Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake

Cooking with Cedar Kitchenette: Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake came about when a mutual friend introduced me to a fellow Philly blogger Laura of Cedar Kitchenette. She’s an accomplished baker and still in high school- so cool. We decided to meet up, make brunch and talk tricks of the trade. Laura let me pick the menu and I decided on this lovely brunch pizza of sorts based on a Martha Stewart recipe: Smoked Salmon on a Potato Pancake. We were both really happy with how it came out, and so were our guests. It’s always hard to take great pictures when you’re distracted and hosting guests, so of course I made it again the next day to get me perfect shots. It wasn’t exactly torture to eat it again the next day and I still had all of the ingredients around. This gave me the perfect opportunity to perfect my technique. Since I no longer had guests, I made a small 8-inch serving just for me and I have to admit the smaller size was much easier to maneuver if less impressive. You could easily make a few of the potato pancakes ahead of time and rewarm when guests … Continue reading

Almond Plum Picnic Cake

I’ve been making this Almond Plum Picnic Cake for years. What can I say, I’m a sucker for almond recipes. I blame my Swedish heritage. If you dig almond recipes too, search “almond” of Dirty Laundry Kitchen and you’re in for a real treat. Of all of my adventures in almond land, this Almond Plum Picnic Cake is one of my absolute favorites. It definitely makes my summer playlist when plums abound and it’s one of the few things I still make once a year. I’ve modified it only lightly from the original recipe is that this Almond Plum Picnic Cake is pretty perfect to begin with. What makes it so perfect, you ask? One of the things I love so much about this cake is its durability. Durability, in cake? What does that even mean? The Almond Plum Picnic Cake is a great coffee cake substitute and is easy to eat by hand, and it travels well, making it great for a picnic menu. It doesn’t have frosting or icing, or really any of that messy business that makes cake a less than portable food in general. Aside from all of that, the Almond Plum Picnic Cake is easy to … Continue reading