Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Since the 1920’s pineapple upside down cake has been a summer favorite, as pineapple is the sweetest when harvested late summer after months of warm weather. After having tried many recipes, I decided to take the best of the best and come up with my own. Using fresh pineapple will guarantee the tastiest result. This cake is light and a bit spongy to soak up the syrup and rum. The cardamom complements the sweetness with just a hint of an earthy, exotic tang. Try as many as 3 teaspoons if you like it!

For topping
½ to ¾ fresh pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored
¾ stick unsalted butter (6 Tablespoons)

¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar

For cake
1 ½ Teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ Tablespoon dark rum

¾ cup coconut milk or regular milk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 to 2 Teaspoons ground cardamom

½ to 1 Teaspoon cinnamon – optional
2 Teaspoons baking powder
¼ Teaspoon salt

¾ stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake – optional

Special equipment: a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make topping:
Slice pineapple crosswise into ¼ to 3/8-inch-thick pieces and set aside. Melt butter in skillet. Add granulated and brown sugars and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Arrange as many pineapple slices on top of sugar mixture as possible overlapping pieces and filling in gaps. You can also place pecans in the gaps.

Make batter:
Blend together coconut milk, rum and vanilla and set aside. Sift together flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt, setting aside. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Beat on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a third of flour mixture alternately with a third of the milk/rum mix into the butter and egg while beating on low speed just until all blended.

Spread batter evenly over pineapple topping in the skillet. Bake cake until the center springs back and a tester comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool on wire rack in skillet for 10 - 15 minutes. Tap the pan on a work surface to loosen the topping. Invert skillet over a cake plate keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together. Lift off the pan and replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool for 30 minutes before serving. Best served slightly warm or at room temperature.

Fiesta Salad

Tantalizing and vibrant, this salad will refresh and nourish everyone on a hot summer’s day. Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:
1 can whole corn, rinsed or 1 ½ cup fresh corn
1 cup black beans, rinsed well (more if you like!)
4 green onions, diced
1 jalapeno or sarreno pepper, minced
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1 orange or red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
½ Teaspoon garlic salt
1 ½ Tablespoon pimentos (opt)
¼ Teaspoon red pepper flakes (opt)

Rinse beans and corn well, and toss in a large bowl with all the remaining ingredients!

Spicy Sausage & Shrimp File' Gumbo

Cajun and Creole chefs use file' powder , (pronounced fee-lay) made from the dried leaves of the sassafrass tree, or okra to thicken the gumbo. We like to use Zatarain's file' powder, found in the spice or seafood seasoning section of most large grocers.

Amazon shoppers can find Tony Chachere's Creole Gumbo File' (powder) - 1.25 oz

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive, grapeseed, canola OR peanut oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 bell peppers
2 jalepeno, serano or 1 habanero pepper(s)
2 celery stalks with leaves
4 green onions
3 garlic cloves
6 cups chicken broth
1 35oz can whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsly or cilantro
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper
1 1/4 lbs Italian sausage, or fresh chorizo sausage cut in 1" pieces
1 generous Tablespoon file' powder
1 lb medium size uncooked fresh or frozen shrimp, deveined
Chopped green onions for garnish
Steamed rice

The trickiest part is making the roux. Heat oil in large 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven on medium, then sprinkle and whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for 4 to 5 minutes until roux turns a light brown. It burns easily so you may want to adjust the heat if oil appears too hot.
Turn the heat a little lower and add all the vegetables except garlic, cover and let steam for 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Stir occasionally and add a bit of broth if vegetables are sticking to the bottom. Blend in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the herbs and spices; parsley, bay leaves, paprika, thyme, oregano and pepper. Add tomatoes with their juice breaking them apart into small chunks. Bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer for 1 hour.
While you're waiting, prepare sausage until browned, drain and put aside. Devein shrimp, then sit back and enjoy the savory scent. Have an ice cold beer, and listen to Dr. John's album, N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda while your waiting!


Time's Up! Add the sausage! If you are including shrimp, bring gumbo to boiling, add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Remove gumbo from heat, then add a heaping tablespoon of file' powder. Serve over steamed rice. Make extra rice - you'll love the leftovers!

Berry Traumatized

Island bound that I am, this summer I have been berry, berry deprived. Literally, without berries. The pain, the pain... Then, what to my wondering eyes should appear? The Pioneer Woman's Berry debate complete with 2 recipes and fantastic photographs followed by my berry own daughter's Blackberry Crisp recipe with photographs so good your taste buds twitch. Women can be so cruel . Not to be outdone, my mainland shopping trip to Costco provided my salvation. A 5 lb bag of mixed berries! Yes, they're frozen, but the fact that they're organic takes some of the pain away. It wasn't until after I got to my car that I realized the berries would have to survive 4 more hours in the car, a taxi ride to the ferry, the hour and a half channel crossing, and the final 1/2 mile trek to my freezer. With the survival instinct of a lioness protecting her cubs from prey, I unrelentingly searched for a grocer selling dry ice. Aahhh, Albertson's! The berries and I made it safely home and when I took the first bite of my very own batch of berry crisp, I felt vindicated at last. They can have their photographs - I still have 4 more pounds of berries!

Tomato & Cucumber Salad with a Kick

With a vinaigrette so good you want to drink it, this fresh and light salad with a touch of cumin brings out the best of your summer tomatoes and cucumbers.

The Veggies
2+ lb fresh tomatoes, diced small to make about 2 cups
½ + lb seedless cucumber diced to fill just over 1 cup (or regular cucumber with seeds cut out)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1/8 cup finely chopped shallots or green onions

The Dressing
3 Tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice – about 1 lemon’s worth

1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
½ Tablespoon sugar
½ Teaspoon seasalt

½ to 1 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 Teaspoon coarsely ground or fresh ground black pepper

Cut tomatoes and clean out seeds before dicing. Dice cucumber, shallots, and parsley and add with tomatoes into a 2 quart serving or storage bowl.

In separate small bowl, blend with whisk, hand or beater the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, cumin, and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over vegetables and stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Lemony Lemon Meringue Pie

The secret to this melt in your mouth pie is the foolproof method for preparing the meringue. But first things first! If you are lucky enough to tolerate dairy products, use butter for the crust and filling.



Prepare and bake a 9 inch pie shell. A basic pie crust recipe works well with a ratio of ½ shortening like butter flavored Crisco, and ½ non-dairy margarine such as Earth Balance.

Step 2: The Filling can be prepared in the microwave. It helps to have all the ingredients lined up and ready to go. These are stovetop directions:
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbl. cornstarch
1 ½ cups water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten – save whites for the meringue!
3 Tbls. non-dairy margarine
2 Teasp. lemon zest or grated lemon peel
½ cup lemon juice ~ 2 fresh lemons

Directions:
Mix sugar and cornstarch together well in a medium size, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add water gradually while stirring. Over medium heat, stir constantly, until filling thickens and boils. It will turn from cloudy to clear. Only boil for 1 minute!
Next add eggs. Quickly stir the filling while slowly pouring in the egg yolks to prevent them from clumping. Continue to boil for only one more minute, then remove from heat.
Stir in margarine, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until margarine is melted and all is blended. Pour into pie shell.

Step 3: Easy Meringue
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
½ Teasp. Vanilla
1/8 Teasp. Salt
½ Teasp lemon zest (opt)

Directions:
Mix egg whites with sugar in a clean dry bowl and place the bowl in a bigger pan of hot water. The trick is to continue to stir until the whites feel warm and sugar begins to dissolve. Remove bowl from the hot water bath and add salt, lemon zest and vanilla. Beat meringue until stiff and shiny. Spread the pie filling with the meringue being sure to touch all edges of the crust to keep it from shrinking. Put the pie in the oven on one of the upper middle racks with the broiler on. Keep constant watch until meringue peaks brown a little. Depending on rack height and type of broiler, this could only take a minute or two!

Now just as the anticipation is all built up, you'll still have to continue to wait for at least an hour while the pie cools and the filling firms up. You won't be disappointed!

Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce

This recipe tastes like summer. It can be simply tossed with your favorite pasta, or add chicken, shrimp, or Italian sausages (our favorite).



3 Lbs tomatoes
1/2 Cup chopped fresh basil
2 Small garlic cloves, finely minced and slightly smashed
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Basalmic vinegar
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon sugar (optional)
1/2 Teaspoon black pepper

Heat a large pot to boiling. Add 1.5 lbs of the tomatoes for 20-30 seconds, then drain into ice water. This makes the skins slip off without cooking the tomatoes.
Once skins are removed, chop, remove most seeds and toss into large bowl. Cut remaining tomatoes in half. With a large hole grater placed over the bowl of tomatoes, run the tomatoes over the grates in a way that leaves only the skins behind. Throw the skins in your compost!
Add garlic, lemon juice, basalmic vinegar salt, sugar (if using), and pepper. If not using Basalmic vinegar, add another 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
You're done!
Wait at least 15 minutes before serving. The sauce can be kept at room temperature for a few hours, and refrigerated for 2-3 days.

Serves 4-6

CHICKEN MARSALA

1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz) reduced to 3/4 cup
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, or Earth Balance Margarine
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 Tablesoon finely chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon Kosher sea salt
1/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream or Evaporated Goat Milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

To reduce broth, bring to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Saute shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner, then transfer to oven, arranging in 1 layer.

Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 teaspoon sage.

Serve chicken with sauce.

Makes 4 servings.

A Fish in Hand

It isn't every day that your neighbor hands you freshly caught yellowtail.As if that isn't amazing enough, he had already cleaned and fileted the succulent fish. Immediately I searched http://www.epicurious.com/ for a recipe that would honor the catch. MACADAMIA-CRUSTED YELLOWTAIL WITH MANGO-PAPAYA SALSA
was perfect served with coconut lemon rice and fresh spring salad greens mixed with bartlet pear, sheep feta, and a light thyme dressing. We thanked our benefactor by presenting him with a generous serving. As a result, we worked out a win-win relationship. He'll catch the fish and I'll cook them!