STRAWBERRY & YOGURT LOAF CAKE

Posted on by Laura Geraty – By

This Strawberry and Yogurt Loaf Cake is my latest obsession. While the yogurt batter itself is only barely sweet, the cake is baked in a crust of turbinado sugar and its top is dolloped with both super sweet strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. As the cake bakes, some of the jam falls to the bottom, some gets suspended in the middle and some stays right on top. The cake around that jam becomes a little custardy. So much to describe here but, really, you’re going to have to trust me…make this cake.

In addition, there is something about *loaf* cakes that speak to me. Like, if you give me the option of a slice of a loaf versus a traditional cake, I’ll always choose the former. My ranking is loaf cake > round cakes > sheet cakes > cupcakes. I’m sure that hierarchy is controversial. Anyone with me here?

Origin Story

This recipe in a combination of my own Strawberry Snacking Cake, Alison Roman’s Chocolate Banana Bread (that’s where I got the genius idea of lining the loaf pan with sugar), Smitten Kitchen’s Strawberry Summer Cake (another perfect recipe if you don’t agree with my cake shape hierarchy), and Julia Turshen’s Greek Yogurt Cake with Jam.

As an amateur baker with an amateur understanding of baking science, it took some tweaking to get right. (Read: I had to clean the bottom of my oven more than once while developing this recipe.) I did that hard “research” so you don’t have to.

Serving Suggestions

I hope this Strawberry and Yogurt Loaf Cake finds its way into your baking repertoire. It deserves center stage after a dinner party topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or a place on your brunch table served with plain yogurt and fresh fruit. Guests will want the recipe and you’ll know where to send them.

As always, tag me in your food photos on Instagram @whatweeat.nyc and report back here.

Happy cooking!

STRAWBERRY AND YOGURT LOAF CAKE

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (aka demerara sugar or sugar in the raw) plus 1 tbsp to top strawberries
  • 6 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp for coating loaf pan, room temp
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (you can be heavy handed here)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
  • Very scant 1/2 lb strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered (little less than half a box, or ~1.5 cups)
  • 1/4 cup strawberry jam
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.* Generously butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Sugar the inside of the pan with 1/4 cup of the turbinado sugar, tapping out excess. Get right up to the lip of the pan because the cake will rise to the tippety top.
  2. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer**, beat the butter and sugar together for ~5 minutes until light in color and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs. (Reserve yogurt until end.)
  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Hull and halve the strawberries.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Using a spatula, fold in the yogurt until fully incorporated but not over mixed.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Use a small spoon to dollop the strawberry jam over the batter, keeping the jam more towards the center of the cake than to the sides. (If you push it to the sides, it’s a little hard to turn out the cooled cake because the jam gets sticky.) Use the back of spoon to swirl it here and there. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
  6. Finally, top with the halved strawberries, Tetris-ing them in so every square inch of the top is covered. If you have extra strawberries, those are your chef’s treat. Sprinkle the top with the last heaping tablespoon of turbinado sugar.
  7. Place loaf pan on a sheet tray (just in case) and bake until the sides of the cake start to pull away and the cake is baked through in the center, about 80-90 minutes. It should spring back slightly when pressed in the center.
  8. Cool on the stovetop or on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Use a knife to encourage the sides away from the pan. It will be a little sticky here and there but should eventually pull away. Turn out a place on a serving platter to cool for another 30 minutes before slicing.**
  9. The cake is delicious for a couple of days in an airtight container so can be made ahead. Mine has never lasted more than two days.

Serves 8-10 people

*I use my convection setting here. If you don’t have one, the cake might take closer to 90 minutes to be fully cooked.

**You can do this by hand but you really want to aerate that butter (make it extra fluffy) and this is MUCH easier with some equipment.

***To be honest, I’ve of course turned this out and sliced this within 30 minutes of it coming out of the oven. We’re just talking “ideally” here.

Want more dessert recipes?

Potato Salad, Deconstructed and Brought to Greece

Posted on by Laura Geraty – By

As you’d expect from a group of Millennials, Instagram is where we get at least half of our cooking inspiration. While we rarely follow links to recipes, photos alone serve as a jumping off point for all types of culinary adventures. A recent post of a deconstructed potato salad arranged on a bed of herby yogurt by Jill Ferguson from @feedtheswimmers led to daydreams of a Greek-style version—creamy yet crisp twice-baked fingerling potatoes served on a bed of cucumber- and garlic-studded tzatziki topped with a host of the usual Greek salad players.

Continue reading “Potato Salad, Deconstructed and Brought to Greece” →

Four Food Trends We’re Predicting for 2018

Posted on by Charlotte Greffin – By

In line at Whole Foods perusing food magazines, it’s hard not to notice a theme this time of year. It seems like everyone in food (especially the health food scene) tries to guess what the next Kale, Quinoa, Coconut oil or Kombucha will be. What food trends are predicted for 2018? Paging through my favorite issues while my groceries inch down the conveyer belt, it’s clear that everyone’s thinking about simplicity and ease when it comes to cooking. Meal prep ideas are the rage. As private chefs who basically do that for a living and for ourselves, we’re experts on the matter. Here are four prep ahead food trends we’re predicting for 2018:

A Little Sprinkle Here…

The key to meal prep is having things on hand that you can throw together in a pinch. That’s why I think things like “sprinkles” (coined by Bon Appetit) and sauces are so on trend. They’re perfect for just that–whipping things up and keeping them in the fridge! Not only are these sauces and seed mixes easy to keep on hand, they’re also healthy and protein rich. Sprinkles and sauces are a quick Sunday activity too (#mealprepsundays). Roast your favorite nut (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.), toast some sesame seeds (or pepitas, chia seeds, hempseeds, etc.) and toss with maldon salt, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, granulated garlic…you name it.

Think about the stuff you pinch (or “sprinkle”) onto your plate last minute. Something crunchy, something salty, and something spicy. It’s what granola is to breakfast yogurt. Keep your preferred mix at your fingertips in a jar in your pantry or fridge. Here are a few “sprinkle” recipes to tickle your taste buds: the general idea to build off of and a little something extra to get your creative juices flowing. A good “starter” sprinkle is panko, garlic and parmesan. Saute panko in a little olive oil until golden, adding in minced garlic for the last minute or two. Then add grated parmesan off the heat. Cool and store in the fridge to top soups, salads or other cooked vegetable dishes throughout the week.

Creamy miso tahini dressing with charred broccoli and crispy tofu

…A Little Drizzle There

Sauces work the same way. These homemade condiments can also be packed with nutrients: omega-3 infused anchovies, probiotic rich miso, protein packed greek yogurt to name a few. With the rise of fermented flavors (another food trend, link to Gillian’s take on it here) we’re obsessed with putting a teaspoon of miso in our tahini dressing. It adds tangy, savory flair to the nutty, creamy tahini. Bonus that it’s good for your gut. This dressing can be thinned out and tossed in a salad or better yet drizzled on your roasted veggies. (Here’s a recipe for reference if you need one.)

We love fresh herbs, which means we always have them in our fridge. There’s almost nothing more satisfying than freeing up space in our crisper drawers and putting all the sad, end-of-week herbs in a blender with some olive oil, a little zest and and anchovy filet. Salsa Verde! This stuff is delicious on practically everything. If you throw in some yogurt or avocado, it transforms into green goddess. These sauces are my go-to show stoppers and they’re literally made by just throwing things odds and ends together.

Yogurt With Everything

Our self-proclaimed trend is the rise of plain Greek yogurt or skyr as ingredients. We love to dollop them on everything, from build-your-own rice bowls to chicken tortilla soup. I even put in on top of my scrambled eggs. It adds that creamy richness you get from sour cream but without the guilt. The probiotics make it much better for you. The tang…you’ll love the tang.

Plant-based Bean Stew with Crunchy Wild Mushrooms

A Mostly Plant-Based Diet

Plant based proteins are becoming more popular every year and it feels like the list just keeps getting longer. They include tofu, tempeh, quinoa, lentils, beans, chia seeds, and various nuts. With so many vegan/vegetarian clients we keep this list of possibilities under our belt at all times. It’s becoming clearer that we don’t need as much protein as we think. I try to stick to one animal based protein a day and often end up eating meat just a few times a week. A mix of quinoa and beans (a cup of each) is enough to fulfill half of my recommended daily intake. That’s half in just one meal! With that in mind, I’m always thinking of ways to minimize my need for animal proteins and I’m not the only one. I don’t consider myself a vegetarian, but I’m not limiting myself to animal products and I think that’s where the trend in headed. There’s even a word for it: Flexitarian. This is defined by people who are not committed to a full vegetarian diet but prefer to eat mostly plant-based foods. Long live plant love!

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What’s the Deal with Full Fat Dairy?

Posted on by admin – By

When I worked as a primary care dietitian, not a day passed without me recommending the substitution of low-fat or nonfat dairy products for their full-fat counterparts. Whether I was seeing someone with heart disease or high cholesterol, obesity or diabetes, choosing low-fat/nonfat dairy was a no-brainer. However, a growing body of evidence suggests this recommendation may be at best ineffective, and at worst counterproductive.

There were two main reasons the medical field touted the superiority of low-fat dairy for so long:

  • Saturated fat has long been associated with high cholesterol and heart disease. Full fat dairy is higher in saturated fat than low-fat/nonfat dairy.
  • Low calorie diets are associated with healthy weight management. Full fat dairy is higher in calories than low-fat/nonfat dairy.

What’s changed? The short answer is nutrition science itself. Until recently, nutrition science has focused on isolated nutrients instead of actual foods.

In the case of saturated fat and heart disease, science looked at the effect of saturated fat overall. It did not distinguish whether it came from animal fat (think the fatty gristle on a t-bone steak), dairy fat (think whole milk) or vegetable fat (think coconut oil). All foods have unique fatty acid profiles, each of which may have different metabolic effects. Even a food group’s subsets, like milk, yogurt, cheese and butter, which all fall under the dairy umbrella, have different profiles and different effects. When the full fat dairy group is teased out from the other saturated fat sources, it does not appear to be significantly related to risk of heart disease.

In the case of calories and weight control, science has long held that a calorie, is a calorie, is a calorie. Fat has more calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates (9 calories per gram versus 4 calories per gram), so therefore reducing calories by choosing lower fat alternatives was thought to aid in weight management. However, new research indicates that full fat dairy is associated with improved weight control. While the reason isn’t fully understood, one hypothesis is that full fat dairy is more filling than low-fat/non fat dairy alternatives, so those who consume the latter compensate by eating more calories (most often from refined carbohydrates) later on.

So, what’s a dairy eater to do? Here are my recommendations:

  • Enjoy full fat versions of the dairy you currently consume if you’d like. Three servings of dairy is great. That could be one cup whole Greek yogurt for breakfast, a small whole milk cappuccino midmorning and an ounce or two of cheese crumbled atop a salad for dinner.
  • Fermented plain full fat dairy like yogurt and kefir seems to be the most beneficial of all full fat dairy products, so extra points for regularly including these foods in your diet.
  • Limit low-fat/nonfat and full fat dairy with added sugars or sugar substitutes.
  • The bulk of your diet should be vegetables and fruit (at least half), whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes and other lean proteins like fish and eggs. These foods are indisputably good for you.

One final note. Nutrition science is so young. The direction of research today indicates that full fat dairy isn’t the no-no we once thought it was but that doesn’t mean we should accept this as indisputable fact for life. Nutrition science will continue to evolve so it’s important to be open to new developments but at the same time be skeptical about where your information is coming from. As Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, says:

“It is the least substantiated, most uninformed opinions about how to eat that will come at you with the greatest conviction. That’s your first clue that something is awry, because true expertise always allows for doubt.”

xo Laura

 

Summer Grilling: Spiced Butterflied Chicken with Tahini Yogurt and Mint Chimichurri

Posted on by admin – By

 

Summer weather has finally arrived in New York City and with that an entirely new world of possibilities has opened up. Picnics in the park, drinks at a rooftop bar, and weekend beach escapes are just a few of the many options that New Yorkers have as an outlet to beat the scorching heat. Personally, I think nothing screams summer more than a barbecue.

Grilling outside feels primal somehow. Cooking outdoors over an open flame harkens back to the very first cooking methods, and even though we have evolved, it is still one of the most delicious. I love the crisp char of grilled meat or vegetables coupled with the smoky aroma that they release into the breeze. Over time, I have learned through trial and error what works best on the grill versus what proves to be a very messy or frustrating experience. In the end, the biggest problem for me has always been striking the balance between having an enjoyable outdoor grilling experience while keeping in mind that I live New York City, a place with almost no nature and an extremely low tolerance for open flames.

Once, about a year back, I got the opportunity to take a day off from chef life and attend a backyard party in the Lower East Side. The afternoon was beautiful, the drinks were flowing and the vision of so many “artisanal” bratwursts was a sight to behold. I watched as the grill was piled with burgers, steaks and franks. The grill cracked and popped at the influx of raw ingredients and flames began to lick up over the grate. The grill was obviously overloaded, but I was hesitant to jump into chef mode. Onlookers observed as the small flames and wisps of smoke steadily grew. The mood quickly escalated into panic as a full-fledged fire emerged and began to dance around the telephone wires six feet up. All ended quickly and safely but I have been forever traumatized by my first New York City grilling experience.

 
Summer grilling at sunset

I have since dedicated much time and practice to learning the art and grace of outdoor grilling. Cooking on my own rooftop has become an amazing dinnertime ritual now that the weather allows and the sun stays up later. Rian and I frequently experiment with new glazes or rubs, so I thought I would share last night’s delicious endeavor of grilling a butterflied chicken. This was a play on a chicken tagine that we have been making for clients of late. The result wa
s a charred and flavorful crust that gave way to tender and juicy meat. We enjoyed the entire bird over a swoosh of Tahini Yogurt and topped with a drizzle of mint chimichurri. I have since decided that I never want to go back to traditional roasting.

 

For the Chicken:

1 Chicken, butterflied

1 tbs chili powder

1 tbs Cumin

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tbs Smoked paprika

1 tbs Ground Coriander

1 tbs olive oil

For the Chimichurri:

1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 cup mint

1 clove garlic

2 tbs parsley

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

pinch of salt

To make the chimichurri: combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until chopped finely. Allow to rest and develop the flavors.

To make the chicken: In a bowl, combine the spices, garlic and olive oil until a paste forms. Rub the paste under the skin of the chicken and on top until evenly coated. Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt and pepper on top and head toward the grill!

Turn the grill on medium high and cook skin side down for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve scattered with cracked green olives, a dollop of tahini yogurt and a drizzle with chimichurri.

With Love,  Kristina