I was 28 years old the first time I ate a fig. I’d had Fig Newtons before but never a real fresh fig. I remember that first time pretty well. It was while I was working for Live It Learn It and I was taking students on a trip to visit the Washington Youth Garden (WYG) which is located inside the National Arboretum. During the trip fourth grade students tour the garden, learn about food groups, and pick fruits and vegetable that will be used in making a healthy snack.

Sometimes while they gather materials for the snack they also get to taste things along the way. On this particular visit, the figs were ripe and our WYG educator picked one and cut it in pieces for the kids. While in the garden the kids try a lot of foods they haven’t had before but that are familiar to me. This time I was in the same boat as the kids. I had never had a fig and was both nervous and excited to try. It looked a little funny but seemed harmless enough. I asked the educator if I could try some of the fig too, and I found (along with the kids) that I liked it! It tasted like a Fig Newton (duh) but also softer, brighter, and like warm sunshine. It is one of the freshest things I’ve ever eaten. Since then, I’ve tried to be more often to eating and cooking with figs. 

On the outside, figs aren’t so beautiful. They look like fat purplish-green bulbs. The inside is a whole different story. Figs are bright colored, nearly magenta and full of tiny edible seeds. I think the insides are really gorgeous and so should definitely be shown off when cooking. I chose to pair them alongside my other favorite pretty fruit with lots of seeds: strawberries. So this fig and strawberry cake was born. However, both of these fruits are most attractive raw. There’s something about baking fruit that makes them sort of ugly because they get wrinkly and discolored. Appetizing descriptions right?

But what strawberries and figs lose in aesthetic luster, they gain in flavor. Sprinkled with sugar and baked they take on a soft jam-like flavor and texture. A few weeks ago I made a peach upside down cake, and with that recipe the peaches stay firmly on the top layer of the cake. Here, the fruit is put on top of the batter and as the cake bakes the fruit softens, falls a little bit, and gets ooey gooey inside. It’s a nice summery flavor surprise.

Since the fruit it put on top of the batter and sugar is sprinkled on top the cake has a rustic homemade look to it. But in the nicest, most comforting, though slightly trendy way possible. It’s the kind of thing you would find in a small indie coffee shop or at a farmer’s market. I also think it’s a really forgiving cake to make. Sometimes you want your cake to be iced perfectly, the fruit to be placed perfectly, and the slices to come out perfectly. This cake lets you be a bit messy and unkempt. It’s ok if the fruit falls into the batter a bit, if it browns unevenly, or if it is a bit crumbly. It’s going to taste good and that’s all the matters. I mean, it’s just cake for goodness sake!

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Messy level: Three spoons. It’s not more messy than any other cake, but I think cake by nature is a bit messy. Cake is messy because you need two bowls and because something always gets thrown out of my stand mixer.

Fig and Strawberry Cake

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour 10 mins

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

 

Serves: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons/ 85 grams butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 1½ cups / 188 grams all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup / 200 grams plus 2 tablespoons / 5 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup/ 118 ml milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-4 figs cut into quarters, depending on taste
• about 10 medium strawberries, halved (use a few more or less depending on taste)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F /180°C.
2. Butter a 10-inch pie pan and set aside.
3. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the egg, milk, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
6. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little bit at a time (I did about ¼ cup at a time). Mix until just combined. It's ok if there are some lumps.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pie plate.
8. Arrange figs skin side down and strawberries cut side down on top of batter. Arrange them in whatever way you think looks nice. Put them as close together as possible in a single layer. You might think you can't fit everything but you can definitely fit more than you think.
9. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the fruit.
10. Put the cake in the oven and bake cake for 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 325°F/160°C and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Let cool then cut and serve.

3.3.3077

The post Fig and Strawberry Cake appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

Recently I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about eating outside. I’ve thought about having a birthday party picnic next month, I’ve reminisced about steak and pepper kabobs Ryan used to make on the grill, I’ve pined for chili cheese dogs at a Nats baseball game, and I’ve wished for a Leinenkugel summer shandy. The weather is nice, the sun has been out, and all I want to do is eat outside. Last week my friends and I sat outside at a pizzeria and in Greenwich we had a mini picnic, but still I want more summer flavor.

Maybe because it’s Memorial Day in the US, and a bank holiday here in the UK, and people everywhere are outside enjoying a good meal – all I want to do is immerse myself in summer. In short, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about summertime foods and drinks. One recipe that is perfect for the season is an Arnold Palmer. Sure, sometime soon Ryan and I are going to buy one of these disposable barbecues, head to the park, and cook up some burgers and hot dogs – but until then this drink is going to bring summer inside to my flat. Because look at it, this drink just looks like liquid sunshine.

Half lemonade and half iced tea, and named after the golfer Arnold Palmer, this is the perfect drink refreshing and delicious drink to cool down in the summer time. (You can see the fantastic Sports Center commercial with Arnold Palmer making one here) I always get excited when I see an Arnold Palmer on a menu or when I can buy a bottle of it in the store. It’s simply fantastic, perfect for summer, and I can’t believe it took me so long to make it.

Especially because, it’s so easy and inexpensive. You need four things: black tea, lemons, sugar, and water. I imagine in the US you’d use Lipton tea bags, but I used English breakfast. I think use whatever straightforward black tea you like best. The other you’ll need to do is make simple syrup. All that is, is sugar and water heated up so the sugar dissolves. This is an important step! Sugar doesn’t dissolve in cold liquids, so if you dump sugar straight in then your going to have some tart sips and some crunchy sugar sips. So peopple don’t wait! Get your pitcher, make a batch, and invite some friends over to sit outside, chat about nothing, and enjoy being outside. And if you’re having a barbecue, invite me over!

Adapted from Food Network.

Messy level: This is two spoons only because you’ll might need a few different vessels as you prepare you tea, lemons, and simple syrup. Overall though, so easy and not messy at all.

Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade - Half Iced Tea)

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

7 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

• 2-3 black tea bags (use more tea bags if you like a stronger flavor)
• 1 cup lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 cups water, divided
• lemon wedges, optional for garnish

Instructions

1. Put 2-3 tea bags in a heat-safe pitcher or bowl.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling pour the water over the tea bags. Let the tea steep for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bags and set the tea aside to cool.
4. If you haven't already, juice the lemons. Add the lemon juice to the cooling tea.
5. In a small saucepan combine the sugar and 1 cup of water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stir occasionally.
6. Once the sugar has dissolved, you now have simple syrup. Add it to the Arnold Palmer mixture. You can add less than the whole cup if you don't want it as sweet.
7. Add the final one cup of water to the Arnold Palmer. Taste. Add more water if you find it too sweet or too tart. Make more simple syrup if you'd like it sweeter.
8. Put in the refrigerator to cool completely.
9. Once cool, serve in a glass over ice. If you like, dd a wedge of lemon for garnish.

3.3.3070

The post Arnold Palmer (Half Lemonade – Half Iced Tea) appeared first on Cooking is Messy.

You’re probably reading this thinking, um, Mariel, that’s not hot. I know – I know, I just moved from DC where it’s hotter than hell. In DC low 80’s would feel like a wonderful cold front because summer is usually 100° with about a million percent humidity. But the thing is, high 70’s is hot here because air conditioning isn’t so much a thing here. Our flat doesn’t have air conditioning, the library doesn’t have air conditioning, and when you walk down the street you never pass a store and feel the cold blast of AC. We got a fan and that helps a ton.

Also going on outings helps too. This past weekend we went to the Banqueting Hall. It was a little hot and stuffy there too – but it wasn’t crowded with sweaty tourists so that made it awesome. The Banqueting Hall is the last remaining part of Whitehall Palace. It is the site of Charles I execution and the ceiling has nine paintings from Peter Paul Rubens. What I loved about the space is that it is large, beautiful, and ornate. The best part though, was the bean bags on the floor. We took our audio guides, flopped onto the bean bags, and looked up at the floor. It was cozy and interesting. The audio tour is just a little bit long, but they did the most with what they had.

The last way to deal with the heat is to stop using the oven when cooking. The oven makes our flat a sauna, so I’ve been trying to make easy stove-based recipes for dinner. I like this one because it’s pretty easy, filling, and includes a few different kinds of vegetables. Ignore the roast chicken in the pictures – that I made in the oven and it was far too hot.

This recipe is from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Ingredients

4 tbsp butter

1 cup pearled barley

salt & pepper

2 1/2 cups water

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup frozen lima beans

1 cup frozen (or fresh) corn

1 red bell pepper

2 scallions, thinly chopped

parsley (optional, chopped and used for garnish)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the barley toast for 2-3 minutes, stir frequently.

2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low.  Cook until most of the water has been absorbed (about 20-25 minutes). Stir the barley occasionally to promote creaminess.

3. In a skillet, melt the other 2 tbsp of butter. Add the garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the lima beans and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir to make sure the beans don’t stick.

4. Add in the corn, bell pepper, and scallions. Cook for two minutes.

5. Stir in the barley. Cover and cook, while stirring a occasionally, until the vegetable soften a bit. This takes about 5 minutes.

6. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley if you’re using.

7. Serve!

Messy level: Just two spoons! It’s so easy, only two pans, and very little clean up. It’s yummy, filling, and pretty healthy.

The post Barley Succotash appeared first on Cooking is Messy.