Rustic Peach Upside-Down Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We spent the day at Baker Bay. It was family-type gathering and we spent most of the afternoon on the water. Food was simple. We had the most basic of barbecues, with choices limited to hamburgers, hot dogs or Sloppy Joes. The salads, some of which were delicious, were a pot luck affair and did a lot to help dress up the meal. I was asked to bring desserts. Because everything was being kept simple, I kept with the program and brought desserts that would fit in with the meal. We brought one of those old-fashioned crank ice cream maker to amuse the kids, as well as my version of a Texas sheet cake, and a couple of the Peach Upside-Down cakes I'm sharing with you tonight. The cake is barely sweet, but it has wonderful flavor thanks to the peaches and the unusual addition of toasted cornmeal to the cake batter. Those of you who favor desserts that are barely sweet will enjoy this unusual version of upside-down cake. The cake is easy to prepare but there are a few pitfalls you'll want to avoid should you decide to make it. Resist the temptation to increase the amount of peaches called for in the recipe. Doing so will result in a damp and soggy cake that no one will enjoy. As for the peaches themselves, you'll want to work with firm, just ripe fruit, or frozen fruit that has been thawed, drained and patted dry. Truly ripe peaches are way too soft for this dessert and you'll end up with a mushy cake that is an eyesore. The recipe comes from Cook's Country magazine, so you can rest assured that it has been tested and will produce a nice dessert. If you are looking for something new to try, you might want to experiment with this cake. Here is how it is made.

An Old-Fashioned Southern Cornmeal Pound Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I think I've been cooking too long. I was at the meat counter this morning and found myself wishing for a new kind of meat. I'm tired of beef and pork and my patience with poultry is starting to fray, so I'd really like to expand my horizons. I'm perfectly willing to go where no man has gone before, at least in my kitchen, but I've found that's easier said than done. There aren't a lot of new recipes out there. There are, to be sure, scads of recipes to which new descriptors have been added. You know the kind I mean - Bacon Wrapped, Egg-Stuffed, Herbed Meatloaf with Tomato Fondue and Cumin-Flavored Goat Cheese. The thing is, no matter what they do to it, it's still meatloaf. Things in the dessert world aren't any better. I was looking for new cake recipes and found the only way I'd find them was to move back in time rather than forward. I had the good fortune to stumble on an old recipe in Eat Drink Film in an article that was written by Dianne Boate. She found a recipe for cornmeal pound cake in a regional cookbook called Vittles. As it happens, this old, but new to me, cake would make a perfect base for local berries that are appearing in our farm markets. I decided to give it a try, and I was pleased enough with the results that I am comfortable passing the recipe on to you. The cake has a unique texture and it makes a gutsy berry base. Here is how this old-time favorite is made.

It Was A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Perfect for Lemon Cornmeal Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are days I truly believe that the universe conspires to drive us mad. I'm sure I lost a cosmic card game, because today the fates and furies turned on me and anything that could go wrong did. My "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" began before eight o'clock this morning, when HVAC and electrical specialists arrived to install a new heat pump and furnace for our home. The old equipment died yesterday despite heroic attempts to resuscitate it, and we needed it replaced as soon as possible. It was obvious from the get-go that some rivalry existed between the two trades sent to install the new equipment. Their first hour together reminded me of road trips when my children were preteens and hated each other. I became so intent on avoiding the conflict that I managed to trip over a toolbox as I tried to get out of the room. The fall was not life threatening, but when I got up I was bleeding rather copiously from the mouth and had to pay the dentist an emergency visit. It seems I broke the post of one tooth and managed to crack two others. The only man who loves me more than the Silver Fox is my dentist. I have single-handedly put his children through the finest schools in the country. He was very glad to see me this morning. I was at his office for several hours while he put me back together as best he could, and when we returned the HVAC guy and his apprentice were eating pizza. "I have some bad news for you," he said. "There's a 'possum in your crawl space, and we won't go in there until he's gone. We don't do wild animals." Now, the Silver Fox and I do rats and roaches, but neither of us has worked with 'possums, so I got out the phone book and found someone who does - for $500 - when he has time - next week. We don't have time, so the Silver Fox dashed to a local farm store and bought what we think is a humane trap. Understanding my frustration, which was approaching volcanic proportions, the electrician and HVAC guy jury rigged the furnace so we could operate it on emergency power tonight. I'm happy to report we will not freeze to death this evening, and if the 'possum takes the bait, they will return tomorrow to install our beautiful and expensive new heating system. I can't let myself ponder what will happen if they don't. Now, I know you are asking what all this has to do with scones. Time had boxed me into a corner and I needed a fast and simple recipe if I was to share a feature with you tonight. I remembered these unusual scones, and thought those of you who enjoy barely sweet European desserts might like to give them a try. They take about 15 minutes to prepare and they can be table ready in less than an hour. The recipe is straight forward and the scones are foolproof. Here is how they are made.

Cranberry, Orange and Cornmeal Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While everyone is familiar with the ingredients used in tonight's feature, the use of cranberries and orange in conjunction with cornmeal is not something we see every day. I honed in on this recipe, which comes from the LA Times, because I was looking for something unusual for a holiday brunch and I thought the combination of the three ingredients was different enough to be interesting. As I suspected, the cornmeal added great texture to the cake, while the mingling of vanilla and maple syrup wonderfully highlighted the flavors of the tart cranberries and orange zest. This cake is quite moist for one that is made with cornmeal. The moisture comes from the use of ricotta cheese which in this recipe serves as a liquid ingredient. The cake has a rustic appearance and the cranberries add a pop of color that make it perfect for a holiday table. The cake is not hard to make, but I do have one caution to share with you. Make sure the center of the cake is done before you remove it from the oven. The very center of mine fell, ever so slightly, as the cake cooled. The next time I make this, I plan to use a tube pan to assure that this doesn't happen again. I really liked the richness and texture of this cake. I do hope you'll give the recipe a try. Here is how the cake is made.

Zlevanka - A Dessert Cornbread from Croatia

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Every so often, I feel the need to escape what's become familiar in my kitchen and give something completely different a try. Several weeks ago, I bookmarked a dessert recipe I found on a site called Kitchen Nostalgia, and I had the opportunity to give it a try last weekend. The recipe was for an unusual sweet and dairy rich cornbread that originally came from Croatia. It sounded offbeat enough to be interesting, so I pulled out my bowls and whisk and gave it a try. I liked it and I think some of you will, too. I did make some minor changes to the recipe because, despite a google search, I was not able to verify that cornstarch and corn flour are the same thing. I just couldn't imagine making a cake with that much cornstarch, so, I took the coward's way out and decided to use a really finely ground cornmeal instead. I also have a suggestion to make regarding its preparation. This is a very moist cake and the next time I make it, I will let in cool in the pan for the standard 10 minutes, but then turn it out to cool on a rack, so the bottom has a chance to dry. I try not to do this kind of recipe too often because I know not all you share my passion for the different and unusual. That aside, I hope some of you will give this simple recipe a try. I  think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It is a great way to end a barbecue and it would not be out of place on a brunch table. Here is how the cake is made.

A Dunker's Delight - An Unusual Cornmeal Cookie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I suspect this cookie that will not appeal to all of you. It is barely sweet and decidedly European, but it has such wonderful texture and crunch, that I wanted to share it with those of you who might enjoy a dunkable cookie with your espresso or tea. The cookie, a shortbread to which cornmeal has been added, is nearly effortless to make and it is a delightful way to end a peasant type meal. The cookies comes together in minutes, but the dough needs to be chilled before it can be rolled, and the baked cookies need an hour to cool before they can be served without crumbling. While most of it is wait time, it will take about two hours to get these to the table, so be forewarned. I have one other caution to share with you regarding these buttery and delicious treats. They are not good keepers and despite your best efforts and airtight wrapping, they will lose their crunch and gritty texture if they are stored overnight. I hope that will not deter those of you who enjoy barley sweet desserts. These are wonderful with coffee or tea and they are perfect to serve with macerated fruit, so do give them a try. Here is how they are made.