TwD: NAPOLEON'S CAKE

When Napoleon was in excile on the island of St. Helena, I'm sure he made this cake. It's a traditional French yogurt cake island-style - baked with banana mango yogurt, ground mixed nuts, fresh mango and strawberries, and topped with a sweet layer of caramel coconut.

I've been wanting to make a French yogurt cake for the better part of a year after seeing some of Clotilde's on Chocolate and Zucchini. So I was excited when Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction chose this week's recipe. It was easy to make, fail-proof as Dorie said in the recipe. It's like a pound cake, which surprised me because it's reportedly a favorite birthday cake for little Frenchies. You mean kids the world over don't go for the sugar + lard iced sheet cake with potato chips and coke?! Wait until they find out what they're missing. Napoleon incarnate just might rise up; an eight-year old would be about the right size.

Instead of butter, this cake has oil. Combined with the ground nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashews) and yogurt, this cake turned out incredibly moist, which translates to magically disappearing in my kitchen. After putting about a fourth of the batter in the pan, I layered fresh strawberry and mango slices, and then covered with the remaining batter. The coconut topping was inspired by one my Granny sometimes adds to banana bread.

COCONUT TOPPING

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

• Mix over medium heat until melted.
• Let simmer 2-5 minutes until the coconut takes on a caramel color.
• Spread over cooled cake.
  

Three discoveries from this week:

1. Lemon zest rubbed into sugar produces a most enticing aroma! Why has no candle company fancied this one yet? There is every other imaginable scent, from obscure to downright choking-hand-me-the-coffee-beans-NOW gross.
2. A new fave yogurt!
3. There could be worse things than being in exile on an island.

Happy St. Patty's Day EASY PEASY PASTA

Happy St. Patty's Day!
This past weekend I happened upon "pasta with personality." ??? A marketing line by the pasta company that was totally un-needed. I was already suckered in by the tiny shamrock shapes of the green and white pasta by the time my mind registered any words. As someone who doesn't eat meat (except seafood), I typically don't like my food to register any personality at all.
To add to the festivities of the day, I wanted to make a pasta salad that has crept into my mom's cooking reportoire as a simple, fast, satisfying dish.

EASY PEASY PASTA

1 package mini penne pasta, or other of similar size and texture

1 package frozen green peas

mayonaise or soynaise

spices: salt, black pepper, cayenne

1. Boil salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, adding the peas about three mintues before its done.
2. Drain the pasta and let cool about ten minutes.
3. Add mayonaise/soynaise. The amount largely depends on taste. I usually put in about half a cup.
4. Add spices and stir. Can be served immediately, but best if served cold.

This can easily be dressed up. I like to throw in a can of tuna. I also added two tablespoons of Green Goddess salad dressing, which was great. This is the type of thing that I can eat on all night and never get tired of.

Discoveries:

• Sometimes I do like my food to have personality.
• Simple is a great way to celebrate.

HONEYSUCKLE TEA

I brought back bag of Honeysuckle tea from China. I was enticed by memories of sucking on honeysuckle blossom stems as a child. Biting off the green end and hollowing out the buds of baby blossoms and tasting the sweet nectar that rivaled the smell of the adult blooms. The tea itself looks pretty neat, with little heads that waft on the steaming water. But the tea taste is actually not sweet at all; very earthy. I've taken multiple sips thinking...now what is that taste... Obviously it's honeysuckle, but it's a throaty taste, located somewhere on the back of my tongue. I like it a lot, and it was a nice surprise once my tongue was reconciled to the fact that it's not sweet and isn't going to be sweet, regardless of whether the sip is small or large, piping hot or room temp.

Tuesdays with Dorie: LEMON CUSTARD CUPS

I doused my custard cups with cinnamon to make them more photogenic - the jiggly egg texture was definitely coming through. The first takes looked like something might emerge from the depths of the bowl at any moment! The cinnamon turned out to be a nice addition, especially since the lemon was very soft and the eggs quite pronounced. I always find the idea of custard more appealing than the actual dessert. It seems so devilishly yummy, holding out somewhere between a pudding and a moist cake. When I eat it, I find mouth trying to figure out what to do with it, and missing out on most of the taste.

I made half a batch, enough for three custard cups. I had to bake it for 90 minutes instead of the recommended 40 - and I still had slippery jiggle in the middle! I would jump to the conclusion that my oven is broken, but it was producing large amounts of heat, even as I stuck my head in the door peering down at my sad custard cups. As B. delicately put it, "Did you leave out any ingredients? Something you needed..." There are four ingredients! Surely as a somewhat competent kitchen clutterer, I could do justice by four little ingredients. (But I did double check the recipe just to make sure and kindly thank him for his suggestion.)

After being chilled, the little cups perked up a bit and were tasty. It was a nice little treat after work today, and a nice change to all the recent chocolate consumption. Thanks to Bridget of The Way the Cookie Crumbles for picking this one out.

VEGGIE SOUP WITH OYSTER MUSHROOMS

I saw oyster mushrooms at the store and couldn't resist! All their delicate little flutes remind me of beautiful blue whales. After returning from a trip to China a few months ago where I feasted on all sorts of mushrooms whose names I don't know and can't imagine, I was ready for some more funky looking 'shrooms. Thankfully, the name refers to the appearance of the mushrooms, and not the taste or texture. The Chinese name, píng gū, translates as "flat mushroom." Not only are these guys super cute, they are also super friendly - they can be used in mycormediation. Nice word I know, quite the tongue tumbler, just meaning that these mushrooms can be used to reduce the contamination of soil and clean up after humans, in such cases as diesel oil spills.

The oyster mushrooms were definitely the star of the soup. They have a delicate taste, and were great paired with sauteed onions, big chunks of cabbage, and squares of rutabaga. I also threw in some garlic, white potatoes, and garbanzo beans.

After sauteeing the onions and garlic, I added the mushrooms on top and let them partially steam. Then I added vegetable broth, the other veggies, salt, pepper, and ginger. It was simple and delicious.

Tuesdays with Dorie: CHOCOLATE CAKE

For this week, LyB of And Then I Do the Dishes chose Dorie's Chocolate Amagnac Cake - The Cake That Got Me Fired. This cake is a renovated version of one made at the restaurant where Dorie had her very first job in a professional kitchen. Her creativity in switching up ingredients earned her a spot on the forever daunting section of job applications entitled "Have you ever been fired from a job? If so, please explain." At least she has a good story to follow, proof in a mighty yummy chocolate cake recipe, and the success to look back, stick out her tongue, and say - nannynannybooboo! But since we're all adults, I'll get to the cooking, and to the part where we get to set things on fire. I actually omitted the alcohol, and just added the steaped prunes. I also added a couple of handfuls of roughly chopped pecans to the flour and ground pecan mixture. This cake is quite dense and fudgey so the added crunch and texture was nice. I think this cake would make awesome cake bites, and has great presentation so I'm putting it on the mental list for any upcoming group events.

TOFU SHAKE

I've always wondered a bit about tofu shakes ever since I first heard of them, probably eight or nine years ago. This past week, I had a rare moment when the only appealing foods were all rather bland sounding. I think my body was revolting from all the food I ate the week before, first at a work conference where they sent us grazing between meetings (I think food coma to keep us quiet might have been the goal), and then on vacation in the lovely Colorado mountains (ahem, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory). I made a batch of tofu shake, which made about four glasses full. It was quite the thing I wanted, and I know it's going to be a great craving in the future.

TOFU SHAKE

one package of silken tofu

1 cup frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries mixed

1 ripe banana

Blend. Drink. Thank yourself for a healthy alternative to all the other shakes. Including the masterfully created Baskin Robbins Chocolate Oreo Shake that has been dubbed by Men's Health as the #1 worst food in America. It weighs in at 2,600 calories, 135 grams of fat (59 of which are saturated), 263 grams of sugar and 1,700 milligrams of sodium. WOW.