Cherry on the Cake

I always work weekends. I just prefer them. This week I found myself with Friday off and a late check in on Saturday morning. My friend Ujwala was in town so we decided to have dinner together. I spent the entire day making cherry jam, so dinner had to be relatively easy. I drove to Whole Foods Market and preceded to walk the aisles looking for inspiration. I decided on Little Neck Clams with Pascal's compound butter,  (It's a delicious blend of garlic, ginger, cilantro and parsley). Fresh mozzarella with roasted tomatoes and fresh basil.

Whole Foods had fresh wild caught halibut on special, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it but I thought it would make a nice light entree. The green beans were fresh and a deep green, I bought a pound. Since I 6 pounds of cherries for jam, I saved about 1/2 cup to make Lynn's Easy Yogurt Cake. Lynn at Autour de la Table d'Hote swears you can make a sweet or savory cake with this recipe.

My friend Randy suggested Mama Watt's recipe for halibut, a blend of bread crumbs, parsley, a touch of garlic piled on top of the fish and roasted until done. When Uju walked in she suggested adding lemon zest. Sounded good to me, I then add lemon juice and olive oil. The fish became a community affair.

 We ate a wonderful dinner, drank lovely wine and talked until 11 PM. I wasn't inclined to take photos, I just wanted to relax and enjoy the evening. So these few pathetic snaps will have to suffice.

The weather was perfect for dining al fresco. Even the mosquitoes kept to themselves.

Mama Watt's Halibut and Breadcrumbs

1 cup breadcrumbs

handful parsley chopped

1 clove garlic minced

zest and juice of 2 lemons

a dab of olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix alll the ingredients and mound on top of the fillets. I roasted mine for about 15 minutes on 400 degrees F. Depending on the thickness of your fillets it may take less or more time. You want the fish moist and flaky so remove it from the oven before it has a chance to dry out.

Cherry Yogurt Cake
 

I actually made tartlets with this recipe.
1 cup plain Fage Greek Yogurt
1 cup sugar

2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon Kirsch
1/3 cup butter, melted, or organic safflower oil

1/2 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved

1 2/3 cups self rising flour
Pinch of sea salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
Grease a 9 inch spring form pan.

Beat yogurt and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, continually beating. Blend in almond extract, butter and rum. Add flour and beat on high of 30 seconds to develop the cake's texture. According to Rose Levy Beranbaum, this is a must!
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, until golden and a Cake Tester, inserted in the center, comes out clean. 

Garnish with Almond Whipped Cream

Almond Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Add all ingredients to a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.   

I'll write more about Pascal's terrific and flavorful almond butter and the cherry jam next!

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