franish nonspeaker

Nigel Slater's Chocolate Beetroot Cake

2012-02-07T20:21:00.002-06:00

Beets are controversial. Like cilantro, people seem to either love them or hate them. Me- I'm in the love 'em camp.

I'd see beet cake recipes pop up every now and then and kept meaning to try making one. I adored this gorgeous video on making a beet cake from the couple behind Tiger In a Jar but even with such an amazing source of inspiration, I never got around to it last year.

beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

I vowed this would be the year- The Year of the Beet Cake. So when I picked up Nigel Slater's Tender, Volume 1, and saw his recipe for chocolate beetroot cake, I took it as a sign. There was no question that, amongst a book filled with many recipes that I've bookmarked, the beet cake would be my first attempt.

I'd wax on about my love of Nigel Slater's books but I won't bore you with a swoon session, other than to say, if you haven't done so already, do add Tender, Volume 1 (all about veggies) and Volume 2 (all about fruits) to your cookbook library. Hell, even if you don't cook, buy these books as food for the soul. The photography is lovely and Mr. Slater is such a charming writer that his descriptions of fruits and vegetables and their varied and myriad uses is flat out delightful.

O.K. I've gushed enough and I promised I wasn't going to.

flyleaf on Tender, Volume 1

Now I realize some of you may look askance at a cake recipe that calls for the inclusion of boiled beet purée. I even thought about mounting an argument on the merits of chocolate beet cake to convince such skeptics. I planned to point out that the crumb of this cake not only looks like velvet but also feels like it on the tongue, how moist and chocolately this cake is, with a hint of sweetly tart beet flavor peeking through and intriguing your taste buds. I could have continued along those lines but you know what? If you don't take a chance on making this cake to see what you're missing, so be it. Beets just aren't for everyone and perhaps this cake isn't either. I've made my peace with it.

Also, that just means there's more beet cake for me. And I like it that way.

Nigel Slater’s Chocolate Beetroot Cake
adapted from Tender, Volume 1

Since Mr. Slater is British, the ingredient quantities for his recipe are in metric. If you haven't done so already, purchase a kitchen scale- you'll find weighing ingredients to be much easier than using measuring cups. Most scales provide weights in both metric and American. I'm really pleased to see more cookbook authors including ingredient quantities by weight and hope the trend continues. The recipe as written called for topping cake slices with crème fraîche and poppy seeds. I decided to sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top à la Tiger in a Jar's approach. Joy the Baker topped her cake with beet and cream cheese frosting- I think I might give that a whirl next time I make this cake. And there will definitely be a next time....

250 grams beetroot (approximately 3 medium sized beets)
200 grams good quality dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids)
4 tablespoons hot espresso (or coffee)
200 grams butter, cut into small pieces
135 grams plain flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons high quality cocoa powder
5 eggs
19 grams light brown sugar
Confectioner’s sugar, lightly sifted over the top of the cake

1. Lightly butter an 8-inch (20cm) spring form pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit (180º Celsius).
2. Boil the beets, whole and unpeeled, for 30 to 40 minutes until they feel tender when cut with a knife. Note that young beets may require less time so start checking early. Pour the boiled beets into a strainer and run cold water over them until they’re cool enough to handle. Slice off the stems and roots, peel, and purée in a food processor to a rough consistency.
3. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler set up i.e. a small bowl that can sit snugly over a pot of simmering water. Don’t stir the chocolate as it melts. Toward the end when the chocolate is almost fully melted, pour in the espresso/coffee and stir just until combined. While still over the double boiler, add the butter pieces to the bowl and submerge with a spoon into the hot chocolate to allow the butter to soften.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa. Crack and separate the eggs- put the whites in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir the yolks together in a small bowl.
5. Work quickly and carefully to take the bowl of chocolate off the heat and stir the butter into the melted chocolate. Set aside for a few minutes and then stir in the egg yolks until thoroughly incorporated into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the beets. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and then fold in the sugar to make a meringue. Next fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture, being careful not to over mix. Last, fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, and cocoa.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and place on a baking sheet before putting in the oven. Immediately turn the oven temperature down to 330º Fahrenheit (160º Celsius). Bake for 40 minutes until the edges of the cake are slightly set but the middle of the cake is a little jiggly when gently poked with a finger.

Green Tea Fortune Cookies

2012-01-23T09:43:00.000-06:00

Don't you just love it when you get a do-over?

So I'm going to get in a New Year's post after all... Happy Chinese New Year! It's The Year of the Dragon and according to Chinese lore, the Dragon zodiac year is the most special and is said to bring good fortune.

I learned this fact and all kinds of other good stuff in Addie's article, "The fascinating origins of fortune cookies." Good stuff like that fortune cookies didn't originate in China at all; it was actually the Japanese who created them. Japanese immigrants brought the cookies to America and sold them in the chop suey restaurants in California that served what Americans have come to know as "Chinese food."

After finishing the article, I Googled The Year of the Dragon to learn more about the zodiac sign and what it portends for the year ahead. Despite being utterly practical and rational to a fault otherwise, I love astrology.

So here's what I learned about The Year of the Dragon:

The dragon is the only mythological creature in the Chinese zodiac which gives it special significance.

The year is often associated with new beginnings.

Dragon years are lucky so it's a good year to start a new business, get married, or have children.

Dragon years are associated with prosperity.

With those good tidings in mind, Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Along with the article I mentioned above, Addie included Joanne Chang's recipe for Green Tea Fortune Cookies. I love Joanne's cookbook Flour so of course, I had to make the cookies. In a happy coincidence, I was invited to a Chinese New Year's party so they were the perfect contribution to the festivities. A fortune cookie is essentially a tuile and the batter is easy enough to make. The hard part is shaping the hot cookie into the proper form. I wound up with a few burnt finger tips but the cause was worth the sacrifice as the cookies were rich and delicious. Maybe even a little too rich- I might cut back on the butter a bit if I make another batch. I found fun fortune templates here- all you have to do is print them out and cut out the slips.

Pear Pie Bars with Ginger and Kaffir Lime

2012-01-12T16:57:00.000-06:00

The New Year just began and already I'm running behind...

Before I can get a fresh start on this year, I need to close out last year. I can't move ahead with posting anything I've made recently 'cause I’m all out of blogging sorts.

I made these bars some time last October. Must have been back when I was on a ginger kick. I uploaded the photos to a draft blog post and then promptly forgot about them. I typically post in chronological order as I make recipes since I don’t trust my memory. It’s best when a recipe is fresh on my mind as I’m writing.

When I ran across the draft recently, I wanted to skip it and just move on. New year, new leaf, yada yada....

However, I decided to break my timely blogging rule over these bars because they were pretty good. Also, I found the notes I’d made on a tweak to make them even better (see below).

So, allow me to put 2011 to rest by clearing my blog posts queue. Your indulgence is appreciated :-)

Pear Pie Bars
adapted from Food & Wine

I clipped the recipe for these bars from a Food & Wine issue back in March of 2008. It took me a while to get around to them but I’m so glad I did. The original recipe as written called for apples but I changed it up by subbing pears and switching out a few spices. I tried to mimic the flavor of Confitura’s Pear & Ginger Preserves with kaffir lime. I only added zest from two limes to my bars and regretted not adding more- it wasn’t enough to add the bright, tangy flavor I was looking for. Below, you’ll see that I called for using zest from four limes.

Crust
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
~ 3 pounds pears- peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
4 kaffir limes- zest only
1/2 cup water, as necessary

Topping
1/3 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups light brown sugar
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

1. With a rack centered in the middle, preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Line a 9x9” baking pan with two pieces of overlapping parchment paper, allowing an overhang on all sides for easy removal.
2. To make the crust, beat the butter with the light brown sugar for a couple of minutes, until light and fluffy, on medium speed in a mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Turn the mixer speed down to low and beat in the flour and salt to form a soft dough. Press the dough evenly over the bottom of the parchment lined pan and 1/2 inch up the side. Bake until the crust is golden in color and feels set, approximately 20 minutes. Set aside to cool on a rack.
3. Next make the filling. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the light brown sugar. Add the pears to the skillet and cook on high heat until they are easily pierced with a fork. It could take up to 10 minutes for the pears to soften so be sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning. Stir in the kaffir lime zest and fresh and dried ginger. Continue to cook until the pears are caramelized and very soft and all liquid has evaporated. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen any sticky bits and, if needed, add up to half a cup of water to the pan to prevent scorching. Let cool.
4. To make the topping, toast the walnuts on a baking sheet until they turn golden, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from oven and chop into smaller chunks once they have cooled. Add the oats, flour, light brown sugar, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl and use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in the butter until combined- the texture will be that of a coarse meal. Stir in walnuts and crystallized ginger and press the mixture into clumps.
5. Spread the pear filling over the partially baked crust then scatter the clumps of topping over the pear filling and press gently into an even layer. Bake for approximately 1 hour, rotating the pan at the halfway point, until the topping turns a golden color. Place on a rack to cool. Once fully cooled, cut into bars. The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen for up to a month.

Holiday Cookie Wrap Up

2011-12-19T14:33:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone is having a joyful holiday season. I'm trying to do the same over here.

We're spending Christmas in Austin due to work commitments so I'm a little bummed we won't be heading home to spend the holiday with family. We always stop in New Orleans for a couple of days on our way so not only am I missing my mother's Christmas dinner, now I don't know when I'll get my po-boy fix.

Despite being homesick, there are benefits to not traveling over Christmas. I'm kind of looking forward to a quiet and relaxing holiday with just the two of us. We're committed to taking it easy and plan to go out for Christmas dinner. We'll cook my mother's traditional dish on Christmas Eve- a big pot of Shrimp Creole served with homemade crusty bread- but other than that, the kitchen will be closed after December 24th.

In keeping with my vow to chill, I'm not making the traditional holiday treats that tend to sap my time, energy, and patience. I adore eating cutesy, decorated sugar cookies as much as the next person. I even made ten dozen for a holiday party a couple of years back. This year, however, the only painstakingly decorated sugar cookies I'll be eating are those others make. Same goes for gingerbread men; Mom and I make a mammoth batch every year when I'm home and since I can't make them with her this year, I'm skipping it. I also won't be making pain au chocolat or cream filled doughnuts for a festively stressful holiday breakfast. We'll be having an early dinner so breakfast is going to be on the lighter side (literally and figuratively).

Lest you think I've gone Grinch, I am enjoying holiday festivities; I'm just doing so at a more relaxed pace this year. I recently made five dozen cookies for a holiday cookie exchange but instead of seasonal treats, I went with well-loved standards that would please a wide array of people, including gluten free friends. What I really liked about all of the recipes I chose is that they could be prepped or made ahead of time so that I didn't have to scurry around and stress out the day of the party.

My go-to cookie for the gluten free crowd is always the macaron. I decided to make mini macarons for the cookie exchange because I liked the idea of a one bite, pop-able cookie. These chocolate macarons are already on the rich side so a little bit goes a long way. I did mini macs two ways: with a pecan topping and fudge filling and topped with Brazil nuts and filled with cajeta. As you can see from the pic below, the cajeta thinned out a bit too much and ran over the sides of the cookies but the flavors were terrific together so although not the prettiest, they certainly were tasty. I made the macs the day before- the texture actually improves after resting in the refrigerator overnight- and filled the cookies the day of the party.

For those without dietary restrictions, I went with cookies that are perpetual crowd pleasers. I've yet to meet anyone (without a nut allergy or other medical condition that prohibits consumption) who doesn't like a peanut butter cookie or a chocolate chipper. I'm pretty sure that if you grew up in the USA, you're hard-wired to like these cookies. And if not, as my late father-in-law, a first generation, proud citizen would say, "That's just un-American."

These peanut butter cookies are the same creamy, soft treat you remember from school cafeteria lunches but are made even better with the addition of milk chocolate. I found the recipe on Molly's site- for the best cookie texture she recommends freezing scooped dough and then baking directly from the freezer. Bingo! I made the dough and froze the scoops the weekend before the party and then baked them off the day of. I'm seriously considering always keeping frozen dough on hand from here on out- they're that good.

I'm always up for trying out a new chocolate chip cookie recipe but this one sets the bar (for me) against which all others are judged. It's a Jacques Torres recipe that he shared in the New York Times. He calls for resting the dough for at least 24-36 hours and up to 72 hours. According to NYT taste tests, the longer the dough ages, the more evenly the cookies bake and the richer and more complex they taste. Delayed gratification has its upside- if you can stand the wait, these cookies are fantastic. And if you need a recipe that can be prepped ahead, they're pretty much a perfect choice. Mr. Torres calls for using cake flour and bread flour- you can sub all-purpose in a pinch but the texture won't be as nice.

OK, so brittle isn't exactly a cookie but I still brought some to the cookie exchange. Aside from being another gluten free item to share, brittle is holiday-ish. At least for me, it is- I don't really snack on brittle any other time of year. This smoked almond brittle makes me think I should, though. The recipe calls for smoked almonds and sea salt which allays the overly sweet factor of a typical brittle. I went a smidge further and used smoked sea salt to really play up the brittle's savory side.

This brittle can be stored for up to one month in an air-tight container so I made a batch the weekend before the cookie exchange. Note, I tried making the brittle without corn syrup and never could achieve the right texture- one attempt (with staged sugar) produced a brittle so hard it would crack your teeth and the other (with honey) never set properly. I'm hoping to find a good corn syrup substitute- I'll be trying this recipe soon- but until then, the best brittle result required using corn syrup. I was a little hesitant to add the baking soda called for in the recipe thinking it would give the brittle an off taste but I learned something new- I read that adding baking soda releases carbon dioxide which gives the brittle a lighter, crunchier texture. In testing, I found this to be true- the brittle made with baking soda had a nice snap to it but was easier to chew.

Happy/merry/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus/
Winter Solstice/whatever to all and
best wishes in the New Year!

Karen Krasne's Bonaparte Cake

2011-12-05T15:21:00.001-06:00

I usually don't go in for fussy desserts. Fussy is not my style. Also, my patience has its limits.

This cake really tried my patience.

In the end, the effort was worth it but I doubt that I'll be making this baby again anytime soon. (Which is such an apt analogy- this cake was so agonizing to make, I feel like I gave birth to it.)

I half-joked with a friend that it just wouldn't be a holiday for me if I didn't undertake to make some overblown pastry project. It's the only time of year that I'll take on the kind of fidgety projects that I'd never endure otherwise. I figure the holidays are already stressful, why not just ratchet it up a notch?

I embarked upon this four day cake making odyssey for our Thanksgiving meal. Eric had invited a few of the other chefs he works with to join us for dinner. I was cool with baking for a slightly more selective crowd (chefs can't help but be critics) but then he went and dropped a bomb on me. Turns out one of the chefs that would be dining with us was a former pastry chef at the Four Seasons here in Austin.

I was decidedly not cool with baking this cake for a former pastry chef. Not one bit.

Gah! At that point, there was nothing to do other than press on. I had already completed day two prep and I certainly wasn't going to a grocery store the day before Thanksgiving to pick up ingredients to make another dessert. I'm not that crazy. (Good thing I didn't know then what day three prep was going to be like or I might have changed my mind.)

I finished up the fourth day of cake making Thanksgiving morning. From outward appearances, the cake looked fine but I always stress when serving a dessert that I haven't sampled beforehand. To tame my nerves, I pulled out a couple of extra bottles of wine. I figured if I plied the guests with plenty of booze, by the time I cut the cake they'd be too inebriated to scrutinize it too closely. Or at least I'd be well lubricated if I had to face a flop.

Fortunately, the cake was delicious. The ganache and mousse layers held together perfectly and the cake layers were super moist and rich. In hindsight, I don't know why I got so worked up- with as much chocolate as went into the cake, how could it have been bad?

And the former pastry chef was quite complimentary of my effort. Whew!

The Bonaparte is a chocolate sour cream cake layered with ganache and salted chocolate chip mousse, topped with ganache, salted caramel, and almond brittle. It's from Karen Krasne of Extraordinary Desserts. She recently released her first book, Extraordinary Cakes: Recipes for Bold and Sophisticated Desserts and Jan surprised me by sending me a copy (how apropos- the very two ladies that inspired me to start baking). As I've mentioned before, Extraordinary Desserts was such an eye opener for me- I had never before seen desserts done on that level. Karen's confections are awesome and inspiring even if I've since learned that her style of pastry will never be my cup of tea. While I appreciate the beauty and intricacy of her creations, honestly I'm happiest making (and munching on) simpler baked goods. I get excited by a really well executed chocolate chip cookie made with super rich European butter and bad ass single origin chocolate. While I'll never be an expert cake maker like Karen Krasne, I do think it's good to push yourself. Now and then everyone needs to step outside of their comfort zone, right? Especially when the reward is chocolate cake!

I apologize for not including recipes but the six separate recipes to make the components of the assembled cake spanned five pages in the book. If you're going to make the kind of commitment required to reproduce one of Karen's cakes, you are probably invested enough to buy the book. Instead, I'm going to give you crib notes on what I learned while making this cake that might make the process easier for you if you do buy the book and embark on the odyssey yourself:

Karen called for baking the cake in a 10"x3" round cake pan and then cutting it into three layers. I don't have such a pan so I used three regular 9" round cake pans and weighed the batter out equally into each pan to ensure even layers. I then baked one cake pan at a time on the middle rack of the oven. While it might have required a little extra time, this was so much easier, in my estimation, than agonizingly trying to cut even layers on a large, rather thick cake.
The original recipe called for brushing the cake layers with a Tuaca simple syrup. I skipped this step because I didn't have a bottle of the liqueur, although Karen did note that you could substitute pure vanilla extract. I didn't think the simple syrup was needed after baking the layers individually. There were no crumbs to be tamed from cutting layers and baking the layers individually lessened the risk of dry cake from over baking.
Next time (as if) I would skip making the salted chocolate chips called for in the mousse. It seems tedious and unnecessary to me when several chocolate companies make excellent salted chocolate bars you can readily buy in a store and chop up to use for chips. Lindt makes a great, inexpensive bar that I'd probably use next time (yeah, right).
Karen called for using a cake ring to assemble the cake layers, which is another piece of baking equipment that I don't own. I bought a cheap acetate strip I used to line one of my 9" cake pans to serve as a mold. It worked like a charm to assemble the cake, mousse, and ganache layers and was a breeze to just peel off after freezing the cake.

Lastly, the Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online is making her holiday rounds. She kindly visited me and left a sweet gift. She just might visit you too if you leave a comment!

Triple-Ginger Cake

2011-11-22T17:56:00.003-06:00

"Oh shit, I turned into my mother."

My best friend bought me a pin with that saying many years ago. It's one of several items that I keep on a memory board, along with a few old pics of her.

We met in high school when we discovered we were both dating the same guy. At the same time. Naturally, we hated each other at first but then we wised up, realized what a loser he was, and bonded over our mutual loathing for him. So thanks for that, Nathan.

Christi was like the mean, cooler than thou, older sister I never had.

She was sitting in my mom's kitchen, teasing me, when she gave me the pin. We would call one another Sue (both of our mothers are named Sue) in a derogatory manner if we felt the other needed to be taken down a peg. Don't get me wrong. We loved our mothers dearly but there was no higher insult between the two of us. At the time we thought that, surely, becoming just like one's mother was the absolute worst thing that could happen to us in life.

Except, of course, it wasn't. The worst thing that could have happened to one of us was cancer. Christi was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor that didn't respond to treatment. She was 33 when she passed away in 2006.

I still miss her all the time.

But she still makes me laugh all the time, too- most often when I encounter something that reminds me of one of the countless inside jokes that we shared, like the Sue insult.

Christi would have totally made fun of me if she found out I clipped this ginger cake recipe from Better Homes & Gardens. As she should- our moms read BHG. It's right up there with Southern Living on the list of mom-appealing periodicals.

In my defense, I came by the issue of BHG inadvertently when the publisher swapped it for the remainder of my subscription to the now-defunct Ready Made. Why on earth they figured that BHG would appeal to Ready Made subscribers is beyond me.

While I may sneer at the overly dolled up, gaggingly charming cottages featured in the pages of BHG, I have to admit that the recipes ain't so bad. I've ear-marked a few to try and this one was my first attempt.

So call me Sue but I really liked this BHG cake.

(You can bet Christi is rolling her eyes in heaven.)

Triple-Ginger Cake
adapted from a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens, November 2011

As you might have suspected from the name, this is a very gingery cake. Be forewarned- it's spicy! But then, if you don't really like ginger, you probably didn't read past the title. For those of you who do like ginger, this cake is a real winner.

cake
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons mild-flavored molasses
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

glaze
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon mild-flavored molasses
5 pieces crystallized ginger, cut into thin strips (buy ginger strips or slices, rather than nuggets)

1. Preheat oven to 350º degrees Fahrenheit with a rack centered in the middle. Butter a 9” cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter the paper.
2. In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, fresh ginger, black pepper, and salt and whisk or stir to combine.
3. Add the butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and fit the mixer with the beater attachment. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer speed to low and beat in the honey and molasses. Next beat in the egg. With the mixer still on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, and mix until just combined.
4. Pour the batter into the buttered cake pan and use a spatula to smooth and level the batter, if needed. Bake approximately 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool slightly on a wire rack. When cool enough to handle, turn the cake pan over onto the wire rack and remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cake. Turn the cake back over onto another cooling rack and place the rack over a baking sheet or a sheet of waxed paper.
5. Prepare the glaze. Sift confectioners' sugar into a medium sized bowl. Next add the cream, butter, and molasses to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and stir until butter is melted. Pour the cream mixture into the confectioners’ sugar and use a silicon spatula or whisk to stir until smooth. Pour glaze over the still warm cake and work quickly with a spatula to spread it evenly to cover the top of the cake. Let the iced cake stand for at least 4 hours before serving.
6. To serve the cake, cut with a serrated knife, dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. Top each slice with two crisscrossed strips of ginger.

Grown-up Peanut Butter Cups topped with Smoked Sea Salt

2011-11-10T16:06:00.002-06:00

Every Halloween swarms of trick-or-treaters descend on our neighborhood like a plague of locusts. We stockpile gobs of candy to pass out to the hordes but it's never enough- we always run out. Mostly because the number of kiddos arriving in droves on our doorstep seems to increase exponentially each year but also because Eric or I usually wind up pilfering a candy bag or two before the big day arrives.

This year I made a deal with myself that I wasn't going to touch the Halloween candy I purchased for the little ghouls and goblins that overrun the 'hood.

I know what you're thinking, and secretly, I too thought I'd break down and get into the candy. But people, I dipped into some reserve of willpower I didn't even know I had.

I resisted temptation and actually made good on the deal!

So I left the store-bought, processed crap to the kiddos. Instead, as a reward to myself, I ate almost a dozen of these amazing homemade peanut butter cups. (I did let Eric sample a few just to confirm they're as good as I thought.)

These “grown-up” peanut butter cups feature a filling made with a caramelized honey peanut brittle that is seasoned with smoked sea salt. Never one to leave well enough alone, I couldn’t resist sprinkling a little extra smoked sea salt on top of the peanut butter cups. That way, when biting into a cup, the aroma of the smoked sea salt hits your nose and enhances the flavor in the filling.

Do I even have to tell you that these cups put Reese’s to shame?

Now that I know how easy it is to surpass Hershey's products, I'm thinking about taking on Willy Wonka too.

Next year, I just might make homemade Nerds.

Grown-up Peanut Butter Cups

adapted from Stella Parks recipe featured on Gilt Taste

Note that the chocolate coating on these cups doesn't have to be tempered. Simply melting the chocolate to coat the cups is fine but you'll need to store them in the refrigerator. Also, I wanted to use my set of pretty, colorful silicon mini muffin cups so I halved the ingredient quantities listed below. The recipe as written should make 20 peanut butter cups if using standard size cupcake liners.

1 ½ ounces water (3 tablespoons)
3 ½ ounces sugar
2 ounces honey (approximately ¼ cup)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
3 ounces unsalted peanuts
6 ounces unsalted, natural peanut butter (if using commercial peanut butter, use half of the called for quantity of salt initially and add more to taste)
½ teaspoon smoked salt
approximately 1 ounce peanut oil (2-3 tablespoons)
20 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
20 cupcake liners

1. Pour a tablespoon of peanut oil on a baking sheet and use your hands or a paper towel to spread the oil to coat the sheet. Set aside.
2. Add the water, sugar, honey, and vanilla bean paste (if using vanilla bean seeds, add later with the peanuts) to a heavy gauge sauce pan and place over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar until the liquid starts to bubble up. When it reaches a boil, cook, without stirring, until the mixture turns a deep caramel brown. If using a candy thermometer, the temperature should reach approximately 340° Fahrenheit.
3. Once the mixture reaches the desired color, remove from heat and stir in the peanuts to make a brittle. Pour out onto the greased baking sheet. Spread the brittle mixture with a heat proof spatula and then set aside to cool.

5. Once the brittle has cooled, use your hands to break it off the baking sheet and put the brittle pieces in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to break the brittle into small pieces and then allow the processor to run until a rough, slightly dry paste forms.
6. Add the peanut butter and salt to the brittle paste and pulse to combine. Let the processor run while slowly pouring in one tablespoon of peanut oil. Check the consistency and add more peanut oil, a little at a time, if the paste is too thick.
7. Scoop the peanut butter filling into a large pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip or a gallon sized ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. Set aside.
8. Melt or temper the chocolate according to your preferred method. Since I halved the ingredient quantities listed above to make a smaller batch of peanut butter cups and used less than a pound of chocolate, I followed The Kitchn’s technique on tempering small amounts of chocolate in the microwave.
9. Arrange the cupcake liners on a baking sheet and ladle, using a tablespoon (1 tablespoon = ½ ounce), melted or tempered chocolate into each of the liners. Next pipe a dollop of peanut butter filling into the center of the chocolate filled cup. Top each peanut butter mound with another tablespoon of melted or tempered chocolate. When all cups have been filled, gently rap the baking sheet on the counter to level the chocolate in the cups and to pop any trapped air bubbles. Set the cups aside until they have set up and then peel off the cupcake liners before serving.

Seattle and a Sour Cherry Pie

2011-11-01T16:50:00.001-05:00

Around mid-summer, when it wasn't uncommon for the mercury to rise to well into the hundreds for days in a row, I started planning a fall getaway. Cold, dark, and wet may not sound like ideal vacation weather to most but it sounded like heaven to me after the dog days of record heat and drought we experienced this summer in Central Texas. Seattle's weather seemed like the perfect antidote to our summer so I booked airline tickets and day dreamed about rainy days and cloudy skies while waiting impatiently for our October departure date.

To help with planning the trip, I reached out to a couple of fellow bloggers for recommendations. Stevie over at Weird Combinations is a wealth of information about California wines so I knew he could point me to someone knowledgeable about Washington wines. He steered me to WinePeeps where I contacted Kori. She sent me a list of wineries to check out in Woodinville, a town just outside of Seattle where many wine makers in Washington have tasting rooms.

When we visited Woodinville, we stopped by Mark Ryan Winery, Delille Cellars, and Matthews Estate. We particularly enjoyed the Doyenne Metier and Roussanne at Delille Cellars and the Matthews Estate Claret was nice as well. Overall, we were impressed with the Washington State wines we tried- the red wines were quite good and were great values compared to Oregon reds, in particular Willamette's vaunted yet pricey pinots. Notably, Washington wines seem to have the same problem as Texas wines in that we found very few bottles on the wine lists of Seattle restaurants that we dined in.

Robin, who blogs at A Chow Life, lives in Seattle and was also an excellent resource. She steered us to great eats, sites, and 'hoods. On Robin's recommendation, we checked out the Ballard neighborhood and stopped by the Ballard Farmer's Market. Like most West Coast farmer's markets, the Ballard market was a wonder. Just look at those beautiful multi-colored carrots below. And blackberries! In October! Those gorgeous husks of multi-colored corn also caught my eye.

On the list of restaurant recs Robin sent, she emphasized not to miss The Walrus and the Carpenter, an oyster bar known for an extensive menu of local oyster varieties. Aside from fabulous oysters and a great cocktails menu, I would have loved The Walrus and the Carpenter for the decor alone- it looks like a traditional Parisian brasserie only done up in a Scandinavian-like color palette of shades of white and light grey. It's a popular spot (thanks to Bon Appetit naming it a Best New Restaurant this year) and doesn't take reservations so we waited over an hour on a Monday night for seats at the oyster bar. Fortunately, a bike shop next door has taken advantage of the crowds milling around waiting and offered a small beer and wine menu and a seating area so the time passed pleasantly enough. I'm pleased to report the oysters were well worth the wait- I was in heaven slurping down Barron Points, Penn Coves, and Baywater Sweets as fast as they could be shucked.

Robin also recommended Sitka & Spruce, a gorgeous little restaurant that we visited for lunch. The restaurant is housed in the Corson Building, a multi-purpose space that bills itself as a home, a restaurant, and a community. I understand Sitka & Spruce's menu changes daily and when we stopped in, the dishes were mostly vegetarian and featured North African spices and flavors. I wish we had been able to go for dinner as well but we had reservations at Book Bindery. Thankfully, my disappointment didn't last long as our meal at Book Bindery was the highlight of the trip.

As you might expect from the name, the Book Bindery Restaurant is housed in a former book bindery, which endeared me to it even more than the excellent reviews I read. We lucked upon an amazing server named Luciano when we dined at the restaurant- he put together a wine pairing for us based on our menu selections and his choices were spot on. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but we had a foie gras terrine that was to die for. As in, I would have died happy if that terrine were my last meal on earth. Luckily, I lived to go on to eat some wonderfully prepared caramelized scallops and finished my meal with a bay leaf-scented semifreddo with huckleberries.

And of course, since I'm pretty sure it's a required pilgrimage for all food bloggers who visit Seattle, we went to Delancy, the adorable little wood-fired pizza place owned by Molly, of Orangette, and her husband. Delancy was charming and warm- just like Molly's blog. Eric, who is quite the pizza critic, said his pepperoni and fancy cheese (the cheese of the day, which I can't recall) pie was almost as good as Bola Pizza. If you've ever tasted Bola, you'll know that is high praise. Me, I was obsessed with the chocolate chip cookie sprinkled with grey sea salt I had for dessert. (I'll be experimenting soon to see if I can re-create it so you may see such a cookie in an upcoming post.)

Lest you think that all we did was eat and drink (and that wouldn't be far from the truth), we did catch some of the local attractions. See above pictures for proof. You might recognize that tall building on the left with the space ship-looking apparatus on top, aptly called the Space Needle. I was tempted to skip it but I'm glad we went. The view really was spectacular and that day the weather was clear and sunny- not at all Seattle-like. The Olympic Sculpture Park is only a short distance from the Space Needle so we were able to hit both in one day. Of all the sculpture installations in the park, my favorite was the Seattle Cloud Cover bridge seen in the middle photo. Inserted between the glass walls of the bridge are transparent photos of changing sky views. The sun reflects the colors in the images so the accommodating weather made it a spectacular day to see the bridge. I only wish my photos did it justice.

The Space Needle and the sculpture park were both impressive but my absolute favorite place in Seattle would have to be the Central Library designed by Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus. Although it's a must-see for architecture buffs, I'm pretty sure everyone who visits the library leaves entranced. Aside from its highly original and thoughtful design, the city skyline views from the upper floors are a sight to behold. And for some reason, the lime green fluorescent lighted escalator that runs through the core of the library, seen in the middle picture below, really tickled me. I'd like one just like it in my next home. Or better yet, I could happily live in that library.

Since we were so close, I couldn't resist taking a drive over to Twin Peaks and Eric humored me in going along. Actually, the town of Twin Peaks doesn't really exist but exterior location scenes for the series Twin Peaks were shot in Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend, just 30 minutes east of Seattle. I've been a huge fan of the show since my high school days when the series originally aired. I'm currently re-watching the entire series (for the 4th time) on Netflix Instant. The Salish Inn seen below and the Snoqualmie Falls are featured prominently in scenes in the opening credits of the show.

The storyline of the series follows the murder of a high school girl, Laura Palmer, and the subsequent investigation which reveals complicated and often sordid relationships amongst the members of the fictional town. My favorite character, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, comes to Twin Peaks to investigate Laura's murder. Agent Cooper was a fount of slightly canned wisdoms, such as, "Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee." Along with his black coffee, Coop loved a piece of "damn fine cherry pie" from the Double R Diner.

The exterior of Twede's Diner in North Bend, seen above in the middle pic, was used to set up scenes at the Double R Diner. As you can see from the painted storefront, Twede's Diner has capitalized on the success of the series by proclaiming the diner the "home of the Twin Peaks cherry pie." When we stopped by to take pictures I decided to pass on going in for a cup of coffee and and a piece of cherry pie.

Perhaps Twede's pie is actually damn fine but I usually find such trips down nostalgia lane disappointing and I don't want to be reminded of bad pie every time I decide to re-watch my beloved show. Since I like to have my pie and eat it, too, I didn't leave matters to chance. As soon as we returned home, I made my own damn fine (sour) cherry pie.

Sour Cherry Pie

I followed the recipe below and found the filling a little too loose for my preference. Since cherries are out of season, I had to use frozen fruit and this might have exacerbated the soupiness of the pie. If I make this pie again, I would increase the amount of corn starch to give the pie filling more body. I think I’d use at least ¼ cup of cornstarch with fresh cherries and up to ½ cup for frozen cherries. Note- I wasn’t able to find sour cherries so I increased the lemon juice as noted below in the recipe when using sweet cherries. This trick worked well- the extra lemon juice added a tartness that tempered the sweetness of the cherries just enough.

Pie crust- adapted from Tartine
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup of very cold water
3 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup + 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling- adapted from Epicurious
1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (if using dark sweet cherries)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon milk

1. This pie crust recipe makes two 9 inch pie shells. Combine the salt and water in a small bowl or measuring cup and stir to dissolve the salt. Place in the refrigerator to keep cold until ready for use. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and scatter the butter over the flour. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut the butter into the flour until large crumbs form and pea-sized pieces of butter remain.
2. Slowly pour in the salty water while stirring with a fork until the dough roughly comes together. Turn the contents of the bowl out on a work surface and just knead until the dough comes together into a ball. The dough will not be smooth and pieces of butter should be visible. Divide the dough and form two rounds approximately 1-inch thick. Wrap the rounds in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. To prepare the pie filling, stir together 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium sized mixing bowl. Add the cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla and toss with a fork to combine. Set the filling aside while you line the pie pan with dough.
4. Butter the pie pan. Roll out one of the chilled dough rounds on floured work surface until approximately 1/8 inch thick. Work quickly to keep the dough cold and be sure to lift and rotate the dough on the work surface as you go to prevent it from sticking. Wrap the dough over the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie pan. Press the dough gently into the pan and trim off excess dough with a sharp knife, leaving about a 1 inch overhang.
5. Spoon the filling into the pie pan lined with dough and mound slightly in the middle to prevent the center of the pie from sinking while baking. Top with butter cubes.
6. Roll out the remaining dough round on the floured work surface to 1/8 inch thickness. This dough round will be used to top the pie. You can also cut strips if desired for a lattice style pie top. Again, work quickly and lift and turn as you go. Wrap the dough over the rolling pin to transfer and unroll it over the filled pie shell. Or, if making a lattice topped pie, arrange the strips in an alternating pattern over the top of the pie filling. Trim the top dough to allow a 1/2 inch overhang and fold bottom crust overhang up and over the top overhang. Use your thumb to pinch the edges together against the pie pan to seal the crust layers. Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
7. Place the pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes at 425° Fahrenheit. Lower the oven temperature to 375° Fahrenheit and bake for approximately another hour until the crust is golden brown. If the edges of the crust begin to brown too quickly, remove the pie from the oven and cover just the edges with foil, then continue to bake until the top has browned sufficiently. When done, remove the pie from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Crème Fraîche Ice Cream with Salted Caramel Sauce and Pound Cake Croutons

2011-10-16T15:27:00.001-05:00

Do you know how hard it is to photograph ice cream? Pretty hard, actually.

The fact that it melts at an exceedingly fast rate can be tricky but the biggest problem is that there's a bowl of delectable ice cream just sitting right in front of you and you can't even have a bite until you finish snapping pics. Which makes for quick work on my part since I can rarely resist a bowl of ice cream for very long. As you can see, due to my low reserve of will power, I tucked into this bowl of ice cream PDQ.

This recipe is a recreation of another fantastic dessert I had while in Atlanta, or rather Decatur. Decatur, what little I saw of it, is lovely. If you happen to be in Atlanta, I think it's well worth taking a short trip outside of the city to check it out. I took the drive to Decatur to dine at Cakes & Ale. Everything was terrific, outstanding actually, but the high point of dinner was their crème fraîche ice cream with caramel and pound cake croutons. (I guess that goes without saying, though, as dessert always seems to be the high point of every meal for me.)

While dining at the bar at Cakes & Ale, I was reminded why I still love and miss the South even if I choose not to live there*. (I do not consider Texas to be part of the South for reasons that require a ranked list, hence the asterisk. If you care to read why, see below.) (Also, I'm testing using footnotes for future blog posts as my use of parentheses for asides is getting out of hand.)

Anyway, I had the pleasure of sitting next to a couple of lovely local ladies who noticed I was dining alone and immediately took me under their wing. It's the easy camaraderie and familiarity amongst Southern women that reminds me most why I miss the South. Not even 5 minutes after introductions, we were already sampling liberally from each other's plates and cups. I know eating from each other's plates may sound weird to some but it's not at all uncommon amongst the women I grew up with. In fact, it was considered rude to decline the offer of a bite. I suppose it's the South's version of the time honored tradition of breaking bread. You'd best abide or you'll risk being considered ill mannered. It's just easier to make nice and take a bite.

Because those ladies were so generous with their dishes, I saved the last few bites of my dish of ice cream at Cakes & Ale for them to try. This pained me greatly as my favorite bites are always the last few that remain in the bowl. After ice cream has warmed to the point that it's kind of soupy, to me, that's when it's most delicious and the flavor really shines. (I read somewhere that the frozen iciness of ice cream dulls your taste buds slightly so maybe that accounts for why ice cream in a soupy state tastes best.) Luckily, when I recreated this terrific ice cream at home, I had the bowl to myself and was able to savor the last spoonfuls. Although I lacked the sparkling company I enjoyed with the ladies, it's a small price to pay to not have to share.

This is another dessert I made for the Slow Food $5 Meal Challenge. I barely eeked by on the cost per serving at $1.23 per 3 ounce serving with sauce and croutons. While I know it can be made at home on the cheap, I bought crème fraîche because I've never been able to replicate the lovely, thick texture and rich taste of dairy-made crème fraîche in my homemade attempts. The taste and texture of the crème fraîche used in making this ice cream is paramount, so if there's ever a time to throw caution to the wind and splurge on a tub of ridiculously priced crème fraîche, this ice cream is the occasion. On that same note, I also recommend making the pound cake used for the croutons. Certainly you can buy a frozen, all butter pound cake if you want to skip a step but pound cake is simple to make. I think having left over homemade pound cake around to snack on is worth the extra effort. I made Joanne Chang's Vanilla Bean Pound Cake recipe from Flour- it's terrific and deserves its own post (which some day I may get around to writing).

Crème Fraîche Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
2 cups crème fraîche

1. Place a medium-sized bowl with a mesh strainer set over the top in a larger bowl filled with icy water. Set aside for later.
2. Measure out the milk, sugar, and salt and place in a medium sized saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Once the milk mixture is warmed, pour into the egg yolks while whisking and then pour the milk-egg mixture back into the saucepan.
3. Cook the mixture over medium heat while stirring with a heat proof silicon spatula until it thickens and coats the spatula. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan with the spatula as you stir to ensure that the mixture doesn’t burn as it becomes a custard. Pour the custard through the strainer set over the bowl in the ice bath that you prepared and stir to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the bowl with the custard and place in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
4. When cool, whisk in the crème fraîche and freeze the ice cream base in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Salted Caramel Sauce
adapted from David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, add more to taste

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar and cook until it reaches a dark amber color. When the caramel smells close to burning, remove the pan from heat and slowly add in the cream, being very careful as the caramel will bubble up and may splash.
2. Stir until the sauce is smooth, then add vanilla bean seeds and sea salt.
3. Let the sauce cool and taste. Add more sea salt, if desired. The sauce should be served warm but can be kept refrigerated for up to two weeks.

Pound Cake Croutons
adapted from Food & Wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces pound cake, cut into 1/2” cubes

1. Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the pound cake cubes and stir to coat with melted butter.
2. Arrange the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until well toasted.
___________________________________________________________________
* Why I don't consider Texas to be part of the South:
1. The Republic of Texas, as Texans love to tell you, was once a country unto itself. This lore permeates Texas culture and manifests itself in natives as a belief in the individualism of Texas and a helluva lot of Texas Lone Star paraphernalia. This fierce individualism sets Texas apart from the Southern states.
2. When the topography changes from oak and pine trees to cactus and shrubs that can only nominally be called trees, you are decidedly not in the South.
3. Beef barbecue. Pork is the traditional meat in Southern barbecue- it's what I was raised on and I largely prefer it (although Texas has imbued a deep and abiding love of brisket in me). When I have to specify that I want pork ribs because beef ribs are the default, I know I am not in the South.
4. People here tend to drink their iced tea unsweetened. This observation is based on lunching with native Texan work colleagues and, while not exactly a representative sample, is highly indicative to me that these are not Southern people.
5. Our governor seems to think he's a cowboy. While the South has plenty of elected officials who, like Perry, make complete asses of themselves, they don't denigrate a noble tradition in the process. (This point really has very little to do with the argument but I couldn't resist the dig.)

UPDATED Magic Bars for Austin Bakes for Bastrop

2011-09-28T19:59:00.004-05:00

I'm making magic bars (hold the bacon) for Austin Bakes for Bastrop on October 1st. You may remember the Austin Bakes group from the bake sale for Japan. Austin Bakes for Japan was a resounding success, raised almost $12,000, and created an amazing network of Austin bakers and food artisans who rise to the occasion when tragedy strikes and pitch in to raise relief funds.

Sadly, the cause is much closer to home this time. Texas is in the midst of an epic drought and just closed out the hottest summer ever recorded in the US. These combined conditions have turned the entire state into a tinderbox and fires have raged in almost every corner of the state. Over the Labor Day weekend, a fire broke out in Bastrop, just 30 miles southeast of Austin. The fire burned for over 20 days before it could be contained and destroyed over 1,600 homes. It carries the distinction of being the single most devastating fire (in terms of homes destroyed) in Texas history.

If you'd like to support the bake sale in raising relief funds for residents of Central Texas whose homes have been destroyed by fires, please stop by one or more of the following locations on Saturday, October 1st from 10am to 2pm and pick up something delicious:

Central Austin: Foreign & Domestic

306 E. 53rd Street, 78751

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be set up in the restaurant parking lot.

Central Austin: The Flying Saucer at The Triangle

815 W. 47th Street, 78751
Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be at the Triangle Park. Special thanks to The Flying Saucer's 4th annual Outdoor Beer Festival for sharing their park space!

Downtown Austin: Whole Foods Market Lamar

525 North Lamar Boulevard, 78703

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be on the northwest side of the storefront, in the outdoor dining area.
*I'm working this location so please stop and say hi!

Northwest Austin: Whole Foods Market Gateway

9607 Research Boulevard, #300, 78759

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be outside the storefront.

Round Rock: Old Settler’s Park

3300 E. Palm Valley Boulevard, 78665

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be in the city parking lot near the Dell Diamond.

South Congress: Hotel San Jose

1511 South Congress Ave., 78704
Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be on the grassy area at the entrance of the Hotel parking lot along South Congress Avenue.

Sunset Valley: Community Renaissance Market

6800 Westgate Boulevard, 78745

Austin Bakes for Bastrop will be immediately inside the market entrance, alongside booths for the Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Metaphysical Faire.

Proceeds from sales at all locations will go to the Austin Community Foundation Central Texas Wildfire Fund. Donations will also be accepted online at the FirstGiving page before, during and after the sale.

******************************************************************

Shaine and her Paragon Prep classmates made signs for the bake sale

Hooray! Thanks to the generosity of the Austin community, we raised over $12,500 for the Central Texas Wildfire Fund.

Rachelle and I had a great time working at the Whole Foods Lamar bake sale table with a group of awesome volunteers- thanks to everyone's hard work, our share of the raised funds totaled $1,634.56!

I'd like to thank the ladies who came out to work the table and did such a fantastic job:

Esmeralda Gonzalez

Lindsey King

Kate LeSueur

Whitney Johnson and Jennifer Chorazy of Simply Sweet

Ellen Rozman and her fantastic kiddos, Harrison and Shaine, and pup Karma

Kristine Waggoner and her gal pals

Gorgeous brownie cake courtesy of Claudette's Creations

Fig and Jam Tart for Slow Food $5 Meal Challenge

2011-09-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

Slow Food USA believes that “slow food shouldn’t have to cost more than fast food.” In an effort to take back the “value meal” they issued a $5 meal challenge. Lisa and I co-hosted a potluck to participate in the challenge.

We asked potluck attendees to bring a dish, such as an appetizer/salad, side, main course, or dessert with the caveat that the cost of the ingredients in the dish be limited to no more than $1.25 per serving. The per serving price was based on approximately 4 food items per meal. That way, by eating one serving of each course, the whole meal would be $5 or less.

In my usual fashion, I came at the challenge in a bass akwards manner. While in Atlanta for a business trip, I dined at a few local restaurants doing farm-to-table cuisine. I came away really impressed with the food overall but absolutely bowled over by the desserts. I was so knocked out, I couldn't wait to re-create the desserts at home and the potluck seemed like the perfect opportunity. So instead of purchasing ingredients that fit within the price per serving parameter, I had to work backwards and adjust recipe quantities and serving sizes to squeak under $1.25 per serving. (Math is not my strong suit but I managed.)

My first meal in Atlanta was at Miller Union, where I had a fig tart in a brown butter shell topped with whipped cream. When I first cut into the tart shell it was so brittle it cracked- I initially thought the dough had been overworked and was tough but when I tasted the brown butter flavor and the lightly crisp texture, all was forgiven. That tart was so simple and yet flat out divine.

I started researching recipes to create a brown butter tart shell immediately upon my return home. I tried three different iterations and have not yet hit on one I’m satisfied with, which is why I didn’t share a recipe here. You can be sure that if I finally achieve that crispy yet light and supremely flavorful brown butter tart crust that I had at Miller Union, I’ll update this post with the recipe.

The prototype shown above was a good start but the tart crust flavor was off a bit and the taste of the fresh, raw figs got lost. Also, there was no way I was going to make the cost per serving limit with individual tarts so I went back to the drawing board. The second crust attempt didn’t even rate filling and got tossed into the trash. On my third attempt, I decided I could live with it even if it wasn't exactly the crust that I was looking for.

In the end I went with a 9 inch tart shell filled with figs roasted in honey arranged over Confituras award winning Texas fig preserves and served with cream whipped with Pure Luck Dairy June's Joy goat cheese and honey. I estimated that when cut judiciously, the tart would yield 10 slices with a cost per serving of 87 cents. Topped with 1 1/2 tablespoons of whipped goat cheese cream at 13 cents, the grand total per serving came in at exactly $1. Whew!

I admit I was a little skeptical at first that you could serve a delicious meal made from high quality ingredients for only $5 per person. After enjoying the creative and delicious dishes that the others came up with for the challenge, I can attest that it's a fact.

Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Meringue

2011-09-13T19:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve been on a meringue kick recently and I especially love the old fashioned look of a meringue topped cake.

There’s just something beguiling about a meringue’s fluffy, cloudlike appearance. Wouldn't you agree?

Lemon Buttermilk Cake #2

adapted from Maida Heatter's Cakes

Maida’s recipe specified using a 9 x 3.5” tube pan but I don’t own one. I halved the ingredient quantities and used a 9’’ springform pan. She called for a lemon glaze but I skipped it since I was going with a meringue. More notes regarding baking with organic sugars: I made this cake with both organic cane sugar and regular cane sugar and didn’t notice any appreciable differences in baking time or cake crumb. However, when I made the meringue with organic cane sugar, it was a deflated, gritty mess. It seems that you just can’t achieve the light, airy, homogenous consistency that you want in a meringue with less refined organic cane sugar (or at least not with the organic cane sugar I find in stores here in Austin).

cake:

1 1/2 cups sifted flour 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 sticks (1/4 pound) unsalted butter 

1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon for sprinkling on cake pan

2 medium sized eggs (or 1 ½ large eggs)

1/2 cup buttermilk 

finely grated zest of 2 large lemons 

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

meringue:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° Fahrenheit with a rack in the lower one-third of the oven. Butter a 9” springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper and pan sides and sprinkle with sugar. Tap to shake out excess sugar. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

2. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, add the sifted ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions, and beat until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula between additions.

3. Remove bowl from the mixer and stir in lemon zest and juice. Pour into the springform pan and smooth the top of the batter. Bake until a tooth pick or tester gently inserted into the middle comes out clean and dry, 50-60 minutes.

4. While the cake is baking, make the meringue. Place the egg whites in the cleaned bowl of your electric mixer. Begin to beat the egg whites while slowly pouring the sugar in. It should take at least one minute to add the sugar to the egg whites. Beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy and forms arching peaks.

5. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and use a spatula to spread the meringue over the top of the cake. Use a teaspoon to create swirls in the meringue, if desired. Return the cake to the oven to bake the meringue for 10 minutes, keeping an eye out as it bakes. The meringue should toast to a light brown color but watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack for an hour before serving.

Raclette and Red Potato Savory Tart

2011-09-05T15:39:00.001-05:00

Aren't these potatoes pretty? Or as pretty as a potato can be, right? So pretty it's amazing that they languished at the bottom of the bin for as long as they did. When I finally pulled them out to put them to use, I was a little ashamed of myself.

Three lonely, leftover waxy red potatoes from a summer CSA share seemed like the perfect excuse to make a potato gratin. And since I had dough for a tart crust in the freezer, I decided to make a cheesy, creamy potato gratin in a buttery tart shell. Yes, this tart does involve an obscene amount of dairy and fat, but after one bite, I think you'd agree it's worth the splurge.

The beauty of a potato gratin in a tart shell is that you've elevated a side dish into an actual meal- just add a salad and dinner is served. Given the ginormous amount of calories you'll be consuming per slice, it only seems proper that it be the main attraction.

I like a good stinky cheese in my potato gratin. This Reading Raclette from Spring Brook Hill Farm, while stinky, had a creamy, slightly nutty flavor. It was highly recommended by Antonelli's Cheese Shop and they've never disappointed me.

Et voilà! Stinky Cheesy Potato Tart- it's what's for dinner.

Raclette and Red Potato Savory Tart

I used red potatoes but any waxy potato will work in a gratin. So will any cheese that melts well such as swiss or comte but as stated above, my preference is for the stinky variety. An added bonus in making a potato gratin is the potential for homemade potato chips. I wound up with a few too many potato slices so I slathered them in olive oil and baked up some chips along with the tart. I ate the chips fresh from the oven sprinkled with sea salt and spoiled my dinner. No worries, though- this tart reheats beautifully and is even better the next day when the flavors have gelled.

Tart Shell
adapted from Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery

3 1/3 cups (500g) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (250g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed + extra for greasing pan
1 egg yolk
1 cup (250g) cold water

Potato Gratin
adapted from Vegetables

1 small garlic clove
3 medium sized red potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces grated Raclette
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. This recipe makes approximately two 11" tart shells. To make the tart shell, add flour and salt to a medium sized bowl and cut in the butter pieces with a pastry blender or your fingers. Form a well in the middle of the flour and butter mixture and add the egg yolk and half of the water. Stir the water and yolk into the flour to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. If needed, add more water, a little at a time. Use your hands to bring the dough together. The dough shouldn't feel sticky nor should it be dry and crumbly. Don't overwork the dough - quickly form it into a ball and wrap in plastic. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
2. While the dough is chilling, start to prepare the ingredients for the gratin. Cut the potatoes into thin, even slices using a mandoline or a knife. Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Grate the cheese.
3. When ready to line the tart pan, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it into two pieces. Freeze one half of the dough for later use. On a lightly floured surface, roll the other dough half out to a round approximately 13" in diameter and 1/8" thick. Wrap the dough round over the rolling pin to transfer it to the tart pan. Unroll the dough over the tart pan and use your fingers to press it lightly into the pan bottom and sides. Allow a little extra overhang as the tart shell will shrink when baked. Chill the shell in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
4. Prick the tart shell with a knife or fork, line with parchment paper or foil, and weight it with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake the tart shell for 20-30 minutes at 350˚ Fahrenheit until the dough looks dry and has turned a light golden color. Remove to a rack and allow to cool before filling.
5. While baking the tart shell, finish preparing the gratin ingredients. Pour the milk and cream into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. While the milk and cream are warming, mince the garlic. Remove the saucepan from heat once a simmer is reached and add the minced garlic. Add the nutmeg, salt, ground pepper and stir. Set aside.
6. When the tart shell is cool enough to handle, arrange the potato slices in layers in the shell and cover each layer with cheese and the milk and cream mixture. Reserve 1/4 of the grated cheese for topping the gratin.
7. Bake at 350˚ Fahrenheit until the top of the gratin is golden brown and the potatoes feel cooked when tested with a paring knife. Depending on the numbers of layers, baking time could vary from 30 minutes to 1 hour. My tart shell was relatively shallow and I only used one layer of potatoes so I baked my tart for 35 minutes.

Pistachio Macarons

2011-08-28T16:26:00.002-05:00

Sometimes procrastination serves me well. I've had the recipe and pictures for this post sitting in my editing queue for a few weeks now. I had been avoiding putting words to the pictures.

That's a dreary opener but this isn't going to be a sob story. (Spoiler alert: it ends well.)

What I dreaded telling you was that I wasn't pleased with the outcome when I first made this macaron recipe. This is Miette's macaron recipe from the recently published cookbook. Miette being the first place I ever tasted the delightful macaron. And Miette's macarons really are delightful. Whenever I visit San Francisco, I never miss them. I anxiously awaited the release of this cookbook and I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy of the adorable book.

Having made many different versions of macaron recipes, some to more success than others, I think I have a pretty decent handle on making these cookies. I've made the classic mistake of over- or under- turning the batter and now know how the macaronage should look and feel. And when I first made this recipe, the batter just seemed off. It was thick and sticky and did not pipe out well at all. I soldiered on, though. When I put the pans in the oven to bake, I held my breath and crossed my fingers.

My worry seemed for naught. The cookies baked up with proper feet and there was little cracking of shells. As soon as they cooled, I sandwiched a cookie with pistachio buttercream and popped it in my mouth. And then I chewed... and chewed... and chewed some more. Finally, I succeeded in breaking the cookie down enough to swallow it. And then came the fun task of extracting sticky cookie bits from my molars.

To say the macs were chewy would be a bit of an understatement. Most macarons are usually a little chewy when first made. When I toured Angelina, the famed Parisian patisserie, the pastry chef counseled that he let baked macaron shells rest for a couple of days in the refrigerator before putting them in the case for sale. Even so, these macarons were more than a few standard deviation points from the chewiness mean. This was no regular chewiness.

Now, I don't mind sharing that a recipe didn't work out if I feel confident that it was indeed the recipe and not the baker. I just wasn't sure exactly which was the problem- me or the recipe. Hence my procrastination in writing as I puzzled over the issue.

Shortly after the mac fiasco, I tried making a meringue with organic sugar. No go. Not only did the meringue not fluff up as it should have, the sugar granules never fully dissolved. I recently made the switch to using only organic sugars after being a bit reticent to take the plunge due to worries about baking issues. After a couple months of using organic sugars when baking, I hadn't run into any problems so I was just starting to feel comfortable. Still, the meringue flop made me suspect that organic sugar was the issue. But when I re-read Miette's macaron recipe, I realized it doesn't call for adding sugar when making the meringue base for the cookies. Since I followed the recipe, I had to rule out the meringue as the culprit. Then I remembered I used organic powdered sugar in the dry ingredients called for in making the cookies.

While mulling over the mysteries of baking with organic sugars with Lisa, she pointed out that the Miette cookbook specifically states that the bakery uses only organic sugars. This fact intrigued me so I decided to re-make the cookies and again use organic powdered sugar to see if there was some trick in folding the macaronage that could compensate for the sticky, chewiness in the first batch of cookies. Most mac recipes will tell you to very carefully fold in the dry and wet ingredients to ensure that you don't deflate the meringue which allows macarons to rise and creates the coveted feet. I threw that advice right out the window and folded the batter like hell. I mean it. I folded and folded until my arm ached and the batter thinned out somewhat in consistency.

Between my (wo)manhandling the batter and then squeezing unmercifully to pipe out the still relatively thick batter, I broke every macaron making rule I've learned. But I'm happy to report that the second time was the charm. Despite being sure the cookies would come out of the oven as flat as pancakes, the macs rose like champs and pushed out pretty little feet. And! They passed a chew test. Whew!

Pistachio Macarons

adapted from Miette by Meg Ray

I adapted the recipes in Miette as follows: I doubled the macaron ingredient quantities to make a larger batch of cookies- the recipe below should yield approximately 32 sandwiched cookies. I halved the pistachio buttercream ingredient quantities since I didn't need 6 cups of buttercream. (Even so, I still wound up with leftover buttercream.) Also, I increased the amount of pistachio paste added to the buttercream to kick the flavor up a bit. I've never been able to find pistachio paste in a local store so I made my own using the recipe I found on fxcuisine. According to the site, the recipe is Pierre Herme's. Pistachio paste freezes well so now I have a stash in case I get around to making a bûche de noël this holiday season.

cookies:

2 cup (10 ounces) almond flour or whole, raw almonds with skins

2/3 cup (3 ounces) whole, raw pistachios

4 1/2 cup (20 ounces) powdered sugar

6 large egg whites

1 tablespoon cream of tarter

buttercream:

1 cup (7 ounces) sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons water

3 medium egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

1 1/2 cups (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 tablespoons pistachio paste, purchased or homemade

1. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment or silpats and set aside.

2. Add the powdered sugar, whole almonds or almond meal, and pistachios to a food processor and process to a fine, even powder. (I recommend processing even if using almond meal as I often find it not finely ground enough.) When done, sift the contents of the processor bowl into a large mixing bowl to remove any last lumps. If there is only a small amount of larger particles left in the strainer, I just throw it out; however, if there is a significant quantity, i.e. more than 1-2 tablespoons, return all ingredients back to the processer and continue to grind to a finer texture.
3. Add the egg whites and cream of tarter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frothy. Turn the mixer speed to high and continue beating until the meringue holds stiff peaks. 

4. Add one half of the meringue to the mixing bowl containing the almond/sugar/pistachio mixture and fold in using a silicon spatula. Add the remaining meringue and continue to fold until the batter looks like flowing lava. It will be thick but should still spread.  

5. Add the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a tip or a gallon sized plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe out circles of batter on the prepared baking sheets approximately 1.5” wide in diameter. Allow some distance between the piped circles for spreading. When finished piping, rap the baking sheets on the counter firmly to allow any air bubbles to settle. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on half of the shells, if a topping is desired.

6. Set the pans aside for 2 hrs to allow the macarons to dry and a skin to form on top. Test by gently poking with your finger. The macarons will be ready when dry to the touch and your finger only leaves a slight impression.  

7. While the shells are drying, prepare the buttercream. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature and cook the sugar syrup for 5-10 minutes until it reaches 248° Fahrenheit. While the syrup is cooking, add the egg whites and cream of tarter to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. When the syrup is close to the desired temperature, whisk the egg whites and cream of tarter on medium-low speed until soft peaks form. Once the syrup reaches 248° Fahrenheit, lower the mixer speed and begin to slowly add the hot syrup taking care not to splatter and burn yourself.

8. When all of the syrup has been poured into the mixing bowl, crank the speed back up to high and whip the meringue for 5-10 minutes until the bottom of the mixing bowl is cool to the touch. Once cool, begin to add the butter a tablespoon at a time with the mixer on medium speed. Allow each addition to be incorporated before adding more butter. Don't worry if the buttercream breaks, just turn the mixer speed to high and keep adding butter by the tablespoon. The mixture should come back together and smooth out. Mix in the pistachio paste at the end.

9. Approximately 30 minutes before the shells finish drying, preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Bake for 10-12 minutes and rotate the pans midway through to ensure even baking and to prevent browning. Remove to a rack to cool.

10. When cool, pipe buttercream on the flat side of a cookie shell and sandwich with another, squeezing gently. Allow the macarons to rest overnight in the refrigerator. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

(homemade pistachio paste)

Banana Ice Cream with Toasted Pistachios

2011-08-13T12:05:00.003-05:00

My husband, whom I affectionately refer to as Le Chef when he gets doctrinaire about culinary conventions, is a classicist when it comes to ice cream. No such thing as froyo will ever cross his lips. By his way of thinking, if it doesn’t contain eggs and wasn’t made from a custard base, then it ain’t ice cream.

Me, I don’t share his reservations about eggless ice cream. The only principal I stand on is taste. And let me tell you, this eggless ice cream tastes divine. Even better- it’s best made with bananas just on the brink of going bad. Scrumptious and I can use up food that would otherwise go to waste? Sign me up.

After making this ice cream for a few summers now and always having it all to myself, Le Chef has now deigned it worthy of his spoon. Dammit if I didn’t go to get a scoop the other night only to find that he had already polished it off.

So consider that a stamp of approval. This ice cream is so good my stubborn husband made an eggsception for it.

Banana Ice Cream with Toasted Pistachios

adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

When I say ripe bananas, I mean just before they turn bad. You want the banana flesh to be really soft but without brown spots. The sugar measurement below is a guide- add a tablespoon or two and taste your base to check for sweetness. Sometimes I add 2 tablespoons, sometimes 4 tablespoons- it just depends on how sweet and ripe the bananas were to begin with. Once frozen, the flavor of the ice cream will be blunted a bit so don’t be conservative. (Can I tell you how hard I had to struggle to not follow that statement up with a political jab?) I really like pistachios with my banana ice cream but it’s still delicious on its on if you decide to skip the nuts. If you do add nuts, don’t buy roasted, salted pistachios at the store. Their flavor is dulled once they’ve been sitting in a store bin or bag for a few months. Buy raw pistachios and toast and salt them yourself.

2 cups banana puree, from 4-5 medium sized, very ripe bananas
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pistachios, toasted and salted, for topping

1. Pour pureed bananas into a medium sized bowl and add cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Allow the ice cream base to chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or put in the freezer for approximately 20-30 minutes.
3. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the machine’s directions.
4. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for 3-4 hours.
5. While the ice cream is setting up in the freezer, toast the pistachios by spreading the nuts out on a baking sheet and baking in a 325º Fahrenheit oven for approximately 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt while still warm.

Peach Clafoutis for a Pie-luck

2011-08-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

I recently attended a pot luck pie social, dubbed a pie-luck, hosted by the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. Aside from getting together to eat pie, which is a perfectly fine reason in its own right, the pie-luck included a contest to determine the featured pie at a upcoming fundraiser for SafePlace, a local organization dedicated to ending sexual and domestic violence. The fundraiser, on August 21st at the Alamo Drafthouse, will involve more pie eating and a screening of the movie Waitress, which, coincidentally, features a lot of pie. Props to Micheal, over at Cooking for Engineers on his winning pecan pie. The fundraiser is a public event so if you're in the Austin area come out and join us and be sure to eat some of his delicious pie.

So what does clafoutis have to do with a pie-luck, you ask? Good question. The answer is not much, really. Basically, I didn't get it together in time to come up with a pie recipe for the contest but I wanted to attend the pie-luck and I didn't want to show up empty handed. Clafoutis was an easy choice.

One might say, easy as pie. I'd say easier.

Peach Clafoutis

adapted from Tartine

Clafoutis is a great last minute dessert- it requires only a handful of ingredients, all staples, and it works well with a variety of fruit. I initially planned to make a blackberry clafoutis but when I didn't get to the store, the peaches I already had on hand served me well. I used the same recipe I've used previously, and subbed slices from 3 medium sized peaches for the cherries. I would also recommend subbing almond extract for the vanilla bean in this peach version. I discovered I was out of almond extract while making my clafoutis so I went with a vanilla bean but almond would be a better complement to the peaches. Also, although it is traditional to caramelize the crust on a cherry clafoutis, I skipped that step as I thought it would mask the flavor of the fresh peaches.

Watermelon Juice with Himalayan Pink Salt

2011-07-21T16:56:00.001-05:00

I love watermelon juice- it’s my standard order at the local juice shop I frequent. With Texas producing particularly fine melons and it being the height of the season, I decided to make my own at home.

Watermelon juice really shouldn’t require a recipe, right? Kind of seems self explanatory. Juice a melon, pour into a glass, drink.

If only it were that easy. It took a lot of trial and error to hit upon the right combination but I think I’ve nailed it.

I’ve cracked the code. Or rather, I’ve found the key… limes, that is.

Watermelon Juice with Himalayan Pink Salt

I’m no physicist but I can tell you that the phase shift from fruit to juice changes some property of watermelon and almost renders its distinctive flavor unnoticeable in the resultant liquid. Unless you like bland watermelon juice, heed two very important points: 1) Do not remove the seeds when juicing the melon. Not to worry, any stray bits of seed will be strained out with the pulp. Watermelon juice tastes less watermelony without a little ground up seed in it. As a bonus, you won’t have to do the work of de-seeding the melon. 2) Sometimes fruit, much like vegetables, needs flavor enhancers to bring out its best qualities. Adding a little key lime juice and a tiny amount of natural sweetener did the trick. I think it goes without saying that the salt is imperative but if it does need saying, then feel free to read my argument in favor of salting watermelon.

approximately 5 pounds of watermelon with seeds, cubed
2-4 tablespoons of fresh key lime juice (I used 3 small key limes)
1-2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar, to taste
Himalayan pink salt, to garnish

1. Juice the cubed watermelon in a juicer or blender. If you don't have either of those appliances, it can be done in a Cuisinart if you’re patient and careful. I am neither and so I caused sticky watermelon juice to be slung from one end of the kitchen to the other. Avoid this mistake by only processing a small amount of cubed watermelon at a time. DO NOT fill the processing bowl more than 1/3 full.
2. When all of the watermelon has been processed, strain the liquid into a large pitcher (or two, depending on how much juice you wind up with) and add key lime juice and honey or agave nectar, to taste.
3. Fill a glass and sprinkle the juice with freshly ground Himalayan pink salt.
4. Enjoy!

Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

2011-07-12T09:33:00.000-05:00

I’ve discussed my CSA-related anxiety in detail here so I won't ramble on about it. Other than to say it struck again recently, but with a slightly different manifestation. This time it presented as, "Holy zucchini! What on earth am I going to do with these huge honkers?"

I'm not just being dramatic, although I have a tendency to do so. These babies were a couple of pounds apiece.

My anxiety over using up approximately 6 pounds of zucchini was exacerbated by the fact that I consider zucchini to be a slightly lackluster vegetable. It certainly doesn't inspire me to great culinary heights. Thanks goodness for Epicurious- I love that you can search by ingredient and find all manner of recipes in which to use it.

A search for zucchini turned up a few pages of possiblities with this chocolate and zucchini cake recipe at the top of the list. A little creepy, huh, the intuition of those search algorithms? It's like that search engine knew I was a baker and that I couldn't pass up a zucchini cake recipe.

It was exactly right, of course. Uncanny.

Chocolate and Zucchini Cake

adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier via Epicurious

If you’re familiar with Clothilde’s blog, chocolateandzucchini.com, or her same named book, you may have already seen this cake recipe. Now, I know that zucchini is not a typical cake ingredient but don’t let that deter you from making this cake. Really- you won’t even know it’s in there. The zucchini just adds body and a nice, slightly moist texture to the crumb. This cake really doesn’t need any icing- it would be absolutely terrific on its own. That being said, moderation is not my strong suit. As one who never leaves well enough alone, I just had to ice the cake. And since I was going through the trouble of icing it, I thought a little chopped, toasted walnut garnish would be nice, too.

cake:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp + ½ tablespoon to grease pan
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (I used ½ teaspoon ground espresso)
3 large eggs
2 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini (approximately 1 ½ pounds)
1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips

ganache icing:

8 ounces heavy cream

8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces or use chips

¼ cup chopped and toasted walnuts for a garnish, if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit with a rack centered in the middle of the oven. Cut parchment paper to fit and line the bottom and sides of an 8- or 10-inch springform pan. Grease the parchment with butter. Use a little butter to adhere the ring of parchment wrapped around the side to the springform pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter with a spatula or wooden spoon until creamy. Add the vanilla, espresso or coffee granules, and eggs. Mix well between each addition.

4. Measure out one cup of the flour mixture and set aside. Add the rest of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Mix until the consistency is that of a thick batter.

5. Put the grated zucchini and chocolate chips in a small bowl and add the remaining cup of flour and toss to coat. Add to the batter and fold in with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined.

6. Scoop the batter into the buttered cake pan. If needed, use a spatula to level the surface of the batter.

7. If using a 10-inch pan, bake for 40 to 50 minutes or, if using an 8-inch pan, bake 60-70 minutes. When the top of the cake looks shiny and set (like a brownie), test with a knife. The knife should be clean but not dry. There may be some melted chocolate from the chocolate chips.

8. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unlatch and remove the sides of the springform pan. Remove the parchment ring wrapped around the side of the cake. Let cool to room temperature before icing.

9. While the cake is cooling, make the chocolate ganache. Pour the cream into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Put the chopped chocolate in a small, heat proof bowl. As soon as the cream reaches a simmer, pour it over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate. Then, stir the cream and chocolate until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. The ganache may need to sit for 30 minutes to an hour to set up to a thicker consistency before pouring over the cake but be sure it is still liquid when coating the cake so that it pours easily.
10. Once the cake has cooled remove the bottom of the springform pan and bottom parchment ring and place the cake on a cake round. (You don’t have to use a cake round but I find it easier when transferring the cake. You can make a cake round easily by tracing the bottom of a same sized cake pan on a clean piece of cardboard and then cutting it out with scissors.) Set the cake back on the cooling rack and place the rack over a sheet pan to catch the overflow.
11. Pour the ganache over the cake. I coated this cake twice, using one half of the ganache each time, to ensure a nice, thick icing. Allow the ganache to set up between each coating. After the second coat sprinkle on the toasted walnut pieces and set aside for 1-2 hours to allow the ganache to set up completely. *Do not place the cake in the refrigerator to set the ganache or it will sweat when you serve it and won’t be as attractive.* The cake should keep in a sealed container at room temperature for a few days.

Blueberry and Peach Sour Cream Cobbler

2011-07-02T10:46:00.004-05:00

So, I had heretofore never made a cobbler. I now regret this fact, especially after tasting this cobbler.

I’d always associated cobbler with that particularly gloppy looking buffet dessert that is often found at restaurants I not very affectionately refer to as “troughs.” You know, that kind of “restaurant” that serves canned and re-warmed frozen food in chaffing dishes on a long bar covered with a Plexiglas sneeze shield. The kind of restaurant your uncle always seems to suggest on occasions when you’re obliged to dine with extended family. (Or maybe you don’t have one of those uncles. Lucky you.)

Even the homemade cobblers I’ve had never looked or tasted any better than the aforementioned trough glop. Canned peaches or cherries in a lurid colored, thick, congealed sauce with frozen pie crust slapped on top, even if assembled in someone’s home kitchen, doesn’t rate much better in my book.

Whenever I ran across cobbler recipes, even in well trusted cookbooks, I just never had any inclination to make one. Nigel Slater changed my mind when he, an Englishman, took on a quintessentially American dessert in The Kitchen Diaries, his yearlong journal wherein he chronicled what he ate with accompanying recipes. During the height of the summer fruit season, instead of a British crumble, which would have been the obvious choice, he chose to make an American cobbler. I extrapolated from this decision that there must be something special about his cobbler.

My hunch was correct. This is, indeed, a fantastic cobbler. The peaches and blueberries wonderfully complement one another and the hint of honey added plays up the ripe fruit flavors. Most importantly, it’s not the least bit gloppy as the recipe calls for very little flour and the crust, made with sour cream, is light as air.

If you’re still looking for a dessert recipe for the Independence Day holiday, may I highly suggest this Englishman’s take on an American classic?

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Peach and Blueberry Sour Cream Cobbler
adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

This cobbler couldn’t be easier to make. Seriously. This is one of those keeper recipes for times when you need to throw something together at the last minute. Or, if you’re an inveterate planner and are never faced with last minute situations, this recipe can be prepped ahead of time. Store the washed and sliced fruit in the baking dish in the refrigerator - just add the lemon juice, honey, and flour when you’re ready to assemble the cobbler. The dry ingredients for the crust can be measured out ahead of time and set aside in the bowl but reserve cutting in the butter and mixing in the sour cream until right before popping in the oven. Easy- peasy, summer breezy.

Note: I subbed honey for the suggested superfine sugar in the fruit filling. Central Texas produces amazing wildflower honey, and since I was using Texas Hill Country peaches and blueberries, it seemed like the perfect accompaniment. I also subbed unrefined cane sugar for superfine sugar in the crust. Any type of sugar would work for either use- granulated, superfine, or otherwise.

fruit filling:
3 medium or 4 small ripe peaches, sliced
3 1/2 cup blueberries
juice of 1 lemon
1 - 2 tablespoons honey, add according to sweetness of fruit
1 heaping tablespoon all purpose flour

crust:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoon cold butter, cubed
4 ounces sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling over crust

1. Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit with a rack centered in the middle.
2. Add fruit, lemon juice, flour, and honey to a 2 quart sized baking dish or pie dish and stir until fruit is evenly coated with flour.
3. Make the cobbler crust by adding the chopped butter and all dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut in the butter until the mixture has a fine, even consistency, similar to fresh breadcrumbs. (You can use a blender for this step but I think it’s just as easy and less mess to cut in the butter.) Mix in the sour cream and stir to incorporate into a dough.
4. Break off tablespoon sized pieces of dough and flatten slightly with your hands. Lay the flattened pieces over the top of the fruit in the baking dish. When finished forming the crust, sprinkle sugar lightly over the top.
5. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. The cobbler is done when the crust is a light golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Lavender and Vanilla Chocolate Truffles

2011-06-23T16:53:00.001-05:00

Apparently I’ve gone crazy from the heat. I attempted to temper milk chocolate on a 104°F day in a too warm kitchen. Do I need to tell you how that went?

(Not well.)

So instead of milk chocolate coated lavender and vanilla truffles, as I had originally planned, here are dark chocolate cocoa powder coated lavender and vanilla truffles.

Not exactly what I had in mind but delicious, nevertheless.

(Sometimes kitchen screwups have a happy ending.)

Lavender and Vanilla Chocolate Truffles
adapted from Michael Recchiuti’s Chocolate Obsession

Most of Recchiuti’s ganache recipes call for using invert sugar for a smoother consistency. I've never seen it on a grocery store shelf but I was able to find invert sugar at a local baking supply store. I haven’t tried but I’m sure you can make this ganache with regular granulated or superfine sugar.

¾ c (6 ounces) heavy whipping cream
½ c plus 2 t (3 ¾ ounces if weighing) invert sugar (stir before measuring)
½ Tahitian vanilla bean, split horizontally
1 T + 1 t dried lavender flowers
10 ¾ ounces 61% to 70% chocolate, finely chopped
6 T (3 ounces) unsalted butter with 82% butterfat, very soft (75º F)
unsweetened natural cocoa powder for rolling truffles
candied lavender flowers for topping, if desired (recipe here)

makes approximately 50 round truffles

1. To make the ganache, stir cream and invert sugar together in a small saucepan and then add scraped vanilla seeds and the bean pod into the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then remove from heat and stir in the lavender flowers. Cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.
2. While steeping the cream, set up a double boiler by placing a medium sized stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Be sure that the water doesn’t actually touch the bottom of the bowl or the chocolate will scorch. Also, be careful that the stainless steel bowl fits snugly on top of the pot so that no water can splash into the stainless steel bowl or condensation from the simmering water can reach the bowl. The slightest bit of water will cause the chocolate to seize and it will be unusable.
3. Add the chocolate to the stainless steel bowl and stir occasionally, until the chocolate melts and registers 115º Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer. Carefully lift the bowl from the pot.
4. When the cream has fully steeped, strain it through a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a 2-cup liquid measure. Extract any remaining cream by gathering the cheesecloth and squeezing any last drops through the sieve. If necessary, add additional cream or discard some of the liquid to bring the volume to 8 ½ ounces. Check the temperature of the cream and bring it up to 115º Fahrenheit, if necessary. (I popped the measuring cup of cream into the microwave for 20-30 seconds to bring it back up to temp.)
5. Pour the melted chocolate and steeped cream into 1-quart measuring cup and blend with an immersion blender until the ganache thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Add the butter and incorporate it with the immersion blender.
6. Pour the ganache into another medium sized stainless steel bowl to cool and set up at room temperature for approximately 2 to 4 hours. When set, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to roll truffles.
7. To roll truffles, use a small ice cream or melon scooper to dip balls of ganache. Place the dipped balls into a bowl of cocoa powder and use a fork to roll the ball through the powder to ensure an even coating. To finish shaping the truffles, dust the palms of your hands with cocoa powder and roll the truffles until smooth and evenly round. Store the truffles in the refrigerator and remove 30 minutes before serving.

My Little Recipe Tester

2011-06-14T18:37:00.104-05:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of testing a recipe for Luisa over at The Wednesday Chef for her upcoming book, a food memoir, tentatively titled My Berlin Kitchen. Testers are sworn to secrecy so I can't tell you what I made but suffice it to say, it was delicious and I can't wait for the book to be released.

What I can share with you is a little video of my personal recipe tester, Jack. Molly's video of her Jack inspired me. Her Jack is pretty darn cute but not quite as cute as my Jack. See for yourself.

You may already know Jack, our Boston Pug (he's a muttastic mix of Chinese Pug and Boston Terrier), as he shows up on the blog from time to time. Jack never leaves my side when I'm baking and he watches the oven even more closely than I do. He even positions himself right next to the oven door and patiently waits. Unless I'm baking with chocolate, he's always rewarded with a piece of cookie or a nibble of cake. In fact, he always gets the first taste, hence my deeming him my recipe tester.

Who doesn't love puppy snores? (Lord knows the interweb needs more doggie videos.)

You're welcome ;-)

Brioche with Homemade Blackberry Jam

2011-06-08T11:48:00.002-05:00

Summertime is cranking up to full tilt here in central Texas. That means days of temperatures that shatter to the 100 degree mark on the (Fahrenheit) thermometer. I’m slowly acclimating myself to these long, hot summers. At least I keep telling myself I’m acclimating but I still complain as much as ever so I guess I’m not really fooling myself or anyone else.

Back when we announced our intention to move to Austin, people would often remark that we were going to have to get used to a new kind of heat. It seems dumb in hindsight but I always pooh poohed those comments. By my way of thinking, having grown up in Florida, I was used to the heat and sun. My standard reply was, “It’s a dry heat. It won’t be so bad.”

Universe, I stand corrected. (Now please have mercy on us and give us a mild summer. Pretty please?)

Our first summer in Austin was blistering. I would call up friends and family back in Florida and wail, “I thought I moved to Austin, NOT PHOENIX!”

That dry heat I was so eager to experience after living with Florida’s muggy humidity so many years? There is nothing superior about it. Not at all. Do you know what a dry, windy, 104 degree day feels like? About like sticking your head in a convection oven. Try it some time. Not pleasant.

But I digress. (As usual.) I’m here to tell you about making brioche.

I first made brioche, kneaded by hand, at Le Cordon Bleu while Paris was gripped by a heat wave. I remember it vividly as we were working in a 5th floor walk up kitchen with no air conditioning. Heat rises, you know. The collective heat from four floors of kitchens with ovens baking and burners aflame drifted up to the fifth floor making our kitchen just about unbearable. By the time I finished kneading, I don’t know who was more pummeled, me or that dough. I certainly know we were both a hot, sticky mess.

I’m hoping this helps to explain my musings above. For better or worse, my brain associates the delightful, dense, rich goodness of brioche with sweat rolling down my back while kneading like hell to incorporate the copious amount of butter that makes this dough so delicious.

(Please don’t let that distasteful imagery dissuade you from reading further. This recipe makes a divine loaf of brioche. I promise it’s worth reading on.)

So recently, on the first really hot day of the year, a harbinger of days to come, it seemed like a fine time to make brioche.

Let me be perfectly honest, though. I had the A/C blasting. And there was no hand kneading this time around. I am all about la machine. Thankfully, my trusty Kitchen Aid was more than up to the task.

Basic Brioche

adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery and Cafe by Joanne Chang

If you have a kitchen scale, use the weights given below to measure out ingredients. I don’t always use a scale but when working with breads, I find you’ll get a better product if you have as accurate as possible ingredient quantities. Note- the below recipe makes 2 loaves. Joanne’s instructions in the Flour cookbook instruct not to halve the recipe because there will not be a sufficient quantity of dough to engage the dough hook on a mixer. Of course, you could make half a recipe if kneading the dough by hand but trust me, it’s worth eating extra brioche to avoid that chore. She further noted that both the dough and the baked loaves freeze well so you can freeze one half of the dough or a loaf, if desired. However, once you taste this bread there will be no need to freeze the other loaf as you’ll hardly be able to restrain yourself from gobbling up both loaves. This rich, yet light brioche is delicious eaten plain by the slice but I couldn’t resist adding a little mascarpone cheese and jam. In fact, I made a small batch of homemade blackberry refrigerator jam just for the occasion.

2 1/4 c (315 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 1/4 c (340 grams) bread flour
1 1/2 packages (3 1/4 t) active dry yeast
1/2 c plus 1 T (82 grams) sugar
1 T kosher salt
1/2 c (120 grams) cold water
6 eggs
1 c + 6 T (2 3/4 sticks/310 grams) unsalted, room temp butter, cut into 10-12 pieces

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flours, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and 5 of the eggs. Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until all ingredients have come together. Be sure to stop the mixer from time to time to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients are incorporated. Once the dough comes together, continue to beat on low for another 3 to 4 minutes until stiff and dry.
2. With the machine still on low speed, add the butter one piece at a time and allow each addition to mix in and disappear into the dough before adding more. When all of the butter has been added, continue mixing on low speed for about 10 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Use your hands to break up the dough to help mix if needed to be sure that all of the butter is thoroughly mixed into the dough.
3. When the butter has been incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the dough is sticky and soft and looks slightly shiny, approximately 15 minutes. At this point, turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat for another minute. The dough will make a slapping sound when it hits the sides of the bowl. To test the dough, pull it- it should stretch slightly. If the dough is wet and loose, add a few tablespoons of flour and mix in. If pulling the dough causes it to break, continue mixing on medium for a few more minutes and test again. The dough will be ready when you can pick it up in one cohesive piece.
4. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the dough. Allow the dough to proof in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. The dough can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
5. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9 x 5” loaf pans well. Divide the dough in half and then further divide each half into three equal pieces. Roll each of the three pieces into a ball shape and place the balls into each pan. Cover the pans with a cloth or lightly layered plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to proof until the loaves have nearly doubled in size, approximately 4 - 5 hours, and have risen to the rim of the pan. The dough is ready for baking it feels pillowy and light when poked with a finger.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack positioned in the center of the oven. Right before you’re ready to place the loaves in the oven, use scissors that have been dampened with water to cut vertically through each of the three proofed, rolled balls of dough in each pan. Make an egg wash with the remaining egg by whisking it in a small bowl and gently brush the tops of the loaves with the beaten egg.
7. Bake the loaves for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tops and sides of the loaves are a deep golden brown. Allow the loaves to cool in pans on wire racks for 30 minutes, then turn the loaves out of the pans and continue to cool on racks. The bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Truffle Mania Challenge (and Happy Birthday to my Honey)!

2011-05-30T19:02:00.001-05:00

When Steve from Weird Combinations put out a call for participants in a truffle challenge, I jumped to sign up. We all started with Ina Garten’s chocolate truffle recipe and everyone put their own spin on it.

Since we were celebrating Eric’s birthday and Memorial Day over the weekend with an indoor cookout for a few friends and neighbors, I used the truffles I made to decorate his birthday cake. Eric is as big of a fan of chocolate as I am so I made Amanda Hesser’s dump cake recipe that was included in the Flour Cookbook and topped it with ganache whipped with butter and confectioners sugar.

For my truffles, I went with a pretty traditional approach and changed up the recipe only minimally. I used all dark chocolate instead of a mix of bitter and semi-sweet and I didn’t add any alcohol. I doubled the vanilla and coated my truffles in toasted cocoa nibs and Valrhona dark cocoa.

See everyone’s efforts here:

Steve from Weird Combinations

Su from Suvelle Cuisine

Ros, The More than the Occasional Baker

Erika Beth, the Messy Chef, over at Life’s to Short to Skip Dessert

Karen from Gourmet Food

Joumana at Taste of Beirut

Heavenly Housewife over at Donuts to Delirium

What a fabulously creative group, huh?

Thanks to Stevie and Heavenly for organizing the Truffle Mania challenge! And thanks to a great group of friends for celebrating with us!

Book Giveaway! Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking

2011-05-26T20:20:00.002-05:00

You know those food swaps that I blab about periodically? Well, the lovely lady who organizes the swaps is also an author. Kate Payne's first book, of many to come I hope, is now out!

Kate wrote the Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking for those of us who are decidedly not Martha acolytes. She offers tips and tricks to make homemaking easy breezy and enjoyable. Who would have thunk doing housework could be fun? (Certainly not me. As I type this, there's a pile of laundry waiting to be folded. It's been sitting on a chair in the living room for going on a week now. Martha, not to mention my Mother, would be scandalized.)

Kate really does make a convincing case that keeping house can, indeed, be a pleasure. Her book is a treasure trove of information on how to make your home an oasis of domestic bliss.

If you’d like to win an autographed copy of the book, courtesy of Harper Design, the publisher, leave a comment telling me your least favorite household chore.

Here’s hoping that Kate’s book will include a hip trick to help you conquer that pesky task. (If not, at least you’ll have a good book to curl up with while procrastinating doing it.) Check back in on Monday, May 30th after 5pm CST when I'll randomly choose a winner.

Also, be sure to check out Kate's site, Hip Girls Home, for even more tips and tricks to be the best homemaker you can be.

Update!!!! Vion is the lucky winner of the signed copy of Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking! Vion, shoot me your email address at the address listed on my site and I'll get the book in the mail to you ASAP.

Since I didn't hear back from Vion after one week, I decided to redraw for another winner. This time Renee is the lucky gal! Renee, I'll contact you for a mailing address.

Tart with Balsamic Strawberries and Whipped Mascarpone Cheese

2011-05-17T20:18:00.002-05:00

Status quo over here. Still battling writer's block.

At least my tendency to bake for stress relief serves my habit of emotional eating well. Here’s what I’ve been munching on lately…

Tart with Balsamic Strawberries and Whipped Mascarpone Cheese

After reading the umpteenth report of how deliciously divine strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar are, I decided I had to try them. When I came across a Bon Appétit recipe for balsamic marinated strawberries served over heavy cream whipped with mascarpone cheese, I figured it would be a winning combination. Naturally, it was. And wouldn’t it look just adorable in a tart shell? Why, yes- it did.

Tart Shell
adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

*recipe makes enough dough for two 10” tarts
1/4 c heavy cream
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 3/4 c + 2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 c plus 3 T granulated sugar
1/4 t kosher salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter

Filling

adapted from Bon Appétit via Epicurious

1/3 c balsamic vinegar

2 t plus 4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 t fresh lemon juice

1/2 c chilled mascarpone cheese

1/2 c chilled whipping cream

1/2 t vanilla extract

3 1-pint baskets (about 24 ounces) strawberries, hulled, halved

1. First make the tart shell according to the instructions here.

2. Prepare the balsamic strawberries by combining vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and then boil for 3 minutes until reduced to approximately 1/4 cup of syrup. Set aside to allow to cool. The syrup can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated until ready for use.

3. In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone, cream, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until thick soft peaks form. If not using immediately, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Will keep up to 4 hours.

4. When the syrup has fully cooled, add the berries to a large bowl and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Drizzle with balsamic syrup. Let the fruit stand 30 minutes at room temperature and stir occasionally.

5. Spread the mascarpone and cream mixture over the bottom of the tart shell and use a small offset spatula to smooth to an even thickness. Top with balsamic strawberries and serve.

Death by Chocolate Macarons

2011-05-08T18:30:00.001-05:00

So life has intervened as of late and I haven’t much felt like writing. It seems like at the end of the day, I just don’t have any extra brainpower to sift through my thoughts and commit them to a blog post.

I’ve still been baking as I find it therapeutic, especially when stressed, so I now have a logjam of posts prepped with photos just waiting for words to accompany them. I tend to procrastinate when feeling overwhelmed which only compounds the issue.

Lest I have led you to believe that my world is falling apart over here, let me set the record strait.

Yes, I’m stressed, but it’s mostly good stress. I recently started a new job, which I think I’ll really enjoy... eventually. Currently, though, my control freak tendencies are butting up against the reality of having to learn as I go and to ask others for help. Coupled with an impatient streak a mile wide, this is a trying time for me. But there are worse problems to have, no?

Here’s hoping that I’ll break this streak soon and will get back to a more regular posting schedule.

In the meantime, I’m really enjoying reading others' blog posts so I appreciate all of you who do this on a much more frequent basis. Your prolific posting and gorgeous creations constantly astound me. Maybe one day I’ll catch up. Thanks for the inspiration.

Death by Chocolate Macarons

adapted from Ottolenghi, The Cookbook

I’m always on the lookout for a new macaron recipe to test so I was exceedingly pleased to run across this recipe in Ottolenghi, The Cookbook (adopt affected British accent in your head as you read that last part; as if I would ever actually say exceedingly pleased when speaking). Thanks to Lisa at Lisa is Cooking for turning me on to Ottolenghi. The cookbook is rapidly becoming a favorite and may one day join my personal pantheon of cookbooks, alongside Tartine and Rose Bakery’s Breakfast, Lunch, Tea. The recipe as written would work like a charm however, I chose to add cocoa nibs as a topping, which complicated matters slightly. The first batch of macarons that I baked were topped with cocoa nibs and had a few cracked shells. I suspect that this was due to the cocoa nibs not allowing some of the macs to skin over properly but since I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t due to the oven temp being too high, I used a wooden spoon to prop the oven door open slightly when baking the second batch. I didn’t have any cracked shells on the second batch but they weren't topped with cocoa nibs so I’m still not sure what the actual culprit was. For tips on dealing with cracking and other macaron issues, see Jennie over at Miso Hungry’s handy-dandy guide to troubleshooting macarons. I didn’t use the Ottolenghi’s ganache recipe. I opted instead for a simple 1:1 ratio of cream and chocolate, with a little vanilla for extra flavor, that yields a nicely thick, almost fudgy ganache once it sets up. Hence, I named these Death by Chocolate macarons for a reason. The extra dark chocolate cocoa shells, topped with cocoa nibs, and coupled with the fudgy ganache really pack a wallop.

Shells 

110g powdered sugar 

50g ground almonds or almond meal 

12g extra dark cocoa powder (I used Valrhona) 

2 (60g) egg whites  

40g granulated sugar

Cocoa nibs for topping, if desired

Ganache

8 oz dark chocolate, chopped coarsely 

8 oz heavy cream 

1 t vanilla

1. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment or silpats and set aside.

2. Add the powdered sugar, whole almonds or almond meal, and cocoa to a food processor and process to a fine, even powder. (I recommend processing even if using almond meal as I often find it not finely ground enough for my preference and I don’t like lumpy macarons.) When done, sift the contents of the processor bowl into a large mixing bowl to remove any last lumps. If there is only a small amount of larger particles left in the strainer, I just throw it out; however, if there is a significant quantity, i.e. more than 1-2 tablespoons, return all ingredients back to the processer and continue to grind until fine.
3. Add the egg whites to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frothy. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the meringue holds stiff peaks. 

4. Add one half of the meringue to the mixing bowl containing the almond/sugar/cocoa mixture and gently fold in until just barely mixed using a silicon spatula. Add the remaining meringue and continue to gently fold until the batter looks like flowing lava. It should be thick but should still spread.  

5. Fill a gallon sized Ziploc or other plastic bag with the batter and carefully snip off a corner. Pipe out circles of batter on the prepared baking sheets approximately 1.5” wide in diameter. Allow some distance between the piped circles for spreading. When finished piping, rap the baking sheets on the counter firmly to allow any air bubbles to settle. Sprinkle cocoa nibs on half of the shells, if a topping is desired.

6. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Set the pans aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the macarons to dry and a skin to form on top. Test by gently poking with your finger. The macarons will be ready when dry to the touch and your finger only leaves a slight impression.  

7. When ready, bake for 12-14 minutes and rotate the pans midway through to ensure even baking and coloration. Remove to a rack to cool.

8. While the shells are cooling, prepare the ganache by bringing the cream to a simmer over medium high heat in a small saucepan. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. When the cream has reached a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and set aside for a minute or two until the chocolate is mostly melted. Add the vanilla. Use a whisk or spatula to stir the ganache to a smooth consistency. Set aside to allow the ganache to set up or place it in the refrigerator to cool which will hasten the process.

9. When cool, spread your ganache or other filling on the flat side of a shell and sandwich with another, squeezing gently. Allow the macaron to rest overnight in the refrigerator. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Pudding

2011-04-26T20:05:00.001-05:00

It’s such a cliché to talk about time passing in the blink of an eye and how the years creep up on you and before you know it, you’re old. Yada yada. I’m getting bored just typing those trite phrases.

Still.

It feels a bit like a sucker punch to your gut to realize that- man, oh man- you really are getting old. Eric and I joke about it all the time- constantly telling one another that we’re not getting any younger. Sort of like if we just keep making light of it, somehow we’ll keep old age at bay.

While I know that’s not possible, seeing glaring evidence of your advancing age is hard to face. Nothing quite reminds you that you’re getting older like seeing someone you only remember as a small child now old enough to vote.

I experienced this recently when, after meaning to do so since its release, I finally picked up a copy of Hot & Hot Fish Club- A Celebration of Food, Family, and Traditions. I worked for Chris and Idie Hastings, the owners of Hot & Hot Fish Club, while in graduate school in Birmingham, AL. I started not too long after the restaurant opened; in fact, I think I was the very first hostess hired. Way back when female hosts were still called hostesses.

It’s been many years since I’ve seen Chris and Idie as I don’t get back to B’ham very often. Funny thing, though, when looking over the lovely pictures in the book, it didn’t appear that Chris and Idie had aged a bit. They both still look just as I remembered them.

But their sons… my jaw practically dropped when I saw pictures of them and realized they’re now grown up.

When I worked at H&H, Idie would occasionally bring the boys in to visit. I don’t remember exactly how old they were but I’d guess 2-3 and maybe 4 years, young enough to be carried around on Chris’s shoulders. I was astonished to see that they’re now as tall as he is.

Time marches on, doesn't it? Most days I don't mind but some days I just don't like it. Thankfully, my disgruntledness with this fact of life was easily abated. There's not much that can't be fixed by the warm comfort and rich satisfaction of bread pudding.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Pudding

adapted from Hot & Hot Fish Club- A Celebration of Food, Family, and Traditions

I adapted H&H’s raspberry, white chocolate bread pudding recipe to make a lighter (well, as light as bread pudding gets), spring fruit version by subbing half-n-half for heavy cream and leaving out the white chocolate. I’m happy to report the strawberries I planted ripened up and turned a lovely bright red. While they were sweet and juicy, they weren’t particularly plentiful. I used the few that grew in this pudding but I had to supplement them with berries bought at the market. And I’m still on the hunt for that elusive, locally grown rhubarb I keep hearing about. It wasn’t at the market the weekend I planned to bake so I used Washington State, hot house grown rhubarb.

2 c heavy cream or half-n-half
1/2 c plus 3 T granulated sugar, divided
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 (16 ounce) fresh French baguette, cut into 1/2” squares
8 ounces fresh strawberries, sliced
8 ounces fresh rhubarb, sliced
1 T unsalted butter, room temp
1 c fresh whipped cream for topping

1. Combine the cream or half-n-half and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Add scraped vanilla beans and pod to cream mixture and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside. Allow to cool until warm to the touch.
2. Whisk the lightly beaten eggs into the warm cream mixture. Set aside to fully cool. Add the bread cubes and approximately three-fourths of the chopped fresh fruit to a large mixing bowl and pour in the custard mixture. Stir to mix. Press a piece of saran wrap directly on top of the pudding mixture and then use another small bowl nested in the mixing bowl to weight down the bread cubes so that they full soak in the custard. Allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350˚ Fahrenheit. Grease an 8 x 8” baking dish with butter and sprinkle in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, turning on all sides to ensure that the dish is evenly coated. Spoon the pudding mixture into the dish and pour any remaining custard over the top. Top the pudding with the remaining one-fourth of the fresh fruit. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and set inside a larger baking pan or dish filled with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pudding dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Take the pudding from the oven and remove the foil cover.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 375˚ Fahrenheit and return the pudding to the oven, and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the water bath and set aside on a rack to cool slightly. Carefully remove the water-filled baking dish from the oven, discard the water, and set the dish aside to cool.
5. Cut the cooled bread pudding into equal squares and serve warm, topped with 1 to 2 tablespoons of freshly whipped cream.

Homemade Oreos

2011-04-17T19:00:00.003-05:00

I’ve heard rumors over the years about oreos being made with some pretty unsavory ingredients. Does the old rumor about the filling being made from whale blubber still persist? I used to hear that one pretty often when I was a kid. Never stopped me from eating them, though.

Now that I’m old enough to know that oreos may not be made with whale blubber but that the actual ingredients are even scarier, I’m glad that there's an alternative that just might even be tastier.

Imagine my delight at being introduced to homemade oreos by Andrea from Bake Sale, a local bakery by order here in Austin.

Andrea joined in for an ATXSwappers meet up and brought a box full of homemade oreos. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you she was pretty popular with the other swappers. I managed to snag a couple of her oreos and they didn’t even make it home that evening. I ate both of them in the car while driving home. (I’m not proud to admit that but I think it well illustrates that my love of these cookies goes a little farther than the norm.)

After eating Andrea’s homemade oreos, I decided that I just had to give them a go.

Homemade Oreos
adapted from Baked Explorations

Baked Explorations includes a recipe for a salt and pepper sandwich cookie, a take off on an oreo, that could be easily adapted by omitting a few ingredients. I think my first attempt went pretty well with only one caveat: I should have heeded the advice to use a dark chocolate cocoa powder. My stash of Valrhona dark cocoa was low so I subbed a regular cocoa powder. The flavor just wasn’t as rich so don’t make my mistake. Note, I omitted the shortening called for in the original icing recipe and upped the butter quotient to compensate. The texture of my icing may not have been as smooth as an icing made with shortening but to me, it's a small price to pay to avoid the yucky factor of shortening.

Cookies
3 1/2 c all purpose flour
3/4 t salt
1/4 c dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I would highly suggest Valrhona)
1 1/2 c (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes, cool but not cold
1 1/4 c granulated sugar
1 3/4 c confectioner's sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 T pure vanilla extract
3 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), melted

Filling
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, at room temperature
2-3 c confectioners' sugar, sifted
2-3 t pure vanilla extract

1. To make the cookies, sift together flour, salt, and cocoa powder in a large bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add the egg yolks and beat in one at a time until fully mixed in. Add vanilla and melted chocolate and beat until the mixture is a consistent color and the chocolate has been fully incorporated.
2. Add one half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowel and beat for 15 seconds. Add the other half of the dry ingredients and beat for a few seconds until just incorporated. Shape the dough into two balls and wrap in plastic before refrigerating for at least 3 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. When the dough has fully chilled, take one ball of dough and divide into two pieces and return one to the refrigerator. Place the other piece on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough with your hands until pliable and form into a disk. Use a rolling pin to roll out the disk to a 1/4" thick round. Flour the dough as needed as it may be sticky when working it. Cut out approximately 2” rounds with a cookie cutter and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space around each cookie. Continue the process with the remaining dough.
4. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time until the tops of the cookies look dry and lightly cracked. Cool the baking sheets on wire racks for a few minutes and then transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely before filling.
5. To make the filling, beat the butter until smooth in a standing mixer using the paddle attachment. Begin adding the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time until combined with the butter and the filling is to your desired consistency. Add an equivalent amount of vanilla by teaspoon to match the amount of confectioners’ sugar added (ex. if you used 2.5 cups of confectioners’ sugar then add 2.5 t of vanilla) and beat in for 10 seconds. The filling should be thick but spreadable. If it is too thick, add a drop or two of water as needed. If it becomes too thin you can add a tablespoon or two of confectioners’ sugar to thicken it back up.
6. To assemble the cookies, use a pastry bag or a small spatula or spoon to fill the flat side of a cookie and sandwich with another cookie. Press down lightly to spread the filling to the edges of the cookie. Allow filled cookies to set up for approximatley 15 mintues before serving. These cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Bake Sale Wrap Up: Mission Accomplished!!!!

2011-04-05T19:39:00.002-05:00

Whoo Hoo! We did it!

Austin Bakes for Japan was a smashing success. Literally, as in we smashed our goal of raising $10,000 for AmeriCares for aid to Japan.

In total, the bake sale brought in over $11,700!!!!

Kathryn, our faithful, fearless leader, knew Austin could do it and I'm so glad she pushed us to aim high. (I initially thought setting the goal at 10K was too high and I AM SO GLAD I WAS WRONG!)

Much love to the Austin food community- the 100+ bloggers, home cooks, and pros- who baked their hearts out to support the cause. Their response and offerings were truly overwhelming.

And a great big shout out to the other team captains who helped make this event happen: Lisa, Stephanie, Carly, and Rachelle. Good job, ladies!

It amazes me what can be done with a little hard work and a lot of heart.

If you're in the Austin area, please stop by and check out Woof Gang Bakery, who kindly hosted the site I (wo)manned for the bake sale. Thanks so much to Tom and Alan for their generosity! And be sure to give Willie Jo a pet if you go!

Strawberry Almond Scones with Buttermilk Glaze for Austin Bakesale for Japan

2011-03-30T17:53:00.003-05:00

I’m thrilled to have joined with a team of food enthusiasts and bloggers for Austin Bakes for Japan, a bake sale fundraiser to help survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We’re part of a national movement of bake sales for Japan happening on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Twenty-three cities across the U.S. are hosting fundraisers for Japan, including Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.

Here in Austin, over 100 volunteers are contributing to the bake sale, ranging from home cooks to professional bakers. All funds raised will go to AmeriCares, a non-profit organization committed to providing emergency relief to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Our goal is to raise $10,000 or more to help the people of Japan in their time of need. For more information about the bake sale or to make a gift online, visit this website.

The response to the bake sale in Austin has been so astronomical, 5 locations will be set up where you’ll find homemade offerings including locally sourced, organic, vegan, and gluten-free items. In addition, gourmet pastries have been donated by some of Austin’s finest professional bakers.

Find us at:

Downtown: Woof Gang Bakery Austin, 1204 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, 78703 (10am to 2pm)

North Central: Foreign & Domestic, 306 E. 53rd Street, Austin, 78751 (10am to 2pm)

South: Hotel San Jose, 1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin 78704 (10am to 2pm)

East: Nomad Bar, 1213 Corona Drive, Austin, 78723 (10am to 2pm)

West: Shops at Mira Vista, 2785 Bee Cave Road, Suites 336 & 341, Austin, 78746 (10am to 5pm extended hours to participate in a community block party)

If you’re a local Austinite, please visit the bake sale locations to support us- I’ll be (wo)manning the downtown table so please say hi if you stop in. Also, help us spread the word through e-mail, liking Austin Bakes on Facebook, and following us on Twitter @austinbakes. To read about efforts nationwide, follow the Twitter hashtag #bakesale4japan.

Strawberry Almond Scones
adapted from Food & Wine, March 2011

Since the bake sale will be kicking off at 10am, I thought I’d bring a breakfasty option for folks who may not want to eat dessert so early in the morning. So I went with strawberry almond scones. This recipe caught my eye since it’s perfect for all the luscious, bright red strawberries in season right now. Beautiful specimens are popping up in the markets but I’m still waiting for my little greenies to turn red. Cross your fingers! I made a test batch of scones according to the recipe below but when I remake them for the bake sale, I’m going to omit the whole wheat pastry flour and increase the all-purpose flour to compensate. I don’t know if it was just the brand of whole wheat pastry flour that I used (rhymes with Mob’s Bed Rill) but these scones had a vaguely corn mealy taste that I didn’t care for. And not to give Paula Deen a run for her money, but I’m upping the butter by a tablespoon or two as the batter was loose and crumbly and a little more butter never hurts, right?

Scones
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 c buttermilk, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 c sliced strawberries
2 T turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)

Topping
1/2 c sliced almonds
2 c confectioners' sugar
3 T buttermilk
1/2 t pure almond extract
Pinch of salt

1. To make the scones, preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit with racks placed in the bottom and top thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flours with the granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir to mix. Add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender or a fork to cut in the butter. The mixture should resemble coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk and then gently fold in sliced strawberries.
2. Scoop dough into 16 mounds on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden, shifting the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Allow the scones to cool on a rack for 30 minutes.
3. While the scones are cooling, make the topping. Lower the oven temperature to 350° Fahrenheit and toast the almonds on a baking sheet for approximately 8 minutes, until golden. While the almonds are in the oven, whisk confectioners' sugar with buttermilk, almond extract and salt in a small bowl and let the glaze stand at room temperature until the scones have cooled.
4. Drizzle the scones with glaze and sprinkle on the almonds, pressing to help them stick. Allow the glaze to dry for 10 minutes, then serve. The scones can be made up to 6 hours ahead.

Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze

2011-03-25T16:20:00.002-05:00

I love the tangy tartness of rhubarb. Of all the spring fruits, it just might be my favorite to bake with. But it’s not even really a fruit…

Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable? Even weirder still, according to Wikipedia, here in America, where rhubarb is largely used as a fruit, a court ruling legally classified it as a fruit for regulatory purposes, thereby granting it a tax reduction. (I suspect that ruling had little to do with clarifying the usage and more to do with throwing businesses a bone i.e. a tax break. Such is the American way.)

I’ve been told that rhubarb grows wild in more northerly states ~~but it won’t grow at all in the South.~~ (I stand corrected: just heard a local farm is selling it at the farmer's market. I'm assuming it's forced, hothouse grown rhubarb. I'll be finding out very soon as I can't wait to check it out.) Apparently the plant requires a protracted period of freezing temperatures before it will flourish during the growing season. The rhubarb I find here in Austin is typically from Washington State. I always jump the gun and wind up purchasing hothouse rhubarb as soon as it shows up at the store since I can’t stand to wait till late April for the field grown rhubarb to be harvested. I’ve baked with both and while hothouse rhubarb has a milder flavor than the field grown variety, it’s still pretty tasty.

I always make this tart to kick off my rhubarb baking season. It’s dead simple and delicious.

Happy spring!

Rhubarb Tart with Orange Glaze
adapted from Gourmet, April 2009

This tart is so good, it’s reason enough to make a batch of puff pastry, especially since the dough freezes well and any leftovers can be stashed for a later use. However, if you’re not in the mood to go through the labor intensive process of making puff pastry, the store bought variety that can be found in the freezer section works well too.

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I used 3 medium sized Texas Valencia oranges)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced diagonally (approximately 1/8 inch)
1 sheet puff pastry (thaw before use if frozen)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1. Make puff pastry according to the directions here. Or if you’re not into that, just pull out the box of frozen puff pastry you bought at the store, remove a sheet, and place it in the refrigerator to thaw out.
2. Prep all ingredients and when you’re ready to assemble the tart, preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit with a rack in the middle. Pour the freshly squeezed orange juice and lime juice into a medium large bowl and add sugar. Stir to mix well. Add the rhubarb slices to the juice/sugar mixture and allow it to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
3. Prep the puff pastry by cutting two rectangles and then roll out each piece into an 11-by 7-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface to a little more than 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the pieces to an ungreased large baking sheet and place them side-by-side. Use a thin paring knife to make a 1/2-inch border around each pastry rectangle making sure not to cut all the way through and use a fork to prick pastry inside the border all over.
4. Strain the rhubarb from the juice mixture and reserve the liquid. Arrange overlapping slices of rhubarb within the borders of each pastry rectangle. Bake the rectangles for approximately 30 minutes until puffy and golden.
5. While the pastry is in the oven, put the reserved juice mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down slightly but allow the liquid to remain at a boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup. This may take up to 15 minutes depending on burner strength.
6. When fully baked, remove the tarts to a rack to cool slightly. Pour or brush the glaze over the tarts and sprinkle with orange zest. Use a pizza slicer to cut each rectangle into serving size pieces and eat immediately! Actually, the tart will keep in the refrigerator for a few days but the syrup will make the puff pastry a bit soggy. I’d advise reheating before serving if kept in the refrigerator.

Brownies with Caramelized White Chocolate

2011-03-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

When preparing to go to Paris to attend pastry school at Le Cordon Bleu, I studied David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris like a high school girl cramming for a final exam.

You often hear of the peculiar ways of Parisians but David captured their peccadilloes best in his hilarious account of adjusting to life in Paris. If you haven’t already, read the book. If you don’t laugh out loud, well, then there’s just no accounting for your sense of humor.

So color me thrilled when David made a stop in Austin recently to teach a class at Central Market Cooking School. I was lucky enough to see the class announcement the day it went out and made a reservation immediately, assuming, rightly so, that it would be a sell out. There were twice as many people on the waiting list as there were seats for the class.

David was just as funny and engaging in person as he is in his book. He totally charmed us; not only with his funny tales but also with his delicious desserts!

Brownies with Caramelized White Chocolate

Of all the incredible desserts David served- a ginger snap cookies sandwiched with Meyer lemon frozen yogurt, a goat cheese soufflé, Ile Flottante (Tangerine Floating Island- a meringue that floats in crème anglaise and is drizzled with a tangerine caramel sauce)- it was the chocolate spice cake with an amazing caramelized white chocolate sauce that most captured my taste buds. I knew I had to make it so I did a rendition on David's Dulce de Leche brownies using caramelized white chocolate. White chocolate gets short shrift from chocolate snobs and for good reason in some cases. Often a cheap coating product made of crappy, hydrogenated animal or vegetable fat, in lieu of cocoa butter, is passed off as white chocolate. Thankfully, US regulations now require that products labeled as white chocolate contain defined minimum amounts of cocoa butter and milk fat. While I agree that white chocolate can be a tad too sweet to eat alone, I’ve found that it is an excellent addition to many of sweet treats. It works well with citrus and is an excellent counterpoint to darker, slightly bitter chocolate, and when combined with coconut, is divine. But when you caramelize it, it is truly a revelation.

Caramelized White Chocolate

adapted from David Lebovitz

12 ounces (340 g) white chocolate
1-2 pinches of flaky sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 250º Fahrenheit (120 C). If you’re using a block of white chocolate, chop into pieces.
2. Spread the white chocolate pieces out on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for approximately ten minutes to melt the chocolate. When melted, remove the pan from the oven and use an offset or rubber spatula to spread the chocolate into a thin layer that covers the baking sheet.
3. Continue to cook the chocolate for approximately 30-60 minutes. Throughout the baking time, check the caramelization progress and stir the chocolate at 10 minute intervals. The end product should be a deep golden brown, similar to the color of peanut butter. Stirring will help to smooth out the caramelized chocolate. David noted the following points: Don’t freak out if it looks lumpy; keep stirring and it will smooth out. If the chocolate becomes grainy, push it through a fine mesh sieve. If you couldn't find a high quality white chocolate with a high cocoa butter ratio, add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or cocoa butter, if available) to the chocolate at the beginning to help with ensuring the chocolate melts smoothly. If all else has failed, put the caramelized chocolate in a food processor or use an immersion blender to smooth it out.
4. When the chocolate has caramelized to the desired color, stir in a good pinch or two of sea salt. Store at room temperature until ready to make brownies. Makes approximately one cup (250 ml).

Brownie recipe
adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

8 T (115 g) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces + additional for greasing pan
6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 c (25 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 c (200 g) sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 c (140 g) all-purpose flour
1 c caramelized white chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit (175 C). Line an 8-inch square pan with a sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If the entire pan can’t be covered with one sheet, overlap with a second sheet placed crosswise. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil lined pan with butter.
2. Place chopped up butter in a medium saucepan and melt over low heat. Then add the chocolate and melt over low heat while constantly stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the cocoa powder. Whisk the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and stir in. Last add the sugar, vanilla, and then the flour. Stir the mixture until smooth.
3. Use a spatula to scrape half of the batter into the foil lined pan. Using another clean spatula, drop half of the caramelized white chocolate over the brownie batter. Swirl the caramelized white chocolate through the batter with a butter knife. Spread the remaining brownie batter over the top, add the other half off the caramelized white chocolate and swirl as described previously.
4. Cover the pan with another piece of foil to prevent the caramelized white chocolate from burning and place the pan in the oven to bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Do a finger test to check for doneness- when the center feels just slightly set, the brownies are done. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely. When cool, remove the brownies from the pan using the foil overhang to lift them. Peel off all foil and cut. Makes approximately 9 large brownies. The brownies can be stored in an air tight container for up to three days.

Country Loaf with Homemade Pimento Cheese

2011-03-11T11:30:00.001-06:00

I’ve been practicing making Tartine Bread’s country loaf lately. So far, my most successful attempt was the first attempt. Go figure.

In honor of my inaugural loaf and to mark the occasion, I decided to attempt another first for me.

I made pimento cheese.

Here’s where I admit something that no self-respecting Southerner ever should: I, heretofore, have always bought pimento cheese at the grocery store.

In my defense, it’s not like I’ve been buying those pre-packaged plastic bins of suspicious orange looking goop. In fact, I am fairly selective in my pimento cheese buying habits. I only buy the made in house pimento cheese found in the deli section of better grocery stores. I like to think someone’s grandma (or aunt or mama) is back there in the store’s kitchen whipping up the batch just for me.

So though I stand firm that store bought pimento cheese can be just as good, I realized it was high time I made a batch of homemade pimento cheese to test my conviction.

I have to say, the homemade pimento cheese I made was so good I almost changed my mind.

Almost... but not quite.

Pimento Cheese
adapted from Bellwether Vance’s recipe

The best ode to pimento cheese I’ve ever read, Bellwether Vance’s Pimento Cheese is Happy Food, is a direct repudiation of my stance. (The fact that it is the only ode to pimento cheese I have ever read should in no way diminish its greatness.) Since it pains me to disagree with as persuasive and entertaining a storyteller as Bellwether, I decided to split the difference. I made a homemade batch of pimento cheese by adapting Bellwether’s recipe to re-create the flavor of my favorite store bought pimento cheese. I think I got pretty close. My original plan was to get all fancy and make a good, garlicky homemade aioli to use in lieu of mayo. I figured this way I’d kill two birds with one stone- I’d have a way to incorporate fresh garlic and avoid the inevitable back and forth about who makes the best mayonnaise. The brand of mayo used in pimento cheese can be a major point of contention. (Can I just point out that the mayo is a vehicle for the other flavors, people, and not the main attraction?) After three failed attempts at making Judy Rodger’s aioli recipe, I gave up and went with Kraft. Many Southerners swear by Hellmans’ or Duke’s mayo but I grew up in a Kraft household and it works just fine.

4 oz medium sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz mozzarella cheese
3 T fresh dill, roughly chopped
1/2 t garlic salt
1 4-ounce jar of pimentos (or pimientos, as they are also called), drained
3-4 T of your preferred mayonnaise or aioli
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Grate the cheeses and portion out the amounts needed. Add the cheese to a medium large mixing bowl.
2. For all other ingredients, use the amounts above as a guide but add to suit your taste. It’s best to start slow and add more, if needed, as you go. Add the pimentos to the cheese (in total, I added approximately ¾ of the jar). Add in the garlic salt, ground pepper, and some chopped dill (in all, I wound up adding approximately 2-3 tablespoons of dill). Lastly, add the mayo. Mix and taste, then adjust accordingly.
3. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the flavors gel but set out at room temp for a short time before serving. You don’t get the full bloom of flavor if pimento cheese is eaten chilled.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies

2011-03-06T11:53:00.001-06:00

So the husband has worked out this deal with a co-worker: said co-worker supplies us with fresh eggs from his hens every week and in return I send baked goods.

The only problem is those hens are pretty prolific egg layers. I’m having a hard time keeping up. When Eric brought home two dozen eggs, I started scrambling (pun intended) for a recipe.

I didn’t scramble long though, since everyone loves chocolate chip cookies.

Really, how could you not? Especially these...

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies
adapted from the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce via 101 Cookbooks' interpretation

There are a million ways to make a chocolate chip cookie and I’m steadily working my way toward trying all of them. I really liked this recipe because not only is baking the cookies in a skillet a quick and easy trick, I also love slicing pie-like wedges of cookie. For some reason this just tickled me. Per the name, these cookies are made using whole wheat flour in lieu of all-purpose white flour. Now, I usually wrinkle my nose at attempts to healthify (yes, I know that’s not really a word) treats but in this case it really works. The whole wheat flour just gives the cookies a slightly nutty, more complex flavor. They aren't overly healthy though, as these cookies do not skimp on butter. It’s just an irrefutable truth that you cannot make a tasty chocolate chip cookie with a nice texture without loading on the butter. Sad but true. So I’d just rather eat less of a really good cookie. These cookies break my rule, though- they’re so good it’s hard to eat less!

3 c (13.5 oz/380 g) whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 1/4 t fine grain sea salt
2 sticks (8 oz/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for buttering pan
1 c (5 oz /140 g) dark brown sugar
1 cup / 7 oz/200 g sugar
2 large eggs
2 t pure vanilla extract
8 oz (225 g) bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into 1/4- and 1/2-inch pieces or use chocolate chips like I did

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit with a rack centered in the middle. Butter a 12 inch ovenproof skillet that is at least 2 inches deep. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
2. In another large bowl add the butter and the sugars and mix until blended. Mixing can be done by hand with a wooden spoon or using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment set on low speed. If using a mixer be sure to have a spatula on hand to scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add the eggs in one at a time and mix until combined. Then add the vanilla. Add in the sifted flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 30 seconds if using a mixer set on low speed.
3. Add most of the chocolate to the batter but reserve a small amount for sprinkling on top. Mix in the chocolate until evenly dispersed. Scrape the batter out of the bowl and into the skillet and use your hands to press it into the skillet to form an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate over the top and press it into the dough lightly.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cookie is golden brown around the edge and the center feels set when lightly poked with a finger. Remove from oven and allow to sit on a rack until cool before slicing the cookies. Cut in wedges to serve.

Baked Sunday Mornings: Devil's Food Cake with Angel Frosting

2011-02-27T10:00:00.010-06:00

Cake is both my vice and my nemesis.

I love a good cake like nobody’s business and yet my attempts at cake making have been fraught with peril. For proof that I’m not just being dramatic (although I have a tendency to do so), I refer you to exhibits a) nervous breakdown, b) crumb=sawdust, and c) icing megaFAIL.

But you know what they say…

Practice makes perfect.

So when I first looked over the list of recipes for Baked Sunday Mornings, I knew that I’d be making the Devil’s Food Cake.

And I’m happy to report that the cake was not nearly the catastrophe it could have been.

Devil's Food Cake with Angel Icing
recipe from Baked Explorations

I guess I had better admit that there was one close call. I was practically in tears when I pulled the pans from the oven and saw that the layers didn't rise. I just knew that the cake was going to be as hard and dense as a brick. But surprisingly, it wasn’t. In fact, the crumb was light and moist. Almost delicate, even. My only complaint was the icing. It didn’t really have much flavor other than being cloyingly sweet. If I were to make it again, I think I’d double the vanilla and maybe even add a pinch of salt to brighten it up. But more likely I’d just go with a chocolate ganache.

Homemade Samoas (Caramel deLites)

2011-02-24T13:09:00.004-06:00

Did you know you can make Girl Scout cookies at home? You probably already knew this. It seems like everyone on earth (besides me) knew this.

A quick internet search will turn up a plethora of blog posts on homemade Girl Scout cookies. Crystal brought this one to my attention. And look at Lisa’s homemade Thin Mints - so pretty! Also, check out Baking Powders’ take on them.

Somehow I missed out on this phenomenon. Heretofore, I just waited around to get my fix during those few special weeks of the year when little green clad girls peddle their goods.

Until now.

In true fashion, I’m always the last one to the party. But at least I finally made it, right?

Homemade Samoas (aka Caramel deLites)

You’ll find that these cookie bars aren’t nearly as sweet as their Girl Scout cookie namesake and as such aren’t a faithful re-creation of the original. That being said, I really like the more nuanced flavor of these bars- you can actually taste the buttery shortbread and the toasted coconut instead of just a chocolate and caramel sugar rush. I like to think of these cookie bars as a grown up, more sophisticated homage to the original.

Shortbread *adapted from the Lemon Lust Bar recipe in Flour by Joanne Chang
½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 T granulated sugar
1 T confectioners’ sugar
1 egg yolk
½ t vanilla extract
½ c unbleached all-purpose flour
½ c cake flour
¼ t baking powder
¼ t kosher salt

Caramel
½ c granulated sugar
½ c water
½ c heavy cream

Topping
½ c toasted coconut chips
½ c bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted for drizzling

1. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with two pieces of parchment paper, cut to fit and overlapping the sides of the pan. To make the shortbread, in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 5 min). Scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are mixed in. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until combined. Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Continue mixing until that the dough has an even consistency.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, form into a disk approximately 1 inch thick, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes until chilled. It should be firm but still somewhat pliable before working with it (note the dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month).
4. Pre-heat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit with the rack positioned in the center.

5. While the dough is chilling, make the caramel sauce. In a medium sauce pan, add the sugar and water and cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and allow the mixture to cook without stirring until the sugar caramelizes to a deep golden brown color. (Watch the sugar closely as it will burn quickly.) As soon as the sugar has caramelized, remove the pan from the heat and immediately but very carefully and slowly add the heavy cream. Take care when adding the cream as the mixture will froth and may splatter. You may want to place a strainer over the pan and pour the cream through the strainer to minimize splattering. Stir in the cream until the caramel has a smooth consistency. Set aside to cool slightly.
6. On a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll the chilled dough out to approximately the size of the parchment lined baking pan. Then roll it over the pin to transfer to the pan. Use your fingers to press the dough into the corners of the pan. It should be approximately the same thickness all around.
7. Bake the shortbread until the edges have turned light brown, approximately 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack to cool slightly.

8. Pour the caramel over the shortbread and use an offset spatula to smooth. Sprinkle on the toasted coconut flakes. Before drizzling on the chocolate, lift up the overhanging pieces of the parchment paper to loosen the shortbread from the pan and then transfer to a cutting board. Remove the parchment paper. Cut into 12 bars and place the bars on wax paper.
9. Here’s a quick, cheater’s version of tempering chocolate. This method won’t fully temper chocolate but it does make it easier to work with and allows it to set up: melt 2/3 of the total amount of bittersweet chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals until fully melted and then add the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate and allow to sit until the added chocolate melts. Then stir the chocolate until smooth. Spoon the chocolate into a small plastic bag and cut off the tip of one corner. Using the plastic bag as a makeshift piping bag, drizzle the chocolate over the bars and set aside to allow the chocolate to set up. The bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.

Chaussons aux Pommes (Apple Turnovers)

2011-02-21T10:53:00.001-06:00

You know how you always turn into whatever you once laughed at and sneered about? I’m sure you do. It’s a universal law- the scoffer will one day become the scoffee. Happens to everyone. (At least that’s what I tell myself.)

So. I once made fun of people who wash out food containers and plastic bags for re-use later.

Sadly, no more. I’ve joined their ranks.

Somehow in the last few years I’ve developed hoader-ish qualities. I prefer to think of this proclivity to re-use as a higher form of recycling and less as an obsessive, compulsive disorder. Quite frankly, it’s probably a little of both.

I’d be ashamed to tell you how many plastic food containers I have stashed in a kitchen drawer. It’s unseemly, really. When the overflow blocks the drawer from closing, Eric gets exasperated and dumps the entire drawer contents into the recycle bin. And then I start all over again.

(My apologies in advance. If you’re ever at my home and I offer to pack up some leftovers for you and pull out a gently used plastic bag, please don’t be offended. Also, I haven’t yet started re-using cling wrap but I’m sure that’s right around the corner.)

The thing is, I need all those containers and re-purposed plastic bags. How else would I fill our freezer with the food odds and ends that I can’t bear to throw out?

I’ve lost count of the number of rotisserie chicken carcasses I’ve stored away in the freezer for stock making. I know I’ve filled at least one extra-extra large plastic bag (from the grocery store bulk section- whenever I buy rolled oats I always justify taking an extra large bag since I know I’ll re-use it). I’ve got another bag for the chicken scraps I salvaged from those carcasses that will be perfect for enchiladas at some later date.

It gets a bit more random from there so I won't go into all the other half forgotten food articles collected in my freezer.

But. In between all the flotsam and jetsom are a few real gems. Just last week I pulled out a frozen baguette half that made perfect crostini to accompany a salad.

And if I hadn’t stashed away the leftover puff pastry dough from those pain au chocolat I made last year, I wouldn’t have these lovely chausson aux pommes.

(It’s just too bad that I forgot about the container of frozen apple pie filling leftovers I had saved for the very purpose of making chaussons. C'est la vie.)

Chaussons Aux Pommes (Apple Turnovers)

adapted from the recipe I was taught at Le Cordon Bleu

O.K. This is a little scary but I attempted to convert the metric measurements in the original apple compote recipe I was taught at Le Cordon Bleu into American. (Why are we the only country that has yet to adopt the metric system?) So anywho, please forgive me but the ingredient amounts below may be off a smidge due to the conversion. I rounded up- or down - as needed. If you’re the anal type, get out a scale and use the metric measurements given to measure out the ingredients. When serving these at a Super Bowl get together, such as I did, refer to them by their more familiar name as apple turnovers.

see recipe for puff pastry (or purchase frozen puff pastry)

Apple Compote
2-3 medium apples (I used some pretty little Fujis from North Texas)
2 T (50 g) butter
heaping ¼ c (50 g) brown sugar
¼ t of ground cinnamon
½ t vanilla
3 T (50 ml) water

Assembly

1 egg, beaten (to use as egg wash)

simple sugar syrup (1:1 ratio sugar to water)

1. (This recipe assumes that the puff pastry has been made ahead or purchased and is thawed and ready for use.) To make the compote, peel, core and dice the apples into uniformly sized chunks (approximately ¼ inch cubes).

2. In a small pan on medium heat, melt the butter and then add brown sugar, spices, and apples. Cook until the mixture reaches a boil. As it cooks, only add just as much water as is needed (depending on how juicy the apples were) to maintain a slightly liquid consistency. Once the apple mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat but leave the mixture on the hot burner to dry it out a bit and then spread the compote out on a baking sheet to allow it to completely cool before filling the pastry.

3. Preheat the oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Removed the thawed but well chilled puff pastry dough from the refrigerator and lay it out on a lightly floured surface. Using an approximately 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and transfer the rounds to a baking sheet. When finished cutting dough rounds, place the baking sheet filled with the dough rounds in the refrigerator and re-chill.

4. When you’re ready to assemble the turnovers, take the dough circles from the refrigerator one at a time and, using a floured rolling pin, roll the circles out into slightly larger ovals. Be sure to leave a thicker lip on one side of the oval. Place about 2 tablespoons of compote on the side of the oval with the thicker lip and brush the lip with a little egg wash. Fold over the other side of the dough oval to seal. Your turnovers should look like half circles. Use a sharp paring knife to cut a simple (or elaborate, if you wish) pattern on the top side of the turnover. (I went with slashes on the diagonal because that’s about as involved as my carving skills allow.) Brush both sides of the turnover with egg wash and return to the refrigerated sheet pan so that they remain chilled until you’re ready to bake.

5. Continue to repeat this process with the rest of the dough and compote. Prepare parchment or silpat-lined baking sheets and place the chilled turnovers on the sheets. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the turnovers are golden and crisp. If you find that they aren’t as golden as you’d like, place under a broiler for 1-2 minutes. Be sure to watch them constantly as they can go from golden to burnt quickly.

6. When the turnovers are baked, remove to a rack to cool. While cooling, make a simple syrup using a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water heated in a small pan to just under a boil and the sugar is fully dissolved. Once fully cooled, brush turnovers with the simple syrup and serve while hot. Store leftovers in an airtight container. The turnovers can be reheated in a warm oven.

The left over scraps of puff pastry dough make marvelous cinnamon twists. Gather up all scraps and work them with your hands to form a cohesive ball of dough. Roll the ball out into a rectangle shape and cut thin strips. Brush the strips lightly with egg wash and dredge in a 1:1 cinnamon sugar mix. Lay the strips on a prepared baking sheet and holding one side of a strip as an anchor, use your other hand to twist the strip. Bake at 375º Fahrenheit for 5-8 minutes until done.

Almond Rochers for ATXSwappers, Round #2

2011-02-15T09:14:00.000-06:00

For the second ATXSwappers meetup I made homemade dog biscuits, sourdough French bread from Tartine Bread's recipe, and rochers (see recipe below).

There were almost twice as many participants for the second meetup- apparently word got around after the first swap. The amount and quality of the swap offerings was truly amazing. We have some crazy talented cooks here in Austin. If you’re interested in checking out the swappage action, Jo Ann posted a great video.

When swapping time rolled around, it was tough to choose from all the gorgeous offerings and I missed out on quite a few items I would have liked. I did go home with a beautiful bouquet of herbs from Susan, homemade oreos and pop tarts from Andrea, Kathryn’s whole wheat beer bread mix, Kristina’s meyer lemon and blood orange sorbets, JW’s peanut butter semifreddo and poundcake, Gemma and Michael’s millionaire’s shortbread and marshmallows, and some awesome benne wafers and biscotti.

Kathryn's Milk Chocolate Chai Truffles

Austin is now in a full-on swapping frenzy as evidenced by the fact that the third swap filled up the first day the invite went out. I’m sitting out the February swap in order to allow others to participate in the fun but I’ll be back soon enough. In the meantime, I’m enjoying all the delicious goodies I brought home.

I wasn't able to snag a bottle of Limoncello but I got to sample it and it was divine!

Susan's majoram infused vodka above and her mini fougasse below

Rochers
adapted from Tartine

I’ve made rochers previously but didn’t include the recipe in the old post so here it is. I decided to make the crunchier, drier version of rochers this time. Rochers can be baked at a higher oven temp so that just the outer layer of the meringue is crispy - when you bite into one, the center of the meringue is cooked but still on the gooey side. I tend to prefer the dryer version but I was a little sad these rochers were missing the pretty cracking and coloring that occurs when the rochers are baked at a higher temp. For my next batch, I think I’ll tinker and increase the oven temperature somewhat but still see if I can bake the rochers long enough to dry out the meringue.

1 c ( 4 ounces) sliced almonds, toasted
2 egg whites
2/3 t vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Preheat the oven to 200º Fahrenheit. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Use a rolling pin to coarsely breakup the toasted almonds into 1/4-inch pieces and set aside.
2. Add vanilla, salt, and the egg whites to the bowl of an electric mixer and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip the egg whites until frothy and then slowly add the confectioner sugar. Continue to whip until stiff, glossy peaks form. By hand, using a spatula, fold in the almond pieces. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a No. 6 or No. 7 plain round pastry tip. On the prepared baking sheet, pipe out mounds shaped similar to a Hershey’s Kiss about 1 1/4 inches at the base, with a peak about 2 inches high. Leave approximately 1/2-inch space between each cookie. Have a toothpick or some such handy as larger pieces of the broken almonds pieces may stick in the pastry tip and need to be dislodged. (You can also skip the pastry bag and drop spoonfuls of the meringue onto the pan.)
3. Place the rochers in the oven with a wooden spoon inserted in the oven door opening so that it remains slightly ajar. Bake rochers until the meringue has completely dried, about 50-60 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Cheddar + Dill Gougères

2011-02-09T14:34:00.002-06:00

In addition to the gluten free cake I brought to the second meet up of ATXSwappers, I thought I’d also bring something for the flour eaters. So I whipped (actually, more like beat) up a batch of gougères.

I never cease to be amazed how something as simple as flour can be combined with a liquid to make so many myriad and delicious creations. These gougères are a perfect example of how flour and a few other humble ingredients chemically react to make something wondrous. Funny, I never knew those mystifying reactions I had to execute in Chem Lab during college would be good practice for my future baking efforts. If they had only taught Introduction to Chemistry thorough pastry and bread making, I feel sure my grade would have been much better.

Cheddar + Dill Gougères
adapted from Tartine

You can make gougères with any combination of cheese and herbs. You can also skip the herbs and just stick with cheese. Go wild! It’s hard to mess up gougères. I happen to particularly like a cheddar/dill combo. Also, I planted dill this fall and it’s now growing out of control so I was happy to put it to good use. I’ve made the gruyère/thyme version featured in the Tartine cookbook and they’re tasty as well. Gougères can be made as smaller, puff-like balls that are perfect for popping in your mouth and eating in one bite. For the swap, though, I wanted a larger, more substantially sized gougère. I’d say these were approximately biscuit sized. I baked them just before leaving for the swap from choux dough made a day ahead and piped out onto a baking sheet and then frozen overnight. My batch took forever and a day to bake completely (over an hour) and I’m sure this was due to the frozen dough. Don’t think I’ll try the freezer trick again.

Note: gougères really aren’t a good option for making ahead and transporting, to tell you the truth. They’re best strait from the oven. While they can be re-warmed, they don’t exactly retain the same wonderfully light airiness as when freshly baked. Of course, I never follow my own advice but you really should. Save this recipe to make when you’re having company and want to offer them a delicious starter or appetizer- they’re simple to make but the result (and taste) is pretty impressive.

Choux Pastry
1 1/4 c nonfat milk or water (or use 5 ounces whole milk + 5 ounces water)
10 T unsalted butter
1 t salt
1 c all purpose flour
5 large eggs
3/4 c cheddar cheese, grated
2 T fresh dill, minced

Topping
1 large egg
pinch salt
grated cheddar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
2. To make the choux, add milk and/or water, butter, and salt to a large saucepan and allow the butter to melt over medium heat. When melted, continue to heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir. Keep stirring continuously for approximately 3 minutes until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the pan.
3. Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. When all eggs have been added, the mixture should be thick and smooth.
4. Using a rubber spatula, add grated cheddar and chopped dill to the dough by hand.
5. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with large plain tip (no. 8 or 10). Pipe two to three inch mounds onto the prepared baking sheet leaving approximately 1 inch between each mound.
6. For the topping, make an egg wash by whisking one egg with pinch of salt. Lightly brush the egg wash over each mound and sprinkle each with extra cheese.
7. Bake the gougères for 35-45 minutes until they have puffed up and are browned. Remove from the oven when done and place on a rack to cool just slightly before serving. Shortly after removing from the oven, be sure to poke a small hole in the side of each gougère to allow steam to escape. This will prevent them from collapsing (if making smaller gougères, this step isn’t necessary). Gougères are best served immediately but they can be re-warmed in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Gluten Free Tangerine Cake with Chocolate Ganache

2011-02-03T15:18:00.001-06:00

This cake is my first attempt at (intentionally) making a gluten-free dessert. I’m so thankful I don’t have any dietary restrictions but I’m becoming increasingly aware that others aren’t so lucky. Everyone deserves to be able to eat a delicious dessert, though, right?

I decided to make this cake for the second meet up of the ATXSwappers since, in addition to our swap items, we all bring a snack to share with the group. That way we have something to nosh on as we peruse the swap goods and strategize on what to trade and with whom. Since many of the swappers are gluten intolerant, I thought I’d bring a treat that all could enjoy.

The swap was a great success and I think the cake went over well, so all in all, a good night!

Tangerine Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson

I initially saw this Nigella Lawson recipe on SmittenKitchen’s site. Shortly after I saw the recipe and saved it, I read Like Mother, Like Daughter’s post on orange cake. That cake looked so delicious with a chocolate ganache coating, I just had to pinch the idea. Thanks Ur Mom Cooks! Isn’t everything better with chocolate? Nigella’s recipe called for using clementines. I subbed tangerines because I still had a few of the gorgeous, juicy specimens from Carrizo Springs that I used in the Tangerine Tart I made a few weeks back. Note- this cake is super moist. In fact, I was worried I hadn’t baked it long enough when I first cut into it but I knew that couldn’t be the case since it was in the oven an hour. The moist consistency was a little off-putting to me at first. I got over it by the second slice, though. By the third slice, I decided I quite liked it!

Tangerine Cake
4 to 5 tangerines (approximately 1 pound)
6 eggs
1 c plus 2 T sugar
2 1/3 c ground almonds
1 heaping t baking powder

Chocolate ganache
1 c heavy cream
1-2 T tangerine juice
9 ounces of chopped dark chocolate

1. Put the tangerines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for 2 hours. Monitor the water level and add additional water as needed. Drain and, when cool, cut each tangerine in half and remove the seeds. Finely chop the skins, pith, and fruit in a food processor or by hand.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper as well. If you’re starting with whole nuts, grind the almonds in a food processor and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a wooden spoon to mix and then add the sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder. Mix well and then add the chopped tangerines and mix again to incorporate.
4. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean (start checking it at 40 minutes and keep a close eye on it). Cover the pan with foil if the top of the cake starts to brown too much. Remove from the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a rack. When fully cool, remove the cake from the pan.
5. While the cake is cooling, make the chocolate ganache. Pour the cream and 1-2 tablespoons of tangerine juice into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Put the chopped chocolate in a small, heat proof bowl. As soon as the cream reaches a simmer, pour it over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate. Then stir the cream and chocolate to combine until it reaches a smooth consistency.
6. Once the cake has cooled and you’ve removed it from the pan, set the cake back on the cooling rack placed over a sheet pan (to catch the over flow) to coat with the chocolate gananche. I left the bottom of the springform pan on because I was transporting my cake. If not, go ahead and remove the pan bottom. The ganache may need to sit for 30 minutes or so to set up to a thicker consistency but be sure it is still liquid when coating the cake so that it pours easily. Pour the ganache over the cake and set aside for 1-2 hours to allow the ganache to set up completely. Do not place the cake in the refrigerator to set the ganache or it will sweat when you serve it and won’t be as attractive. I purposefully didn’t cover the entire cake in ganache to allow the pretty orange color of the cake to peak through.

Nigella’s note: An equal weight of oranges and lemons can be used but increase the sugar to 1 1/4 cups. You can also add a glaze made of confectioners' sugar mixed to a paste with the juice of whatever citrus you’re using and a little water, if needed. She also said she this cake is even better a day after it's made so this is a great one if you need to make something ahead of time for an event.

Puppy Love: Homemade Dog Biscuits

2011-01-28T09:03:00.002-06:00

Like many pet owners, my husband and I could be accused of doting on our dogs. For most of the ten years that we’ve had “the kids,” I’ve never really worried about such accusations. But now we’re at that point in our lives (mid-30s) where it’s time to decide if we’re going to stick exclusively with furry kids or introduce the human variety to the pack. Is there room in our hearts and home for a non-canine dependant?

That, I have to admit, is one of many things that really gives me pause about having a baby. I worry that a baby would take attention away from our furry kids and that they would get relegated to the sidelines. That may sound a bit odd, but I reason the dogs were here first and have loved us (mostly unconditionally) longer, so shouldn’t they only naturally get top billing? I know many blended families that have successfully incorporated human kiddos into their canine pack without major fanfare. But some dogs are easier going than others. Ours, not so much.

Harry LuLu Jack

LuLu, our Chocolate Lab, has ruled the household ever since she came bounding into our hearts as a chubby, adorable, exuberant puppy. She had the most enormous feet of any puppy I had ever seen. Everyone joked that if she grew into those feet, we were going to be in big trouble. Well, she did, and she’s now a solid one hundred pounds of willful, wily, unwieldiness. Despite her ginormousness, she’s also very girly and can be imperious – in short, she’s quite the princess. Consequently, she has Eric wrapped around her finger. And though she often drives me crazy, she can melt my heart in 2 seconds flat when she comes over and puts her head in my lap and gives me her best worried brow look. Those eyebrows of hers are a highly effective weapon. The brows are her ace in the hole and she well knows it. (They've gotten her out of hot water with me more than once.)

When it became apparent that she was going to be high maintenance, we decided to get LuLu a friend. We figured she needed to learn to share the spot light lest she be spoiled by our fawning adoration. Also, we hoped she would enjoy some company and that having another dog around to play with would help wear off some of her endless supply of energy. We adopted Jack, sight unseen, from a co-worker of Eric’s. The whole sight-unseen part worked to his advantage. Not that it would have changed my mind about taking him, but Jack was quite possibly the ugliest puppy I had ever seen. He gave new meaning to the old saying, “a face only a mother could love.” He was and still is a funny looking little dude. As best as we can tell, he’s part Boston Terrier, part Chinese Pug. While he may be homely, he’s usually on his best behavior (unlike the other two) and he follows me like a shadow. Wherever I go, he goes. Don’t tell LuLu and Harry, but Jack’s my favorite.

Harry came to us after the hurricane. (Ivan- not Katrina. There were other hurricanes, you know.) Although our home was spared any major damage, the months of living with the aftermath and debris were tough. I got in the habit of taking long walks in the ‘hood to help relieve stress. One night while out walking, a cute but goofy looking Beagle mutt toddled up to me. I stopped to give him a pet and say hello and then re-commenced my stroll. I had gone a few blocks before I realized the Beagle was following me. So I stopped again and my heart sank when I noticed he didn’t have tags and, on closer inspection, looked dirty, tired, and hungry. I decided to keep walking and see if he would continue to follow me. He did, all the way through the front door of our home and into our lives. To make a long story short, Harry came to us with a bad case of heart worms and several cracked ribs. He’s very reticent, tends to cower, and can be melancholy and mopey. We’re not sure if that’s just his personality (he seems to have some Basset Hound in him) or the result of prior abuse or neglect. He’s no shrinking violet, though. He’s stubborn as a mule and will deliberately try you just to get a reaction. I call him Harry-Harry-Quite-Contrary. We’ve just learned to accommodate his idiosyncrasies and love him despite his orneriness. Some days, we even think he loves us back.

So I’m told by Moms who know that you love your human children unconditionally as well, no matter their foibles and quirks, and that there is room in your heart for all your kiddos, both canine and human. That makes sense, I guess. I just don’t know if there’s enough room in the pups’ hearts for a baby. They already have to share the couch with us and seem none too pleased. Besides, I can just see LuLu’s big ass crawling in the Pack-n-Play and smooshing it to smithereens. And Jack hates baby cries. We learned this when he tweaked out and yapped all evening when friends came over for dinner and brought their infant. That would get old in a hurry. At least Harry can be counted on to ignore the baby, just as he does everyone else.

Despite the medical profession’s irritating proclivity toward treating expectant Moms over 34 years of age as freaks of nature to be closely monitored as “high-risk” patients, I think we’ll wait awhile until we figure out our family dynamics.

Or maybe we'll skip the baby and just get a cat. I wonder if introducing a kitty into the pack would be harder or easier than a baby?

Homemade Dog Biscuits

My boss gave my dogs these homemade treats as a Christmas gift from her furry kids, Will and Canela. The pups loved the biscuits and since she passed along the recipe as well, I’ll be making them quite frequently. They’re super simple to make and much cheaper and more nutritious than that nasty fake dog bacon sold in stores. I used organic flour and stock and natural peanut butter. Obviously, you can use whatever you have on hand. Jiff can't possibly be as bad as the waste grade ingredients found in most store bought dog treats so you'll still be doing your pup a favor.

1 c natural peanut butter (no added sugar)
1 ½ c all-purpose, unbleached flour
¾ c organic chicken broth

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack centered in the middle. Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl to form a dough. Knead the dough to ensure all ingredients are fully combined and then roll out to ½ inch thickness.
2. Cut out biscuits with a cookie cutter and place on baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 20-25 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Salted Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2011-01-20T10:04:00.003-06:00

I love it when I stumble across something that tastes so good that it consumes me until I just physically can’t stop myself from proceeding directly to the kitchen to recreate it. Such is the case with these cookies.

While out running a quick errand, I decided I needed a pick me up. It was the middle part of the day and lunch had worn off but it was still too early for dinner; I just needed a quick nibble to get me through. That was my plan for my maiden visit to The Steeping Room. The little cafe looked so inviting and a cup of tea sounded just right.

As I walked up to the counter to order tea, I couldn’t help but notice the huge case of baked goods. Of course, I couldn’t resist. I suspect I’m not the first person to succumb to its lovely offerings. In fact, I’m sure it was strategically placed right there at the counter so that no one could resist. Or at least no one with only a normal reserve of will power. I’m sure some people have super human powers of resistance and perhaps they could have walked away from Salted Toffee Chocolate Chunk cookies. I’m thankful I’m not one of them.

A sensible person would have ordered a nice herbal tea and have avoided the obscene amount of calories these cookies were sure to impart. Me? I went for the cookie and ordered a whole milk café au lait to accompany it. I figure in for a penny, in for a pound.

It's times like these that you have to remember that life is short. While I’d like to be sensible, the truth is that when given an opportunity, I’m almost always going to take the cookie. I hope you do, too, because these babies are not to be missed!

Salted Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Shortly after polishing off that divine cookie from The Steeping Room, I started Googling recipes. It didn’t take long to hit upon one from the Blue Eyed Bakers. Their original recipe called for Heath Bar Bits o’ Brickle Toffee chips but I think it’s just as easy to make the toffee at home and save a trip to the store. Also, these cookies are pretty rich so I made slightly smaller cookies than suggested (I do have a small measure of restraint). If you prefer to make a large cookie, use a 2 ounce ice cream scoop to measure out the cookies. The yield should be around 16 cookies in the larger size. I used muscovado sugar as it is more nutrient rich than other brown sugars because it retains more of the minerals found in raw sugarcane juice. I’ve read that you should slightly reduce the amount of liquid ingredients in a recipe when subbing muscovado for regular brown sugar but I didn’t bother and these cookies turned out fine.

Cookies- adapted from a Blue Eyed Bakers recipe
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup muscovado sugar (or sub regular light/dark brown sugar), packed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Callebaut)
1 cup toffee pieces (see recipe below)
Fleur de sel

Homemade Toffee- adapted from FunkySeaMonkey’s recipe on All Recipes
1 c butter
1 c sugar
½ t salt

First, make the toffee:
1. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, while stirring occasionally, and cook until the temperature reaches 285 degrees Fahrenheit and the mixture is a dark amber color.
2. As soon as the toffee reaches 285 degrees Fahrenheit, pour it out into a 9” x 13” Pyrex baking dish.
3. Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.
*Makes approximately 2 cups of toffee pieces.

Then make the cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add flour mixture and blend until completely incorporated. Stir in chocolate and toffee. Place the dough in the refrigerator to rest for 24 hours.
3. When ready to bake, bring the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up just a bit so that it will be easy to scoop. Using a tablespoon, drop heaping mounds of cookie dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat and use your fingers to flatten the mounds slightly. Sprinkle each cookie with a generous pinch of fleur de sel. Bake until cookies just start to brown, 13-15 minutes, and rotate the pans halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
*Recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

I linked this post to Sweet As Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday.

Peace Through Pie: Tangerine Cream Tart

2011-01-17T14:08:00.002-06:00

I learned about the Peace Through Pie movement from my boss. She knew that I’d jump at the chance to bake for a good cause so she passed along a message regarding a pie social.

Right she was.

In fact, I was delighted to participate in Peace Through Pie’s 3rd annual Dream Pie Social to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event was held at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, a historic landmark founded by freed slaves in the Clarksville neighborhood in Austin, TX. The Pie Social featured a service with music from the fabulous Bells of Joy, a pie contest, silent pie auction, and a pie tasting. All proceeds from the event went to the church’s restoration fund.

What better way to celebrate Dr. King’s teachings on unity, equality, love, and non-violence than to share pie with others?

Pie + Love = Peace

The kiddos at Matthews Elementary provided artwork for the event with their hopes and dreams.

Tangerine Cream Tart
adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

I swear “Does not follow instructions well” should be my epitaph. Admittedly, a tart is not technically a pie but they are closely related. Often, they share the same chapter in a cookbook, which is exactly how I came to make a tart instead of a pie. I was dutifully searching for a pie recipe to utilize some lovely Carrizo Springs tangerines I picked up at the market when I happened upon Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for this orange cream tart in Baking: From My Home to Yours. I knew it would be the perfect way to highlight the tangerines so I just couldn’t pass it up.

This tart dough is challenging to work with and so I added a few steps to the recipe that I think would be helpful. I found chilling the dough well before working with it greatly helps with handling. Much like shortbread, this dough is a pâte sablée and is “sandy” meaning it will feel dry and crumbly. Dorie’s instructions call for pressing the crumbly dough into the tart mold but you must not overwork the dough by pressing too much or too heavily or you’ll lose the crumbly shortbread texture. Even though I added an additional ½ egg yolk, I still found the dough too dry and had to work it more than I liked to line the tart mold. Consequently, the crust stuck to the bottom of the mold and was tougher than I liked. I had placed the second round that I reserved for making the star cookies to top the tart in the refrigerator over night and it rolled out very easily and was a breeze to work with. So I adjusted the recipe instructions to chill the dough so that it can be rolled out and fitted into the mold instead of pressed in. I also recommend re-chilling the tart well before serving, as the filling will loosen up when whisking it to fill the tart shell. Re-chilling will allow it to set up again so it won’t be runny when serving.

The cookie topping on this tart is optional but is a cute touch. Dorie’s instructions call for using any cutter shape as long as the cookie is less than 2” in diameter. Since I’m in Texas, I used a star cookie cutter. When I first moved to Texas, my old co-worker, Ellen (a displaced yankee) and I spent much time discussing the peculiarities of Texans. She gave me some very sage advice regarding a PowerPoint design that I find widely applicable in many other arenas. She told me, “Put a star on it- they’ll love it!” Since then, whenever possible, I heed her advice.

Orange Filling
1 c sugar
Grated zest of 3 tangerines
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
Scant 3/4 c fresh tangerine (or orange) juice
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 t unflavored gelatin
1 T cold water
2 3/4 sticks (11 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, at cool room temperature

Sweet Tart Dough- makes two 9” rounds
3 c all-purpose flour
1 c confectioner’s sugar
1/2 t salt
2 sticks plus 2 T (18 T) frozen, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2-3 large egg yolks

1. In a food processor, add the flour, confectioner’s sugar and salt to the processor bowl and combine by pulsing a couple of times. Scatter the butter pieces in the bowl and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. In a small bowl, stir the egg yolks to break it up and then add it to the processor bowl a little at a time and pulse after each addition. When all ingredients have been added, pulse the mixture in 10 seconds intervals until the dough forms clumps. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and lightly knead the dough to incorporate any remaining dry ingredients. Divide the dough in two and work each portion into a loose disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for approximately 1 hour.
2. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll one of the dough rounds out between two pieces of wax paper and then wrap over the rolling pin to transfer to the tart pan. Use the pin to lay the dough round over the top of the tart pan and, using your hands, gently and evenly work it into the bottom and sides of the pan. ***Reserve a small amount of dough and place it in the refrigerator for use in case the crust cracks while baking. Place the tart pan in the freezer to allow the crust to freeze for at least 30 minutes (longer is better- I placed mine in the freezer over night) before baking.
3. While the tart shell is freezing, roll out the second dough round to approximately 1/8” thickness and use any cookie cutter with less than a 2” diameter to cut out cookie shapes for topping the tart. Brush the cookies with egg wash (beat an egg with a tablespoon or two of water) and sprinkle with decorating sugar. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 - 13 minutes and watch them closely so that they don’t color too much. Turn halfway through baking and take out of the oven when done but still pale. Place on a rack to cool.
4. For this recipe, you will fully bake the crust before filling it. With the rack centered in the oven, preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and wrap the buttered side of the foil tightly against the crust. Pie weights won’t be needed since the crust is frozen. With the tart pan placed on a baking sheet, bake the crust for 25 minutes and then remove the foil. If puffy, use the back of a spoon to press it down gently.
5. Bake the crust for another 8 minutes or so until golden brown. Transfer the tart pan to a rack to cool the crust to room temperature before filling.
***Dorie’s note on patching the crust: If there are any cracks, patch with some of the reserved raw dough as soon as you remove the foil. Slice of a thin piece of the dough, place it over the crack, moisten the edges and very gently smooth the edges into the baked crust. Bake for another 2 minutes to take the rawness off the patch.
6. To make the filling, have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender or food processor on hand. In a saucepan large enough to sit a mixing bowl over, add a few inches of water and bring to a simmer.
7. In a large heatproof bowl of a size that will fit over the saucepan, rub the sugar and lemon and orange zests together between your fingertips until the sugar is moist, grainy and very aromatic. Whisk in the eggs and then the orange and lemon juice. Set the bowl over the sauce pan of simmering water and start whisking as soon as the mixture feels slightly warm to the touch. The cream must be cooked until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit while whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling. As the cream gets close to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, you will feel it begin to thicken. When the cream is thick enough that the whisk leaves tracks, it’s almost ready. Note: this process can take as long as 10 minutes. As soon as the cream comes up to temperature, remove the cream from the heat and strain it into the container of the blender (or food processor) to remove the bits of zest.
8. Soften the gelatin in the cold water, then microwave for 15 seconds to dissolve it. Add the gelatin to the filling and pulse once to blend, then let the filling cool to for about 10 minutes. With the processor going, add the butter a few pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides as you add to ensure all butter is incorporated. Once the butter has been added, continue to process the cream for another 3 minutes. If the machine starts to get hot, work in 1-minute intervals, to allow it to rest between beats.
9. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 10. When you are ready to assemble the tart, whisk the cream until it has loosened and then pour the cream evenly into the crust and use an offset spatula to smooth. Place the tart into the refrigerator to allow the filling to set up again, at least 1 hour before serving. When ready to serve, remove the tart from the refrigerator and top with the cookies.

Chocolate, Grapefruit, and Star Anise Cookies with White Chocolate Ganache Filling

2011-01-13T08:43:00.002-06:00

I stand corrected. I do like grapefruit. Or maybe I just like any flavor when combined with chocolate. Whatever. These cookies are awesome!

Chocolate, Grapefruit, and Star Anise Cookies with White Chocolate Ganache Filling

In my previous post on the citrus booty I brought back from my Christmas visit to my hometown, Pensacola, FL, I mentioned that I don't care for grapefruit and wasn't sure what to do with the specimens I brought back. Well, I now have to eat those words and boy, am I glad! I found this recipe for chocolate cookies while searching Epicurious for desserts with grapefruit as an ingredient. I knew a chocolate cookie with a hint of grapefruit zest was a safe bet because almost any citrus flavor complements chocolate well. I also really liked that this recipe added a bit of complexity to the cookie flavor with the addition of star anise. I decided to amp up the complexity just a bit more by sprinkling fleur de sel on the tops of the cookies.

After making these cookies, it occurred to me that they would be even better with a filling to sandwich between them. I had left over white chocolate from the Baked Sunday Mornings challenge I participated in so I made the same white chocolate ganache from the Almond Joy Tart. I really like that ganache- the richness of the cream tempers some of the sweetness of the white chocolate. I added a bit grapefruit zest to the ganache to really make it pop. The combination of dark and white chocolate with the bright citrus flavor and the nuances of the spices worked out even better than I had hoped. I had to bring these cookies in to work so I didn’t gobble them all up!

Cookies- adapted from an Epicurious recipe
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1 t plus 1/4 c sugar
3 whole star anise
1/4 c all purpose flour
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t coarse kosher salt
1/4 t baking powder
2 large eggs
2 T honey
2 t finely grated grapefruit peel
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling on tops of cookies

White Chocolate Ganache Filling- adapted from Baked Explorations
8 ounces good quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c heavy cream
1 T grapefruit zest

1. Combine chocolate and butter in medium heatproof bowl and melt over a double boiler. Or put the bowl of chocolate in the microwave and heat in 10-second intervals until the chocolate is almost melted then remove and stir until completely melted and smooth. In spice mill or coffee grinder, grind 1 teaspoon sugar and the 3 whole star anise to a fine consistency. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in flour, cocoa, coarse salt, and baking powder.
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or by hand in large bowl, beat remaining 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, honey, and grapefruit peel until thick and smooth. Fold in chocolate, then fold in dry ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill batter until cold and firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 1 day.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. While the oven is heating, make the ganache. Place the white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the cream just to a boil. Pour the cream over the white chocolate and let it stand for 30 seconds. Slowly, starting in the center of the bowl, whisk the cream and white chocolate until smooth. Cover and refrigerate the ganache for 4 hours or overnight before proceeding.
4. When the oven is up to temperature, line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls approximately 2 inches apart onto the prepared sheets.
5. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for approximately 6 minutes, then sprinkle fleur de sel on tops of cookies and rotate pan. Continue to cook for another 4-6 minutes, until the cookies look dry. The cookies will need to bake about 10-12 minutes in total. Cool on the baking sheet for approximately 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely.
6. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the white chocolate ganache at medium speed until soft peaks form. Do not over whip! Gently fold in the grapefruit zest.
7. Match cookies up by size and shape. Using an offset spatula, spread icing on one cookie and sandwich with another.

P.S. I was so happy that I got to use the Tupelo honey I brought back from home in this recipe. I’m a little weird about honey (I get that from my Mom) and almost never fail to pick up a jar wherever I travel. Some people like to sample regional craft beers to get a flavor for a place. Me, I’m all about the honey.

While I was home I went shopping at my old co-op, Ever’man Natural Foods, and was thrilled to see that they had Tupelo honey. Tupelo is lighter and sweeter than many other honey varieties and has an almost delicate taste. It's made from the blossoms of the tupelo gum tree which grows in flooded forest areas. Northwest Florida is well known for its exquisitely flavored Tupelo honey due to the abundant growth of the white tupelo in the region.

Lemon Lust Bars

2011-01-06T17:49:00.001-06:00

My parents’ friend, Tommy, brought over a bag of citrus fruit while I was home for the holidays. Tommy’s yard is full of citrus trees and he had a banner crop this year. I quickly swooped in and claimed the bag of Meyer lemons and grapefruit as my own. Mom protested a bit but I didn’t take no for an answer. I figure she has easy access (he lives in the neighborhood) and can always stop by and pick more fruit so I didn’t feel too bad.

With extra large, beautiful Meyer lemons on my hands, the hardest part was figuring out what to make with them. I had a number of ideas but finally settled on lemon bars and preserved lemons to ensure maximum usage and no waste. I’m still reveling in Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Café and Joanne’s recipe for Lemon Lust Bars jumped out at me- in no small part because I love any and all lemony desserts and I’m a sucker for marketing. Adding “lust” to the title was a brilliant move on her part. Of course I had to make them just to see if, indeed, they were lust worthy.

People, they are!

Now that I’ve put the Meyers to good use, I’m searching for recipes in which to use the grapefruit. I never took to grapefruit and don’t usually eat them, however, I don’t want Tommy’s hard work and such beautiful specimens to go to waste. If you have a dessert recipe you like that uses grapefruit, shoot it my way. In the meantime, I’m still digging…

Lemon Lust Bars
adapted from Joanne Chang’s recipe in Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Café

Because I had to ration my Meyers, I made a smaller pan of bars than Joann’s recipe calls for. I used an 8 x 8 inch pan and halved the ingredient quantities, which worked fine. I’ve included the quantities here per the original recipe because these babies are so good, you’ll want all you can get! The shortbread crust is rich and buttery and the sweetness of the Meyer lemons mellows the tangyness just a bit but not too much. These bars are still pucker worthy- so much so, you'll want to kiss Joanne for her delicous recipe.

Shortbread
1 c (2 sticks/228 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 T (75 grams) granulated sugar
2 T confectioners’ sugar
1 egg yolk
1 t vanilla extract
1 c (140 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c (120 grams) cake flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt

Lemon Curd
2 c plus 2 T (500 grams) fresh lemon juice (I used 4 extra large Meyer lemons)
1/2 c (1 stick/114 grams) unsalted butter
1/4 c (60 grams) heavy cream
8 eggs
4 egg yolks
2 c (400 grams) sugar
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t vanilla extract

confectioners sugar for dusting, if desired

1. Line a 9 x 11 inch baking pan with two pieces of parchment paper, cut to fit and overlapping the sides of the pan. To make the shortbread, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 5 min) in a stand mixer using a paddle attachment. Scrape the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are mixed in. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until combined. Again, scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. After all flour has been added, continue to mix briefly to ensure that the dough is evenly mixed. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl, form into a disk approximately 1 inch thick, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes until chilled. The dough should be firm but still somewhat pliable before working with it (dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month).
4. While the dough is chilling, make the lemon curd. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine the lemon juice, butter, and cream and heat to just below boiling over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks and then slowly whisk in the sugar until combined.
5. Remove the lemon juice mixture from the heat and begin gradually whisking it into the sugar-egg mixture, a little at a time, until all of it has been incorporated.
6. When finished, return the mixture to the saucepan, and place over medium heat. While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook for 5 to 8 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. When cooking, be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan frequently to prevent the eggs from scrambling. To test to see if the curd is done, draw your finger along the back of the spoon; you should be able to see your finger mark for a second or two before it fills in.
7. Take the curd off of the heat and, over a heatproof bowl, pour through a fine-mesh sieve to strain. Whisk in the salt and vanilla. (Curd may be prepared up to 4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. If using chilled curd, add 5 to 6 minutes to the baking time.)
8. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack positioned in the center. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to approximately the size of the parchment lined baking pan. When the dough is the desired size, roll it over the pin to transfer to the pan. Use your fingers to press the dough into the corners of the pan, if needed. The dough should be approximately the same thickness all around.
9. Bake the shortbread until light brown, approximately 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the lemon curd on top. If needed, smooth the curd with a spatula.
10. Return the pan to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the curd has set and is firm when jiggled. Allow the pan to cool on a wire rack, then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to overnight to ensure that the curd is fully set. Place plastic wrap over the top so that the lemon bars don’t take on any refrigerator smells.
11. To cut the bars, lift up the overhanging pieces of the parchment paper to loosen the shortbread from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Remove the parchment paper. For a cleaner look, trim off the edges. Cut into 9 bars. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

* To make the preserved lemons, I used Elise's recipe from Simply Recipes

Almond Joy Tart

2011-01-02T12:14:00.004-06:00

When I saw the Almond Joy tart on the list for BAKED Sunday Mornings, I knew I’d make it while home for Christmas because my Father loves the candy bar. I wound up making it as a dessert for our Christmas dinner and it was so good, I decided to make it again on my return home.

BAKED Sunday Mornings is an online baking group who are baking through Baked Explorations: New Frontiers in Baking. I’ve missed quite a few of the recipes the group has done but I’ve enjoyed following along and seeing everyone else’s creations. Now that the rush of the holiday baking season is over, I’m going to be joining in more and I’m looking forward to it.

You can join in too if you like- check out the web page for BAKED Sunday Mornings.

Almond Joy Tart

If you’re interested in the recipe for the tart, it’s posted on the BAKED Sunday Mornings site. This is a pretty simple tart to prepare but the dough can be tricky to work with because it’s quite sticky. Make sure it is well chilled and work quickly! The recipe as written in the book calls for making individual mini tarts but I don’t have that kind of time, gear, or patience. I think it worked well as a full sized tart- I used a 9” pan and the ingredient quantities as written were sufficient.

Vanilla Cream Filled Doughnuts

2010-12-31T10:24:00.001-06:00

I’ve decided that a making fancy breakfast pastry is to be reserved strictly for holidays. Not only because of the time required to make the treats, but also because these often tend to be the type of pastry that is best eaten while hot, immediately after they’re made. I’m not saying that Eric and I couldn’t eat a whole batch of pain au chocolat or doughnuts ourselves, but we really shouldn’t.

Therefore, it’s imperative to have loved ones around to not only share the joy but also the caloric intake. The holidays are all about feasting and debauchery (mild forms, anyways) but let’s not get out of hand, right?

In keeping with my new tradition of extravagant holiday breakfasts, I made homemade cream filled doughnuts for my family on Christmas morning. I’m using the term tradition here loosely, only because I couldn’t think of another word, but I’m not yet convinced I’m going to do this every year.

Maybe I’ll implement a Santa-like policy of tallying who’s naughty and who’s nice (to me, at least) and bake accordingly. If, by chance, you happen to spend the holidays with me next year and are served a bowl of yogurt for breakfast, well, you’ll know which list you made.

Vanilla Cream Filled Doughnuts
adapted from Joanne Chang’s recipe in Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe

I received a review copy of Joanne Chang’s Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe. Every recipe really does look spectacular but as soon as I turned to the page on vanilla cream filled doughnuts, I knew exactly what I’d be making first. These doughnuts aren’t so difficult to make but they do require some planning ahead to allow time for the dough to rise. I made the dough the night before, cut out the doughnuts, and retarded them in the refrigerator over night. The next morning I sped up the rise a bit by placing them in a warm oven with a steam bath. Still, we wound with doughnuts for brunch rather than breakfast. The wait (and work) was worth it. These doughnuts are a super rich treat- practically bursting with filling, they require a fork to eat them. Lookout Krispy Kreme!

Dough
1 package (2 1/2 t) active dry yeast, or 2/3 oz (18 g) fresh cake yeast
2/3 c (160 g) milk, at room temperature
3 ½ cups (490 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c (270 g) sugar
2 t kosher salt
3 eggs
7 T (7/8 stick/100 g) butter, at room temperature, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
Canola oil for frying

Vanilla Cream Filling
6 T (90 grams) heavy cream
1 recipe Pastry Cream, chilled

Pastry Cream
1 ¼ c (300 g) milk
½ c (100 g) sugar
¼ c (30 g) cake flour
½ t kosher salt
4 egg yolks
1 t vanilla extract

1. To make the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast and milk. Stir together briefly, then let sit for about 1 minute to dissolve the yeast.
2. Add the flour, 1/3 cup (70 grams) of the sugar, salt, and eggs and mix on low for about a minute, or until the dough comes together. While still on low, mix for another 2 to 3 minutes to develop the dough further. Begin to add the butter a few pieces at a time and continue to mix for 5 to 6 minutes or until the butter is fully incorporated. The dough should be soft and look cohesive.
3. Remove dough from the bowl, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. Lightly flour a baking sheet. On a well floured work surface roll out the dough into a 12-inch square approximately 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2 to 4-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out 9 doughnuts.
5. Arrange the doughnuts on the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to rise for 2 to 3 hours, until doubled in height. The doughnuts should look poufy and feel pillowy.
6. While the dough is rising, make the pastry cream. In a medium sauce pan, scald milk on medium high heat just until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. Do not allow the milk to boil.
7. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until blended, and then slowly whisk in the flour mixture. The consistency will be thick and pasty.
8. Take the milk off the heat and slowly, a little at a time, pour it into the egg-flour mixture, while whisking constantly. When all of the milk has been incorporated, pour the mixture back into the sauce pan and place it over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. As you begin to feel the mixture thicken, stopping whisking every few seconds to see if it has come to a boil. As soon as it boils, whisk for another 10 seconds and then remove from heat. Do not let the cream boil for too long or it will become grainy.
9. Pour the cream through a sieve into a small heat proof bowl and stir in vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming and put in the refrigerator to allow the cream to cool, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.
10. Once the dough has risen and you are ready to fry the doughnuts, line a tray or baking sheet with paper towels. Pour about 3 inches of oil into a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat on medium high until hot enough that a pinch of flour, when dropped in the oil, sizzles on contact. I recommend using a candy thermometer - the oil should be about 350 degrees Fahrenheit while frying. You may want to allow the oil to heat to 360 degrees before adding the initial batch of doughnuts (as well as in between batches) as the oil temperature will drop slightly when adding the dough.
11. Working in batches, place the doughnuts in the hot oil, being careful not to crowd them. Fry on the first side for 2 to 3 minutes until brown. Then gently flip them and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the doughnuts to the prepared tray and allow to cool for a few minutes before handling.
12. Place the remaining 1 cup (200 grams) sugar in a small bowl. One at a time, toss the warm doughnuts in the sugar to coat evenly. As each doughnut is coated, return to the tray to cool completely for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
13. Make the vanilla cream filling while the doughnuts are cooling by whipping the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks and folding it into the pastry cream.
14. When the doughnuts are completely cooled, poke a hole in the side of each. Using a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip, squirt about 1/3 cup filling into each doughnut. Serve immediately.

Alice Medrich's Toffee Bars

2010-12-27T15:21:00.003-06:00

I come by my sweet tooth naturally… or rather, genetically. My parents are the kind of people who never miss dessert after a meal. There are always at least two kinds of cookies in their house as well as one of my mom’s delicious cakes. Cake, as I might have mentioned previously, is Mom’s stock in the baking trade. She can make a cake so good you’ll want to beat your Grandma. (I’m not advocating elderly abuse, it’s just an old family saying to signify that something tastes so good you can’t be held liable for irrational actions.)

As I was preparing to travel home to my parents’ house for the holidays one of the items on my to-do list was to make a batch of cookies to take to the ‘rents. I settled on cookies because I am not the champion cake maker that my mother is. Besides, cake wouldn’t have traveled particularly well.

Luckily, I recently acquired a new cookie cookbook from Alice Medrich when she made a stop at Austin’s Central Market Cooking School to promote Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Melt in your Mouth Cookies, a compilation of her favorite cookie recipes by texture. I had the great pleasure of volunteering for Alice’s class. I knew from her previous cookbooks that this would not be just simple cookie making as Alice’s recipe instructions are precise, with a capital “P.” And she in no way disappointed.

Typically, the volunteers and cooking school staff prepare the food in advance for the class tasting from the chef’s recipes and then set up a mise en place for the demo ingredients. That way the chef only has to show up and teach. Alice left instructions that we were to prep and mise all ingredients for her but that she would arrive early to mix the doughs and bake the cookies herself. When she arrived, she set to work like a whirlwind and we mostly stayed out of her way.

Thankfully, Alice was just as kind as she is exact and she explained exactly why she asked for everything to be prepared in the manner she requested. I learned a book's worth of information before the class even began.

I’m sure it goes without saying but I’ll do so any way- Alice’s were the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. But then I expected no less!

Toffee Bars

adapted from Alice Medrich's recipe

I choose these super sweet toffee bars with milk chocolate and pecans from the crunchy section of Alice’s book as I knew they’d fit my parents’ palates to a “T.” I’ve tried to interest them in less sweet, more nuanced desserts to no avail. I once made them brownies that contained almost $20 worth of delicious Valrhona dark chocolate. Mom deemed them too bitter. After that I gave up- there’s no accounting for taste. As I expected, Mom loved these cookies. I liked them as well (of course an Alice recipe would be delicious) but if I were making them for myself, I’d use dark chocolate for the topping and would add some sea salt to the toffee. *Alice recommends using a scale to weigh ingredients for which weight measurements are given.

Crust:

12 T unsalted butter

1/3 c (2.33 oz) sugar

1 t vanilla

¼ t salt

2¼ c (10 oz) all-purpose flour

2 c (7 oz) pecan halves

Topping:

1 T water

¾ c (5.25 oz) packed brown sugar

8 T unsalted butter, cut into 4 chunks

2/3 to 1 c (4-6 oz) milk chocolate, chopped (or use chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the rack positioned in the lower third of the oven. Line the bottom and sides of a 9- by 13-inch pan with foil, leaving an overhang.

2. To make the crust, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add flour and mix just until incorporated to form a loose, crumbly dough.

3. Press the dough evenly into the foil lined pan. Arrange the pecans over the dough and cover the nuts with another piece of foil so that the nuts will toast without burning. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned at the edges.

4. Meanwhile make the toffee topping. Combine water and brown sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter.

5. When the crust has finished baking, remove the pan from the oven as well as the foil that covers the pecans. Pour toffee topping over the crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the toffee is dark and bubbling. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool.

6. Melt the chocolate in a small heat proof bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments being careful not to allow it to burn. Pour the melted chocolate in the pan and spread with a spatula to smooth. Set aside to allow the chocolate to harden. If needed, place in the refrigerator if the chocolate doesn't set up at room temperature.
7. When the chocolate has set up, using the foil overhang to lift, remove from the bars from the baking pan and transfer to a board for cutting. Cut to make approximately 24 bars.

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