Olive Oil Lemon Cake

Made this for breakfast this Friday, marking 5 weeks of shelter-at-home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We got a great deal on prime aged rib-eyes and cocktails from a high end steak house selling the raw steak for about half the restaurant price, which includes curbside pick-up!

The cake itself is less sweet, where the olive oil is truly the forward flavor. I tossed in a few blueberries at the end which, of course sank to the bottom despite tossing them in flour ahead of time. I think that the bake time is too long, so they all eventually settle on the bottom. Not too much of a problem though. The extra sprinkling of sugar before baking really lent to a crisp, almost crackling top. I tried adding lemon zest on top along with the sugar, but it became bitter during baking. I would consider carefully adding thyme and subbing orange for lemon to give it a more sophisticated twist.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling
• 2 cups cake flour
• ⅓ cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Handful of fresh blueberries (optional)

1. Combine the cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside
2. With a hand mixer of stand mixer with a whip attachment, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thickened until the mix forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Slowly stream the olive oil into the egg mixture to make an even thicker batter.
4. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the vanilla and lemon juice. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in the blueberries
6. Pour into a greased and lined 9-inch Springform pan. Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Continue to bake for a total of 40 minutes.

Catherine’s Sweet Potato and Coconut Haupia Pie

Shortbread Crust

• 6 TBSP unsalted butter
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup roasted macadamias or coconut
• pinch of salt if nuts are unsalted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together all the ingredients in a food processor. Press into a 8X8 baking pan. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden at the edges.

Potato Filling

• 1 1/2 cups Okinawan purple sweet potatoes, roasted and mashed
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 6-ounces can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
2. Raise the oven temperature to 400ºF. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 325ºF and bake another 30 minutes until the center is set.
3. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, make the coconut topping

Haupia topping

• 2 TBSP granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP cornstarch + 1/3 cup water
• pinch salt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon light rum (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• lightly toasted shredded unsweetened coconut and/or toasted, crushed macadamia nuts to garnish

• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine all ingredients except for garnish, and whisk together thoroughly to eliminate all lumps. Place over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring to an almost-boil then lower to a simmer. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture thickens, 6-8 minutes. Add water to reach desired consistency. Add sugar to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool just until it is no longer hot.
• Pour the haupia over the cooled pie and spread evenly to cover. Refrigerate until the pudding firms up, at least 3 hours or ideally overnight.
• Garnish with toasted coconut flakes or chopped, toasted macadamia nuts. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Rosemary Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Glaze served with Minted Pea Risotto

Season 8 lamb chops with salt and pepper, the add to marinade of chopped rosemary, orange zest, olive oil, garlic. Grill to preferred doneness.

To make the lamb glaze: Reduce pomegranate juice, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar with rosemary sprig. Add whole grain mustard, pepper, salt once the sauce reduce by about half.

For the risotto: Steep lots of fresh mint leaves (dried thoroughly) in warmed mild oil. Saute onions (without bringing color to the onions), then add rice. Toast for a bit the add stock to rice, stirring occasionally. Once about halfway done, add a big sprig of mint into the pan. Right before the rice is done, add pea puree. Serve and spoon mint oil over rice. Variations: use chopped mint instead of making the oil. May add Parmesan for richness.