Captivating Carrot Cake

Credit must be shared on this one, Rita and Tassie, the unequivocal Cake Queens! 

Imagine...with glee, I sent this incredible Tassie Cake Queen recipe to the other Cake Queen, my mother-in law Rita only to be reminded by Rita that she made this exact cake for our glorious pre-wedding party (all those years ago!)

Wow, how embarrassing. The only redeeming point to this story is that it a really is a most fabulous cake, hence a perpetual family fave. 

For a 3 layer cake, use 3-8" cake pans, fun for height and all that icing...but I usually use 2 regular 9" pans or 1large pyrex with tons of icing.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Combine these dry ingredients in a medium size bowl:

2 cups of flour, I like to use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and the rest regular

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

1.5 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp clove

Add a few other ground spices like: cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, maybe 1/2 tsp of any added. 

In a larger bowl, hand mix:

1 c. canola oil

4 beaten eggs

2 cups grated carrots

1 c. crushed pineapple with juice

Zest of 1 orange

some vanilla

I believe Rita puts an entire orange in the blender and adds it to this cake recipe. Such amazing flavour!

I love this cake with pecans and yellow raisins and use a lot of each!

Pour dry into wet, and don't over mix. 

Bake this for about 40-45 min. on a timer and then check if the cake needs more time. Do not overcook. Check it at 35 min...

While the cake cools, make the decadent cream cheese icing:

2 packages of cheese

1 stick of butter (half cup)

1 cup icing sugar

Tsp vanilla and a tiny bit of almond extract, maybe 1/2 tsp.

This is not a super sweet icing. Lemon or orange zest if a nice addition for flavour. Add more sugar if you like a sweeter icing. 

If you know how to make candied carrot strips to decorate like Rita does...go for it!! Just beautiful! 

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Gorgeous Homemade Gravlax

WOW, talk about easy! I had a craving for Gravlax. I just love it and prefer it over smoked salmon. For my palate, Gravlax is a clean, more pure flavour of this supreme fish. I have tasted a few versions and find that the challenge is determining the right salt/sugar ratio. Well, we found it!! Timing also has a lot to do with the texture. If you are like me, less cured is the way to go...and with a dark rye bread and a wonderful Mustard sauce (a riff of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa), this dish is really hard to beat and great for entertaining!!

The measurements are important to get the right everything going. This recipe will serve about 8 people as an appetizer. 

You will need a 2 lbs filet of salmon, skin on. Get the fatter side if your fishmonger is cutting from a large filet. Adjust the following ratios for smaller piece of fish. 

1 cup of Rock salt. No other salt will do. The large "gros sel" ensures that the curing happens without soaking the fish in salt. This is what will indeed ruin your effort.

1 cup of white sugar

1 tbsp of crushed white or black peppercorns 

Add ins:

1 cup of freshly chopped dill.

1 raw beet for a fabulous red tint. 

Orange and/or lemon zest.

That's it! 

Mix the salt, sugar and flavouring in a bowl. Use food processor to crumble the raw beet, then add to mixture.  Have a large Pyrex or deep dish handy. 

Place 2 large pieces of cling wrap on your work surface, overlapping. 

Spread half of the salt mixture onto the Saran in the size and shape of the filet. Place the salmon, skin side down on top of this. Top the fish with the remaining mixture.

Wrap the fish with the cling wrap and place in the dish. You need something flat-ish to lay on top of the fish. And, on top of this, place a few cans as weights so that the fish will be pressed down.

Refrigerate this for 3 consecutive 12- hour intervals. 36 hours makes for a Medium cure. It can be less.

There will be liquid in the dish and it will be goopy. No need to turn the salmon over.  

After at least 24 hours or so, unwrap the salmon and rinse well. Pat dry, and place it back in the fridge for at 3 hours or longer.  This lets the salt "settle" and drys out the surface of the salmon.

A 24-hour cure is enough for a more "sushi-esque" texture.  But the above is really the right way to prepare this dish. And, it is perfect.

To serve, thinly slice the fish on an angle, down to the skin. The texture will be gorgeous and glossy. 

Have some dense dark rye bread, and serve with a dollop of this luxurious Mustard sauce, and fresh dill garnish.

Mustard Sauce:

Mix plain Greek yogourt, Dijon mustard and grainy mustard (to taste) a bit of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and something sweet, I like a dash of Maple syrup, but white sugar works well too. Horseradish is also a good addition to the sauce.

This is a special dish. Too easy for words and so refined to serve. 

Enjoy!!!!

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Japanese Cod Soup Creation

No real recipe... humbly, just some noodles, broth, cod and other stuff. I know there is a secret complex homemade Chinese chili sauce in there too!

Beautiful...

My son's curious creation. 

Y'ia sta xeria sou!!

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Vibrant Vodka Pasta

What a fabulous little cook! My daughter has an idea, and it comes to life on the plate and the palate.

Along with baking, her pasta dishes are becoming a specialty around here. This deeply delicious vodka sauce has the perfect balance of salty, spicy and tomato creaminess. What a satisfying treat!

Before making the sauce, put a big pot of water to boil for the pasta. Don't forget to heavily salt the water. It makes or breaks the dish! Use a nice big, thick type of pasta, rigatoni, fusilli etc...

The trick to this sauce is to let the layers cook down in between steps.

Saute: in olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
at least 1 tbsp chili pepper flakes, more if you want to spice it up
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

Once golden, add in half a tube or half a small can of tomato paste and allow it to cook down
Add a half small can of crushed tomatoes
Throw in 2 crushed garlic cloves, these will be removed later

Now the sauce needs to simmer for a while. Once simmered add in 1/3 cup vodka and stir, allow to cook down.

Then add about 1 cup of 15% cream and this rose sauce should now have a very silky consistency. At this point taste for salt and pepper.

Now it is time to add the pasta to the sauce. Loosely strain with pasta water if you using a spider spoon to transfer the pasta to the sauce. If not, reserve a cup of the pasta water to add in the sauce. It really smooths everything out and gives a glossy finish. For an extra richness, add a nob of butter.

Serve right away, nice and hot, adding parma and basil to every plate. This is a great birthday dinner for Dad!!  And goes so well with a big glass of delicious red wine for Mom.

Bravo sou!!!

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Super Simple Fresh Bean Salad

Over 20 years ago, my brother in law served this bean salad with dinner. It was fabulous then, and here we are still making it all the time! 

For posterity, here it is...super simple and colorful!

Canned beans, rinced and drained. We love any and all beans in this salad. One kind or mixed, depending on the crowd, just scale this recipe.

Add, frozen corn niblets that have been thawed. A must.

Diced onion, red is best, or scallions.

Some carrot and celery if you have it.

Tons of finely chopped fresh cilantro.

Olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. 

Salt and pepper

That's it! This is a great side, we especially love it on a hot summer day, with fish or any grilled meat.

Why not add a few other fun textures? This salad can be a base for lots of good stuff. 

But best loved as is.

Enjoy! 

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Orange- Scented Cardamom Coffee Cake

In the mood for a "breakfast" sweet but not too sweet treat? This is a really delicious orange- scented and spiced cake, perfect friend to a good strong coffee.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl, combine:
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp salt

In a smaller bowl, mix:
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. melted butter (1 stick)
vanilla or almond extract, just a hint

Pour the liquid into the dry and combine but don't over mix. It will be a fairly dense batter. Place this into a buttered or "pam-etized" pie plate sized cake pan. Bake for 25 min. Do not over bake! It will be a dense and moist cake.

I made a mascarpone and cream cheese icing with orange zest, only because I had these in the fridge. Decadent for sure. An orange juice and icing sugar glaze would be really good too. Get the zest in where you can.

I love the cardamom aroma in the kitchen in the morning, and serve this warm, it is really great!

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Mom's "Throwback" Tuna Casserole

Our Mom made this casserole many times when we were kids, and my sister and I just loved it! I was telling my own kids about it and they just about gagged. No way, tuna schmoushola!! I was out to prove them wrong. With one, there was no convincing, the other took it on as a challenge, and WOW, what a huge delicious surprise (haha to you) and success!!

The best noodles to use are the thick "No Yolk" noodles, actually keeps the dish light. You can pre-cook these "al dente" as they will bake in the oven in a pyrex or corning ware type pan.

Saute:1 small onion, a handful of mushrooms, couple of stalks of chopped celery and 1 chopped leek  Set this aside.

Make a light bechamel type sauce: in a small pot, on medium heat, melt to sizzle 2 tbsp. butter, add 2 tbsp. flour and cook down. Slowly add 1.5 cups of milk (warm it up a bit before using here if you can) and whisk, add 1/2 chicken stock for flavour, of course salt and pepper. Once thickened, add a half can of cream of mushroom or celery soup, some chopped fresh rosemary. Add some cheese, strong cheddar and gruyere is a super combo, or any mix you have. Luxe, thick sauce!!

In a large bowl, gently combine the pre-cooked noodle with the sauce, add lots of small green peas and the sauteed vegg. To this, add 2 cans of tuna. Place this into a buttered baking dish. Top with a lightly buttered panko mixed with more cheese.

Ready to bake. At 375F, cook covered with foil for about 20 min, and then uncovered for another 10 min. Broil for a couple of min at the end to add color and crunch.

This casserole is really fabulous. Thanks Mom for all the fabulous dinners we always had as kids. Now to remember the filet of sole casserole...I will dig deep into my brain for that one. I know it has cream of shrimp soup!!!

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