Now Delivering

Feeling tempted by the food photos you see on social media, billboards, and TV commercials then wish you could enjoy that dish in the comfort of your home? You can! Just yesterday morning, we talked about having a pizza party with Emma, a college freshman, and her friends. With a little ‘all hands on deck’ kitchen fun, the dream became reality.

Sundays are perfect for cooking and in the morning I made a double batch of dough, adding one-third whole wheat flour. After shaping the dough into six balls (which is a nice shoulder workout!), I tucked them into the fridge to quietly do their thing, then took them out to continue doing their thing at room temp. while the oven preheated.

Getting the oven HOT is critical, and a pizza stone or baking steel is an added bonus. Emma and I tinkered with cheeses and toppings, admiring the bin of fresh veggies from the Saturday market, and the extra bacon from Saturday’s breakfast. We weren’t exactly boycotting pepperoni but not a single disc of cured pork appeared on our pizza six-pack.

At 5:00 pm the first one emerged from my blazing hot oven, just as the girlfriends started filing in. This one vanished so we made another, then four more topped with various veggie combinations. That first one was the hero and acting quickly, I snapped a photo before the disappearing act. I posted the pic on Instagram and a dear friend in Rhode Island asked if I deliver:) Y E S is the answer! Delivering recipes to your inbox so you can realize the dream in your home kitchen.

A well-stocked pantry is a girl’s best friend! Coupled with weekly trips to the farmers’ market (or an approachable interval that suits your schedule) you can be the master of your kitchen. When pizza popped into my mind, I was ready with the dough ingredients and an overflowing produce drawer. Phone some friends, they will be jazzed to receive the invite! ~~Happy Cooking!

B L T Pizza

You will need some dough, I recommend making your own which is quick work and pays dividends as I’ve outlined here

For the topping:

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (gasp! trust!)

• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

• 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed

• 4 strips of cooked bacon, torn into 1-inch pieces

• 1 cup coarsely grated sharp white cheddar

• handful of grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

• handful of arugula microgreens or chopped arugula

HEAT the oven to 500.

COMBINE the mayo with the pepper, parmesan, and garlic in a small bowl. Carefully spoon it over one 12-inch stretched out pizza dough. Scatter the bacon over, then top with the cheddar and tomatoes.

BAKE in the hot oven until the crust edge is deep golden and the toppings are bubbly, about 10 minutes. Rotate if necessary. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the arugula of choice. Cut into 8 or 12 slices and serve immediately.

Make more pizzas with the remaining dough, or triple these ingredients and make 3 B L T’s

Romancing the Peach

When peaches arrive, nearly bursting from their velvety suits, it is cause for celebration. I
mark my calendar for peach season and fit them into every menu of the summer.
Our local celebrity peach farmer, Mr. Buddy (a Louisiana legend), hauls peaches to the Red Stick Farmer's Market from June through September. I imagine strolling through his orchard beneath the leafy canopy and plucking the plump fruits, their perfume provoking “pick me!”
Who can resist a fresh peach, eaten out of hand with a stack of napkins? It’s a close-your-eyes-and-savor-this-moment experience. Such a happy coincidence that these gems grow right in our midst.
Every Saturday, I bring them home by the dozen, intending to whip up something
delicious and before I know it, they have vanished. 
This time I got to work before the tasters swooped in, deciding to add some sizzle to accent the sweet.
For a quick and company-worthy salad, I grilled quartered peaches and arranged them
with creamy Burrata and silky prosciutto atop a bed of lightly dressed arugula. With a hunk of good bread, you have something fancy in a hurry.
Though peach season will not last forever, there is no end to their enjoyment. Be sure to
pick a peck, whether straight from the tree or from your local market. The sweet perfume will remain.

Grilled Peach Salad
This combination of textures makes for a memorable Summer salad

Makes 2 servings

• 2 firm-ripe peaches, pitted and cut into quarters
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 handfuls fresh arugula or other salad greens
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• coarse salt and pepper
• 4 paper-thin slices prosciutto
• 2 small balls of Burrata, each cut into quarters
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, really just a drizzle (use your best one here)
• Heat a grill pan over medium heat.Brush the cut sides of the peaches with the vegetable oil.

Grill the peaches for a few minutes on each side until just tender and warmed through.
Toss the arugula with the olive oil in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss
again and transfer to a serving platter.
Arrange the prosciutto, Burrata, and grilled peaches over the greens.
Drizzle the salad with the balsamic vinegar and serve.

Happy National Farmer's Market Week!

Hello August! I used to fret the ticking away of Summer. Now I fear not. I'm a sunshine seeker, and two years ago I moved to Baton Rouge where the sun blazes until Christmas. Perennial Summer! I do miss my farmer friends, though. Happy to have connected with local growers in my new town.

Let's do a little local foods challenge to celebrate farmer's market week: I'm making a conscious effort to focus my menus around the local harvest. As Michael Pollan says, "shake the hand that feeds you." I had the honor of shaking the hands of the Harris brothers who dedicated untold hours to making maple syrup on their farm at the corner of Summers and Greenbrier. The syrup tastes better knowing where it came from and the love that went into every step of its production.

Another favorite West Virginia farm product, J.Q. Dickinson SaltWorks, celebrates five years of making sun-dried salt which seasons dishes across the country. The 'time flies' adage is right at home here. The opening celebration of the salt's revitalization was a family dinner on the gorgeous farm in Malden, West Virginia in 2013. (The salt originated about 200 years ago! Nancy, Lewis, and Paige brought it back to iife after years of quiet at Kanawha Salines). If you haven't tried their salt, it's a perfect way to celebrate farmers year round. 

Banh Mi, West Virginia Style*

I discovered this fantastic sandwich on Food52. I tweaked their recipe, omitting the salty fish sauce and soy sauce and instead using JQ Dickinson salt--the results are fabulous and really highlight local handmade ingredients--maple syrup and JQD salt.

Makes 6 servings

• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed but still intact
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• Tiny ciabatta rolls or baguette (Or lettuce ‘boats’ to make lettuce wraps)
• Garnish: Red leaf lettuce, paper-thin slices of radish and fresh jalapeno, shredded carrot, cilantro 

Place the pork slices on a sheet of plastic wrap one inch apart.  Cover with second sheet of wrap and pound gently to flatten to 1/4-inch thick (or a touch thinner). Transfer to a shallow dish.

Combine maple syrup, salt, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion, and black pepper in a small bowl, whisking to combine.  Pour mixture over pork, turning with tongs to coat.  Let marinate for 10 minutes, then drizzle with the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Heat a griddle to medium-high.  Sear meat until deep golden on one side, then turn to brown the second side--about one to two minutes per side.

To assemble, slice rolls in half, keeping a hinge intact.  Mound each bun with desired toppings and a few slices of meat.  Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

*(in Lousiana I'll get my pork tenderloin from Iverstine's. West Virginia: check with Black Oak Hollow Farm for great pork)

Citrus Bliss

Well hey there, December! You always sneak up on me and this year I'm ready for the most wonderful time of the year. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the lists, the parties, the so many things to do. Let's take this month one day at a time and enjoy the festivities! I'll be sharing simple recipes to feed the soul. I was born in the kitchen and I hope you'll come along for the fun! Fresh citrus is my favorite fuel. It's perfection in this nutritious sipper. 

Citrus Bliss 

You hardly need a recipe for this! Fresh citrus makes it sing:)

• 1 tangerine or orange, peeled and segments separated, seeds removed
• 1 banana, sliced 
• 3/4 cup lemon yogurt
• 3/4 cup fresh tangerine or orange juice
• 3/4 cup ice cubes

If time permits, freeze the tangerine segments and banana slices (ideally, individually freeze them, then pack in freezer bags for easy access and smoothie bliss). Combine the tangerine, banana, yogurt, and juice in the container of a blender. Mix on low to blend, then increase the speed and drop in the ice. Blend until creamy, dreamy. Pour into 2 glasses and sip away!

Peace, Love, and Jambalaya

Cue the accordion and grab your dancing partner, it’s time for a little peace, love, and jambalaya, the hallmark of Louisiana backyard hospitality. Every occasion centers around a feast. This one is a thank you party where Chris and Canette Liddy rolled out the red carpet to thank their neighborhood for running to their rescue during the historic flooding event in Baton Rouge a year ago.

How do you feed an army of volunteers? You call up J.R. Vendetto, the king of tailgating, and have him brew up a cauldron of jambalaya, the classic spiced up rice dish that’s a staple in Louisiana. J.R. fashioned a moveable feast in the Liddy’s backyard on a steamy Saturday afternoon and I had a front row seat. 

He kicked it off with Louisiana's required holy trinity of cooking--celery, onion, and bell pepper, sauteed in hot oil until almost tender. In went Cajun sausage and chicken, tomato, chicken stock, and handfuls of Tony Chachere’s Creoele seasoning. The colors danced in the pot and fragrant smoke signals reminded the neighbors of the backyard bash. It was time to add the rice, three five pound bags, and I got a turn to stir. While the cauldron bubbled, I worked in the rice with a cooking spoon the size of a pirogue paddle. J.R. threw the lid on and slapped down a 15 pound weight. “So no one can peek in,” he said, "we don't want that steam to escape."

The rice became one with the flavorful stew of meat and vegetables and J.R. scooped it onto plates for 200. I heard the neighbors hope out loud that this would become an annual tradition. I could raise my glass to that, minus the monsoons. Until then, I’ll work my way through some other classic Louisiana recipes in my kitchen. Follow the smoke signals. Happy Cooking!

Jambalaya

In case you're not planning a backyard bash, here's a scaled-down version to serve about 6-8.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cubed*
• 2 teaspoons Cajun/Creole seasoning blend (I followed J.R.'s lead and used Tony's)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 green onions, chopped

Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat (I used a deep cast iron skillet) and add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10-15 minutes. Push the vegetables around the side of the pot and add the cubed chicken and the Creole seasoning. Toss to brown the chicken, then add the garlic and sausage, stirring for a minute or two to brown the sausage.

Add the tomatoes, stock, thyme, cayenne, and bay leaves and stir well. Add the rice, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Give the mixture one last stir, reduce the heat to low, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 20 minutes before checking to see if the rice is done--if liquid remains, re-cover and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes longer. 

Stir in the green onions and serve in large shallow bowls. 

I had bone-in chicken thighs on hand which I first seasoned then browned before adding to the simmering pot. When the rice had absorbed all the liquid, I removed the meat from the bones and folded it in. Alternatively, use boneless chicken thighs .

Trifecta! Cookie Perfection!

Quick! What's your favorite kind of cookie? Is it a golden, bumpy, chocolate studded masterpiece? Crumbly cross-hatched peanut butter? Virtuous oatmeal cookie with raisins and a punch of cinnamon? I'm here to announce that you don't have to choose. Problem solved! 

I present to you Three Cookies in One, a Trifecta of cookie perfection. It's every good thing held together with a little bit of dough. Perfect, right?! What's even better is you can mix your dough, bake one pan of cookies to kill the craving, then save the rest to bake later. I usually put the mixing bowl full of dough right in the fridge, then try to muscle it out with a scoop. I've broken a scoop or two this way and bent some of my spoons. Oh the horror!

This time, I scraped the dough out into a shallow container, snapped on the lid, and the next day,  the dough popped right out of the container in a perfect slab of dough. AHA! I cut it into squares with my bench scraper (of course a knife will do the trick) and roughly formed the squares into balls. Into the oven and voila! The revelation was so exciting I just had to share.

When I described my discovery to my friend Ashley, she looked at me like I was insane, confessing she eats the dough raw. We all have our weaknesses. Happy Cooking!

Three Cookies in One (aka Trifecta Cookies)

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), slightly softened
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup PB powder*
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or peanuts

HEAT the oven to 350. CREAM the butter and peanut butter together and mix in the sugars and salt. MIX well and add the eggs, vanilla, PB powder, cinnamon and baking soda, mixing to incorporate. ADD the oats, chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts and stir to blend. DROP teaspoonfuls of the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. BAKE for 10 minutes until golden (for a chewier cookie) or 12 minutes for crunchy cookies. COOL on the sheets before storing in an airtight container.

Counter Intelligence tip! Scrape your dough out into a shallow container with a snug-fitting lid and press it into an even layer. Snap on the lid and chill it overnight or up to 3 days. Turn the slab of dough out onto a cutting board and cut into small squares (looking for about 48 cookies total). Shape the dough squares into balls and bake as above. (If the dough is still cold--Louisiana kitchens tend to warm the dough quickly!--the cookies may need an extra minute or two).

Makes about 4 dozen

King Cake Tour (Festival of Firsts...Part 2)

After an impromptu confession (“I’ve never had King Cake”) at my first crawfish boil, I heard an angel sing, “I’ll take you on a tour!” The angel is my Baton Rouge neighbor Michelle, a native of New Orleans. I interrupted before she sang ‘tour’ -- “When can we go?!” King Cake, if you’re unfamiliar, is a tradition that runs as deep and wide as the Mississippi River. It’s a Louisiana staple that traveled from France in the late 19th Century and graces tables across the state beginning with The Epiphany in January and concluding with Mardi Gras. The cake is equal parts coffee cake and French pastry with a tiny toy baby tucked inside. It’s cinnamon-infused nostalgia and a treat for this newcomer to get the insider tour.

Sign of the season --  king cake wreaths on New Orleans doors

Heading east for an hour on I-10 with a local is an adventure in Louisiana culture and history. I wished my recorder was running as Michelle preached the fascinating gospel of all things Cajun, Creole, and Mardi Gras. One hand on the wheel, I reached for my notebook and urged her to take some notes. As we passed the LaPlace exit, our conversation got spicy as she described the best andouille at Jacob's, exit 209. She had to keep me from taking a detour by promising we could visit there next time.

First stop and a perennial favorite! Michelle ready to roll with king cake in hand.

Our plans were loose, with only our first stop set in stone. Manny Randazzo’s Bakery has been cranking out king cakes for more than half a century and they are included on every king cake list that’s ever been published. Michelle was eager to get there early to beat the crowds. Loyal customers streamed out of the bakery juggling stacks of cakes so high they had to peer to the side to navigate back to their cars. The long line out the door validated Michelle’s urgency. One hour later and we would have left this storefront empty handed. We grabbed our goods and marched on.

The sign inside Randazzo's. "Now that's the truth!" I heard a customer proclaim.

The most challenging part of this little day trip was deciding which other bakeries to visit. With a bit of compass work and the latest ‘best king cake’ list courtesy of the Times Picayune, we created a king cake constellation as we crisscrossed the Crescent City. The details are foggy from the aromatherapy sugar buzz we got as the car filled up with cake after cake, each one festooned with its bakery’s signature fillings and toppings. Think heavy vanilla glaze and lots of purple, green, and gold sprinkles.

Precious cargo, infusing the air with cinnamon and vanilla

All this shopping was making us hungry and our haul of baked goods needed to make it back home intact for the grand tasting. So we took a little detour for lunch in the Warehouse District and landed a table at Chef Michael Gulotta’s new restaurant Maypop. Fortunately for us, the chef was checking in with the dining room and joined our conversation on the king cake conundrum. He and Michelle reminisced about their childhood memories surrounding the seasonal treat and he shared the source of his mother’s current favorite cake.

We pointed the car toward Tartine Bakery on Perrier Street to confirm Mrs. Gulotta’s suggestion, plunked down our cash and turned for home. Michelle got busy with a text invitation to the neighbors in Baton Rouge: “King Cake Tasting Party, come sample NoLa cakes from Randazzo’s and more. Who’s in?”

All diverse, all delicious!

We unloaded our haul onto Michelle’s dining room table as the friends gathered on cue. While I sliced each cake into bite-sized servings, the tasters began their reporting in overlapping songs. “Mardi Gras is my favorite holiday!” 

“This is a nice pastry but it isn’t king cake.”

“This one tastes like a croissant, I would eat it for breakfast.” 

"It's divine, just divine!"

“The party never ends.” 

“I like the crunch of the sugar!” 

"That was perfect, it has a little bit of everything. I love Carnival Season!"

As king cake season draws to its annual close, the gears will shift from the sugar frenzy and Mardi Gras excess to the fast of lent and on to the Louisiana festival season. More firsts for me and with my initiation of king cake complete, I'll do some testing in my kitchen. Wishing you all a happy, safe, and festive Mardi Gras! Laissez les bon temps rouler!

World Peace Cookies

If you only ever make one cookie recipe for the rest of your life, let this be it. This recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan, a chef and cookbook author who wrote several of our family's favorite cookbooks (if you need a good all-purpose baking cookbook, you can't go wrong with her Baking From My Home to Yours). Dorie calls these "world peace" cookies because she claims that they're so good that they could inspire world peace. I think she's right. 

These cookies are soft cocoa-y, full of chunks of bittersweet chocolate. They're a little salty, which sets off the chocolate and makes them even more addictive. They come together really quickly, plus they're slice and bake so you don't even have to spend time rolling them out. The dough freezes well, so you can make a double batch and save half in the freezer for when you have an urgent chocolate craving and you want to have warm, melty cookies in less than 15 minutes. 

World Peace Cookies

• 1 1/4 cup flour 
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 stick plus 3 Tablespoons of butter at room temperature
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Mix up the flour, cocoa, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Sift it if it's lumpy. 

Cream the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until it starts to get fluffy. Add the sugars, the salt, and the vanilla and continue beating it until it's light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Cover the bowl of the mixer with a kitchen towel to keep the flour from flying all over the place. Mix it until the flour is just incorporated. Then add the chopped up chocolate and mix a little more until it's all combined. The dough might be a little crumbly. This is okay. 

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Scoop half of the dough onto the plastic wrap and form it into a log that's about an inch and a half in diameter. Wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap and put the log in the fridge. Do the same thing with the other half of the dough (or put them in the freezer if you want to save them for later). Let the dough chill for at least 3 hours. 

When you are almost ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the log of dough into slices that are about half an inch thick. No worries if the slices crumble all over the place. You can just squish them back together. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes. The cookies won't look completely done, but they'll firm up as they cool.

With thanks to guest blogger Sara Hamilton

Crawfish Boil (Festival of Firsts...Part One of Many)

“We are boiling crawfish on Sunday at noon. Love for you all to join us. Let me know if you can!” YES we can! New town, new friends, new experiences. It’s a Festival of Firsts for us and the crawfish encounter was at the top of my wish list.

This irresistible invitation arrived via text from our neighbors Chris and Canette Liddy, prompted by a call from Chris’s brother in Australia. I can imagine the exchange, “hey mate! A coupl’a kids from Queensland are hittin' the books down your way...” Chris I’m sure, didn’t miss a beat, rolling out the ping pong table, cartons of cold drinks and sacks and sacks of crawfish. Louisiana hospitality coupled with that of a transplanted Australian is something you don’t want to miss.

The Aussies came, nine students in their final year of medical school, visiting with an exchange program with Ochsner Health System in New Orleans. The neighbors came, each with an armload of good things to round out the hospitality.

Crawfish boil. It’s a seasonal custom as familiar as Mardi Gras to anyone with a Louisiana pedigree. When the steaming crustaceans are spilled out onto the table, it’s obvious who the locals are. With dexterity, these pros pinch and peel crawfish by the dozens, popping them into their mouths. When I saddled up to the table with my announcement of ‘first timer,’ a crowd gathered to offer assistance. There’s a method to this madness and the experts are generous with how-to. 

It was an all-you-can-eat affair with quantities of paper towels to match. Bluebird skies, a welcome gift from the most fickle Mother Nature, coupled with a backyard full of friends old and new, made for the perfect backdrop for this First. Next up...King Cake, another rite of passage for the newcomers. My friend Michelle has already offered to lead this tour. So much festive fun and Mardi Gras is still weeks in the distance.

Crawfish Boil

recipe courtesy of Canette Liddy's father Sweet Cutrer

And Sweet continues...Spread crawfish, potatoes, corn on large table covered with newspaper and stand back. There may be a stampede to eat. (The Liddy's built a wooden trough designed by Robb Brumfield for their crawfish feasts. Last I heard, the next event was in its planning stages).

Lemon Sunshine

When life gives you lemons, make a beeline to the kitchen..

My citrus devotion stretches back to my childhood. The lime tree in our backyard created an unending fountain of limeade, a favorite thirst quencher. Our grapefruit tree provided sunshine at breakfast as we spooned jewel-like segments from the halved fruits with those jagged tipped spoons. On Sundays we stopped at a farm stand for bulging brown sacks of oranges which we juiced in shifts. Rinse, cut, squeeze, sip. I can hear the song of the juicer and taste the nectar of Mother Nature. 

My new surroundings now provide a welcome wealth of my favorite fruit group. I first recognized the familiar leaves on trees during a pre-move visit to Baton Rouge and celebrated my return to citrus country. The town is a virtual grove of delicious fruit. A satsuma tree serves as the property line between my house and the one next door, the fruits sequentially ripening on cue. This short and stout tree is heavy with ready-to-peel fruit. My sweet neighbor has the greenest thumb going and insists she has plenty to share. So I pluck one from the tree from time to time, zip off the peel and savor each juicy segment. It’s a fun treat to enjoy even in traffic and will brighten the cloudiest day.

I thank her by bringing satsuma bars over and notice another citrus tree in the far corner of her tropical landscape. “Is that a Meyer lemon tree?” I ask. The next morning, before I had the first sip of coffee, I noticed a gift bag propped on the chair on my front porch. Yellow and green peeked out from the top of the bag and I raced out to investigate. Better than any golden ticket, I now have more than enough Meyer lemons to chase the blues away.

First order of business, I dashed out to Sur La Table for a juicer and put it right to work. Its song is in a different key than the one of my childhood, but equally as sweet. This one hums as the juice flows and happiness surrounds me. I’ll bake a cake and continue with my list of citrus delicacies, some to keep and some to prop on the doorstep next door, and beyond.

Lemon-Blueberry Cake

As I pondered the infinite possibilities of my lemon bounty, an invitation to a neighborhood gathering appeared. Dr. Donald Ingram, an expert in the health field, was scheduled to present “Blue Versus Gray: Possible Benefits of Blueberries for Healthy Aging” so it seemed appropriate to add blueberries to my lemon creation. With thanks to Brown Eyed Baker for the recipe inspiration.

For the Cake:

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached flour, divided (plus a little extra for the pan)
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• zest of 2 large lemons
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus a little extra for the pan)
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice mixed with 1/2 cup milk in a measuring cup
• 2 1/2 cups blueberries (I used frozen wild blueberries)

For the Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Make the cake:

Heat the oven to 350 (reduce temperature to 325 if using a dark or non-stick baking pan). Butter and flour a 10-cup Bundt pan and set aside.

Whisk together the 2 cups unbleached flour, the cake flour, the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl) and add the lemon zest. Mix on low speed to moisten the sugar with the lemon. Add the butter and cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl once or twice, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well on low between each. Scrape the bowl and add the vanilla. Mix to combine, then add 1/3 of the flour mixture alternately with half of the lemon juice-milk mixture, mixing on low just until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and lemon-milk, adding the last 1/3 of flour and mixing to combine.

Toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour (tiny wild blueberries work great here,  keep them frozen before mixing into the cake batter) and gently fold them in to the batter with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake until golden and just firm on top and a tester inserted comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving platter to cool completely before glazing.

Make the glaze: 

Combine the powdered sugar and lemon zest, mashing together with a rubber spatula. Add the milk gradually, stirring to blend until desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and allow to set for a few minutes before slicing and serving.