I think it happened; I believe I'm officially burnt out. At least according to a quick google search, I appear to have all the symptoms:
Sense of failure and self-doubt? Check
Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated? Yup.
Detachment, feeling alone in the world? Absolutely.
Loss of motivation? That left the building months ago.
Increasingly cynical and negative outlook? Duh.
I haven't even been to the market in weeks, which is my only hobby. Well, that and drinking. (I might need to look into getting a hobby.) I submitted the final edits to my manuscript last week, so I've spent the past few days since then trying to chill. For me that means reorganizing the kitchen, cleaning out the closet, rewatching Marvel movies (Black Widow is better than I remember), reading in the backyard (currently into Guns, Germs, and Steel), and having lots of cold sparkling drinks (can't get enough of Olipop).
After a few days of that, today, I felt ready to leave the house. I finally got up to go to Union Square Greenmarket, and oh boy, is it bumping. All of the stone fruit is ripe and ready, there are peas and fresh beans in every color, and the whole block smells like tomatoes. We had country bread from La Cabra with Lynn Haven Farm goat milk ricotta, Eckerton Hill Farm tomatoes, and Amoon Farm chervil for lunch. I spent most of the day snacking on blueberries and blackberries from Philips Farm. And for dessert, I made a brown butter almond cake filled with sour cherries from Breezy Hill Orchard.
I'm not ready to do any work, but I'm starting to feel less of those googled symptoms. Seasonal fruit is a miracle, and so is this cake batter. This brown butter cake is my riff on a financier, a French cake made from a brown butter and egg white batter and typically baked in small molds. The egg white helps the crust crisp, while the small molds give you a higher ratio of that crackly crust. But when I don't have it in me to separate eggs, grease little molds, or wait for the batter to rest (financiers are best if the batter rests overnight), I make this instead. Adding honey helps the outside get caramelized, despite the whole eggs and baking in one big pan.
I endlessly made variations of this cake when I was a pastry chef, doubling the batter to fill a sheet tray, swapping some of the flour for cocoa, and dotting it with any fruit. I'm typically on team pie over cake, but you need a lot of fruit to make one pie. One sour cherry pie breaks the bank at eight bucks a pint and four pints per pie. This cake is a great way to enjoy summer fruit without committing much time or moolah—precisely what I need when feeling dead inside. The combo of cherry and almond is classic, but try this with big juicy blackberries, bitty blueberries, halved plums or figs, peach wedges, or ripe pear in the fall.
Brown Butter Almond Cake With Any Fruit
250 grams (about 1 pint) pitted sweet or sour cherries, or any fruit like blackberries, blueberries, or peach slices
113 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter
75 grams (6 tablespoons) granulated sugar
70 grams (scant ¾ cup) almond flour
70 grams (½ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons) all-purpose flour (or any gluten-free AP blend)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
75 grams (¼ cup) mild honey (like clover or wildflower)
½ teaspoon vanilla paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350F (177C).
In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Keep cooking the butter, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the foaming and sputtering subsides, and the solids look deeply browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, almond flour, AP flour, salt, and baking powder.
In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs until no streaks remain. Add the honey, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and whisk until thoroughly combined. Stream in the warm brown butter while whisking until evenly combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
Use a spatula to gently fold in the fruit and scrape the batter into the same skillet you browned the butter in (no need to wash or cool the pan).
Bake until the top is browned and set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Run a small butter knife or offset spatula along the edges to make sure the cake is loosened from the pan, then invert onto a plate. Serve hot or cool. Store covered at room temperature for 3 days, or tightly wrap and store in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.
PS: No pitter? No problem! Use a paper clip to scoop out the pits out or push them out with a chopstick.
until next time,
sohla
I just made this with red pears and it’s heavenly. Bob Ross Happy Accident: I dumped the hot brown butter in to the honey and it caramelized too. Sat it in a bowl of ice water to cool before I added to the eggs. Rolling in the deep flavours of yum here.
I adore this simple, yet decadent recipe! I love the flexibility that allows you to use any seasonal fruit. I've made this many many times with the sour cherries I "urban forage" from a tree that hangs into the alley behind my apartment. I save quarts of the pitted cherries in the freezer and make this cake in the Winter when I need a reminder of warmer days. Thank you Sohla!