Cooking San Francisco

Pumpkin Tea Cake

 
 
One of San Francisco's local treasures is the Tartine Bakery and Café. It's located in the 18th street/Mission neighborhood, also home to other culinary hot spots Delphina Restaurant  and Bi-Rite Market and Creamery . While the fabulous Tartine Cookbook provides us with many recipes that are perfect for holiday gift giving, we picked these two because they are easy, quick, and packed with flavor: sweet and spicy Pumpkin Tea Cake and savory Spiced Cocktail Nuts.

This pumpkin tea cake (also known as a “quick bread”) is simply the best we've ever tasted, and we've tried a lot over the years. We think this has to do with the copious amounts of our favorite holiday spice trio, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The oil and pumpkin puree (organic canned works perfectly) keep the cake moist.

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon  baking soda
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons   ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon  ground cloves
1 cup plus 2 tablespoon pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into a mixing bowl and set aside.

3. In another mixing bowl, beat together the pumpkin puree, oil, sugar, and salt on medium speed in a stand mixer or by hand with a whisk,  until well mixed.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until incorporated before adding the next egg.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. On low speed, (if using a mixer) add the flour mixture and beat just until combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds to make a smooth batter.  Be careful not to over-mix the batter, as doing so will result in a tough crumb for the cake. The batter should have consistency of a thick puree.

5.  Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface with an offset spatula.  Sprinkle evenly with the pepitas and then the sugar.  Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

6. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, and then invert onto the rack, turn right side up, and let cool completely.  Serve the cake at room temperature.  It will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 Minutes

 

Fruit and Nut Platter

This is less a recipe than a presentation idea from our Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers post. We purchase a few different kinds of fresh and dried fruits and nuts then arrange them decoratively on a wooden cutting board or platter. In this version we used dried apricots, cranberries, apples and bananas, as well as spiced pecans and Marcona almonds. You can throw in some small fresh fruit in for good measure. Satsuma oranges, tangerines, Seckel pears and grapes are delicious and in season.

Strawberry and Brown Sugar Yogurt Pops

We finished off our tasty Sonoma weekend meal with cool and not-too-sweet yogurt pops. We tried two different recipes with two different fruits and two different types of yogurt. As you might expect, the strawberry pop using greek yogurt and a higher dairy to fruit ratio produced a pop that was thicker and creamier than the fruitier peach pops (click here to see the recipe). Our tasters loved both versions and you can easy substitute different types of fruit in either recipe. Raspberries, blackberries, cherries or nectarines would work especially well.

1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 cups thick greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment: 8 frozen pop molds or 8 paper cups and 8 wooden popsicle sticks

Mash strawberries in a large bowl with a potato masher or a fork. Add sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to a 12-inch nonstick skillet and bring to boil over medium heat, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a blender combine yogurt, milk and vanilla.  Pour into a large spouted bowl, like an 8 cup liquid measure, and pour cooled strawberry mixture on top and stir to combine. Pour into popsicle molds or paper cups, making sure to leave at least _ inch clearance at the top to account for the expansion of the yogurt mixture as it freezes. Put molds in the freezer for 30 minutes. Insert popsicle sticks, then freeze until firm, about 12-24 hours.

Makes approximately 8 popsicles (quantity will vary according to the size of your popsicle molds or paper cups)

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 12-24 hr

 

 

 

 

Peach Yogurt Pops

Take advantage of peach season with this very simple and refreshing alternative to store-purchased frozen yogurt popsicles. We used leftover peaches from our Grilled Peaches with Pecorino and Prosciutto appetizer served during our Sonoma weekend dinner.

3 ripe peaches (about 1 pound), peeled and chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt

Equipment: 8 frozen pop molds or 8 paper cups, and 8 wooden popsicle sticks

Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds or paper cups, making sure to leave at least 1/2 inch clearance at the top to account for the expansion of the yogurt mixture as it freezes. Put molds in the freezer for 30 minutes. Insert popsicle sticks, then freeze until firm, about 12-24 hours.

Makes approximately 8 pops (quantity will vary according to the size of your popsicle molds or paper cups)

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 12-24 hrs

 

Honeyed Oranges

We found this very simple recipe in The Jungle Effect written by San Francisco doctor, Daphne Miller. We are particularly thrilled with this one since it takes 5 minutes to prepare and our children readily accept this dish as "dessert." There are so few ingredients that it's important to use juicy, in-season oranges and good-quality honey. We're still seeing blood oranges and other varietals at the local supermarkets, so now is a perfect time!

By the way, The Jungle Effect is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the relationship between food and health. Dr. Miller has traveled the world to study indigenous diets and her book reads much more like a travelogue than a dry medical book.

4 navel or blood oranges, seedless (or seeds removed)
Cinnamon
Honey, good quality

1. Remove peel and pith from oranges with a paring knife and cut into slices or sections.

2. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste and drizzle with honey.

Variations: This is also great with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes