Fresh Tart

I still had blueberries left from last week's farmers market haul, but since they were just-past gorgeous (yet still perfectly edible), I decided that today was the day to bake them into this pretty blueberry lemon cake I'd had my eye on.

Although really, every day should be a day for buttermilk cake, don't you think?  It hardly matters the version, since they all share a soft, moist crumb - to me, the essence of cake. (And I am all about the essence of cake.)

I decided to treat this one like a tea cake and gild the lily with a lemon icing drizzle.  And why not?  As I pulled the cake out of the oven, Puppy Louis peed downstairs and the boys cleaned it up with newsprint.  Ink on the carpeting, carpet cleaner on the way...

Time for lemon icing.

And a slice of cake.

Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from www.noteaafter12.com
Serves 10-12

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 c. granulated sugar
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk 
10 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 c. blueberries
zest of one lemon

2 c. confectioner's sugar
juice from one lemon
whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder, and add the sugar and nutmeg. In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix well until incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Fold in the blueberries.

Spread the batter in the pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is just golden and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

While the cake cools, stir together the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice.  Add enough whipping cream to thin the icing to drizzling consistency.

Spread icing over warm (not hot) cake.  Serve cake warm or cool.

I've had my eye on this Sunday Suppers at Lucques dessert for awhile.  It's really just fruit and custard, keeping the focus firmly where it belongs - on perfectly ripe, juicy, summer-bursting-in-your-mouth berries.

(The recipe calls for raspberries; I used both blueberries and raspberries.  It's worth hitting the farmer's market for the real deal - the berries don't cook, so you want them to taste great on their own.)

It's a neat trick to run the dish under the broiler - the heat warms the berries and browns the top of the custard a bit, while the custard underneath stays cool.

Did I mention that there's creme fraiche in the custard? Uh yeah...

It's therefore not a shocker that the whole emerges tangy & creamy, pleasantly sweet but not overly so, and pretty enough for a party.

Or for a pretty damn tasty Sunday morning breakfast!

Raspberry Gratin
From Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
Serves 6

1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 extra-large egg yolks
1/2 c. plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. corn starch
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
a pinch of salt
1 c. creme fraiche
1 pint (2 baskets) raspberries
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

In a medium heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk to a boil, and then turn off the heat.  Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl, and then whisk in 1/2 c. sugar and the cornstarch.  Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and is a pale  yellow color.  Slowly whisk in the hot milk, at first a few tablespoons at a time, and then more quickly.  Return the mixture to the stove, and cook over medium heat, alternating between a whisk and a rubber spatula, until the custard thickens to a puddinglike consistency.

Remove from the stove, and stir in the butter and salt.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to keep it from forming a skin.  Poke a few holes in the plastic to let the heat escape.  Cool in the refrigerator.

When the custard has cooled, fold in the creme fraiche.

Preheat the broiler.

Toss the raspberries with 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, and scatter half of the them on the bottom of a 9x9-inch (or equivalent) gratin dish.  Spoon the custard into the dish, and scatter the rest of the berries on top.  Sift the confectioners' sugar over the top, and pass under the broiler for about 7 minutes (watch carefully!), until bubbling and gratineed on top.

Serve the gratin at the table with a big serving spoon.

I posted this recipe a few weeks ago at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine.  Suffering in this heat wave?  I suggest a little cool, creamy heaven.  Save the egg whites and make Schaum Torte a few days later.  Ice cream and meringue, the yin and yang of desserts. You heard it here first.

The sun's hot, mosquitoes are biting, I'm sipping gin & tonics, and I'm craving ice cream—'round these parts, that means summer! Ice cream sounds so good to me, in fact, that I finally bought an ice cream maker. What have I been waiting for?! It's a breeze to use and the ice cream it churns out is the best I've ever had.

My first batch was a lush strawberry concoction, creamy and bursting with fresh berry flavor. A revelation. You're looking at my second batch, a deadly-rich chocolate, dark with cocoa and as smooth as silk. It's cold comfort—in a good way—for the hottest days of the year (or any day, really, this is serious ice cream, fully winter worthy).

The actual churning process takes only 30 minutes, but allow plenty of time for the custard to chill thoroughly before adding it to the ice cream maker. I've found that prepping the custard the day before allows for both relaxation (mine) and success (the ice cream's). If you require an even bigger chocolate hit—no judging, I swear—stir in a cup of small chocolate pieces at the end of the churn.

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown at www.foodnetwork.com
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Note: Since the custard needs to chill thoroughly before churning, it works nicely to make the custard the night before you plan to serve the ice cream.

1.5 – 2 oz. unsweetened cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 c. (Note: I use 2 oz. of cocoa powder for intense flavor; 1.5 oz. results in a sweeter, less intense chocolate flavor, also delicious)
3 c. half-and-half
1 c. heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
9 oz. sugar (about 1 c. plus 1 Tbsp.)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F.

Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

I cooked my brains out this weekend and loved every minute of it.  See Saturday's results -  icy cold gazpacho, as well as poached eggs over potato pancakes - below.  Both are new favorites, and why not?  Crunchy, creamy, salty.  Pretty much everything I crave.

So where, you might wonder, are the pics of Sunday's pork ribs, coleslaw, crushed potatoes with garlic & preserved lemon, and mini-burgers?  Well...

...I hate to say it, but the Annual Super Duper Shubert Coopster July 4th Celebration meal went largely unphotographed.  Turns out, I am terrible at entertaining and taking pictures at the same time.  Cory Shubert took the pics above and below - thanks man!

Luckily I possessed a no-fail pork ribs pic from when I posted the recipe on Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly mag's blog a few weeks ago.  If you look hard enough, you'll see that these are everyone's favorite ribs, falling-off-the-bone-tender with a crusty, spicy-sweet glaze.  It's harder to see that they're ridiculously easy, making them the perfect party food.  But it's true.  If you give them a try, let me know.

I'm kicking myself for not snapping pics of the coleslaw and crushed potatoes - you'll just have to take my word for it that both turned out so pretty.  I added sliced cucumber, quartered cherry tomatoes, and crispy bacon to the coleslaw.  Good move, I recommend all three additions.  The recipe for the excellent potatoes, via The Pioneer Woman (with the addition of garlic and preserved lemon), is below.  You could boil the potatoes a couple of hours ahead of time, keep them at room temperature, then crush (crash!) and roast them right before sitting down to dinner.

For dessert, Suz brought her now-famous blueberry kuchen, one of the best desserts on the planet.  Also easy (see a pattern?) - make it now through the end of the summer, when blueberries are at their peak.  Serve warm with a scoop of melty ice cream - fireworks in your mouth and a real crowd pleaser.

If you make it, take a pic and send it to me!

So there it is.  Another 4th of July, another summer celebration.  We swam, we sipped, we grilled, we ate.  We laughed our butts off, doused ourselves in bug spray, and hauled our chairs out onto lovely Interlachen Golf Course for fireworks.  The rain held off, the fireworks dazzled, and we made our way home to bed.  Oooh.

Aaaaaaaah.

I hope you all had a great 4th!

Crash Hot Potatoes
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Serves 6

12 whole new potatoes
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped rosemary (or other fresh herbs)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a whole preserved lemon, seeds discarded, minced (I find jars of whole preserved lemons at Whole Foods)
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add potatoes and cook them until they are fork-tender.

While the potatoes cook, add heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the rosemary and garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant and just softening, about 4 minutes.  Stir in preserved lemon and set aside.

Drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil on a baking sheet and spread evenly.  Drain potatoes and place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly crushes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and crush lightly again.  Spoon a bit of the garlic oil on each potato, using all the oil.  Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt.

Place potatoes in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Grind black pepper over the hot potatoes and serve immediately.

"Oh, this pool is as warm as a Turkish Bath!" - Sullivan Shubert, age 8, in response to How's the water Sully?, July 4, 2010
"I love these hamburgers so much I want to marry them, but the funeral won't be long after..." – Sullivan Shubert, age 7, regarding mini-hamburgers, July 4, 2009
"They start big but end fast, like a good sneeze." - Sullivan Shubert, age 6, explaining fireworks to Cooper, July 4, 2008
“Wow, those would make Vivian feel fancy!” – Sullivan Shubert, age 4, regarding super-sparkly fireworks, July 4, 2006

I had high hopes for this quick little galette.  What's not to love about fresh cherries in a flaky, buttery crust?

It looked so perfect when I slid it into the oven, plump and sweet and full of promise.  But when the timer went off and I opened the door...no crusty, golden beauty.

Just a leaking, flaccid mess.

No!

But yes.  I had inadvertently torn the crust and all the lovely juices had run out and burned into a hard, glossy varnish.

Don't let that steer you away from the recipe, which is really quite lovely.  I made the best of the mess by cutting the tart into pieces and sliding them onto plates.  A scoop of pretty-in-pink homemade strawberry-rhubarb ice cream drew the eye upward, like a good blush.  If I weren't confessing, no one would be the wiser.

In the end, almost-lovely, and most important - delicious.

Fresh Cherry Galette
Serves 8

1 lb. sweet (Bing or other) cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 recipe patee brisee, chilled

Preheat oven to 375F.  Roll out the patee brisee, on a lightly floured board, into a 14-inch circle.  Transfer crust to a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together cherries, sugar, and cornstarch.  Pour fruit onto the middle of the chilled crust and spread to within 3 inches of the edge.  Loosely pull the crust edges up and over the fruit, leaving an open space in the center (there will be odd folds and uneven edges - that's fine, it's supposed to be rustic looking).  Place the baking sheet in the oven.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until crust is very browned and the fruit is soft and bubbling.  Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Remember when I wrote about the mind-blowing experience I had at the Penny De Los Santos food photography workshop I attended in March?  The reasons were many and varied, namely the San Francisco sunshine, Contigo's gorgeous food, a hundred million great ideas from Penny, pushing way out of my comfort zone, and meeting three unbelievably cool chicks, all three of whom write beautiful food blogs (Chez Us, Bon Vivant, and A Sweet Spoonful).  I enjoy "keeping in touch" with all three over Twitter, and "catching up" with them by reading their blogs.  (You should read their blogs too, admire their lovely photographs, enjoy their San Fran raves...yeah, hugely jealous.)

A couple of weeks ago, Megan of A Sweet Spoonful wrote a hilariously sweet post about her love of ice cream.  She included a recipe and stunning photos of homemade strawberry ice cream - mmmm - and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  Megan's post inspired me to finally buy an ice cream maker (I've always wanted one) and start making ice cream that I actually like (other than Jeni's, which I love, but paying shipping for ice cream on a regular basis is obviously ridiculous).

The ice cream maker arrived and no surprise, the first batch I made was Megan's strawberry version.  It is sublime, truly, especially right now, when berries are perfectly sweet and juicy.  Even my chocolate-obsessed husband, who was disappointed by my flavor choice, was blown away.  Yes!  Just in time for summer, a new toy to play with.  My next batch (see chocolate-obsessed husband) will have to be...chocolate...but after that, I think I'll try my hand with salty smoked almonds, my favorite Jeni's flavor.

Do you make homemade ice cream?  What's your favorite flavor?  In case you're wondering, after you have the ingredients ready (and very cold), the machine takes only 20 minutes to churn up creamy dreaminess.  Dangerous, if delicious.

PS Thanks to Suz for the pretty blue dishes - aren't they sweet?

A Sweet Spoonful's Strawberry Ice Cream
Megan Gordon, www.asweetspoonful.com
Makes 4 cups

Use any berries you’d like for this ice cream. Just make sure to cut up the pieces quite small–nothing good about big frozen, icy chunks of berries in your ice cream. Also, while I call for vodka here, you could also use kirsch or a liquor that would bring out the taste of the berries. I chose vodka because it has a neutral flavor and I always have some around the house, but play around with whatever inspires you–it’s not enough to make a big difference flavor-wise.

Adapted slightly from: Rustic Fruit Desserts

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
Pinch fine sea salt
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. vodka
1 dry pint (2 cups) finely chopped strawberries

Directions:
Combine the milk, 1/2 cup of the cream, and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a 3-quart sauce pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until just warm.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks, 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar, and the salt and whisk until slightly lighter in color. Very slowly pour half of the warmed liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking continuously. Next, pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow for it to get hot enough to boil. Heat slowly and watch for thickening.

Once thickened, take saucepan off of heat source. Set a bowl over an ice bath, then strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over the bowl. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup cream and the vanilla and continue stirring until cool. Cover and chill in refrigerator 1.5 – 2 hours. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar to chopped berries and put in the refrigerator in separate little bowl.

Once the custard has chilled, stir in the berries and vodka and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place the churned ice cream in a dry plastic container and cover with plastic wrap directly on top of the ice cream. Chill for at least 2 hours or until set up.

Storage: Stored in an airtight container in the freezer, the ice cream will be good for two weeks.

I made my first trip of the season to the Minneapolis Famer's Market yesterday, total blast.  I strolled around with a big grin on my face, happy to see such bounty so early in the season.  I carried home garlic chives, pea shoots, asparagus, rhubarb, and a whole pound of freshly picked morel mushrooms.

The garlic chives and pea shoots were a buck a bunch, the morels...more than a buck.  But so worth it, I sauteed half of them for lunch as soon as I got home and ate them over savory French toast (a tip I received from the fabulous Donna Menne a couple of years ago).

Wow.  It's as easy at it sounds - the (carefully cleaned, these were very fresh) morels sauteed in good butter with some salt, the bread dipped in egg/milk batter and also sauteed in butter until browned.  Morels meet French toast.  Decadent.  Delicious.  Sorry for the lame pic, it was dark as night yesterday afternoon.  Today my plan is to saute the remainder and eat them over grilled bread rubbed with raw garlic.  (Pic on right shows two things - one, how dark it was at noon.  And two, a pair of mallards hooking up in our pool.  I hope the female is Wanda, our planter-nesting hen, whose nest was destroyed by raccoons Friday night.  Perhaps she's remated and trying again in a better spot?)

I baked the rhubarb into a strawberry-rhubarb pie, recipe via the simply awesome Simply Recipes.  Tender, sweet-tart fruit under a buttery-flaky crust will have you softly declaring, Yes, it is summer...summer! I'll post the recipe below and note that since I didn't have instant tapioca, I used cornstarch as a thickener, worked like a charm.  I ooh-ahhed through a slice for breakfast this morning.  Licked my fork.  Sipped my coffee.  And remembered that pie elevates a cup of hot coffee to nectar-of-the-gods' status.  Zeus wishes he'd known strawberry-rhubarb pie with coffee.  Sorry man.

Post-morels and pie, I abandoned my destroyed kitchen, threw on some heels, and headed out with Suz for a Minnesota Blog Pantry event (#MNBlogPantry on Twitter).  Thanks to Elissa at Little Bean Photography for hosting - and snapping headshots of all the lovely local bloggers in her sunny studio!  And thanks to France 44 for the delicious wine, and Mom's Best Naturals for the wholesome - local! - cereal samples.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Via Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes

3 c. rhubarb stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces (trim outside stringy layer of large rhubarb stalks; make sure to trim away and discard any of the leaves which are poisonous; trim ends)
1 c. strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca (Stephanie's note: I used 6 Tbsp. cornstarch instead; pie set up beautifully)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tsp. of grated orange peel (Stephanie's note: I used 1/2 tsp. cinnamon instead)
Unbaked pastry for two-crust, 9-inch pie (if making a 10-inch pie, or just want more filling, use 4.5 cups of rhubarb, 1.5 cups strawberries, and 1 1/4 cup of sugar)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix the rhubarb and the strawberries with the sugar, tapioca, salt, and orange rind. Let sit for 10 minutes.  Turn into a pastry lined pan. Top with the pastry, trim the edge, and crimp the top and bottom edges together. Cut slits in the top for the steam to escape.  Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F, and bake an additional 30-40 minutes longer (40 to 50 minutes longer if doing a 10-inch pie). Stephanie's note: place a baking sheet on the rack under the pie to catch overflow juices.  Cool on a rack.

Serve warm or cold. If you do cool to room temperature, the juices will have more time to thicken.

You read that right. Bread, chocolate, oil, and salt.  Could there be a better combination?  Could there be an easier combination?  Mother's Day, any day, simply beautiful.

Slice crusty bread into thin slices, drizzle with really good olive oil.

Toast in a hot oven until crisp and golden, scatter with dark chocolate pieces.  Now we're talking...

Heat until chocolate melts and spread over the toasts.  Lick the knife (use a butter knife to be safe).  Drizzle toasts with a bit more olive oil.  Lalalaa!

Finish with a light shower of crunchy salt, take a huge bite.  To quote one of my very favorite food bloggers, Joy the Baker, "Holy Heckballs."  Yeah.  Happy Mother's Day!

Rustic Bread with Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Salt
From Tapas A Taste of Spain in America by Jose Andres
Serves 4

4 ½-inch-thick slices rustic bread (good country bread with a thick crust and light interior; don't slice too thick)
4 oz. good dark chocolate or other chocolate you enjoy
4 Tbsp. Spanish (or other best quality) extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt to taste

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet.  Press bread slices into the oil, drizzle a little over the tops, and toast the slices of bread in the oven, about 3 minutes/side until golden brown. Using a knife, break the chocolate into small pieces. Scatter them over the toasted bread, then place the bread back in the oven until the chocolate melts, about 2 minutes. Drizzle with a bit more of the olive oil, sprinkle a little salt on top, and serve.

We kicked off my son's 14th birthday celebration(s) with cream puffs for dessert tonight.  Few desserts are as festive and impressive as cream puffs - who doesn't love them?  They're so creamy...and puffy.  (Yeah, sorry, I'm a little tired this evening.  Suffice it to say they're seriously good.)

And here's a little secret...they're one of the easiest desserts on the planet to make.  It's true, I swear.  With a mixer and nothing more than water, butter, flour, and eggs, they take about 10 minutes to whip up, 30 minutes to bake. Less effort than a box of cake mix and a million times more fun.

J'adore them filled with nothing more than lightly sweetened whipped cream.  My husband requires a little drizzle of killer chocolate sauce as well; I concede its charms, especially with a feather-light sprinkling of coarse, crunchy salt on top.  You can't imagine how good (although you can, because chocolate and salt are amazing together in lots of things).  Of course they're delicious filled with ice cream if you're so inclined.  Make them bigger and call them cream puffs.  Make them smaller and call them profiteroles.  Just don't call me late for dessert.  (So sorry, so tired, I'm done now, I promise.)

Cream Puffs
Adapted from The Doubleday Cookbook by Anderson & Hanna
Serves 6-8

1 c. flour
1 c. water
½ c. (1 stick) butter
¼ tsp. salt
4 large (not extra large) eggs

Filling:
1 c. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. sugar

For puffs: preheat to 400 degrees. Put flour in the bowl of a mixer.  Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil.  Add all at once to flour and beat quickly until mixture forms a ball. Break an egg into a cup and slide into flour mixture.  Beat until blended.  Add remaining eggs, one at a time, beat well.  Each egg must be blended in before the next is added; mixture will look odd at first, almost curdled, but as you beat, it will become smooth.

Drop pastry by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet to form 12 puffs.  Bake 30-40 minutes until puffed, golden brown, and hollow-sounding when tapped.  (Note: do not open oven door during first 15 minutes of baking.)  Cool puffs on wire racks away from drafts.

For filling: beat whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar together until soft peaks form.

To serve: cut a 3/4-inch slice off the top of each puff.  Fill with whipped cream and replace tops.  (Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce if using.)  Serve immediately.

Rishia & Andrew Zimmern brought us an incredible dinner tonight.  Chinese drunken chicken - fragrant, sticky, tender, and sweet - with rice to soak up the insanely addictive sauce.  (The pic doesn't do it justice, sorry, lost my light...)  We four put away an impressive amount of rice, blame that damn sauce.  I'm going to wake up in the morning craving it.  And you know what?  I'll indulge my craving, because what precious little remains is in our fridge.  My fridge.  Yes indeed.

I roasted some crispy kale to snack on while Andrew cooked.  (I LOVE having someone else cook in my kitchen.  While I munch and chat.  So relaxing!  I really should have myself over sometime.)  I sprinkled the kale with some black sesame seed salt that Andrew gave me - delicious together.

I also made a pineapple upside down cake for dessert, which we were all too full to really appreciate.  I suspect it will be better loved tomorrow.  I'll pop the recipes in later, so tired.  For now, sleep tight!

OK, back with recipe for kale, below.  The pineapple upside down cake recipe I'll put in my next post.  I'll double-check with Andrew on the recipe for drunken chicken and post if it's cool.  Apparently still a post-in-progress...

Crispy Kale

Adapted from www.steamykitchen.com and www.kalynskitchen.com

4 giant handfuls of kale, torn into bite-sized pieces and tough stems removed (about 1/3 lb.)

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

sea salt or kosher salt (optional: toasted sesame seeds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Dry kale thoroughly in a salad spinner and/or on paper towels - moisture will cause the kale to steam and not crisp.  Put kale in a large ziploc bag and drizzle with the oil. Close the bag and gently rub the oil into the kale leaves, coating them thoroughly.  Spread leaves evenly on the baking sheet (make sure they're not piled on top of each other).  Bake for 12-20 minutes (15 min was the mark for me).  When the leaves are dried and crackly, but not browned, the kale is done.  If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 2 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt (and sesame seeds, if desired).