Shooting, Buttercream Floral Cakes, Becel and Corn.

Horrifying news on Friday morning about the shooting in the Colorado theatre where they were premiering the new Batman. Two things in particular which puzzled us, didn’t know they showed movies at midnight and what on earth was anyone doing with a 3 month old baby in the cinema, especially at that hour? Practically the whole of Good Morning America was taken up with this news. At the time of writing the stats are 12 dead and 59 injured, one of which was the baby. The suspect is in custody. They have searched his car and are also searching his home having evacuated people in the vicinity. It appears that one of the victims just missed a shooting in Toronto earlier this year. This time she was killed. How sad sounds like the fates were out to get her. Update: the baby survived.

In happier vein, a friend posted a picture of a cake on Facebook which is absolutely delightful. It is a buttercream floral cake and is made by an English cakemaker, www.artycakes.co.uk – it would be nice to be able to get a cake like this. It is so pretty isn’t it. I once make a Christmas cake covered in roses but they were made with royal icing, I would imagine that’s easier, you can make everything way in advance and store it. Dunno about you, I would be reluctant to cut into such a beautiful cake. I checked the website, what beautiful cakes are on display there. Lucky you in the UK having such a wonderful source of decorative and tasty confections. I was curious to see they stated they used an American buttercream recipe, I hadn’t known there was a difference, obviously butter and sugar is not all there is to it.

Friday night supper we had the Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps that I posted about a few days ago, we enjoyed them so much. I also enjoyed my corn for lunch and tried a different way of cooking it. Basically you microwave one cob for 1 1/2 mins then wrap it in a kitchen towel or some foil for 5 mins, then eat. Delicious. I put a little Becel margarine on mine, not butter. I’ve said before, I don’t think its available elsewhere, I could be wrong, but it tastes very like butter to me and is stuffed full of Omega 3.

I mentioned we have friends coming for supper tonight so will have a busy day. They are providing dessert so that’s less for us to do.

I am copying the whole article from Web MD to present this salad to you. It sounded delicious. I have always enjoyed insalata caprese, so this appeals. I confess I have never heard of David Chang nor do I know what shiso leaves are, but alternatives are suggested.

Cherry Tomato and Tofu Salad

ByThe Food Gal
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

He may be known for his potty-mouth and explosive, imploding personality but New York Chef David Chang of the mini Momofuku restaurant empire can sure put together one soothing, serene dish.
That’s just what you’ll enjoy in his “Cherry Tomato & Tofu Salad” from the newest Alice Waters cookbook, “In the Green Kitchen” (Clarkson Potter).

The founder of the landmark restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, Waters put this book together from dishes created by chefs at the 2008 Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco. The premise of the book, is that by keeping a well stocked pantry, learning a few basic techniques and seeking out the best organic, local and seasonal ingredients, anyone can create simple meals that nourish and satisfy.

I was fortunate enough to see Chang create this tofu dish at a cooking demo at Slow Food Nation. It’s a super simple dish of creamy, cold tofu topped with a zingy dressing of sherry vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil and sesame seeds that’s finished with refreshing shiso leaves and a bountiful handful of sweet summer cherry tomatoes. If you don’t have shiso readily available, fresh mint or basil leaves would make a fine substitution.
It’s like an Asian take on insalata caprese, with good-for-you tofu standing in for mozzarella. Enjoy it as a first course or as a light lunch on a lazy, warm afternoon, when the only swearing you plan to do is about how good this is.


From David Chang, In the Green Kitchen, by Alice Waters

This recipe makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons soy sauce
A few drops of toasted sesame oil
A dash of sherry vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 cup ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
2 slices very fresh tofu or yuba (tofu skin), 1/2-inch thick and about 2 by 4 inches
Shiso leaves

Instructions

Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toasted sesame oil is very potent and should be used sparingly. Add dressing and sesame seeds to the cherry tomatoes and mix together. Arrange tofu on a plate and spoon over tomatoes and dressing. Cut fresh shiso leaves into fine ribbons, or tear leaves into pieces, and scatter over tomatoes and tofu, then serve.

Have a great weekend