Nectarine Upside-Down Graham Cake

It’s always upsetting when fresh produce begins to go. We bought some lovely nectarines at last week’s farmer’s market and sadly, due to a week of entertaining and a subsequent plethora leftovers, the nectarines sat, virtually ignored for much of the week until at one point my husband resigned them to the refrigerator. They’re not bad, just a little tired. They needed to be revived. Reinvented.

The weather has turned chilly and damp here, and the wind is now whipping off of the water, so I decided to turn my sad nectarines into a warming upside-down cake. In the spirit of maintaining some level of healthfulness – they should have been a nutritious snack, after all – I made this cake with half whole wheat graham flour. The result is a hearty, dense cake that’s not too sweet. Fruit and fiber make this a less than sinful option for breakfast or brunch.

P.S.: by the way,  just FYI – this is YankeeCook’s 100th post. Hooray! I thought of installing one of those falling confetti, ticker-tape type plugins for this page, but I decided that would just be tacky. Too horn-tooty. Anyway, I’ll be sitting on my front steps waiting for those flowers you’re sending.

Nectarine Upside-Down Graham Cake - yields 6 to 8 servings

2 T butter
2 T honey
4 nectarines, sliced
2 eggs
1/3 C canola oil
1/4 C sour cream
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 C granulated sugar
1 C white flour
1 C whole wheat graham flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter at the bottom of 9 inch cake pan and allow it to melt in the oven while it pre-heats. Remove from oven. Drizzle the butter over the melted butter so that it is evenly distributed. Arrange the nectarine slices at the bottom of the pan.

In a medium size bowl, combine eggs, canola oil and sour cream. Gradually mix in sugar.

Sift flours, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour the batter over the nectarine slices in the cake pan.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until a wooden tooth pick comes out clean.

Allow to cool 10 minutes until the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan. Using a butter knife, loosen any edges that have not pulled away from the pan. Invert onto an oven proof dish.

Raise the oven heat to 500, and move a rack to the highest position. Place the inverted cake on the top rack so that the fruit caramelizes under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven. Serve warm or cold with or without whipped cream.

Roasted Stuffed Figs

There is a chill in the air as Summer hangs up its floppy sunhat, puts on a scarf and goes by the name of Autumn again. While it’s sad to say goodbye to summer’s warm weather and produce, the best has just begun. Fall’s harvest brings all kinds of goodies, as you know. Aside from sweet squash and corn, more interesting and, dare I say, exotic fruits and vegetables are being grown and harvested in New England these days. Among them are figs.

More commonly seen in places like the Mediterranean, figs have made themselves comfortable right here in New England. Years ago, my mother saw figs at a local market and brought some to my grandfather, who had been raised in Italy. He hadn’t seen a fresh fig since he was a boy.

Well, I wish he could be here today to find them fresh and locally grown. The figs in this post came from a farm right down the road from us. Sweet and juicy, roasting condenses the sugars. I like them stuffed with a goat or blue cheese and drizzled with olive oil to add a little earthiness. Freshly chopped mint brings a subtle herbal snap to keep things from becoming too cloying.

Though this certainly seems like a decadent snack, figs are quite nutritious and low in fat. They contain vitamin A and C to prevent scurvy, as well as calcium and potassium.

Roasted Stuffed Figs – serves 4 -6

12 black mission figs
4 oz goat cheese
2 T finely chopped fresh mint
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the stem off of the fig and cut a cross from the point to about halfway down. Gently open the fig and stuff with a teaspoon of goat cheese.

Arrange the figs on a lightly greased baking dish. Top with a sprinkle of mint and drizzle with olive oil.

Place the sheet on the top rack of the oven closest to the flame or element. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the cheese begins to brown slightly and the kitchen fills with the aroma of figs.

Peach Bacon Greens

I’ve always been a proponent of balance. Savory and sweet come to mind, but also nutritious and not-so-nutritious. A big dish of veggies is great, but why not add a little cheese or bacony goodness to even the playing field between good and wicked? What would good be if there wasn’t a wicked? What would greens be without bacon? Just fine of course, but isn’t everything better with bacon? You’re getting all that lovely nutrition, why not add a little something to it?

I concocted this dish a few weeks ago when I noticed a peach from an earlier visit to the farmer’s market was looking a little peaked. Not bad, just a little past its prime. I couldn’t in good conscience let the poor little thing go to waste – after all he was a local. I decided to cook it somehow.

Then I thought of how lovely it would be sliced and caramelized with a little bacon. But that would be silly wouldn’t it? I could never serve bacon and peaches as a side dish on its own. Or I could, but if I did, it would have to be one of those things I kept to myself – like the cream I pour over berries sometimes when no one is looking, but you didn’t just read that.

Our very generous neighbor had once again gifted us with a fresh assortment of greens from her garden: young kale, chard and New Zealand spinach. Just what this dish needs to become a respectable side dish. It turned out to be fantastic. To be safe, I made it again tonight, this time using mostly young kale and chard.

The best part is that the greens do more than just make this dish respectable. They add that substantial, sunshiny, almost bitterness that would otherwise be lacking in a simple combo of peaches and bacon. A cup of greens contains a day’s supply of folate, peaches are packed with vitamins A and C, and bacon contains baco-endorphins that are essential for omnivore happiness. I made up that last part, but doesn’t it seem a little bit true? A tiny bit?

Cooking peaches with a little bacon fat caramelizes the surface area for a smoky, crisp crust, while the peach juice condenses and sweetens. Tossed with the bacon you have sweet and smoky, salty perfection. With nutrient-rich greens, no less.

Peach Bacon Greens – serves 2

4 slices of bacon (about 4 ounces), cut into 1 inch strips
1 peach, diced
2 – 3 cups fresh young greens (kale, chard, spinach, etc.), stems removed

In a large frying pan, brown the bacon over medium high heat until most of the fat is rendered. Drain.

Lower heat to medium-low and add peaches. Saute for 3 minutes until peaches become slightly translucent and begin to form a golden brown crust.

Add the greens and toss with the bacon and peaches. Continue to cook until the greens are just wilted – about 2 – 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the leaves).

Remove from heat and serve to people who trust your judgment.

Ingredient origins: bacon – Vermont; peach – Massachusetts; greens – right next door.

Avocadango Walnut Salad

As you know, avocados and mangoes are not native to New England, so this post kind of flies in the face of my whole local theme, but oh well. It’s winter in New England. Fruit must come from somewhere and mangoes and avocados are among my favorites.

I devised this salad a few years ago when I was on a bit of a pine nut kick. I’ve since decided to cool it on the pine nuts until more information comes out about “pine nut-associated cacogeusia” – a disorder that came to light last winter that causes some people to experience a metallic taste in their mouth for up to two weeks after eating some pine nuts. It’s yet undetermined which pine nuts cause the disorder. That’s scary stuff and I’d rather not take any risks. I now make this salad with walnuts and the soft texture works just as well.

Refreshing, sweet mango and creamy avocado offset the greens’ coy bitterness and the walnuts bring texture. In addition being absolutely ambrosial, this salad is so absurdly nutritious, it’s radicchio. Walnuts are rich in omega-3, avocados contain plenty of potassium and vitamins B6 and K, mango is heavy on vitamins A and C, and greens offer a good source of folate.

And yes, I’m taking poetic license with the name.

Avocadango Walnut Salad – serves 2

1 mango
1 avocado
1 T lemon juice
1/3 C walnuts
5 ounces mixed baby salad greens (arugula, spinach, radicchio, etc)
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar

Peel the mango and cut into 1 inch cubes.

Halve the avocado, remove pit and scoop either side from its shell. Cut into 1 inch cubes and toss with lemon juice.

Using tongs, in a large serving bowl (or whatever, it’s your kitchen) toss the salad greens with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the avocado, mango and walnuts, being careful to not squish the avocado or allow the walnuts to gather at the bottom.

Ingredient origins: Organic mango – Chile; Organic avocado – Mexico; Organic lemon – Florida; Walnuts – California; Organic salad greens – Maine; Olive oil – Italy; Balsamic vinegar – Italy. I know. The whole local thing was completely thrown out the window for this recipe, but all of my readers in sunny California would be able to pull it off in good locavore fashion!

Lemon Tarragon Teacake

Teacakes. Is it not the most adorable word? It conjures images of flowery tablecloths, delicate china and smiling aunties.

Tarragon is a social chameleon. The Gatsby of herbs. It gets along just as well in sweet dishes as it does with its more common savory partners. This recipe demonstrates the former. Lemony, sweet and dense, Lemon Tarragon Teacake is the perfect showcase for tarragon’s delicate, mellow flavor. Confectionery sugar creates a nice crisp top.

For the full herb garden effect, try it with lavender, chamomile, jasmine or a similar floral tea.

Lemon Tarragon Teacake – serves 10

2 T lemon juice
2 eggs
1/4 C canola oil
1 C sour cream
3 C confectionery sugar
2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3 T chopped fresh tarragon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, combine lemon juice, eggs, canola oil and sour cream. Mix in confectionery sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the fresh tarragon

Pour into a metal loaf pan and bake for 55 -65 minutes until a wooden tooth pick comes out clean.