carrot cake

We celebrated a birthday in the house recently and the chosen cake was carrot. I was pleased with this choice because I've been craving carrot cake for months now but the husband doesn't like it. When there's only two of you in the house you have to make sure that both of you are going to enjoy it - otherwise there's an unequal gaining of weight and that's just not fair. Sadly, that isn't an issue anymore.

I adapted Alton Brown's carrot cake recipe and it turned out fabulously. The cake itself is very dense and I really like that it wasn't too sweet. I upped the spices and switched vanilla bean for the extract in the icing recipe - both great decisions.

The recipe makes just enough for one 9 inch round cake and the right amount of icing to cover it. If you want to do a two-layer cake I'd suggest doubling both recipes.

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Grapefruit Panna Cotta with Candied Kumquats

It almost seems counterintuitive that such a lively crop as citrus would ripen in the cold, dreary winter months. Perhaps it's nature's way of preventing us from all going stir crazy as the blustery cold batters us into a wintry depression - give us just enough sunshine to keep us all happy.

Of those citrus currently available, grapefruit is by far my favorite; something about the play of sweet, sour, and bitter that tantalizes the taste buds.

I first had a grapefruit panna cotta at Passionfish and have since entertained recreating it at home. The flavor infuses perfectly into the rich cream and counters it sufficiently - a satisfying dessert that doesn't weigh too heavily on the stomach after a rich meal. That one was topped with a vanilla citrus sauce, citrus segments, and candied kumquat peels, while I decided to stick with only candied kumquat slices.

Kumquats are another intriguing citrus that defy the stereotype of the typical fruit. Whereas most citrus have sweet flesh and bitter peel and pith, kumquats have pucker-worthy flesh and sugary-sweet peels. Delightful to just pop in the mouth as a sweet-tart treat, they're equally fun to candy and use as a garnish on a variety of dishes.

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Fried Green Tomatoes with Spicy Bacon Dip

It's not very often that I get to check out my food while it's still on the vine. Being able to do so was pretty cool. Of course, I imagine there could be better ways to appreciate a sexy tomato still on the vine than deciding to batter it and pan fry it in bacon grease - but why bother?

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