Culinary Adventures with Camilla

My time with Dorothy (she's a bundt pan) and Toto (he's a journal) - for the Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan - is drawing to a close. I'm hoping to squeeze in one more adventure before I need to wrap them up and send them off to the next baker. You can read more about the Peoplehood of the Traveling Swirly Pan and see my first recipe with Dorothy ( here )  when   I made a Gluten-free Bourbon Gingerbread with Prickly Pear Lemon Curd...and my third recipe ( here ) when I made a Gluten-free Hot Milk-Matcha Bundt with Chocolate Silk Sauce. I can count. Really. My second adventure was a complete and total flop. So, I didn't share that recipe on the blog or with the #PeoplehoodoftheTravelingSwirlyPan. Flops are how you know you're stretching your culinary competence, right? While they aren't a success, they are necessary to becoming a better cook! I decided that I would make a chocolate cake for my fourth Dorothy attempt - but not just any choco...

I don't know how I totally missed that Peter B's Brewpub was holding another recipe contest - its 1st annual Wing Sauce Competition. Details on their facebook page . Thank goodness for friends who watch out for me! I am always up for some culinary adventure in the form of recipe development, especially a recipe that involves beer. Ummm...heck, yeah. Count me in. I had never actually made chicken wings before January of this year, thinking that I had to fry them. And, well, I don't fry. But, after a blogging friend levied a challenge to come up with a great wings recipe, I experimented and mastered that crispy delicious goodness in the oven. No frying necessary. For this recipe, I needed to include a Peter B's brew. I wanted to use a seasonal beer and tasted their Nitro Milk Stout. At least that's what the waitress called it. According to their facebook page, it's officially the Sumpin' English Maple Milk Stout. It's brewed with English ale...

Last week I came across a jar of black tahini* at a local store and scooped it up immediately. Then I set about trying to decide what to make. After doing some reading I came across a coconut cake from Goa (India) that uses black tahini. I knew that I wanted to give it a go. This is mildly adapted because I wanted to skip the rosewater and add some citrus flavor instead. Also, I cut down on the amount of sugar used. I sent a slice to school with my husband to give to a friend and got a phone call within an hour: "What am I eating? It's delicious." This is a dense, moist cake that was the perfect grab-and-go breakfast along with some fresh fruit, yogurt, and tea. I'll definitely be making it again soon. Ingredients 1/2 C butter, softened + more for greasing the pan 1 C organic raw turbinado sugar 1 T black tahini* 4 large eggs 1 t pure vanilla extract 1 T  yuzu liqueur 1 T orange blossom water 3 C semolina 1 C shredded coconut  1 t baking pow...