Remembering MLK while celebrating Inauguration!

Happy Inauguration Day/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I hope you all have off for this cold winter celebration. In honor of President Obama and Dr. MLK Jr., I've got a few recipes to try before you sit down to watch the parade. Enjoy!


In honor of Dr. MLK Jr's southern roots:

Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from B. Smith's recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

Frosting:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries

3 1/2-pint baskets fresh blueberries

Directions

For cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.
2. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 27 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

For frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
2. Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over top of cake. Arrange 1 basket raspberries and 1/2 basket blueberries atop frosting, pressing lightly to adhere. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange remaining berries decoratively over top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

According to Matt and Ted Lee, contributing editors of Travel + Leisure, buttermilk pie is one of President Obama's favorite desserts:

Olivia's Buttermilk Pie 
Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup biscuit mix (recommended: Bisquick)
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.
2. Put all ingredients in a bowl and blend for 1 minute with a handheld electric mixer. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes.

And of course, I need to add what Bon Appetit (one of my go-to mags) says for Inauguration Day desserts:

Peanut Butter-Honey Tart with Ganache Glaze
Dede Wilson, January 2009

Ingredients

crust

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
• 1 large egg, separated
• 2 (or more) teaspoons ice water

filling

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup creamy (smooth) natural peanut butter (made with only peanuts and salt)*
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 to 2 teaspoons milk

ganache glaze

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

crust

1. Spray 9-inch square or 10-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until coarse crumbs form. Add egg yolk and 2 teaspoons ice water. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into square or disk (depending on shape of pan). Wrap and chill 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
2. Roll out dough to 11- to 12-inch square or round. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Cut off all but 1/2 inch of overhang. Fold overhang in, creating double-thick sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crust until pale golden, checking every 5 minutes and pressing bottom if bubbling and pressing sides up with back of fork if slipping, about 28 minutes.
4. Beat egg white in small bowl until foamy. Brush some white over hot crust to coat inside. Bake 1 minute longer. Cool on rack. Increase oven temperature to 375°F.

filling

1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar and salt, then cream and honey. Bring to rolling boil, swirling pan occasionally. Boil 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup peanuts. Pour filling into crust.
2. Bake tart until filling is bubbling thickly, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack until firm, about 2 hours; freeze 15 minutes.
3. Beat powdered sugar and peanut butter in medium bowl until blended. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons milk, then more by teaspoonfuls to thin slightly; spread evenly over peanut filling. Refrigerate tart while preparing glaze.

ganache glaze

1. Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer in small saucepan; pour over chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Spread glaze over tart. Sprinkle chopped peanuts around edge. Chill tart until glaze sets, at least 1 hour. 

DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.
Using tip of small knife, gently loosen crust from pan. Push up pan bottom, releasing tart. Cut square tart in half and cut each half crosswise into 7 or 8 slices or cut round tart into wedges.

*which peanut butter to use

For this recipe, we used creamy (smooth) all-natural peanut butter. To make sure you're buying the right stuff, check the label. There should be only two ingredients: peanuts and salt. This style of peanut butter may have a layer of oil (from the peanuts) on top. If it does, chill the jar for a few hours, then slowly mix until smooth. Don't use freshly ground peanut butter: It can have inconsistent flavor and texture.

Happy baking!