He turns 26 today =) To celebrate Shannon built a menu from a few favorites, new and old. For the entree we had broiled salmon with whipped parsnips. We first had this dish at one of our favorite restaurants here in Atlanta (One Midtown Kitchen - http://www.concentricsrestaurants.com/) and have managed to successfully re-create it at home a few times now. We started off with butternut squash soup and bread and paired the entree with Shan's favorite veggie: green beans of course! For dessert, I tried my hand at re-creating Shannon's groom's cake from our wedding. Our caterers did such an awesome job with this and I've looked for recipes for something close to theirs for a while now. I finally settled on one and it turned out beautifully! I cheated and used store-bought cream cheese frosting, but Shannon and I decided that this is so good it doesn't even really need the frosting! It has the consistency of banana nut bread and it's a VERY heavy cake but it's super moist and has a wonderful flavor and texture. Here's the recipe I used:
CARROT CAKE
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins.
5. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
6. Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick.
7. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before frosting.
Here's a picture of the finished product:
CARROT CAKE
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins.
5. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
6. Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick.
7. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour before frosting.
Here's a picture of the finished product:
1 comment:
I just realized how much of a wife you are. This is getting kinda scary...
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