double apricot & yogurt cake

well, it's been a difficult week and it's hard sometimes not to feel powerless and afraid of where things are going. i try to remember that worrying doesn't help unless it's accompanied by some kind of action. since i can't personally do anything right now about my great state's legislative war on women's bodies, and i certainly can't solve america's race problems, for now i'm baking a cake.

that's not to say, of course, that baking will solve anything of importance. as a lawyer, i do feel like i have some responsibility to use my training to work on some of those bigger issues. i'm currently working in the area of mental health, which could obviously use some improvements. i'm also trying to figure out where i should start volunteering my time. i'm thinking about The Innocence Project.

but in the meantime, closer to home, our dear neighbor had to put her house on the market and put her sweet elderly dog to sleep on the same day. i'm sure it's been a roller coaster for her and it's hard to deal with the open houses and having to be out somewhere while strangers tromp through your home, especially if you're missing your little furry companion. 

so, i decided to make her some cake. it's apricot season and i got a bunch recently. unfortunately, though they tasted good, their texture left a bit to be desired. luckily, any slight mealiness disappears when you bake them, leaving only soft jammy fruit. i also added chopped dried apricots to boost the flavor even more. 

to chop the dry ones, i piled 3-4 on top of each other and cut them into 5 or 6 sections, then turned them and cut again, leaving them in a small dice. the fresh apricots i just cut in half and then into wedges - maybe 5-6 per half. 

the rest of the cake was based on this one from Dorie Greenspan (although i actually have that cookbook, so i could have just used that). i brought the sugar down a bit, added a little ginger and left out the lemon zest, but otherwise mostly left it alone. i didn't have almonds for almond meal, which is offered as optional, but i think it would be good here, as almonds and apricots go well together. 

this is almost a one-bowl cake, which is my favorite kind. as it is, it only used two and required no mixer, so that's pretty good. just whisk the dry ingredients, mix the wet, add the dried apricot bits to the dry ingredients, using your fingers to separate the little stickies a bit so they don't clump together, then add the wet. mix until just combined and add the fresh apricots. fold them in gently so they don't go to pieces.

then just bake in a loaf pan buttered and lined with buttered parchment paper. mine took about 45 minutes or a bit more, but i also was using a 9" x 5" pan instead of the 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" that the original calls for. so just keep an eye on it. let it cool for maybe 10 minutes in the pan, then take it out to cool fully on a rack. it will be tempting, but i wouldn't cut it before it's cooled if you can help it. 

obviously cake's not going to solve any of the major problems facing the world today, but it can make your friends' lives a little brighter and sometimes that's all you can do on a weekend afternoon.

*double apricot & yogurt cake*
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's French Yogurt Cake

preheat the oven to 350.

5 small apricots (280 g/ almost 10 ounces)
9 dried apricots (100 g/ 3 1/2 ounces)

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (i would actually use more next time - it doesn't show up too much - maybe 1 teaspoon instead?)

whisk dry ingredients together and add the dried apricot pieces, using your fingers to get them incorporated so they don't form a big lump

1/2 cup plain yogurt (i used 2%, but you can probably use whatever, honestly)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (you could probably use 2/3 cup - it was still pretty sweet)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mild oil (i used canola)

whisk wet ingredients together and add to dry or vice versa. mix gently until just combined, then add the fresh apricot pieces and fold in, trying not to break them up too much. in the original recipe, you're supposed to add the oil at the end, but i forgot and put it in too early and it was fine.

put in 9"x 5" loaf pan that's been buttered and lined with buttered parchment paper. bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes, or until it's a nice dark toasty brown and a knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. let it sit on a rack for 10 minutes or so, then remove from pan and let cool on rack.

this would be really good with some ice cream or some barely sweetened whipped cream, but is perfectly nice with some coffee or tea as well. it's the little things...

*i should probably also note that i didn't give her quite all of the cake because i had to cut it and then we had to eat a little to make sure it wasn't gross. luckily, it wasn't.

listening to: ravishers - portland, poppy, boy-girl harmonies - what more can you ask for?

quick fruit galette

today was one of those summer days during which you try to slow every minute down and really appreciate it, because you know how perfect it is even as it's happening. i got to wake up later than usual, laze around reading and enjoying the wonder that is spotify, and eat some asian scrambled eggs with leftover rice.

i also was excited because i had Big Pie Plans and a southern potluck in my future. i made a pie crust with this recipe, and i will talk about it more later because we are about to have to leave for the aforementioned potluck. suffice it to say that it worked out really well and was super easy. that is my kind of pie crust, for sure.

above is my awesome haul from the produce market just down the street. the vast majority of their produce is local and it is a total steal. all of the stuff above (cherries, apricots, a mango, cucumbers, a plantain, grapefruit, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, a yam, peppers both spicy and bell, garlic, dill, cilantro, shallots, and a bag of organic rye flour) was only $16! what?! and the flour was like $4 of that. they have a whole shelf of bob's red mill products and also have lots of homemade jams and preserves. it is pretty much my favorite.

also, i biked there. i am sooo portland.

anyway, so i was making this other pie for the potluck and had some dough left over. the apricots i'd just bought were still sitting on the counter, so i rolled the extra dough out, cut up an apricot, put it in the middle of the dough, and folded the extra dough up around the fruit so that the juices wouldn't leak out too much. this whole process seriously takes about 2 minutes, tops.

then i sprinkled it with sugar (this was demerara sugar, like sugar in the raw) and put a couple of little pats of butter on top of the fruit. if you are making this as its own thing (i.e., not just trying to use up extra dough), it would not be a bad idea to do a little egg wash over the crust. this isn't necessary, but it makes it brown more attractively. if you want to do that, just beat up an egg with a little water (maybe a teaspoon?) and brush the pastry with it. these can also be bigger - just make a larger circle of dough. i kind of like the idea of individual ones, however.

then just put it on a cookie sheet-type pan and pop it in an oven at 375 until the crust is browned-y and the fruit looks done. i think this took about half an hour or so for mine, but you want to keep an eye on it.

this could also be made with store-bought crust and would then be the easiest dessert you can think of. you could also make it with other kinds of fruit - apples, pears, berries, etc. the amount of sugar you use depends on how sweet your fruit is and how sweet you want it (obvs). i probably only used a teaspoon or so, but the apricot was super ripe and didn't need much help along its road toward immortality.

bonus: now i know the crust of the pie i am bringing to the potluck is not too bad and will not make me an embarrassment to my family.