Nectarine Cake Squares

After such a rich meal, it was nice to turn our attention to a light, fruity dessert. The cake layer itself is pretty thin, perhaps about an inch and a half in height after it comes out of the oven. (I mention this because I thought it was going to rise more.) Alice had picked out some nice nectarines and peaches to put on top, though I suppose the sugar Trang and Raymond mixed into the slices helped, too. :-) Recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp of salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup plus 3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 medium firm, ripe nectarines (14 to 16 oz), quarted lengthwise and pitted

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsps confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13- by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl. Beat together butter and 1 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla and almond extract. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately in 3 batches, mixing after each addition until just combined. Spread batter in pan, smoothing top.

3. Cut nectarines lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices and toss with lemon juice and remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl. Arrange slices, overlapping slightly, in 4 crosswise rows over batter. Cover surface of cake with a piece of buttered wax paper (paper helps fruit glaze itself) and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Remove paper and bake until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes more.

4. While cake is still warm, dust generously with confectioners sugar, then cool completely on a rack.

Collard Greens with Bacon

Collard greens with bacon - it's a standard side dish in Southern meals; I usually see it as an option with barbeque. I had never seen raw collard greens before, and I was startled by how big each leaf was. However, once the leaves got in the pot, they very quickly cooked down to almost nothing. This was a tasty side dish to complement the rest of Alice's Southern cuisine. Can't go wrong with bacon, right? :)

Ingredients:

4 strips thick-sliced bacon, snipped crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Several dashes of hot sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 lbs. collard greens, stems removed, leaves sliced into 3-inch wide strips

1 cup chicken broth

Instructions:

1. Put bacon pieces into a large pot and cook on medium heat until they just start to brown around the edges. Stir occasionally. Mix in the onions and cook until they're soft and starting to brown.

2. Add the garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 min.

3. Pour in the vinegar, bring to a simmer, and cook until the amount of liquid is reduced by half, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.

4. Stir in the collard greens and the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the greens are completely wilted and have lost their brightness, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional vinegar and hot sauce and serve with a generous ladle of the pan juices from the pot.

Grits with Corn and Vidalia Onion

Comfort food at its best - who knew grits could be so good? I certainly didn't, but then again, I've never had grits before. (Unless you're one of those folks who call grits "polenta" and polenta "grits", in which case, I have had polenta before.) I think this is one of those dishes I'd be perfectly happy eating on its own, but with the andouille sausage and the shrimp, the grits were elevated to another level entirely. The recipe below serves six.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp canola oil

1 onion, preferably Vidalia, grated on a box grater

Scraped kernels from 2-3 ears of corn (about 1 cup)

2 cups milk

2 cups water

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup stone-ground or coarse-ground grits (a.k.a. polenta)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3 ounces)

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Instructions:

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until transparent, about 2 min. Add the corn and continue to stir occasionally, until the kernels become soft, about 5 min.

2. Add the milk, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the grits, decrease the heat to low, and simmer. Whisk occasionally until the grits are creamy and thick, 45 to 60 min. (Actually, when I was making this, it took about 25-30 min.) Stir in the butter, cheese, parsley, and chives. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce

This was wonderfully aromatic, and I'm always a huge fan of andouille sausage. This type of sausage is savory, spicy, and just thinking about it has me salivating. :-) The sausage and the shrimp cooked in the Creole mustard sauce absolutely hit the spot, especially served over the grits we had. The recipe below serves six.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 ½ tbsp Creole or Cajun seasoning

3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 ½ lb andouille sausage, cut crosswise on the diagonal into 3/4 inch-thick pieces

1 ½ large onions, halved, thinly sliced

1 ½ red bell peppers, seeds and ribs discarded, cut into 1/3 inch-wide strips

1 ½ tsp dried thyme

1 ½ cups of low salt chicken broth

½ cup of Creole mustard (such as Zatarain's)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Toss shrimp with Creole seasoning in a bowl to coat.

2. Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add sausage pieces, cut side down. Cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a bowl.

3. Add shrimp to skillet. Cook until browned and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage.

4. Add remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of oil, onion, red pepper, and thyme to skillet. Sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

5. Add broth, mustard, and vinegar. Stir until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

6. Return sausage and shrimp to skillet. Simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.