Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake

Lemon drizzle cake is lovely however this Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake is divine. Fragrant and vibrant and ever so lemony. A bright and luscious celebration for Litha.  

Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake

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1 1/2 cups (215grams) all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 lemons

1 cup (200grams) granulated sugar (casters sugar), plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

3/4 cup (180 millilitres) of full fat Greek yoghurt or sour cream

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (115grams) unsalted butter (1 stick), melted

whipped cream, optional

Heat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease and flour a 4 by 9 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with baking parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and turmeric. 

Grate 2 tablespoons zest from 1 lemon into a medium bowl. Halve the zested lemon and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice into a small bowl. Cut half the remaining whole lemon into thin rounds, discarding seeds. (Save the other half for another use.)

Add the 1 cup sugar to the lemon zest in the medium bowl; rub together with your fingertips until the sugar is fragrant and tinted yellow. Whisk in the Greek yoghurt, eggs and the 2 tablespoons lemon juice until well blended.

Using a spatula, add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Fold in the melted butter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the top with the lemon slices and 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, the edges pull away from the sides of the pan, and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. If the lemons are getting too dar, lay a piece of aluminium foil on top to prevent burning. 

Let cool before slicing. Serve with whipped cream.  

 

Bean Dip

Filling the hunger void has never been easier than with this recipe. With a few ingredients you can create a snack worthy of devouring within in minutes, if shared. 

Bean Dip

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1 can of black beans, drained

about 1/4 cup vegetable stock

seasoning mix

cheese for topping

dried onion for topping

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

In a large bowl place the drained black beans, vegetable stock and seasoning mix and using a hand held blender blend until smooth. Adding more vegetable stock and seasoning mix to achieve your desired consistency and taste. You may also use a food processor or a blender to mix everything together.  

Spread the bean dip evenly into an oven proof baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the dip starts to pull away from the sides of the baking dish. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese, cover, allowing the cheese to soften and melt for a few minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with dried onions. Serve with corn chips, flatbread or crackers.   

Have a nice weekend and stay safe everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Homemade Pop Tarts

My son wanted to recreate this retro breakfast pastry full stop. He did so by doing it in steps, although he could have used ready made jam and puff pastry he decided to make everything from scratch, including the icing. His diligent efforts were yummy and I could tell he was missing his culinary class, taking over the kitchen for a few days was great! The pastry light and flaky, the strawberry jam, sweet with a hint of orange and royal icing and sprinkles complete this indulgent breakfast pastry. Although I have never had an original pop tart, one can imagine the flavour of any processed ready made breakfast pastry and his homemade one, although I am biased, was... hands down so much better!  

Hope everyone had a good weekend! - JD

Navajo Flatbread

Prior to quarantine and probably still will be for much time after, I dream of creating the perfectly risen loaf of bread; try as I might, that day may never come. I can dream. Then this recipe graced my gaze and I thought, this seems like something I could do and would be ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  

There are many recipes for flatbread and this recipe is a straight forward one however the oil stated seems to not be factored into the recipe, for whatever the reason, therefore I made a well in the dry ingredients, added the oil then added the lukewarm water, I only used 1 cup water to get the desired consistency. Regardless of what your bread making capabilities are, this recipe is definitely worth at try.  

Navajo Flatbread

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makes 6

2 cups flour

1 to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon oil / butter/ shortening 

Mix dry ingredients together and add most water, mix and add water until it has the consistency of tacky pizza dough. Knead a few minutes. Let rest in a greased bowl for about 30 to 60 minutes. 

Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll out on a floured surface, thin... about tortilla thickness.

Heat griddle to to 350ºF. Cook until golden brown spots and flip, cooking until done. They can be made ahead and kept under a flour towel or frozen for later use.

Notes: I cooked the flatbread in a non-stick frypan on top of the stove using medium heat.  

Hope everyone is well, have a good weekend and stay safe. - JD 

The Stork Club Cocktail

It has been awhile since posting about a cocktail and all within good reason. It is nice to leisurely sip on one as opposed to downing one. I have shared plenty of cocktails and I am unsure if these will return into what did become a regular Friday spot.  

This classic cocktail is named after New York City's famed, Stork Club, which was in existence from 1929 until 1965 and apparently it was the place to be! This cool citrus cocktail is uplifting.  

The Stork Club Cocktail

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 makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz Cointreau
1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
dash of Angostura bitters
orange peel for garnish, if you wish

Combine the gin, Cointreau, orange juice and lime juice, and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel. 

Have a good weekend and stay safe everyone! - JD  

Flapjacks

When quarantine began I noticed a few recipes being repetitively done across the internet and social media. One such recipe was flapjacks. I wanted to make these for awhile however kept pushing them aside. Finally making them I can understand the simple crispy  crumbly appeal although I added lemon zest to cut through the sweetness. They are quite crunchy however if placed in an airtight container they do become more chewy.

Flapjacks

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1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup golden syrup

2 1/3 cups quick cooking oats

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lemon, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF and butter a square metal baking pan. Line with parchment paper.

In a large sauce pan combine the butter, sugar and golden syrup; stirring constantly over medium low heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves and mixture is nice and smooth.

Remove from heat and add the lemon zest, pinch of salt and oats; stir until coated. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and spread the mixture out evenly. 

Bake until the top is golden, the edges will be darker, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and gently cut into 4 squares; cut each into 4 triangles, not to worry the mixture will be soft. Cool completely in the pan before serving. 

 Stay safe everyone! - JD