shaken.
   Set the cake aside to cool. After an hour, loosen the sides with a thin icing spatula. Once the cake is completely cooled off, then remove it from the springform pan.
  Slice, serve with creme fraiche and poppy seeds (blue preferably).

The cake cooling off

Delicious, fudgey and maybe helped by some walnuts next time....

Happy Baking!