I was cooking dinner for 10 people and I wanted to make my Very Lemony Pound Cake from my cookbook for dessert. Sounds simple enough, right?

I read the recipe and saw that it called for cake flour (not self-rising). I didn’t have any cake flour so I rushed to the store and they didn’t have any either, but they did have self-rising flour….I remembered seeing something about self-rising in the recipe, so I bought it. Oops!

I came home and made two cakes and put them in the oven…about 30 minutes later, I smelled something burning. I looked into the oven and batter was spilling out over the cake pans onto the  bottom of the oven…I couldn’t imagine what had happened! I let the cakes finish cooking, and when they were done they looked strange but they tasted pretty good….

So, I had this ingenious idea to make a Trifle and I had the perfect glass bowl to do it in! I cut up the cake and used the cake as my bottom layer, followed by a layer of whipped cream…then fresh blueberries…then coconut ice cream. I made a blueberry sauce which I topped the Trifle with, then I repeated the whole thing with 4 more layers…I put the whole thing in the freezer and took it out about a half hour before serving.

It looked gorgeous and my guests went crazy for it!! This is my new favorite dessert…except next time I’ll make it without destroying the oven!

My guests each had at least two servings and I was so proud of myself that I turned a disaster into a triumph..That’s what cooking is all about!!

Have you had any cooking disasters in your kitchen?? Please share them with me!

VERY LEMONY POUND CAKE RECIPE:

Makes 1 (9 x 5 inch) loaf

Solid vegetable shortening, for the baking pan

Flour, for the baking pan

2 1/3 cups cake flour (NOT self-rising)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened slightly

2 1/4 cups sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon zest, minced

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup lemon juice

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly coat the inside of a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with shortening. Add some flour and tilt the pan to coat; tap out the excess.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together onto a piece of waxed paper. Sift the flour mixture a second time.

In a large bowl with a spoon, or in an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and vanilla.

By hand, or with the mixer on its lowest speed, gradually stir in the dry ingredients just until well blended. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is puffed and golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about an hour.

Transfer the pan to a rack set on a baking sheet and let it stand for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan and set it upright on the rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Gradually spoon the lemon mixture over the top of the still-hot cake. Serve with warm berry sauce (recipe follows).

WARM BERRY SAUCE:

 Makes about 2 cups

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and quartered

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a small, nonreactive saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Let stand until any frozen berries are fully thawed.

Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until juicy.

The sauce can be prepared several hours in advance. Rewarm gently over low heat before serving.

Luckily for me, my partner Michael loves to fish. A few weeks ago, he caught a huge (17 lb!) striped bass in Peconic Bay (the bay that flows between the North and South Forks of Long Island). We had to remove a few shelves from our freezer just to get it in!

Then on July 4th weekend, he went fishing in Alaska and came home with 25 pounds of King Salmon and some gorgeous Salmon Roe….what a great excuse to entertain some friends and get our Omega 3′s all at the same time!

We cooked like crazy on Saturday and although we wanted to eat outdoors, it was a rainy, sultry night…so I set the table inside and it was lovely..

For hors d’oeuvres I made my fava bean spread again, which everyone loves, and I served the Alaskan salmon roe with a sour cream dill and scallion sauce..

We had four great couples at our fish feast….Fred Devito and Elizabeth Halfpapp from Exhale Spa in Bridgehampton….actress Jacqueline Murphy and her husband Fred Stahl…..Swami Robin Cofer and her husband Dominick D’alleva….and Bob Roberts (owner of the Lucille Roberts health clubs for women) and his wife Lauren.

Fred and Elizabeth have a huge organic garden and brought us a basket of fresh kale…What a lovely gift!!I borrowed an idea from Jamie Oliver and cooked the kale in a foil packet on the grill with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper…

I stuffed the Striped Bass with fresh herbs and garlic..and drizzled it with lemon juice and olive oil, then sprinkled it with a generous amount of sea salt…I had never grilled such a big fish before, so it was an adventure…

We grilled this bad boy for about 30 minutes…then I served it with a green sauce made of fresh basil, parsley, garlic, and capers. It was absolutely scrumptious.

I covered the salmon with lots of dill and fennel fronds, then I grilled that as well and served it with a Tzatziki sauce (Greek yogurt, dill, cucumbers, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin).

I made a couple of summery salads…Heirloom cherry tomatoes with feta, olives, basil, and mint…..White bean salad with rosemary, thyme, olive oil, and garlic…..and a Green bean salad with zucchini and sweet corn.

I made a great pound cake trifle for dessert…but that’s a long story…lookout for my next blog so you can hear all about that one!

GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH GREEN HERB-CAPER SAUCE

Preheat your grill and season your fish with thyme, oregano, or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.

Drizzle fish with olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt.

Meanwhile, to make your sauce, combine in your food processor; fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, anchovies, and sea salt to taste. Stir in capers. Amounts can vary widely depending on how much fish you are cooking, so experiment!

Grill your fish until opaque and cooked through…Generally 10 minutes per inch of thickness…

Serve with sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.