the kitchen kitten

flourless chocolate cake with vietnamese coffee ice cream

2009-02-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

We all think about chocolate in February, so this month's Daring Baker challenge was very apropos. A rich flourless chocolate cake with a homemade ice cream of our choice. Chocolate is perfectly paired with many flavors, but I decided to keep it simple and pair the cake with coffee ice cream.

Instead of using the same coffee ice cream recipe that I always use, I decided to try a vietnamese coffee ice cream. A deep french roast sweetened with ooey, gooey sweetened condensed milk. I was inspired by photos and a recipe I saw last year on the "Fresh from the oven blog". I made the recipe my own by adding one more egg, 2 TB of sugar and a squirt of honey. I think my coffee steeped into a richer, darker brew too. Everyone told me that it was pretty potent, so for those of you with an aversion to caffeine, I would stay away from this one.

In search of a different ice cream recipe, I also checked David Leboovitz's book The Perfect Scoop and decided not to use his recipe for vietnamese coffee ice cream, because he didn't include any eggs.... and I think by adding eggs to any ice cream recipe makes for a richer, creamier ice cream. I used my electric Cuisinart ice cream maker that a friend got me for my birthday one year... a completely indispensable gift!

The cake recipe is super simple, extremely rich and very quick to make. I used a combination of 3 different chocolates. First a New Tree Pleasure chocolate bar, 73% cocoa; a few chunks of bitter sweet chocolate from Mon Aimee in Pittsburgh, and a dark chocolate truffle bar from Trader Joes. Since the cake tastes exactly like the chocolate you put into it, you want to make sure you love the chocolate you are using.

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter

5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}

8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

9. Bake for 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.

Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.

10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
adapted from "Fresh from the oven" and "Foodandwine.com" and changed to make my own.

2 c heavy cream
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 TB sugar
1 TB honey
1/2 cup ground Vietnamese coffee
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, condensed milk, ground coffee, sugar, honey and salt and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve lined with several layers of moistened cheesecloth.

Return the steeped milk to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until slightly pale. Gradually whisk in the hot milk; refrigerate until cold. Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

Special thanks:
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Inspired by Malaysia’s “most flamboyant food ambassador”, Chef Wan. Recipe comes from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan.

crisp salted oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

2009-02-20T12:52:00.001-08:00

I first spotted this recipe on one of my favorite blogs Pittsburgh Needs Eated and it seemed like a must try. I love salt on anything sweet and I love salt with chocolate. So why not add chocolate chips? No reason. So I added chocolate chips to the recipe - which was adapted from Cooks Illustrated, so I'm not sure of the original recipe.... but this version is divine !

Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Pittsburgh Needs Eated, who adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1 cup all-purpose flour ( I exchanged 1/2 of the flour with spelt and oat flour- so 1/2 cup all purpose, 1/4 cup oat and 1/4 cup spelt)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, about 65 degrees
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 bag of chocolate chip cookies (I recommend Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet chips)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

2. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl again. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and smooth, 10 seconds. With mixer still running on low, gradually add oats and chocolate chips, and mix until well incorporated, 20 seconds. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons, then roll between palms into balls. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart, 8 dough balls per sheet. Using fingertips, gently press each dough ball to 3/4-inch thickness. Lightly sprinkle sea salt evenly over flattened dough balls before baking.

4. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are deep golden brown, 13 to 16 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely on sheet.

blackberry clafouti

2009-02-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

This is from this. Eric Ripert had the answer to my desire to make a quick and easy dessert. It was a raspberry clafouti that he made in a toaster oven, which was my inspiration for the blackberry clafouti I made in a regular oven.

This is one of those easy desserts that can be made fresh and served warm for a dinner party.... and very impressive if you use individual ramekins to serve it in.

Raspberry Clafouti by Eric Ripert
Serves 2 (this is very generous amount to serve 2 - it would probably be perfect for 3-4)
(I noted my substitutions below in the recipe)

1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup sugar + more for ramekin
1 large egg
6 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all purpose flour (I used spelt flour)
1 cup fresh raspberries (I used blackberries)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Heat toaster oven to 400°F. Butter two 3 ½ - inch ramekins and dust with sugar.
Whisk egg until frothy and add sugar, half and half and vanilla extract; mix to combine.
Add the all purpose flour and whisk very well.
Divide the raspberries into the ramekins and pour the batter over the raspberries.
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown and the middle is set. (This took much longer to bake in a regular oven.... about twice as long - I would advise to start checking it at 10 minutes.. I also think if I would have used individual ramekins that the cook time would have been less)
Serve with a scoop of ice cream. (optional)

pistachio and almond cake with yogurt

2009-01-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

It's called a cake, but it's really a loaf. This delicious recipe is from the A16 cookbook, one of my favorite restaurants in San Fransisco. We cooked dinner for friends the other night and this was the dessert that my husband requested I make.

Everyone loved it and it's a good one to make ahead, because upon serving, the cake is sliced and reheated in the oven to crisp the edges slightly. So it's warm when serving.... mmmmmmm....

I made some substitutions to the recipe such as using spelt flour instead of "00" flour and using rapadura organic whole cane sugar instead of regular sugar - I noted these substitutions below in parenthesis.

PISTACHIO AND ALMOND CAKE
from A16 Food + Wine (Nate Appleman + Shelley Lindgren)

1 1/3 C unsalted sheled pistachio nuts
1 1/3 C blanched whole almonds
1/2 C plus 2 TB (5 oz) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 C plus 3 TB sugar (I used Rapadura Organic Cane sugar)
3 lemons for zesting
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 C plus 1 TB "00" flour or all purpose flour (I used spelt flour)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 C plain whole milk yogurt (I used sheep milk yogurt - or creme friache)
unsalted shelled pistachio nuts

Preheat oven to 300° F.
Butter a 4 x 8 " loaf pan. Then using a sifter or fine-mesh strainer, dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

In a processor, combine the pistachios and almonds and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Grate the zest from lemons directly into the bowl.

Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla just until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the nuts and mix just until incorporated. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stir in t he flour and salt and mix just until incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, run a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake sides, invert the cake onto a plate, and lift off the pan. At this point the can can be served warm or allowed to cool completely before being sliced and reheated.

To serve reheated, preheat the oven to 400° F. Cut the cake into generous slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake the slices, turning them over once, for about 5 minutes, or until warm and slightly toasted on both sides.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt and a few pistachios. Serve immediately.

Chocolate peanut butter crispy bars

2009-01-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

I first saw this recipe a couple of months ago on Smitten Kitchen and it has been on my mind ever since.... driving me crazy. I finally made it yesterday for a gathering at my friend's house and the consensus was that they're pretty darn good.... but very, very rich... so a little goes a long way.

It's hard to see the 3 layers in my bars since I used dark chocolate for everything, they all kind of blend in together.

Below is the recipe from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking... and I noted the changes I made along the way also...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Crust
1 3/4 C crisped rice cereal
1/4 C sugar
3 TB light corn syrup ( I used golden syrup)
3 TB unsalted butter, melted (I used salted)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer
5 oz good quality milk or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used bitter sweet from Mon Aimee in Pittsburgh)
1 C creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Topping
3 oz dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cocoa), coarsely chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% chips)
1/2 tsp light corn syrup (I used golden syrup again)
4 TB unsalted butter (I used salted)

Make the Crust
Lightly spray an 8" square pan with non stick spray.

Put cereal in large bowl and set aside.

Pour 1/4 C water into small saucepan and gently add the sugar and corn syrup - do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan). Gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until the mixture is combined. Place a candy thermometer in the saucepan and cook over med-high heat, bringing to a boil. Cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage fo 235° F.

Remove from heat, stir in the melted butter and pour mixture over cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated then pour it into the prepared pan. Using a spatula lightly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. (Do not press up the sides) Let the crust cool to room temp while you make the next layer.

Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
In a large non-reactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for an additional 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and place pan in refrigerator for an hour or until top layer hardens. This step took several hours for me.

Make the chocolate topping
Combine chocolate, corn syrup and butter in a large nonreactive metal bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove bowl from pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour mixture over chilled chocolate peanut butter layer and spread. ( I took the advise of rolling the pan around and allowing the topping to spread itself over the peanut butter layer and this worked nicely without even touching it!) Put pan in refrigerator for at least an hour or until top hardens.

Cut into 9 (or many more because these are very rich) pieces and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to 4 days... if they last that long.

caramel cake, oh sweetness

2008-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

The November challenge for the Daring Baker's was a caramel cake with caramelized butter frosting. If you love caramel like I do, then this is a dream recipe. Super easy to make and definitely on the extremely sweet side of the pallet.
I made this cake to take to dinner at a friends. It is just exciting to be able to serve cake for dessert. I suggest putting salt on the table to sprinkle on top to create that perfect salted caramel taste .... plus the salt really helped balance the sweetness.

Some pointers for the recipe....
I added 1/4 c less sugar to the batter and it still was extremely sweet.
My caramel syrup first turned out like a pot of wet sand.... it tasted great but the texture was terrible, so I added some additional water and reheated it, not overheating it, and it came out like the texture of maple syrup.
.. and once again the extra sprinkle of salt on top really helped cut the sweetness.
I toasted walnuts and covered them in caramel syrup then sprinkled sea salt on them to put on the cake.

The Recipe
courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)
2 each eggs, at room temperature
splash vanilla extract
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)
In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}

Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month.
To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light

Thanks to our host Culinary Curiosity and co hosts Blondie and Brownie and Foray into Food for coming up with this delectable recipe for this month's challenge and especially to Egg Beater for her signature caramel cake!

persimmon flowers

2008-11-16T14:44:00.000-08:00

persimmons... one of the blessings of living in los angeles during the fall.

dried persimmons... a great boon from having a bounty of persimmons...

I bought so many persimmons from the farmers market last week that I had to borrow my friend's dehydrator to preserve these wonderful little gems.

I would imagine that you could dehydrate them in an oven on warm. The only caveat is that it takes a pretty long time. They took over 12 hours in the dehydrator (on about 105°). I did slice them very thick, so if I sliced them thinner they probably wouldn't have taken so long. But it is time well spent.

chocolate pecan pie bars

2008-11-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

This was a test run for a dessert option for Thanksgiving. I have great memories of eating this as a pie when dining at Topolobampo, and I thought it would make a great dessert for Thanksgiving. Rick Bayless happened to make this as a "bar" version on his show One Plate at a Time. So I immediately went to the website to get the recipe so I could try it.

It's a great recipe if having a lot of people over because it's really easy to make and it goes a long way. It's much better to make the day before - which is a good way of spreading out the cooking for Thanksgiving.

I made a few changes to his recipe which are:
I used maple syrup instead of corn syrup.
I used Valrhona 71 % chocolate and
Dolfin au lait chocolate instead of mexican chocolate.

I also think I under baked the bars from the 55 minutes required in the recipe.... just because the bottom was slightly underdone - maybe blind baking it for a couple of minutes to crisp it up would be a good idea.

I highly recommend eating with ice cream !

Catastrophe Pizza

2008-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Baker challenge started out with a catastrophe in the kitchen. I made the decision to use our stand mixer with dough hook attachment to knead the dough. So I placed the mixer on our counter, on top of a very large cutting board that is always there, like part of the counter. Also sitting on top of this cutting board was our favorite Le Creuset pot. After turning the mixer on I realized that the power of the mixer was making the cutting board wiggle forward.

Instead of removing the cutting board and placing the mixer directly on the counter top, I pushed the cutting board back in place and tried to wedge it in so it wouldn't wiggle as much. I turned my back, yes I turned my back, to start to prep for the next step, which was putting parchment paper on a cookie sheet. As I was digging for the parchment paper I heard the loudest clang. The running mixer wiggled the cutting board forward, tilting it and catapulting everything to the floor. The still running mixer landed upside down, whining for help, and the Le Creuset pot cracked with little chips flying everywhere. The mixer surprisingly still works, although it is banged up, but our pot was completely ruined. Good times....

As far as the actual pizza, the dough was unharmed and at the perfect stage when pulling it from the mixer....so I just continued with the recipe. Dividing the dough into 6 balls, freezing 4 of them, and allowing 2 of them to sit in the fridge for a couple of days. When bringing them out they looked like this...

After allowing them to rest for 2 hours before tossing, I attempted to toss them the traditional way, which was a requirement of this month's challenge (and to capture that process is a photo... please see below) This proved to be a little more difficult than I thought. My dough was so light and delicate that it was hard not to get holes in the dough, as you can see from the picture.

I chose to do very simple toppings of homemade pesto for one, and a pizza pomodoro for the other.

This dough recipe is a keeper. It came out light and perfectly crisp.. Maybe I will eventually figure out how to toss dough without holes breaking through! Thanks to the host for this month's challenge Rosa's Yummy Yums for a wonderful recipe.

~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).

Ingredients:
4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE
Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.
The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.
DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.
During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

lavash cracker with chile chutney

2008-09-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Baker challenge was a savory one. To create a vegan or gluten free cracker with an accompaniment of our choice. And since we have an over abundance of peppers from the garden right now, I figured I would make an anaheim chile chutney.

As for cracker toppings I created two versions; a rosemary sea salt version and a fennel pollen version. I discovered fennel pollen while at the Ferry Building in San Fransisco over Labor Day weekend and I've been dying to use it on something. It has the most delicate anise flavor and gave the crackers a whole new dimension.

The recipe is from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The secret to this very easy recipe is to roll out the dough as thin as possible... thinner than you may think possible... and you will get a very crisp, perfectly browned cracker.

Thanks to Natalie of Gluten A Go Go and Shel of Musings from the Fishbowl for hosting this month's challenge !

Recipe from:
The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread, by Peter Reinhart

Makes 1 sheet pan of crackers

* 1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) unbleached bread flour or gluten free flour blend (If you use a blend without xanthan gum, add 1 tsp xanthan or guar gum to the recipe)
* 1/2 tsp (.13 oz) salt
* 1/2 tsp (.055 oz) instant yeast
* 1 Tb (.75 oz) agave syrup or sugar
* 1 Tb (.5 oz) vegetable oil
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup + 2 Tb (3 to 4 oz) water, at room temperature
* Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, or kosher salt for toppings
(I used rosemary & sea salt on one, and fennel pollen on the other)

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt yeast, agave, oil, and just enough water to bring everything together into a ball. You may not need the full 1/2 cup + 2 Tb of water, but be prepared to use it all if needed.

2. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough should pass the windowpane test (see wikihow for a description of this) and register 77 degrees to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), satiny to the touch, not tacky, and supple enough to stretch when pulled. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

or

2. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: The dough should be firmer than French bread dough, but not quite as firm as bagel dough (what I call medium-firm dough), and slightly tacky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough overnight in the refrigerator immediately after kneading or mixing).

4. For Non Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Mist the counter lightly with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Press the dough into a square with your hand and dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. You may have to stop from time to time so that the gluten can relax. At these times, lift the dough from the counter and wave it a little, and then lay it back down. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap while it relaxes. When it is the desired thinness, let the dough relax for 5 minutes. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Carefully lift the sheet of dough and lay it on the parchment. If it overlaps the edge of the pan, snip off the excess with scissors.

or

4. For Gluten Free Cracker Dough: Lay out two sheets of parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half and then sandwich the dough between the two sheets of parchment. Roll out the dough until it is a paper thin sheet about 15 inches by 12 inches. Slowly peel away the top layer of parchment paper. Then set the bottom layer of parchment paper with the cracker dough on it onto a baking sheet.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Mist the top of the dough with water and sprinkle a covering of seeds or spices on the dough (such as alternating rows of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, paprika, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, kosher or pretzel salt, etc.) Be careful with spices and salt - a little goes a long way. If you want to precut the cracker, use a pizza cutter (rolling blade) and cut diamonds or rectangles in the dough. You do not need to separate the pieces, as they will snap apart after baking. If you want to make shards, bake the sheet of dough without cutting it first.

5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers begin to brown evenly across the top (the time will depend on how thinly and evenly you rolled the dough).

6. When the crackers are baked, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You can then snap them apart or snap off shards and serve.

Green Chili Chutney
(my husband's recipe adapted from Mark Miller's The Great Chile Book)
1 lb 13 oz anahiem chiles
3 oz shishito peppers
4 serrano peppers
1/4 tsp white peppercorns, cracked
1/2 tsp corriander whole crushed
1/2 tsp hot new mexico green chile powder
2 c sugar
1 TB roasted ground mexican oregano
2/3 c cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over med heat in an enamel or stainless steel pan.
Allow to cool and serve cold.

a simple lunch concoction

2008-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our garden produced only 1 kabocha squash this summer and I felt the pressure to figure out the perfect meal to make out of that 1 glorious squash. I opted for a very simple lunch concoction of roasted squash, white beans, parmesan cheese and chives.

It's as simple as this:
1 roasted kabocha squash
1 can of white beans, rinsed
1 shallot, sliced
1 TB chopped chives
grated parmesan cheese for topping

Preheast oven to 350°.
Cut kabocha squash in half, remove seeds, and place in a glass dish cut side down.
Pour 1/4" water in with squash and place in oven for 35 - 45 minutes.
It's done when a knife slides easily thru squash.
Remove from oven and scrape out squash, discarding the skin.
Set aside.

Saute sliced shallots, then add can of beans. Let simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add a little water for them to simmer in if there is not enough residual water on them from the rinsing.

Mix roasted squash in with the beans.
Simmer for another 5-10 minutes, remove from heat.

Serve with a sprinkling of chives and some shaved parmesan.

rose cream eclairs with chocolate glaze

2008-08-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Daring Baker's challenge for August was to make chocolate eclairs from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme. We were given leeway with the filling or glaze, just one of them had to be chocolate. So I chose to do a rose cream filling instead of a chocolate one.

The elcairs baked up to perfection, nice and puffy and golden brown. The key is to make sure they are left in the oven long enough. If you remove them too early they will deflate and be too dense.

For a second, I thought I was going to create the perfect eclair...but my custard that I made a day in advance turned out to be extremely runny. I think the culprit was the rose water extract I added instead of the chocolate to make the custard. Either way it tasted fantastic, but there was no saving the eclairs for later. So my husband and I each had one right away, and I put the remaining unfilled eclairs in the fridge waiting to think of something to do with them...

I experimented with a couple of shapes and tiny bite sized round puffs seemed the way to go for me.

Thanks to our hosts this month Tony Tahhan and MeetaK.

Please visit their sites for a complete recipe!

the cutest mixer ever makes snap cookies

2008-08-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the cutest mixer I have ever seen. While at Sur La Table last week I noticed it.....in the sale section.....this beautiful little green machine. The KitchenAid 9 speed Professional Mixer in apple green ! I've been wanting to buy a hand held mixer, so this was the perfect combo.. adorable and on sale!

I wanted to test it out immediately so I decided to make a really quick recipe my friend gave me for snap chocolate chip cookies. After acquiring this recipe I don't think I ever made regular chocolate chip cookies again. These are hands down the easiest and tastiest version of this classic.

The only changes I made to the below recipe is that I left out the slivered almonds, because I didn't have any, and I added 1/2 c chocolate covered raisins instead. I like these cookies when they are crisp and brown on the edges, so I baked the tray for about 35-40 minutes instead of the 25 minutes in the recipe.

Snap Cookies
9 oz butter, room temp
1 1/2 c superfine sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 c plain all purpose flour
3/4 c slivered almonds (optional)- I used 1/2 c chocolate covered raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate - I used a little more

Preheat oven to 180° C or 355 ° F.
Line a 12" x 15" (or about that size) baking tray with parchment paper.
Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with mixer until light and creamy.
Add egg and beat well.
Sift the flour over the butter mixture and fold through with the almonds and chocolate.
Spread the cookie mixture evenly over the whole tray and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Lift cookie out of tray with parchment paper and allow to cool on a rack.

Break apart into various sizes before serving.

(I forget where my friend got this recipe, but as soon as I figure it out I will give a credit)

Boon loves this mixer too !

filbert gateau with praline buttercream

2008-07-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Daring Baker's monthly challenge brings out the desire to create and the confidence to do so. I would have never attempted to make this cake if it were not for my commitment to the group. There are a lot of steps to this recipe, it takes several hours to make, it seemed way more daunting than it actually was, but it was oh so worth it.

The good thing about this cake is that you can make it over a several day period, so if you don't have a day to spend in the kitchen, you can chip away at the recipe and slowly carve it out. It consists of many steps that can be completed separately then stored, waiting for their turn to come together as a tempting creation.

I listed the recipe below without my changes to it, which were... I substituted patron cafe tequila for any place in the recipe that called for rum, (or any kind of alcohol) and I did not use the apricot glaze.

Thanks to Chris of Mele Cotte for hosting this month's challenge !

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream
from Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Genoise
1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum
1 recipe Praline Buttercream
1⁄2 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 recipe Apricot Glaze (I omitted the glaze)
1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using
3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

The recipes:

Filbert Genoise

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 1⁄2 cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned
2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided 1⁄4 & 3⁄4 cups
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1⁄2 tsp. grated lemon rind
5 lg. egg whites
1⁄4 cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan.

Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add 3⁄4 cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining 1⁄4 cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another 1⁄2 minute.
Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup
Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water
1⁄4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. dark rum or orange flavored liqueur

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream
1 recipe Swiss Buttercream (see below)
1/3 cup praline paste (see below)
1 1⁄2 - 2 Tbsp. Jamaican rum (optional)

Blend 1⁄2 cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream
4 lg. egg whites
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 1⁄2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 1⁄2 -2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice
1 tsp. vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a elevtric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows.
Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become toooooo soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.

Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Trouble shooting tips:
What to do if your buttercream won’t come together - Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overbeat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together.

What to do if your buttercream is too soft - Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of butter in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed butter to the buttercream, 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Praline Paste
1 cup (4 1⁄2 oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless
2/3 cup Sugar
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter.

Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze
Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves
1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze
Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

**Ganache can take on many forms. While warm – great fudge sauce. While cool or lukewarm – semisweet glaze. Slightly chilled – can be whipped into a filling/frosting. Cold & solid – the base of candied chocolate truffles.

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
6 oz. (3⁄4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, Cointreay, or dark Jamaican rum (optional)
3⁄4 tsp. vanilla
1⁄2 - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add 1⁄2 - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake

Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a 1⁄4-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with 1⁄2 of the whipped cream, leaving 1⁄4-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating 1⁄2 inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake.

Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about 3⁄4 inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

green tea tart with chocolate filled raspberries... what?

2008-07-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

I was in charge of dessert. I haven't made a tart in a long time. One of my favorite dessert books is book of tarts by maury rubin of the city bakery. It is beautifully documented and has a tart for every season. I took 2 of his recipes, changed a couple of things and voila... the green tea tart was born.

First of all his dough is super simple to make and you can freeze it for up to a month. His step by step photos are all you need to answer any misunderstood instructions. All I'm saying is that if you have any interest in making tarts, this is a must have book. (Plus I think the tart is the new cupcake.)

The original recipe that I changed slightly was the Earl Grey Tea Pastry Cream in a Chocolate Tart (which also sounds ridiculously good). I used green tea instead of earl grey and I baked the regular tart dough instead of chocolate.

When flipping the page from this recipe there was a photo of a luscious raspberry, filled with chocolate, and I thought.. wow that would be perfect on top of the green tea tart and so....

the recipes as I adjusted them

Green Tea Pastry Cream Tart
(adapted from maury rubin's book of tarts)

2 1/2 c milk
1 TB matcha powder
4 large egg yolks
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 TB agave syrup
2 TB all purpose flour
1 TB cornstarch
1 fully baked tart shell (recipe to follow)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted for design and filling
a handful of rasberries

1. Pour milk into small saucepan and bring to a simmer over med heat. Whisk in matcha powder and remove pan from heat. Let cool completely.

2. Place egg yolks in med bowl, add sugar and agave syrup, and whisk to combine. Whisk in flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

3. Bring milk back to a simmer. Pour 1/2 milk into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Then pour mixture back into saucepan. Cook over med heat, whisking until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil for 5 seconds, then whisk once more forcefuuly around the pan, and transfer to a med bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream and puncture several holes in it with a pairing knife. Refrigerate until cool.

4. After pastry cream has cooled, whisk it until smooth and spoon it into the tart shell. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5. Fill a small paper pastry bag with melted chocolate and decorate top of tart as you please and fill raspberries with chocolate.

Standard tart dough
(from maury rubins book of tarts)

13 tablespoons (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1. Let the butter sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until malleable.

2. Place the powdered sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the pieces of butter and toss to coat. Using a paddle attachment with a standing mixer, combine the sugar and butter at medium speed, until the sugar is no longer visible.

3. Add the egg yolk and combine until no longer visible.

4. Scrape down the butter off the sides of the bowl. Add half of the flour, then begin mixing again until the dough is crumbly. Add the remaining flour and then the cream and mix until the dough forms a sticky mass.

5. Flatten the dough into a thick pancake, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours before preparing to roll out the dough.

6. Lightly butter a 9-inch pastry ring (or fluted tart pan) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat pad. I used a rectangle shaped tart pan.

7. Once the dough has thoroughly chilled, cut it in half, then cut each piece in half lengthwise. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat, until you have 16 equal pieces. Work quickly with the dough so that it remains chilled. Sprinkle your work surface with a thin layer of flour. Knead the pieces of dough together until it forms one new mass and shape it into a flattened ball. Flour a rolling pin and sprinkle flour again on the work surface underneath the dough. Roll out the dough into a circle or whatever shape you are using, one-eighth-inch thick.

8. To easily transfer the dough into the ring or tart pan, fold it in half gently, then in quarters. Move the folded dough to the tart ring or pan, with the point of the dough in the center, then unfold it, gently patting the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the ring. Trim the edges so that they are flush with the top of the ring. Dock the dough with a pastry docker or prick the dough all over with a fork.

9. Put the tart pan into the freezer for 1/2 hour.

10. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the baking sheet and ring in the oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until the dough is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before filling.

sweet & savory danish bread

2008-06-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

The June Daring Baker's challenge was to work with a laminated dough and make "Danish Bread" from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking. I've never made danish bread before so this recipe was a welcomed one. The dough is similar to a puff pastry, but it is sweet and yeast is added to it.

My mind went immediately to making a nut filling, like a nut roll, and also to do a savory filling. I came up with ham, cheese and swiss chard because I've been craving a ham & cheese croissant and I have an over abundance of chard in the garden!

The recipe was much easier than I thought it was going to be, it just takes some time since you are rolling out then refrigerating the dough for 3o minutes, repeating 4 times, then allowing it to sit for 5 hours or overnight. Which gives you plenty of time to come up with a filling.

The butter is spread on the dough after the first roll out. The dough is then tri-folded and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The remaining "roll outs" need no butter, since it was all put on during the first. With each roll out the dough will become a little more elastic and take slightly longer to roll to size. Just be patient with it and it will eventually give in.

Our challenge was to make at least one braid with the dough, but this dough can be used to make whatever shape or size pastry you wish. I made one large and 4 small braids.

The recipe is very self explanatory. It's a great time of year to use fresh fruit as a filling. I'm thinking I may have to try something with stone fruit now and tomatoes at the end of the summer.

Thanks to the hosts of this month's challenge, Kelly and Ben.

Here are some good tips from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking:
• Use well-chilled ingredients. This includes flour if your kitchen temperature is above 70 degrees F (~ 21 degrees C).
• It is recommended that long, continuous strokes be used to roll the dough rather than short, jerky strokes to make sure the butter block is evenly distributed.
• The 30-minute rest/cooling period for the dough between turns is crucial to re-chill the butter and allow the gluten in the dough to relax.
• Excess flour accumulated on the surface of the dough after turns should be brushed off as pockets of flour can interfere with the rise.
• When making cuts in the dough for the braid, make sure they are not too long and provide a solid base for the filling.
• Yard calls for a “controlled 90 degree F environment” for proofing the constructed braid. Please refer to this chart to assist you in this stage of the challenge:
Proofing Temperature For Fresh Dough
(room temp) For Refrigerated Dough
Degrees F Degrees C
70 ~ 21 1-1/2 to 2 hrs. 2-1/2 to 3 hrs.
75 ~ 24 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hrs. 2 to 2-1/2 hrs.
80 ~ 27 1 to 1-1/4 hrs. 1-1/2 to 2 hrs.
85 ~ 29 45 min. to 1 hr. 1 to 1-1/2 hrs.
90 ~ 32 45 min. 1 hr.

DANISH DOUGH - Sherry Yard
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

DOUGH
Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Without a standing mixer: Combine yeast and milk in a bowl with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice and mix well. Sift flour and salt on your working surface and make a fountain. Make sure that the “walls” of your fountain are thick and even. Pour the liquid in the middle of the fountain. With your fingertips, mix the liquid and the flour starting from the middle of the fountain, slowly working towards the edges. When the ingredients have been incorporated start kneading the dough with the heel of your hands until it becomes smooth and easy to work with, around 5 to 7 minutes. You might need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and 1⁄4 inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, 1⁄4-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

NUT FILLING - my recipe
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
2 lbs ground nuts (1 lb walnuts, 1/2 lb pecans, 1/2 lb almonds)
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 c honey
2 egg whites, beaten

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, and thats pretty much it.

HAM, CHEESE & CHARD FILLING

12 slices Black Forrest ham
10 slices gruyere cheese
1 c chopped swiss chard

Layer ingredients starting with ham, then chard then top with cheese.

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)
filling

For the egg wash: 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1/2 the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, 1⁄4 inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Repeat with other 1/2 of dough.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.

3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash
Whisk together the whole egg and yolk in a bowl and with a pastry brush, lightly coat the braid.

Proofing and Baking
1. Spray cooking oil (Pam…) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch.
2. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

roast beets, from the garden

2008-04-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

I never knew how rewarding growing your own food could be until we planted our first garden last November. The golden beets from our winter planting are in their prime right now.

It's incredible how much food can be supplied from this tiny garden and it made me a firm believer that everyone should be planting something, be it herbs and lettuce in a couple of containers on your balcony or a 10 by 20 plot in the backyard full of vegetables. If you don't have a garden to enjoy, I highly suggest planting one. If you don't have the space to do so, look into joining your local community garden... that's what we did and it's improved our lives immensely.

to the beets....

My favorite way to prepare beets is simply roasting them in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350.
Trim the greens off the beets and save to saute later.
Clean the beets, leaving their skins on, toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper and place them in a cast iron skillet and cover with foil, or create a foil packet and wrap them in it.

Pop em in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Check if they are done by inserting a thin knife into the thickest part of the beet. If it slides in easily, then they are ready to come out. If the beet feels a little firm, then put them back in the over for another 15 minutes or so.
Cool slightly and remove skins.
Slice them into wedges or rounds and toss them in a salad.
It's a good idea to roast a bunch at once, then they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days and are ready to use whenever....without the wait of roasting time.

They are really good with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, thinly sliced red onion and parm or goat cheese.

If you can't grow your own garden then please support your local farmers.

left-overs into bread pudding

2008-04-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

I know it's not really the time of year for a warm, hearty bread pudding... but what else do you do with left-over bread? Bread pudding came about as a way to use stale unwanted bread instead of throwing it out and since I hate to waste anything I made some bread pudding from left-over everything. A couple of different kinds of bread, some honey butter, maple syrup, buttermilk, eggs, sugar.. I wish we had left over bread all of the time.

Here's the recipe I used:

1 c milk
1 c buttermilk (or use 2 c of milk and no buttermilk)
1/4 c honey butter (basically butter and honey whipped together, you could use regular butter and spoon in a TB of honey over the bread)
2/3 c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
about 3 1/2 cups bread, torn into pieces
1/2 c chopped pecans
(addt'l ingredients could be dates or raisins... anything you like)

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 1.5 quart casserole with butter.

In a sauce pan warm the milk (not the buttermilk) just until film forms on top. Remove from heat.

Combine the honey butter and milk and stir until the butter has completely melted. Then stir in the buttermilk. This will cool the mixture. My buttermilk separated a little, if this happens use a strainer when pouring the milk mixture into the egg mixture.

Combine eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla and beat on medium for about 1 minute. Slowly add the milk mixture and combine.

Place the bread in the casserole and pour the batter on top. Mix in 1/4 c of the pecans. Then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c on top.

Now would be the time to mix in dates, raisins, etc.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until set and browned on top.

Serve warm with ice cream and maple syrup.

It's great reheated the next day... just add chocolate shavings (a lot of them) before you put it in the oven to reheat and then you have a whole new experience... chocolate bread pudding!

brown sugar lemon cake

2008-04-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

Just the name alone made our mouths water. This recipe is out of The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen with Nigel Slater, by Nigel Slater. For those of you not familiar with this book, Nigel records a year of his culinary experiences and recipes that reflect seasonality making this the perfect cook book for inspiration.

The cake we made is from the March 19th entry, so it's something suitable for early spring. The reason I say "we" is because my husband and I tag teamed on this recipe. He started the prep, made the lemon topping, got all mise en place, then I came home and finished the mixing, baking and the sauce while he ran out for a bit. I loved that we both had a part in making this rich, delectable dessert.

My part of the deal was probably easier than his but I must say that I thought I almost lost the cake. The baking time was 45 minutes, so I checked the cake at about 40 minutes and to my surprise it looked like a loaf of melted butter. It was watery and wiggly and I thought oh no.... I've ruined it. I couldn't figure out how this cake was going to set and rise, so I actually took a ladle and scooped out about 1/4 c of melted butter from the center of the loaf. I gave it 15 more minutes before declaring it a complete disaster and when checking it again there seemed to be hope. It was firming up and rising a bit. It needed to bake a lot longer than the recipe called for (about 1/2 hour longer).

After doing some online research, my husband found this recipe listed with only 1 1/4c butter, not the 1 3/4 c that we used. So we believe there was a misprint in the book.

Anyway, this is one moist, rich and flavorful bread that stays fresh for a while. We served it with creme fraiche and fresh berries. I highly recommend it.

I have to give credit to my friend Maggie of Hello Kitchen for styling the first picture of this post and to my husband of add an egg for craving the recipe.

Brown Sugar Lemon Cake with Thick Yogurt (or creme fraiche !)
by Nigel Slater

cake
1 3/4 cups butter (I believe this to be a misprint, I would use 1 1/4 c )
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup ground almonds
3/4 tsp baking powder
large lemon
4 large eggs

topping
lemon
2 generous tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp water

syrup
2 generous tbsps brown sugar
juice of a large lemon

oven 325. line loaf pan, about 10x4x3in deep with parchment.

Topping - slice lemon thinly and put it in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. bring to a boil, then watch closely for five minutes or so, until the water has almost evaporated and the lemon slices are sticky. set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a food mixer till they are light and fluffy. You can expect it to take a little longer than it would with superfine sugar. Meanwhile, measure the flour and almonds and mix them with the baking powder. Grate the zest of the lemon and add it to the flour mixture.

Break the eggs and beat them lightly with a fork, then add them to the creamed butter and sugar a little at a time. The mixture will probably curdle a bit but don't worry. Remove the mixing bowl from the machine and gently fold in the flour, almonds and baking powder with a large metal spoon (a wooden spoon would knock the air out).

Scoop the cake mixture into the lined pan, then lay the reserved lemon slices on top, overlapping them down the center of the cake. Bake for about forty-five minutes, till risen and golden. Insert a metal skewer to see if it is ready. If it comes out clean, then the cake is done; if it has mixture sticking to it, it needs a few minutes longer. remove the cake from the oven and set aside.

For the syrup, stir the brown sugar into the lemon juice; it will only partially dissolve. Spike the top of the cake with a metal skewer, then spoon over the lemon and sugar. leave to cool.

perfect party cake, green tea style

2008-03-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Baker's challenge was to make the perfect party cake. A white cake with butter cream frosting to flavor and decorate as you like. I chose to flavor my butter cream with green tea, hence the off white, ever so light green hue to my icing. I love to use green tea as a flavor in my baking and I've had much success with it. It gives such a subtle clean flavor, making it perfect for spring and summer desserts.

This is one of the simplest cake recipes I have ever tried. I love this recipe. It makes the perfect small crumbed cake. Soft and fluffy, yet dense at the same time. It would be an ideal cake base for birthday cakes, ice cream cakes, small tea cakes, tres leches.... you get the idea. My husband called the texture fuzzy like felt, almost like eating velvet. Definitely a keeper.

The butter cream recipe is also very simple. There is no need to worry about curdling when mixing this one together. If you follow the recipe exactly, the butter will beat into the ooey gooey marshmallow type egg white meringue mixture so easily you will have a wonderful pure white butter cream in no time. Just make sure you beat it for the required length of time (this is in case it curdles, if beaten long enough it will reconstitute itself) This is where I made my substitution to the butter cream, by adding in a 1/4 cup cooled brewed matcha green tea instead of a 1/4 cup lemon juice. I used about a heaping tsp of matcha powder to 1/4 c boiling water. My other substitution was that I used coconut extract in the cake instead of lemon extract.

Thanks to our hostess Morven of Food Art and Random Thoughts for this month's recipe courtesy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours.

Recipe
Perfect Party Cake
Dorie Greenspan, Baking from My Home to Yours

For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk)
4 large egg whites
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract ( I substitute coconut exctract)

For the Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons) - ( I substituted 1/4 c brewed matcha green tea)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For Finishing
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable
About 1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut
(I didn't use any preserves, just straight up frosting and coconut)

Getting Ready
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To Make the Cake

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.
Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed.
Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.
Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.
Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.
Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean
Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners.
Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

To Make the Buttercream

Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.
The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.
Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth.
Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes.
During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate – just keep beating and it will come together again.
On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice (in my case the brewed green tea), waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

To Assemble the Cake

Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.
Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper.
Spread it with one third of the preserves. ( if using them)
Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream.
Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover).
Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.
Press the coconut into the frosting, patting it gently all over the sides and top.

Serving
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room – not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well – it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Easter cheese

2008-03-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Making Easter cheese has been a tradition in my family for the past century. I learned how to make it from my mom, who learned how to make it from our great aunt who learned it from her mom and so on. It's Slovak in origin and usually eaten with a traditional Easter meal of ham, kolbasi, pascha (sweet bread), butter, beets w/horseradish & hard boiled eggs.

The weird thing about it is that it is not really cheese at all, but more like a extremely firm custard. It's basically a curdled ball of milk and eggs, firmed up and chilled, then sliced as you would a piece of cheese. It is very mild in flavor, slightly sweet and goes well with any type of condiment. (I'm thinking I can't wait to have it for breakfast on slice of toast with some jam)

It's not the most attractive looking thing, (it looks like a small head of cauliflower) but it is a tradition and it is extremely easy to make. My mom and I made our Easter cheese today and here is the recipe...

Easter Cheese

1 qt milk
1 dozen eggs
1 tsp salt
3 TB sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Put milk on medium heat and simmer.

Beat eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla together. Add this mixture slowly to the milk, then stir till curdles form. Remove from heat.

With slotted spoon, spoon into bag or cheese cloth and squeeze out liquid with your hands or use a slotted spoon. Tie bag tight and let hang for several hours.

Remove from bag, refrigerate and when cool wrap in foil.

Slice and serve.

sweetheart cookies xo

2008-02-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from my childhood, something my mom always used to make my brother and I around Valentine's Day... and since I'm visiting with my mom & dad right now I figured why not break out an ole favorite... the adorable, scrumptious sweet heart cookie.

This is not your typical sugar cookie recipe. This one has oats, walnuts and cream cheese in the dough. There is nothing tricky about it, and it is really simple to make. It's also good one to make in two parts - make the dough the night before you want to bake because it needs to set in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Making the dough simply requires beating together ingredients, rolling the dough in a log shape approx 1 1/2 - 2" in diameter, wrapping and popping in the fridge. The next morning unwrap the dough, slice about a 1/4" off, roll it into a ball, then shape it into a heart. Your fingers will get greasy but not sticky. If you find the dough sticky and difficult to handle you may need to put it back in the fridge for a second to firm it up.

Set your heart shaped cookies on an ungreased tray about 1" apart, bake then in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. If they still look too doughy, then they are not ready. They cookies will not really brown, so you may need to lightly touch them to make sure they are set before pulling them out of the oven. Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.

Meanwhile you can make the icing, which is a simple confectioner's sugar icing. Simply beat sugar, milk, butter and vanilla together. The icing is applied fairly thin since it is so sweet. If you like a lot of icing I would increase this recipe by another 1/2.

Sit back and enjoy with a cup of coffee and think about wonderful childhood memories...

Sweetheart Cookies
Dough:
1 c butter - softened
6 oz cream cheese
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour - sifted
1 TB baking powder
1/4 tsp salk
1 c uncooked old fashioned oats
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Pink Frosting:
2 c sifted confectioner's sugar
2 TB butter - softened
4 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 drops red food coloring

• Preheat oven to 350°

• Beat together butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat again.

• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat this slowly into the creamed mixture, until blended.

• Stir in the oats and chopped walnuts; Mix well. Roll into a log shape - approx 1 1/2" - 2" diameter, cover and chill for several hours or overnight.

• Slice off 1/4" slices and roll into a 1" ball. Shape into a heart and place on ungreased cookie sheet. (If you find it difficult to shape in your hands, put the ball directly on the baking sheet and form a heart by pressing ball down then shaping) If you do not want to make heart shaped cookies, simply slice pieces off of the chilled log and place them directly on the cookie sheet.

• Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack then top with icing.

• To make icing, combing sugar, butter, milk and vanilla in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add a few drops of food coloring and beat until blended. Frost cooled cookies.

lemon meringue pie

2008-01-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Another Daring Bakers challenge is upon us. We bring in the new year with a refreshing lemon meringue pie. Not a pie I would pick to make without a challenge, but my husband with his citrus tendencies towards desserts loved the idea. This pie was quick, easy and gorgeous.

The dough for this recipe is wonderfully rich in butter - maybe a little too much butter if that is possible. I used a food processor to pulse it together then turned it out onto a floured surface, pressed it together to form a disk and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes. In the meantime I prepped all the other ingredients. When the dough was ready to roll out, the recipe called for rolling it to 1/8" thick, I followed that suggestion and had a lot of over hang on my pie pan. So I just tucked it underneath the side and fluted the top. I wish I would rolled the dough thicker than what was suggested. After the pie was assembled the bottom was a bit soggy because the dough was too thin and buttery, but the thick sides were scrumptious.

The lemon filling came together very quickly, so it's a good idea (as always) to have your mise en place before you get started. I started boiling the water as soon as the pie crust came out of the oven. After adding the sugar and cornstarch it gradually thickened to become a smooth gelatinous liquid. I stirred 1 cup of it into the egg yolks to temper them, then added the eggs back into the liquid. I removed it from the heat when it came to a boil, then added the butter - stirring until incorporated, the lemon juice, zest and vanilla. I used a combination of meyer and regular lemons for the lemon juice. Meyer lemons are not as tart, so they are great to bake with. This stirred together into a beautiful thick smooth filling that I poured into the cooled pie crust.

The meringue whipped up into firm white peaks in no time at all. It really helps to have your egg whites at room temperature before you start. So leave them sit out after you separate your eggs. This recipe makes a lot of meringue, so it piles high onto the pie. I scooped and swirled the meringue onto the still warm pie and stuck it in the oven for about 15 minutes. When I pulled it out, the pie looked like a heavenly golden cloud of sweetness !

Thanks to Jen from The Canadian Baker for hosting this month's challenge.
See recipe below...

Lemon Meringue Pie
(from "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver)
Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

walnut blueberry oat bread

2008-01-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

I pick my parents up at the airport tomorrow morning at 8:00am and I was trying to figure out what I can make ahead ....a little something for them to have with some coffee when they get in. I've been craving nut bread lately and my local market had some beautiful organic blueberries, this combo seemed to fit the bill.

I found a recipe for walnut and date bread in How to Bake by Nick Malgieri. This was my inspiration because I changed quite a few things in this recipe. I used blueberries instead of dates and I substituted part oat/ part spelt flour for all purpose flour. I decreased the amount of butter to 4 TB and used 1 TB of coconut oil mixed in with the butter. I coated the loaf pan with butter then sprinkled oats in to line it.

Here is my recipe...

Walnut Blueberry Oat Bread
1 c spelt flour
1 c oat flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 TB unsalted butter, softened
1 TB coconut oil
1/2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh blueberries
an extra knob of butter and a handful of oats to line the pan with

1. Preheat oven to 375° and set rack in middle of oven. Coat a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with butter, then sprinkle it with oats and a little oat flour to coat.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl; whisk together well.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and coconut oil together. Beat in the sugar just until mixed. Beat in the eggs and milk, then add the flour mixture and nuts. Stir until just combined. Then gently stir in the blueberries.

3. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, unitl it is well risen and a skewer comes clean when pulling it out of thickest part of the bread.

4. Cool the loaf on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and finish cooling.

Slice and enjoy with honey!

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich

2008-01-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

I never would have thought about making fried green tomatoes in January, but after seeing them at my local farmers market on Sunday they were just screaming to be eaten. So for lunch today I made fried green tomato sandwiches.

Open Faced Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with Roasted Garlic Aioli
2 large green tomatoes
1/2 c flour
1 tsp paprika
a pinch of salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 egg
1 TB water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 c mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 375°.
Mix flour, paprika, salt and pepper together in shallow bowl.
Mix egg and water in shallow bowl.
Put bread crumbs in shallow bowl.

Slice tomatoes 1/2" thick. Dredge, one slice at a time, in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Set aside on a plate.

Heat frying pan, add 1 TB butter and 1 TB oil over moderate heat. Fry about 4 or 5 slices of tomatoes for 3 minutes on each side, they should be golden, not burnt. Transfer fried tomatoes to a plate with a paper towel on it to blot grease.

Then fry the other tomato slices in remaining butter and oil. Transfer to paper towel when finished.

Transfer all slices to a foil lined baking sheet and put in oven for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile slice, lightly butter or oil bread then grill. I just used the same pan as the tomatoes were fried in. Throw piece of garlic in the pan to roast it.

Mash roasted garlic and mix it with mayonnaise then spread it on grilled bread. Place tomatoes on top and enjoy!

buche de noel

2007-12-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the kitchen
the smell of baked cake filled the nose of a kitten
The monthly Daring Baker's challenge was given to her
Twas to create a yule log, for sure, for sure !

Not difficult at all, it came right together
the meringue whipped up, light as a feather
the butter cream frosting was coffee in flavor
the genoise cake was primed to be savored

Coffee tequila doused the inside of the cake
a thin layer of chocolate spread on it to make
a crisp thin layer so each bite would crunch
and butter cream icing was spread over the bunch

Then all rolled together the cake formed a log
the perfect little treat to go with egg nog.
Meringue mushrooms were placed on the top with care
in the hopes to get eaten by everyone there

The hosts of this challenge were Ivonne and Lisa
they are two of my favorite people.
Please visit their sites so you can see
how they made this wonderful scrumptious recipe !

Buche de Noel Recipe
Sources: Perfect Cakes by Nick Malgieri and The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert
Serves 12

Plain Genoise:

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
¼ cup cornstarch

one 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a thermometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn’t overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Coffee Buttercream:

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy (I used Patrón XO Café Liqueur)

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Find good tips for butter cream gone wrong on baking911.

Filling and frosting the log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.

2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.

3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper. (Then I brushed the cake with Patron XO Cafe Liqueur and spread a thin layer of melted chocolate all over the cake before I added the coffee butter cream icing)

4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you want to use).

5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.

6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end. (I just trimmed one end and placed that on top)

8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.

9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.

10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.

11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you’ve chosen.

Meringue Mushrooms:

3 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup (3-1/2 ounces/105 g.) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (1-1/3 ounces/40 g.) icing sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

1.Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a small (no. 6) plain tip. In a bowl, using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until very foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Continue until the whites hold stiff, shiny peaks. Sift the icing sugar over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until well blended.

2.Scoop the mixture into the bag. On one baking sheet, pipe 48 stems, each ½ inch (12 mm.) wide at the base and tapering off to a point at the top, ¾ inch (2 cm.) tall, and spaced about ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. On the other sheet, pipe 48 mounds for the tops, each about 1-1/4 inches (3 cm.) wide and ¾ inch (2 cm.) high, also spaced ½ inch (12 mm.) apart. With a damp fingertip, gently smooth any pointy tips. Dust with cocoa. Reserve the remaining meringue.

3.Bake until dry and firm enough to lift off the paper, 50-55 minutes. Set the pans on the counter and turn the mounds flat side up. With the tip of a knife, carefully make a small hole in the flat side of each mound. Pipe small dabs of the remaining meringue into the holes and insert the stems tip first. Return to the oven until completely dry, about 15 minutes longer. Let cool completely on the sheets.

4.Garnish your Yule Log with the mushrooms.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

2007-12-02T17:01:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this cheesecake recipe not because I was looking to make a sweet potato cheesecake, but because I was looking for something else to make instead of pumpkin pie. I don't really love pumpkin pie, so in my quest for a substitute I saw a picture of a mouthwatering sweet potato cheesecake on the Homesick Texan blog and I thought aahhh that is it! I've always been a little intimidated by making cheesecake, but I have overcome my fear with this new recipe. This is now my "go to" dessert for any holiday party. I've changed the recipe slightly to come up with my own version of sweet potato cheese cake and I've made this recipe several times and it has not failed me yet.

On a side note...when I was at the farmers market buying supplies I pondered the ongoing question of sweet potato vs. yam. I've always thought that the yellowish light colored thin skin potato was a sweet potato and the darker orange thicker skin potato was a yam. Not knowing which one would make for a better cheesecake I ended up buying both. After some research I found out that they are both sweet potatoes and not yams at all. The darker skin orange variety was introduced to the US several decades ago and is sweeter and less dry than the lighter skinned one, and often referred to as yams. A true yam is a tuber from a tropical vine and not even related to the sweet potato. I'm sure many of you already know this, but I finally resolved the quandary for myself, I think.... open to comments... Now the recipe...

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Recipe:
Crust:
apprx 55 ginger snaps, crushed (I like a thick crust)
1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
7 TB butter, melted

Cheesecake:
1 1/3 c mashed sweet potato, I used 1 large of each variety
4 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
1 c brown sugar
1 generous tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 TB plus 2 tsp flour
2 TB plus 2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Topping:
8 oz container sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
1 TB brown sugar
3 TB maple syrup

1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325°.
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into several large pieces. Place in pot of water and bring to a boil for about 20-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Remove, drain, mash and allow to cool. I pressed the sweet potatoes through a large strainer to get rid of the little stringy parts.

Meanwhile prepare the crust. Combine smashed ginger snaps, chopped pecans, and melted butter in a bowl. Scrape the mixture into a buttered 10" spring form pan and press evenly over bottom of pan. Cover and place in refrigerator until needed.

Make the batter
Measure out the brown sugar, spices and flour in a bowl and set aside.
Place the room temp cream cheese and eggs in a bowl and beat together until well blended and smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl and add the mashed sweet potatoes, sugar /spice / flour mixture, maple syrup and lemon juice and mix on low until well blended.

Take spring form pan out of fridge and wrap foil around the bottom and up the sides of pan. Pour batter on top of crust and place in oven for 50 minutes. (Yes, there is no water bath etc... trust me it will work)

The cake is done when sides are set and center is slightly jiggly when gently shaken. Turn oven off, leave cake inside with oven door open for about 20/25 minutes. Remove and set on rack to cool completely before covering and putting it in the refrigerator. Chill about 3 hours before serving. This is a great one to make a day ahead. It could even be made 2 days ahead but any sooner the crust will start to get soggy.

Topping
Mix together sour cream, spices, sugar, maple syrup and lemon juice cover and put back in refrigerator and save until serving time.

When serving, spread sour cream mixture over the cake. Unmold from spring form pan. Place on serving plate and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Slice and serve. Delicious.

A sticky situation with Potato Bread

2007-11-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Oh the possibilities are endless... should I make a couple of loaves, or rolls, maybe olive rosemary focaccia ... that was the toughest decision about this recipe. I was a little nervous about making bread but the anticipation of eating the finished product far out weighed any anxiety about charting unfamiliar territory. This month's Daring Baker challenge was Tender Potato Bread, hosted by Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups.

First, let me say this was the stickiest dough I have ever worked with. It was a blob of a dough. The dough took a lot longer to rise than I expected. Maybe my yeast was old or I didn't mix in enough flour when kneading. That's if you can call it kneading.

When I "poured" the dough out onto a well floured marble slab I basically had to use a pastry scraper as my right hand, constantly folding the dough on top of itself and adding flour as needed. I did this for over 10 minutes, adding an extra 3 cups of flour to the dough. It was still very sticky but for fear of over flouring I stopped and scraped it into a greased bowl and allowed it to rise. In hindsight I should have used the rest of the flour. The dough would have still been soft but I have a feeling much more manageable.

After about 3 hours it just barely doubled. I gave it another 1/2 hour and it really didn't expand much more, so I figured it was time to turn it out. The dough was still very sticky when briefly kneaded for a second time. I cut 2/3 of the dough off and folded in kalamata olives and chopped rosemary and placed the dough in a loaf pan. I made 4 small round loafs out of the remaining dough and allowed everything to rise for another hour or so.

The loaf and rolls didn't come close to doubling in size this time. They rose, but hardly doubled. I topped with sea salt, chopped rosemary and olive oil then stuck them in the oven for 50 minutes. The top of my loaf got really dark unfortunately and the smaller loaves really browned.

The whole process including rising time and clean up took about 7 hours. I think it took so long because I had to let my dough rise forever - the combined rising time of first and second rise was at least 5 hours. I will definitely make this dough again now that I have an idea what to expect. I know not to worry about adding too much flour, go with what the dough feels like rather than an exact measurement of flour. Maybe use less potatoes. I used 15 oz this time - helping to create the sticky blob. Next attempt I will use closer to 8 oz. of potatoes for a more manageable dough. Also, buy fresh yeast instead of using what I had in my pantry already.

Please check out the recipe for this fabulous bread on Tanna's site. It's out of Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour & Tradition by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

corn bread 2 ways

2007-11-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

My search for the perfect cornbread recipe has fallen short. We went to a Halloween party and I was asked to provide the corn bread to go with the chili that was being served. So, I dove into my many cookbooks and looked online searching for the perfect recipe. I couldn't decide on one, so I ended up making 2 completely different ones, then we could compare. I found both recipes online, one from a blog and the other from cooks.com and neither one was the corn bread of my dreams....

The first was considered a classic cast iron skillet cornbread. It had a crispy crunchy crust, but was way too dense. The batter was very pourable, almost like a pancake batter. This cornbread was a little bland and not sweet like the second one.

Recipe #1 :

2 c cornmeal
1/2 c sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg lightly beaten
2 c buttermilk
2 TB bacon drippings or veggie oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Put drippings or oil in a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it's sizzling.
Mix together dry ingredients and set aside.
Whisk egg and buttermilk together then mix with dry ingredients.
Take cast iron skillet out of oven and pour the hot oil into batter and mix.
Pour the batter back into the cast iron skillet and bake in oven for 20 minutes.
Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.

The second recipe was for corn bread muffins with honey butter. This batter was thick enough to spoon into the muffin tins, almost like a cookie dough. (not quite that thick, but you get the idea) The muffins puffed up beautifully and looked gorgeous, but were lacking in flavor. They were on the sweeter side and definitely had more going for them than the first recipe.

The honey butter was the savior for both recipes ! I highly recommend just making the honey butter and having it in your refrigerator at all times.

Recipe #2

2 c flour
2 c yellow cornmeal
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB baking powder
2 well beaten eggs
7 TB melted butter
1 c butermilk
1 can creamed corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients together. Then add eggs, melted butter, creamed corn and milk. Beat until smooth. Pour into well greased muffin tins and bake for 12 - 15 minutes. If used in a loaf pan bake for 30-35 minutes.

To make honey butter: Mix equal parts honey and sweet butter at room temperature. Whip until smooth. My friend Maggie of Hello Kitchen suggests using a creamed honey to whip with the butter - it makes for a creamier consistency. I used regular honey and the butter came out slightly gelatinous, but the flavor was perfect.

Cornbread seems like such an easy recipe to make, but what went wrong? After discussion we agreed that a cornbread from a box (oh no) may be the best way to go. If I had to pick between the two recipes, then number two was the winner but I'm still in search of that perfectly crumbly, slightly sweet corn bread of my dreams...

ini mini bostini

2007-10-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

My first Daring Bakers challenge complete ! For those of you who aren't familiar with the Daring Bakers, we are a group of bloggers from around the world that make the same recipe each month and post about it on on our blogs on the same day. After lurking around on several Daring Bakers sites I finally got the courage to join the group and attempt to bake with the best.

Our October challenge was a twist on the Boston Cream Pie. Chosen by our host Mary from alpineberry, it is an individual serving of vanilla custard with a piece of chiffon cake on top, drizzled with rich chocolate sauce. Initially the Bostini Cream Pie recipe appeared to be more complex than it actually was. After a little pondering it over, research and review, it was actually quite simple. Here is a little insight to my process....

The custard:

Always intimidating, but if you don't panic, it comes out great. As soon as the cream started to boil, I tempered the eggs and added them into the cream, constantly stirring. The custard set up immediately after I added the eggs. There was almost a foam over with the cream but it settled back down once the tempered eggs were poured in. Next time I would have lowered the temperature throughout the whole process. I strained and poured the custard into several different sized dishes and stuck them all in the refrigerator for an overnight set up.

The chiffon cake:

Before beating the eggs, I let them come to room temperature which resulted in perfectly whipped peaks. I sacrificed 1/3 of the whipped eggs by adding them to the batter to lighten it up before folding in the remaining egg whites. I poured the batter into a 13 x 9 glass baking dish and a 9 x 9 baking dish and popped them in the oven. After 25 minutes they looked perfect and sprung back when lightly touched.

After cooling I turned them out onto baking sheets. To my surprise the larger cake was nowhere near done. The middle of the cake was on the gooey side. I was so afraid of over baking it that I under baked it. Thankfully, the other pan turned out just fine. I cut pieces of the cake out using different sized glasses as cookie cutters, then placed them on top of the bowls of custard.

In the meantime, I made the chocolate sauce by melting the butter and just bringing it to a foam. Then I removed it from the stove and stirred in the small chocolate hunks. It came out delectable!

My one substitution was using coconut milk instead of orange juice for the chiffon cake. I added a little cream to the coconut milk just to thin it a bit. My batter was still pretty thick but I was hoping that was the way it was supposed to be. I highly recommend the coconut milk substitution if you do not like a citrus/chocolate combo.

What did I learn... next time I will fold the egg whites into the batter more thoroughly and cook the cake a little longer. Other than that everything came out as planned.

A preferred serving option discovered by accident -
Cut the chiffon cake into pieces...squares, circles, whatever you want.. and fill them with custard (just pipe it in with a pastry bag or cut each piece of cake in half and make a custard sandwich). Coat the custard filled cakes with chocolate, set them on a baking sheet on top of a layer of wax paper and put them in the refrigerator to cool and set up. After a couple of hours they are ready to serve on top of a bowl of custard or on their own. Like a thick chocolate dipped HoHo. Put the extras in the freezer for future consumption. Gotta love a frozen Ding Dong.

perfect persimmon salad

2007-10-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Persimmons. Persimmons. My favorite fall fruit.

Could it get any better than a simple arugula salad with sliced persimmons, grated parmesan cheese, a squeeze of lemon and some good olive oil. Tossed up and chowed down. A cherished fall lunch. Next project.... dried persimmon slices... stay tuned.

caramel apple twist

2007-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is my inaugural post and I'm starting off with apple dumplings topped with dulce de leche ice cream. My husband has been craving his grandma's apple dumplings and since apples are everywhere now, I decided to start the fall off with a twist on the caramel apple.

The ice cream recipe is from Gourmet Magazine's May 2007 issue. I altered the recipe by adding an egg yolk to the milk/cream mixture. I used a jar of La Salamandra dulce de leche that has been in my cupboard for months just screaming to be put into something. I think this was the easiest ice cream recipe I have ever made, it almost seemed too easy. The recipe did not call for an egg, which is against all of my instincts, so the first step did not get as thick as I am used to. I ended up adding one egg yolk when I mixed in the dulce de leche because it just seemed too thin. Next time, I will add a couple more. I put a piece of plastic wrap over it and put in the fridge overnight instead of using the ice bath step. Next day, I poured it into the ice cream maker and it took about 35 minutes to set up enough to put it in another container and back in the freezer.

Now, apple dumpling time. I used grandma's recipe (see below), only making one change - using butter instead of shortening for the dough. The dough took 5 minutes to mix up, then I refrigerated it for a couple of hours. When I rolled it out it got kind of soft (it was probably too warm). So, I just added a small sprinkling of flour so it wouldn't stick to my rolling pin. I was a little bit worried, but the end result was fabulous. My husband was so happy and my friends said that it was some of my best work !

This is my new favorite fall dessert and I plan on making it a lot because it is sooooo simple and good.

APPLE DUMPLINGS

1/2 recipe flaky pastry (good idea to use whole recipe and freeze leftovers)
6 medium cooking apples
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3T butter or oleo

SYRUP
1/2 C sugar
3T butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Bring to a boil , then set aside.

Peel & core apples. Roll pastry to less than 1/8 thick and cut in six 7" squares. Place an apple on each square. Mix sugar and cinnamon and use to fill cavity of each apple, dot with butter. Bring opposite ends of pastry up over apples, moisten and seal. Place a few inches apart in baking pan. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Take out of oven and pour syrup over and return to oven for 15 more minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm.

Flaky pastry

4 C all purpose flour
1 3/4 C shortening (not oil) (I substituted butter)
1T sugar
2 tsp salt
1 T vinegar
1 egg
1/2 C water

With a fork mix first 4 ingredients until it resembles coarse corn meal. In a small bowl mix and beat next 3 ingredients, add to flour mixture and blend with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. With hands mold dough in a ball and chill at least 15 minutes. Dough can be stored in refrigerator 3 days or can be frozen till ready to use. Makes 2- double crust pies and 1-9" shell.

2007-10-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hi. Please come back sometime in October for my postings.... this blog is a work in progress. Thanks !