Savory Ham & Cheese Bread for a Late Summer Lunch

What's Going on Today: Reminiscing about vacation in Cooperstown earlier this month. Organizing daughter's fall wardrobe!
Naptime Goals: Start ironing labels into daughter's clothes. Bake loaf of Savory Ham & Cheese Bread.
Tonight's Menu: Savory Ham & Cheese Bread, Caprese Salad, White Wine.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: The fashion philosophy of a toddler: "More is more."

Leave it to my Mom to introduce me to a new bread that I want to make, and eat, every single day for the rest of my life. As some of you might know, my mother is a total Francophile. She even went so far as to ask my daughter to call her Grandmere. It didn't work - my daughter calls her something that might resemble an abbreviation - but she got her point across. There is no French lineage in the entire history of our family, but that doesn't mean we can't pretend.

Of course, the best way to pretend to be French is by eating the food. According to my Mom this savory ham and cheese bread would be the centerpiece of a French country lunch. A fresh loaf paired with a platter of fresh tomatoes and pitchers of citron presse, this would comprise a wonderfully simple summer meal. I don't know if this is true or not, I've never stayed in France for more than five days at a time, but I'll take her word for it. It certainly worked for me when we had lunch in Cooperstown.

Not only is this bread easy to bake during naptime, it really does make up the perfect snack or light summer meal. I love it's dense chewy cheesiness studded with salty ham. I found that toasting it made it taste similar to a gourmet slice of grilled cheese. It's pebbly texture is also very appealing, giving it a rustic quality befitting the style in which it should be enjoyed. I've seen breads similar to this in baskets at fancy restaurants, but I think I'll think with eating it the French way. On the back porch, for lunch, with Mom.

Savory Ham & Cheese Bread
 adapted from The New York Times
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
3 large eggs
1/3 c. whole milk
1/3 c. olive oil
6 oz. baked ham, cut into 1/4" cubes
6 oz. Gruyere, coarsely grated

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter a loaf pan generously with butter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour with baking powder, salt and pepper.
3. In a medium bowl lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk and olive oil.
4. With a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just mixed. Fold in ham and cheese.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a cake test comes out with a few crumbs attached.
6. Cool loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, turn it onto the rack and cool completely.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Serving Ideas: This bread tastes best when served warm. I am always able to give my daughter a slice to try after she wakes up from her nap. It also keeps well in the fridge when wrapped tightly.
Naptime Stopwatch: Making the batter takes about 20 minutes. Baking time is 40-50 minutes.
Naptime Reviews: This is a hit with adults and children. My daughter still seems to pick the ham out of the bread sometimes, claiming she doesn't like it, but eats it on other occasions. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Babble Weekly Round-up

It's back-to-school week on Babble! Don't forget to stop by and check out all of the great posts on packing nutritious meals for your kids!

1. Cooking, for Parents: 5 Ways to Be a School Day Chef. 

2. GORP: The Classic Snack Packs a Nutritional Punch.

3. Webisode Wednesday: Tamra Davis Cooking Show Lunch Episode.

4. 5 Tips for Packing Healthy Lunchbox Beverages.

5. Tilapia Fish Sandwich for Labor Day.

The Ultimate Watermelon Margaritas for a Vineyard Cookout: Webisode #38

What's Going on Today: Trip to the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Fair, lunch on the dock.

Naptime Goals: Put chicken in bbq sauce to marinate, make peach crumble, make Watermelon Margheritas.

Tonight's Menu: Home Guacamole, Cheese & Fruit, BBQ Chicken, Cous-Cous Salad, Green Salad, Watermelon Margaritas, Peach Crumble.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: The more kids the merrier.

One of the best part's about being on Martha's Vineyard for us is catching up with friends. We chose this week especially to come out and visit because we knew our friends would be here as well. Early in the week we took an awesome boat trip with our friend Phoebe from Big Girls, Small Kitchen, (more on that soon!), and the next night our friends Adam and Kate came over with their two boys for a BBQ.

Since it's summer vacation and we're all in a relaxed mindset we put together a fun, easy menu for everyone. During naptime we put the chicken in to marinate, made the peach crisp and whipped up a pitcher of these awesome margheritas. My friend Char gave me this recipe and I knew there was no better time to give it a try. Sweet and tasty, they are the perfect refreshment for an evening in the yard with the kids.

Char's Watermelon Margaritas

2 c. cubed watermelon

1 c. tequila

1/2 c. lime juice

1/2 c. triple sec (or 1/4 c. triple sec, 1/4 c. Cointreau)

1/4 c. confectioners' sugar

3 c. crushed ice

1. Puree watermelon until liquid. Strain liquid to remove extra pulp and seeds.

2. Add juice, tequila, lime juice, triple sec, sugar and ice. Mix well. Add sugar. Mix again. Serve.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Ideas: This method would work well with other kinds of fruit like strawberries or peaches.

Naptime Stopwatch: Making these takes approximately 5 minutes, the put them in the fridge until you are ready to drink them!

Naptime Reviews: This was a huge hit with the adults, the children stuck with basic watermelon pieces, which suited them just fine.

The Only Plum Torte Recipe I'll Ever Need

 What's Going on Today: Morning trip to the local market, pick up dry cleaning, romp at playground on the beach.

Naptime Goals: Accounting, finish Babble column, bake Plum Torte

Tonight's Menu: Artichoke-Rosemary Pizza, Plum Torte, Glass of Albarino

Parenting Lesson of the Day: What's worse: finger paint or marker?

I've been making this Plum Torte all month and it's finally time I told you about it. At first I wasn't going to because it is so simple. So incredibly simple that it almost didn't seem unique enough to write about. But then, after searching through my cookbooks for other plum torte recipes, I realized that it's simplicity doesn't indicate laziness of the baker, it is, in fact, the true beauty of the recipe.

Generally speaking, summer fruit desserts are at their best if the baker uses a light touch. When fruits are in season their flavors are so incredibly delicious that it's almost criminal to augment them too much with batters and heat. Instead, as with this torte, it's best when the fruit's flavor is enhanced by an easy, light batter and baked only until just softened. In this recipe the light batter is dotted with so many plums that you almost can't see the actual batter. While it bakes the fruit slowly sinks into the cake, creating little wells of plum juice on top. Each bite brings a mouthful of sweet, juicy baked plum with a hint of cinnamon and soft vanilla crumb. It's just the right amount of cake to offset the intense fruit flavor, like a little cushion for the plums to fall back on.

Baking this is quite easy during my daughter's afternoon naptime. As I noted, I've made this on a weekly basis all month. When I was in Cooperstown I sliced the torte in two and took some over to Geri. This week I took some to a neighbor on a whim. I plan on making it again next week, too. As my research showed, there really are dozens more torte recipes I have on hand that I should/could try, but I think I'll stick to this one for now.

Plum Torte

adapted from The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook by Marian Burros

1 stick (8 T.) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

1 t. baking powder

2 eggs

Pinch of Kosher salt

12 Plums, pitted and cut in half (Italian or purple plums are best)

Topping:

1 t. cinnamon

2 T. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 9 or 10" springform pan and set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs and salt and mix on low speed. Once flour is incorporated increase speed to medium and mix well.

3. Spoon the batter into the baking pan. Arrange the plum halves skin side down in the batter. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the top of the plums.

4. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until cake test inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from pan and serving.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Serving Ideas: When serving this the simpler the better. I like to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or a heft dose of whipped cream.

Naptime Stopwatch: The batter takes about 10 minutes to pull together.

Naptime Reviews: My daughter loved the baked plums more than I expected. Baking them intensifies their flavor and sweetens them up which I think got her hooked.

Babble Weekly Round-up

This week we celebrated summer tomatoes on Babble and I rounded out my summer fruit baking with some Spiced Peach Muffins!

1. Kitchen Reading: My Top 5 August Cookbooks for Food Lovers: A list of five books I'm reading this August.

2. Johnnycakes for Dinner: Exploring my new favorite breakfast-for-dinner dish, Johnnycakes.

3. Baked Tomatoes with Parmesan & Herbs for Webisode Wednesday: Remember these beauties? They deserved another look.

4. Spiced Peach Muffins: The muffins I used to bribe my neighbor to babysit our fish while we were on vacations!

5. The Simple Pleasure of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes: Perhaps the easiest tomato recipe of all time, and the most delicious.

Eggplant & Goat Cheese Bake for Summer: Webisode #37

What Going on Today: Trip to favorite Farmer's Market in Connecticut, pizza lunch at the market, ask neighbor to babysit our fish next week while we are on vacation.

Naptime Goals: Prepare Eggplant & Goat Cheese bake for dinner, finish up some blog posts, packing (again).

Tonight's Menu: Eggplant & Goat Cheese Bake with country bread, panko chicken tenders, banana bread.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: Your child's growth rate will always exceed your expectations. Be prepared to buy new clothes/shoes every 6 months. Or more.

During our brief vacation interlude in Connecticut I've been catching up on house chores and farmer's markets visits. I've also been reviewing our upcoming preschool calendar (I can't believe we'll be on a school schedule soon!) and taking baby steps towards ordering my daughter some much needed fall clothes. It's been so hot this summer all she has been wearing is sundresses, but I know she'll be wearing her jeans before we know it. (Weep.) I better get her a pair that fit!

The impending move toward fall has left me scrambling to cling to any last signs of summer. The farmer's market is overflowing with produce and my daughter's afternoon naps are still long, so I am going to cook up my fresh vegetables as often as possible. Come January I'll be mourning these afternoons so very much - not the cooking part, I still be doing that - but the fresh, local vegetables will be long gone.

This week I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous eggplant at the market. Their deep aubergine is so alluring, like exotic jewels piled high in a bin, I can never pick up just one. Being that is too hot for Eggplant Parmesan I decided that do a simple eggplant bake instead. My friend Mary gave me the idea for this method earlier this summer. I made up my own recipe based on her description and have been making it with great gusto ever since. Thinly sliced eggplant is drizzled with olive oil, chopped herbs, goat cheese and tomatoes, then roasted at a high temperature and served hot for dinner. It's kind of like a ratatouille, only the vegetables remain separate instead of melting into a soft mush. I like to serve it with a little rice or pasta, but it can even be eaten straight out of the pan it's so good.

As you'll see, I prepared this during naptime the other day and popped it in the oven right before dinner. The roasting took little to no time at all. It was a perfect way to savor a few more bites of summer. How I never want to see it end!

Eggplant & Goat Cheese Bake

5-6 thin eggplants, sliced into 1/4" thick sliceds

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 - 1 1/2 c. medium sized tomatoes, chopped into 1" cubes

4 oz. goat cheese

1/3 c. basil, roughly chopped

Kosher Salt

1/2 c. olive oil (or more) for drizzling

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. 

2. In a 13x9 baking dish layer the sliced eggplants, overlapping if necessary. Drizzle a little of the olive oil over the eggplants and gently toss them to coat. Scatter the garlic over the eggplant. Then scatter the tomatoes evenly over the eggplant.

3. Crumble the goat cheese with a knife or your fingers and scatter it over the tomatoes.  Then scatter the basil on top.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened and the cheese is slightly melted. Serve hot.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Variations & Ideas: In this I use plain goat cheese, but herbed goat cheese would be just as delicious. Play with the herbs that you like to include as well, here I use basil and parsley, but thyme or rosemary would be fantastic.

Naptime Stopwatch: Preparing the Eggplant takes about 15 minutes, roasting takes 25 minutes.

Naptime Reviews: My daughter is still getting used to eggplant, she'll eat it tossed with noodles. My husband and I gobble this right down every time.

Apricot-Blueberry Cake to Pass Around Town

What's Going on Today: Catching up with old friend's on vacation, morning at the beach, long overdue laundry loads.

Naptime Goals: Make two Apricot-Blueberry Cakes for friends I haven't seen in way too long, finish (or, at least, attempt to) laundry and last chapter of awesome book.

Tonight's Menu: Going out to dinner with my family.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: When the kids you used to babysit start babysitting your own kid, you start to feel old.

I did a lot of baking two weeks ago in Cooperstown. It was so nice being at home with more helping hands. Since I didn't have to pay as much attention to things like house chores and major grocery runs, I was free to bake and cook for entire naptimes. So, like any mother who has learned to seize any free moment with the tenacity usually reserved for Target coupons or a cheap happy hour, I did just that. I think my poor mother has been stocking up her pantry ever since I left!

My friend Barbara and I were in the midst of one of our typical email correspondences the other week when she reminded me of this Rhubarb-Almond Cake. The recipe originated with her and she constantly makes it with other fruits. Without any of the favored red stalks on hand last month, she gave it a try with apricots and blueberries instead. A happy combination of bright citrus and tart berry flavors, it was a hit with her family as I was sure it would be with mine.

Since visiting Cooperstown in the summer often means reunions galore I decided to make two of these cakes. One for my family (after all, we have to sample some, don't we?) and one for the summer family I used to babysit. Making the cake is a simple one bowl affair so all I had to do was double the recipe and stir for an extra minute or two. After a scant five minutes of stirring and chopping everything was ready. They were popped in the oven while I went to change the laundry and snag ten minutes on the porch.

The cakes were gorgeous fresh out of the oven. Fragrant and golden, it was actually a little tough to part with one. In fact, I almost didn't since it turns out I didn't butter my cake pan well enough. Thankfully my good friends weren't at all perturbed when I gave it to them still in the pan, with a note asking them to return the pan when they were finished. (Next time I'll line it with parchment paper.) From the sounds of the thank you's on the other end of the phone when they called the next day, I don't think they minded the presentation one bit.

Apricot-Blueberry Cake 

adapted from Rhubarb Almond Cake

1 c. sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 t. pure almond extract
3/4 c. chopped apricots

1/2 c. fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour 9-inch cake pan if it is non-stick. If it is not non-stick line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

2. Scatter fruit evenly on the bottom of the pan and set aside.  

3. Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl until fully combined.  

4. Pour batter over fruit in the cake pan and sprinkle top lightly with sugar, this will make a nice crust.  

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: I don't know if there is a simpler cake in the whole world. It is delicious everytime, no matter what fruit you use. This fall it will be great with apples, or plums!
Naptime Stopwatch: The batter of this cake takes about 5 minutes to prepare and about 40 minutes to bake.
Naptime Reviews: My daughter loves this cake and didn't flinch at the blueberries, not a favorite of hers.