original recipe: Cooks Illustrated
I'd been eyeing this cake for weeks now -- ever since I became bitten by the white peaches bug. What this bug shares with the mosquito (where am I going with this?) is the need to be scratched -- constantly (ok, got somewhere!). So, I was well stocked on peaches but slow in accumulating the other ingredients -- lemons, dried apricots, and sour cream. Yesterday, after a frustratingly unproductive work day, I figured that I might as well take my distracted behind (a distracted-and-therefore-behind behind) into the kitchen. The recipe was more involved than I'd expected. But I don't recommend skipping the step for roasting the peaches -- it definitely made the difference. The apricots, intended to replace the panko bread crumbs, ended up being a more stylish but less functional alternative -- the cake was definitely wetter, even with a longer baking time. But (BUT), it tasted amazing, and within 12 hours, half of it was gone.
J: "I hope the camera can capture how pretty this is." (this is J trying to flatter me)
I wish a picture of an empty cake pan could convey how good it tastes!
Broccoli Puffs
original recipe: Love that Food
Dang, these were a disaster. Aesthetically, most of all, though I wouldn't exactly tout them as a culinary triumph either. They weren't UN-tasty...but, after all the effort, oil, and dishes, I was disappointed that they look nothing like the photos accompanying the recipe. On the bright side, when J walked in and saw them, he yelled "tempura!" We skipped the dipping sauce but to compensate added: hecka herbs, more salt, more pepper, shredded cheese, and sour cream. They were definitely different than our usual broccoli-fare. But the deep frying and the dough probably negated whatever health benefits broccoli might've had in its virgin state...
they're as puffy as a helium balloon from Chinatown (speaking from experience: not very)
eggy! (i.e.the parts that didn't fry)
Other things on the menu:
- black bean quinoa burger on ciabatta (for J!)
- PB & J on ciabatta (for me!)
What I'm (not?) reading...
- a colleague's paper on Asian Sci-Fi (the technical term being "techno-Orientalism") and its particular mediation/manifestation of US-China relations
- Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son
- Ch'oe Yun's There A Petal Silently Falls
