Here is a wonderful comfort soup and a tantalizing cake sure to distract your attention from soaring gasoline prices as effectively as a dead Pope, Bush Terror Alert or manufactured Moral Outrage.

Cream of Onion, Leek and Shallot Soup

1 medium Sweet Onion, peeled and chopped
2 medium Yellow Onions, peeled and chopped
1 large Leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
3 to 4 Shallots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of Garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
49 ½ ounce can of Chicken Broth
½ cup heavy Cream
1 Tsp Sea Salt
White Pepper

In a large saucepan sauté the first 5 ingredients in the Olive Oil until tender.
Add Chicken Broth, Cream, Sea Salt and White Pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Process cooled soup mixture, in batches, in a blender.
Serve hot or cold.

Sour Cream and Pecan Sugar Cake
Preheat oven to 350

Butter and non stick spray a 13 ½ X 9” baking dish and set aside.

Cake
1 ½ sticks plus 1 Tbsp softened Butter
2 cups All Purp Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Baking Soda
¼ Tsp Sea Salt
1 1/3 cups Sour Cream
¼ cup Maple Syrup
½ cup Pecan pieces
1 1/3 cups Granulated Sugar plus a separate ¼ cup of Sugar
½ Tsp ground Cinnamon
2 large Eggs
2 Tsps Vanilla Extract

Glaze
1 1/3 cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 ½ Tsp Lemon Juice
½ Tsp grated Lemon peel
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

For Cake—Combine Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt in a medium bowl.
Mix Sour Cream and Maple Syrup in another medium bowl.
Mix the Pecan pieces, Cinnamon and the separate ¼ cup of Sugar in a small bowl.
With your mixer, blend softened Butter with the 1 1/3 cups of Granulated Sugar until fluffy.
Beat in Eggs and Vanilla Extract, stopping frequently to scrape the bowl’s sides.
Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with portions of the Sour Cream and Maple Syrup mixture in 2 additions.
Pour half of batter into the baking dish.
Using a spatula, carefully cover the bottom of the dish with the first half of this thick batter.
Sprinkle the Pecan, Sugar and Cinnamon mixture over the top of the poured batter and then cover this with the remaining batter from the mixing bowl.
Bake for 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool completely on a rack. Cake can be turned out of baking dish or not depending on your preference.

For Glaze—Blend all ingrediants in a medium bowl.
Let the beaten mixture stand for 30 minutes to thicken somewhat.
Pour glaze over the completely cooled cake.
This cake will rock your world!

Image: Google
- posted by Sean @ 8:14 PM