Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

Wow!  School has already started and is in full swing... and time is flying!  I hope I can actually find time to cook, post, and get back into this, now that I actually have my own kitchen again.  :)

While unpacking mounds of boxes, organizing everything, and finding all the missing furniture we needed to set-up our new place, my craving for pound cake grew larger and larger.  I had it ALL planned out in my head!  The first night in our new place I was going to make this recipe as soon as we were done eating dinner.  Let's just say that didn't happen...  Good 'ol Irene got in the way, which knocked out our power.  All that matters is that in the end, I got to make my pound cake.  And by golly, here it is!!!

This recipe is just EVER so slightly adjusted from the Giada recipe I have in one of her cookbooks.  I have to say that the small adjustment I made didn't have any negative effect on the recipe.  Try this citrus spin on the traditional pound cake.  :)

Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (room temp)
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
zest of one large orange

Preheat the oven to 350.

Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and set aside until needed.

In a bowl or stand mixer, cream butter, ricotta, and sugar together until light and fluffy (this will take a few minutes).  One by one, add the eggs while still mixing.  Next add the vanilla, almond extract, and zest to the batter.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir together.

Slowly pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined, careful not to over beat the batter.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let stand for about 10 minutes and remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Serve with whipped cream, orange slices, or whatever you like.  It can stand alone just fine as well if you'd prefer.  :)  I really don't think you can go wrong with a homemade pound cake!

Orange Cashew Salad with Orange Agave Dressing

Summer is here!  Well, in most of the Northern Hemisphere at least... Citrus fruits and berries are fresh and in season, so why not use them?!

There is something so light, refreshing, and perfect about adding these fruits to a salad, a main dish, or as the center of a delicious dessert.

As my mommy and I were eating this salad, we were talking about how perfect it would be for a girl's lunch-in with a sweet quick bread and some cheese and crackers!  Or maybe just a nice slice of warm sourdough or french bread with butter.

Orange Agave Dressing

zest of one large orange
juice of half a large orange
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt (more if necessary)
1 tbs agave

Zest the orange into a bowl and combine with orange juice and whisk together.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk together for 20-30 seconds.  Pour over salad and serve.

Orange Cashew Salad

mixed greens
cashews
remaining half of the orange cut into thin slices (extra if desired)
orange agave dressing

In a salad bowl, toss all the ingredients together, plate, and serve.  Try adding some thinly sliced red onions or some crumbled goat, feta, or blue cheese!

Blood Orange Mint Granita

Hello there! It's me, Anna! I'm still here, I swear! I've just been slaving away finishing my masters, having a recital and managing my own little blog while Lexi has been whipping up some fantastic creations! Isn't she a peach?

But we were finally able to do a little hanging out the other night when the husbands were off in some other far away land. We really can't keep track of where they are these days. Pretty sure they've been gone for about one million weekends. Hopefully we'll get them back soon.... or ELSE.

Back to this post. We're obsessed with blood oranges. I think you might have caught wind of that. We talk about them every time we're together, we dream about them and we might even think of naming our babies after them. Jokes. But this little dessert is inspired by the sacred fruit and would be the perfect ending to any meal. It has a light, refreshing taste and makes the most darlin' little picture. Yeah, we know they're not in season. We don't care. Blood oranges all year round!!!

Blood Orange Granita with Mint and a Splash of Agave

3 blood oranges, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbs mint, chiffonned
1 tbs agave


Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Whisk together. Pour into a 9x13 dish and place in the freezer. If desired, scrape with a fork every thirty minutes OR wait six hours, then scrape into fluffy mounds of goodness.
 

Blood Orange Bars

Blood oranges?  I had been curious FAR too long, and Anna and I had talked about them plenty of times.  Well, I finally got my hands on some and was racking my brain for things to make with them!  Anna and I have a cupcake recipe in mind with them, but I wanted to hold off of that so we could do it together.  I had thought about different dinners, desserts, etc and I kept coming back to the idea of reworking the traditional lemon bar.

A blood orange is beautiful when you cut into it.  It has a nice, deep color that is rather unexpected if you're assuming it's a regular orange.  The striking "tiger-like" strips are captivating.  Picturesque, really.

I must be honest...  It has never been one of my favorite desserts.  My family has a different type of lemon dessert that we call a lemon bar, and we all know what we mean when we say that amongst us Bryant-Tronset individuals, but when speaking with the "general public," I know what a lemon bar is to about 99.99999% of the world's population.

So, here is my first attempt, ever, at making a "traditional" lemon bar-like dessert.  :)  This recipe was adapted from the Joy of Baking lemon bar recipe.


Blood Orange Bars
crust:
   1 cup flour
   1/4 cup powdered sugar
   1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
   zest of one blood orange
   1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
   1/2 tsp vanilla

filling:
   3/4 cup white sugar
   2 eggs
   1/3 cup blood orange juice (about two oranges)
   zest of one blood orange
   1/2 tsp salt
   1/2 tsp vanilla
   2 tbs flour

Preheat oven to 350.

In a stand mixer, combine the six ingredients for the crust and mix together just until blended.  In a greased 8x8 pan, press dough into bottom of pan and spread smooth.  Bake for approx 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on wire rack while preparing the filling.

In a bowl (or stand mixer), combine sugar and eggs and beat until fluffy.  Add juice, zest, salt, and vanilla and mix.  Lastly, add flour in and mix so there are no clumps of flour.  Pour over warm crust and return to over for about 20-25 minutes more.  Check on the cookies a few times, as you want to remove the pan from the oven once the center is no longer liquidy and can hold shape.  If you over-bake, you might get a rather funny texture...  :)  Remove from oven once again and allow to cool on the wire rack. 

One the bars have come to room temperature, sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and serve!

What kinds of recipes are you curious about seeing on here?  Leave a comment!  :)

Orange Walnut Muffins

So, as some of you might have seen last night on Facebook, I (Lexi) was having a craving for muffins.  An extreme, or rather extremely distracting, craving that just wasn't going away.  I NEEDED a muffin!  It almost didn't matter what kind it was, I just wanted to pull out all the ingredients and get baking!

There's something comforting about a muffin.  I have a favorite muffin from my childhood that my mom would make once every two or three months (pure butter, sugar, and cinnamon) that we called French Breakfast Puffs, and, let's just say, they would never last that long.  I guess there was a "good" reason they were reserved for special days, as they call for a large amount of butter.  But when you're eating them, you suddenly forget about that small thing called calories (and indulge yourself!).  Someday we'll make those, because they melt in your mouth and are o-so-addicting, but today was a day for a slightly "more healthy" muffin.  Or rather, just one without two sticks (or more...) of butter.any

With all the delicious muffin ideas people suggested, can you believe that I basically didn't have ONE ingredient for any of those?!  So, after raiding the cupboards to see what I had and what my options could be (I figured it was better to use what I had rather than let things go to waste and go to the store to buy more food, when really, there's plenty here to be used), this is what I settled upon.  Someday friends, I shall make the other suggestions.  :)

Orange Walnut Muffins
6 tbs butter (melted)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup yogurt (I used maple!)
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Start by mixing the butter and brown sugar together until smooth and slightly fluffy.  Then mix in eggs, and next yogurt until creamy.  Add vanilla, orange extract, and orange zest and mix just until blended.  Toss in walnuts last and mix for just a few seconds.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together until blended.  Pour dry ingredients into wet mixture and mix just until incorporated (do not over work the batter).

Depending on your preference, either place liners in your muffin tin or butter and flour.  Divide batter evenly, filling just about to the top.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This recipe yields 12 muffins.

Braised Lamb with Orange Marmalade, Couscous, and Asparagus

Anna and I both love to watch Simply Ming on the PBS station.  We both don't have cable, which is really a blessing disguise, as we'd both spend multiple hours a day watching the Food Network if we did (which is why when we're around a television with cable, we instantly will turn to that station and start watching).  If you're any kind of a foodie and like to keep up-to-date with your favorite chef(s) or a blog or two (or three or four) or enjoy creating things, then you probably have an appreciation for being inspired to make your own twist on a recipe or two you see.

Well, let's just say that today I was about ready to reach right into the television and grab that lamb Ming was making with his clementine marmalade.  This marmalade was inspired by his, but it is not a replica, and I can't say that putting marmalade on-top of lamb is something I think of doing quite often.  Sorry if you're a fan of mint jelly and lamb, which since I have never tried, can't quite seem to wrap my head around, but despite that, I certainly see a correlation between the two.  As this isn't quite the best season for fresh citrus fruits, even though we're in Texas, I decided to stick with the traditional orange and make my own twist on the marmalade and how I braised the lamb.  I have to say, both Nicholas and I really enjoyed the brightness it brought to the dish.  Give it a try if you like lamb!

Braised Lamb
4 lamb shanks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium red onion diced
1 cup + 2 tbs red wine (of choice)
4-5 cloves garlic (minced)
salt
pepper

Being by patting excess moisture off the lamb shanks.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat skillet (preferably stainless steel) on medium-high heat with olive oil.  Once oil has heated, place shanks in skillet and allow to brown (it should take 3-4 minutes on both sides).  After browning both sides, remove from heat and add onions to olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add garlic and continue to cook down.  This should begin to deglaze the pan.  You want all of the nice juices to flavor the onions.

Once the onions have nicely browned (8-12 minutes), add in red wine and deglaze again if necessary.  Simmer for about three minutes before adding the lamb back to the skillet and reduce heat to medium.  Cover and let cook.

Turn lamb after about 5-7 minutes, cover again, and let cook for another 5-7 minutes.  At this point, check the internal temperature of the lamb and make sure it is fully cooked.  If so, remove from the skillet, turn the heat to high and let wine reduce down to a nice, thick glaze (this can take up to 10 minutes or so depending on how much moisture your lamb took in).  Serve the onions on top of the lamb with the marmalade.

Orange Marmalade
3 medium oranges
zest of all 3 oranges
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2" piece of ginger (peeled, in two halves)

Wash oranges (unless you like the taste of pesticide if you're not going the organic route).  Start by zesting the three oranges and setting zest side.  Cut oranges in half and juice.

Pour the fresh orange juice into a sauce pan and add the sugar.  Begin by cooking on medium-high stirring occasionally as the mixture begins to boil.  After about five minutes, add the ginger and zest in and continue to cook/boil, continuing to stir, and let mixture reduce.  This will take about 35-45 minutes and will reduce greatly from the original amount.  Once it begins to start to resemble the texture of marmalade or jam, you know it's ready to go!  Remove from heat and discard ginger pieces.

Parsley and Olive Oil Couscous
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup couscous
1/4 cup olive oil (more if you'd like)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (minced)
1 tsp salt (to taste)

Even though this couscous recipe is rather simple, it's a nice contrast to all of the flavor in the lamb and the marmalade.

Bring water to a boil, pour over couscous, cover tightly and allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and toss in olive oil, parsley, and salt.  You may decide you want more or less parsley or olive oil.  Adjust salt if you'd like, but trust me, you'll notice a big difference if you don't put it in.  (Whoops!!  We added it after a bit or two and it make all the difference in the world.)  :)

Lemon Garlic Asparagus
1 bunch asparagus
1 lemon
zest of lemon
2-3 tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
salt
pepper

Wash asparagus and get rid of ends.  (There's an easy trick to getting the most out of your asparagus!  Simply hold the two ends of the asparagus in both hands and break "in half."  The asparagus will break at its "best" point.  Trick from watching TOO many cooking shows.  You may feel like you're wasting too much as sometimes it does break in the middle, so you may decide that you payed for a whole bunch of asparagus and you'd like to use the whole thing, but I'll leave that decision to you!).

Heat skillet on medium heat with olive oil.  Once the oil is ready, toss in asparagus and season with salt and pepper.  Allow to begin cooking, mixing around the asparagus so certain pieces don't overcook on the bottom.  After about two or three minutes, add the garlic, zest and juice of the lemon, and mix.  Allow to continue to cook for another few minutes before adding the Worcestershire Sauce.  Once it looks tender, remove from heat and serve immediately.