Sarah Klinkowitz, a colleague of mine who writes a kosher blog called Food, Words & Photos (http://foodwordsphotos.com), posted a piece about some almond and chocolate candy she had made. Then she tweeted about it and I responded saying that I would really really love some. And she tweeted back “I know, you’d think I’d keep a fresh supply on hand at all times..but if I did, I would be in trouble!”
And I know exactly what that means.
Because there are certain foods I never, or almost never buy or cook, and if I do buy or cook them I get rid of them quickly because otherwise I would be in trouble.
Like potato chips and Fannies (butter cookies) and Grand Finale cookies.
Every once in a while I relent and buy a package of Herr’s unsalted, my favorite potato chips. I can say that now the bag lasts a few days, so that’s an improvement.
But recently we had that horrendous hurricane and I had to get rid of most of the stuff in my fridge and freezer and the first thing I did when the power was back on and the kitchen cleaned, was bake. Some Fannies and Grand Finale cookies. And true to form, I have been nibbling ever since.
I think it’s that salty-sweet thing I can’t resist.
Funny though, there are some foods that I love and yet I am satisfied with a taste now and then. Foods that I can keep in the freezer without fear of raiding on a nightly basis. Like Apple Pie and Lemon Buttermilk Cake.
Is it because cookies are small, making them easy to eat straight from the freezer? Or that the other foods I love are satisfying enough so that I don’t need more for a while? Like a great book that comes to an end and it’s okay because the story doesn’t need any more?
I’ll think about that as I sit with the current book I’m reading (In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, by Erik Larson) while snacking on some Lemon Buttermilk Cake.
Lemon Buttermilk Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound butter
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup grated fresh lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Glaze:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
Grease a 10-cup bundt pan, then sprinkle the insides with flour or plain dry bread crumbs. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium, cream the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk. Beat after each addition and scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice and stir into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. Mix the glaze ingredients and brush some onto the surface of the cake (it will become the bottom) while it is cooling in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cake rack. Brush the remaining glaze over all the remaining surface area of the cake. Let cool and serve. Makes 16 servings