Over a Year Tumblrversary and Pumpkin Scones
Wow, November totally flew by, didn’t it?
It began deceivingly leisurely: I was enjoying the warmer-than-usual Boston November weather and lab had slowed to a more bearable pace as we prepared for and moved our entire lab to a brand spanking new building. Then suddenly I was on a California-bound plane to visit family and friends for Thanksgiving where I stuffed my face for a week straight (which is quite amazing considering I didn’t cook/bake ONE THING that I ate that week). We also managed to squeeze in a beautiful day in Napa, enjoying the crisp fall air and the colors, sampling wines, and AMAZING food.
last grapes in Napa…
Dear oversized pistachio macaron from Bouchon Bakery… will you marry me?
And now I feel as if I’ve been hurtled into the heart of December: bitingly cold weather that makes your eyes tear (it may be in part because I’m mourning the loss of the ability to wear tank tops and flats without socks for the next 6 months) and forecasts of snow (though have yet to see a snowflake), the unrelenting barrage of Christmas-mania (Christmas songs on the radio, the onslaught of online and in-store sales which only tempt me to buy more for myself instead of gifts for others, and Christmas decorations ad nauseum- which, I actually kind of love), and the inter-holiday slump where you are still slightly food comatose from Thanksgiving and can’t get yourself motivated to be productive at work because your brain is already on vacation, celebrating a birthday and Christmas. WHEW.
It’s no Rockefeller Center, but I am sort of proud of this slightly ghetto yet extremely fitting demonstration of Central Square Christmas spirit.
Christmas spirit is alive and well in lab as well. And that’s not a reflection of the tree, WE HAVE TWO. Heck yeah.
I am still a bit sad about how quickly November passed; it is one of my favorite months, mostly because it seems (to me anyway) that the whole point of the month is the anticipation of and preparation for the greatest holiday ever- a holiday who’s singular objective is to EAT. Where the quantity ingested is directly proportional to the amount of THANKS given. And I don’t want to seem ungrateful for the hardships endured by the Pilgrims and Native Americans, so yes, I will have some more turkey and pie! I LOVE spending the first weeks of November poring over delectable recipes for appetizers, turkeys, stuffing, and pumpkin-based desserts in magazines and online, while watching Thanksgiving-themed episodes on the Food Network, and finally picking a handful of recipes to test in the kitchen to share with friends in Boston who are also avoiding the hectic holiday travel, or, like last year, an intimate dinner for two. But because this year we spent Thanksgiving in California, eating TWO amazing Thanksgiving meals (late lunch and dinner), and because I didn’t have the wherewithal to prepare a pre-Thanksgiving meal for ourselves here in Boston before we left, I feel like I missed out a special part of November!
Another momentous occasion that passed without much fanfare here was my tumblr’s first-versary! I started this little space to document my triumphs (and failures) in the kitchen so I could easily go back to recipes that worked and that we loved. It enabled me to learn how to (kind of) use a SLR camera, gave me an outlet to express myself and my randomness, and, most importantly, has provided a constant reminder that I DO have a life outside of graduate school that I love and enjoy, and no matter what goes on in lab, I will always have this.
I had always envisioned baking up something complicated and decadent to celebrate my first year in keeping up a blog, something that required a few pounds of expensive chocolate or a multi-step endeavor like home-made croissants or macarons. However, seeing as November was on fast forward and the tumblrversary date was almost 2 weeks and counting ago, I decided to just make something simple, something that I love to eat, and in a flavor that epitomizes the November and Thanksgiving that had passed me by all too quickly.
Pumpkin Scones. With Maple glaze.
Marmalade Cake
The snow wintry mix rain has set in for the last few days, and we supposedly have a few more days of wetness look forward to… but I don’t even really mind because I think I have found my “sunshine-in-a-bite” in this marmalade cake! This rustic cake is moist and coarse-crumbed, rich in toasted nutty-ness with a strong and vibrant citrus flavor that screams HELLO SUNSHINE!!!!!!
This cake certainly packs a punch like no other citrus-flavored baked good I’ve ever had before; this is due to the fact that the recipe calls for boiling a whole orange and lemon until they are soft and squishy (I know, seems crazy! I was so curious! But it totally works!),
then pulverizing the whole orange and lemon rind into a thick paste, which is then added to the cake batter. Yes, pulp, rind, skin, and ALL.
As one can imagine, the addition of the entire fruit, including the rind, adds a bit of gentle bitterness to the cake, which can be a bit off-putting to some. But I really enjoyed it, just as I enjoy a good marmalade, because I would rather savor the slight bitterness in appreciation of the whole entire orange than a tooth-achingly cloying jam. This lovely cake has been aptly named “marmalade cake” by Orangette in celebration of this citrus awesomeness. In addition, the toasted almonds are not only tasty but give heft and weight to the crumb, reinforcing my belief that citrus and almonds are quite the dynamic duo.
Each bite just makes me really happy, and I just can’t help myself from reaching for another slice… and another….
A fresh dusting of powdered sugar resembles freshly fallen snow. (Hopefully the only “snow” I will see for the rest of this winter!!)
Marmalade Cake (Orange, Almond, and Olive Oil Cake)
adapted from Orangette, via Boonville Hotel
The recipe calls for 1 small-medium orange, but I ended up using an orange on the larger size. I suspect this orange also had a pretty thick rind; the basis for this suspicion from having eaten its sibling just a few hours before baking and having found that orange had a thick rind. Next time I will try a smaller orange, or perhaps this similar recipe that uses clementines (very little rind!) instead.
1 small to medium orange
1 lemon
1 cup of toasted almonds (I used blanched slivered almonds and toasted them to golden perfection; Orangette used raw almonds and toasted them)
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup olive oil
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Put the orange and lemon in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover (the fruit will float, this is OK). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, toast the almonds. Preheat the oven to 325 F and set a rack to the middle position. Put the almonds on an ungreased sheet pan (I lined with parchment paper) and bake until they are golden and smell warm and toasty, about 10-15 minutes. Set them aside to cool completely. When cool, pulse them in a food processor until finely ground, the texture of coarse sand. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease a 9-inch round springform pan.
- When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half and scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half and discard the seeds. Put the lemon rind and orange halves in the food processor. Process until a coarse paste forms.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
- Combine the eggs and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat until foamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar. Mix in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds, and olive oil, and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack. Remove the sides of the pan.
- Before serving, dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar. Alternatively, you could also make a quick glaze with confectioners’ sugar and water, or orange juice.
- Savor the awesomeness of the citrus.
