Sweet Thoughts

It's not November people, it's DOUGHVEMBER!

2011-11-17T19:40:00.010-05:00

Sourdough, that is.

For the whole month of November Linda Nicholson of Salty Seattle and Nicole of Pinch My Salt challenged people to bake with sourdough. Sourdough has this tang to it that pulls you in and it's like a dance track for your taste buds. I really can't remember the first time I tasted sourdough, but I'm sure it was a commercially made piece of bread. Since I love baking bread and have made sourdough before, I jumped at the chance to join this challenge. I have been learning so much about sourdough, that it won't stop with just November. This is a life long LOVE!

These lovely pancakes below are courtesy of Joy the Baker's blog with the addition of a little pumpkin and cinnamon. Not realizing how many pancakes the recipe would make, I froze some for breakfasts of convenience. Gosh, how I love the freezer. Who needs frozen food from the grocery store when you can make and freeze your own? And, you know what's in it and when it was made.

SOURDOUGH

Dough A: Pinch My Salt's Recipe
Starter: Overflowing like a volcano, very active
Starter dough: 8 hours to rise, no refrigeration
1st rise: 1 1/2 hours
2nd rise: 1 1/2 hours
Misted the oven 3x every 30 seconds in the beginning

Dough B:Peter Reinhart
Starter: Bubbling, but no over activity
Starter dough: 4hours, then refrigeration
1st rise: 3 hours
2nd rise: 2 hours
Misted the oven 4x every 30 seconds in the beginning

Dough C: Pinch My Salt
Starter: Bubbling, no over activity
Starter dough: 8 hour rise on counter, refrigeration overnight
Final dough: Left on counter 1 1/2 hours before making
1st rise: 3 hours
2nd rise: 2 hours
Misted the oven 3x every 30 seconds in the beginning

Learned lesson: Just bubbles isn't enough, over activity makes beautiful bread.

My re-found love of yeast

2011-11-01T11:06:00.003-04:00

My mother needed me to make her a challah for a Jewish get together with classmates since they were learning about Judaism in class. Normally, I made Martha Stewart's challah from her Baking Handbook because I always had yolks on hand. This time I wanted to try a different recipe. I was on the hunt for Peter Reinhart's book just for this purpose.

Online, I checked the library catalog and yes they carried it. Shucks, it had been checked out...what to do? I called Barnes and Noble, but they couldn't find it on the shelves. Since Borders had closed, I was at a loss of how to get one without waiting for it to be shipped. I googled bookstores in Virginia Beach and up comes Books A Million, a store I had completely forgotten about. Lucky for me, they had one in stock. I'm generally an Amazon type of girl, but I needed this book ASAP!

Since purchasing this book and a scale, I have been a yeast bread making fool. His recipes are so yummy.

The cinnamon rolls you see below were so soft you would have thought they came from a "chain" or a "tube".

And, the white bread....made twice already and I've only had the book for 2 weeks. Needless to say, I've re-found my love of yeast.

YumYucky's Finish What You Started Challenge-Week 6

2011-09-13T17:10:00.003-04:00

The booty workout I did was just a portion of the one Fit Villain had posted on her facebook page.

Day 38 was such a busy day I didn't even have a chance for lunch, but I was determined to get my walk in.

No veggies?! Noooo veggies?! The slacker I was on day 39...

Homemade lasagne, yesss!

YumYucky Challenge Week 5

2011-09-06T19:17:00.006-04:00

This week we had the opportunity to earn 3 bonus stars, 1 for 3+ salads, 1 for doing push ups throughout the week, and 1 for self evaluation. The first two stars I didn't receive, but I did evaluate my progress so far.

I have noticed that I got smaller. My determination to not buy another pair of size 20 pants came to fruition. I was able to get into an 18 again. The downfall is that I haven't been doing as much walking as I started out doing in addition to my cardio. My initial salads per week were through the roof, but that has also gone down. I have been craving sweets more, but it has been kept to a minimum compared to what I used to eat. My plan is to get more salads in and hopefully get some more walks done while it's still nice out.

This weeks stars...21+1 bonus.

A week late, but it's here now...YumYucky week 4

2011-09-06T18:54:00.004-04:00

I know, I know...this post is a week late. Last week was a crazy one and then I got too lazy to make a post. I did get 22 stars this particular week.

Blogger Pictures

2011-08-22T21:38:00.000-04:00

This is the "I wanna be difficult picture"

YumYucky- week 3

2011-08-22T21:08:00.003-04:00

I have been working on this post for too DAMN long because 1, one, uno....picture was refusing to load right. Finally, I said F it and left it out of the post and will do a separate post just for that picture.

Alright, now that I have that out of my system let's get down to business. This week was a better one. Out of a possible 30 points I got 26. Yayyy for me. The bonus points for week 3 of YumYucky's challenge were for continuing with 3 salads and a pushup activity. I was able to pick up those points, otherwise I would have been sitting at 24.

On Sunday I was entering a competition to be a part of The Dream Team, so I had to practice my biscuit recipe again. There was a lot of biscuit eating this week, but I placed third so it was worth it. There will be a post about the fair after it's over and right before my cake show entrance post. Yes, I'm a competition addict.

Until next week...BE HEALTHY!

YumYucky Challenge Week 2

2011-08-15T20:27:00.005-04:00

This is going to be a short post because there isn't much to say about how much I sucked this week. It was a crazy week at work with my hours, so my eating and working out were gravely affected. Time to get back on track.

Only 18 stars out of a possible 30, Shaking my head at myself

YumYucky Challenge...week 1

2011-08-08T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hello again, it has been one week since I started this three month challenge and I have done pretty good at moving my body more. I had already started the healthy eating in June, so that wasn't an issue.

I keep a journal(photos below) of the food I put in my mouth and what I do exercise wise, so that if I ever need to know why (or why not) my body isn't losing the fat the blame can be on no one else but ME. It's called accountability, something that too many humans don't want to accept. The easiest way for me to feel that I am showing you the start to finish is to post photos of the journal so you can keep track with me.

It's not about how many pounds I lose, but the inches and clothes sizes I drop. I have some fabric I want to make some suit pants from and until these thighs get back to a reasonable size, the pants won't get sewn.

There is a star tracking system and since I haven't decided how I want to incorporate the chart in my posts I will just type it here...

Monday 4
Tuesday 4
Wednesday 4
Thursday 4
Friday 2 food+1 fitness
Saturday 2 food+1 fitness
Sunday 1 food+2 fitness
Total 25+1(extra from YumYucky's Bonus Star Activity)

Until next week....Get up and get moving!

YumYucky's Finish What You Started Challenge

2011-08-03T14:49:00.006-04:00

I am not sure if you read the first installment of the challenge, but I had a photo in the post with my "Bucket List for Health". If you didn't see it, no worries I will type it out here.

This list may change if ever I think of something new

BUCKET LIST FOR HEALTH
1. Eat more fiber
2. Eat more veggies(steamed/raw) NO CANNED
3. Eat more fruit besides just smoothies
4. Get more exercise
5. Sit in silence more
6. Meditate
7. Become more green with cleaning
8. Grow more food
9. Make my own soap
10. Make my own laundry detergent
11. Make my own breads
12. Cut out so much processed food
13. Photograph more
14. Read more
15. More aromatherapy
16. More dry brushing
17. Go back to learning French
18. Do Project 365 in 2012

I have been making my own bread since June and love it. I also find myself turning the tv off more. If only I wasn't on the computer looking at blogs and flickr as much as I do I could get meditation in also. LOL. #1, 2, and 12 have also been works in progress. I'm definitely getting closer to the health I need to be in and it feels great.

Here's to a healthy life...MIND, BODY, SOUL

YumYucky's Challenge

2011-08-02T10:09:00.005-04:00

On July 27, 2011 Josie of YumYucky sent out a challenge to her followers to Finish What You Started. I thought this a perfect challenge, because of the fact that I decided in June to make some changes health wise. Since health is mind, body, and soul, I knew my changes had to encompass every corner of that.

As you can see in picture number 1, the fat that surrounds my bones has gotten completely out of hand. And, in the last pic you can get an idea of more FAT! Just look at the numbers and repeat with me RIDONKULOUS.

I will be posting here weekly, as well as writing in my comp book about my 3 months and beyond challenge and hope to inspire someone else to FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!

Trying to like portrait photography

2011-07-25T11:57:00.004-04:00

I love photography, but I have never liked taking portraits. Preferring to photograph nature and candid shots of people, I decided to attempt something uncomfortable to me. Last night my youngest daughter came back after weeks away and since there was still daylight left outside, I hung some fabric from the ceiling and used the light coming from the patio to do a mini photo shoot. I know there is more to learn, but maybe there's a place for portraits in my "repertoire".

Y Not Wednesdays?

2011-06-09T15:41:00.004-04:00

Y Not Wednesdays? What is it, you ask?! It's an outdoor event at Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. Y Not Wednesdays is full of music, local produce, great food, good drinks, and people with the same goal in mind....A great night on the town. If you get a chance check it out, you won't be disappointed.

This is a poster from last year's series
We took a tour of the Sandler Center and these were mementos left by performers

The Founders Room

The stage with the Ghost Light on

Mike Proffitt

If you're going to buy, buy right the first time

2011-04-15T17:18:00.003-04:00

When I went to the CDOT cake show last year there were three vendors I knew I would order from. One was The Foam Studio, which I ordered my cake show dummies from. The other two, Grex Airbrush and Cake Safe (Scott and Juli are so sweet and helpful) were more expensive purchases which would have to wait until I went to the NCACS show. I bought the Grex airbrush because of the ease of use, the adaptable pieces, and the price wasn't bad either. Knowing that airbrush spatter is inevitable, I knew the airbrush booth from Cake Safe was a necessity.

Trying the fondant under fondant to get a raised effect

Getting ready to start airbrushing

Finished product...and you can see the color in the filter area

The Airbrush Booth and the Airbrush

I love these purchases and would recommend them to everyone.

October 8-9, 2011

2011-04-11T10:08:00.002-04:00

Cake Decorator's of Tidewater cake show

Check It Out

CDOT Cake Show Oct.9 and 10, 2010

2010-10-12T10:26:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I entered a cake in the Cake Decorators of Tidewater 27th Annual Cake Show. I placed second in the advanced tiered division. My cake was inspired by a gift bag that I bought from Michael's a couple of years ago.

Any decorator could tell you how they see things in a CAKE way. Inspiration comes from everywhere, and that's the way I felt about this gift bag. I drew a sketch of how I wanted to decorate the cake, but after I covered the dummies in fondant I just wasn't feeling it. At 10 o'clock p.m. on 10/08/10 the decision came that I would do a sculpted cake. Since there was no time to bake a cake from scratch, I flew to the grocery store to buy some mixes. On my way back home it hit me....I registered for F22, advanced tiered, so no baking and sculpting would be done that night.

I had to finish what I started and luckily for me it turned out better than I thought.

The colors were blue, brown, and orange. I used royal icing on the accented characters on the cake and then painted them with gold, blue, and burgundy luster dusts.

P.S. This beauty below these words is now mines. I won it at the show and definitely could NOT contain my excitement. It's a pistachio Artisan KitchenAid. Isn't she gawjus?

Corolla, North Carolina

2010-08-17T09:16:00.004-04:00

My girlfriend and I went to Corolla because I wanted a glimpse, and hopefully, a photograph or two of the wild horses. I decided that I wanted to have a picnic, so I knew the cake would have to be travellable(I know, I know, no such word).

There was buttermilk in my fridge that needed to be used, so that ingredient in the recipe was a must. No frosting needed and moist without it, most definitely! Since I had been craving cinnamon, it had to show up, otherwise it would just be thrown in. Looking through Tish Boyle's The Cake Book I came across her recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Buttermilk Pound Cake and found it to be the perfect take along dessert.

This pound cake was so moist that I could eat piece after piece and not need to down a large cup of ice milk(yes I have to have ice in my milk to drink it). I think the next time, though, the cinnamon portion will just be cinnamon sugar instead of the flour, butter, cinnamon sugar mixture.

All in all, this recipe is a picnic must. Oh, who am I kidding, it's a must no matter the occasion.

4,6, and 10

2010-08-07T10:06:00.006-04:00

I am planning on entering another cake competition this year, but this time I am entering the wedding cake part along with the tasting(again). This cake was a practice run for two recipes and decorating. I tried a Swiss White Chocolate cake recipe, for the second time I might add, and it helped me to finalize the fact that white chocolate has no flavor. The crumb of this recipe is unsightly also....see below. Give me some bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate in cooking and it's excitement, give me white chocolate and I wonder, WHY?!

I'm sure there are recipes out there that have white chocolate that are fantastic, maybe. Anyways, the other cake was Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Blackberry cake and since I had made some berry slick'em, which is like a blackberry syrup, I stirred some in the batter and spread the rest between the cake layers. I cut this recipe in thirds because I didn't need 18 cups, and it was enough for a 10" round.

The frosting was Elisa Strauss' Swiss Meringue Buttercream from her Confetti Cakes book. The fondant was marshmallow fondant and the flowers were real.

Thanks for looking.

Spongebob for my nephew

2010-07-20T08:29:00.004-04:00

My nephew's birthday was June 29th, but all my baking supplies were in storage so I couldn't do his cake. He told us that his birthday was going to continue until he got his cake. This cake was a little less than a month late, but better late than never.

The flavor he wanted was the same as last year, banana strawberry, and I wanted to try a different recipe so I used Dorie Greenspan's Lots of Ways Banana Cake. I boiled some strawberry jam with a little water and spooned it over the cake. The icing was strawberry flavored, so he was able to have both flavors.

My girlfriend ate the scraps and said the cake was good, hopefully my nephew did too.

Happy 5th Quantay!

The garden

2010-07-17T07:36:00.004-04:00

My parents are from Alabama and have grown up around gardens, on a much larger scale I might say, so it comes as no surprise when my father started a garden. This year, the garden included some items I started at home from seeds. As you can tell I am excited since I have never done anything like that.

I always thought that you needed a yard to grow anything since that's all I saw growing up. Wrong! There is this wonderful book called Grow Great Grub by Gayla Trail of www.yougrowgirl.com that shows how to grow fruits, vegetables, plants..... in small spaces. After hearing about this book I knew that I could do this. My mother said, "I didn't know you had a green thumb." Read on!

Before all this, though, the story goes back a little further. Back in middle school...the 80's...I, for some odd reason, decided that my science project was going to involve acetaminophen and a pothos. I wanted to know the affect Tylenol would have on the plant so of course one plant was fed the drug along with water and the other was just plain water.

I am in my 30's and my parents still have those plants and they are growing, growing, growing. Needless to say, I had to remind my mother of these plants and the crazy idea I had for a science project.

Most of the photos are from my father's crop and one is of my tomato plants, while the sage is my nephew's. It feels good to grow your own food without all the "extras" the grocery stores have.

Oh, yeah, I am already planning more for next year since I know it can be done.

OKRA AND CUKE
THE GARDEN

CORN STALK

SUMMER SQUASH

CANTELOPE

MY FATHER'S TOMATO

BELL PEPPER

MY TOMATO PLANT

MY NEPHEW'S SAGE

OKRA FLOWER

Even though I can't get in the kitchen like I used to

2010-06-12T14:37:00.005-04:00

I still try to take my camera with me everywhere just in case I get to catch something. Enjoy!

Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach

Leaves from a tree in Downtown Portsmouth

Mt. Trashmore Virginia Beach

My niece in Norfolk

My nephew in Chesapeake

2010-05-17T12:28:00.002-04:00

This time last year was the beginning of my blog journey. My purpose was to get me to try more recipes, meet others in the blogosphere, and better my writing. I tried more recipes indeed, I have met others, but not on a level of being life long friends(at least not yet), but my writing is still mediocre. I try to add more content than I did in the beginning, but it still remains blahhh.

I guess that means I am just not a writer, I am a talker. I express myself more when talking and with my body language. Sometimes you can change who you are and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can't. This is one defeat I will take and understand it just isn't meant to be.

I wish I could have come with photos, but my situation is still the same and time is not evident in my life right now. Understand this one thing, when I do get back in the swing of things, I won't know how to stop. I have been going through cooking, baking, decorating, sewing, and photography withdrawals and it needs to be rectified as soon as possible.....ASAP!

Lack of posting

2010-05-13T10:32:00.002-04:00

In one month my life change for what I believe is the better. My family and I had to move from a place we've lived for 8 1/2 years because the landlord wanted to sell it. I had some Heaven sent landlords so I was not upset at all. I am currently still looking for a place, but thank GOD for family.

My oldest daughter graduates in a month, so you know that is a busy situation. I started a new job, which has kept me pretty busy. So, needless to say, time is not on my side right now. I had to let Tuesdays With Dorie and The Daring Kitchen go due to less time and not having kitchen space/ cooking utensils. I am hoping that when my Blogiversary comes up I do have something to post.

I guess I need to find a recipe that doesn't require much, so I can put something up.

Thanks for bearing with me.

Two for Tuesday...TWD

2010-04-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Last week, if you visited my blog, you would know I chose not to do TWD due to an overload of sweets already in my house. Well, since there was no excess of sweets this week I decided to backtrack with the cake and also make this week's selection.

I am glad I did backtrack because this cake was easy and very tasty. There was extra toasted ground almonds in my cupboard and I mixed them with the flour to stir in. Let's just say this was an almondy treat. Good job Dorie!

This week's TWD was chosen by Melissa of Love At First Bite and her pick was Sweet Cream Biscuits. It's really hard for me to turn down baking a biscuit and this was no exception. These biscuits were nothing like ones made with sticks of butter, in that they were completely chewy and soft. Usually butter biscuits have a crisper outside with a soft, flaky inside(if made right...lol). These also had a little sweetness, due to the addition of sugar, hence the name. If you have cream in the house that you want to use up, these are definitely a go to recipe. YUMMY!

Thanks to Nancy and Melissa for choosing such wonderful and EASY recipes. So easy I was able to do both at pretty much the same time.

You can visit their pages for the recipes or just purchase Dorie's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Daring Cook's Brunswick Stew

2010-04-16T10:34:00.004-04:00

Blog Checking Lines- The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

I had heard of Brunswick Stew, but never knew what it consisted of, so when the challenge presented itself I was all for it. Traditionally this dish is made with game meat, but it can be made with chicken, turkey, or pork. I would guess that because people used to cook in season, they only used what they had killed and grown during that time of the year.

For my stew I used chicken thighs and country style pork ribs. The vegetables I used were carrots, celery, onions, and frozen corn and peas. I really didn't want to buy things just because it was in the recipe. Luckily for me, the only ingredient I had to purchase were the ribs.

This stew is so tasty that the flavor jumps out the bowl and smacks you in the tastebuds. I did the full recipe and shared some with a neighbor who hadn't heard of it before. Let's just say...the bowl didn't stay full for long.

I chose the long version recipe, with a few adaptions, so that will be the recipe I post. Thanks Wolf for such a wonderful choice!

And now for the recipe....

The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners” by Matt Lee and Ted Lee

Equipment needed-Large stock pot, at least 10-12qt OR Dutch Oven , or smaller if you halve the recipe used
Cutting board
Knives
Measuring cups and spoons
Colander
Large bowl
Large wooden spoon for stirring
Tongs

Serves about 12

1/4 lb / 113.88 grams / 4 oz slab bacon, rough diced
2 Serrano, Thai or other dried red chiles, stems trimmed, sliced, seeded, flattened
1lb / 455.52 grams / 16oz rabbit, quartered, skinned
1 4-5lb / 1822.08- 2277.6 grams / 64-80oz chicken, quartered, skinned, and most of the fat removed
1 Tablespoon / 14.235 grams / ½ oz sea salt for seasoning, plus extra to taste
2-3 quarts / 8-12 cups / 64.607-96.9oz Sunday Chicken Broth (recipe below)
2 Bay leaves
2 large celery stalks
2lbs / 911.04 grams / 32oz Yukon Gold potatoes, or other waxy type potatoes, peeled, rough diced
1 ½ cups / 344.88 grams / 12.114oz carrots (about 5 small carrots), chopped
3 ½ / 804.72 grams / 28.266oz cups onion (about 4 medium onions) chopped
2 cups / 459.84 grams / 16.152oz fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob (about 4 ears)
3 cups / 689.76 grams / 24.228oz butterbeans, preferably fresh (1 ¼ lbs) or defrosted frozen
1 35oz can / 996.45 grams / 4 cups whole, peeled tomatoes, drained
¼ cup / 57.48 grams / 2.019 oz red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
Tabasco sauce to taste

1-In the largest stockpot you have, which is hopefully larger than the 5 qt ones I have, preferably a 10-12 qt or even a Dutch Oven if you’re lucky enough to have one, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until it just starts to crisp. Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. Reserve most of the bacon fat in your pan, and with the pan on the burner, add in the chiles. Toast the chiles until they just start to smell good, or make your nose tingle, about a minute tops. Remove to bowl with the bacon.

2- Season liberally both sides of the rabbit and chicken pieces with sea salt and pepper. Place the rabbit pieces in the pot and sear off all sides possible. You just want to brown them, not cook them completely. Remove to bowl with bacon and chiles, add more bacon fat if needed, or olive oil, or other oil of your choice, then add in chicken pieces, again, browning all sides nicely. Remember not to crowd your pieces, especially if you have a narrow bottomed pot. Put the chicken in the bowl with the bacon, chiles and rabbit. Set it aside.

3- Add 2 cups of your chicken broth or stock, if you prefer, to the pan and basically deglaze the4 pan, making sure to get all the goodness cooked onto the bottom. The stock will become a nice rich dark color and start smelling good. Bring it up to a boil and let it boil away until reduced by at least half. Add your remaining stock, the bay leaves, celery, potatoes, chicken, rabbit, bacon, chiles and any liquid that may have gathered at the bottom of the bowl they were resting in. Bring the pot back up to a low boil/high simmer, over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover, remember to stir every 15 minutes, give or take, to thoroughly meld the flavors. Simmer, on low, for approximately 1 ½ hours. Supposedly, the stock may become a yellow tinge with pieces of chicken or rabbit floating up, the celery will be very limp, as will the chiles. Taste the stock, according to the recipe, it “should taste like the best chicken soup you’ve ever had”.

4- With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken and rabbit pieces to a colander over the bowl you used earlier. Be careful, as by this time, the meats will be very tender and may start falling apart. Remove the bay leaf, celery, chiles, bacon and discard.5 After you’ve allowed the meat to cool enough to handle, carefully remove all the meat from the bones, shredding it as you go. Return the meat to the pot, throwing away the bones. Add in your carrots, and stir gently, allowing it to come back to a slow simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for at least 25 minutes, or until the carrots have started to soften.

5- Add in your onion, butterbeans, corn and tomatoes. As you add the tomatoes, crush them up, be careful not to pull a me, and squirt juice straight up into the air, requiring cleaning of the entire stove. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every so often until the stew has reduced slightly, and onions, corn and butterbeans are tender. Remove from heat and add in vinegar, lemon juice, stir to blend in well. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce if desired.

6 You can either serve immediately or refrigerate for 24 hours, which makes the flavors meld more and makes the overall stew even better. Serve hot, either on its own, or with a side of corn bread, over steamed white rice, with any braised greens as a side.

TWD: Swedish Visiting Cake

2010-04-12T18:04:00.004-04:00

This cake is on my list of cakes to bake, buuuuut I will have to put it on hold right now. I have so many sweets in my house you would think it was a bakery of some sort. There were extra yolks in my fridge that I used to make banana nut gelato with, this is in addition to the drumsticks for my kids that were already in the freezer. I had to make cake for a tasting which left me with enough to make a 6 and 9inch 2-tiered cake. We are still eating that cake even though I gave out plenty to neighbors. Needless to say, right now was not the time to add more sweets.

This week's TWD was chosen by Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs, so for the recipe go to her page and see how she fared. While you're at it, check the TWD blogroll to see how other TWDers did with this week's pick.

TWD: Mocha Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

2010-04-06T10:37:00.003-04:00

This week's TWD was chosen by Erin of When in Doubt...Leave it at 350. This recipe had me at chocolate. It has ground walnuts, chocolate, coffee, butter....it's perfect. It was easy to put together and the flavor was wonderful.

Even though the recipe calls for ground walnuts, I'm sure you could use whatever nuts you want. I think the oilyness of the walnuts adds to the butter and makes a great cake, even if it sits for a few days.

I made this cake last week and it only lasted a few days. I would love to try it as a layer cake to see how it comes out. What does that mean? It means it is another keeper from Dorie's book.

Check out the TWD Blogroll to see what other TWDers have done and go to Erin's page to find the recipe and see what she's done. You could also just get Baking: From My Home to Yours and bake many more recipes from Dorie.

TWD: Dulce de Leche

2010-03-23T00:00:00.003-04:00

This weeks TWD was chosen by Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake. She chose Dorie's Dulce De Leche Duos on page 161 of her Baking: From My Home to Yours cookbook.

Last year, I learned how to make my own dulce de leche by boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk (which I always have in the cabinet). I had done two cans and had one of those cans left over. I had been trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it, so when this recipe was chosen this month I knew that this was one of my weeks I would be baking. This recipe, like a lot of Dorie's recipes, was easy to put together. I scooped my cookies with a small scoop(apprx. 2 tsp. I think) and I got 72-74 cookies.

I put melted bittersweet chocolate on half of the cookies and made a buttercream with the rest of the dulce de leche to put on the chocolate after it hardened(I just stuck them in the fridge to speed up the process). I sandwiched the cookies with the plain cookie and we were good to go. These cookies were soft and chewy with a little crunch from the chocolate. Surprisingly enough the cookies were not extremely sweet like I though they would be since it had sugar plus dulce de leche. Then again, maybe us sweet tooth people don't realize sweetness because we eat so much sugar that we wouldn't know it until the cavity or diabetes comes.

I wish I had measured my buttercream ingredients to give you a more accurate recipe, but I didn't. I know that it included 1 stick of room temperature butter, the rest of the can of dulce de leche, a little shortening(to help it be able to stay at room temp w/o melting), enough powdered sugar to the consistency you want your buttercream to be, a little milk and some vanilla extract. If you know your cookies won't be sitting for long you can omit the shortening and add a little more butter. With the shortening, this buttercream stays like the oreo cream.

Run, don't walk to your kitchen and make these cookies, because they are just that good. Check out Jodie's site for the recipe, or just buy Dorie's cookbook so you will be able to bake some of her other great recipes.

Anniversary cake

2010-03-22T09:53:00.003-04:00

This cake is covered with MMF with gumpaste flowers around the bottom and RI flowers on top. I have had crimpers for over a year and finally decided to use them. I also had a stencil that I bought 2 years ago at the Mid Atlantic cake show in Wesminister that I finally opened up and used.

Welcome to the JUNGLE

2010-03-20T08:50:00.002-04:00

I had leftover fondant from the Roses Cake that I decided to do a baby shower cake. I wanted to get some practice with modelling characters and this would be the perfect cake for it. As you can see I definitely need lots of practice, but I can say the elephants are almost there.

Thanks for looking and if you have any suggestions or modelling tips please feel free to leave a comment.

Roses and poker

2010-03-18T10:09:00.005-04:00

Oh, and mint chocolate ice cream too.

March Daring Cooks:Risotto

2010-03-14T18:55:00.006-04:00

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

The MUST in this challenge were to make your own stock and risotto base. After than your creative imagination could take control.

I decided to toast some spices and add those into the stock recipe. I didn't have a whole chicken in my freezer at this time so I just used chicken wings. I made a smaller amount because I only had about 1-lb of the wings and didn't want to purchase extra food just for this challenge. My "stock" turned into more of a broth, but it was still tasty.

Preparation time:
Stock: 20 minutes prep time, 3 hours cooking.

Equipment required:
• 5 Litre stock pot, or other large pan
• knife
• chopping board
• tablespoon
• teaspoon
• sieve
• ladle
• hand blender (optional)
• wooden spoon or other stirring implement
• grater
• saucepans
• measuring cups
• scales

Chicken Stock

Ingredients:
1 large chicken 2-3 pounds about 1 kg
chicken bones 2-3 pounds 1 kg
2 onions, roughly diced
1 medium leek - white part only, roughly diced
2 sticks celery, roughly diced
2 cloves garlic, halved
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. white peppercorns ( Any type of whole peppercorn will do)
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried, it doesn't matter.)
peel of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Directions:

1.Wash the chicken and bones and places in a 5 Litre pot, cover completely with water and bring to a boil

2.Skim away any scum as it comes to the surface

3.Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil

4.Add the rest remaining ingredients and simmer very gently, uncovered for 1.5 hours

5.Carefully lift out the chicken, set aside. The chicken meat can be removed from the chicken, shredded off and used for other things like soup!

6.Simmer the stock gently for another hour. At , at the end you should have around 2 Liters

7.Carefully ladle the liquid into a fine sieve, the less the bones and vegetables are disturbed in this process the clearer the stock will be.  The stock is now ready for use. Freeze what you don't need for later use.

My chosen risotto recipe came out of necessity. I had 1 extra cup of mashed sweet potatoes after making some Sweet Potato Biscuits for my sister's birthday. I had already been trying to come up with ideas for this challenge and this helped me settle on something. I had frozen corn and a cabinet full of spices and herbs, so why not sweet potatoes and corn with some curry? Instead of the white wine called for in the initial recipe I used some marsala.

Since I pretty much changed the recipe, I won't post the one from the challenge. Instead, I will post my version.

Sweet Potato and Corn Risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onions

10 ounces risotto
3 1/2 cups broth

1 tablespoon marsala

8 ounces sweet potatoes, mashed

4 ounces frozen corn, thawed

1/8 teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

pinch of pepper

sprinkle of nutmeg

sprinkle of cinnamon

Heat olive oil and butter, then add onions. Sautee until translucent. Add risotto and stir constantly for 5 minutes.

Add about a cup of stock at a time to the risotto and stir until each addition is absorbed. Once all stock has been absorbed add the marsala, sweet potatoes, and spices. Stir until everything is well blended.

Serve immediately

This recipe has the sweetness from the potatoes, but not enough heat. Personally, I would kick up the heat with more chili powder, but if you don't like spicy foods this would be perfect.

TWD : Thumbprints

2010-03-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

This week's was chosen by Mike of Ugly Dude Food and he picked Thumbprints for Us Big Guys on page 164. Thanks Mike for this selection because I have always wanted to make thumbprints during the holidays and hadn't.

These cookies are easy to put together unless you're like me and have to shell and toast your hazelnuts before grinding them down. I didn't cracked enough hazelnuts so I added almonds into the mix. When the cookies were baking and it was time to turn them around, I noticed that I had to re-indent the center because it puffed up. Other than that minor situation, there's nothing to these cookies. The flavor...phenomenal! I chose strawberry and peach jam and orange marmalade to fill the "prints" for a little variety.

These cookies will definitely be a make again, especially for a nice little get together.

March is...

2010-03-08T13:12:00.005-05:00

March is green, think St. Patty's Day and beginning of spring which brings more green. Green grass, green leaves, money (hey landscapers are getting ready to make lots of it and let's not forget the theme parks and resorts).

Oh, did I forget March starts with the letter M. Mint, creme de Menthe, Mmmm Mmmm good, which brings me to round 2 of Daring Baker's tiramisu. The first time making this I of course went the traditional way Just Heavenly. This time around it was with great admiration for the next best combo, mint and chocolate. The Girl Scouts and Andes mints understand this so well. They get the feeling that goes through you when eating this combination.

For this version I just substituted creme de Menthe for the Marsala and used 1/4 cup of cocoa powder in place of the cake flour. Since the creme de Menthe turned the zabaglione green no food coloring was needed. I chopped Andes mints and put it in and on top of the tiramisu. All I can say is "A mint chocolate lover's dream"!

Enjoy

Just heavenly

2010-02-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

When I saw that we were making tiramisu for this month's challenge I got so excited. For one I LOOOOOVE LOOOOVE LOOOVE tiramisu, anything with coffee and chocolate is a keeper in my book. Second, we had to make our own mascarpone cheese. Being that cheese (I thought mozzarella would be first) was on my to do list, that was a must even if it meant trial and error. And last but not least, I LOOOVE LOOOOVE LOOOOOOOOVE tiramisu. Oh, wait a minute, did I already say that?

Every aspect of this challenge came together perfectly. I so hope that the next time I make this (it will be so soon) it all comes together just as easily. Last year, I made ladyfingers for a berry tiramisu and realized how easy they were. I decided that I would never again buy them from the store. Mascarpone here is like $4 for 1lb so it's not expensive. I probably wouldn't make the cheese again since I would spend about the same amount of money and the taste would be the same. The pastry cream recipe was so easy to make and taste so darn good that I would definitely keep that in the recipe box. Never have I made zabaglione so I didn't know what to expect, but the flavor was great. I would use that in some other type of dessert (don't know what kind yet, the mind is working hard to figure out).

I scraped a vanilla bean into my whipped cream for a more intense vanilla flavor. The next time I make this tiramisu it will likely be hazelnut or mint chocolate. Check out the daring bakers blogroll to see what others have created for their challenge.

Tiramisu is made up of several components which can be made separately and ahead of time and put together the day before serving.
Making tiramisu from scratch requires about 2 to 3 days (including refrigeration) from when you start making the mascarpone to the time the tiramisu is served. So this challenge requires some prior planning.
Please read the instructions as you need to begin making the mascarpone at least a day in advance.
The zabaglione & pastry cream also need 4 hours to an overnight for chilling, as does the main dessert. The flavours mature after an overnight rest, and the dessert can be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days.
Once assembled, the tiramisu can be frozen till you need to serve it, in case you are not serving it immediately.

MASCARPONE CHEESE

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.

It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)

This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar,

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.

Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.

Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.

Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.

Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

TIRAMISU

(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the zabaglione:

2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:

1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:

1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
For the zabaglione:

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.

In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.

Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:

Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.

Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.

Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:

Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.

Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.

Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.

Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.

To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

TWD: Honey Wheat Cookies

2010-02-24T20:44:00.004-05:00

This week's TWD was chosen by Michelle of Flourchild and she chose Dorie's Honey Wheat Cookies. These cookies use wheat germ and of course honey.

As a child my parents always kept a jar of wheat germ in the fridge, so when I saw the pick I knew these cookies had to be made. They came together so quick and easy that it seemed like they were store bought....time wise not taste. These cookies have an acquired taste, but I did like them with a little strawberry cream cheese frosting.

You can find the recipe on Michelle's blog or purchase Dorie's book for this and other recipes.

My Adopt-a-Blogger Mentor

2010-02-22T20:50:00.004-05:00

My mentor is Deborah Mele of http://italianfoodforever.com and I chose to make a couple of her recipes. Deborah has been living, breathing, and eating Italian for the past 35 years. I looked through her recipes and was amazed at how much she knows about the culture, and would swear up an down that she was Italian.

I chose her Sausage Spinach Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce and let's just say this recipe is easy and oh so delicious. You can find the recipe here http://italianfoodforever.com/iff2008/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=131:sausagespinachravioli&catid=89:cdfreshpastacut&Itemid=65

To find out more info on Adopt-a-Blogger check out Kristen's page.
http://dineanddish.net/2009/11/adopt-a-blogger-4-recipe-double-quick-no-knead-dinner-rolls/

Ode to the King

2010-02-16T15:41:00.004-05:00

This post starts about 2 years ago when a neighbor went to Jamaica for some Navy business and he bought bake some banana liqueur for my girlfriend and I. Since I am more of a social drinker, there was plenty of liqueur left. Thinking of things to do with it, I decided on cupcakes, but not just any cupcakes....The King's cupcakes.

Elvis is known for his music, hip moving, and that lip. He is also known for his peanut butter and banana sandwich. If this combination is good enough for a sandwich it has got to be good enough for cupcakes.

I sat down sometime in December and just wrote a recipe and finally got around to trying it in January. The flavors were awesome....to me. What would others feel about this cupcake? Would it be moist enough? How would people react to the peanut butter and banana together? Would they be able to tell the flavors apart yet get the understanding of them together? That's what my neighbors are for. They are my guinea pigs, so to speak. I can always trust them to tell me what is definitely on their mind. This taste test was easy, only one person would have like more peanut butter flavor in the frosting.

I also took some to my humming sister and her humming kids....lol. The reason I call them that is because when they eat and the food is good, they hum. All 4 of them! How did the test taste go? Hmmm mmm mmm, I assume you get the idea. This went so well that my oldest nephew change what he wanted for his birthday. Initially he wanted Dorie Greenspan's sweet potato biscuits, but it quickly changed to these cupcakes.

I didn't want to put this recipe up until I had tried it out a few times. Each time they came out right. So, here it is for your baking pleasure:

Banana Cupcakes
Makes 24 regular cupcakes

Recipe by Devona McGill

3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup milk, room temperature
¼ cup banana liqueur
2 bananas, ripe and mashed appx. 6-8 ounces (I buy bananas that have brown spots and freeze them, so the weight might be a little different)

Preheat oven to 350˚

Line two 12 cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

In medium bowl sift together the first 3 ingredients, set aside. In another bowl mix the bananas, milk and liqueur together.

In mixing bowl of stand mixer, with paddle beater, cream butter and sugar together until light, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time making sure that each addition is incorporated completely. Add vanilla.

Alternately add the flour mixture and the banana mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. After all ingredients have been added beat on medium-high for 1 minute.

Using a #24 scoop (or just spoon it in), generously fill each liner with mix and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool on cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Recipe by Devona McGill

6 ounces peanut butter
4 ounces butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Place all ingredients in bowl of stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment beat frosting until it becomes creamy.

TWD:Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia

2010-02-09T16:44:00.002-05:00

This weeks TWD was chosen by Tanya of http://chocolatechic.wordpress.com/ and it was a great choice. The problem with this choice is that I wish that it was a different week. I had planned to make these brownies, but decided against it due to the fact that I was making King Cakes for my girlfriend for Mardi Gras/Superbowl weekend. I was dead set on NOT making these brownies and just doing the last two weeks of the month.

This all changed at 8:34 pm on Monday February 8, 2010. I blame this all on Alton Brown and his DAMN Good Eats show. This night I was waiting for 9pm to see Unexpected Life and decided to see what was on Food Network. Ahhh, it's Good Eats! The beginning segment was showing Cocoa Carl and Alton was going to show us unsuspecting people how to make different things using cocoa powder. The list of items he made were hot cocoa, chocolate syrup (This will definitely be a must try), and none other than brownies.

These brownies looked so good and I fought the fight for 4 minutes after his show went off. The fight ended with me losing the battle and running (and when I say running I mean it litterally) downstairs to make these brownies and get them in the oven before Unexpected Life came on. It's countdown, 26 minutes and counting and I can do this, right? Right!

I have never worked so fast to get something in the oven and baked, that it felt like I was on a Food Network Challenge. What made it so bad, yet so good, is that I was rushing through the recipe that I didn't use a mixer to beat the rest of the eggs to volumize them. Even with missing out on that step these brownies turned out fabulous. Oddly enough I have always been one who only like cake brownies and they usually had to have nuts in them. Well, Dorie Greenspan, Rick Katz, Tanya, you all have changed that for me. These brownies are OFF THE CHAIN!

Check out Tanya's blog for the recipe and make these brownies tonight....TONIGHT I SAID! You will not regret it if you are a chocoholic. You see the "pizza cutter" in the photo below? That's an idea from Alton Brown. See, he is good for something other than forcing you to run downstairs and make something you weren't going to make.

Butter and eggs working together

2010-02-05T18:28:00.002-05:00

Brioche is this buttery and dense French bread that screams "Eat Me!". It's a perfect bread for breakfast or a dessert with berries and sauce.

This recipe was a little off to me because the 4 tablespoons of milk was not enough to make a soft dough. I had to add a little more milk to get a workable dough and my cook time was more like 45-55 minutes. I know that depending on what type of utensils or oven you use and how you measure your ingredients it may affect a recipe, so others may not have the same problem I had. Other than those two issues the bread turned out great.

I think I will buy some fresh fruit and make some dessert tonight with the rest of the brioche.

Until next time,
Bake bread, be happy

French Brioche
The Practical Encyclopedia of Baking by Martha Day

Makes 1 Loaf
3 cups white bread flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ ounce fresh yeast
4 tablespoons lukewarm milk
3 eggs
¾ cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
For Glaze
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

1.Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Put the yeast in a measuring cup and stir in the milk.

2.Add the yeast mixture to the center of the flour with the eggs and combine to form a soft dough.

3.Using your hand beat the dough for 4-5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cream the butter and sugar together. Gradually add the butter mixture to the dough, making sure it is incorporated before adding more. Beat until smooth, shiny, and elastic.

4.Cover the bowl with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let the dough rise, in a warm place, for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk.

5.Lightly punch down the dough, then re-cover and place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours or overnight.

6.Lightly grease a scant 7 cup brioche mold. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut off almost a quarter and set aside. Shape the rest into a ball and place into the prepared mold. Shape the reserve dough into an elongated egg shape. Using two or three fingers, make a hole in the center of the large ball of dough. Gently press the narrow end of the egg-shaped dough into the hole.

7.Combine the egg yolk and milk for the glaze, and brush a little on the brioche. Cover with oiled plastic, wrap and let rise, in a warm place, for 1 ½-2 hours or until the dough nearly reaches the top of the mold.

8.Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Brush the brioche with the remaining glaze and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until golden. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Kwason

2010-02-05T18:06:00.003-05:00

Success!

First time making croissants

Other than the fact that you have to turn, rest, roll, rest, turn, roll, rest...whatever, you know what I mean...these buttery treats bring you such joy. I had been wanting to make croissants for so long and the first time I made them was a bust. I wasn't sure what I had done wrong, but they turned out looking more like a rolled up piece of puff pastry(See above picture).

Making them this time I feel they came out a lot better. I'm really not sure what a real French croissant is supposed to taste like, but these sure were tasty. I also made some ham and cheese croissants using Canadian bacon and slices of provolone and swiss. These were perfect little breakfast or lunch sandwiches. Look at it, doesn't it look like a face...lol.

Until next time,

Bake bread, be happy

Croissant
100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood
*Paul uses fresh compressed yeast, if using dry or instant use 25% less than recipe states

1 package yeast
Generous 4 cups white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Generous 1/3 cup superfine sugar
Water to mix
4 ½ sticks butter, chilled
1 egg, beaten, for eggwash
Makes about 40 croissants
Dilute the yeast with a little warm water and put with the flour, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix in a little water until the dough becomes pliable. Tip the dough out onto a lightly flour counter and knead well until it feels elastic. Put the dough back in the bowl and let stand in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Turn out the chilled dough onto your floured counter and roll it into a rectangle 24 x12 inches/60 x 30.5 cm. Flatten the chilled butter into a rectangle about ½ inch/ 1 cm thick and lay it over 2/3 of the dough. Bring the uncovered third of the dough into the center, then fold the covered top third down, so that your dough is now in three layers. Give the dough package a quarter turn so that the fold is on the right. Return the dough to the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
Scatter some more flour over the counter and roll out the dough to the same size rectangle as before. Repeat the folding process, one side on top of the other, and turn the dough again, then place the dough back in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Repeat this whole process twice more, then let the dough rest, wrapped in plastic wrap, overnight.
Line a baking sheet. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough to 1/8 inch/3 mm thick and cut into 8 x 8 inch/20.5 x 20.5 cm squares. Cut each square diagonally, making two triangles. Lay the triangles on a lightly floured counter with the narrow points away from you, then roll each piece up from the edge nearest you, toward the point, ending with the tip underneath. Bend the ends round to make the traditional croissant shape. Put the croissants on the baking sheet and let rise for 1 ½ hours.
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Brush the croissants lightly with the eggwash and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Onion and Bacon Fougasse

2010-02-03T06:05:00.004-05:00

This bread is one of those that you look at and say, "Hey, I want to try that"! And try I did. And love I do. And will do again....definitely! I decided to put shredded cheddar in mines. There was no measurement, just throw in as much as your heart desires.

This is an easy bread to put together and makes a perfect accompaniment to any dish you like. Personally for me, it's perfect all alone. There is this almost buttery flavor even though there isn't a lick of butter in it. Try this bread tonight and I'm sure you will feel the exact same way.

Onion and Bacon Fougasse
100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood
*Paul uses fresh compressed yeast, if using dry or instant use 25% less than recipe states

2 2/3 cups white bread flour
1 ounce/30 grams yeast
Generous ¾ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped, and fried until translucent
3 strips of Canadian bacon, finely chopped and fried
Makes 3 loaves

Line three baking sheets. Put 1 1/3 cups of the flour with all the yeast and about ¾ cup of water into a bowl and beat together for about 3 minutes into a thick batter. Let rise and fall—this should take 3-4 hours.
Add the rest of the flour and water (enough to make a workable dough) along with the salt, ¼ cup of the oil, the fried onions, and bacon and knead well for 5 minutes. Put back in the bowl and let rise for 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Using a rolling pin, flatten each piece to about 2.5 cm/1 inch high, then shape each roughly into a circle. Using your knife, cut two diagonal slashes down the middle of each circle and three diagonal slashes on each side. Brush lightly with the remaining olive oil, then place on the baking sheets and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Bake the bread for 15 minutes, or until golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

TWD

2010-01-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Steph of Obsessed with Baking decided on Cocoa-Nana Bread, p. 46.

You can find the recipe on Steph's blog and the blogroll here http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/ to see what other TWDers are doing.

TWD

2010-01-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm selected Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars, pp 114 and 115.

Check out the blogroll http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/ to see what others have done and you can find the recipe at Lillian's site.

Little cupcakes for a spa party

2010-01-14T15:34:00.004-05:00

This small cake and cupcakes were for a friends daughter's birthday. She was having a spa party and I did fondant pieces to go with her decorations.

Enjoy!

TWD: Not this month

2010-01-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Teanna of Spork or Foon? chose Mrs. Vogel’s Scherben, pp. 157-159.

This month I won't be baking with you all after a sweet filled November and December. I still have plenty of candy in my house and cakes to do for friends. I apologize for deserting everyone, but it is a must this month. I will be back on track in February.

To find the recipe check out Teanna's blog or purchase Dorie's Baking: From My Home to Yours.
Check http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/ for the blogroll and to see what everyone else has cooked up.

More cakes in the house

2010-01-04T11:26:00.003-05:00

Taken with my camera phone, so excuse the poor quality.

Resolutions belong in the trash!

2010-01-04T11:06:00.002-05:00

TWD: Low and Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake

2009-12-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

This weeks TWD was picked by The Tea Lady of Tea and Scones- Low and Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake, page 243.

Now, I'm not a big cheesecake eating person, but I love to bake them. Luckily, I have neighbors who love to eat them. When I eat it's pretty much a taste test. I can only eat a sliver and then I'm done. This recipe, though, reminds me of chocolate pudding so I could eat more than normal.

Dorie has you do this in the food processor and I tried that. It took more pulses than stated in the recipe so next time I would make it using the mixer. Other than that I believe it is a keeper.

Check out The Tea Lady's page for the recipe.

Macarons...attempt #3

2009-12-28T12:08:00.003-05:00

Not an epic fail, but a fail nonetheless.

More cakes

2009-12-28T11:55:00.004-05:00

done at work, though.

How To Eat a Cupcake's Spumoni cupcakes

2009-12-25T19:04:00.004-05:00

Spumoni ice cream, hmmm, what can we say about it? Let's see, cold, flavorful, frozen, flavorful,cherries, flavorful, chocolate, flavorful, pistachio, oh yea, flavorful. This ice cream is one that I never tasted until my girlfriend, Gwen, told me about it. She looked at me crazy when I said that I had never tasted it. Now, me being a pistachio lover (I do mean a real pistachio lover, you know one of those that eat them like you have to have it to survive? Well, that's me...cake, nuts in and out the shell) and chocolate and cherry TOGETHER...it was definitely a must try!

Last year I met Cassie from How to Eat a Cupcake, because we worked at the same bakery. I would hear her talk about her blog and would always check to see what she was up to baking. This year she did an Iron Cupcake entry in the form of SPUMONI, SPUMONI, SPUMONI, YEA!!! Once again, this was definitely a must try http://www.howtoeatacupcake.net/2009/03/ironcupcake008-spumoni-cupcakes.html .

These cupcakes embodied everything Spumoni, right up to the pistachio buttercream. So, if you're ever in the mood for some Spumoni, but don't want the cold stuff, give this recipe a try. You just might be surprised.

M&Ms meet the Gingerbread Smurfs

2009-12-25T15:40:00.006-05:00

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.Y chose a Scandinavian recipe from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book and Anna chose Spicy Gingerbread Dough from Good Housekeeping.

I chose Anna’s recipe since I had some heavy whipping cream to use up. This recipe was super easy to make and roll out. I also love the flavor of it and how sturdy it is. After a mishap with my children’s gingerbread houses, I decided to do flat top buildings.
The thought of an igloo popped into my head after trying to come up with something different. Since Steph from http://raspberricupcakes.blogspot.com/ did one, and what an awesome one it was, I decided to have the M&Ms meet the Smurfs.

As kids I am sure all in my age group used to watch this show. I love the cartoons of our time, so why not have them meet someone I love now. The M&M theme runs rampant in my house so it was a perfect pairing.

For the mushroom houses I sandwiched circle gingerbread cookies with royal icing and let them dry. After they dried I then spread more royal icing all over the structure and rolled it in fondant. The tops of the mushrooms were the cookie baked on top of a half ball pan and later cemented together on top of the mushroom 'stalk'. I spread thinned out royal icing on the tops and decorated them.

Go to http://thedaringkitchen.com/ for more gingerbread houses. While you're there why not join.

Preparation Time for Anna's Recipe:
10 minutes to mix the dough, 4-8 hours at least to chill it, then 5 minutes to roll, 10 to rest, and 10 to cut. Another 30 minutes to rest, if necessary. 25-30 minutes to bake, depending on the size of the pieces. I would estimate 2-4 hours to decorate, depending on how ornate you want to make everything. It could certainly take longer if you are doing a lot of intricate royal icing designs or making your own candies. Altogether, this will take 7-13 hours, including chilling time. But, as noted above, you can break this up over several days or even a couple weeks if the freezer is utilized.

Equipment Needed:
Stand or handheld electric mixer (not required but it will make mixing the dough a lot easier and faster)
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Cardboard cake board or sheet of thick cardboard
Foil, if desired
Small saucepan
Small pastry brush (optional)
Piping bag with small round tip, or paper cornets if you're comfortable with them

Anna's Recipe:Spicy Gingerbread Dough (from Good Housekeeping) http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/spicy-gingerbread-dough-1571?kw=ist
2 1/2 cups (500g) packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (360mL) heavy cream or whipping cream
1 1/4 cups (425g) molasses
9 1/2 cups (1663g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon(s) baking soda
1 tablespoon(s) ground ginger

Directions

1. In very large bowl, with wire whisk (or with an electric mixer), beat brown sugar, cream, and molasses until sugar lumps dissolve and mixture is smooth. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and ginger. With spoon, stir flour mixture into cream mixture in 3 additions until dough is too stiff to stir, then knead with hands until flour is incorporated and dough is smooth.

2. Divide dough into 4 equal portions; flatten each into a disk to speed chilling. Wrap each disk well with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll.

3. Grease and flour large cookie sheets (17-inch by 14-inch/43x36cm)

4. Roll out dough, 1 disk at a time on each cookie sheet to about 3/16-inch thickness. (Placing 3/16-inch dowels or rulers on either side of dough to use as a guide will help roll dough to uniform thickness.)

5. Trim excess dough from cookie sheet; wrap and reserve in refrigerator. Chill rolled dough on cookie sheet in refrigerator or freezer at least 10 minutes or until firm enough to cut easily.

6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (149C)

7. Use chilled rolled dough, floured poster board patterns, and sharp paring knife to cut all house pieces on cookie sheet, making sure to leave at least 1 1/4 inches between pieces because dough will expand slightly during baking. Wrap and reserve trimmings in refrigerator. Combine and use trimmings as necessary to complete house and other decorative pieces. Cut and bake large pieces and small pieces separately.

8. Chill for 10 minutes before baking if the dough seems really soft after you cut it. This will discourage too much spreading/warping of the shapes you cut.

9. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until pieces are firm to the touch. Do not overbake; pieces will be too crisp to trim to proper size

10. Remove cookie sheet from oven. While house pieces are still warm, place poster-board patterns on top and use them as guides to trim shapes to match if necessary. Cool pieces completely before attempting to assemble the house

Preparation Time for Y's Recipe:
5-10 minutes to mix the dough, 2 hours to chill, 5 minutes to roll, 10 to cut and 15 minutes to bake. Estimated 4-7 hours from start to finish including chilling.

Y's Recipe:Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas http://astore.amazon.com/thedarkit-20/detail/0816634963
1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.

3. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.

4. [I rolled out the dough on a floured bench, roughly 1/8 inch thick (which allows for fact that the dough puffs a little when baked), cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet. Any scraps I saved and rerolled at the end.]

5. Preheat the oven to 375'F (190'C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing:

1 large egg white
3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling. If you aren't using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Time for New Traditions

2009-12-25T15:13:00.005-05:00

This year was the first time ever making gingerbread houses in my household. It was already a planned event, but imagine my surprise when I found out that The Daring Bakers was doing that as a challenge this month.

As a child, we had a tradition of the kids going to bed early Christmas Eve because we knew our parents had present to put under the tree (you can only fool kids for so long, especially when you don’t have a chimney on the house…lol). On Christmas morning there was family breakfast and then a ceremony, which consisted of bible reading, songs, praying, and talks of the real meaning of Christmas. After the ceremony was done, we were able to open presents. Everyone said their thanks for the gifts and then we had to clean all the trash from the floor before playing with any toys. Man, I really miss those days!

Now that all the children have left the nest, our tradition is to meet for dinner at my parents’ house. After dinner and cleaning the dishes we have a smaller ceremony, talent show, and gift opening. This dinner date on Christmas has a house full of people. There are my parents, their 4 children, and 12 grandchildren. My girlfriend, Gwen, comes if she hasn’t taken a trip back home to Baton Rouge and whomever my siblings may bring. Goodness gracious, someone call the fire marshal!

Seeing as how there was never a gingerbread house made in all the years of my life, I knew I needed to try it at least once. This go round I made Tish Boyle’s Gingerbread Dough and cut out enough dough for 3 of my kids. I put the houses together using Wilton’s royal icing recipe and quickly found that I was really green. I thought it would be fairly easy, until I noticed how warped some of the pieces were. After putting together the first two, I started on the last one. Well, this little mothersucker (yes I said it, mothersucker) didn’t want to stay together. Well, as you can see in the pics, it became a flat-top.

Even with all that, they got decorated and later demolished.

Gingerbread Dough
From The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle
5 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups unsulphured (mild) molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the shortening and sugar at medium-high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. If your mixer has a splatter shield attach it now. At low speed, add the dry ingredients in four additions, mixing just until blended. Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and knead it gently a few times, until smooth. Divide the dough into quarters and shape into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, until firm (or up to 2 weeks).
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil the size of a baking sheet. Place the foil on a work surface and place one of the dough disks on it. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the dough and oil it out evenly to a thickness of 3/16 inch. Remove the plastic wrap. Place as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough, leaving at least ½ inch between the pieces (the dough pieces will remain in place on the foil during baking). Using a small sharp knife, cut the dough around the pattern pieces, being careful not to cut through the foil. Remove the pattern pieces from the dough. Remove all the dough scraps from between the pattern pieces and save to reroll. Carefully slide the sheet of foil onto the baking sheet. Repeat the process until you have cut out all the required pieces.
Bake the gingerbread, one sheet at a time, for 15-20 minutes, or until the dough feels firm to the touch. Carefully slide the foil off the baking sheet and onto a completely flat surface to cool (not onto a wire rack).
When the pieces are cool, carefully peel them off the foil. Store the gingerbread in an airtight container in a cool, dry place until ready to use (up to 2 weeks at room temperature; or freeze for up to 3 months).

TWD: Cafe Volcano Cookies

2009-12-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

This weeks TWD was chosen by Macduff of The Lonely Sidecar- Cafe Volcano Cookies, page 153. These cookies were ridiculously easy to make. The have this nice crunchy texture and the nuts add a little something extra for your mouth. If you are in for a quick cookie recipe and you like nuts and coffee check out Macduff's page or purchase Dorie's cookbook and make some tonight.

Lebkuchen

2009-12-14T12:07:00.004-05:00

I told you all about this cookie in a previous post http://deevassweetthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/12/cookies-cookies-cookies.html and here it is, finally. I made this cookie from Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie because 1. I had her book, 2. I wanted to see what it tasted like, and 3. Do I really need any other reason other than I like to bake?

I would have to say that the flavor of this cookie is not appeasing to me for some reason. I like all the spices in the cookie, but for some odd reason I just couldn't get down with them all together in this recipe. Maybe, I'll have to try it again one day and see if it was just a fluke. The recipe called for a glaze, but I opted for just powdered sugar. Even though I didn't care for this particular recipe, I would definitely give this cookbook two thumbs up. Check out Tish's site http://www.tishboyle.com/ for some gorgeous pictures and you must also check out both of her books.

Until next time readers...

Lebkuchen Bars from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle
Makes 24 Bars

½ cup honey
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ cup sliced unblanched almonds (I used blanched slivered)
1/3 cup candied orange peel, finely chopped (didn’t use)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsps. freshly squeezed orange juice (I used lemon juice)
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest (didn’t use)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. almond extract

Orange-ginger glaze
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice (I used lemon juice)
¼ tsp. finely grated peeled ginger
¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter and cook over medium- high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, the butter is melted, and the mixture just begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger into a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Stir the almonds, candied orange peel, egg, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla and almond extracts into the cooled honey mixture. Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the top of the pan with another piece of plastic wrap and let the dough stand at room temperature for 8 hours, or overnight(do not refrigerate).

4. After the dough sits for the 8 hours it’s time to bake it. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch baking pan.

5. Place the dough in the prepared pan and, with a spatula, spread it into an even layer. Bake the lebkuchen for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. For the glaze whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, orange juice, ginger, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth.

7. When the bars are done, place the pan on a wire rack. Using a small offset metal spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the warm bars. Let the bars cool completely.

8. Using a sharp knife, cut the glazed square into 24 bars.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months

A few more cakes

2009-12-14T12:01:00.002-05:00

Martha Stewart's Banana Nut Bread

2009-12-14T11:49:00.002-05:00

I love to make this recipe because it is chock full of goodies. I has a nice crunch, and yet it is still a soft piece of bread. Even after a few days on the counter it is just like it was fresh out the oven soft. I also decided to make some french toast out of it and that morning was fulfilled. You can use whatever mix you would normally use for french toast and have the same outcome. Give this recipe a try and you will understand how necessary it has to keep this in your recipe book.

Banana-Nut Bread
From Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups ripe mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup (about 4 ounces) walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped
½ cup buttermilk
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-by-5 loaf pans with cooking spray, set aside. In large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vegetable oil on medium-low speed until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Add the vanilla, banana, coconut, nuts, and buttermilk, and beat just to combine.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and let cool completely. Bread can be kept at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Daring Cooks Challenge

2009-12-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

The 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. Simone chose Salmon en Croute (or alternative recipes for Beef Wellington or Vegetable en Croute) from Good Food Online.

This months challenge was one I jumped at the chance to do. I loooooove, loooove, looove salmon. I was in Farm Fresh and noticed they had it on sale and had to have it. Since I am the only one in the house who loves fresh salmon, I bought 1 pound, but I halved it so I would only have enough for myself.

I made the shortcrust from scratch and like Simone said, it was really easy to make. This is definitely one salmon recipe I would make again, especially for a party.

Recipe source : Good Food online

A few notes first:

1.If you are making the short-crust pastry yourself; make sure not to add too much water as that will render the pastry too hard, making it impossible to roll out into the needed size. I made that mistake for the first batch and ended up using store-bought instead.

2. If you cannot find short-crust pastry (a I did) and don’t want to make it yourself, you can substitute with puff pastry. Do not use the packages that are available (at least in the Netherlands) for pies... Not the right dough! (I did make that mistake and the taste was just not that good)

3. The recipe does not call for adding any extra salt or other seasonings to the salmon. I found that the salmon could use just a little bit of extra flavor, so feel free to add some seasoning to your liking. Be careful not to use too much as the topping also adds flavor.

Variations allowed:Mandatory for this challenge is to cook with pastry.!

If you do not like fish or are allergic to salmon, you can substitute the salmon for the Beef version, which is Beef Wellington. Recipe below. Salmon can be substituted for another type of fish, although I am not sure which fish would do well in pastry. Vegetarian versions are also allowed. For a vegetarian version check out this recipe on my blog and leave out the chicken

Preparation time: Total prep time incl. cooking for the Salmon is 50 minutes

Total prep time for the Beef Wellington is 3 hours

Shortcrust pastry : 50 minutes (optional)

Equipment required:

For the Salmon en croute

oven

foodprocessor

rolling pin

For the Beef Wellington

Blender or food processor

Frying pan15 cm crepe pan or small frying pan or griddle

cling film

oven

Salmon en croute:

Ingredients

Mascarpone or creamcheese 5.2 ounces/150 gr

Watercress, rocket (arugula) and spinach - 0.6 cup/4.2 ounces/120 gr

Shortcrust pastry - 17.6 ounces, 500 gr. Use a butterversion such as Jus-rol which is frozen or dorset pastry. or... make your own!

Salmon fillet (skinless)- 17.6 ounce/500 gr

egg - 1 medium sized
Directions:

1.Heat the oven to 200°C/390 F. Put the mascarpone or cream cheese in a food processor with the watercress, spinach and rocket and whizz the lot until you have a creamy green puree. Season well.

2. Roll the pastry out so you can wrap the salmon in it completely (approx. 2-3 mm thick) and lay it on a buttered or oiled baking sheet (it will hang over the edges). Put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under. Spoon half of the watercress mixture onto the salmon. Now fold the pastry over into a neat parcel (the join will be at the top, so trim the edge neatly), making sure you don’t have any thick lumps of pastry as these won’t cook through properly. Trim off any excess as you need to. Make 3 neat cuts in the pastry to allow steam to escape and make some decorations with the off-cuts to disguise the join if you like. Brush with the egg glaze.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. To test wether the salmon is cooked, push a sharp knife through one of the cuts into the flesh, wait for 3 seconds then test it against the inside of your wrist; if it is hot, the salmon is cooked. Serve with the rest of the watercress puree as a sauce.

Shortcrust pastry

While this is not mandatory to do, I highly recommend making your own shortcrust pastry as it is very simple to do! As mentioned in the notes; please make sure to not add too much water as that is the key to having a successful shortcrust pastry. Watch this video to check the correct consistency of the dough

Making shortcrust pastry
Ingredients:

450 gr (15.8 ounces or 3.2 cups ) of plain all purpose flour

200 gr ( 7 ounce) cold butter

pinch of salt
Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you have a food processor you can use that as shown in the above video.Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.
For best results make sure the butter is very cold.

Instructions for Beef Wellington (serves 4)

Button mushrooms - 17.6 ounces/500gr (stalks removed and finely chopped)

Olive oil - 2-3 tbsp

thyme - 1 sprig

Beef fillet, center cut piece - 21.16 ounce/600 gr

English mustard - 1 tbsp

puff pastry (all butter pastry pack) - 17.6 ounce/500 gr

parma ham (prosciutto) - 3 slices

egg yolk - 1 pcs, beaten

For the herb crepes:

plain (all purpose) flour - 0.3 cup/1.76 ounce/50 gr

milk - 0.5 cup/125 ml

mixed herbs - 1 tbsp (chopped, use herbs such as cervil, chives and tarragon

butter - 0.5 tbsp

Instructions:

1. To make the crepes, whizz the flour, egg and milk with a pinch of salt in a blender or processor until smooth. Pour into a jug and stir in the herbs and some seasoning. Leave to rest.

2. Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until they give up all their moisture and it has evaporated, leaving you with a thick paste. Add the thyme leaves and some seasoning and keep cooking for a few minutes. Cool.

3. Stir the melted butter into the crepe batter, heat a 15 cm crepe pan and oil it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin layer on the base of the pan, cook until the top surface sets and then turn over and cook briefly. Remove and repeat with the rest of the batter. This will make a couple more than you need so choose the thinnest ones for the recipe.

4. Sear the beef all over in a little oil in a very hot pan. Brush with the mustard, season and allow to cool.

5. Lay a large sheet of cling-film on a kitchen surface and put two crepes down on it, overlapping a little. Lay over the parmaham (prosciutto). Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham and put the beef in the centre. Roll the cling-film up, taking the crepe with it, to wrap the beef completely into a nice neat log. Chill for 1 hour.

6. Heat the oven to 200°C/390F. Roll out the pastry, remove the clingfilm and wrap the beef in the pastry like a parcel, with the ends tucked under. Trim to keep it nice and neat. Brush with egg, score with shallow lines across the top and chill for 20 minutes.

7. Cook for 20 minutes. The best way to test if the meat is done to your liking is to neatly and carefully stick a skewer into the beef, count to three and then test it against your inner wrist. If it is cold, the beef will be raw, if it is warm then the beef will be rare and if it’s hot, it’ll be cooked through. Leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

TWD:Sables

2009-12-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

This weeks TWD was chosen by Barbara of Bungalow Barbara- Sablés, pages 131-133. I must say that I have always eyed these puppies in the cookbooks, but have never attempted them. Why you ask? I haven't the slightest, especially since I have made sugar cookies so many times. Yes, yes, I know they are not the same. But, hey they're close enough, right? No agreeance, okay, I'll leave it alone.

Well, anyways go check out Barbara's page or as I say, just pick up Dorie's book and try them for yourself.

More cakes

2009-12-07T14:34:00.005-05:00

www.myspace.com/datdeeva

Thanksgiving turkey

2009-12-07T14:28:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, so it's really a cake. Check out www.cakecentral.com to find out more on this creation. If you want you can send me an email and I can give some tips also.

Some past cakes

2009-12-07T14:14:00.003-05:00

www.myspace.com/datdeeva

Happy Birthday Gwen, I thought I told ya, I'm a star...

2009-12-07T13:51:00.005-05:00

Last year Gwen wanted this movie clapper cake for her birthday. Of course, me being who I am just had to go all out. I made a gumpaste movie reel, popcorn in a bucket, movie camera, and stars. And to top it all off, the cake was carrot cake. Have you tried carving a moist carrot cake with raisins, coconut, walnuts, and pineapple in it. It got done though. The gumpaste pieces...they are still in the house because she didn't want to get rid of them.

This now leads me to this cake for 2009. Do you see a running theme? All the pieces are gumpaste, except the rocks, which were just fondant. This is Gwen's road to success cake, it's where she wants to be in the near future. I guess she'll be directing and I'll be feeding the crew!

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

2009-12-07T13:19:00.004-05:00

I was itching to bake something and since I had gotten Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie out of the library I figured why not http://www.tishboyle.com/. I made 3 different cookies, Gingersnaps, Strawberry Fig Pillows(adaptation), and Lebkuchen(blog later). Even though the gingersnaps were soft the flavor was GREAT. I love the addition of the crystallized ginger to the recipe. This cookie recipe would be good to use as a sandwich cookie almost like a whoopie cream pie.
Gingersnaps from The Good Cookie by Tish Boyle
Makes about 60 cookies

2 2/3 all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. salt
I added ½ tsp. black pepper
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ unsulphured molasses
¼ tsp. finely grated lemon zest (didn’t use)
2 tbsp. turbinado or coarse sugar, for sprinkling

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and crystallized ginger at medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the molasses and lemon zest and beat until combined. At low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough fro 30 minutes (or up to a day).

3. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two baking sheets.

4. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart. Moisten your palm to prevent sticking, and flatten each cookie into a perfect 1 ½ inch round. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the turbinado or coarse sugar and bake, one sheet at a time, for 9 to 11 minutes, or until they are puffed and lightly golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack and cool completely.

Now, these right here are the kinds of cookies that will make you smack your mama. I have never liked the fig newtons out of the store. Why, you ask? I don't know, I answer, they just tasted ick to me. While I was in the grocery store I thought about figs and wondered when they were in season. I still don't know, but low and behold there were dried figs and I decided to purchase some. Luckily I had Tish Boyle's The Good Cookie http://www.tishboyle.com/ cookbook at home and she had a recipe for it.

The cookie dough is so soft, that you almost forget that you are eating a cookie. If you get the chance, take a look at Tish's website and go get that book.

Strawberry Fig Pillows adapted fromThe Good Cookie by Tish Boyle
Makes 72 cookies

Cinnamon dough
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract

Strawberry Fig Filling
14 ounces halved dried figs
8 ounces frozen strawberries
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups water
¼ tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp strawberry extract
*Because I added extra strawberries I had extra filling, so you can double the dough or use the filling in a different pastry/cookie.*

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the vanilla extract. At low speed, add the flour mixture, beating just until the dough starts to come together.

3. Divide the dough into four pieces, and shape each piece into a rough rectangle. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm (or up to 2 days).

4. In a medium sauce pan, combine the figs, strawberries, sugar, water, salt, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the figs are tender when pierced with a fork. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.

5. Remove the cinnamon stick from the fig mixture, and transfer it to the bowl of a food processor. Add the strawberry extract. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let the filling cool completely.

6. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two large baking sheets.

7. Unwrap one of the dough rectangles and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 9 inch square about 1/16 inch thick. Using a pastry wheel or large sharp knife, cut the squares in half, to make 2 rectangles. Spoon about ¼ cup of the filling lengthwise down the center of each rectangle, mounding it slightly toward the center and leaving about ¼ inch of the dough uncovered at each end. Lightly brush the exposed dough with water. Fold the uncut long edge of each rectangle up over the filling so that it covers about 2/3 of it. Fold the other long edge of each rectangle over, covering the filling completely and over-lapping the other edge. Pinch the ends of the dough together to seal the filling. Transfer each loaf to one of the prepared baking sheets, placing it seam side down. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

8. Brush the top of each loaf with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the logs, one sheet at a time, for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let the logs cool completely on the baking sheets.

9. Using a serrated knife, trim the ends of each log, then slice slightly on the diagonal into ¾ inch strips.

Attempts at Food Photography

2009-11-30T12:47:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to practice getting some shots. I know I need better lighting since the lighting, or shall I say lack of lighting, coming in my house is crappy. If anyone reads this and has pointers please leave a comment or email me.

A few Thanksgiving recipes

2009-11-30T12:32:00.003-05:00

No matter what the family get-together I always seem to get carried away. Hey what can I say, I love to cook. As in a previous post, I stated that lately I have been getting back into creating my own recipes. Small thought they might be, I figured I have to start again somewhere, right?

Well, here we have Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Curried Corn, Orange Cranberry Sauce, and Mulled Cranberry Juice(not pictured).

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Recipe by Devona McGill

1 cup pumpkin puree
5 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 cups milk
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 ½ lbs. stale bread, cubed (I use Challah)

350 degrees
45 minutes

Whisk the first 8 ingredients together in large bowl. Put bread cubes in and stir to coat with mixture. Pour into parchment lined pan of your choosing (I used a 10 inch round pan with removable bottom). Bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

* You will have to adjust the time accordingly if you use a larger pan which would be done in less time.

Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
Everybody has their preference, so if you like yours hot like I like mines then you could eat it immediately. I however, think it taste better after putting it in the refrigerator to cure over night and then warming in the microwave.

Quick Curried Corn
Recipe by Devona McGill

2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup onions, chopped
16 ounces frozen corn, thawed
1 tsp curry powder
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp salt

Heat butter in sauté pan, add onions and sauté until onions are soft. Add corn and sauté for 5 minutes. Add last 5 ingredients and stir constantly for 1 minute.
Serve immediately

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Recipe by Devona McGill

12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 ¼ cup sugar
Zest from 2 oranges (preferably organic)
Juice from 2 oranges + enough water to make 1 cup

Put all ingredients into saucepan. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves. Boil on high until cranberries pop, about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and cool to warm temperature.

Mulled Cranberry Juice
Recipe by Devona Mcgill

8 cups Cranberry juice
½ cup brown sugar
Sprinkle allspice
2 star anise
½ tbsp whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange (preferably organic), peeled

Pour cranberry juice into Crockpot. Add brown sugar and allspice, stir.
Toast star anise, cloves, and cinnamon sticks in frying pan until you smell their aroma. Put toasted spices and orange peel along with the orange in cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth and place inside Crockpot. Turn Crockpot to low and heat for 3 hours. Take cheesecloth out of Crockpot and serve.

Who needs fast food? Homemade bacon, egg, and cheese...

2009-11-30T12:10:00.003-05:00

I have been making these biscuits for years and during those years I have been very guarded with the recipe. Well I have changed that, especially since so many of you bloggers share your own recipes. My girlfriend, Gwen, makes it a point to request these biscuits as often as possible. For Thanksgiving I made Dorie Greenspan's Sweet Potato biscuits and Gwen just happened to be one of the only ones to not get at least one. She was very vocal about it on Sunday, so she asked for my regular biscuits.

I have made and posted these biscuits before http://deevassweetthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/supposed-lazy-summer-days.html, but this time I went for the bigger and crispier edged version.

Well here they are and guess what? The recipe is below. Don' t stop at the pictures, okay.
Keep going....

okay here you go.

Biscuits
Recipe by Devona Mcgill

3 cups of self rising flour (I use Southern Biscuit)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

400 degrees oven
Makes approx. 8-12 biscuits

In mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk just until wet. Pour mixture out on lightly floured counter and knead a few times to bring all loose pieces together. Roll the dough to about 1 inch and using a floured cutter of your choosing, cut biscuit as close together as possible. Place biscuits on sheet pan, about 2 inches apart for crunchy sides or close to each other for softer sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

2009-11-26T12:09:00.000-05:00

This year has been one of many changes for me as well as the world. There have been new additions in my life such as this blog and all the chances to make food that I always wanted to make, but never attempted. I have been trying to get back into writing my own recipes, with hesitation, so that I have something to pass along to other family members.

Then there's the hard times, money is not as prevalent in many households. People are getting crazier and crazier, yet others are getting more caring.

One thing that remains the same is my family and the love we have for each other. Throught the good and bad times we still have each others backs. On this gorgeous Thanksgiving Day I want to give thanks to God for All He has given me and mines.

I hope everyone out there has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Fresh pasta is the business...

2009-11-19T13:20:00.004-05:00

Finally, finally, finally, I have gotten around to making fresh pasta and I must admit I am hooked. I have read about it in blogs and read books speaking on the ease of making pasta from scratch. Let me just tell you, it is easy and addictive. Did you hear me? If not let me shout it from the rooftop...*climbing up* "IT IS EASY AND ADDICTIVE!!!!!" *climbing down*

The first time making pasta I decided to be ambitious. Most people would just make plain and they would probably make any ribbon kind. No, not me, I had to be THAT one. The one who says "I want spinach tortellini". Well, spinach tortellini it is.

The time spent kneading the dough(about 10 minutes) and the time spent waiting for the dough to rest(1 hour) was well worth it. My girlfriend Gwen and I worked together to make the filled pasta and had fun while doing it.

Early in the day I had made pesto sauce and I also made a cheese sauce to have a little variety.

Needless to say I will be making pasta a lot more.

Spinach Pasta Dough
Makes about 12 ounces

6 ounces Fresh Spinach, washed well and trimmed
1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. all purpose flour, more for dusting
1/2 tsp. coarse salt

STEAM SPINACH Fill a medium saucepan with 2 inches of water and fit with a steamer basket. Bring water to a simmer, then place spinach in basket and cover. Steam until leaves are bright green and softened, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly, then thoroughly squeeze out liquid in a clean towel. Chop spinach coarsely; you should have abour 1/3 cup.

MIX DOUGH Combine spinach with egg and yolk in food processor, and process until well combined. Add 1 1/4 cups of flour and salt and process until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds.

KNEAD AND REST Turn out dough onto well floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding up to 2 tbsp. more flour if dough is too sticky. Form dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic, and let rest 1 to 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.

Roll out by hand as thin as possible or use a pasta machine and cut into desired shapes. If you are making filled pasta fill immediately.

Martha Stewart's Cooking School
Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook
Pasta section pages 362-371

2009-11-16T13:30:00.003-05:00

The donut dough being cut

Frying cake donuts

Chocolate powdered donuts

Chocolate on chocolate

I have made donuts before and decided that I wanted to try chocolate ones, well these were not what I expected. I couldn't even taste the chocolate in the plain donut so I figured I would dress them up for some pics. I am still on the search for a good chocolate donut recipe, so if anyone has one let me know.

Chocolate Doughnuts
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
2 ozs. unsweetened chocolate

Melt butter and chocolate, set aside. In a mixing bowl stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt. In large mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer till thick. Combine milk and butter/chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to egg mixture, beating just till blended after each addition. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour. Cover dough; chill about 2 hours.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2 in. thickness. Cut woith a floured 2 1/2 in. doughnut cutter. Reroll as necessary.

Fry two or three doughnuts at a time in deep hot fat(375 degrees) about 1 minute on each side, or until golden, turning once with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dough.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg.68

These were just some apple pie wontons. I made the filling to use up some apples before they went bad. After making turnover i had some filling left and decided to use the wonton wrappers in the fridge. I handed them out to neighbors and needless to say they didn't last long.

Macaron Attempt for Daring bakers

2009-11-16T12:08:00.002-05:00

My macarons turned out pitifully there are no words I can use to describe them. I tried two times and both times they were flat. Next time I will use Martha Stewart's recipe to see if I can get them right.

More catching up pics

2009-10-26T13:36:00.006-04:00

Bakugan cake for my nephew's birthday

Steelers cake for a friend's son, shirt and logo are fondant painted with icing colors

Fondant painted with luster dust

Iron Man birthday

My life in overload...

2009-10-20T12:47:00.007-04:00

My first attempt at a gumpaste shoe

Spiderman birthday cake for my nephew

Michelle Bommarito and I after I got off work and went to Party Cakes N Things for some supplies. This was the day before the cake show.

My last minute change on my entry since things didn't go as planned. I didn't want to show up empty handed so I gave it my best shot.

The plan for the cake was a monkey on his banana hammock attached to two palm trees chilling in the sun. At least some of it came out the way I wanted it to. Next time.

The awards I won at the show.

This isn't the actual cheesecake I entered in the show, but a test run on some friends of mine. It was a Mint Julep cheesecake with homemade mint jelly on top.

A dummy cake with colorflow butterflies and dots.

TWD: Sweet Potato Biscuits

2009-10-20T12:40:00.004-04:00

This weeks TWD was chosen by Erin of http://www.prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/. Sweet potato biscuits, what a way to wake up in the morning. No stories this time around just a few words and a few pictures. ENJOY!!

October Daring Cooks Challenge

2009-10-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

Blog-checking lines: The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

This months Challenge was chosen by Jaden of Steamy Kitchen http://steamykitchen.com/ and what a great use of time this was. This recipe was chosen to teach you how to toast spices and how to make a great broth. Jaden chose Chicken Pho(fuh), a Vietnamese noodle soup. This dish does have a long grocery list, but once you have all the groceries at hand the rest is easy. This soup is so quick to make if you purchase the broth that you can make it any day of the week and have enough time to actually sit down and enjoy it.

For the ingredients and instructions you can go to Jaden's site and while you're there you just may see something else you would like to try.

TWD:Split Level Pudding

2009-10-06T12:42:00.004-04:00

This weeks TWD was chosen by Garrett of http://theflavorofvanilla.blogspot.com/ and it was a simple item to make. I already had egg yolks in my fridge so doing this TWD was a no brainer. The pudding was vanilla, but underneath was a surprise of ganache. I didn't care much for the way the ganache set up, however I did like the chocolate flavor it lent the vanilla.

When I made the pudding I put all of it in ramekins, big mistake. I'm the only one who like vanilla pudding so I used a few of the ramekins of pudding in a Boston Cream Pie and let's say "it didn't last long". It amazes me how one may not like something separately, but if you combine it with something else their all over it.

You can check out Garrett's blog for the recipe or purchase Dorie book.

Thanks Garrett for giving me a way to use up some yolks and a reason for Boston Cream Pie!!!

Random Shots with Random Talk

2009-09-29T12:22:00.004-04:00

I have been so busy between school, kids and the school, cake show, and just life in general that I don't have much blog time. I try to get pictures of things that I make or see so that when I have the time to blog I can post pictures along with the words.

I am taking French and Precalculus along with Alice(programming) and World Civilization. Let's just say school is kicking my butt this semester. No more talking about what you could care less about and on to the good stuff...FOOD!

This is some 3 cheese macaroni, which include Dubliner, Gruyere,and age cheddar(no yellow needed). I have been making macaroni for as long as I can remember so I have it down to a science in my head that when people ask me for the recipe I tell them to use what's on the box and adjust it to your taste. As you can see I don't like dry baked macaroni so I add extra milk and extra cheese.Here we have Dorie Greenspan's Party cake except an orange version. I must say that I liked this one better than the lemon. This cake is enrobed with cream cheese frosting.

How about my girlfriend and I went to the library and saw these geese going the wrong way. Maybe they needed to go in and learn to read.

Just a pic of the front of the library

Martha Stewart's graham crackers from her baking handbook...of course mines look nothing like hers. Nonetheless they were still good.

During all the rainy weeks in Virginia lots of mushrooms were popping up everywhere and I just couldn't resist the urge to get some shots.

An last but definitely not least, Bambi and mother. The must live in the brush near the school because they kept coming out to graze and going back in. AWWWW so cute!

The Daring Bakers September Challenge

2009-09-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

This month was another great choice because as usual it was some form of a food I wanted to make, but just hadn't yet. Well this was definitely a fun project to embark on. First of I love making yeast doughs and even tough this dough doesn't contain yeast it still has the same concept. You have to be careful not to over work the dough. The ingredients have to be at the corect temperature, otherwise the product won't come out right. It's fun to do, yet time consuming. The end result, if done correctly, makes you a happy camper with a full belly.

Well, this encompassed all of the above. After making the dough and seeing that it isn't as hard as some might have you believe, I am looking forward to making croissants.

Below you will see pictures of a sweet and a savory Vols-au-vent. The sweet has some rice pudding with specks of vanilla throughout. Unsweetened melted chocolate was drizzled on top. The savory has chicken salad topped with a tomato piece and a little dill weed.

The recipe made enough that I could freeze some for a later date....YAYYYY!! I will definitely be making this again. Thanks Steph of http://awhiskandaspoon.wordpress.com/ for a great selection.

Equipment:

-food processor (will make mixing dough easy, but I imagine this can be done by hand as well)

-rolling pin

-pastry brush

-metal bench scraper (optional, but recommended)

-plastic wrap

-baking sheet

-parchment paper

-silicone baking mat (optional, but recommended)

-set of round cutters (optional, but recommended)

-sharp chef’s knife

-fork

-oven

-cooling rack

Prep Times:

-about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule)-about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent
Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent

In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:

-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)

-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)-your filling of choice

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)

Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.
Fill and serve.
*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.
*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.
*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough

From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Steph’s note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. While I encourage you to make the full recipe of puff pastry, as extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.

There is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). They do seem to give slightly different ingredient measurements verbally than the ones in the book…I listed the recipe as it appears printed in the book. http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour

1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)

1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water

1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

For more tips from Steph check out her page or join the Daring Bakers and bake along with us.

Daring Cooks September Challenge

2009-09-14T13:41:00.005-04:00

This month's challenge was chosen by Debyi of http://www.healthyvegankitchen.com. She chose Indian Dosas from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal. This recipe comes in three parts, there are the pancakes, the filling, and the sauce. This is a must try recipe for anyone, especially if you love hummus. The filling is almost like a crunchy curried hummus and it is so delicious. The pancakes were so soft, somewhat like a crepe. I didn't care for the sauce by itself, but on top of the dish it was great.

I'm glad that I gave this challenge a try because it was a change from the usual for me and since the folks in my house are so picky I took it to work and we ate it for lunch. It was a big hit!!

The recipe is as follows:

Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting .

Serves 4
Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz)
almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.) I made my own almond milk and got the recipe online
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated
Dosa Toppings:
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.
Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.
5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.

Cakes, cakes and more cakes

2009-09-08T12:57:00.002-04:00

This month my family has a multitude of birthdays back to back. I really would love to get the whole family together and have one big birthday party with one big cake, but since that can't happen I make the cakes for everybody separately.

This cake is for one of my nephews that loves the San Diego Chargers and he wanted Red Velvet cake.This cake is chocolate for my sister, very simple but she liked it.

This is a white chocolate and strawberry cake for a friend of mines whose husband just joined the service and was coming home for a weekend.

TWD: Chocolate Souffle

2009-09-08T12:46:00.003-04:00

This weeks Tuesdays With Dorie was chosen by Susan of http://doughmesstic.blogspot.com/ and once again it was on my to bake list.

As you can see I left them in a little too long, not thinking about adjusting the time for smaller dishes. All in all it was a great experience and I'm already thinking about the next souffle I want to bake. This dish is one of the ones you dread because you hear all the horrible things that can go wrong. Well there is nothing so bad about making or baking souffles.

Just make sure you adjust your time!!

For this recipe go to Susan's page or save yourself some time and buy the book and try other Dorie Greenspan recipes.

The Daring Bakers: August 2009 Challenge

2009-08-27T12:49:00.004-04:00

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonfulof Sugar http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/wp/ and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella http://www.notquitenigella.com/. They chose the spectacular DobosTorte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Here Angela and Lorraine give you some background on this cake

So, what is the Dobos Torta (or Torte)? The Dobos Torta is a five-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. (You may come across recipes which have anywhere between six and 12 layers of cake; there are numerous family variations!) It was invented in 1885 by József C. Dobos, a Hungarian baker, and it rapidly became famous throughout Europe for both its extraordinary taste and its keeping properties. The recipe was a secret until Dobos retired in 1906 and gave the recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry.

This cake was on my to bake list, so what a surprise when I opened up the August Challenge and found out that we were making it this month...YAYYYY!!! This cake is done in parts so if you need it for a quick get together then this is not the dessert for you.

I loved the final outcome, although I believe that I cooked the caramel too long. The next time I make this I will just use Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I happened to have ground almonds and whole as well so I used that instead of the hazelnuts, but I'm going to try those the next time.

This was a wonderful use of time, and I can't wait to see what the next host comes up with.

Recipe:

Prep times
Sponge layers 20 mins prep, 40 mins cooking total if baking each layer individually.
Buttercream: 20 mins cooking. Cooling time for buttercream: about 1 hour plus 10 minutes after this to beat and divide.
Caramel layer: 10-15 minutes.
Assembly of whole cake: 20 minutes

Sponge cake layers
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches
a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:
NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).

2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)

3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:
NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.

2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:
1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Assembling the Dobos
1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.

2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.

3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.

4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Days of busy-ness

2009-08-25T13:19:00.002-04:00

Forgive me anyone who may actually read my blog. This has been somewhat of a busy month and a half. A new semester just started for me in school and soon it will be my kids turn to go back. I currently don't have the internet at home so trying to post has been here and there. I hopefully will be able to get back on the ball soon, but it won't be soon enough.

My opportunities with my TWD have dwindled as of late and my sweet tooth has been screaming at me to make something. I will try to get back on track with that next month as well.

So to my followers, oh wait there are only 4, and I haven't posted anything for them to follow, I will get better. Just bare with me.

TWD: Classic Banana Bundt Cake

2009-08-12T11:34:00.004-04:00

I know that I am a week and a day late with this post, but I don't get on the computer as much and I didn't need this cake until this week. The selection was by Mary of http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com and it was a wonderful choice at that. You can find the recipe for this cake at Mary's blog site or you can just pick up a copy of Dorie's book and have other recipes to choose from. You definitely won't be sorry!

My family had a get together and it included a birthday and since not everyone is a huge chocolate fan and my parents don't like lots of icing this was the perfect match. This cake went so quick that I think when we go to Kings Dominion tomorrow that I will make another one.

This is the birthday cake for my 17, yes I said 17, years old daughter. As if this isn't crazy enough, I made her a Nemo blanket and she walks around with it everyday even when it's hot.

A little of this and a little of that!

2009-08-05T11:25:00.005-04:00

Just a beautiful dragonfly enjoying it's leisure.So, I wrote about some bread pudding and said that I would have pictures and a recipe and here they are.

Tiramisu Bread Pudding

12 oz. stale bread, cubed

3 cups milk

1 tbsp instant espresso

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup chocolate chips, divided

2 tsp. vanilla

350 degrees

Put the cubed bread in whatever pan or dish you want to use, I used a 10" circle pan lined with parchment.

In a pot heat the milk, espresso, cinnamon, and sugar until warm to the touch. Ladle about half the milk into the beaten eggs to make the and whisk together. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Stir until the chips melt and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and pour over bread cubes. Top with the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips that were left. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm.

Coffee Liqueur Sauce

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook's Whiskey Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

4 tbsp water

2 1/2 tbsp coffee liqueur

1 1/2 tbsp marsala wine

In a saucepan melt butter. Stir in sugar, egg yolks, and water. Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur and wine. Serve warm.

I didn't get a picture of the bread pudding with the mascarpone, but you can serve it with some sweetened mascarpone to give it another flavor of Tiramisu.

These are some Mocha Madaleines

And this is a purse I sewed