Table Talk
Oats Cake
Sometimes the most wonderful things are found right under our noses.
I come from a family full of bakers. My aunts and grandmas and sisters and mother, my father and brother, and uncles were/are terrific bakers. Most of the cakes, cookies, breads and pies that I make are recipes that have been passed around the family. Being the adventurous eater that I am, I am always on the hunt for something new and interesting so, occasionally, a recipe that has been around forever ends up being forgotten. Fortunately, everything old can be new again. Recently, I rediscovered a cake that I believe was a recipe of my Aunt Harriet. I have breezed past this recipe for years and years. Perhaps it was the dull name-- it really deserves something jazzier, because this is one yummy cake. It has the added benefit of being something that can be whipped up at the last minute, because the ingredients are always in the pantry. The original recipe is somewhat vague in spots so I've taken some liberty in filling out the recipe.
* Exported from MasterCook *
Oats Cake
Recipe By :Harriet Byrtus
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 cup chopped dates or raisins
Topping:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cream -- can use milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350. Pour boiling water over oats. Cool. Combine sugars, butter and eggs. Add cooled oats. Combine dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients. Mix well. Add dates or raisins. Pour in a greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Change oven to Broil.
PBoil together butter, cream and brown sugar. Sprinkle hot cake with nuts. Pour the topping over the hot cake. Place cake under the broiler until the topping bubbles. Don't overcook or the topping with harden.
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 276 Calories; 16g Fat (50.1% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 53mg Cholesterol; 185mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 3 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Smoked Salmon
Seafood is one of my passions. Particularly salmon. There seems to be no end to the ways to prepare it, but smoking it is my current favorite. Unlike pork butt, which takes 13 hours to prep, smoke and shred, salmon can be prepped and smoked in only a couple of hours, almost instant gratification in the smoking world! This recipe courtesy of Virtual Weber Bullet website:
First, I prepared a brown sugar rub, which I thickly applied to a 3 pound salmon fillet.
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup non-iodized table salt
3 tablespoons granulated garlic
3 tablespoons granulated onion
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon dried savory
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
It was then refrigerated for 2 hours, rinsed and allowed to dry until tacky, about 30 min. A finishing rub was then applied:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
I smoked it at 225 with cherry wood. I pulled it at an internal temperature of 140 (the original recipe suggested 150).
This salmon was sweet and smoky and delicious. It freezes pretty well too, which is great for last minute hor d'ouerves or something to throw in a pasta.
Oct 12, 2008 in
In the Test Kitchen
Home Grown Tomatoes
This has been a crazy gardening year. I'm typically a neglectful gardener, but this year, regardless of my lack of attention and care, my tomato plants have gone crazy. They are huge and laden with big, plump fruit on one, and tear-drop shaped romas on the other. As with any good harvest, there is more fruit on the vine than we can possibly eat, so I give it away to visitors. The romas have been particularly challenging. Their size is quite small, and typically, I use romas for salsa but you can only make so much salsa. But I think that I have found a great way to use these tasty little tomatoes--Herb-roasted tomatoes.
I halved each tomato lengthwise and scooped out the seeds, drizzled them with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled them with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and chopped fresh herbs from the garden. I then slow-roasted them, at 325, for about 3 hours, or until they had shriveled and slightly caramelized.
They were fantastic! I've served them with cheese & crostini, with smoked salmon or simply popped them in my mouth for a little snack.
