Have you ever heard of purple apricots? No? Me neither until about a week ago when I found some at a local green grocer. I suspect that they are actually a hybrid between apricots and small purple or black plums. They look unique but taste pretty much like apricots. This recipe works just as easily with regular apricots, so don’t let the unique ingredients throw you for a loop. It’s a dessert cake, a coffee cake or a cake for afternoon tea, take your pick. Would also be nice with a bit of custard, ice cream or whipped cream. The almonds and olive oil give it a great, subtle taste addition. When I have made this cake before (once with plums, once with cherries) the fruit stayed more on top, but this time they sunk in a little much. Not as pretty as I would have liked, but still delicious.
fruits-and-berries
Like I said last week already, it’s getting to be strawberry season, but before I go full on into the berries (that will be next week), I was gifted an armful of young tender rhubarb, so I decided to make this jam. It is lovely and tart and not too sweet and very delicious. I know that some people can be allergic to rhubarb (and to ginger too), so be aware that this is pretty much pure rhubarb. Enjoy!
The local strawberry season will soon be here in Eastern Massachusetts — Some of the PYO places are already opening this weekend, though I suspect that it will be at least another 10 days (hopefully even 2 weeks) for my planning purposes, before they are at peak.In the meantime, I found two types of “unique” baking chips — strawberry chips and cream cheese chips, so I invented these Strawberry Cheesecake Chip Oatmeal Cookies. Almost even healthy! Definitely have some strawberry flavor and are small enough for a quick two bite snack.
Breakfast time! This is a little “cake” that I have now made for the second time in a week’s span as it was so popular in the first go around that is was gone straight away. Surprisingly it is very similar to my most of my blueberry muffin recipes, but instead of milk that those recipes use, this “breakfast cake” uses ricotta cheese. It’ very light, super-fluffy and has just the right amount of tartness from the lemon and ricotta. Also, it’s a very easy and forgiving recipe.
(modified from an Ina Garten recipe that can be found here)
Here is something bright and cheerful to lighten up your Monday morning. Over the weekend, I made these Mini-Meyer Lemon Curd Tartlets for dessert. Very tart, very lemony and surprisingly bright in color (presumably from the very yellow egg yolks — maybe the chickens were eating marigolds!), these are actually very easy to make. In a pinch, you can also substitute store bought curd or other fruit jams to pull something together in a hurry. They were delicious!