TUESDAY

Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing  |  Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

OK…I am tired…REALLY tired!  Yesterday, I woke up to the alarm after only 3½ hours of sleep and I tackled the day like a machine.  Last night, I slept 9 hours and I can barely function today…what is up with that?  I spent most of the day today digging out from & processing the mounds of dirty laundry we brought back from our adventure in Southern California last week.  In between loads of laundry, dropping off & picking up children from school , and running to the grocery store, I whipped up this super-easy  Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing.  The salad was so easy, in fact, that I {in my almost-comatose state today} managed to pull out a treat…Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake.

Let’s begin with the  Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing…

Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing {adapted from Bon Appetit}

Horseradish Dressing…

And the Pickled Red Onions {I substituted shallots this evening…the left-over pickled onions make a GREAT topping for burgers & deli sandwiches}…

Our dinner plate this evening…

Followed by dessert, Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake, compliments of Joy the Baker…

• 8-ounces medium strawberries, hulled
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup {I use Grade A, medium amber organic syrup}
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon aluminimum-free baking powder (I use Rumford Baking Powder)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• roasted strawberries
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar for topping

To make the strawberries:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  The strawberries get juicy, so a rimmed baking sheet is important.  Set aside.
3. Cut each strawberry in half and place in a mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, and salt.  Whisk together until completely incorporated.  Drizzle the mixture over the strawberries and toss until each strawberry is coated.  Arrange strawberries in a single layer across prepared baking sheet.
4. Roast strawberries for 40 minutes.  The juices will thicken, but remove the strawberries from the oven before the juices begin to burn.  Remove the berries and juice from the pan while still warm.  Place in a small bowl, stir in balsamic vinegar,  and set aside.

To make the cake:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Butter an 11-inch cast iron skillet.  You can also use an 11-inch round tart or quiche pan, or a 9×13-inch pan… although the cake will be more thin and you’ll need to keep a close eye on it in the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and butter.  Whisk in the vanilla or almond extract.
4. Add the buttermilk mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined and no lumps remain.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Top batter with half of the roasted strawberries and juice.  Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool to room temperature before slicing to serve.  Serve with the remaining roasted strawberries.
6. Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Tonight’s dinner was so incredible!  I highly recommend both the Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing and the Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake.  BOTH can be made for an easy, weeknight feast …take my word on this…I was half asleep all day today and this dinner was still so easy!

Mallory has oral surgery tomorrow morning at 8am…I better get to bed!