Will Bake for Good Friends

This weekend, I had a special friend, Rachel, over for lunch. Someone, who recently has inspired me to not only do what's comfortable, but to stretch and reach into that creative nook that rests sleepily inside of me. With having to "get it together" in so many facets of my life, sometimes I forget the fulfillment that comes from attempting to create, even if the end result isn't quite at the caliber that I wish it to be if I had spent more time nurturing the few artsy sparks that flicker around. I need to learn to not ignore those moments, but the better strategy may be actually making the space in my life to kindle the fire.

Making space means creating an environment where it doesn't seem like a hassle to do something creative. I equate this to the feeling I have when I am alone and hungry. Often, I think it most easy to go to a nearby drive thru or better yet, reheat some leftovers, and call it a meal because it's too much work to cook up a storm. When I'm in a good place and want to entertain friends, I like to make something home made to share. Even if it that means that I have to pull everything out of the cupboard to look for a specific vintage cake pan from my ever growing collection. Even if it means I have to put it all away when I find the item I need way in the back corner. Even if it looks from my kitchen like I got robbed. Maybe that's why I need to surround myself with people that inspire me. It makes me think life is worth the mess.

I was looking for the #221 Flamingo Pink Pyrex cake pan I bought five years ago on craigslist from Carolyn who now is a dear friend because she shares so many of my interests. I still remember driving to go pick up my Pyrex at her house in South Minneapolis. I even coordinated with Jessica to come a long for back up. Just in case. After all, it is craigslist!

So sometimes my hobbies amalgamate nicely. I like to cook. I like cooking with vintage bake ware. I like presenting friends with the things I've made in my vintage bake ware.

If you happen to have the #221 Pyrex cake pan, this recipe fits nicely into it. The cake didn't rise too much and I thought the blackberries looked lovely in the hot pink Pyrex cake pan!

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Blackberry Ricotta Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
15 oz Trader Joe's ricotta
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup frozen blackberries, divided
zest of medium lemon
juice from half of the lemon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a #221 size Pyrex cake pan with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray. I used leftover butter, to butter up the sides.

Whisk eggs, ricotta, and vanilla in a Pyrex 404/444 or medium bowl bowl until smooth, add zest and lemon juice; fold into dry ingredients just until blended. Then fold in butter, followed by 3/4 cup blackberries, taking care not to crush berries. Scrape batter into prepared pan and place remaining 1/4 cup blackberries over top.

Bake cake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before removing from the cake pan.

Do ahead: Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Treasures from Grandma Ranger

Sometime at the end of 2012, my interest in vintage Pyrex bowls skyrocketed. More than a hundred years ago, when Pyrex was introduced into the market, it really revolutionized home cooking. For the first time, people could serve out of what they made their food in. The glassware could be taken from the oven, onto the table for serving, and then used as storage in the fridge or freezer. Imagine having to use separate vessels for each step of the cooking process! And the amount of dishes to do. Without a dishwasher. The type of colorful Pyrex that I like was introduced in 1947. All this information I found on Pyrex Love .

In April 2013, my grandmother in Hawaii gave me her 1 1/2 pint (#401) Amish Butterprint nested mixing bowl (not pictured in this post). She doesn't quite remember how she inherited it, but gave some indication that it was most likely from relatives who were moving and didn't want these heavy glass bowls clogging up space in their kitchen cabinets.

Legend says that the Amish Butterprint print appeared somewhere between 1957 to 1959.

Now begins the story of how I acquired my second piece of Amish Butterprint Pyrex:

In December 2014, while driving from Los Angeles up to San Francisco on the Pacific Coast Highway in a rented red Camaro, I stopped in Cambria for lunch. While walking around Main Street, I stopped in at Granny Had One Antiques & Collectibles. Among the stash of Pyrex available for sale, there was the 1 1/2 pint (#502) size refrigerator dish! It was priced less than the other ones because it didn’t come with the glass lid (they break easily, so I often find Pyrex sold without the lid). Later, back in Minneapolis, I found the matching glass lid at a thrift store near my house for 79 cents!

Lids aren't air tight but it's nice to have a complete set when you know it's out there.

The best use of this Pyrex dish so far is to make baked treats. The 9X5 loaf pans are often too big. There are too many recipes that I want to try, but I don’t have a good inventory system of people lined up to eat the goodies when it's fresh out of the oven.

Most recipes, however, are not made for the #502 refrigerator dish so I came up with my own...and I promise to share more when I tweak other recipes to fit my dish! What else do you bake in your Pyrex refrigerator dishes?

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Banana Nutella Bread 

2 medium bananas
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 
¼ cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
¼ cup nutella

Preheat oven to 350°F and butter the #502 size refrigerator dish.

In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork/potato masher until smooth. Stir in the melted butter (make sure it’s cooled). Then add in the brown sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and large egg. Mix together. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Then slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix till its combined. 

Pour ¾ mixture in the refrigerator dish. Add spoonfuls of Nutella into the refrigerator dish. With a knife, make swirls between the Nutella and the batter. Add the rest of the batter on top of the Nutella. Try to cover up the Nutella, otherwise, it gets a bit too browned from the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until you can stick a wooden chopstick (or whatever tester  you use) into the center and it comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Slice and serve!

Dreaming in Purple

I love all shades of purple. In clothes, stationary, eye shadow and especially food. My hanai grandmother also shares this same sentiment for purple and every time I travel to her, we never fail to remind each other that we share a favorite color. But really, we share more than that. We both love books, pretty pens, and thrift shopping.

I am connected to my hanai grandparents through my father who immigrated to Hawaii in October of 1974 from Hong Kong. My grandparents, now retired librarians, had taught the English courses that my father attended when he was off work and he remained close to them even when he left for California in April of 1978 for better economic opportunities. They kept in touch by letter correspondence and when I was old enough to write, the responsibility was passed on to me. For more than twenty years, I addressed them as Uncle and Auntie, a term most Hawaiians call the elders whether they're related, but as they moved onto their retirement years - we went with Grandma and Grandpa. So this is the quintessential hanai relationship, one where through fate you become bonded as a family rather than through blood or legal ties. I've always been very fond of my grandma, feeling in many ways, that she's the calmer version of who I'd like to be. She also isn't the type of Asian grandmother, as she declared recently, that asks me questions because she wants to tell everyone else at the retirement home. She asks because we are family.

I came across the Hawaiian sweet potato many years ago while in Hawaii. I first saw it incorporated into a pie when I went to a lunch at my grandparent's retirement home in Hawaii Kai. They had staked out their usual table in the dining area near the lanai (where there's a breeze and enough room to put my grandma's walker) and I had a clear view of the cart rolling out of the kitchen with the soft purple hued pies - all sliced and ready to be served to the residents. 

I still remember seeing the slices of pie being pushed on the cart from table to table and all the seniors being so blasé towards this spectacular color (on a pie!)...but for me...I have since been dreaming of all the different ways I can incorporate purple onto my plate. 

Many years ago, I found frozen ube (Filipino purple sweet yam) at Sun Foods in Brooklyn Center, MN. I had mixed the ube with heavy whipping cream and sugar into a mousse as a cupcake filling. It was a surprise to those who ate it and found the sweet lavender colored cream in the middle!

This week at Central Market in Houston, TX I found Hawaiian sweet potatoes for $1.98 per pound. I have been meaning to make these soft lavender gnocchi (just for a visual treat!), but knew that if I wanted to embark on this journey that I would have to dedicate a whole afternoon to this endeavor and make a huge batch so it's worth my while. So, armed with my verde green Pyrex Cinderlla mixing bowl (#444) and a bit of determination...I finally did it!

I loved seeing the colors of purple change during the entire process - right from when you pierce the sweet potato with a fork till when you sprinkle the final little bit of flour to keep the gnocchi rope from sticking to the surface. Very reminiscent of the Hawaiian sunset. The second sunset that is, as a dear friend of mine put it - the one after the sun actually sets - when you can see the colors of the clouds changing from orange to a medley of pink, blue and purple.

I don't know when I'll be back in Hawaii again to wander around the the farmer's market on Keeaumoku and simultaneously have access to a kitchen with all the right utensils for this kind of project. In the meantime, I'll be day dreaming about the sun and as I head into the heart of the Midwestern winter, I'll defrost some of the gnocchi I hid in the freezer for a quiet evening meal. My way of sneaking the aloha into a cold, but Hawaiian, Minnesota night. 

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Hawaiian Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter Sage Sauce

• 2 pounds of Hawaiian Sweet Potato
• 2 TBSP of creamed honey (or a sugar of your choice)
• 8 ounces of ricotta cheese
• 2 1/4 cup of flour (approximate)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

For the Sauce

• 1 stick of butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 6-10 sage leaves, chopped

Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and then set on the baking sheet; bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add creamed honey, 2 tsp salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into dough chunks. Form each chunk into a long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if it sticks to the surface. Cut each rope into one inch pieces. Indent each piece with the twines of a fork. 

Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cool completely. 

For the sauce, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are golden brown, stir pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped sage and cinnamon (mixture will zizzle). Turn off heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer some sage butter into a pourable container. Add half of gnocchi into the pan. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.