sokerikakku - Finnish Sugar Cake

3 extra large eggs (4 Finnish size eggs - or med eggs)
1.5 dl. of sugar (150 ml)
2 dl of flour (200 ml)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
butter and bread crumbs

2 c. Whipping cream
1/4 c. Sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 t. citrus zest (I used the zest of a tangerine)

juice, simple syrup, or liquor
Jam
fruit of your choice

Butter three 8 inch cake pans and dust with bread crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 395 degrees (200 C) .

sift together the flour and baking powder into a small bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, on high speed whip the eggs and sugar until they become light in color and frothy.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the eggs with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter evenly between the three pans and bake for 15 minutes or until a

toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer, while the

cream is whipping add 1/4 C. sugar, vanilla, and zest.

Place one of the 3 layers of the cake on a cake plate, sprinkle the cake with juice or simple syrup (I used a mixture of simple syrup and cheery liquor). cover cake with whipped cream, and then place a layer of fruit over the whipped cream (I used banana, blackberries, and grapes) repeat these steps with each layer of cake. and serve.

Stir-Fried Pork with Vegetables

I have a cookbook called The Ultimate Chinese & Asian Cookbook and I have found that almost all the recipes in it are delicious.

This week I made a version of the Stir-Fried Pork with Vegetables from page 193.







The recipe is as follows:

8 oz Pork loin
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. brown sugar
1 t. Chinese rice wine
2 t. corn starch paste (what ever that is) I just added 2 T. corn starch to the pork
4 oz. snow peas I used sugar snap peas pods
1 1/2 cup white mushrooms
1 carrot
1 scallion
1/4 cup vegetable oil
I added 1/2 cup red and orange peppers, cut in 1 inch pieces.
a few drops sesame oil
chicken stock if needed

1. Cut the pork into thin slices, each about the size of a postage stamp. Marinate with about 1 t. soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, and corn starch.
2. Trim the snow peas. thinly slice the mushrooms. Cut the carrots into pieces roughly the same size as the pork. cut the scallion into short sections.

3. Heat oil in a preheated wok and stir-fry the pork for about 1 minute. remove pork while you cook vegetables.







4. Add the vegetables to the wok and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the pork and some stock if needed. Continue cooking and stirring for about 1 minutes, add the remaining soy sauce . Sprinkle with sesame oil and serve.

My 3 year old daughter has so much fun setting up her good so that I can take a picture of that too. Tonight I am posting her dish.

My Coffee

Roasted Tomato Soup with Avocado and Parmesan

1 tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 tablespoons flour
2 pound *fresh tomatoes, or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, juices reserved
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup cream or milk
Salt and pepper

Avocado and Parmesan Cheese for Garnish

In a large noncreative saucepan, melt butter over medium heat with olive oil. Add onion and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes without allowing to color. Add tomatoes with their juices, garlic, broth, tomato paste, basil, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer stirring frequently, 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth. Return to pan and stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes, garnish with avocado and cheese and serve.

* If using fresh tomatoes: Cut tomatoes in half (quarters for large tomatoes), place them in a bowl and toss with 2 T .Olive oil, salt, pepper, and 1/2 t. rosemary to coat. Place tomatoes on baking sheet and place under broiler for about 10 minutes or until they start to break down. Let tomatoes cool, place in a blender and puree, drain tomatoes through sieve. Use in soup.

Tomato Salad

This one is simple and Delicious.

Slice red ripe tomatoes and lay them out on a serving platter
Grind sea salt onto Tomatoes
Finely chop red onion and sprinkle on tomatoes; I use Red because they are more nutritious
Drizzle with good Olive Oil
Sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley.

And Enjoy!

Cast Iron pans