Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

So many blueberries.  I have an abundance.  I wish I could say that I picked them or got them from a farmer, but they were for sale at my local supermarket for $1.88 a pint.  I have plans for future dishes, but the first one I made was this Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake.  I divided the batter between three 6 inch paper disposable liners; one to eat now, one in the freezer and one to share with a friend.

I love this recipe because of the thick batter that doesn’t allow the blueberries to sink to the bottom, the rich buttery flavor and the lightness created by the lemon zest.  The crumble topping and the lemony powdered sugar glaze enhances it all.  Perfect for breakfast with a strong cup of coffee on the deck or boathouse.

Our lake is transitioning from Spring to Summer with more boats in the water, music in the air and laughter filtering out of newly re-opened lakefront cottages.

This recipe is originally baked in a 9-inch springform pan but is easily adaptable to a 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. In my case, I had the three disposable 6-inch liners.  Here is something similar.   We are looking forward to the Memorial Day Weekend.  Let the summer begin.

LEMON BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE  (Barbara Bakes)

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups all purpose flour
•  1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
•  1 cup sugar
•  2 large eggs
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  1/2 cup whole milk
•  1 tablespoon lemon zest
•  2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

CRUMB TOPPING

•  1/2 cup sugar
•  1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•  3 tablespoons butter, melted

ICING

•  1 cup powdered sugar
•  1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (You may need more)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray with flour.
2. Prepare crumb topping and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Mix in lemon zest. Add flour mixture and mix just until combine. Stir in blueberries.
5. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
6. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. About 210 degrees with an instant read thermometer.
7. Cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and remove ring. Drizzle icing on cake. Cool completely before serving. (Unless you’re like us and would rather eat it hot even though the cake doesn’t cut as well.)

CRUMB TOPPING

In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and butter. Mix until mixture is crumbly.

ICING

Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a thin glaze.

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With the Super Bowl approaching, I wanted to make an appetizer that my husband would enjoy on his low Carb diet.  Over Christmas I made sausage cheese balls the way most people make them with Bisquick, sausage and cheese.  We both love this old standby.  I decided to experiment with lessoning the carbs by using almond flour.  But almond flour does not have a leavening agent like Bisquick.  After several attempts, I settled on a combination of almond flour, baking powder and Bisquick.  I halved the amount of Bisquick and combined the baking powder with the almond flour for the other half of the dry ingredients.

I loved the results.  Another tip for mixing the ingredients is to bring the grated cheese and sausage to room temperature before mixing them together.  Then add the dry ingredients.  All of this should be done by hand.

A friend and I spent a day in DeLand, Florida, a small inland community about 20 miles from New Smyrna Beach.  It is a vibrant community with lots of shops and restaurants.  One of my favorite shops is Anna Bananas. The subheading of the shop is Recycled, Repurposed and Reclaimed.

The owners build furniture using antique elements and creative uses of old wood.

We had lunch al fresco at a delightful restaurant (BakeChop) in a spiffed up alley.  It was a warm and sunny day; one of few that we have had in Florida lately.   The BLT on sourdough bread was great, but the chickpea salad with Brussel sprout leaves, tomatoes and red onions was a real winner.  The chickpeas were crispy and the dressing light.  I will have to experiment with duplicating this take on three bean salad.

Enjoy the Super Bowl.  Hope you give this adaptation of Sausage Cheese Balls a try.

SAUSAGE CHEESE BALLS (LOWER CARB)

1 Pound Breakfast Sausage (Hot or Mild or a combination)
8 Oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Bisquick Baking Mix
1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Grate the cheese into a large bowl and bring to room temperature.  At the same time, bring the sausage to room temperature.

While cheese and sausage are resting, combine the Bisquick, almond flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

With your hands, combine the cheese and sausage until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients and roll and squeeze until the flour is fully combined with the cheese mixture.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.

Form mixture into about 1 inch balls and line baking sheet with them.  I can get 24 balls unto the pan.  The recipe makes about 48 balls.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

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This is my 4th of July quiche recipe.  Our annual family celebration will take place at the lake.  Since we will have 16 people staying at the cottage, I love to search out recipes that are easy and will feed a crowd.  I plan to make two of these deep dish quiches.  In place of a crust the filling includes Bisquick, which gives it more of a biscuit consistency.

We are hoping that the lake will be back to normal by then.  After two weeks of rain, the effects of Alberto, and the flooding, the lake became clogged with debris of all kinds including large tree branches.  The town has been amazing in the clean-up efforts.  Thanks to Esther for this photo.

The sausage, cheddar and green onions are a tasty start to this dish, but you could substitute many other ingredients.  Mine took longer to set in the middle than the 45 minutes specified.  You could also try this in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with a shorter baking time.  We are looking forward to the 4th of July celebration.

SAUSAGE QUICHE

1 16-0z. pkg. of Pork Sausage, cooked and drained (Can do ahead of time)
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
2 cups half-and-half or milk
1 cup all-purpose baking mix (Bisquick)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place sausage in lightly greased 2-quart round casserole dish.  Top with onions and cheese.

Beat eggs, half-and-half and baking mix with wire whisk until well blended.  Pour over cheese and sausage.

Bake for 45 minutes to 60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 5 minutes.  Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

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One way to usher in the New Year is with this Cointreau spiked French toast.  The French bread is soaked overnight in a mixture of eggs, orange juice, the orange liqueur, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.  It can be topped with powdered sugar and an orange infused maple syrup.  We enjoyed this Christmas morning, but it would be perfect for New Year’s Day.

The recipe came from one of my childhood friends.  I have mentioned before that a group of my high school friends and I self-published a cookbook of our favorite recipes.  Norma had spent many years as a caterer and this was one of the breakfast dishes that she liked to serve.  It is very easy to assemble for a crowd once the initial soaking is finished; just brown and serve.

Serve with Champagne and orange juice for a celebration of the new year.  I offer you love and hope for 2018.

ORANGE FRENCH TOAST

1 loaf of French bread
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups orange juice
1/8 cup Cointreau or other Orange liqueur
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Powdered sugar
6 ounces maple syrup
2 ounces orange juice concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Slice bread into 1-inch thick slices.  Lay bread in jelly roll pan.  Pour next 7 ingredients that have been whipped together, over the bread and refrigerate overnight.  Turn griddle on medium and heat up.  Lightly butter griddle, lay bread on griddle and cook for 5 minutes on each side.  You can finish cooking if need be in the oven at 325 degrees.

In a saucepan, mix together the maple syrup, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla.  Cook mixture for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle french toast with powdered sugar and pour sauce over it.

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It is fig season.  When figs are ripe they must be used quickly as they do not have a long shelf life after picking.  One of my neighbors here in Lake Lure has a fig tree and she generously shares with several people.  I am glad to be one of them.  Last year I made a Fig and Almond Cake and a Fig and Goat’s Cheese Tart.  This year I had little time so I decided to turn my bounty into fig jam.  It couldn’t be easier.

It is just a matter of chopping up the washed figs and adding them to a pot with sugar and lemon juice and cooking until thickened.  Stir occasionally while you are occupied elsewhere.  Jam making is such a virtuous pursuit.

Looking at the jewel-like contents of the jars makes me feel like I have accomplished something worthwhile.

To thank Donna for all of the figs, I made her these Orange, Date, and Pecan Muffins from Jamie Schler’s new cookbook Orange Appeal. The orange flavor is intense in these muffins due to the addition of puréed orange pulp. I am enjoying all of Jamie’s recipes so much.  Orange Appeal is a worthy addition to your culinary collection.

FIG JAM

2 pounds of figs, stemmed and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Place the figs and sugar in a large pot.  Stir and let sit for about 15 minutes until sugar is dissolved.  Add lemon juice and water and bring to a boil while stirring to combine.

Turn burner to medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 to 25 minutes until fruit is soft and the sauce has thickened.

Place jam in sterilized canning jars with lids.  Jam will keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 months.

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