Plum Cake

It's not surprising, but my memories of celebrating Rosh Hashanah as a kid all revolve around food. There was the preparation of the dinner, the smells of each dish marking the arrival of fall. Chicken soup simmering on the stove. Brisket roasting in the oven with onions and carrots.  I adored (and still do enjoy) the gefilte fish served at the beginning of the meal, topped with thinly sliced cucumbers and accompanied by a dollop of beet horseradish. But without a doubt the moment that stuck with me the most is dipping apple slices in honey. Sure, I liked apple slices, but honey was too intense for my tongue. I know, odd for a child to not enjoy anything that tasted of sugar. But I found the whole thing cloyingly sweet. And the honey inevitably got on my fingers and made my hands all sticky. But it was tradition... to welcome in the new year.

I always liked this idea of starting things off with something sweet. So often, we harp on all the negative things in our lives.  It's nice to begin with something pleasant. Which is where this plum cake comes in. Though this kind of dessert was never served at our Rosh Hashanah dinners, it is a fairly traditional recipe to serve during Rosh Hashanah. I've taken some liberties with a plum cake by Melissa Clark (who is an incredibly talented cook and writer), by adding a crumble topping. Think of it as a cross between a cake and a crumble. We enjoyed it on its own, but you can't go wrong with topping it with whipped cream or ice cream (though, now that I've typed that, I wonder if you can ever go wrong with adding ice cream to a dessert). And leftovers (if there are any leftovers) make for a fantastic breakfast.

Plum Cake

Source: Adapted from Melissa Clark's recipe for the New York Times

Ingredients for cake

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more to grease pan 1 1/2 pounds plums, preferably several varieties, pitted and sliced 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons bourbon (or Cognac or brandy) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk

Ingredients for topping

3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sliced almonds 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

2. In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.

3. Add the butter, sugar, bourbon and vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until thoroughly combined.

4. Carefully add half the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Slowly pour in the milk and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the bowl with a spatula to make sure it's well incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined.

5.  Using a spatula, transfer the dough into the pan, and smooth out the top. Scatter on the plums in an even layer.

6.  Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes (approximately half the total baking time). While it's baking, make the crumble topping.

7.  To prepare the topping, add the brown sugar, flour, almonds, and salt to a mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the ingredients and stir with fork or spoon until it's combined.

8.  After the cake has baked for 20 minutes, take it out of the oven, sprinkle the crumble topping over it, and return it to the oven. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top starts to brown slightly.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated Mushrooms

Down to the last few days in my twenties. Eric has been joking for the past month that I need to order my coffin. My gay death is quickly approaching, he tells me, at which point I remind him that, no matter how old I get, I’ll always be his younger man. Ever since he turned thirty, I’ve tried to envision what we’d do to celebrate my introduction to the next decade of my life. For his birthday, we ate at The French Laundry. I had it in my head that we should do something equally extravagant for mine. Maybe a trip to New York to eat at Eleven Madison or Le Bernadin. One of our bucket list restaurants. Then we moved into our house and everything changed. I had dreams of hosting friends and family, gathering in our backyard, eating food fresh off the grill. There'd be copious amounts of cheese and wine. And laughter.

That's all I really want and that's exactly what we have planned for this coming weekend. As always, Eric and I have made plans to do a more intimate dinner on my actual birthday on Monday (I also have a much needed massage scheduled for that morning). Overall, I think we have some nice activities in the works.

Everyone's been asking me if I'll be cooking for the party. We had talked briefly about having it catered, but that just didn't feel right. I get so much joy out of feeding people that it would be odd for me to present someone else's food. One of the dishes I've prepared are these marinated mushrooms. It's a very easy appetizer to create and one that can be multiplied for larger groups. I expect that they'll go well with the rest of our spread: cheeses, olives, roasted tomatoes, grilled fish and smoked brisket.

In other news, I am thrilled to share that I have a few of my photos being displayed at the Boston Center for Adult Education. Ok... maybe a few is an understatement, since it's actually 50. I was so honored when I was asked to create a show for the gallery space. It's titled The Mood of Food and it'll be up for the next month. On September 19th, the BCAE is hosting a reception that's open to the public. They've put together quite the event... with wine, beer, a cocktail (they're serving up my blackberry shrub) and some tasty bites. If you live in Boston, I'd love to see you there! (Click here for more details)

Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated Mushrooms

Source Very mildly adapted from the recipe by Tyler Florence

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil 2 pounds cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered 2 lemons, zested and juiced 3 garlic cloves, sliced 1 small bunch fresh thyme 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 2 bay leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook them for about 3 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.

3. Pour over the remaining olive oil and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Beets, Arugula and Pecorino + A "Seriously Delish" Cookbook Giveaway

Whole Wheat Pizza with Beets, Arugula and Pecorino

Whole Wheat Pizza with Beets, Arugula and Pecorino

I try to mix things up when it comes to what we eat. If we have fish one night, I'll prepare something vegetarian the next. If one meal is heavy, I'll be sure to create a lighter dish the following evening.  From time to time, I'll throw a pizza into the mix. We don't take in pizza very often because I'm picky when it comes to my slice. I haven't found a pie that compares to what I grew up with in my New Jersey hometown.  The oven or grilled variety has grown on me, though, and that's what I'll usually do if I make it for dinner. We'll roll out some dough and give it whatever spin we're feeling. Clams and pesto or maybe a garlic scape and zucchini pie.  I like to top my pizzas with seasonal ingredients, ideally those that are homegrown or from the co-op we're members of.

The inspiration for this beet pizza came to me as I flipped through the newly released cookbook, Seriously Delish, by blogger Jessica Merchant of How Sweet It Is. I've always admired how Jessica will balance out a decadent recipe (usually it involves a gooey, chocolatey (sometimes boozy) dessert or something bacon-wrapped) with a simple salad. That's how I like to eat. As long as it's using fresh ingredients, I'm on board.

It didn't take long for me to develop this recipe. I came across her beet salad creation and thought, "Hey, that'd make for a great pizza topping! Something unique. Kind of healthy, totally delish."

Whole Wheat Pizza with Beets, Arugula, and Pecorino

The publishers of Seriously Delish have generously offered to giveaway a copy to one lucky A Thought For Food reader. Of course, I suggest ordering a copy anyway (you can always give one to a friend or family member), so be sure to head over to pick up a copy.

Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post… it can be anything, but I’d love to hear what your favorite pizza topping is.

Additional entry: Tweet the following and then come back and leave a comment telling us you’ve done so -

Check out this Beet and Arugula Pizza + a giveaway of Seriously Delish by @howsweetblog over at @myfoodthoughts - http://tinyurl.com/mfrl9cx

Rules: This giveaway will end on Friday, September 12, 2014 at 12:00 PM EST.  I’ll pick 1 winner via random.org and that person will be contacted via e-mail.  Limit to two entries per person (one comment, one tweet) and entrants must have a US mailing address (sorry international friends) and provide a valid email address. Best of luck!

Whole Wheat Pizza with Beets, Arugula and Pecorino

Whole Wheat Pizza with Beets, Arugula and Pecorino

Inspired by Jessica Merchant's Seriously Delicious

Ingredients

For the whole wheat pizza dough 1 packet active dry yeast 1 cups warm water 2 teaspoons honey 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 2 cups whole wheat flour 1.25 cups all-purpose flour

Cornmeal

For the toppings 2 garlic cloves, mashed into a paste 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium beets Arugula Pecorino Honey Sea salt and black pepper

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast and the warm water. Stir in the honey and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Add the olive oil and salt. Then mix in the whole wheat and 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour.

3. Transfer the dough to a floured surface (use the remaining flour) and knead until all the flour has been absorbed.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with a towel and let it sit in a warm room for about an hour. At this point the dough should double in size.

5. While the dough is proofing, prepare the beets. Place the unpeeled beets in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and let cook for 30 minutes, or until a knife can easily be inserted into the beets. Remove from heat and run under cold water. Peel the cooled beets with your hands and slice into 1/2 inch rounds.

6. In a bowl, mix together the garlic paste with the olive oil.

7. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

8. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and, using a knife, divide the dough in two. Roll one of them into a ball (save the other ball of dough for future use by wrapping it in plastic wrap and storing it in the refrigerator. This can be stored for up to 3 days).

9. Take the remaining dough and roll it out onto a floured surface.

10. Sprinkle corn meal out onto a baking sheet. Transfer the rolled out pizza dough onto the baking sheet. Spread garlic paste mixture evenly over the pizza, followed by some thin slices of Pecorino. Lay the beets on top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

11. Remove the pizza from the oven and top with a heaping handful or two of arugula, some more slices of Pecorino, and a drizzle of honey and olive oil. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.