Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup

When most people think of cake, they usually picture a tall, fluffy, soft, crumbly slice topped with a slather of frosting. Don't get me wrong, I love this 'normal' type of cake - but sometimes I want something a little different. I came across this recipe a couple of years ago while watching Giada on the Food Network and had never gotten around to making it. While sifting through my notebook of recipes (yes, I still have an old school recipe log), I came across this again and decided to go for it.

Rosemary and cornmeal are two ingredients usually not found in cake, but they work really well together here, especially with the balsamic syrup. This cake is dense and has the same texture of cornbread, but it's sweet, savory, and satisfying all at the same time. The syrup is extremely strong, and a little goes a long way so I recommend cutting the recipe for it below by a third unless you will have a use for the remainder of it (which is highly doubtful).

If you're craving something sweet, try this recipe out. I hope it warms your heart (and fills your belly) like it did mine.


Cornmeal and Rosemary Cake with Balsamic Syrup


Ingredients for the Cake

• 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, minced rosemary, baking powder, and salt.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, on low speed beat the butter and vanilla together until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sour cream. On low speed add the dry ingredients just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Transfer the cake from the pan to a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with Balsamic Syrup on the side.


Ingredients for the Syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 small sprig fresh rosemary

Place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig and let the syrup cool.

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Rosemary Potatoes and Mustard Sauce

I'll start off by saying I'm not a huge fan of chicken. Yes, it's versatile and can be prepared many ways, but I often find that it dries out too easily, and when it does, I consider it an epic fail. Low and behold, this dish changed my mind about chicken (well at least this time, anyways).

The chicken is cooked first and then rests while the sauce is prepared. Like other meat, and especially with chicken, you want to keep the juices in for as long as you can - if you cut it as soon as it's done, they come spilling out and you end up with, well, a dried piece of meat. I made sure to time everything perfectly so that the potatoes would be ready to come out of the oven at the same time my brussels finished up. Many a time I forget this important step and end up with one of my sides (or even my main, gasp!) ending up cold in the process.

Preparing brussels take a little bit of work but I did this step earlier in the day so I could just throw them in later when needed. First, you must chop off the hard base - a sharp knife makes this easy. Next, peel off some of the tough outer dark green layers with your fingers. Finally, slice them in half lengthwise. Everything else was a snap to put together. I substituted Dijon mustard for whole-grain since I'm not a fan of this tangy variety, and I used packaged apple cider mix instead of purchasing a half gallon of the prepared stuff.

The mustard sauce was delicious as hints of apple came through without overpowering the other flavors. The combination of butter and olive oil to cook the brussels in was really nice. It was just enough to give you that buttery flavor without it seeming too oily. Finishing them off with chicken broth made them tender underneath the partially caramelized exterior. The rosemary potatoes were wonderful. We have more rosemary than we know what to do with in our garden (look for a future post using this wonderful herb!), so this was a great way to incorporate our bounty into a meal. They were crispy on the outside and pillowy-soft in the middle - just what you want from potatoes. Beginning to end this meal only took about half an hour to cook and could definitely make it on your weeknight rotation. Pour yourself up a glass of chardonnay and enjoy!


Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 12 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 

Preheat oven to 450°. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; add to pan. Cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken; place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 9 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup broth and cider; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 4 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in mustard, 1 tablespoon butter, and parsley.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup broth to pan; cover and cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Serve sprouts with chicken and sauce.


Adapted from Cooking Light



Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 12 ounces quartered red potatoes 

Preheat oven to 450°. Combine olive oil, thyme, rosemary, salt, black pepper, and potatoes in a bowl. Spread potatoes on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until golden brown and tender.


Adapted from Cooking Light 

Rosemary Chicken Salad Sandwich

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm not a huge fan of cold cut sandwiches. Whenever I go to a sandwich shop I usually opt for some type of salad - egg, tuna, or my favorite, chicken. Unfortunately chicken salad is usually made with an abundance of mayonnaise, which overpowers the delicate flavor of the chicken. The same usually goes for recipes I've found so I tend to stay away from making it at home.

We planned to have some friends stop by a few weeks ago and as I was searching for something light to serve for a luncheon, I came across this recipe. It's a less fattening version of the classic favorite with a twist - it includes rosemary and smoked almonds. The combination of light mayo and yogurt gave the salad the creaminess you'd expect but kept it from overshadowing the other flavors involved. I used a purchased rotisserie chicken instead of roasting my own, and decreased the green onions by half as they can tend to be a little strong when the rest of the ingredients in a recipe are rather simple. The result was a satisfyingly zesty chicken salad sandwich with an underlying smoky flavor. My son wanted to eat it straight out of the bowl!


Rosemary Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound)
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped smoked almonds
• 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 10 slices whole-grain bread

Combine first 9 ingredients, stirring well. Spread about 2/3 cup of chicken mixture over each of 5 bread slices, and top with remaining bread slices. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half.

Adapted from Cooking Light