oh, clementine

hello all!

as a lot of you may have noticed, i've changed platforms. which means that this blog is no longer supported by tumblr. to celebrate, my lovely mother and i created this scrumptious clementine cake. just for all of you clementine lovers to enjoy.

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okay, i lied. this cake wasn't exactly to celebrate my only somewhat successful platform transfer, but for a little party we were throwing at our apartment for a family-friends meet last night.

either way, i'd like to think it was for my success.

anyways, just look at this cake! i don't think there is a single flaw in this cake (other than the melting glaze that ended up soaking into all of the little holes in the cake and moistening it up. wait, there's a flaw in this flaw...)

BUT SERIOUSLY. CITRUS PEOPLE! CANDIED CITRUS! and CLEMENTINES! and KUMQUATS! i'm telling you now, no faults in this (delightful and aromatic) cake. 

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just a little frosting porn (?!) for you all before adding the citrus slices… 

as well as the finished piece, whose pictures are not as cheery because of the winter-where-the-sun-lasts-ten-minutes sunlight. 

and the drip… 

and the finale...

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almond clementine cake 

adapted from call me cupcake

makes 12-14 servings

the cake:

6 clementines

6 eggs

1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/3 cup almond flour

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

the candied citrus:

2 clementines

a lemon

a lime

1/2 punnet kumquats

1 cup water

1 3/4 cups sugar

the icing:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1-3 clementines

the cake:

01. place the clementines in a pot of water (enough to cover), bring to a boil, and cook for 2 hours (submerged). drain. when cooled,  mash/chop/process (juice, pith, peel, and all).

02. preheat oven to 375 degrees F

03. butter a springform pan (8-inch, or 9-inch)

04. in a standard mixer, beat eggs. add sugar, almonds, and baking powder. mix. add in clementine mixture, mix.

05. pour cake mixture into springform, and bake for 40-50 minutes on the middle oven rack. (start checking for doneness at 35 minutes with a skewer/toothpick)

06. remove cake from oven, and let cool on a rack, (cake still in the pan)

07. once completely cooled, remove cake from springform

the candied citrus:

01. slice clementines, lemon, lime, and kumquats thinly (as thin as possible without breaking the shape)

02. bring sugar and water to a boil in a rimmed saucepan. add sliced citrus and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. remove and let cool on parchment paper.

the icing:

01. sift powdered sugar in a large bowl. cut clementines in half, and squeeze juice into bowl like a lemon. start with 1 clementine, and add more until the desired consistency is reached.

02. pour over cake, let harden.

03. add candied citrus over top

wants + wishes

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       01    /    02    /    03    /    04    /    05    /    06    /    07    /    08    /    09

Ever since discovering for my love for photography, I’ve also discovered my love for modern-antique kitchen gizmos, like the ones above.

The simplicity. The modern-esque home-y looking mugs and vases, it’s all incredibly visually appealing to me. Very. Appealing.

1. Everyone needs a handmade wheel-thrown mug in their life
2. A signed copy of Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison – get your education on vegetables, and eat them too
3. The Market Bag; the iconic fold and shape of a brown paper bag, now waxed and sturdy, and perfect for your lovely food goodies
4. A citrus wreath to brighten up your kitchen
5. The beautiful Folded Bowls, to fold into the palm of your hand. Perfect for feeling the warmth of your soup in the cold winter.
6. An enamel Butter Warmer. Because who doesn’t love butter?
7. A minimal stoneware flower vase for your bare dining table
8. A color-dipped baking dish – that pop of color is exactly what your kitchen’s been missing
9. Apple-a-day lamp. This quirky lamp is made from an apple juice jar, and it’s at the top of my wish list. (Says something, doesn’t it…)

These things are currently on my priority wish list (especially number 09)! The following items are available for purchase at Food52’s Provisions shop.

Hope you have a great weekend!

maple buckwheat clusters

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look at that par-fait!

it’s the recipe you’ve all been waiting for!

maple-cinnamon buckwheat clusters aka the “gold” aka izzy’s golden goodness aka i-just-created-my-own-recipe-and-i-am-so-proud-of-myself clusters.

i’ve been reading a lot of recipes for buckwheat groat granola, and a lot of them require a dehydrator, a machine that i wish i owned. and recently i’d seen gracie’s comment that said she toasted hers on a pan. so i thought “why not?”.

…although, mine are clusters…

izzy’s golden goodness maple-cinnamon buckwheat clusters

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a large quantity of buckwheat groats (you can find them in the bulk section at whole foods)

1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon

1+ tbs maple syrup

01. preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

02. on a pan at medium-high heat, toast your buckwheat groats and cinnamon, making sure that all of the buckwheat is evenly toasted

03. once toasted, pour your maple syrup over the buckwheat (the pan should sizzle, and the syrup should bubble a bit)

04. stir the buckwheat groats so that clusters begin to form. it’s okay if some of the groats don’t cluster-up

05. put your sticky buckwheat clusters on the already lined baking sheet

06. bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the clusters are hard and crunchy

07. eat, nibble, and enjoy

only in brooklyn

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yesterday (or a few weeks ago), we took a trip to williamsburg, brooklyn (aka the most hipster-y hipster place that i know in all of new york). if i could live anywhere else in the city, it would be here. 

first, we headed to breakfast; to a spot you’ve most likely have already spotted on this blog.

its name: reynard , [and to this day, it’s my (second) favorite brunch spot]. 
its location: the wythe hotel on none other than wythe street on the outskirts of williamsburg. 

any place with a choice of steel cut oatmeal for brunch is bumped up to the top of my favorites list. it just so happened that reynard is one of them, and i got just that. mmmm, creamy steel cut oatmeal with sautéed apples and cinnamon. even though we could easily make this at home, it was completely worth every penny.

after our beautiful, sun-lit breakfast, we made our way to the heart of williamsburg, where we visited a few of my favorite spots:

• mast brother’s chocolate factory (where you become engulfed with the delicious smells of cocoa beans)
• the art library (home of brooklyn’s very own sketchbook project)
• handsome dan’s candy (my favorite cute candy shop ever)
• bird (where fig trees are everywhere)

i think i will be coming here again, to explore new places. until then, stay tuned.