I’ve never been to Baltimore, so I can’t comment on the
current state of affairs, but what I can tell you is that this easy to make,
yeast-based “cake” really is amazing, and would have been even more so with a
few minor tweaks. I was afraid of it coming out too dry, so I went with a very
wet dough, and also didn’t bake it quite as long as I could have, but these are
easy fixes, and my next one should be spot on.
As you saw, I did test with toothpick, as you should, but I
made the mistake of sticking it between the peaches and not underneath one. If
I had, I would’ve popped it back in for a few more minutes, and it would have
been fine. Also, I’ve heard a thinner cake would have also helped the situation,
which simply means using a larger baking dish. I went with a 9 x 12, so if you
have the more standard 9 x 13, that should work out even better.
They say this recipe was brought to Baltimore by German
immigrants, who apparently used to top it with caramelized onions, which on one
hand seems like it would work, and yet on the other hand, doesn’t at all.
Anyway, maybe one of our more adventurous viewers will give that a whirl, but
regardless, I really do hope you give this unique Baltimore Peach Cake a try
soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for one 9 x 13 pan:
3 or 4 sweet, ripe peaches
1/3 cup sugar
1 package dry active yeast
1 1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter, for the dough
1 large beaten egg
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon fine salt)
about 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons butter to grease baking dish, and to drizzle
the top
2 tablespoons demerara sugar, or any sugar for the top
For the glaze:
1/3 cup peach or apricot preserves or jam, heated up with a
splash of water to glaze the top
Don’t make this fortune cookie recipe because it produces a
deliciously light, crispy sugar cookie. Make it because you get to fill them
with whatever funny, profound, prophetic, and/or ridiculous message you want.
Whether it’s sharing a positive prophecy with a friend, proposing marriage, or
passive-aggressively letting your roommate know they need to do their dishes,
there is nothing quite like a fortune cookie to do the job.
I’m not particularly great at shaping these, but if you can just
somehow get them close, once they’re piled on a plate, or in a bowl, they’ll
look just fine. The more important thing is making sure you cook them enough;
otherwise they won’t be crispy when cooled. The entire cookie should be crispy,
so do a few tests, and make sure they’re right. I usually shoot for about
a 50-75% brown to golden ratio on the surface.
Wearing gloves when shaping might not be a bad idea, but I
guess that depends on how tough your fingertips are. What I’m trying to say is
that if you burn yourself, our lawyers will not return your calls. Anyway, let’s
hope it doesn’t come to that, and you have a relatively painless experience
making these fortune cookies very soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 10-12 Fortune Cookies:
1 large egg white
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour, plus more if needed
- Bake at 350 F. for about 10 minutes, or until browned.
Buttermilk is a very popular marinade for fried chicken, but
for whatever reason, it isn’t often used with other chicken cooking methods.
Which is kind of surprising, especially when you taste just how effective it is
for something like this beautiful barbecued chicken.
Adding to the mystery is the fact that yogurt, a very
similar product, is quite popular in grilled chicken marinades. So, what do
people have against buttermilk? I remember my mother-in-law, Peggy, mentioning
one time that she hesitates to make recipes that call for it, since she never
knows what to do with the leftovers.
I guess people are used to having yogurt around, but
apparently they find the thought of a half carton of buttermilk in the fridge a
little disconcerting. I have two words for those people…buttermilk biscuits. Also,
buttermilk pie. Of course, you could just make a double recipe, and use it all,
but the point is, don’t be afraid.
Regardless of whether you’re going to have some leftover, or
how you’re going to use it, if you’re looking for an easy, and delicious
change-of-pace to the typical barbecue chicken recipes, then I really do hope you
give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 portions:
1 whole chicken (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.), cut in half as
shown
I received a food wish for roast beef recently, which can be
done with many different cuts, but I ended up deciding on the always amazing
beef tri tip, since it’s affordable, flavorful, and using this low-temp roasting
technique, nearly fool-proof. Above and beyond the great results, this is also
one of the easiest approaches out there.
No marinating, no searing, no nothing; just rub on some salt
and spices, and pop it into the oven until it reaches the doneness you want. Of
course, you can sear it before roasting, or do a reverse-sear afterward, but
even without those optional steps, you’re going to be enjoying a lovely plate
of roast beef.
Since we’re using such a low temperature, there isn’t going
to be much carry-over heat, so be sure that you reach your target temperature
before pulling it out. I went with 128 F., thinking it would climb up to
135-ish, but it never went over 130. That worked for me, since I love
medium-rare meat, but if you want something a little more done, maybe pull at
135. Either way, be sure to wrap it, and let it rest for 20 minutes before
cutting into some of the juiciest beef you’ve ever had.
This is one of those “professional” cuts of beef that are popular
in restaurants, and barbecue joints, but not so much for the home cook. It
might be a regional thing, as they are a little more common in California, but
I really just think it’s a matter of folks not knowing what a great, and easy
cut of beef this is. So, with apologies to all the people that wanted to keep
this a secret, I’ll close by saying I really do hope you give this a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 generous servings:
2 1/2 to 3 pound beef tri tip
For the rub:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon freshly minced fresh rosemary
- Optional ingredient suggestion: 1/2 cup beef or chicken
broth to mix into the salty, but delicious pan drippings.
- Roast at 225 F. for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it
reaches 130 F. for medium-rare.
