Recipes

 

 

Tim Boyd’s Mediterranean Cod Soup

My friend Tim Boyd is an amazing cook who inspired his son Adam to become a chef. (And yes, Adam Boyd is the inspiration for Chef Adam, though he’s much more pleasant and handsome and less churlish than the character in this book.) Tim says this is a good meal for entertaining, either as a first course or main. He makes the soup ahead and then poaches the cod in the soup at the last minute. It’s even better with a toasted baguette crouton on the side. Hayley had the chunky basil sauce made up ahead of time and frozen, which made her dish a snap to prepare for Lorenzo and Miss Gloria.

Chunky Basil Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large shallot, chopped

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon each: dried oregano, dried basil, garlic, and salt

1 (35 oz.) can Italian whole tomatoes

Heat oil and sauté shallots, onions, and spices. Pour off about 1 cup of the liquid from the tomatoes and set aside. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and add to the oil/spice mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 35 minutes or so. If sauce gets too thick, add a little of the reserved tomato liquid.

Soup

1 Recipe Chunky Basil Sauce

1 can (35 oz.) crushed or diced tomatoes

1 cup chopped onions

2 green zucchini cut into ¹⁄₂-inch dice

¹⁄₄ cup sliced black olives

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon—or less (taste this first—it can be strong)

²⁄₃ cup white wine

²⁄₃ cup chicken stock

1 cup water (optional)

1¹⁄₂ pounds fresh cod cut into 2-inch chunks

Add the crushed tomatoes to the Chunky Basil Sauce along with the onions, zucchini, olives, wine, and stock. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is soft. Add water to the desired thickness. At this point the soup can sit overnight (and the flavors usually improve) or longer, if chilled.

To serve:

Heat the soup to serving temperature and add the cod chunks. The cod will cook quickly so test every few minutes. When the cod is done, remove the chunks with a slotted spoon and place in the serving bowls. Ladle soup over the fish and top with a toasted baguette crouton.

Lime Cupcakes with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Henri Stentzel made these for the wedding challenge portion of the reality TV competition. This was adapted from a Buttersweet Bakery recipe in Bon Appetit but Hayley tweaked it to be less sweet, with fewer ingredients, and no food coloring. They are so light and delicious and they freeze beautifully! (As I found out when I had the date wrong for a potluck party and arrived two weeks early….)

Cupcakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt

¹⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2¹⁄₂ tablespoons fresh lime juice (2 to 3 limes, depending on size)^*

1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel

³⁄₄ cup buttermilk

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a cupcake or muffin pan with paper liners. Sift first four ingredients together in a medium bowl. In another large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the lime juice and lime peel. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately to the butter/sugar/egg mixture in three stages. Divide the batter between twelve cupcake liners. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took 22 minutes—check with a toothpick to see if they are done. And don’t overcook or they will come out dry!) Cool ten minutes and then remove from the pan and cool completely.

Icing

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel (zest of about 2 limes, depending on size)

¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla

Beat all the ingredients together until soft. Then frost the cupcakes—this is a very generous helping of rich icing. If you like less frosting, you can reduce the amount of cream cheese and butter, or freeze the excess for another use. Refrigerate the frosted cupcakes if not serving immediately, but then serve at room temperature.

Lucy Burdette’s Go-Anywhere Granola

Ingredients

4 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup broken pecan pieces

³⁄₄ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

¹⁄₄ cup, plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

¹⁄₄ cup, plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup (use the real stuff!)

¹⁄₄ cup vegetable oil (I use canola)

³⁄₄ teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cherries (or raisins if you like them better)

Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Mix oats, almonds, pecans, sugar, and coconut in a bowl. Combine syrup, oil and salt, and then mix into the grains and nuts. Now comes the only time-consuming part: spread the uncooked granola on baking trays. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stopping every 15 minutes to stir the mixture so it browns evenly. Cool and add cherries or raisins. Store in an airtight container, but don’t expect it to last very long. It also freezes well. Serve with milk or yogurt.

Lucy Burdette’s One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

When it came time to pick a pen name for my new Key West food critic series, I didn’t hesitate. I chose my maternal grandmother’s name, Lucille Burdette, aka Lucy. I don’t know if she was ever called Lucy, as she died when I was only five or six. But I do have a few oil paintings that she did and a few memories of her as a sweet, warm grandmother.

I imagine that she might have been a good cook, as my mother and both of her sisters loved to get together for dinners and holiday meals. And recently, when sorting madly through my messy (ulp!) drawer of recipes, I found a recipe for chocolate cake from Nana, aka Lucille Burdette. I tried the cake out on two confirmed chocoholics. They both had seconds.

¹⁄₂ cup Crisco (I am not a fan, so I use a stick of butter)

1 cup sugar

¹⁄₂ cup Hershey’s cocoa

1 egg

¹⁄₂ cup sour milk (or sweet, with 1 tablespooon vinegar added)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1¹⁄₂ cups all-purpose flour

¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

¹⁄₂ cup boiling water

My grandmother’s instructions were as follows: Put all ingredients into bowl and mix. Bake as usual.

Here’s my interpretation: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Beat softened butter and sugar until well combined. Add the other ingredients one at a time, mixing after each. Grease a bundt pan, add the batter, and bake for about 30 minutes until cake springs back when touched. Cool for ten minutes and then invert onto a cake plate.

Sift powdered sugar over the top when completely cool and serve with ice cream!

 

^*Note about squeezing limes or lemons: Did you know that the jaw is one of the strongest parts of the body? If you are willing to taste the tartness of the lime and lemon skins, the most effective way to squeeze juice out of a fruit is to cut it in half and chomp down—juice will release into bowl.