Ginger Five Spice Marinade

Chinese Five Spice is a really handy item to keep in your pantry because its warm, sweet and spicy flavor enhances both savory and dessert dishes. Five Spice’s composition of cassia cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves and ginger (or sometimes Szechuan peppercorns in place of ginger) is based on the traditional Chinese philosophy of balancing yin and yang in food because those spices represent the full spectrum of flavor- sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy. Personally, I don’t pick up on the salty, sour or bitter flavors that are supposedly present in Five Spice but who am I to argue with ancient Chinese philosophy? All I know is that it tastes fantastic, especially when mixed with a little citrus and fresh ginger to brighten the flavor.

I often pair this marinade with flank steak or london broil but it also works well with chicken and pork. For best results, marinate about two pounds of meat (that’s usually enough for four people with some left over) for at least 24 hours to really allow the flavors to penetrate. Or, instead of a marinade, use this recipe as a glaze and brush onto pan-seared or grilled salmon or tuna toward the end of the cooking time.

GINGER FIVE SPICE MARINADE

Whisk together:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice

If you’re using the recipe as a glaze, use only 1 teaspoon of oil and cut the remaining ingredients in half because you won’t need as much.

Smoky Orange Grilled Chicken

Grilling season is upon us once more! When the warm spring weather finally rolls in after months of snow and dreary skies, we grill almost every night so I’m always on the lookout for new ingredients to spice up our usual grilled chicken dishes. Chicken seasoned with Spanish smoked paprika, olive oil and garlic is a family favorite but even our favorites can get a little boring if we eat them too often. So I went on a supermarket mission to find something different to add to the smoked paprika marinade that I usually make. In the international food aisle, a bottle of Goya Bitter Orange caught my eye so I brought it home and added a big splash to the smoked paprika marinade. All I can say is WOW! Bitter Orange + smoked paprika = YUM! Don’t be fooled by the bitter designation because the flavor isn’t truly bitter, but rather a really strong orange flavor without the sweetness inherent in the orange juice that you drink for breakfast. You wouldn’t drink bitter orange juice on its own but it’s awesome in marinades and I imagine you could make a mean cocktail with it.

If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh sour oranges or bitter oranges, then by all means juice those babies and use the fresh juice instead of the bottled stuff. Sour or bitter oranges aren’t stocked at my local supermarket but I wonder if they’re available at the Latino market in the next town over. Field trip!

SMOKY ORANGE GRILLED CHICKEN

4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup bitter orange juice
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 large bay leaf, crumbled

Whisk together all of the ingredients, except the chicken.

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl or in an extra-large ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and turn the pieces until they are coated in the marinade. If using a bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap. If using a ziplock bag, gently press out the extra air before closing the top.

Refrigerate the chicken for 6-8 hours. For best results, turn the chicken in the marinade after a few hours.

Let the chicken rest in the marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

Heat grill to medium high.

Gently shake off any excess marinade from the chicken pieces before placing on the grill. Grill for approximately 10 minutes per side for large pieces, such as the breast or thigh. Smaller pieces like the wing will cook much faster so turn them after 5 or 6 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear when pricked with a fork or small knife.

Serves 4.

Cake. It’s Good Stuff.

There’s something about cake that makes everyone happy. An occasion requiring cake is sure to be a pleasant occasion. Even in its most plebeian form (meaning prepackaged and covered in neon frosting containing more chemicals than natural ingredients), cake can be a powerful elixir against drudgery and ennui. Think about those long afternoons when you’re toiling away at your office, longing to be at home in your pajamas (or just about anywhere else, for that matter), falling asleep on top of your computer. You decide that you need coffee. You head to the breakroom. What do you see? Can it be? Could it possibly be? Yes, it is. Hallelujah, it is. Some kind soul has put out a cake to share. You eat a slice with your cup of coffee. A big slice. And you instantly feel better, like you can somehow slog your way through until the closing bell rings. Mmmm. Cake. Although it’s not as good as a vacation day or Prozac, it sure can lift your spirits when you’re faced with an afternoon of editing spreadsheets or returning calls to people that you only pretend to like. You know what I’m talking about.

This poundcake is simple to prepare but will impress with its sweet, intriguing flavor. Orange adds freshness and almonds contribute a nutty richness. But it’s the cardamom that will have everyone reaching for seconds and trying to guess your secret ingredient.

ORANGE POUNDCAKE WITH SUGARED ALMONDS

For the cake:

2 cups softened unsalted butter
3 cups white sugar
6 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup light cream

For the glaze:

1 cup orange juice
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

For the topping:

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsalted sliced almonds
1/8 cup turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add all of the eggs at once. Cream the eggs into the sugar mixture until smooth and pale yellow.

Add the vanilla extract, cardamom and orange zest. Mix thoroughly.

Add all of the flour. Pour the cream on top.

Mix thoroughly until very smooth. Batter will be very thick.

Pour into prepared bundt pan. Smooth top with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 60 minutes. Then turn up oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes

While the cake is baking, combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Boil until sugar is completely dissolved and liquid becomes syrupy, about ten minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool while cake finishes baking.

When cake is finished baking, allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.

Place strips of wax paper around the base of the cake to cover the exposed plate edges. Gently lift up the bottom of the cake to slide the edges of the paper underneath about half an inch.

Use a spoon to drizzle the cooled glaze all over the cake. The excess will drip off the cake onto the wax paper. You can scoop it up and drizzle it back over the cake, if you wish.

While the glaze is setting, melt the tablespoon of butter in a small saute pan over medium high heat.

Add the almonds. Stir until the almonds are coated in butter.

Add the turbinado sugar. Stir and cook just until the sugar crystals start to melt then remove from heat.

Using a spoon, spoon the sugared almonds over the top of the cake.

Gently pull away the wax paper and discard.

Cake is ready to serve. Or, store covered on the counter for up to two days.

Serves 10.