This is delightful cake is one that you can make a few days ahead. It is light and very fresh tasting, which makes it perfect for a summer dinner party dessert. It also makes an unusual but not inappropriate Easter cake.
Late one summer, when I was about 12 years old, my mother packed us all up in the van and took us to a small local fair. At this point there were six of us kids (or was it seven?) and any excuse to get out of the house was a good one.
But my mom had a mission — she wasn't just going to drag us out to a county fair. She was entering a baking contest. She wrapped up a couple loaves of intensely lemony quick bread, drizzled with lemon syrup and sprinkled generously with zest. And we marched off to that fair, lemon's aroma wafting into the back of our very long stretch van.
Soda bread is an amazingly easy, versatile recipe, and has stood the test of time as an Irish classic because it so simple. It is a no-knead, no-fuss style of bread, which is my kind of recipe! You can change this classic by adding lots of tasty things like sea salt, different cheeses, or even green garlic. It's delicious on its own or served with a warm bowl of soup.
Have you heard about this season's Ben & Jerry's ice cream craze? They created a special Passover charoset ice cream, and it has got us all pining to try this newest flavor. The catch? It's only sold in Israel! Apparently people have been even calling the Vermont factory, trying to get their hands on a rare, just-in-Israel pint.
With the Atlantic lying between us, I decided to take on the challenge, and make my own recipe. The great thing about this recipe is that it's completely low tech —no ice cream machine needed — which makes it suitable for any kitchen. Charoset ice cream can be yours!
Who doesn’t like S’mores? I'd like to meet that person. Well, actually, for a long time, I was that person. S'mores seemed like a dessert that was less than the sum of its parts; how could marshmallow and chocolate turn out so unappealing?
But then I had a breakthrough. I had a soft, warm cake based on S'mores, where the chocolate oozed over a graham base, with a toasted marshmallow on top. It was heavenly. I realized that the thing I objected to in a traditional S'more was the texture; a poorly made S’more is hard to eat, with that crunchy graham cracker, hard chocolate, and a rubbery marshmallow falling apart and getting your hands all sticky.
Mussels have a reputation for being difficult to cook, but this is just not true. In reality, the hardest part is the washing. Place them in cold water (they should close; if they don’t you should throw them away). Scrub any dirt off the surface of the mussels and remove the beard with a small knife.
If you can get this down, you will have no trouble — and they take minutes to cook, so they’re the perfect little starter.
I'm ready to hit the Chicago farmers markets this week and stock up on all the super-fresh local produce I've been craving since last fall. I'll most likely bring home as much as I can carry, and then I'll be faced with the happy task of finding ways to prepare and eat it.
This is one recipe I know we'll be turning to, especially because it can be so easily adapted to use whatever ingredients look best.
