40 Times the Fun: Kyle’s Big 4.0

Kyle's Big Day

40 TIMES THE FUN INVITEPlanning a birthday party for a forty year old fraternity boy comes with its challenges.  Especially when his older incarnation is a bit over the top (think 100 guests) and likes fine things. So my angle here was to channel all of the fun mixers we remember from college, but elevate the food and liquor to match our more refined adult palates. Throw in a snow cone machine (with homemade booze-laden syrups), long tables for flippy cups, a keg and photographer and it really felt like old times.

I of course am all about the food. In planning the menu I divided it into two parts; a well stocked noshing table for grazing throughout the event and a group of well edited passed hors d’oeuvres.  To stay within my theme I used bar food as my starting point and inspiration for all menu planning.  The table spread included pimento cheese pub spread, bacon wrapped bread-sticks (inside out “pigs-in-a-blanket”), my homage to Houston’s spinach artichoke dip, and a creative take on nachos – a spicy green chili and sausage cheesecake meant to be spread on chips and crackers.

passed hors d'oeuvresFor the passed hors d’oeuvres I made four varieties (pictured clockwise): beer-brat corn bites with honey mustard (corn dogs), blue cheese chicken salad stuffed cherry tomatoes with a buffalo sauce topper (buffalo chicken wings), mini grilled onion meatball burgers with ketchup and mustard gravy (hamburger sliders), and jalapeno and jack cheese chili-rellanos with red hatch sauce (jalapeno poppers).  The Rellanos and Brat Corn Bites were made in advance and frozen.  For the Sliders I made them earlier that day,  a reheated them with ketchup and mustard gravy, and used a crock pot to keep them warm for handy assembling.  The Chicken Salad was also made earlier that day and the tomatoes stuffed right before serving.  The buffet was set out before the guests arrived.  Accordingly the servers simply had to replenish througout the evening and circulate hors d’oeuvres.  This allowed me to enjoy my party.

Other fun touches included mongrammed cocktail napkins and matches, a giant photo collage of the birthday boy throughout the years, a music mix of late eighties and ninties hits, and a late night impromptu dance party (don’t ask).

see more photos from the night

photography by project captured – www.pjcgallery.com 

Tuscan Lemon Cake

Tuscan Lemon Cake from Under the Tuscan SunI call this the Tuscan Lemon Cake because I first found the recipe inside the memoir Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I was impressed by the creative way her book infused the narrative centering around her love for travel and cooking with actual recipes. I also was drawn to this particular cake because it was an heirloom recipe from her Southern family.

The cake has a terrific lemon flavor that seems just right any time of year. It is wonderfully moist, and has a rich dense consistency, similar to a poundcake.  It is a winner that freinds and family ask for again and again.

Initially, I had difficulty with the cake sticking to the pan. I overcompensated by using a lot of cooking spray – but going that route gave the cake a hard brown crust versus the slightly browned edge I was looking for.  I tried Pam with Flour – it solved the sticking but the crust was still overdone.  I found the old school technique of generously buttering the pan, and then lightly coating it with flour, did the trick.  No sticking and the cake browned beautifully.

A few other tips – make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. I use the defrost feature on my microwave to gently warm anything coming directly out of the fridge. Also sifting the dry ingredients together work wonders to help create a lighter texture. Finally, make sure the cake is fully cooled before icing it.

This cake is wonderful served with fresh berries or ice cream. And it is equally good for breakfast or dessert.

Tuscan Lemon Cake

3 Cups White Flour + additional amount to flour the pan
1 TSP Baking Powder
1/4 TSP Salt
1 Stick Unsalted Butter + additional butter to grease the pan
2 Cups Sugar
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Buttermilk
Juice (about 4 TBSP) and Zest of One Large Lemon

Glaze
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter
Juice of one Lemon (about 4 TBS)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

In a large bowl sift together flour, salt and baking powder.

Zest and juice the lemon.

Butter and flour a standard bundt pan – I brush about 3 TBS soft butter onto the pan using a pastry brush and then lightly sprinkle a small amount of flour all over the pan – shifting the pan back and forth to evenly coat the butter.

Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until well combined – about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy.  With the mixer on a low speed alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest and continue to mix until well combined.  Do not over-mix.

Spread the mixture into the pan – using a rubber spatula to evenly distribute the batter and flatten out the top.  Bake for one hour.  Remove cake from oven, let it rest five minutes, and then remove it from the pan.  Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, flour and butter – stirring constantly until there are no lumps.  Glaze the cake – starting along the top ridge of the cake – allowing the icing to drip down and cover the sides.