Syrup Sap Saga Continues

It turns out all three of the taps are working - yippee! At first, only two buckets had sap in them but yesterday, the third started running so that is lots more sap. It tastes like slightly sweetened water with a mineral twang. I have evaporated about 14 gallons and the syrup is starting to taste pretty yummy! There is a fine grainy, sand-like by-product that has to be sieved off before the syrup gets too thick so I have strained it a couple times now. A poor little honey bee flew into the kitchen the other day - I think he was a little confused - but the whole kitchen must smell like sweet, gooey sap that any honey bee would like!
I also made the Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet recipe - without the red food coloring - and it was oh so delicious! It did actually have a slight dark red tinge to it - maybe because it did not have as much chocolate in it as the second recipe - and the beets' color was more prominent. I actually halved the recipe (it then fit into an 8" square pan) and used cake flower to make sure it was light and fluffy. Oh boy,could I eat Red Velvet all day long!!!
To tag on to what Bernadine has already said about gardening - I started seeds as well. Had to thin out some cabbage sprouts because I over-seeded but I just washed them off and put them is salad - a nice zip! I'll probably buy some tomato plants so I have some early fruit but I started my Romas in the house. I just used up the last of my harvest from last year in some awesome Red Italian Gravy - recipe from my MIL - the key is to use pork neck bones!
PS I tried to add pics but it would not download. Anyone have any ideas on how best to do that?

Red Velvet

We are back from our trip to Georgia. Geo helped our son redo his bathroom and I mostly cooked, helped Jenn bake a Red Velvet Cake and watched my grandson, James, who is quite precocious at 2! We decided to make the cake recipe that included pureed beets, apple cider vinegar and buttermilk. It also called for melted unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder. We did not add the 1 teaspoon of food coloring - you would not have seen it anyway with all that dark chocolate. We used the Waldorf-Astoria frosting - mascarpone, cream cheese and heavy cream with a little sugar. We were a little unsure of the oven temp and so, overcooked the cake a teeny bit. But who cares because it was so delicious!!! The frosting was extraordinary - good for other cakes!! We did not have a really good blender for pureeing so there were some little beet chunks - no, they did not taste like beets at all!I did not get any pix of it. When I make the second recipe, I'll be sure to do that. Here is the one we used-enjoy:

Traditional Red Velvet Cake Recipe ( made with beets)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c pureed cooked beets
2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees .Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.Melt chocolate in double boiler and set aside .Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.In a bowl beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk mixed with vinegar , beginning and ending with flour. Beat until incorporated. Add pureed beets and mix until well blended.
Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and top of cake springs back when lightly pressed.Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and invert onto racks to cool completely.
Frosting:
2 cups heavy cream
12 oz cream cheese, softened
12 oz mascarpone
1/2 t vanilla
1.5 cups powdered sugar
Pour cream into small bowl and whip to soft peaks. Refrigerate. Place cream cheese in a bowl and mix on low speed until soft and smooth. Add mascarpone and mix until combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well. Fold in whipped cream by hand with spatula. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Red Velvet Revisited

You may recall my suggesting earlier that Red Velvet Cake got its original red color from the acid in buttermilk or vinegar reacting with cocoa - not food coloring. I thought for sure I heard that on some food channel. After mixing the two, I found this not to be the case. So, extensive web research lead me to some interesting info. It turns out that the orignal recipe is from the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and was first made in the 1920's. Wow! The orginal or "traditional" recipes have very little food coloring yet make a cake with that rich, burgundy color by using beet puree - yum! We are going to visit my son and his family in Georgia this coming week and I plan to bring the recipes with me to try. I will report back on how that goes! Until then, enjoy the spring thaw if you are in the Midwest