Easing into the new year

A very belated Happy New Year to all of you.  While many have jumped into the new year full speed ahead taking the bull by the horns I am entering this new year a little more cautiously.  I don't really do New Year's resolutions because I've always believed you don't have to wait until the start of a new year to make a positive change but I do understand and applaud the ceremony of it all therefore I am also documenting a few things that I'd like to accomplish.  But why am I dipping one toe into the pool instead of proceeding with an elegant swan dive? Well during the last two months of 2011 many areas of my life took a serious beating. I felt like a prizefighter who took the TKO that ended his career and I wasn't sure how to pull myself up by the bootstraps and move forward.  I did my best to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends but my perceived misfortunes seem to overwhelm me. For about two and half weeks I disconnected myself from the online world, wrote in my journal, read a couple of novels, drank endless cups of tea and slowly started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It was time for me to listen to some of my own advice that I had happily dished out over the years such as "This is not a race, find the pace that works for you", "Focus on doing the things you love and the other stuff will follow", and my all time favorite "What's meant for you is for you and nobody can take that away".  One of my dear friends and mentors often talked about how there is a scarcity mentality out there, everyone is afraid that there isn't enough work to go around.  Some have said you can't make a living in this business.  I never worried about things like that because for me its all about being happy and doing what you love.  You get one chance to walk this earth and I know I don't want to be walking around full of regrets.  I'm not trying to be Rockefeller, my needs compared to many are very few. But when you are faced with the reality that you aren't entirely sure how you are going to pay that overpriced cellphone bill at the end of the month you can become paralyzed with fear. And that's what happened to me, and when things like that happen you realize its time to take a step back and re-evaluate, truly think about what's working and what's not. coinicndentially for me this time came between the end of one year and the start of a new one.  I'm still working on the re-evaluation process, taking my time, because life isn't race and I have a family who needs me to be very whole.



So in addition to reading books (business, self-help, favorite food books), sipping tea by the fireplace as it pops and crackles away, making lists and having video chats with many lovely friends I've been baking up a storm.  Quite the opposite it seems of what everyone else is doing right now with their vows of more exercise and eating healthy, but right now as I'm regaining my strength I need those smells of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the air, for me there is no better therapy.  

Persimmon Coffee Cake with Cardamom Streusel Topping
Serves 8

This is adapted from a plum coffee cake recipe I found in Fine Cooking's The Best of Breakfast volume.  I picked up a few persimmons in my travels right before the holidays and wasn't entirely what I wanted to do with them.  The recipe seemed like a good match.  The perfect accompaniment to my afternoon cup of tea. 

Streusel Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark muscovado sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
pinch of ground cardamom
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cake
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; more softened for the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; plus more for the pan
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark muscovado sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup persimmon puree (from about 3 very ripe hachiya persimmons)

Make the streusel topping ahead of time by putting the flour, sugar, salt, and cardamom in a small bowl and stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.  Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and stir with the fork until the mixture takes on that signature nubbly texture.  If the mixture is too dry and won't clump add a little more melted butter, one teaspoon at a time.  Refrigerate the topping while you prepare the cake batter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, lightly butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan.  In a small bowl beat the eggs lightly, add in the sugar, muscovado sugar, milk, and vanilla and continue mixing until well blended. Set aside

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, table salt, and cardamom until combined. Add the butter pieces and cut them into the flour with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles a very coarse meal.  Add the egg mixture and persimmon puree to the flour and using a wooden spoon, fold and stir until you have a thick batter.  It should come together in less than a minute.

Scrape the batter into the baking pan and spread it evenly, remove the streusel topping from the fridge and using your fingers sprinkle it evenly across the surface of the cake batter.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pan, and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs.  Let the cake cook in its pan for about an hour before cutting, serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes: If you don't have muscovado sugar just use regular dark brown sugar.  I love muscovado because I feel it has a much deeper flavor than regular dark brown sugar.  I also used whole milk with this recipe but feel free to substitute with skim or fat-free milk.  Next time I think I may try this using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour.  If any of you out there decide to give it a try, let me know how it turns out.