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Ah, the second show of the Spring semester at Rowan University's Department of Theatre and Dance... almost always the most grueling costume build of the year, and this year even moreso than usual. But what better way to dive back into having a life outside work than by getting together for dinner with our good friends Doug and Sarah? I like to think of them as the Lucy and Ricky to our Fred and Ethel. Or something like that.
Sarah made fantastic London Broil and asparagus, and Bryce made what I have come to think of as his signature side dish: garlic mashed potatoes. I didn't snap a shot of the other dishes, but here is Sarah slicing the London Broil:
I think the red juices might not be simply blood from the meat, but rather, wine from the marinade in which the meat rested for 24 hours before broiling. Then again, it might be mostly blood. I call Sarah the Meat Queen because she really knows her meats - the different cuts, and the best ways to prepare them, and she is so good at it. She is as well-known at her favorite butcher in the Reading Terminal Market as any of the regulars were at the bar on Cheers.
So speaking of amazing food resting on a blood-red puddle, that's how I'm going to segue into the main topic of this post: I told Sarah I was bringing dessert, but I wanted what it was to be a surprise. Sarah's favorite cake from Tria Cafe in Philadelphia looks like this:
It consists of a cake that we know includes olive oil, rosemary, and cornmeal, and it sits on drizzled blood orange sauce and gets topped with mascarpone.
I couldn't find a recipe that seemed just like it, but I did some research and developed one that I thought would make a decent knock-off. I was so excited about surprising Sarah with this. We concluded that aside from being presented as a big slice atop a large puddle of syrup, rather than as a cute little cake that had been baked in an individual ramekin, it is a solid imitation. And it's yummy!
It also makes an excellent Sunday morning breakfast. :-)
SARAH’S FAVORITE TRIA CAKE
(my attempt at an Olive Oil-Rosemary Cake with Blood Orange Syrup and Mascarpone)
1) Prepare a round cake pan by coating with olive oil and dusting lightly with flour. Cake could also be prepared in individual ramekins, presumably requiring a reduction in baking time.
2) Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cup flour*
1/2 cup cornmeal*
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3) Beat or whisk together in medium bowl:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4) Add remaining ingredients into medium bowl, beating or whisking until just blended:
2 tbsp finely-chopped fresh rosemary*
1 tbsp finely grated blood orange zest
1 cup olive oil*
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup white wine
5) Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring until just blended. Do not overmix.
6) Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes, then invert onto a cake plate.
7) Serve warm or at room temperature, resting each slice on a drizzle of blood orange syrup (recipe below), and topping with a dollop of mascarpone.
*The next time I make this, I will probably experiment with reducing the olive oil to 3/4 cup, increasing the rosemary to 3 tbsp, and using more cornmeal and therefore less flour.
Blood Orange Syrup:
1) Stir together in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat:
2 cups blood orange juice (we found this took about 16 blood oranges)
1/3 cup sugar
2) Once sugar is dissolved, increase heat and boil until syrup is reduced by half, down to about one cup*. Stir frequently and reduce heat as needed to keep from boiling over, as it tends to foam up quickly. Serve at your preferred temperature.
*The next time I make this, I will probably experiment with adding cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken the syrup. It was not so much a drizzle as a puddle, and I would like it to be thicker and soak into the cake less quickly.
