Apricot Pistachio Cake #BakingBloggers

Sweet chewy dried apricots and flavorful roasted pistachios combine with lots of creamy yogurt and butter to create one of the richness cakes you can imagine. A hint of cardamom in the batter is echoed again in the orange-cardamom syrup to finish the cake with a Middle Eastern flair.

Apricots and pistachios are two of my favorite ingredients both singly and together. If you feel the same, you will like my Apricot Upside Down butter Bundt and my pomegranate pistachio muffins. My favorite joint venture of the two (before this cake!) is a gorgeous baked Camembert topped with pistachios and dried apricots. It's the easiest, tastiest appetizer you'll ever make.

Besides making me do the happy dance, since apricots and pistachios are popular in Middle Eastern desserts this cake fits our Blogging Bakers theme for this month. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see the other sweet and savory recipes we are sharing.

Apricot Pistachio Cake

This recipe is adapted from one by the talented Anita Schecter on The Spruce Eats. If you love Middle Eastern recipes of all kinds, you should visit Anita, who I am pleased to call my friend. She also shares wonderful recipes of all sorts (so many great cocktails!) on her personal website.

Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 1/2 cups or 190g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
1 cup or 226g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup or 245g Greek yogurt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz or 170g roasted, unsalted pistachios
6 oz or 170g dried apricots

For the syrup:
1/2 cup or 50g sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice (or water)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt

Optional for serving:
Greek-style plain, unsweetened yogurt

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 11x15 inch or 28x38cm pan by buttering and flouring it or lining it with baking parchment. If you are lining it, put a couple of dabs of butter on the pan to help the parchment stay in place.

Roughly chop about 1/4 of the pistachios and set aside a couple of spoonsful for sprinkling on the cake when it’s done. Put the rest into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, occasionally scraping the sides with a rubber spatula. Do not over process. We don’t want pistachio butter.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add in the ground and chopped pistachios and whisk again.

Chop the apricots into small pieces and set aside a couple of spoonsful for decoration. Add the balance of the apricots to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to separate the sticky pieces and make sure they are completely coated in the flour mixture.

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until they become fluffy and light yellow. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the yogurt and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and beat until well combined. Spoon the thick batter into your prepared pan and spread it evenly to the side and into the corners with a spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile make the syrup by warming the sugar, juice and salt in a small pot over a low flame. Spoon it over the cake while it is still warm.

Sprinkle on the reserved chopped pistachios and apricots.

Leave to cool. If you have lined the pan with baking parchment, you can use the sides to remove the cake from the pan. If not, cut into squares to serve directly from the pan.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

Enjoy!

This month my Baking Bloggers are sharing Middle Eastern recipes. Many thanks to our doyenne and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the other recipes below:

• Apricot Pistachio Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Basbousa Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
• Cottage Cheese and Veggies Borek from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Middle Eastern Puff Pastry Cheese Bourekas by Fatih, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Laffa Bread from Making Miracles
• Lebanese Sesame Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mana'eesh (Palestinian Flatbread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Parda Pulao - Iraqi Parda Plau from The Schizo Chef
• Roast Chicken Shwarma from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Umm Ali from Caroline's Cooking

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin this Apricot Pistachio Cake! 

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Baked Duck Eggs #FoodieExtravaganza

Creamy and so dip-in-able, baked duck eggs are easy to make and a delight to eat. Pass the toast soldiers, please!

I love duck eggs! First of all, their yolks are much bigger than a regular chicken egg and everyone knows that the best part of any egg is the yolk. It’s where most of the flavor resides, not to mention a lion’s share of the nutrients and protein. The white part of a duck egg, or albumen to give it its correct name, is clear and bright, without the slight yellow tinge found in chicken eggs.

Varying in color depending on the breed, duck eggshells are a bit thicker and sturdier than chicken eggs. I suggest cracking them into a small bowl rather than straight into the ramekins to make sure you don’t get any hard shell in your dish.

Duck eggs can be challenging to find in normal US grocery stores but if you are fortunate enough to have farmers’ markets in your area, I’ve found them to be a reliable source. My local Whole Foods also carries duck eggs so if you have one nearby, you might want to check there. They are more expensive than chicken eggs, but still affordable as a main course for breakfast.

When I do come across them, baking is my favorite way to serve them. With just a little cream and butter, the delicious duck egg shines, definitely the star of your breakfast or brunch.

Baked Duck Eggs

This is an easy and delicious way to prepare breakfast for a crowd! If you don’t have duck eggs, chicken eggs can be substituted. Just adjust the cooking time downwards by a couple of minutes because smaller eggs will take less time to cook.

Ingredients per person
1-2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 duck egg
salt
black pepper

For serving:
Hot buttered toast

Equipment: 4-5 in or 10-12cm shallow ramekins

Method
Set a rack in the middle of your oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Boil a kettle or pot of water then turn it off.

Generously butter the inside of the ramekins. Add in the cream with a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper.  Crack your eggs one at a time, into a small bowl, transferring each to a ramekin.

My second egg surprised me by having double yolks of different colors. How does that even happen?!

Sprinkle the eggs with just a touch more salt and pepper.

Place all the ramekins in a high-sided baking pan. Once the oven has preheated, put the pan in the oven and carefully pour in the hot water till it comes halfway up the ramekins.

Close the oven door and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are just set but the yolks are still runny. Start testing at 12 minutes by gently jiggling the pan. The whites should be firm but the yolks should wiggle slightly. If the yolks move too much, keep baking and testing.

This is a matter of preference and some may like their yolks softer or harder. For me, the joy is dipping my toast into a very soft yolk.

Carefully remove the pan from the oven and then remove the ramekins from the pan. Serve with toast for dipping.

Enjoy!

This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing breakfast recipes in celebration of National Breakfast Month. Check them out below. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime.

• Baked Duck Eggs from Food Lust People Love
• Banana Pancakes from Palatable Pastime
• Changua (Colombian Egg and Milk Soup) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Hot Breakfast: Baked Cinnamon & Apple Oatmeal from Hardly A Goddess
• Mushroom and Swiss Frittata from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Saffron Oats & Egg Omelette from Sneha's Recipe
• Sheepherder’s Breakfast from Making Miracles

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

Pin these Baked Duck Eggs!

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Sprouted Spelt Date Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sprouted spelt date muffins pair the nuttiness of spelt with the natural sweetness of dates. These are the perfect breakfast or snack any time of the day.

If you saw the yeasted round loaf I baked with sprouted spelt a couple of weeks back, you already know that it was a new ingredient for me. What I didn’t tell you was how hard it was to find here in the fourth most populous city of the United States. I assumed it would be easy.

Houston has become well-known lately as a foodie destination. Don’t believe me? Check out this article on GQ, for one. And David Chang called it no less than his favorite food city on his Netflix show Ugly Delicious. From the specialty stores that carry imported ingredients from Asia, the Middle East, and both Eastern and Western Europe, not to mention the many grocery store chains vying for my food dollar, I thought I could get anything here.

Turns out that sprouted flours are easy to find online, not so easy to buy in a Houston shop. I finally found a five-pound bag in Sprouts. Five pounds! Fortunately, we love the bread it makes. Expect to find more sprouted spelt recipes in the coming months. Meanwhile, start with something easy, like muffins.

Sprouted Spelt Date Muffins

I adapted this recipe from one on the King Arthur website. The weight they list for 2 1/4 cups of flour did not reflect my own measurements, which you will find below. I really cannot explain the discrepancy but I can tell you that I weighed my sprouted spelt and that exactly how much I used to make these muffins.

Ingredients
1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 113g stoned dates
2 cups or 240g sprouted spelt flour
1/4 cup or 50g brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with paper or silicone baking cups.

Chop the dates roughly and set aside some pieces for adding to the top of the muffins.

Whisk all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl then add in the dates.

Stir well and use your fingers separate the sticky date pieces until they are all well coated with flour.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and oil.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones until they are just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Top with the reserved chopped dates.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Cool in the pan for a few minutes then remove the muffins and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out the first lovely muffins of 2020 my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today!

• Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins from Making Miracles
• Cherry Chip Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Cinnamon Sugar Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Jelly Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Macaroon Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Sprouted Spelt Date Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these sprouted spelt date muffins! 

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Quick Corn Chowder - in an Instant Pot

This quick corn chowder is creamy and rich. It’s made with cream, cream cheese and plenty of sharp cheddar, not to mention tender red potatoes and crispy bacon. You can enjoy this savory warming soup in fewer than 30 minutes because instead of a long, slow simmer, it’s cooked under pressure in an Instant Pot.

Way back in 2016, I ordered an Instant Pot from Amazon. We were only in the States for a few weeks and, much to my chagrin, I never got around to trying it out before we headed home to Dubai. It never even made it out of the box. Of course, the Instant Pot couldn’t come with because it’s 110V and Dubai runs on 220V.

Since then I’ve traveled back and forth from overseas to Houston, only managing to get organized enough to make one recipe in the Instant Pot. It was delicious - a carrot snack cake, but still. Only one in almost four years of holidays with the Instant Pot. Sad, right?

That’s why I’ve joined a new bloggers group called Multicooker Monday where we will be sharing recipes using Instant Pots, slow cookers, sous vide precision cookers and even air fryers. This is our inaugural post. I hope this is the motivation I need to use the darn Instant Pot more. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see what everyone else has made today.

Quick Corn Chowder

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this recipe can also be made using a traditional pressure cooker, or go old school and slow simmer the ingredients until the corn is tender and the potatoes are cooked through, before adding the cheeses, cream and milk in a stovetop soup pot. My recipe has been adapted from one on Taste of Home.

Ingredients
3 thick cut slices smoked bacon (about 6 oz or 170g)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups or 830ml chicken stock
3 cups or 16 oz or 450g fresh or frozen corn
4 medium (or 8 small) red potatoes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
4 oz or 113g sharp cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for garnish, if desired
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 oz or 113g cream cheese
1/2 cup or 120ml heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
Salt to taste
To garnish: green onion tops, chopped

Method
If you are using medium sized red potatoes, peel them and cut them into 1/2-inch or 1cm cubes. If you are using the baby red potatoes just cut them in half. Put the potatoes in a bowl with cool tap water and set them aside.

Cut bacon slices in small pieces and put them in the Instant Pot in as close to a single layer as you can manage.

Press the Sauté button and adjust to high heat. Cook the bacon bits scooting them around with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to make sure they are all starting to crisp up. Keep stirring and frying until they reach your desired crispness, about 7-8 minutes.

Scoop the bacon bits out with a slotted spoon and put them on a paper towel to absorb the grease. Pour the bacon grease out into a heatproof measuring cup and then put 2 tablespoons of it back into the Instant Pot. (Save the rest of the bacon fat in a clean jar in your refrigerator for use in another recipe.)

With the Instant Pot still on sauté, add in the chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook for several minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is translucent.

Add in the chicken stock, corn, red potatoes, the two ground peppers and the sugar.

Lock the lid on your Instant Pot and make sure the vent is closed. The original instructions say to select manual setting; adjust the pressure to high and set the time for 15 minutes. I have one of the older Instant Pots so the instructions are a little different for mine. I select Soup, then adjust to high and set the time. Yours may differ as well so consult your owner’s manual.

When the cooking time is up, quick-release the pressure according to the manufacturer's directions.

Combine the grated cheddar with the cornstarch and mix well to coat. This is a great way to ensure that you don't create any lumps when adding the cornstarch to the soup.

Once again, select the sauté setting on your Instant Pot and adjust for low heat. Pour the cream and milk into the chowder. Stir well. Add the cream cheese cut in cubes. (Most of it sunk immediately!)

Add in the cornstarch-coated cheese and stir well.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the chowder thickens slightly and the cream cheese is completely melted, about 6-8 minutes. Taste for salt and add a little, if needed. Since chicken stock and cheese can both be quite salty, I often find that no additional salt is necessary for my taste. You do you.

Add in the crispy bacon, keeping back a little for garnish. Serve each bowl sprinkled with green onion tops, the reserved bacon, and if desired, (DO IT!) additional grated cheese.

Enjoy!

Super big thanks to Sue of Palatable Pastime for creating the multicooker group and hosting our inaugural event. I am looking forward to using my Instant Pot more. Check out the other multicooker recipes below!

• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Instant Pot Chicken and Mushrooms from Making Miracles
• Instant Pot Spaghetti from Palatable Pastime
• Quick Corn Chowder - Instant Pot from Food Lust People Love

Pin this Quick Corn Chowder!

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Linguine Pescatore #FishFridayFoodies

Linguine Pecatore or fisherman’s linguine features shrimp, squid, scallops, clams and mussels in a fresh tomato sauce tossed with pasta. This delicious main course is as fragrant as it is delicious. Squeeze on a little lemon juice for a bright, flavorful mouthful!

Several years ago I had the good fortune to accompany my husband on a business trip to Italy. We landed in Bologna and took a train up to Venice for a couple of days of holiday before renting a car and driving south down the east coast to Ravenna for the business meetings.

One evening while in Venice, we happened upon a little trattoria with just a few tables down a back alley. We ordered the pasta pescatore, a dish made for two and a specialty of the house. It was so good that sometimes I even eat it in my dreams. This is my recreation of my memory of that dish. I’m not sure anything can live up to seafood eaten on a wonderful Venetian holiday, right near the sea, but this comes close.

Linguine Pescatore

For this dish, I used a pack of frozen mixed seafood that included raw shrimp, squid and scallops as well as cooked green mussels, in addition to fresh shrimp and live clams. Substitute your favorite seafood. If you can’t find flavorful ripe tomatoes, by all means use canned Italian tomatoes. In a dish this simple, good tomatoes make a huge difference.

Ingredients
3 vine-ripen tomatoes (about 3 cups, chopped)
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
10 cleaned clams
1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine
1 1/2 cups or 180ml seafood stock
1 lb or 450g frozen raw mixed seafood, thawed
12oz or 340g fresh shrimp, (about 10 large 13/15 count/lb) peeled and cleaned
Small bunch fresh parsley, chopped (reserve a little for serving)
Black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 lb or 450g linguine or your pasta of choice

To serve:
Chopped parsley
Juice of half a lemon

Method
Core and chop the tomatoes and set them aside, being sure to catch and save any of the lovely juice that runs out.

Peel and mince your onion and garlic. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until they are softened. Be careful not to let them brown.

Add the wine and seafood stock and bring to a boil, then add the clams and cook, covered, till they open, about 4-6 minutes.

Discard any clams that did not open. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the rest of the clams into a bowl and set them aside. I had a three that I thought I was going to have to toss out but finally, at six minutes, they sprung open! It was a tense minute or two while I regretted only buying 10 and no spares.

Add the tomatoes and juice to the pan, along with the parsley, a few good grinds of black pepper and crushed red pepper.

Cook until the tomatoes soften but are still nice and brightly red, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta, with a couple of teaspoons of salt.

Add the rest of the seafood to the saucepan and simmer until they are cooked and/or warmed through, in the case of the frozen mix.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just before al dente. For instance, if the package says cook till al dente for 10 minutes, set your timer for nine. Drain well and put the pasta back in the pot. Pour the sauce on, adding the clams back in as you do. Toss it gently. Put the lid on and leave the linguine to finish cooking in the sauce for just a few minutes.

Taste for salt and add more if needed. (Mine did not.) Serve with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice and parsley to garnish. You can, of course, serve it directly from the pasta pot. I only transferred mine back into the saucepan for photos.

Enjoy!

This month in my Fish Friday Foodies group, we are all sharing Mediterranean recipes. Many thanks to our Fish Friday host Sue of Palatable Pastime and group doyenne, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Baccala Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Seafood Paella from Making Miracles
• Greek Seafood Rice from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Greek Bronzini Pan-fried Paleo Dish from Of Goats and Greens
• Zarzuela de Marisco from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Linguine Pescatore from Food Lust People Love
• Moroccan Chermoula Baked Fish Fillet for One from Sneha's Recipe
• Coquilles St Jacques from Caroline's Cooking
• Mediterranean Shrimp from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

Pin this Linguine Pescatore!

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Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt #BundtBakers

This fudgy flourless chocolate Bundt is so tender and moist, it’s almost like a very rich, firm baked pudding. Fudgy in flavor, light in texture. Made with only five ingredients, it couldn’t be easier!

After all the baking and cooking that goes on during the holidays, our Bundt Bakers host, Patricia from Patty’s Cake chose to uncomplicate our lives by asking for Bundt recipes that need only five ingredients. Sounds simple, right? Piece of cake. This was a much harder challenge than I thought it would be!

I searched my archives and recipe files first to no avail when suddenly I remembered a Sunday Supper group event I had participated in almost six years ago. The theme was five ingredient (or less) recipes and I shared a beef bourguignon made with succulent short ribs, smoked bacon and dried mushrooms. OMG, it was so rich and delicious. (For that five ingredient or less challenge, salt and pepper didn’t count.)

Surely someone had made a cake I could bake in a Bundt pan! Turns out there was just one. Jane from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner shared a flourless chocolate cake. Score! Mine is adapted from hers. If you love little bakers in the kitchen, you'll appreciate Jane's helpers on that post. Adorable!

Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt

If you’ve ever needed an easy dessert for gluten free friends and family who cannot do nuts, I can highly recommend this recipe. In Jane’s photos she added orange zest by accident and had to scoop it out as it was in violation of the five-ingredient rule. I couldn’t add it either for the same reason, but I think orange in this dark chocolate cake would be wonderful. As is, it is fabulous served alone or with vanilla or mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Ingredients
1 cup or 227g butter (plus more to liberally grease the Bundt pan)
1/4 cup or 22g cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting for the pan)
8 oz or 227g dark (semi-sweet) chocolate
5 eggs
1 cup or 200g sugar

Optional to serve: a sprinkling of icing sugar and/or ice cream

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10-cup Bundt pan by liberally buttering it and then dusting it well with cocoa. Set aside.

Heat the dark chocolate and butter slowly in a double boiler or with short zaps in the microwave in a microwaveable bowl. Either way, stir frequently, until the chocolate is just melted.

Sift the cocoa into the sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs and beat well.

Add the melted chocolate and butter to the egg mixture. Again beat well, until thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it is just set.

It will fall a little as it cools, but don’t let that worry you. It just means a more dense, fudgy cake. All good!

Leave it to cool for about 10-15 minutes and then loosen the edges with a toothpick. Cover the top of the Bundt pan with the wire rack and invert the cake. If you've been trying to live your life right, it comes out intact. (Just kidding. :) It's actually dependent on how well you buttered and cocoa-ed the pan. But being a good human being can't hurt, right?)

Optional for serving, a light dusting of icing sugar. Or ice cream.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to Patricia of Patty’s Cake for hosting this month! Check out all the lovely five-ingredient Bundts we are sharing today.

• Chocolate Mayonnaise Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake
• Easy Vanilla Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Five-Ingredient Blueberry Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• 5 Ingredient Almond Butter Mini Bundts by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Impossible 5 Ingredients Bundt by Sneha’s Recipe
• Melted Ice Cream Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
• Roasted Squash Brown Butter Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar
• Strawberry Banana Bundt by Sweet Sensations

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Pin this Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Bundt! 

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