Cakelet: My new favorite word!

When I was a kid I loved baking, read Gourmet magazine religiously, and once sent away for an informational packet for a Kitchen Aid mixer. In the 1970’s, you had to fill out a form, cut it from the back of the magazine and send it in an addressed, stamped envelope. Considering my typical dysfunctional 70’s childhood, it’s remarkable that I was able to do all of these things. When the large yellow envelope arrived, I felt an incredible excitement and then total sadness as I read the cost of this dream machine (the equivalent of $300 now). I then went back to using my grandmother’s avocado green handmixer.

The lack of a Kitchen Aid did not stop me from passionately baking elaborate cakes and desserts all throughout my childhood. I was lovingly gifted one by my generous mother-in-law when I was pregnant with my now 23 year-old daughter. And although for many years I used it almost to death (along with the Kitchen Aids of many clients), I more recently have found myself reverting back to making many of my desserts with a small hand mixer or wooden spoon. They all do the same job in the end.

You don’t need a fancy mixer, but a hand mixer is handy...

This recipe can be made with a big kickass mixer, small handmixer, or wooden spoon. It looks a little long and complex for such a tiny outcome, but it is worth it for the sweet, cute, deliciousness! And it can be made a little ahead of time (same day) and looks very elegant finishing off a fancy dinner party. The best part of it in my mind however, is when you present it as a CAKELET, the best word ever! Now, get moving and make them!

Caramelized Upside-Down Plum Cakelets

Makes 6 individual servings.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup light  brown sugar, firmly packed

5 plums, pitted and sliced

3/4 cup gluten free flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Big pinch of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

Pinch salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 1/2 a lemon or orange

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the ramekins generously and place them on a small, parchment or greased foil-lined baking tray (I use a 1/4 sheet size and you will thank me for lining it in the end!). Melt 6 T of the butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add brown sugar and whisk. It will separate and look super greasy at first, but persist and it will turn into a silky and smooth sauce. Pour carefully into equal amounts into the ramikins and place a fanned layer of plum slices right onto the sauce.

Sift the five dry ingredients into a smallish bowl.

Use an electric hand mixer (or wooden spoon) to cream the 4 T of  butter with the sugar and orange zest. Add the egg and vanilla till combined. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter.

Divide the batter into the ramekins and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cakes are firm to the touch, and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack until you can just pick them up. Run a small knife around the edges of the cake and flip onto small serving plates. If you buttered the ramekins well, the should come out easily. You may have a reluctant piece of plum to fish out and rearrange.

You can serve these warm or at room temperature. I love them with a little whipped cream that you’ve added a few spoonfuls of creme fraiche to...They don’t do quite as well the next day.

Broccoli Slaw

One of the curses AND gifts of being a private chef is that you have the freedom to make different foods everyday and to experiment with new recipes or ideas that intrigue you. I have made so many different types of slaws over the years-a few from glossy photos in magazines, some from those old timey church lady cookbooks, Instagram-inspired slaws (of late), and occasionally you make a slaw out of whatever it is that you can find in the vegetable bin at that particular moment. 

On Nantucket this summer, the combination of terrible winter weather, cold and endless spring and foggy/damp summer has affected the growing season. While we are still not seeing field tomatoes at the farm stands, I have seen broccoli, and it is gorgeous! So, to make a long story short, here’s broccoli slaw!  

 Kitchen Sink Broccoli Slaw 

Ingredients 

About two cups or so of broccoli florets, cut as tiny as you dare

A large carrot, grated over the largest holes of the box grater

1/2 each of a green and red pepper, in a tiny dice

A good handful of red onion, also in a tiny dice, soaked in a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar for 5 minutes and saved (see below)

Dressing

1/3 C buttermilk

1/3 C Mayo (mine was homemade garlic aioli from another recipe) 

1/4 C of red wine vinegar (include the vinegar you will drain from the onions)

A very healthy squirt of honey-I used hot honey, which is chili infused and costs the world at a fancy food shop

Two big fistfuls of fresh green herbs-parsley, cilantro, chives, tarragon, mint? Be bold and decide for yourself! 

Salt and pepper to taste  

Slivered almonds or any other nut, toasted to throw on top if you like (I had some and forgot!) 

Method 

Gently combine the salad ingredients and then whisk together the dressing ingredients and taste-add more acid or sweet as necessary. Thin with a little water if it seems too thick. Dress the salad carefully-start with less and add a bit at a time to avoid the overdress! Pile it in a bowl and chill. If you have something crunchy to top it with, do that right before you serve  

Green Gazpacho

Green is my favorite color; every shade and hue. It’s also my favorite color for vegetables-I love ALL the greens! As the heat continues on our beautiful island, I’ve taken advantage of the beautiful produce from our island farms, Moor’s End and Bartlett’s, and spun together this green gazpacho, which I serve alongside a delightfully delicious grilled cheese number (Pain D’Avignon French sandwich bread, arugula pesto, homemade aioli, aged Gouda, and farm tomatoes). The acidic, bright and chilly soup is a great foil to that umami bomb of a sandwich.

I don’t know how I’d be able to function without my trusty Vitamix. I’ve become so reliant on it for so many things, especially quick soups. This one is easy, beautiful and delicious. If you have a spare 20 minutes, get yourself moving and make some. Fancy it up in a special bowl or drink it from an old jelly jar, and then tell me how you liked it.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 bunch of scallions, roughly chopped

1 green pepper, roughly chopped

1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

1 clove garlic clove

1 t cumin

1 t smoked paprika

1/2 t salt

1 C Chicken or Vegetable Stock or Water

3 big handfuls of watercress, spinach, or arugula (or a combo)

1/2 bunch of parsley, minced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Either Greek yogurt to swirl or toasted pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top

Method

Combine the first seven ingredients in a strong blender. Pulse a bunch of times until everything is smooth. Add about a cup of water or stock and pulse again a few times.

Add the greens, parsley, olive oil and vinegar. Blend until smooth and thin a bit if necessary. Taste for salt and refrigerate until chilled (or pour into a bowl within a bowl of ice cubes to speed up the process.

Refrigerate until very cold.

Serve and swirl with yogurt, or sprinkle with seeds, or go crazy and do both!