Walnut Hummingbird Cake

From July 2008

Sweet, spicy and very moist. And the flavor becomes even better if the cake is baked and frosted on the day before serving. The batter is easily mixed by hand, but you will need an electric mixer for the frosting.

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons ground Ceylon cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon is smoother and sweeter than ordinary supermarket cinnamon. If you can't find it, and must use regular ground cinnamon, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon.)

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar; packed
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh pineapple, crushed (Mash 1 cup fresh pineapple chuncks with a potato masher until finely crushed; you will have about 3/4 cup crusehed pineapple.)
2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Cover the bottom of each pan a round of parchment paper or waxed paper, cut to fit, presing the paper snugly over the bottom of the pan.

Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and sale, then sift them together in a bowl or on to a large sheet of waxed paper and set aside.

Put the granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, and stir vigorously until smoothly blended with the sugar. When the eggs and sugars are blended, whisk in the oil and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until moistened and the ingredients are evenly comboned. Do not beat. Add the pineapple, banana, and walnuts, and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the three prepared cake pans, spreading it evenly. After filling the pans, give each one a bang on the countertop, to dislodge any air bubbles in the batter. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently with your fingers and a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the layer comes out clean.

Cool in the pans 5 minutes, and then turn the layers out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting. In the parchment or waxed paper had clung to the layers, peel it off.

Tomake the frosting, you will need an electric mixer, preferrably a free standing one. Cut the butter into 2-inch pieces and put in a large bowl of the mixer. Start slowly, gradually increasing the speed until it becomes malleable, yet still cool, about 3-4 minutes. Cut the cream cheese into 2-inch pieces also, add to the butter, continue to mix until smooth and thoroughly blended. Add the vanilla, then slowly add the confectioners sugar and mix unti blended. Increase speed slightly and continue mixing ofr 2-3 minutes, until the frosting becomes light and fluffy. By hand, fold in the walnuts.

To assemble the cake, place one of the layers, bottom side up, on a plate. Spread with about 2/3 cup of frosting. Top with second layer, and so on.

March 28, 2009 Dinner Party Announced

Hosts: John White and Kyle Selby
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Theme: Japanese

Provided: Main Course (most likely chicken and fish, side dishes, miso soup)

Bring: Dessert (Catherine and George have already volunteered to bring Green Tea Ice-cream)

Bring: A sushi, vegetarian or sashimi appetizer

Bring: A bottle of Saki or Japanese Wine to complement the dinner

Peruvian Stuffed Avocados

Submitted by Kyle Selby and John White (January 2009)

For three people - increase ingredients to match size of group

1 pound yellow potatoes - peeled, cooked, mash
1 large ground rocoto chile - or jalapeno powder
1 small onion - grated
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
Bibb lettace leaves
3 large avocados - pitted
12 large shrimp - cooked
Chili powder - to taste
12 large black olives
salt and pepper to taste

Mix pototatoes with rocoto chile, onion, lime juice and add enough olive oil to make a thick puree. Arrange lettuce leaves on plates. Place halves of the avocado on plates and stuff with potato mixture. Garnish plate with shrimp coated in chile powder, olives and season with salt and pepper.

Rum Cake and Rum Syrup - January 2009

South American Dinner - Dessert
Submitted by Rich and Mary Miller

RUM CAKE
Prep: 20 min.
Bake: 1 hour
Cool: 15 min.
Stand: 45 min.

1.5 cups butter, softened
1.5 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup dark rum
1/45 cup banana liqueur
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping cream

RUM SYRUP *
Powdered sugar

Beat butter and granulated sugar at medium speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, beating until blended. Add lemon rind, beating until blended. Gradually add rum and banana liqueur, beating until blended. (Batter will look curdled.)

Stir together four and next 3 ingredients; add to batter alternately with whipping cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat batter at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 – 60 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Pierce cake multiple times using a metal or wooden skewer. Pour rum Syrup evenly over cake. Let stand 45 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar before serving.

* RUM SYRUP DETAILS
Prep: 5 min.
Cook: 15 min.
Cool: 10 min.

10 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup banana liqueur

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a aoil, stirring often; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly thinkened. Remove from heat, and cool 10 minutes.

Drinks and Side Dishes - South American Dinner

Dinner hosted by Brenda and Rudy Ortiz - January 2009

Caipirinha
1 tsp sugar
Juice from 1 lg lime (ca. 0.5 oz)
2-3 oz Cachaca (Brazilian sugar cane liquor)
3-4 cubes of ice
0.5-1 oz soda water (optional)

Feijoada
2 lbs black beans
4 bay leaves
6-8 garlic cloves minced
1 white onion cut
1 TBS pepper corns
3 links of Portuguese linguica (substitute w/ andouille)
1 lb salt-cured beef (carne secca) (optional)
½ lb bacon
1 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 cup chopped okra (optional)

After washing and picking the beans, soak the beans w/ the bay leaves, garlic, onion and pepper corns in water over night (beans should swell and soak up most of the water). Next day, transfer everything including residual water to bean pot or crock pot and cook on high initially (1-2 hrs) and medium heat for remainder of time (until beans are very soft). Meanwhile cook bacon until lightly browned and add chopped sausage to bacon to cook for a 1-2 minutes (sausage usually pre-cooked). Once beans are cooked (soft), add bacon and sausage mixture to pot along with carne secca (if available). Also, 2-3 tbs of bacon grease to pot as well for added flavor. About 1 hr before serving add celery and okra to hot bean pot. Season w/ salt as needed.

Brazilian Rice for Feijoada
2 cups rice (washed well)
1 white onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
Salt, pepper, cumin, and celery salt
Olive oil
Chicken broth

Cook onion and garlic in olive oil (as needed) until soft and translucent. Add washed rice to onion/garlic mixture and cook until lightly browned (not burnt) (use olive oil as needed) (ca. 5-10 min). Add broth to just cover rice and add spices to taste. 1 shake of cumin and 2 of celery salt is usually sufficient. Stir until spices mix w/ the rice and cover on low heat for 20-30 min or until rice absorbs all the water.

Serve the feijoada over the rice

Couve (fried kale)
1-2 lbs of kale or collard greens
Olive oil
Sea salt

Cut out the center stems of the kale (greens), roll remaining leaves and cut across the roll. Heat on medium enough olive oil to coat cut kale. Add cut kale and stir frequently so it doesn’t burn but gets completely coated w/ oil. Once coated sprinkle some salt. Cook 1-2 min (should be slightly soft). Serve on side of feijoada

Amarillo-Ceviche Mixto (Peru)

Submitted by Catherine and George Kniazewycz - January 2009

Ingredients

For marinade:
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tb Peruvian ají amarillo (spicy yellow pepper) paste
OR 2 Tb smooth chipotle salsa
2 Tb turmeric
1/2 cup clam juice
2 Tb grated fresh ginger
Pinch of salt to taste
Mix all marinade ingredients until thoroughly blended.

For ceviche:
1-1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and blanched
2 lb. New Zealand green mussels on half shell (available frozen), steamed, removed from shells
1 lb. bay scallops, sautéed in 1 Tb olive oil
1 handful grape tomatoes, diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tb chopped fresh chives
2 Tb sliced green onions
2 Tb coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Preparation
In non-reactive bowl mix together marinade, shrimp, mussels, scallops, tomato, bell pepper, chives, and green onions.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Before serving, garnish with chopped cilantro.
Makes 12 servings.