yay for s’mores!

Earlier this month, Casey of TasteStopping partnered with Regional Best for a gourmet s’mores kit giveaway. Sometimes I enter these blog giveaway contests and sometimes I don’t. It usually just depends on how lucky I’m feeling that day. Well, on May 3rd, I must have been feeling pretty lucky, because I entered. And I won!

The loot included Kitchen Witch vanilla marshmallows, Middlebury Maple Crackers from Castleton Crackers, and Chocolate Puddles from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates. And, naturally, I had to sample a bit of each – you know, just to ensure quality.

Just to be completely honest with you, I am not a big fan of marshmallows. I like them in my hot chocolate, but that’s pretty much it. I’ve never been one of those people who can polish off a bag of them. But these. These were SO good. Addictive, really.

The Middlebury Maple Crackers were similar in taste to a graham cracker, but much more crunchy and sturdy. The maple sweetness was subtle, but just right.

And, I’m not sure I’ve ever had bad chocolate. The chocolate puddles were definitely no exception. Plus, I love their name. Puddles. Chocolate puddles. I could just say it over, and over, and over…

While I wanted to be creative with these, I really couldn’t think of a better use to hit all the flavors than a good ol’ s’more.

What better way to appreciate the marshmallow than smooshed and melted with chocolate, sandwiched in a crunchy maple sandwich? Rather than wait until our next bonfire opportunity, I did what any good mom would do. I made s’mores for my daughter using the gas stove to roast the skewered marshmallow.

I think I earned serious mommy-brownie points with this.

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Thanks so much to Casey of Tastestopping for coordinating the S’mores Tasting Party. If you haven’t yet had enough chocolate and marshmallow-y goodness (and I hope you haven’t!), please visit these lovely sites for s’more S’mores!

blackberry buttermilk cake with blackberry compote

June has sneaked right up on me. I knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any less surprising to find that the month of May has come to an end so quickly. June brings lots of events this year — my daughter’s last day of kindergarten, a trip to Chicago, our wedding anniversary, a trip to Las Vegas, and my mom’s (and her twin sister’s) birthday. And, with another month gone by comes another chance to pay homage to that great lost food-lovers’ magazine, Gourmet, with a recipe from June of years past for gourmet, unbound.

I decided to make a pair of recipes this month, instead of just one. It just made sense to prepare both. One seemed quite lonely without the other. The blackberry buttermilk cake was inspired by the raspberry buttermilk cake from the June 2009 issue, and the blackberry compote comes from the June 2000 issue.

I grew up eating the wild blackberries that grew in the woods surrounding my childhood home. I vividly remember hot Florida summers, getting scratched by the thorny brambles of the blackberry bushes, purple-stained fingers and lips, the sweet taste of the so-dark-purple-they-were-almost-black blackberries.

I recruited my most enthusiastic kitchen helper for assistance with this cake, and she did a fabulous job. She poured, mixed, greased the pan, placed the blackberries on the cake, and sprinkled sugar on top. She even gave me huge warm fuzzies when she told me she loved cooking with me. It made my afternoon all the more sweet.

This cake is fairly subtle, sweet but not oversweet. It’s the perfect light dessert to serve in the summer or with brunch. The compote really makes the dish, so don’t leave that part out.

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Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

(Recipe only slightly adapted from this recipe in the June 2009 issue of Gourmet. I used blackberries instead of raspberries, and I added some orange flower water to the wet ingredients. Makes 6 servings.)

Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon orange flower water
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries (about 5 ounces)
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. (Consider using a round of parchment in the bottom of the pan; I didn’t and I had some problems with the cake sticking.)
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then beat in vanilla and orange flower water. Add egg and beat well.
  4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.
  5. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.
  6. Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate. Serve with blackberry compote.

Blackberry Compote

(Recipe from the June 2000 issue of Gourmet. This can be made ahead and kept covered and chilled for up to 4 days. Makes about 2 cups.)

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 4 whole allspice
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (about 15 ounces, fresh)
Preparation
  1. Bring water, sugar, lemon juice, and allspice to a boil in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Cool syrup to lukewarm and discard allspice.
  2. Purée 2 cups blackberries with all of syrup in a blender. Force purée through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove seeds. Stir remaining cup of berries into sauce; or, if not serving immediately, stir the whole berries in just prior to serving.

cocktail party wrap-up & chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon

Last weekend, thanks to my wonderful parents (and the frequent babysitters of Maddie and Oliver), my husband and I had a lovely two nights of being child-free. Sam and I had a busy couple of evenings planned, plus we just really needed a break. I used to hate to admit that we needed time away from the kids – because that sounds awful, right? – but it’s true. Every now and then we just need time to ourselves. Last weekend was one of those times.

One of the items on our agenda was a cocktail party. And, after weeks of planning, Saturday night was the big night.  I had an entire child-free day to prepare. It was fabulous. And the party was pretty good, too.

$2 martini glasses from Crate & Barrel. LOVE them.

After much deliberation, I made the Pamplemousse Cocktail to serve as our signature cocktail. With help from Michael of A Dash of Bitters, I learned how to prepare cocktails in advance. I love learning new things, especially when it involves tasty beverages.

Made with pomegranate juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and vodka.

We had lots and lots of wine. In fact, we had so much wine that three or four bottles had been opened but were still nearly full, and another three or four had a glass or two left in them. We have some neighbors whom we can usually share leftover wine with — living next to us has its perks, you know — but they weren’t home. I ended up having to pour out the leftovers. Horrible, right?

The food was done potluck style – a great way to get guests involved, and also a great way to ensure there is plenty of food for everyone. I made a few dishes, and the guests brought the rest. To reward everyone for their hard work – and as bribery so they’ll show up to our next event – we gave our friends a treat to take home.

Adorable, right?

Those fabulous champagne bottle cookies were made by a new friend, Gail of One Tough Cookie. She is pretty darn amazing. The cookies were almost too cute to eat. But not quite.

Organic Medjool dates - stuffed with pork, wrapped with pork.

One of the appetizers I made for the party is one that I’ve done before, and it’s always a hit with the menfolk. Probably because it’s stuffed with pork and wrapped with pork. Very manly. Chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped with bacon is a recipe I found in Food & Wine magazine many months ago, and it’s such a simple but oh-so-tasty recipe. It’s perfect for people who don’t eat dairy products, and it’s definitely gluten-free, so you’re guaranteed to make most people happy with it. Except those who don’t eat pork, of course. This is not for them.

Yield: Makes 24

Chorizo-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

Adapted from this recipe from Food & Wine. I followed their recipe up until the end, and then I do something different. Instead of browning them in a skillet, I use the oven. I used organic Medjool dates that I found at my local Fresh Market store. I had to pit them myself, but it's so simple to do. Simply make a slice down the length of the date with a sharp paring knife, and then pop out the pit with the tip of the knife.

Ingredients:

24 Medjool dates, pitted
1 small cooked Spanish chorizo sausage (about 2 ounces), casings removed
12 slices bacon, halved crosswise

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Find 24 toothpicks and have them ready.
Slice the chorizo crosswise into thirds. Halve each piece lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 lengthwise strips to make a total of 24 small sticks.
Tuck a chorizo stick into each date and pinch the dates closed. Wrap a strip of bacon around each date and secure with a toothpick.
Place each date on a broiler pan (or a cooling sheet set over a half sheet pan), spacing them so that none of the dates are touching. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bacon is cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve.