"PoundCake" news and stories

Photo: sassyradish, Flickr.

The technique of browning butter is a simple one, but adds tremendous complexity to the cooking staple, infusing it with a more flavorful, nutty taste. Beurre noisette ("hazelnut butter") -- achieved by cooking butter until the milk solids and salt particles darken and the water evaporates -- works equally well in salty and sweet dishes alike, adding additional depth to savory dishes and a subtle saltiness to cloying treats.

Writes blogger Sassy Radish, "If butter is a negligee, then brown butter is the merry widow." And in her poetic ode to the transformed beurre, she reinvents the tired pound cake, making it sophisticated and lush.

An extremely versatile addition, brown butter can be used as a rich, tasty alternative in any recipe with butter, from simple yet refined vegetable dishes (Brown-Butter Mashed Potatoes, Zucchini in Pecan Brown Butter, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnut Brown Butter) to dessert indulgences, like Food and Wine's Granny Smith Apple and Brown Butter Custard Tart.

In what dishes do you like to use brown butter?

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• Tips and recipes for indulging in the pleasures of pound cake.
• Gee, do you know what ghee is? Also, what's a good substitute for mirin?
• Le ouch -- French wines are hurting after households drank almost 10 percent less wine in 2008 than 2007.
• Grill a whole chicken this summer, not just a part or two.
• Anthony Bourdain visits Seattle and chats about Mario Batali.
  
• How to get the whole family involved when you make super tasty and creamy mac 'n' cheese.
• Busting bacteria -- tips to keep away food poisoning at outdoor parties.
• Restaurant chains bust out more value meals to increase customer traffic.
• Diving into unusual varietals -- widen your palate with wines from Tempranillo to Malbec.
• Merlot is thriving in Washington state.
• Recipes: Grilled Eggplant and Red Pepper with Mint-Cumin Dressing, Lamb Loin Chops with Port Wine Sauce, Lemon Meringue Pie, Fennel Seed and Thyme-Crusted Grilled Shrimp, Smart Coleslaw with Pears, Walnuts and Cranberries, Smoked Turkey and Cheese Panini, Western Tennessee-Style Bone-In Pork Rib Chops

Continuing in the trend I've established this week of featuring baked goods that are off-limits to me right now, I bring you a delicious-looking chocolate and vanilla pound cake (at least, I'm assuming that it's pound cake, based on the shape and tell-tale gleam of baked butter). Baked by Flickr user Eunnycjang, I would have a very hard time turning down a slice of this cake if it were sitting in front of me. Sadly, there's no blog post or recipe attached to this image on Flickr, so I can't tell you where to go make this beauty. However, if you've got a favorite recipe for a cake like this, shout it out in the comments.

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We're coming down to the end of citrus season, but there are still enough oranges, lemons and limes out there to inspire the celebration of these flavorful and aromatic fruits. This cake is a great example of what you can do with a few lemons and oranges. The recipe is adapted from one by Ina Garten and the image is brought to us by Flickr user and blogger Amanda.

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The first time I had Yumpkins (pumpkin cheesecake bars with a poundcake crust) was my freshman year of college, at a parents' weekend reception held in my residence hall. My friend Amber made them as her contribution to the dessert buffet that we served up to accompany the student/parent talent show (I realize it sounds dorky, but it was really very fun). The Yumpkins made such an impression on my mom that she asked Amber for the recipe.

Back in the summer, my mom sent me a bunch of recipes from the three-ring notebook she's been accumulating for nearly 40 years. The printed out recipe from Amber was included in the envelope, along with a note saying that Amber's mother often serves them with whipped cream, but that she find them rich enough just on their own. The recipe is after the jump.