I discovered this cake on Twitter!

I follow Hungry Rabbit NYC and he told the most lovely story from his childhood and made the most beautiful cake for his mother for Mother’s Day!

Ken, otherwise known as HungryRabbitNYC, takes amazing photographs and builds an even more amazing cake.

My photos aren’t nearly as good, and my skills don’t seem to be as sharpened as Ken’s but this cake was delicious!

Strawberry n Cream Cake

recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients

1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated
1 cup sugar (7 ounces)
1-1/4 cups cake flour (5 ounces)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
5 large eggs (2 whole and 3 separated), room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/2 pounds fresh strawberries (medium or large, use 3 quarts), washed, dried, reserve 8-10 strawberries (stems in tacked) for decoration
4–6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons rum
Pinch table salt

WHIPPED ICING
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar (3-1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 cups heavy cream

Method

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 by 2-inch cake line with parchment paper, grease and flour, set aside.

2. Add lemon zest and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in large mixing bowl, rub with fingers until sugar is slightly moist and takes on a pale yellow color. Add flour, baking powder, salt, whisk to combine. add 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water and both extracts; whisk until smooth.

3. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form,about 2 minutes. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 25-35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.

5. Stemmed and halve 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2-3/4 cup). Place macerated berries in food processor fitted with metal blade, give it five 1-second pulses (you should have about 2 cups).

6. In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices and rum until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.

WHIPPED ICING
1. Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2-1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
1. Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cake plate and arrange half of the strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of pureed berry mixture in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently. Repeat with remaining strawberry halves and berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with reserved strawberries. Chill for 1-2 hours.

The aroma of the batter; full of lemon zest and vanilla, was intoxicating!

We wanted to eat it fresh out of the oven!

The texture is also fantastic and I could see using this recipe for other fruity type cakes, heavy frostings, or nut fillings.

I am a bit sloppy campared to Ken who seems to be an engineer of all things Baked!

Thank you Hungry Rabbit for a beautiful recipe and for inspiring me to make this cake for myself on Mother’s Day!

I assure you that I thuroughly enjoyed it!

Pier W never lets me down.

From the fantastic Happy Hour to the incredible views this place is a winner every time.

Not only is the happy hour a great value; 1/2 price bar food and select drinks, but the quality is first class.

These calamari must be some of the best I’ve ever tasted. Light and crispy calamari are fried to perfection with delicate fragrant dipping sauces; a spicy mayonnaise and a tamarind sauce.

This is a far cry from the usual bar food you’d find elsewhere and you get the incredible atmosphere as a bonus!

The view!

The wine!

The scallops!

Pan seared scallops with goat cheese, thyme and lemon gnocchi with an asparagus coulis was amazing!

Sous Chef Jack Ahern was on board this night and his precision in the execution of this dish was out of this world.

The tempura fish and green beans looked yummy…

…but I couldn’t get over the flavor pairings of my scallops.

I usually feel that mushrooms with any seafood is a risk; the earthiness of the mushrooms can overpower and compete with delicate sea flavors but it was not the case tonight.

Lemon and thyme kept the gnocchi light and the mushrooms and asparagus lent smoky and bitter notes, respectively that were enhanced by the subtle creaminess of the goat cheese.

Asparagus coulis was a light sauce of everything beautiful about asparagus!

Lots of pesto and olive oil!

I sliced french bread and brushed it with olive oil and broiled for a few minutes to get crunchy, crusty goodness!

I also toasted some pine nuts and served them on the side to garnish everything!

Arugula dressed with fresh squeezed lemon and olive oil is simple, clean and delicious!

A great bottle of red wine and Brownies a la mode definitely make this a Meatless Monday to remember!

No one feels deprived. Not even the most serious of meat eaters.

I eat steamed veggies everyday, usually kale, broccoli, spinach and whatever else may be fresh that day.

Keeping it interesting is sometimes a challange.

The last thing that I want to do is add more empty calories.

I have been in the habit of keeping homemade pesto in my fridge and freezer.

I make mine with basil. olive oil, garlic and pine nuts. Real simple; real fast and real food.

I plop about 1 tablespoon on steamed veggies and it is a meal.

Another tip that I like to share is that I always slice garlic into the vegetables while they are steaming. It adds rich flavor.

This meal is filling and will keep me going all day!

This arugula is my new favorite! Just greens with some fresh squeezed lemon and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

So delicious, full of healthy fats, high in fiber and low in calories.

Lemony, garlicky, creamy, tahini dressing made this salad fantastic.

Baby arugula and lightly steamed asparagus was the perfect meal for a sunny day with promises of Spring!

I used the juice of 1 lemon to 2 tablespoons of sesame tahini plus 3 cloves of fresh garlic! To that I added 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

It was potent! and sooo delicious.

Another good thing about being a vegan is that the dog is never really interested in what I’m cooking.

Sammy was all about sunbathing today.

THE END!

Having a recipe that you can make quickly and get right everytime is a great skill to master.

Red skin potatoes are a great side dish for so many dishes and these are great alone; as a treat.

I have made these for appetizers and as a snack to go with cocktails.

These are like a dressed-up version of potato skins minus the huge calorie count!

They take about 30 minutes from washing the potatoes to serving them. So you can whip them up in a jiff if need be.

Tahini Sauce

Tahini sauce is made from tahini – a sesame seed paste. Tahini sauce is thinner and used in pita sandwiches, marinades, and dips. Tahini sauce is very easy to make. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for about two weeks.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 gloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Preparation:
In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine garlic and tahini. Add kosher salt.

Remove from food processor and add olive oil and lemon juice. If too thick, add a teaspoon of warm water until desired consistency.

I washed and quatered about 12 medium sized organic red skin potatoes

Saute in about 1/4 cup of olive oil

I added about 10 shakes of red pepper flakes and 4-5 pinches of dried rosemary

I let this cook until the potatoes became browned

I then removed them from the frying pan and wrapped them in aluminum foil and placed them on a cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Salt to taste

Top them off with the tahini sauce and serve.

Enjoy!

I am glad that I took these photos before I cooked the scallops and shrimp because as soon as they were cooked they were eaten.

First of all it was so easy, second of all it took maybe 15 minutes.

I picked up some nice looking jumbo shrimp and large Bay scallops. I had some lemon, garlic and butter. That was it.

We were drinking Trapiche Malbec. Probably not the best choice with seafood but it was what we had and it was yummy.

I started by melting the butter in a large skillet then added crushed garlic which I placed on the 2 tablespoons of butter, so it wouldn’t get brown, then squeezed lemon into the skillet.

I put the scallops on the bottom and laid the shrimp on top of them. They cooked for maybe 8 to 9 minutes on high.

People were picking them out of the pan! I plated these then squeezed on more fresh lemon and they lasted for about 10 minutes!

This meal was low calorie, delicious and nutritious.

My eldest daughter loves lemon meringue pie. She has always loved this pie, even as an infant should would shovel the filling into her mouth and grab hunks of crust in her cherubic hands and gnaw on them with pure delight. I would make it just to watch her eat it!

For every holiday or special event we make this pie for her. She is fantastic at helping in the kitchen and is perfecting her pie crust making skills.

I made this big pie doubling the original recipe which seems just a bit too skimpy given how delicious this pie truly is. I make each batch separately and blend them together to fill the pie. I have never had very good luck making the filling at double the volume. It never seems to mix very smoothly or to thicken very evenly.

I only ever use the Perfect Pie Crust from Martha Stewart as follows:

Perfect Pie Crust:
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 12 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons margarine or chilled vegetable shortening)
¼ cup ice water

Put the flour and salt into the bowl of the machine. Cut the butter (shortening) into the flour. Process a few seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add water, process a bit more. The whole procedure should take 20-30 seconds. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each half into a flat round. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, to 1/8 inch thick, turning the
pastry to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Using your pie plate, measure the rolled out pastry-it should be slightly larger than the plate. Fold it in half so that you can lift it easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing it to hang evenly over the edges. Don’t trim off the excess just yet.

This is where I make the edge. I fold over the excess and create a nice thick crust and form the best decorative finish that I can manage. (Again, I am not a baker) Then gently poke holes with a fork to prevent bubbling.

I bake this at 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Now you are ready to add the filling.

HINT: Make the filling while the pie shell is cooking.

Lemon Pie Filling Recipe:
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tsp fresh lemon peel or zest, grated
4 large egg yolks, beaten
3 Tbsp butter

Directions:
Blend sugar, cornstarch and salt together in saucepan.
Add water, lemon juice, lemon zest and beaten egg yolks and bring to a boil on low-medium heat, stirring and whisking often. Do not allow it to stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
Continue to simmer until filling is thick, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and without stirring, let butter melt on top of filling.
After the butter melts, stir in.
Pour into the cooked pie shell.

Meringue Recipe:
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg whites

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
With a high-speed mixer, whip egg whites on high until foamy.
While beating, add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until meringue forms soft peaks.
HINT Egg whites at room temp seem to work best

Lemon Meringue Pie Assembly:
Be sure to pour meringue on the hot lemon filling.
Spread a layer of meringue over the filling and right to the ends of the shell sealing in the filling.
Pile on the remaining meringue and swirl into decorative peaks with a spoon or spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (more or less, all ovens are different) or until meringue peaks start to brown.
Cool completely before refrigerating. Chill well before serving.

This was my first meal from my garden. This was my first attempt at a garden! It was actually thrilling to grow my own cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and basil and construct these humble ingredients into a healthful meal. I felt invigorated all day with these wholesome foods in my belly.

I never realized that I would be so deeply affected by something so simple, so primal. Is this how our ancestors felt? Does this feeling explain the elaborate and brutal ritual sacrifice practices of ancient cultures? Did they realize the tenuous and fragile balance of nature which allowed them to produce food? Were they in awe? Were they grateful?

I wonder if we would be more humble, more grateful for our food if we were more deeply connected to it. Would we eat as much meat if we had to raise, care for, and slaughter animals ourselves? Would we value the complex nutritional components of vegetables and legumes if we watched them grow and saw the sun and rain turning tiny seeds into beautiful plants and fruits?

When you can taste the sunshine in a tomato do you not feel completely connected to the Universe?
I did. If just for a moment I was grateful.

Cherry Tomatoes with Cucumbers and Basil
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Basil
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Lemon juice

Chop, toss together, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice.

Tuna Steak with Peppers
4 oz Tuna steak fresh or frozen
Garlic
Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
Chop pepper and garlic. Place tuna on foil (enough to completely wrap).
Toss pepper and garlic on top, sprinkle with sea salt. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap completely. Place in oven and cook until the tuna is right where you like it!