Farmer's Market Fridays: Radish Pickles and a Window Garden

When it comes to plants, I have a black thumb. Everything green I touch dies. 

When I was in college, I was a plant biology TA. Whenever I went to help a student with their experiment, it would fail because the plants would pretty much look at me and die. It got so bad that one of the professors I worked with asked me to just point at students' experiments and tell them what to do instead of jumping in and giving hands-on help so that they could actually finish their assignments. True story.

This year, I'm trying my hand (again) at an herb garden on my windowsill. I picked up some bedding plants at the Farmer's Market last weekend, so they've had some love and a head start already. It's been a week. So far, so good... Stay tuned on that front.

This is why we (I) need farmers. What farmers do for us is absolutely incredible. So much respect.

This week, I picked up some gorgeous radishes. The farmer I spoke with from Whitewater Gardens Farms told me that they're pretty easy to grow. 

(I don't believe him.)

Last year was not only the first year I attempted to grow anything on my own, but it was also my first summer of pickling and jamming. I scoffed at first, but it's really a lot of fun, super-easy, and then you get to eat delicious farmer's market treats all Minnesota winter long.

 So I pickled some radishes. I found this recipe in Canning for a New Generation, and thought it sounded intriguing.

 

Of course, these are still pickling, and I probably won't crack them open until winter... But they look so pretty!

Radish Pickles

Adapted slightly from Canning for a New Generation

2 pounds radished, cleaned and tops removed

2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

Cut the radishes into 1/4 to 1/8 inch coins. In a medium glass bowl, combine the salt with 3 cups water and stir to dissolve the salt. Plop the radishes in, cover with saran wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, drain radishes in colander and rinse. In a separate pot, combine the vinegar, 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer; add radishes and return to a boil. Remove from heat. Can immediately using a water bath method (great tutorial here),

Makes 1 quart jar or two pint jars.

Lemon Bundt Cake

I impulse-bought a bundt pan. It's been a rough couple of weeks at work/school, and it was on sale. My guy saw this and said "Some girls get stressed and buy clothes and purses. You buy kitchen gear." 

We all have our kryptonite.

I contend that the fact that I didn't have a bundt pan, being a baker, was a glaring problem that needed to be fixed (as did the whole doughnut pan situation). And now that I've baked my first (!) bundt cake, I'm glad that I did.

This lemon bundt cake is a simple update on a classic pound cake. Dense, sweet, perfect when topped with some of the season's gorgeous strawberries and paired with a glass of moscato.

But of course I can't leave well enough alone. In a fit of late-night craziness after having a few slices (with the boyfriend-- funny how he benefits from this!), I decided to glaze this situation.

Messy, imperfect... but necessary.

Lemon Bundt Cake

Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
Grated zest of 6 lemons
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup almond milk plus 3 tbsp almond milk
1/2 lb confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.

In a bowl, combine lemon zest and sugar; mash together until fragrant. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer with the butter and cream until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and mix well after each one, scraping sides of bowl as necessary; add 1 tbsp lemon juice in the same manner.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In alternate additions, add the dry flour mixture and 1 cup almond milk (3 and 2 additions, respectively), beating well between additions.

Pour batter into bundt pan; bake for 60-70 minutes, until golden brown and sides of cake pull away from pan. Remove and cool for 15 minutes; invert onto cooling rack, shake cake out, and allow to finish cooling.

In another bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, 3 tbsp almond milk, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Glaze the top of the cake, allow to dry, and continue to add glaze on top until cake is glazed to desired level. Serve with a scoop of frozen yogurt and berries.

Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies

As a scientist-in-training, I am taught to always look at the evidence before I believe in something. To replicate my results before reporting something to be true. To question everything, and to make sure all the proper controls are done.

I can assure you, with 100% confidence, that I believe in these cookies. That they have been made repeatedly, replicated, and tweaked to perfection.

I can also assure you that the proper controls have been done. I have quality tested these gems at every step of the process-- including three times during the dough-making process... and many more than three times after baking.

Believe it or not, there is some science to a great cookie. Letting the dough sit for a few hours or overnight is key to getting that fabulous taste we seek from bakery-made cookies, since it lets the sugars start to process and meld with the other ingredients.

Don't believe me? Here's proof.

So put your faith in these cookies. They've been scientifically tested... and approved.

Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies

Adapted from Flour

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz good semi-sweet chocolate chips, like Ghiradelli
3/4 cup dried tart cherries

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together butter and sugars. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing well in between. Add in vanilla extract and beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix in to the butter mixture; add in chocolate chips and dried cherries. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and set in fridge for three to four hours (this makes the cookies better, trust me).

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Scoop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden. Remove, allow to cool one minute on cookie sheet, then transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes around 24 cookies... depending on how much dough you eat.

Farmer's Market Fridays: Kale Salad with Cherries, Gorgonzola, and Pecans

So one of my favorite parts of spring/summer has begun-- outdoor farmer's market season!

Last Saturday morning was the opening market for our area... Note that there is still snow on the ground from our freak blizzard. Darn you, Minnesota!

I was amazed that there were already some gorgeous veggies out, though! I picked up some kale and gorgeous beets, and made a huge kale salad that I lived on this week while the city thawed out.

I know I'm the last to this party, but I finally bought the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook  after my half marathon two weeks ago. I was eyeing the whole lemon bars (those will get made this summer, for sure!), but went for an adaptation of Deb's gorgeous salad.

I thinly sliced raw beets into the salad to add a bit more color, and threw in some persian cucumber, since I had it in my fridge. Epic lunchtimes all week!

Question for you readers: Are any of you members of a CSA (community-supported agriculture)? I'm debating signing up for one, and, having never done it before, am debating whether it would be a good idea for me, or whether I'd be better off just going to the market every week... Would love your thoughts! Let me know in the comments section!

Kale Salad with Cherries, Gorgonzola, and Pecans

Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook 

For the salad:

1/4 cup raw pecan pieces
4 cups dinosaur kale, roughly chopped
1 raw, fresh beet, chopped
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles

For the dressing:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

In a small jar, place all dressing ingredients; shake the heck out of it. Set aside.

Place kale and beets in a large salad bowl. Toss with dressing; allow to sit for 20 minutes (for kale and beets to tenderize). Add in the pecans, cherries, and cheese; toss to combine. Allow to sit for a few more minutes so the flavors can combine.

Serves 2 lunch-size portions.

Strawberry Sorbet

It's about time.

It's about time that the snow melted. It's about time that green grass peaked through and the sun started shining. It's about time that the temperature rose above freezing.

It's about time for frozen desserts.

I know that hasn't stopped me from sharing ice cream with you (here, and here, and here). But now that strawberries are coming out to play, I can share this gem with you.

This may be one of the simplest frozen treats you will ever make. Loads of fresh strawberries get whirled together with sugar and lemon juice, chilled, and churned.

You can strain the seeds out-- I think that leaving them in screams summer. And it's about time.

Strawberry Sorbet

Adapted from Serious Eats 

3 pounds fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients. Puree until smooth. Chill for an hour, pour into ice cream maker, and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a container and freeze until hardened (approx 2 hours).

Margarita Birthday Cheesecake

Cinco de Mayo means one thing to me: Margaritas and tacos. Both of which happened this weekend.

But don't ever, ever limit your margarita visions. Think outside the glass. Think margarita cheesecake.

I made this delicious concoction a while ago for my man's brother's birthday. He enjoys a good margarita, so I figured I'd smash-bang it into a cheesecake.

Not pictured: boozy whipped cream with triple-sec and tequila. Whipped cream so boozy that some of us may have gotten tipsy off of it.

Not safe for work!

This cheesecake can be made without the booze for a more family-friendly situation-- a virgin margarita, if you will. But if you do make it adult, serve with lime wedges, salt, and whipped cream. Have a cab company number on hand for this one, and don't take the stairs-- some of us may have fallen down after eating this cake.

Then again, some of us may have fallen down the stairs completely sober. Yup.

Margarita Birthday Cheesecake

Adapted from Booze Cakes

For the crust:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt

For the cheesecake filling:
 24 oz neufchatel cheese (light cream cheese)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup lime juice
4 tablespoons silver tequila
3 tablespoons triple sec
Zest of one lime

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a springform pan (I used a 9" pan) and set aside.

Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour, cornmeal, and salt; mix until crumbly and combined. Press dough into the bottom of the pan and bake until golden, around 20 minutes; remove and set aside to cool.

Prepare the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the light cream cheese and sugar; beat 5 minutes, or until fluffy. Add in eggs, mixing well between each. Add in the lime juice, zest, and booze. Pour into the cooled crust and bake until golden and set, around 45 minutes. Remove cheesecake, allow to cool. Move to fridge and cool overnight. Serve with whipped cream and lime wedges!

Mini Baked Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

I'm about to say something extremely controversial: I have never been a huge doughnut fan.

There. I said it. It's out in the open. For me, there are so many glorious forms of fried dough (churros, empanadas, etc) that the doughnuts I've had never seemed to measure up. Granted, this may be a function of my only having had Krispy Kremes and Dunkin' Donuts, but still.

I've always found the idea of cake doughnuts to be intriguing, however, but every bite I've previously taken has been dry and resulted in crumbs all over my lap.

One of my recent obsessions is Zulily. I got my first bundt pan (this baby) off of that site for $10 instead of $35. All of the bridal showers I'm going to? Bingo-- Zulily. When I saw this doughnut pan on sale for $10 (that seems to be a magic number for me), I jumped, hoping that maybe homemade cake doughnuts would remedy my freakish dislike for the treats.

These doughnuts, which were inspired by Tracy Shutterbean's (whose photography is just gorgeous, and was part of what made me forget that doughnuts aren't my jam) have a beautiful, dense crumb, and a glaze that hardens just so that the moisture is retained... these babies were good for days in an airtight container.

The recipe makes two dozen mini doughnuts, more if you stop eating the amazing batter (guilty!). After a rough week (10 inches of snow + failed experiments), these put a smile on the faces of my lab members... and those in the surrounding labs. 

Moral of the story? I may be a doughnut convert now... So expect more circular experimentation in the future!

Mini Baked Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

Adapted from Shutterbean

For the doughnuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened extra dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp espresso powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a mini doughnut pan with baking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together milk, egg, sugar, expresso powder, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients; slowly add to butter mixture.

Transfer batter to a ziploc bag, and snip the corner. Squeeze the batter into each doughnut mold until 1/2 filled. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until doughnuts spring back when touched. Remove pan, allow to cool, tip doughnuts out onto a cooling rack, and reload the pan with more batter. Repeat until all batter is gone.

For the glaze: combine all ingredients in a separate bowl with a whisk. Dunk still-warm-ish doughnuts in glaze (I dunked the doughnuts all the way) and place glazed doughnuts on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet to drain. Allow doughnuts to cool until glaze hardens. Serve immediately, or store in airtight container for up to three days.

 Makes 24 mini doughnuts.