Four Foods on Friday 45

Over the Labor Day weekend, I made a steak and ale pie. Absolutely gorgeous although next time I will use flaky pastry (and take pictures). It also would have been great if only I could have added some kidney.

Anyway, answers for this week:

Here are this week’s four questions.

#1. Artichokes. Love em or leave em?

I tried buying some fresh ones for the first time last year. Way too much hassle to actually get down to the bit you can eat. On the other hand, I do like to buy the jars of marinated hearts. They're wonderful with pasta.

#2. What’s your favorite kind of bean?

I think beans are wonderful and highly underrated. They are incredibly versatile, cheap and nutritious. I have a lot of dried beans in my kitchen cupboard but I also keep cans because let's face it, who remembers to take them out, soak, them etc.?

Do I have a favorite? No - I love kidney beans, black beans, butter beans, broad beans, I love beans.

#3. Share a recipe for any kind of cake.

OK. I can do that!

Fresh Cherry Almond Cake

1 cup whole blanched almonds
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tsp
3 eggs, at room temp
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted (about 1 pound)
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter, flour and line a 9-inch springform pan.

Coarsely chop the almonds in a food processor. Transfer 1/4 cup of the almonds to a bowl and reserve. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the remaining almonds in the food processor and process until almonds are finely ground. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

In food processor, cream butter with 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add extracts.

Add half the flour mixture and pulse to blend, then add remaining mixture and pulse until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape batter into the prepared pan, then add cherries on top in a single even layer.

Mix reserved coarsely-chopped almonds with the teaspoon of granulated sugar and sprinkle around edge of cake. Bake in preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer to a serving plate and dust the top with confectioner’s sugar.

Serves 8.


#4. What’s your favorite dairy product?

Well, I never used to like drinking milk but since discovering organic milk, I love organic fat free milk. But my absolute favorite would be cheese. Love it, love it, love it.