Litha ~ Summer Solstice ~ Midsummer and Summer Citrus Cake

 

Litha ~ Midsummer ~ Summer Solstice, June 20th to June 25th, in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrates the beginning of summer and marks the longest day and the shortest night and although its seen as a time for balance between light and dark, the sun reaches its peak, the power of the sun begins to wane and the days begin to grow shorter and the nights grow longer, it is a return to dark.

As we celebrate Mother Earth, the Goddess and the Sun King, God, think abundance, fertility, renewal and life, as the sun, flowers, plants and the earth are all in full bloom. Bonfires, feasting, singing, dancing and festivals are activities during this time as well as getting outdoors to connect with nature, to celebrate and honour the abundance and growth of the natural world. It's a time for new beginnings, as always with the change of seasons, saying goodbye to self reflection and moving forward and being open with the sun's energy.  

Other celebrations around this time are: Golowan (Cornish) Gwyl Ifan Ganol Haf (Wales), Kupala Night/Ivan Kupala (Ukraine), National Indigenous Peoples Day (Canada), Saint John's Feast Day/ Saint John's Eve (Christian - Canada, France, Portugal, Spain), St. John's Night, Sobotka or Noc Kupaly (Poland), Adonia (Greece), St. Hans Day (Norway and Denmark), Jānvi (Latvia), Uttarayana (India), World Humanist Day (June 21st), World Environment Day (June 5th), World Refugee Day (June 20th), Juneteenth (US, June 19th) and LGBTQ+Pride Month (June). 

A bright summer sun cake baked to golden perfection with much to celebrate and love. Happy Summer Solstice, Midsummer and Litha! 

Summer Citrus Cake

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1 1/2 (300 g) cups white sugar

1 cup (240 ml) olive oil 

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups (360 g) unbleached all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (125 ml) orange juice

zest of 1 orange 

zest of 1 lemon

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Orange Glaze:

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 butter

Place all ingredients into a pot and simmer until the butter melts, about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir and pour over cooled cake.

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Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and throughly grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sert aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the white sugar and olive oil. Add the eggs and whisk again until combine and then add the vanilla and orange juice and mix together. 

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the grated orange zest and lemon zest and whisk until combined. Add the flour mixture to the sugar, oil and egg mixture and stir until just combine. Do not overmix the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully invert the cake on to a serving plate, by placing the plate on top of the cake pan and carefully flip it over and gently lift the tin from the cake. Make the orange glaze, see recipe above, and pour it over the cake and sprinkle with additional orange and lemon zest. Slice and serve.  

Tony's Chocolonely ~ Chocolate Bars

 

Not knowing much about Tony's Chocolonely however seeing this brand pop up while browsing the internet had me subconciously keeping it in the back of my mind and you can see why. Bright bold colourful packaging that cannot go a miss. A thick mass of a chocolate bar, and the retro font name; a nickname and or the English language version named after the Dutch founder and co-owner, Tuen van de Keuken aka Tony. 

The word Chocolonely is a combination of two words, "chocolate" and "lonely" and signifies not only his initial lone fight against exploitation within the cocoa industry but represents his feelings of feeling alone in his efforts to address the issues of child labour and modern slavery within the cocoa industry.

The chocolate bar itself is not section into uniform squares as the unevenness of the bars texture and presentation comes down to representing the inequality within the cocoa trade industry. It's also a reminder of the company's mission of supporting fair and sustainable conditions. They offer chocolate bars of milk and dark chocolate as well as vegan. We tried the milk chocolate pretzel toffee first and it was rich and creamy with a sweet salty crunch. We found their milk chocolate to be a bit more dark than compared to other milk chocolate chocolate and had more of a cocoa flavour than sweet milky chocolate flavour. I know it's hard to discern the richness of the chocolate from a photo, I took it in a bright lit room.         

The inside packaging explains their mission statement which reflects the company's stand on issues linked within the cocoa industry. I know not everyone wants to think about such issues while munching on something chocolatey however like chocolate it needs to be shared and talked about, and ultimately addressed. By raising awareness and opting for change is a start, in hopes other companies within the cocoa industry will follow this leading example. 

To find out more about Tony's Chocolonely, the co-operatives and affiliated cocoa farmers they source from in Africa, visit their website tonyschocolonely.com  

Blueberry Almond Coconut Cake

 

For a cake that doesn't need any icing one may think of it as being excessively sweet however it's not overly sweet. The flavour combination fuses together creating a fruity sponge cake that is packed with blueberries. Serving with a dollop of whipped cream, a lashing of custard or even a spoonful of blueberry sauce will enhance this modest dessert to a whole other level.  

Blueberry Almond Coconut Cake

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1/3 cup (75 ml) olive oil 

2/3 cup (150 ml) white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

2/3 cup (250 ml) milk

1 2/3 cup (400 ml) unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup (50 g) almond flour  

1 tablespoon (1.5 ml) baking powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt

1 cup (250 ml) sweetened shredded coconut 

2 cups (500 ml) fresh or frozen blueberries

almond flakes for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºF). Lightly grease and flour a square 9 - inch baking tin. Line the bottom with baking parchment. Set aside. 

In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil and white sugar until well combined and pale. Add the eggs and beat together, then add the vanilla extract and milk and stir until combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and shredded coconut. Add the flour mixture to the creamy olive oil milk mixture and stir until smooth. Add the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter. 

Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared baking tin and sprinkle almond flakes on top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, a few moist crumbs are fine.  

Lemon Herb Pork Chops

If delicious, tender and juicy pork chops are what you are after then this is the recipe you must try. Searing the pork chops before placing them into the oven may seem unnecessary however it is worth the effort, as it makes for a tastier, flavourful chop. You may try different herbs if you wish however the thyme and lemon pair perfectly here, giving a balmy burst of summertime savour.    

Lemon Thyme Pork Chops

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4 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick and 6 - 7 ounces each

salt

ground black pepper

1 - 2 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped or dried thyme 

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Take the pork chops from the refrigerator and place on a clean cutting board or large plate. Season both sides of each chop with salt and pepper. Set aside to rest for about 30 minutes.

When you are almost ready to cook the chops, preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

Heat the oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot and shimmery, pat the pork chops dry and add them without moving them until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, on one side. While the pork sears, sprinkle half the thyme over the side of the pork chops facing up. Notes: You do not want to over crowd the chops in the frypan so sear in batches, 2 chops at a time, if your frypan cannot accommodate all of the chops at once. If the pork has a fattier edge, use tongs to hold the chops fat-side-down until they sizzle and brown slightly, about 30 seconds. 

Flip the pork so that the seared side faces up and scatter with the remaining thyme. Sear the other side for 2 minutes then transfer pork chops to an oven proof baking dish. If you are doing the chops in batches, transfer the pork chops as you go in batches to the oven proof baking dish. Once all the chops have been seared and in the baking dish, arrange the lemon wedges around the pork chops. Save the residue in the frying pan to make a glaze, see Frying Pan Glaze recipe below.  

Bake for 8 to 15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 145ºF/63ºC when inserted into the thickest part of the chop. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the pork chops and you roughly want to check after 5 minutes of cooking time. You will know when the chops are done if the juices run clear when cutting into them and they have reached the internal temperature stated above.  

Transfer the baked pork chops to a plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let the chops rest for about 5 minutes. Serve with the roasted lemon wedges and pan juices on top if you haven't made a glaze using the leftover brown bits from the frying pan.

Frying Pan Glaze:

When the baked pork chops are resting on the plate. Place the fry pan you used to sear the chops in, there should be some brown bits or sizzling residue left in the pan, over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce and 1 tablespoon butter. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the fry pan so that any stuck bits come up. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your preference, with more salt or pepper, honey or soy sauce. Take the fry pan off the heat and carefully spoon the glaze into a heat proof measuring cup for serving.   

   

Mrs. Bridges' ~ Upstairs, Downstairs Cookery Book

 

I suspect most know about the BBC series, Upstairs, Downstairs, and the goings on at the Bellamy home with head cook, Mrs. Bridges and the servants quarters. So when this cookbook was given to me I was delighted not only because of its slight vintage... retro-ness; but because it brought back fond memories of time spent with my mum watching this show. After receiving this book I had placed it in my pile, yes I have a cookbook pile, and sadly within a week after placing it there, Jean Marsh, the actress who played parlourmaid, Rose Buck, passed away. 

This commerative cookbook is mostly made up of Victorian and Edwardian recipes with eight categories of menus. Since there is no real life Mrs. Bridges, this book is written as if there were, very straightforward in the character's straight faced kind of way. The book does stray from the kitchen and food preparations and goes into personal matters about the fictional members of the Bellamy household, and that is part of it's charm, keeping things in character, connecting the book and television series together. There are a handful of black and white photographs and over 70 illustrations or drawings to help guide with serving, carving and using the right utensils for whatever the culinary, kitchen task may be. 

With plenty of classic recipes such as: Kedgeree, Lancaster Hot Pot, Cottage Pie, Parsnip Fritters, Apple Charlotte and Seed Cake, I decided to share the Boston Brownie recipe, as it is written from the book. 

Boston Brownies

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4 oz flour

4 oz butter

8 oz sugar

2 eggs

4 oz chopped walnuts

2 oz plain chocolate 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

vanilla essence or sugar

Melt chocolate in a pan with a dessertspoon of water, stirring constantly, but do not allow to boil. Cream the butter and sugar, beat the eggs and add them by degrees to the butter mixture, then add the chocolate. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, and blend well with the chocolate mixture. Stir in the essence and the nuts. Pour into a greased, square cake tin and bake at 350º for about 30 minutes. When cold, cut into squares. 

Peanut Butter Apple Squares

 

Peanut butter and apple make one aromatic combination that is comforting, while being both scrumptious and delectably moist. Relatively quick to make and absolutely effortless to snack on, so much so, that no crumb will go a miss.  

Peanut Butter Apple Squares

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3/4 cup (175 ml) unbleached all purposed flour

1 (5 ml) teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon

1 egg

3/4 cup (175 ml) brown sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup (50 ml) milk

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

1/2 cup (125 ml) smooth or crunchy peanut butter 

1 cup ( 250 ml) cored, unpeeled apples, grated

Icing sugar, for decorating

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease and flour an 8 inch or 9 inch square baking tin. Line the bottom with baking parchment. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. 

In a large bowl beat the egg until light, then beat in the sugar, milk, vanilla and peanut butter. Blend in the flour and stir in the grated apple. 

Spread in the prepared baking tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool in the tin until slightly warm. Cut into bars, and lightly dust with icing sugar. Place on a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Scalloped Potatoes

 

It's simple, it's seasoned and it's layered and creamy. Scalloped potatoes, by far one of the easiest dishes you can make. I say that because really and truly it is just a matter of thinly slicing the potatoes, haphazardly layering them around a casserole dish, chopping onion, making a simple cream sauce, to go over and bake. A comforting tender flavourful dish known for its creamy rich texture that will complement just about any meal. 

Scalloped Potatoes 

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Serves 6 

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried or fresh dill

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 cups 2% milk

6 medium large potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 oven proof baking dish.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, dried dill, salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Melt the 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. Stir in the seasoned flour mixture. Cook and stir constantly until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.

Stir in the milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute.

Spread the potatoes in the baking dish. Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Cut the 1 tablespoon of butter into small pieces and place on top of the potatoes. Cover an bake for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 

Notes: for ham scalloped potatoes stir in 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked ham into potatoes before pouring sauce over the potatoes. For added flavour add mustard powder and paprika to the flour mixture.