Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup with Sweet Potato - Bon Appetit

Bon Appetit's Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup with Sweet Potatoes

It's been cold. It's be raining. And it's time for soup!

I was down a YouTube rabbit hole recently and started watching a bunch of Bon Appetit videos. I love them - filmed in the test kitchen, these short videos have chefs with great personalities. My favorite series is Claire Saffitz making gourmet junk food like Oreos, Skittles, Instant Ramen (and bickers with Brad in the kitchen). Anyway, my second favorite is Andy Baraghani. He brings his own rice to make a Persian dish and made this delicious soup (watch the video)

Using the most basic of ingredients, you can make and serve this soup in an hour. And that's a Meyer lemon from my mom's tree.

  
There are 4 garlic cloves and 2 inches of ginger. Man, I love ginger in soup. I used two-ish chicken thighs.

One large sweet potato, with skin on, makes for a yummy change from a plain potato and the color is awesome.

Before serving, shred the chicken thighs with two forks. Super duper easy soup!

Right before serving, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice and soy sauce are added. Topped with cilantro, it's way delicious. I served this to a friend who liked it, and another friend made it and loved it. I've made it twice in 2019 and we're only at January 16 so it's hella good. I hope you make this!

Bon Appetit Feel-Better Chicken and Rice Soup

Chicken with Rice and Sweet Potato

Part of the Bon Appetit New Year's Healthyish series

Bon Appetit recipe link: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chicken-rice-soup

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used two plus a little thighs)
1/3 cup jasmine rice, rinsed (rinse until water runs clear)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2" piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 t kosher salt
2 small sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½"-thick rounds (I used one large sweet potato)
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon juice)
2 TBSP soy sauce
½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large saucepan, bring chicken, rice, garlic, ginger, salt, and 5 cups water to boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered for 10-12 minutes, until chicken is firm
3. Add sweet potatoes to pan and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until soup is thickened and potatoes and rice are tender, 15–20 minutes longer.
4. Remove chicken and shred. Return the chicken to the pot.
5. Add lemon juice and soy sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Top soup with chopped cilantro

Makes enough for 2 large servings with leftovers.

Recipe by Andy Baraghani. Video with his amazing no-look chopping (I would be in the ER after trying that): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj2j_K8c7XE

Join Andy Baraghani in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake in the Party Bundt

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries

I should just call this post, "THE PARTY BUNDT IS AN INSTANT PARTY." NordicWare brought back the Party Bundt. I didn't even know about this awesome bundt pan until my friend East Coast Mary aka ECM (yes, I'm West Coast Mary) sent me a link. When I said, "OMG. This is the greatest!!!" Then, being the sweetheart she is, she promptly wrote back, "Don't get it!"

Luckily, my birthday is in December and so is Christmas! Thanks so much ECM for my December Birthmas gift of the Party Bundt. I will use it all the time and think of you!

Look at those humps! It makes it so easy to cut perfect sized slices!

NordicWare Party Bundt (Amazon) or Nordic Ware or King Arthur Flour 

I received the pan and knew I had to use it for an upcoming dinner party. When I asked my friends for their favorite desserts, they both said Vanilla. Thus, the Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito that appeared in Bon Appetit! I made this Bundt during I Like Big Bundts celebration, and it was time to make it again.

OMG. Look all those humps. Those lovely bundt cake humps! Whenever I bring a Bundt to work, I precut it into many slices (moderation and all that). But you have to cut in-between the humps of a regular bundt pan...but with this Party Bundt, everyone gets a hump (be careful not to say "Gets To..." instead of "Gets A...").

 

This recipe is called Vanilla Bean Bundt...but I didn't have any Vanilla Beans. Besides, they are so expensive. So I used the next best thing: Vanilla PASTE. It has all the micro vanilla bean seeds and it is much more economical. Look for Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 4-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste at your local cooking store or Amazon.

This cake has a nice crumb. It's hardy enough to take strawberries...and a side of ice cream if you wish. It keeps for a few days too...if it lasts that long.

I Like Big Bundts with Lots of Humps! :)

Recipe:
Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries
Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon bourbon and 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with the seeds removed)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Vanilla Glaze
2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons (or more) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste)

Strawberries Topping
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled, sliced
3 tablespoons sugar

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare the bundt pan (I use    spray)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (5 minutes or so).
4. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating until combined after each edition.
5. Add vanilla paste.
6. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk until just blended.
7. Pour batter into pan and smooth out the top.
8. Bake until a skewer comes out clean. Check at 45 minutes (recipe calls for 55 minutes, but mine only took 45 minutes).
9. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes and then invert on the rack and cool completely before applying glaze.

Glaze

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl. If it's too thick, add a little more milk.
2. Drizzle over cooled cake. Let stand for 15 minutes before eating.

Strawberries

Toss strawberries and sugar in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, tossing occasionally, 20-30 minutes. Serve with the cake and enjoy!

   

Apple Raspberry Crisp from Bon Appetit

Apple Raspberry Crisp

I made this in April. It's now November. And I'm finally posting it. Yeah, I'm a bit behind.

But now it's perfect for fall!

This is sooooo easy to make. I just love crisps warm from the oven. Sooo delicious. I brought this to a morning meeting at work.

I got a lot of liquid at the bottom of this crisp. There is 1 Tablespoon of flour in the fruit; when I make it again, I think I'll increase the flour just a bit if I'm using frozen raspberries again. Or, I will thaw the raspberries and drain the juice. A couple of reviewers on Epicurious got a lot of liquid too.

Apple Raspberry Crisp 
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Fruit Mixture:
1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 5 large), peeled, quartered, cored (recipe calls for them to be thinly sliced, but I diced mine into cubes)
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries (unthawed) (I used Trader Joe's) (next time, I think I might thaw the raspberries and drain some of the liquid)

Topping:
1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Fruit Mixture: Mix the 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 Tablespoon flour in a large bowl. Add the apple slices and raspberries and toss them in the flour. Put fruit in a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish (my dish was a bit bigger).
3. Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (oats, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar and flour). Add chilled butter and rub in with fingertips until moist clumps form. Sprinkle topping over filling.
4. Bake until apples are tender and topping is golden brown and set, 1 hour or so. Cool at least 20 minutes before eating. Eat warm or room temperature.

Raspberry Ricotta Cake from Bon Appetit

Raspberry Ricotta Cake from Bon Appetit

Raspberry

Whole Milk Ricotta

Melted Butter

Eggs

Flour

Sugar

All these combine into one incredible cake. It has a rich flavor, but not heavy. It is really, really good.

You should make this. Serious. Really. How do I know? Well, I made this at 4 am this morning, then brought it into work. I share treats with my office mates first, then put it out for the rest of the staff. This morning, the guys got their piece and within 15 minutes my co-worker asks, "How long do I have to leave it out there for the others until I can get a second piece?" We agreed that an hour was good enough (you snooze, you lose) and 62 minutes later, he got the last piece left on the cake stand! 

This is a super easy, two bowls, no Kitchenaid cake. You always need to have some no Kitchenaid recipes in your recipe box. And sometimes you buy the large Raspberry container at Costco and have a few raspberries to use up.

It's super easy. The wet mixture is ricotta cheese, eggs and vanilla. This combines with the dry ingredients then a stick of melted butter is folded into the mix. See, I told you it was easy peasy.

I used a 9" by 3" round pan (instead of the usual 9" x 2" round). I think this will rise to very top of a 9" x 2" round pan so don't try to make it in an 8" pan.

The recipe uses FROZEN raspberries or blackberries, but I used FRESH raspberries only. I used one 6 ounce square package of raspberries. Next time, I might add some lemon zest.

Raspberry Ricotta Cake

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit (March 2015), also found on Epicurious

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups ricotta (I used whole milk ricotta)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

6 ounces (little more than 1 cup raspberries) fresh raspberries (one package)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9”-diameter cake pan. I used a 9"x3" cake pan. It may rise to the top of a 9"x2" pan. 

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.

4. Pour egg/ricotta mixture onto dry ingredients and fold together until almost all blended.

5. Fold in the melted butter and then add 75% of the raspberries and fold those into the mix. Don't overmix.
6. Put batter into the pan and smooth with an offset spatula.
7. Scatter the remaining raspberries on top of the cake.
8. Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes (mine took 50 minutes, I used fresh raspberries). Let cool at least 20 minutes before unmolding.

Spiced Nectarine Cake from Bon Appetit

Spiced Nectarine Cake

It's a delicious time of the year. Stone fruits. Cherries. Strawberries galore.
Awesome.

Make this cake.
Serious.
Go to the Farmer's Market, buy stone fruit and make it. You probably have all the base ingredients in the house right now!

It doesn't make much batter (only 1 1/4 cup flour) so the fruit really shines. The batter is simply a delivery device for warm fruit. :)

The original recipe from Bon Appetit has lemon juice and zest. Um, I totally forgot to add them, but I did take the suggestion of the reviewers and added some vanilla extract. I also baked it in this glass pie plate - the recipe calls for a 9" springform pan.

You can serve it on a plate with some coffee, tea or even a scoop of ice cream. Or, you can be like my co-workers, cut a slide and use your hand eat it like a pizza during the meeting.

Wow. Two blog posts in two days. And I served this cake this morning, and I'm posting it tonight. Finding my camera again has given me lots of inspiration!

Take care, Mary the Food Librarian

P.S. Make this cake!!!

Spiced Nectarine Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2005

Difference from the Original Recipe on Epicurious:
1. Totally skipped the lemon juice and zest. Totally skipped it because I totally forgot to add it.
2. Added vanilla extract.
3. Did not have self-rising flour, used a mixture of flour, baking powder and salt
4. Only needed 3 nectarines - recipe calls for 5.
5. Baked mine in a glass pie tray (because my springform pan was in use).
6. Forgot to sprinkle the topping on the cake before placing in oven...pulled it out after 15 minutes of baking and sprinkled on top. Yes, I was a bit tired when I made this!
7. You can substitute peaches, apricots or plums.

Cake Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (175 g) all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 medium nectarines, sliced, not peeled

Topping:
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9" springform pan or pie tin.
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Whisk in the salt.
3. Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter with sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until blended. Add the vanilla.
5. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Don't overmix.
6. Spread into the pan.
7. Arrange a layer of nectarine slices.
8. Mix together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle over the cake.
9. Bake until cake is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.
10. Serve at room temp or warm from the oven.

Ginger Spice Cookies (Bon Appetit)

I donate a pint of blood every 56 days or so. I think it builds good karma (hee hee) and you get served a cookie and juice. It takes very little to amuse me.

I really love my blood donation center...Nurse Jan is so nice!

However, the "don't-pass-out-on-us" post-donation cookie is...well...you know...just okay. Oh, how Tuesdays with Dorie and this baking blog adventure has killed me. I can now taste chemicals in box cake mixes. I can tell if stuff is made with real butter or not. And I can tell those blood donation cookies wandered over from the hospital kitchen.

Today, after giving a few gallons of blood, it FINALLY dawned on me to bring in my own damn cookie!

Of course! I heart ginger so I tried Bon Appétit's Ginger Spice Cookies.

The batter comes together very easily. It has cinnamon, ground ginger and 3/4 cup of crystallized ginger. You need to chill it for at least 1 hour. I let it hang out overnight. In the morning, I shaped them into balls and rolled them in sugar. Bake until the top cracks but the center is soft and yummy. Using a small scoop, I got 53 cookies.

A Cookie for A Pint

You should definitely make these Ginger Spice Cookies. And don't forget that giving blood is easy and very much in demand! Only 3% of American adults donate. Your local hospital or the Red Cross will welcome you with open arms and orange juice. Just be sure to plan your treat. You deserve the best! :)

Recipe:
Ginger Spice Cookies
from Bon Appétit, March 2000

P.S. My TWD entry this week is a bit delayed! Sorry but I should have a double entry next week!

Fresh Cherry Upside-Down Cake

I missed a week of the Farmer's Market and was stuck buying produce at the local supermarket. And that is a crime during the summer. I picked up a $6 bag of cherries...and they sucked compared to what I can get at the Farmer's Market. Sad. So, I baked with them!

Here is a fresh cherry upside-down cake from Bon Appetit. Find the recipe here on Epicurious.

Placing these cherries (cut side down) on the bottom of the pan was probably the most time consuming part of the cake. Luckily, Racheal and Lee just sent me an awesome cherry pitter!!! Thank you Racheal & Lee! You saved me a zillion hours of work!

The bottom (later the top) layer of the cake is a combo of butter and brown sugar with cherries on top. I think there is too much brown sugar (3/4 cup), but my co-workers liked the big o' layer. You melt the butter in the pan over low heat on the stove (see left photo). This always makes me nervous but it worked out fine.

The recipe says to use a 9" x 2" pan, but I used my 9" x 3" pan. If you have one, please use it. The second photo is from the oven, and this cake totally rises. I think it might overflow in a 9" x 2" pan.

Make this cherry cake with your cherries...and go to your farmer's market for the best stuff! :)

Recipe: Cherry Upside-Down Cake
from Bon Appetit, June 1997