lemon pound cake with strawberries and vanilla whip cream

picture this.

a tournament.

six of westchester’s best chefs against each other.

over three weeks, they battle.

two at a time.

they prepare, they serve and they inspire all of westchester with their fabulous and intoxicating fare.

winner takes all. the best chef in westchester, it’s genius…

unfortunately i have only been home for 2 of the 3 nights.  but what i saw, what i tasted…jesus. speechless. especially night 3.

chef eric korn from good-life gourmet vs chef sean of peekskill brewery.

fabulous.

one of the best meals i have ever eaten. and i mean that.

both chefs dishes complimented each other. it was perfection. it was like a dance. a taste of this, a taste of that, and then the dessert (you would think the lamb or the trout would if inspired me but no).

simple, not elegant, but out of this world.

yogurt cake perfectly set on top of vanilla honey. a spoonful of fresh fruit on top. a forkful of heaven.

(i would show you a picture but i dove in way to quickly. so here is mine.)

 lemon pound cake with strawberries and vanilla whip cream   the cake recipe is from vegetable litercay by deborah madison

for the cake: 

•  1 stick of unsalted butter at room tempeture
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp or a pinch of sea salt

1. pre-heat your oven to 350.
2. get out your mixer, beat the butter on medium until soft and then add the sugar slowly. continue mixing till light and fluffy. add vanilla, zest and the eggs one at a time. beat to combined. turn off your mixer, scrape down the sides and beat once more adding milk at the last second.
3. in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. slowly, with the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients till everything is combined. don’t over mix. 
4. turn off your mixer and scrape down the sides, make sure everything is mixed together.
5. butter or spray a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. spoon mixture into loaf pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cake is golden and cooked on the inside.
6. let the cake cool for 5 minutes and then flip out onto a wire rack letting it cool another 10-20 minutes.

strawberries: 

1. slice a handful or strawberries, about 8, and toss with a 1/2 tbl of sugar and a tsp of vanilla. cover and set aside. 

homemade whip cream: 

1. in a cold bowl add 1 cup of heavy cream, a spoonful of sugar and a touch of vanilla. whisk until thick and creamy. 

to assemble: 

1. slice cake and top with cream and strawberries. 

for more information on the golden knives challenge…click here!