summer salad

I wound up wandering around the Union Square greenmarket yesterday and started getting inspired by all that's fresh and fruity. Picked up an in-season cantaloupe and some orange mint and found, when I swung by Whole Foods to round things out, that some gorgeous wild salmon was on sale. So I put together:

Salmon Ceviche and Cantaloupe Salad
0.5 lb salmon
1 small jalapeno, diced
1/3 red onion, diced
Juice of 2-3 limes
1/4 cantaloupe, balled or chopped
Mixed greens
Orange Mint
Salt to taste

Put the salmon, pepper, and onion in a bowl with lime juice to cover and let it "cook" for an hour in the refrigerator.

Make melon balls, out them over the salad greens, and pour the salmon over; the lime juice serves as a light dressing. Top with shredded mint and salt, toss, and serve.

best icing ever

This cake has been making the rounds on food blogs, thanks to The Cake Slice bakers - I didn't bother snapping a picture before it was devoured because mine (like everyone else's) looks pretty much like a creme-covered cylinder. Check here if you want eye candy: http://tendercrumb.blogspot.com/2009/04/chai-cake-w-honey-ginger-cream-tcs.html

I did make a few changes to the recipe:
1) I creamed the butter and sugar, then added eggs and dry ingredients. I like the smooth cake texture produced by this order of things.
2) I didn't use chai tea - instead I infused the milk with cardamom seeds (12 pods) and substituted a teaspoon and a half of garam masala for cinnamon and ground cardamom. I haven't had the original recipe, but as a lover of cardamom, I was not unhappy with the change in the balance of flavors...

Lastly, this frosting is AMAZING. I think I may have to make a cake to complement it properly - it was kind of better than the chai cake. Maybe something with peaches will work...

i AM martha stewart

Well...maybe not. But I'm kind of in love with her "Cookies" book for three reasons: 1) the thematic organization, 2) her use of coarse salt, 3) the number of fast, easy recipes. This was one of those: Peach Drop Cookies.

I am also not Martha Stewart because I have an immense amount of trouble with food photography. Yeah, I know she doesn't do her own food styling - and probably didn't even write the "Cookies" book - but she does get most of the credit. So here's my attempt at making her food pretty, in a tiny New York apartment with terrible lighting...