She had the job I always wanted, as head of the Los Angeles Time’s test kitchen. But to tell the truth, I don’t think I would have had the stamina and savvy she’s shown over the last 28 years. Every week, for as long as I ‘ve been reading the L.A. Times Food section, she’s made my mouth water with her great recipes. Often, even if I didn’t try the recipe, I’ve remembered a technique or a tip. Now she’s leaving, a casualty, evidently, of Sam Zell’s massacre of a once great newspaper. It suddenly occurs to me that I should probably credit her for my becoming a serious home cook – Her recipes always sounded irresistible, the instructions made them seem doable, and the results were always a success.
Here’s one that I haven’t tried yet – I found the clipping under a pile of magazines I was in the process of throwing out. Six Gourmet magazines got the boot, but I’m hanging on to Donna’s recipe for this lemon upside down cake.
Lemon Upside-Down Cake
- 4 small lemons (about 4 oz. each)
- 1/2 c. plus 2 T. (1&1/4 sticks) butter
- 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
- 1&1/2 c. flour
- 1&1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. milk
Cut three of the lemons into 1/8-inch thick slices. Remove seeds and set aside. You will have about 30 lemon slices. Grate 1 t. lemon peel from the remaining lemon. Set aside the grated peel; save the lemon for another use.
Heat 4 T. of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or an ovenproof 10-inch saute pan until melted. Brush the sides of skillet with a little of the melted butter. Add the brown sugar, stir until it is moistened with the butter and spread it into an even layer. Arrange the lemon slices, slightly overlapping, to cover the bottom of the skillet. Set aside.
Heat the oven to 350°. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Cut the remaining 6 T. butter into a mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean with the point of a knife onto the butter. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until creamy. Add the sugar and grated lemon peel and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add half the flour mixture and beat until blended. Add milk and beat until combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until blended.
Spread the batter over the lemons in the skillet to cover evenly. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is golden and the center tests done. Let the cake stand 5 minutes, then invert the skillet onto a platter. To serve, slice into wedges with a sharp knife. Serves eight. May be served with a lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.
Each serving: 498 calories; 5 g protein; 62 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 28 g fat; 17 g saturated fat; 122 mg cholesterol; 274 mg sodium.
— From Los Angeles Times test kitchen director Donna Deane
Vox Pop Sudari 