In case anyone was wondering, I haven’t disappeared just yet. I’ve felt a little uninspired lately, though, and when I get busy with work and nonbloggy pursuits, I tend to take a minimalist approach to cooking. However, I couldn’t resist this delightful entry in the June issue of Gourmet, especially since it fell under the heading of Quick Kitchen.

Since the article said that the cake only serves 6, I made two of them. This ended up being plenty for 15 people, so unless your friends or family like huge slices, one cake is probably just fine for 6-8 people. The crumb is tender and moist thanks to the buttermilk, and the appearance is charmingly bumpy and rustic, with little pockets of red berry peeking through. My mom has already posted this recipe on her refrigerator door, ready for a summer’s worth of variations with all kinds of fruit and berries. You might just want to do the same!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 6-ounce container fresh raspberries (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment; butter parchment.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. With a standing or hand mixer, beat butter with the 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and egg, beating thoroughly. Turn speed to low and alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the top (no need to push them down) and sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake at 400º for about 25-30 minutes or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

General | 8 Comments »

I took a little drive yesterday and ended up vaguely lost somewhere in Braddock, where the street was lined with older, slightly run-down homes and a few boarded-up storefronts. As I turned on to a gravelly road in order to go back in the direction I’d come, I was astonished to see that it led to an absolutely stunning set of murals. If I hadn’t picked that particular street in which to turn my car around, I would have missed them completely.

One of the squares was painted to promote the local aviary, but I can’t imagine why this place was chosen — it didn’t seem to be a very high-traffic area, and the adjacent underpass was littered with broken beer bottles, cigarette butts, and various bits of detritus. I would love to know the story of how they got there. Are people in Braddock especially fond of the aviary? Was this part of an outreach endeavor? The art was in vivid, flawless condition, so I’m inclined to guess that the work was done recently (within the past year?). Whatever the case, I was thrilled to have discovered them.

General | 2 Comments »

If these look slightly familiar, it’s true — they’re a hazelnut version of the almond and chocolate sandwich cookies I made about a year ago. It’s a great, simple recipe for sandwich cookies, and notable because you don’t have to roll the cookies out. That’s right, the only thing I dislike about making sandwich cookies has been completely eliminated! And if you have a very small scoop (like this one), there’s really no excuse at all not to make them.

When I first tasted the cookies, I worried that the toasted hazelnut might have been little bit too bitter, especially combined with a thick filling of bittersweet chocolate, but my co-workers sure proved me wrong. To my delight, everyone wolfed them down in a snap, so I clearly shouldn’t underestimate them! Like many of my favorite recipes, this one is open to play and variation, which makes them all the more fun. Try other nuts, and fill them with whatever you like - dulce de leche, Nutella, raspberry jam…or how about some ice cream for tiny ice cream sandwiches?

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Baking, General | 10 Comments »

I’m not quite sure how December and most of January passed by so quickly. The cold weather lulled me..or better said, froze my inspiration to write about food, let alone do much cooking at all. I did squeeze in some holiday baking, but I’ll need an EGO if anything from the late-night kitchen is going to be properly photographed. Still, I’ve enjoyed my short winter’s nap, and hope to return from suspended animation refreshed and ready to get back on some kind of schedule.

To that end, I did something a little crazy the other night…I bought 30 pounds of Guittard 63% bittersweet chocolate. 30 pounds! I’ve never had this much chocolate in the house before. I may never have so much again. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what I intend to do with it all. But here it is, in all its glory, reclining luxuriously on my sofa.

I think it goes without saying that this year will see more than my share of chocolate posts!

General | 5 Comments »

Well, here I am, late for my own party! Cookworm turned one on Friday, and where was I for the celebration? Alas, one is obliged to do unseemly tasks such as attend work every day and deal with misbehaving automobiles, so you’ll have a heart, right? But luckily I’ve been homebound this weekend while Miss Car gets a fix-up, so there’s been ample time to putter around the old blog. I’ve updated the design to make it a bit more colorful for summer (it’s a real departure, I know, and I may replace the background color with something more soothing, but for now I like it), and will be adding a few more features (like print-friendly recipes) soon. Let me know if you have any problems or if something doesn’t look right as I work out the kinks.

Along with cookworm’s anniversary, this also marks my 100th post. I don’t usually track numbers of posts, but I have to admit, it does sort of fit together nicely, doesn’t it? It almost seems hard to believe that it’s only been a year, although there’s still so much to learn and do. Although I started this blog partly to organize recipes and also to keep me busy when my boyfriend moved away, it’s become much more than that. I’ve met some great people and found the most terrific blogs, all of whom have inspired me to write more, try new recipes and techniques, and share ideas. It’s been great fun so far.

Now, is it time for the celebratory cake yet? Yes, indeed! - well, celebratory pudding, anyway. Since my flour reserves are depleted from bread-baking, I made this tasty self-saucing pudding from Bill Granger. It’s quick as a whistle to make, and is adapted to serve two chocoholics (or one little piglet) on a rainy day. It’s lighter in texture than the familiar molten chocolate cake, although the principle is the same: airy sponge giving way to warm chocolate goo within.

So with that, I raise my chocolatey cup in celebration of a wonderful year, and with many thanks to all who have stopped by to visit cookworm during this time. I hope to bring even better things in the year to come!

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General | 17 Comments »

I had a lovely visit this past Easter weekend with my adopted Portuguese family, who were kind enough to give me some nice gifts, edible and otherwise. I thought I’d share them here since Portugal really ought to get more attention on the global food scene, if only for the delicious sweets the Portuguese produce.

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Eating Elsewhere, General | 5 Comments »