Upside-Down Lemon Pudding Cake

This book is from our cookbook America's Best Lost Recipes

2 large eggs , separated, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
1 cup milk

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish or six 6-ounce ramekins.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Reduce the speed to medium and add the egg yolks, mixing until incorporated. Add the flour, lemon zest, and salt and beat until combined. Add the lemon juice and milk and beat until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared dish or ramekins. Place the dishes in a large baking pan and add enough boiling water to the pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the dish or ramekins.

3. Bake until the top is golden and the center springs back when gently pressed, 35 to 45 minutes for a large baking dish and 25 to 35 minutes for the individual ramekins. Transfer the dishes to a rack to cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours. (The pudding cakes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.) To serve, run a paring knife around the edges of the dish and invert onto a plate.

Serves 6

Greek Fried Egg

Heat olive oil gently in a skillet with fresh oregano; fry eggs in it. Pour into a bowl and top with crumbled feta cheese and a handful of country olives. Serve with crusty bread.

Green Tomato and Lemon Marmalade

By the time the seventh day of my tomato tour rolled around, I was ready for dessert.

And why not? After all, tomatoes are botanically a fruit, not a vegetable. I thought back to all the tomato confections I’d savored: the tomato tart Tatins, the sorbets and gelées. Any would have filled the bill, but I had used the last of the ripe tomatoes in the gazpacho, and only the green ones were left. Although I had originally planned to fry them, sweet fried green tomatoes just weren’t appealing.

Then I thought back to a recent delicacy I’d had in Provence. My very stylish host served a memorable breakfast of day-old croissants, toasted until the butter seeped out onto the crisp, golden surface, then slathered with green tomato marmalade studded with lemon confit. Replicating that marmalade seemed just the thing to do with my shiny pale tomatoes.

And so I did, keeping the recipe as simple as possible and cooking the tomato and lemon in sugar just until the fruit turned shimmering and translucent. Tangier, more complex and looser than most marmalades, this one offered candied slivers of fruit suspended in a thick, honeyed syrup that was just jellied enough to spread, yet runny enough to be dolloped over ice cream, or perhaps some leftover mascarpone.

Even without the croissant, it was a mesmerizing end to a week of tomato worship that can happily continue until first frost.

Instructions:
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

2 1/4 pounds green tomatoes (about 5 large tomatoes), cored and thinly sliced

3 1/4cups sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch of salt.

1. Bring lemon slices to a boil in a pot of water. Drain.

2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan along with 1/4 cup water, and bring to a simmer, stirring, to dissolve sugar. Cook at a bare simmer until tomatoes and lemon slices are translucent and syrup thickens, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool completely; store in refrigerator.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups.

Baked Fennel

Fennel Baked with Parmesan Cheese, from: Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book

Jane Grigson's note about this recipe: "My favourite fennel dish, the best one of all by far. The simple additions of butter and parmesan - no other cheese will do - show off the fennel flavour perfectly. The point to watch, when the dish is in the oven, is the browning of the cheese. Do not let it go beyond a rich golden-brown."

Julia's note: this dish can be halved or made even smaller for just two people with one or two large heads of fennel.

6 heads fennel, trimmed, quartered
butter
pepper
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Cook the fennel in salted water until it is tender. It is important to get this right: the fennel should not still be crisp, on the other hand it should not be floppy either. Drain it well and arrange in a generously buttered gratin dish. Be generous, too, with the pepper mill. Sprinkle on the cheese. Put into the oven at 400 degrees, until the cheese is golden brown and the fennel is bubbling vigorously in buttery juices.

Grilled Peach Panzanella

Grilled Peach Panzanella

Serves 6-8

This is the dish that chef Jeremy Fox used to court Deanie Fox's family. For gardeners who grow many basils, Fox suggests, "The more varieties the better." The Acme Bakery herb slab is an important part of this recipe specified by chef Fox. In a pinch, another herb bread may be used.

Ingredients:

4 peaches, halved and pitted

1/2 loaf Acme Bakery herb slab, halved lengthwise

About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste

1 shallot, minced (root end reserved)

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 to 3 tablespoons minced basil

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 bunch arugula

1 large ball fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Instructions: Prepare grill. Lightly brush peaches and bread with about 1/3 of the olive oil and season with sea salt. Over a light to medium fire, grill peaches and bread. Look for peaches to loosen from their skins, about 30 minutes. Remove the bread as soon as it is just toasted, about 3 minutes per side. Rub the reserved root end of the shallot on warm bread.

Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and allow to cool slightly. Cut 4 of the peach halves into 1/2-inch pieces. Mince the other 4 halves quite finely.

Pour remaining olive oil into a large salad bowl, add minced shallot, vinegar, basil and fine chopped peaches. Stir to form a vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with arugula, bread, peaches and mozzarella. Serve family style.

Per serving: 290 calories, 7 g protein, 21 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (5 g saturated), 17 mg cholesterol, 201 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Summer's Fruit & Cornmeal Cake

Serves 8-10

* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, plus more for coating pan
* 11/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 6 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
* 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 cup blackberries
* 1/2 cup raspberries

Instructions: Adjust a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9- by 2-inch round baking pan; dust the pan with cornmeal, and tap out the excess. Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

For the cake: Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy and smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the sugar in a steady stream, and beat until light. Stir the vanilla and almond extracts into the lightly beaten eggs and add to the butter mixture about 2 tablespoons at a time. The mixture will appear curdled and that's OK for this cake.

Remove the paddle and bowl from the mixer and stir in the sour cream with a rubber spatula. Add the flour ingredients to the butter mixture, stirring with the rubber spatula until well blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Scatter the blackberries and raspberries over the batter.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the baked surface springs back slightly when touched lightly in the center, is lightly golden on top and a round wooden toothpick comes out free of batter. Remove the pan from the oven to a wire rack and cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. With oven mitts, tilt and rotate the pan, gently tapping it on the work surface to release the cake from the sides of the pan. Place a wire rack on top of the pan, invert it onto the rack, and carefully lift the pan to remove. Cool completely before slicing with a sharp knife.

Per serving: 340 calories, 5 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 19 g fat (11 g saturated), 127 mg cholesterol, 127 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Roasted Eggplant Bisque

Roasted Eggplant Bisque

We fell in love with this soup's spicy-rich flavor many years ago while dining at Citron restaurant in Oakland. From Chris Rossi.

INGREDIENTS:
5 medium-size tomatoes
4 large globe eggplants
1/4 cup olive oil — 4 large leeks, cleaned and finely diced (white and light green part only)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with olive oil.

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them cut sides down on one of the baking sheets.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place them cut sides down on the other baking sheet.

Place the tomatoes on the bottom shelf of the oven; place the eggplant on the top shelf of the oven.

The tomatoes are done when the skins turn color and they give off liquid, which will reduce and thicken.

The eggplants should bake until they are very soft, about 40 minutes.

Allow the eggplants to cool until you can handle them, then scoop out the pulp, leaving the skin and tops behind.

While the vegetables are baking, start the soup base. Heat the olive oil in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium-high heat.

Add the leeks and saute, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize slightly.

Reduce the heat and add the garlic, cayenne and paprika; cook and stir for a few minutes, taking care the garlic does not brown. Add the wine and 3 cups of the chicken stock; bring to a simmer. When tomatoes are done, add them to the pot along with the eggplant pulp.

Add the fresh herbs and bring back to a simmer; simmer for 10 minutes.

Working in small batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Strain, if desired.

Return the soup to the pan; season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

Adjust consistency of soup with the last cup of chicken stock.

Serve very hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the basil chiffonade on top.

Serves 6 to 8

PER SERVING: 125 calories, 4 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

Truffled Eggplant Parmigiana

Marlena's Truffled Eggplant Parmigiana

From Chronicle columnist Marlena Spieler

INGREDIENTS:
2 medium-large eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
28-ounce can diced tomatoes + their juices
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
Several large pinches of dried oregano
About 12 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
About 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
A few generous shakes of while truffle oil

INSTRUCTIONS: Sprinkle salt over each eggplant slice and set aside for 20-30 minutes. Rinse well, and pat dry.

Heat a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in a heavy nonstick frying pan. Add the eggplant slices in a single layer and brown on both sides. When all of the eggplant is browned, begin to layer the casserole.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Make a single layer of the browned eggplant in a 12 x 15-inch baking dish that is about 4 to 5 inches deep. Spread a little of the tomatoes over the eggplant. Add a sprinkle of garlic, parsley and oregano. Add a layer of mozzarella and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Continue making layers, ending with the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, Mozzarella, then Parmesan.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is sizzling and the cheese melt-y, crusty browned in spots and the dish doesn't look liquid-y.

Remove from the oven, let cool for a moment or two, then sprinkle with truffle oil and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

PER SERVING: 295 calories, 23 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat (8 g saturated), 37 mg cholesterol, 789 mg sodium, 7 g fiber.