seeing red.

Cakes. Not usually my thing. I think it's because I tend to be a tad more "fly by the seat of my pants" when it comes to anything in the kitchen, and with cakes...that wouldn't fly. They're very precise, and persnickety, and if you're off by just a 1/4 of a teaspoon, you're cake could be a flop...literally! But my goal is to master the art of cake baking.
I can't say I'm completely new to this art. I did take a baking class when I was younger...and I do remember being in a cake decorating class in school too...and Betty Crocker's Super Moist Devil's Food Cake and I go WAY back! But, here's my first attempt at a real "grown-up" cake. 
I had been wanting to make a cake for weeks, but it just being Joe and I here, I was struggling with the idea of the two of us having to eat the entire thing. While I'm sure we could have handled it, I was relieved to hear that Joe's colleagues were coming over for dinner and I'd finally have a good reason to bake a cake. Oh, the simple pleasures in life.  
I found this recipe on a fellow foodie's blog and you can see her slightly more beautiful version at Pinch My Salt. My cake is significantly less red than Nicole's due to my severe lack of skills when it comes to measurement conversions. I now know that 2 oz. of food colouring is equal to 59mL...not 28 :P. Oh well...live and learn! It still tasted great and it was definitely a hit!


Red Velvet Cake

- (2 1/2) cups of sifted cake flour (or 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour)
- (1) tsp. baking powder
- (1) tsp. salt
- (2) tbsps cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- (2) oz. red food colouring
- (1/2) cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- (1 1/2) cups of sugar
- (2) eggs, at room temperature
- (1) tsp. vanilla extract
- (1) cup of buttermilk, at room temperature
- (1) tsp. white vinegar
- (1) tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees C. Take butter, buttermilk, eggs and cream cheese out of the fridge giving them a chance to come up to room temperature. Butter and flour two 9 inch round cake pans or three 8 inch round pans.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix food colouring and cocoa powder together to form a thin paste. Make sure there are no clumps. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. 

 
Next, beat in the vanilla and the red coca paste. Make sure to continually scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula as you go. 

Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat well. Next, beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of the flour mixture followed by the second half of the buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture and beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the side of the bowl.

For this next part, make sure you have your cake pans ready to go and nearby. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and baking soda. Yes...it will fizz! Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, divide batter evenly between the cake pans and place them in the preheated oven.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Check early, cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans by placing a plate on top of the cake pan, inverting, and gently lifting the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

- (2) 16 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
- (1/2) cup of unsalted butter, softened
- (1) tsp. vanilla extract
- (2 1/2) cups of icing sugar, sifted
- (1) pinch of salt

Using a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. On a low speed, blend in the icing sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Once blended, turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. 

You can use the icing immediately or refrigerate, covered, until you're ready to use it. If refrigerated, the icing will need to be brought up to room temperature before you can use it.

Depending on whether you're making a double or triple layer cake, you will need to level off the top of one (or two if you're making a triple layer cake) of the cakes. This way it will be flat and sturdy to add the other cake on top. There are special tools to accomplish this, but I simply eyeballed the levelness and used a knife.

Spread a generous layer of icing on top of the cut cake and place the second cake on top. Of course you'll be doing this twice if you're making a triple layer cake.

Next, simply frost your cake and enjoy! I know...frosting a cake is not always as simple as it seems. If you begin to frost your cake and notice your cake crumbling into the frosting, don't worry. Frost a slightly thinner layer of icing over the entire cake, regardless of the crumbs. Make sure to leave enough icing to do a second layer. The more gentle you are while frosting, the fewer crumbs you'll get in the icing, and always remember not to "double dip" your "crumby" knife back into the bowl of icing. Once you've finished the first layer, refrigerate the cake for about 20 minutes uncovered. This will set your first layer and seal in the crumbs making it a lot easier to apply the second layer. This is also a good technique when you're frosting a cake and the icing is melting.

After the first layer of icing is set, finish by frosting the cake with the remaining icing and decorating however you like. Because this cake has cream cheese icing, remember not to leave it out of the fridge for too long. Enjoy!

spaghetti aioli with shrimp and asparagus.

Alright. You may have noticed that I have yet to attempt any type of pasta dish on my blog. Now...this is not because it's not a staple in our house (because it TOTALLY is!)...it has more to do with the fact that I am kind of scared to post anything Italian. In the past 8 1/2 years with my now husband Joe, I have experienced some of the BEST pasta dishes I believe known to mankind! Homemade tomato sauce, homemade fresh pasta, lasagna, stuffed shells, gnocchi, linguini, martini, bikini! Ooops...I think Vince from Slap Chop temporarily took over my body :). But in all honesty, it's really hard for me...a "mangia cake" to compete with an 80 year-old Italian woman, visiting from "the motherland", rolling little cavatelli by hand and serving them with a tomato sauce that was crafted from fresh roma tomatoes and simmered all day long. Nona...you are a true inspiration!

The only reason I have the courage to share this creation with you is because it has received my husband's stamp of approval (and it's pretty darn good if I do say so myself!). When in comes to pasta, Joe has been been spoiled for his entire life. He never even knew what Ragu was before he met me! So if he's a fan of this...it can't be all that bad. My apologies to all the Italians out there if this is not quite "how mama makes it".


Spaghetti Aioli with Shrimp and Asparagus
                        (Serves 4)

- (1/2) cup of extra virgin olive oil
- (4) cloves of garlic, cut into quarters or halves
- (2) medium sized onions, diced
- (6) cloves of garlic, minced
- (1/2) tsp. salt
- (1/4) tsp. pepper
- (1) tsp. Italian seasoning (or 1/2 tsp dried basil and 1/2 tsp oregano)
- (1/2) hot chili flakes
- (1) bunch of asparagus, cut into 1"-2" pieces
- (1/2 - 1) full bag of frozen shrimp, thawed (add the whole bag if you like a lot of shrimp)
- (1) box of spaghetti
- (1/2) cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or not so fresh)


Add 1 cup of olive oil into a larger frying pan, preferably something a little deeper that has a lid. Add the 4 chopped garlic cloves into the pan. Place the pan on the stove on low heat (I put it on at about 2, but it depends on your stove). You're going to be infusing the flavour of the garlic into the oil, so you want to slowly simmer the oil without burning the garlic. 

Continue to simmer the oil and garlic for about 15 to 20 minutes. About halfway through, turn the garlic. By the time the 20 minutes is up, the garlic should be a light brown colour. Remove the garlic from the pan and discard.

While the oil is simmering, you can get started on chopping up all your veggies. Make sure to snap the woody ends off of your asparagus before cutting them up into pieces.

 
After removing the simmered garlic from the oil, add the diced onions and continue to simmer on low heat. Stir in the minced garlic after a few minutes along with all the spices. 

Continue to simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Add in the asparagus pieces, stir and cover. 

 

After a couple more minutes of simmering, add in the shrimp. If you're using pre-cooked shrimp, they will simply need to be warmed throughout. If you're using raw shrimp, you will need to cook the shrimp until they turn pink in colour. Remember to keep an eye on your vegetables as they cook as suggested cooking times can vary. You don't want to overcook your asparagus as it will become mushy, and overcooking shrimp will make it tough.

Once the asparagus is just tender and the shrimp is properly cooked, remove the aioli sauce from the heat. Scoop the sauce over a bowl of plain al dente spaghetti and toss to combine all the flavours. Top with the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Buon Appetito!

salad super stars.

I've recently been wanting to expand my cookbook repertoire to bring in some new and exciting recipes, but it's always hard to judge a book by it's cover. Some recipes LOOK amazing, but when you scroll through the ingredients, it's hard to imagine them ever tasting good together. Take for example the Kraft "What's Cooking" magazine that comes in the mail every so often. Don't get me wrong...I love getting this magazine, and may or may not take any family member down just to be the first to read it. But some of their recipes just confuse me. Par example...(Please note this is NOT my recipe)...

One-Pot Saucy Meatball Pasta

1 pkg. (225 g) Kraft Dinner Macaroni and Cheese

12 frozen prepared meatballs (1 inch)

1-1/2 cups pasta sauce

1/4 cup (1/4 of 250-g tub) Philadelphia Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese

Really?!? It may in the end be semi-tolerable, but I think you'd need a crane to lift me off my chair after I ate it. Not generally the feeling I like to have after a nice meal.

So...back to my point. I'm looking for new recipes...the best of the best. Something you'd make when you're fanciest friends come over, or when you're trying to impress your in-laws, or you're craving your all-time favourite...or just something really simple but oh-so-good! So send them in! Email your best recipe to pinkpeppercorn@hotmail.ca, and we'll start sharing some of our favourites! If you've got a little story about your recipe, send that along too!

Our first "guest chefs" come to us from Peterborough, Ontario. My Uncle Doug and Tante Niet. They are the salad gurus! I am always amazed at their salads...all the chopping...the tiny cut up veggies...and the flavour! This recipe is no exception. My aunt and uncle brought this salad to Easter dinner this year, and I must admit...I've made it a few times since. It's SOOOOO good! I told them right away I'd have to feature it on the blog, so here it is! Enjoy!



Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad
                     (Serves 6)

- (1) 19 oz. can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
- (1) 12 oz. can of corn niblets (rinsed and drained)
- (1) cup of cherry, grape or cocktail tomatoes, halved or quartered
- (1/2) red onion, diced
- (1/4) cup of chopped cilantro
- (2) avocados, cut into larger chunks

Dressing
- (3) tbsp. olive oil
- (1) tbsp. rice vinegar (white vinegar works too)
- (1) tsp. cumin
- (1) tsp. chili powder
- (1/4) tsp. salt
- (1/4) tsp. pepper

Rinse and drain both the black beans and the corn and empty into a medium sized bowl. 

 

Cut tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on their size. If you are using cocktail tomatoes or larger cherry or grape tomatoes, cut them into quarters, otherwise halves are fine. Add to the bowl. 

Dice the red onion into smaller pieces and add into the bowl. 

Chop cilantro quite finely and mix into other ingredients. Leave out the avocado until right before you serve it as it tends to become mushy.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the rest of the salad and stir gently to combine. At this point you can cover the salad and refrigerate it until you're ready to serve. If you make this ahead of time, it will give all the flavours a chance to soak in.

Right before you serve the salad, add the diced avocado, stir and serve.