A sweet ending.

Over the weekend, we had some friends over for dinner. I wanted to keep the meal casual but still just a little more special than an everyday dinner, so chicken with crisp rosemary potatoes came to mind immediately. However, dessert stumped me for weeks.

I know, it sounds really silly to hem and haw over the dessert for a casual get together with good friends. But dessert really puts the exclamation point at the end of a meal, and is certainly my favorite part. I thought, what about a layer cake? No, too fussy; I wanted to keep with the special casual feel (yes, I just made up that term). Cookies? Too casual...

When pound cake came to me, it seemed so obvious. Like I should have thought of it first. It's more special than your everyday sweets, especially with some lemon whipped cream, but it never seems like it's trying too hard. And I love pound cake. It's easy, it's sturdy (no need to make it the day of), and it's power to create a gorgeous domed shape without leaveners seems like magic.

See? Check out that dome! That's just eggs and fluffy butter, my friends. Fantastic.

The only real problem with pound cake recipes is that they generally make 2 loaves, so you should ideally have 2 loaf pans of the same size. However, I do not live in this ideal world so I have a slightly larger than standard pan and a slightly smaller than standard pan. Just make sure you fill your pan 3/4 to 4/5 full to make sure you get that domed shape; if it's not full enough, it won't have that classic shape (but it will still be delicious). If you just want one loaf, you can make cupcakes with the rest; just reduce the cooking time to 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.


Blueberry-Sour Cream Pound Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2009

Makes 2 loaves

Note: The sugar-sprinkled crust is optional, but I recommend not skipping it. The sugar gives the cake a really pretty top and the crunch provides a nice textural contrast to the cake. But don't skimp on the sugar; really sprinkle 2 tablespoons per cake. It will look like a lot, but if you put on less the crust won't be nearly as crunchy and delicious.

1 pound (3 1/4 cups), plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon coarse salt, like kosher salt or sea salt
3 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for the pans
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 large, room-temperature eggs
2 cups blueberries
4 tablespoons turbinado sugar (aka raw sugar)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans, or if you're making cupcakes, put pan liners in muffin tins. In a medium bowl, combine 3 1/4 cups flour and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on high, cream butter, sour cream, and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and on medium speed, mix in the vanilla extract.

3. Lightly beat the eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions. Make sure to mix thoroughly after each and scrape down sides to make sure the eggs are incorporated properly. Reduce the speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Don't over mix-- we want a tender pound cake! Toss the blueberries in the remaining 2 tablespoons flour and fold them into finished batter. Divide batter between pans, tapping on counter to distribute, and smooth the tops. Sprinkle the sanding sugar over each cake (2 tablespoons each).

4. Bake the cakes until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Let the cakes cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. To remove from pans, carefully run around the edge of the pan with a knife and gently tip the cake out of the pan. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

If you want to gild the lily (and believe me, you do)...



Lemon Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Beat until soft peaks form; this means that when you lift the beater the peaks fall over slightly.

A trio of homemade sodas.

I'm not the biggest soda drinker. I don't have a diet coke with me at all times (coffee is another story) and I usually order water with lemon when I'm out. However, I love fresh fruit flavor and I enjoy fizzy refreshment on a hot day, which is why an article about DIY sodas in the May 2011 issue of Bon Appetit piqued my interest.

When you make soda yourself you get to choose everything: should it be light and sparkling? herbal but sweet? fruity and tart? The possibilities are endless and you certainly don't have to settle for the ubiquitous syrupy drinks full of empty calories. I've been working on my own concoctions for the last week and I wanted to share three winners with you. Hopefully you'll be inspired to try your hand at homemade soda and pass it along!

Strawberry, Lemon, and Basil
Adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2011

Note: I like to leave the fruit chunks in my soda because I think it's pretty, but in the original recipe they're strained out. Also, I found the basil to be a bit strong so I scaled it back but you can always adjust it to your tastes.

Makes 1 soda

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon raw sugar
4 fresh basil leaves
3 large strawberries, hull removed and quartered.
1 pinch coarse salt
3/4 cup club soda

Place lemon juice, sugar, strawberries, basil and salt in a pint glass and muddle with the handle of a wooden spoon (or a muddler, if you have one) until the sugar dissolves. Add a few ice cubes and the club soda and stir until chilled.

Cherry Lime Soda
Makes 1

Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tablespoon raw sugar
8 cherries, pitted and halved
1 pinch coarse salt
3/4 cup club soda

Place lime juice, sugar, cherries, and salt in a pint glass. With the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle until sugar dissolves. The mixture should look a little syrupy. Add club soda and ice. Stir to chill and strain if you like or serve with the fruit in the glass.

Makes 1

Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup watermelon chunks
Pinch coarse salt
3/4 cup club soda
Frozen watermelon cubes (optional)

Juice the watermelon either by pureeing it in a blender or mashing it with a spoon. Strain the juice through a sieve, pressing on the solid to extract as much liquid as possible. Place watermelon juice, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a pint glass. Mix until sugar dissolves.
Add club soda and frozen watermelon cubes or ice. Stir to chill and serve.

Note: to make the watermelon cubes, cut seedless watermelon into cubes and place on a tray. Put them in the freezer until solid, at least 2 hours.

Dirty thirty cheesecake.

Jared celebrated the big 3-0 this weekend with a big slice of cheesecake. Last year, I told of Jared's love of key lime birthday pie so this year both me and his mother were surprised when he requested a cheesecake. I knew the cheesecake was coming months ago when I opened a wedding gift containing the springform pan I had been wanting for years (thanks, Curt and Laura!) and the first thing Jared said was, "Does this mean we can have cheesecake?"

Of course, my answer was yes. This is actually the first cheesecake I have ever made and I chose the recipe because 1.) Ina Garten said it never cracks in the middle 2.) it doesn't require a hot water bath.

I'd love to tell you I have lots of beauty shots of making the cake and the finished cake but the truth is I made it late one night and then we had friends over the next day so the majority was consumed very quickly. It is quite good. One friend, who does not like cheesecake, declared that it won her over because it's lighter than more traditional cheesecake and the addition of lemon gives it a rounder flavor (i.e. less like eating a brick of cream cheese).

That being said, you might call this more of a "crowd pleaser" cheesecake as those of you who love that super dense, cream-cheesey cheesecake might feel like you're missing the usual heaviness. However, you can definitely eat a slice of this after a meal and not feel really weighed down, which is a plus in my book. Serve it with strawberries and/or chocolate ganache and you'll send you dinner guests home happy!

Cheesecake
Adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Note: Ina made a raspberry sauce for this cheesecake but Jared isn't a big raspberry fan so we had strawberries and ganache (see recipe below). Feel free to eat it plain or garnish it with whatever suits your fancy!

Serves 8-10

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (approximately 10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the graham crackers, sugar and melted butter thoroughly. Place the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press them in, forming the bottom crust and going about 1 inch up the sides. I like to use a measuring cup with a flat bottom to make it really even. Bake the crust for 8 minutes then cool to room temperature.

2. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Cream the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks two at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the cooled crust.

3. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 225 degrees and bake for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door wide. Allow the cake to sit in the open over for 30 minutes. It won't look finished baking when you first open the door, but it will set up as it cools. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, about 2-3 hours. Store the cake in the refrigerator overnight. To remove the cake from the pan, run a hot knife around the outside to loosen the sides and remove. Simply serve the cake from the bottom of the springform pan.

Chocolate Ganache

8 oz good-quality semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

1. Finely chop the chocolate and place in a medium, heat-proof bowl.

2. Heat the cream over medium heat until it's steaming but not boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to stand for 5 minutes. This allows the cream to melt the chocolate. Mix the cream and chocolate mixture with a spatula until the mixture is dark and glossy. Pour over cheesecake, ice cream, etc. Store covered, in the refrigerator and reheat over low heat until fluid or scoop into balls and roll in cocoa powder to make truffles.