Author Archives: Nancy

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

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I found this fancy mesh cigarette case at an estate sale.

I don’t smoke — hardly anyone I know does.  But when I was a kid, it seemed like everybody smoked — at least pretty much everyone I knew did.

Weekday mornings in my community, women used to gather at neighboring homes for coffee klatsches — “a social gathering for informal conversation at which coffee is served.” The phrase comes from the German kaffeeklatsch — kaffee (coffee) and klatsch (gossip or noise).  These were the real housewives — stay-at-home moms, if you will — of Smithtown, New York.  Make no mistake — these were not dainty tea parties.  These coffee klatsches involved the 4Cs — coffee, conversation, cigarettes, and cake.  Hot coffee, gossipy conversation, clouds of smoke, and cake.  Delicious cake, to be specific.

Leisurely coffee klatsches are largely a thing of the past.  I saw an article suggesting that they still exist today in the form of working women getting together for coffee at a nearby coffee shop.  But it’s not the same thing — it’s a sterilized version.

Maybe when I retire I’ll try having a coffee klatsch at my house, without the cigarettes.  But I can definitely have delicious cake.  And the one that I will have is Sour Cream Coffee Cake.  The recipe is from the original Silver Palate Cookbook, and although I hadn’t made it in probably 20 years, I remembered how good it was.  Inspired by the fancy cigarette case, I made one, and my memory did not fail me — this cake, with its sweet cinnamon and pecan ribbon, is incredible.  Easy, moist, and crazy good, everyone who’s tried it asks for the recipe.  Give it a try, and invite some neighbors to your house to share it over coffee and conversation for a good old-fashioned coffee klatsch (minus the cigarettes).

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SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE
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Ingredients
  • 2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2-3/4 cups sugar, divided use
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place butter and 2 cups of sugar in a large bowl, and using an electric beater, cream together. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt, just until combined.
  3. In a separate small bowl, combine ¾ cup sugar with the pecans and cinnamon.
  4. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the nut mixture into a well-greased 10-inch bundt pan. Cover with half of the batter and sprinkle with half of the remaining nut mixture. Add the remaining batter and top with the remaining nut mixture. Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from pan.

Ready for the oven

Hot out of the oven

It smells soooooo good

Coffee, cigarettes, and cake — all that’s missing is conversation

FRIED RICE

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I bought these Chinese foo dogs at an estate sale:

Also known as guardian lions, I hoped they would help protect my palace from harmful spirits and people.  So far, so good.

Foo dogs, which originated in China, are thought to resemble chow chows and shih tzus. They were often found in front of palaces and temples.  They’re meant to be displayed in pairs, one female (representing yin) and one male (representing yang).

After nearly a month of kids and their significant others in and out of the house over the holidays, the last one headed back to college today.  To which I say, “oh foo.”  Inspired by the foo dogs, and the upcoming Chinese New Year, I made fried rice, one of the first dishes I showed my son how to make, and a favorite of his.

This fried rice is easy to make and is best made with leftover rice.  We add whatever protein we have on hand — cooked chicken, Canadian bacon, or, on this occasion, roast pork from a shop in Chinatown.

Other than soy sauce and sesame oil, the only other seasoning is black bean garlic sauce:

Have everything handy, and this comes together in about 15 minutes.

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FRIED RICE
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Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • ½ c. diced chicken, Canadian bacon, roast pork, or any combination
  • 1 small onion, diced (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add egg and cook for 1 minute, then flip and cook for 1 minute more. Remove egg from skillet, coarsely chop, and set aside.
  2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Add the chicken, Canadian bacon, or roast pork, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to brown slightly. Add the onion and stir fry for approximately 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the peas and carrots, rice, soy sauce, black bean garlic sauce, and sesame oil, and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until thoroughly combined and heated through. Stir in the reserved egg and serve hot.

Better than take out
Oh foo, no one to share it with