This was a lot of fun to make with Layla and Hettie Rose. It was a birthday surprise for a neighbor who has had a most difficult year and we thought we’d bake her something special to cheer her up.

I’m really a pie and pastry maker, cakes are never my go-to dessert but I’m trying, trying, to be a better Mommy and embrace the whole over-the-top American cake thing. Why? Because Layla told me good mommies make cakes and asked why we didn’t make more cakes since “You’re a Chef and all, Mom”.

You know I could have made a thousand excuses to her: “They have too much sugar.” (which they do) “I prefer seasonal fruit desserts” (which I do) “They take a lot of time” (definitely true). But at the heart of it, and the real reason I don’t make a lot of cakes, is because I’m a lazy baker. I like to make things at home that I don’t need a recipe for and that includes all feuilltage pastries, tarts and pies.

So Layla actually is right, I need to step up my cake baking skills and get out of my comfort zone once and awhile. However, you can be sure that if I’m posting a cake recipe it’s going to be relatively quick, delicious and have seasonal fruit in it somewhere.

Rhubarb, raspberry and rose water are a beautiful combination –– absolutely gorgeous. I made a refrigerator jam for the cake by combining 4 large ruby red stalks chopped rhubarb with a few pints of raspberries and a cup of sugar cooked down on the stove top. After cooling my quick jam, I added a few splashes of rose water and then slathered it in between the layers. So good! And remember, don’t eat the leaves – they are poisonous!

This recipe is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated. It caught my eye because the technique is so different from every cake I’ve ever made. It’s almost like a pâte brisée technique, but it worked! I made the recipe twice following their steps the first time and then refining them on the second go because the cake did not rise the way the picture looked or create the quantity they suggested. Still, it’s a very easy and very tasty white cake with my improvements. There is no whipping egg whites into a meringue, no creaming butter and sugar – it’s easy!

The topping is that ever ethereal seven minute frosting which is quick to whip up (as the name suggests) and fun to spread on. I gave the cake a crumb coat, so as not to over do it with this sweet spread. At least there’s a lot of protein in it.

I’m on the fence about wrapping the cake with rhubarb slices. It looks cool and it’s easy to do, but I also like the crumb coat unfinished look. if you like it then find some long rhubarb stalks and make long shavings using a vegetable peeler. You can brush them with hot simple syrup and stick them in the oven to soften a bit. I suggest removing them before slicing. I did not test how long the slices stay put on the cake, but I would add these more as decoration before presenting the cake.

My Mom hated rhubarb. I don’t know why. I think it had to do with growing up during WWII and being forced to eat rhubarb desserts. It’s the only vegetable (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable not a fruit) I can remember that she would actually cringe and turn a slight shade of green just in mentioning its name. I didn’t have rhubarb until I was much, much older because I was scared of it. But now I love it. I found this quote, which I’ll leave you with because clearly other people feel the same. Do you love rhubarb? I’m curious, let me know!

“Human growth is not like rhubarb. It can be nurtured and encouraged but it cannot be forced!” — Andy Hargreaves

The post Rosey Rhubarb Raspberry Cake first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Zeytoon Parvardeh, comes from Northern Iran and it is sometimes called ‘Caspian Olives’ since its origin (Gilan Province) lies close to the sea. This topping is a magical marinated combo of pitted green olives, pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds, garlic, walnuts, mint, parsley and dill.

It really hits all the right notes: nutty, salty, meaty, fleshy, sweet, tart, sour and herb-a-licious too. Used as a garnish it’s delicious with any fish; Sturgeon being the obvious choice, considering its origin.

I used mint in my recipe but the original herb that it replaces is: chuchagh which is hard to find here in the Bay Area. Traditionally the mint and garlic are chopped and mashed up together and the walnut is grated or pulverized in a cuisinart but I’ve opted for a rough chop here instead. Feel free to make it yours and add a little cilantro too if desired.

I use this garnish to top hummus appetizers also, so keep this little salsa of sorts in your rolodex of interesting and delicious toppings. Or forget about chopping the green olives – and serve it up as an appetizer in its original whole form alongside some frosty martinis.

Roasting a whole salmon side could not be easier and it’s so pretty for a party. Obviously I’m thinking Easter and Passover here, but it’s festive enough for any feed-a-crowd occasion.

Some pointers for roasting whole salmon sides…

Have your fish monger take out the pin bones, or do it yourself by gently pulling out the thin bones with fish tweezers the direction they are pointing – do not pull against the flesh or it will tear. Run your fingers along the flesh to feel the bones.

Also, skin your side and remove all of the grey fat from the underside, this part tends to get a little fishy smelling as it rests, so it’s best to remove before baking.

After skinning and removing the pin bones, I place my salmon side on a parchment lined baking sheet. Use two pieces of parchment overlapping by more than half. This way, when ready to transfer the fish, you can grab the ends of the paper (without it breaking because of the double layer underneath) and quickly move it to the serving platter. Once on the plate, pull the parchment out on either side.

Season the salmon with sea salt, ground cumin and ground sundried lime, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in a slow oven around 325F until medium rare.

Test for doneness by inserting a metal toothpick (I’ve even used a paperclip or the tip of a thin knife), into the thickest part of the flesh and leave it for 10 seconds. Press the metal toothpick tester just to the bottom of your bottom lip (almost underneath it, so as not to burn your lip). It if feels just barely warm – your fish is still on the rare side of medium rare but making progress. If it feels nicely warm, then the fish is medium rare! If it feels a little hotter than warm – you’ve hit medium. If it feels burning hot – your fish is overcooked, take it out immediately!!!! If it feels cold, it’s not cooked at all, stick it back in the oven….

While this salmon dish is delicious on it’s own, I think it’s EVEN BETTER served alongside my Harissa Roasted Carrot dish or at the very least with the Labneh-Tahini-Honey mixture that accompanies it (included below). Without this creamy sauce, I feel the dish is not quite complete, For the perfect bite, make sure you add this creamy counterpoint!

The post Slow Roasted Salmon Side with Pomegranate and Green Olive first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

I grow a myriad of edible of flowers in my garden from nasturtiums and violas to hollyhock and elderberry flower and so many more. My girls love planting flowers and using them in creative ways. We dry rose petals in our dehydrator for party confetti, press flowers to use in crafts and on thank you cards, eat flowers in salads and sweets, and arrange flowers around the house!

To make these pancakes whip up the pancake batter below and pour into a hot greased non-stick pan. Cook mostly through on the first side and place violas and pansies on top. Flip, and cook for a minute on the second side and serve!

I didn’t want to glaze these pancakes with syrup so instead I garnished with a pat of butter, a blizzard of granulated sugar and a squeeze of Meyer lemon overtop. So pretty and so perfect for pansy pancakes…

Back to the pancake recipe… I grew up on Bisquick and I love Bisquick and it’s what I expect when I sit down to a short stack. But I do not like hydrogenated oils and you simply cannot prove to me that Crisco is better than butter and the fat in Bisquick is essentially that – Partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil. Back in the day Bisquick used partially hydrogenated beef fat and lard in case you were wondering, but those days are long gone.

My pie crusts are just as flaky if not more so with butter and they don’t have a greasy aftertaste, my biscuits are light and fluffy with butter and this pancake recipe, that only uses butter, is simply the best tasting I know of and it has the lightest texture. Lighter in fact, than Bisquick.

Years ago when I started googling homemade Bisquick recipes I was shocked at how many people were simply using Crisco as a base. Why? It’s the same thing!?! Why bother? If you’re interested in the argument about Trans Fats, NPR had a really interesting article called the “Skinny on Trans Fat“. But you know, I’m the girl who will literally smear a stick of butter on toast, so of course I’m going to stand up for it regardless!

So what makes my ‘Buttermilk Better than Bisquick’ recipe so good and how do I do it? I freeze a stick of butter overnight and grate half into my dry ingredients. Then I cut the butter in a little further so my crumb is super tiny. I use Bread Flour instead of All-Purpose, although you can use the later with great results. I mix buttermilk, milk, eggs and vanilla together (the wet ingredients) and stir them into my dry ingredients.

It might look slightly lumpy bumby at first but trust me (please trust me!), it melts instantly and rises so high and it’s so flavorful you really don’t even need butter overtop.

Whether or not you’re growing violas or edible flowers, I hope you’ll save my pancake recipe. you can also use the base for biscuits too but I’ll share that recipe in another post!

Happy Pansy Pancake day!

The post Pansy Pancakes first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.