Ripped that month of February right off the calendar! Countdown to Spring: 20 days! Yippee!
Ok, you get the point. Just because I want to, I am re-reading all of my poems about Spring and rushing things a bit – ok, just let me be…….I’ll be alright…..I’ll be ok in a few weeks!
One gift of the longer minutes of sunlight? My Agapanthus in the kitchen actually has two blooms on it – unprecedented and so very exciting for me! Well, that may not float your boat, but it does mine. It is these kinds of things that keep me sane now and give me hope for the life that is to come outside in the upcoming weeks. For me, Winter is dead, and Spring, Summer and some of Fall are life! So, Ides of March, whatever you’ll bring, I can take it – I am standing firm with the blustery winds at my face and charging ahead now that February is gone!
These are used in a hedgerow in Montecito – 9/2011; not the huge ones I saw in Carmel.
I fell in love with Agapanthus a long time ago – but, I really fell in love with Agapanthus in California where they grow 3′ wide and 3′ tall, and some taller than me (well, it’s all a matter of perspective!)!
I’m itching to bake something this morning and have been thinking about it while I walked the dog…..funny how things inspire you – an Entenmann’s truck went wizzing by and I thought, oooo crumb cake! I hadn’t made one in a long time! But I wanted to incorporate some healthy fruits….. When I was an intern after pastry school, we made a very good crumb topping. I decided upon apples and blueberries and came up with this;
APPLE AND BLUEBERRY CRUMB CAKE – adapted from The Artist Baker
Crumb Topping:
5 1/4 oz flour
4 1/2 oz sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
4 oz unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cake: (for 1 9″ round pan)
1/4 cup fat free greek yogurt
2 oz canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 golden delicious apples, peeled and grated and drizzle a little lemon juice over
1/2 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the 9″round cake pan, place a round of parchment in bottom and butter the paper. Set aside.
To make topping: Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Melt the butter; remove from heat and add vanilla. Mix butter mixture with dry ingredients with hands. Spread on a small sheet pan and put in refrigerator while you make the cake.
To make Cake:
Mix oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and yogurt in a medium bowl until fully blended. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Sift dry ingredients into wet. Blend lightly with a rubber spatula. Add the apples and blueberries and blend lightly again – just until all flour has disappeared.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Remove topping from refrigerator and with your fingers, crumble over top of the batter. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and center springs back when touched lightly. Cool in pan. Serve plain or dollop of creme fraiche. (next time I am going to either try a different oil or substitute butter. I like the cake – it is a very nice treat for tea time!)
Well, the sun has not stayed out again today – I am disappointed but not totally forlorn – as I feel like I’ve made it through the worst of Winter. I’m going to continue to think about “forward” and all of the happy things to do in the next several months. Most of all, I am looking forward to returning to my garden to plant, and photograph. Over the hump, I’d say!