all in a day's work - PART II

PART II

the baking and eating part...

So, as the deliciousness stew is brewing and bubbling and making me very hungry, I decide the best thing with stew is cornbread. Warm cornbread straight from the oven with a little butter. Okay, stop drooling. Seriously.

Feeling a little creative, I decided to look into what else I had around. We have already covered the whole love of citrus especially on a winter day idea. I dug a little further. AHA! A recipe for cornmeal cake batter with orange zest. Not feeling very orangy, but definitely feeling very lemony I decided to get after it. Here we go:

Lemon cornmeal cake

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for pan
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup for topping
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (I know, I know what you are thinking... but it will be okay)

Try this one... the wine cube has little servings of wine that are individually sealed. You then, won't be tempted to drink the whole bottle, and you avoid the disapproving looks from your spouse who thinks you just might!

- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Finely grated zest of 1.5 or 2 lemons

Here he is. The naked lemon. I am sorry to disrobe you in all your loveliness sir, but it is for a good cause. I will use the rest of you, I promise (and I did).

Directions

Step 1: Turn on Michael on the itunes... got to be startin somethin I said you want to be startin something...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with oil; line bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper, and brush paper with oil. Don't sweat it. Use an exacto, yo.

stuck in the middle yeah yeah...

You're a vegetable... you're a vegetable... (wait, what?)

In a large bowl, (or in your way-cool new stand mixer like mine) whisk together oil, eggs, 1 cup sugar, and wine until smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and orange zest; whisk gently to combine. Or you could just beat it. Beat it, beat it, beat it...

Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/3 cup sugar (topping will be thick). Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 35 minutes or so.

Keep On With The Force Don't Stop Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Keep On With The Force Don't Stop Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Keep On With The Force Don't Stop Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Cool in pan. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert cake gently onto a plate, and remove parchment paper. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Now is the part where if you are me, then you place the cake in your favorite and very special crystal cake plate and dome that you received as a wedding gift. Perfect and pretty. I served my warm crusty cake with a little lemon curd for dessert. Who's bad?

Plate the soup, add a bit of parsley on top. Cus it makes it faaaaancy. That is why.