Apricot Upside-down Cake

The Art.
    I am happy to bring you another post from the Birthday Tea Party! This apricot upside-down cake combines sweet apricots with my tried-and-true yellow cake to make a delicious tarte tatin. The apricots caramelize with the butter and brown sugar on the bottom of the pan, making a delectable syrup that had me licking my fingers in a most un-ladylike manner.

The Science.
    It is worth noting that adding fruit to a cake recipe can have a significant effect on texture. Now, since I was in a hurry, I used canned apricots, which have quite a bit of moisture. This made the cake incredibly moist, and also had the effect of making it very dense. This is a desirable quality in an upside-down cake, because it makes it easier to get out of the pan and slice. However, this is something that should be considered whenever you are adding fruit, especially canned fruits, to a cake. Another thing to consider when making a fruity cake is the structure of the fruit you are adding. My sister made a variation of this recipe with fresh mango, which sounded delicious in theory, but unfortunately the delicate texture of the mango didn't do well as a tarte tatin.

The Recipe.
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 15oz. cans apricot halves

1 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk

    Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 10-inch round pan. (An 8- or 9-inch round pan can be used, but you might have some extra batter.) Combine melted butter and brown sugar and press into bottom of pan. Lay apricots cut side down in a single layer in the pan. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter in large bowl on medium-high until fluffy, then gradually beat in sugar. Beat eggs in, one at a time. Stir vanilla into buttermilk. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter/sugar/egg mixture while beating on low speed. Beat an additional 30 seconds. Pour batter over apricots. Lift and drop on the counter a couple times to eliminate bubbles in the batter. Bake on center rack for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
    Allow to cool completely, then carefully run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the cake.  Gently invert onto a cake plate or stand and serve. Cake can be baked ahead one day and left in the pan overnight.

Curried Deviled Eggs

The Art.

    I recently hosted an afternoon tea, and in addition to scones, cake, and cucumber sandwiches, I made some deviled eggs to nosh on. I was trying to keep the flavors of all of the foods light and fresh so that my guests could enjoy the tea and not saturate their palettes. To this end, I decided to exclude mustard and pickle relish from my deviled eggs and instead mixed in a little curry powder and garnished with fresh cilantro. If the rate at which they disappeared is any indication, I'd say they were a big hit!

The Science.

    Although it may sound like an easy task, making a perfect boiled egg can be tricky. The goal is to produce a soft, pale egg yolk without overshooting it and making a green, stinky, sulfurous mess. A while back I became frustrated with my boiled eggs and sought some answers to boil the perfect egg. And, of course, Julia Child was the answer. Ever since I have followed her method from The Way to Cook, I've made perfect boiled eggs every time. Not only does her method make eggs the perfect doneness, it also makes peeling them a breeze. The secret is to fully chill the eggs to make them contract away from the shell, then stick them back in the hot water to expand the shell further away from the egg right before peeling. The only alteration I've made to Mrs. Child's recipe is to let the eggs cool longer before peeling, which I think makes the whites more sturdy so you can produce a smooth, pretty deviled egg.

The Recipe.
12 eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced cilantro

    Place eggs in a large kettle and fill with enough water to cover eggs by one inch. Place over high heat just until the water begins to boil, then remove from heat. Allow eggs to sit in the hot water for 17 minutes. No more, no less. While the eggs are cooking, prepare a large bowl of ice water. When the 17 minutes are up, transfer the eggs to the ice water with a slotted spoon and let them cool completely for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the hot water back to a boil. Once the eggs are cool, lower each egg into the hot water for 10 seconds right before peeling it to expand the egg shell. Very gently crack the eggshell all over on the countertop, and begin peeling the shell away in small pieces. I find this works best if you also peel away the thin membrane beneath the eggshell as well, because it pulls the shell long with it in a more cohesive manner.

    Once your eggs are all peeled, cut them in half and gently scoop the yolks into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise and curry powder to the yolks and mash with a fork until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites, or if you are feeling fancy, pipe it in with a 1M tip as I did in the photos. Garnish with the cilantro and serve. Deviled eggs can be made a day in advance and refrigerated in a covered dish.