tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12126893954273307002024-03-24T20:04:31.350-04:00make and bakeJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-34092586435669223172012-10-08T23:30:00.001-04:002012-10-08T23:30:41.606-04:00Pickled West Indian GherkinsHow cute are these little west indian gherkins?<br />
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I saw them at my coop and had to buy them. I could just picture them as pickles in a jar. I didn't buy too many, so I also bought some little pearl onions to help fill the jars. <br />
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I used a basic recipe for cornichons that I found on Hounds in the Kitchen <a href="http://houndsinthekitchen.com/2011/07/21/home-pickled-cornichons-recipe/">here</a>. I added some dill, peppercorns, cloves, garlic, and bay leaves to the gherkins and onions. <br />
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They are currently sitting on the shelf getting all pickled, but I'll post an update when I crack a jar open to let you know how the turned out.</div>
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<b>Picked West Indian Gherkins and Pearl Onions</b><br />
based on recipe from <a href="http://houndsinthekitchen.com/2011/07/21/home-pickled-cornichons-recipe/">Hounds in the Kitchen</a><br />
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for each half pint jar (I used 3 weck tulip jars that are slightly smaller than half a pint)<br />
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2 tablespoons kosher salt<br />
1 cup vinegar<br />
1/3 cup water<br />
enough gherkins and pearl onions to fill a jar<br />
1 sprig of dill<br />
1 clove garlic, peeled<br />
1 small bay leaf<br />
1/2 tablespoons peppercorns<br />
2 whole cloves<br />
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Sterilize your jars using your preferred method. (Here is a <a href="http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_01/sterile_jars.html">link</a> to how to sterilize your jars. It says you don't have to if you are going to process more than 10 minutes, but I did anyway.) <br />
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Heat salt, vinegar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling.<br />
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Pack the gherkins and onions, along with the garlic and dill, into your sterilized jars. Sprinkle your spices over top.<br />
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Pour the boiling vinegar brine into the jar, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. <br />
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Wipe the rim of your jar and place a lid on top. Either tighten a ring or clamp the top in place depending on what type of canning jar you are using. <br />
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Boil for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature. <br />
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I've seen some recipes that say the pickles will be ready in a week, others that say a month. I'll probably aim for somewhere in between.<br />
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<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-23220098640955803672012-07-08T09:43:00.000-04:002012-07-08T09:43:56.743-04:00Painted ClothespinsHappy Summer!<br />
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For the 4th of July I did a little crafting because I didn't want to go out in the heat. I use a ton of clothespins in my kitchen and I've had a pack of plain ones sitting on my kitchen table for the last six months waiting to be painted. </div>
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What I really wanted to do was make cute ones like <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1302474277"></span>these<span id="goog_1302474278"></span></a> on knick knacks and ric rac. However, they were coming out a bit messy and not quite as cute as hers. <br />
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Then I dug out some stamps and played around with them and did some with polka dots, but I wasn't really loving them. <br />
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So I spray painted a few with my gold spray paint. Pretty cool.</div>
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Then I made a kissing clothespin based on one I had seen on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/21181060717124164/">Pinterest</a> a while ago and loved.<br />
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The last ones I tried doing were my "paint-dipped" ones and I liked these the best. They came out looking the best of all the ones I did, so I did a ton of them. I just had one of those packs of primary color acrylics paints in the 8 little pots and a big bottle of white, so I did a bunch of paint mixing to get the colors below. </div>
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I just wrapped painter's tape around the clothespin, painted them with a brush, then removed the tape and let them dry. <br />
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Now I have a ton of pretty clothespins to close up all the opened bags of food in my kitchen!</div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0Brooklyn, NY 11211, USA40.7180036 -73.965371540.6939341 -74.00485350000001 40.742073100000006 -73.9258895tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-32705600276193364372012-05-28T23:30:00.000-04:002012-05-28T23:30:23.093-04:00Triple Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey!</span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How's it going? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made some cookies and I wanted to tell you about them so you'd make them too. </span></div>
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<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've made them <a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/search?q=triple+chocolate">before</a>, but last time I used chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. This time I used white chocolate chips because I had a bag in the freezer that I wanted to use up. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> semisweet or bittersweet chips over the white chocolate. But the one improvement I made this time was sprinkling the tops of the cookies with sea salt before I baked them. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Triple Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Illustrated-Cooks-Magazine-Editors/dp/0936184752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281284623&sr=8-1">Baking Illustrated</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Makes about 42 cookies</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups all-purpose flour</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup cocoa powder</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tsp baking powder</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 large eggs</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 oz of your choice of chips (semisweet, bittersweet, white chocolate, peanut butter, etc)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Melt the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl or double boiler over a pan of simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and the vanilla lightly with a fork. Sprinkle the coffee powder over to dissolve and set aside.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about a minute, depending on how softened your butter is. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over-beat. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, spacing the mounds of dough about 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle sea salt on top of each cookie.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets for about 10 minutes, and then move to wire racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the remaining dough.</span></div>
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You just need to make sure that you use oats that specifically say they are gluten free, like Bob's Red Mill, otherwise they may contain traces of gluten.<div><br /></div><div>You can add anything you want to these cookies, like chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, nuts, potato chips, etc. I just stuck with M&M's. Kind of boring, but delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6826823814_b709c73d0f_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>Peanut Butter Oatmeal Monster Cookies</b></span></div><div>recipe from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-peanut-butter-monster-c-40455">the Kitchn</a></div><div><br /></div><div>1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened</div><div>1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter</div><div>1 cup brown sugar</div><div>1/2 cup white sugar</div><div>3 eggs</div><div>1 tablespoon vanilla</div><div>2 tsp baking soda</div><div>4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (gluten free if that's important to you)</div><div>1 cup M&M's </div><div>Additional add-ins (optional)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(60, 60, 60); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; "><p style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.</p><p style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, and beat until just combined. Add the baking soda, then the oatmeal. Finally stir in the M&M's and the other add-ins (if using). Chill dough for at least an hour.</p><p style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Drop balls (slightly smaller than a golf ball) onto the cookie sheet, leaving a couple inches between each cookie. Flatten each cookie slightly. Bake at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes, do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.</p></span></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-45709488797116685342012-02-09T23:12:00.004-05:002012-02-09T23:50:31.497-05:00Mississippi Mud Brownies<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6849814519_c196041e4b_z.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6849814519_c196041e4b_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6849810095_82cf05f71b_z.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Oh Mississippi Mud Brownies, how I love you... Let's break you down.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>First there's a brownie base.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6849769809_def7bf0d27_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>Then you add a layer of chocolate chips.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6849775413_e00a8e9327_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Spread some slightly melted peanut butter on top....</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6849781273_71a9c822a1_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Sprinkle some marshmallows on top and toast them up in the oven...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6849792311_7b44b2d6f0_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Might as well sprinkle some crushed up pecans on top, just for the hell of it. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6849799051_30d50b81e6_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>And then cover it all in chocolate frosting to bring it full circle.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6849804087_df1c16a71c_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">And here you go...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6849810095_82cf05f71b_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><b>Mississippi Mud Brownies</b></div><div>recipe found on <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/01/mississippi-mud-brownies/">Tasty Kitchen</a></div><div><br /></div><div>3/4 cup all-purpose flour</div><div>2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder</div><div>1/2 tsp salt</div><div>1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature</div><div>1 cup sugar</div><div>3/4 tsp vanilla extract</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips</div><div>1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (I used creamy, it works too)</div><div>1 1/2 tsp canola oil</div><div>2 cups mini marshmallows</div><div>1/2 cup chopped and toasted pecans</div><div>2 cups confectioners' sugar</div><div>1/8 tsp salt</div><div>4 tablespoons unsalted butter</div><div>2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder</div><div>1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk</div><div>1/4 tsp vanilla extract</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 8x8" square pan with parchment paper or foil. If using foil, spray with cooking spray.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside. In the bowl of stand mixer, beat together 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and 3/4 tsp vanilla, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Slow the mixer down to low and add the flour mixture. Mix just until combined. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top in an even layer. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until set. </div><div><br /></div><div>While the brownie layer is cooking, combine the peanut butter and oil in a small bowl, and microwave on high for 20 seconds to soften. If you don't have a microwave like me, then you can set your bowl on top of a small saucepan of boiling water until the peanut butter is slightly melted. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once the brownies are done baking, pour this mixture on top of the hot brownies and spread evenly. Sprinkle with mini marshmallows, and then bake for 3 minutes, or until the marshmallows puff up. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now make the frosting. Whisk together the confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. In a small saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Then add the cocoa powder and 1/4 cup of the milk, and bring to a boil. Pour this mixture on top of the confectioners' sugar and salt and then beat on high until smooth and glossy. If it's took thick to pour, you can add the remaining 2 tablespoons milk, but it may already be thin enough. Add the vanilla extract. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pour this frosting evenly on top of your brownies, making sure it completely covers the top. Let cool completely in the fridge for 1-2 hours, then slice into small pieces. </div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-41850692659915303562012-02-02T23:31:00.003-05:002012-02-02T23:59:05.300-05:00Meyer Lemon Bars<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6810225261_4e0cc46f82_z.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6810225261_4e0cc46f82_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Every year when it's Meyer lemon season, I see them at my coop and buy a bag of them. They always just look so pretty and yellow. Last year I made<a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/meyer-lemon-curd-and-buttermilk.html"> lemon curd</a>, and I've still have a couple jars left from that on the shelf. So this year I needed something different. And even though I usually think of lemon bars as a summer dessert, these were really perfect (plus it's been about 60 degrees this week in NY so it's almost like summer). <div><br /></div><div>They are amazing. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6810229253_3f53fe21cf_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 427px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Find some meyer lemons and make them. You won't regret it. Unless you're still trying to do that new year eating healthy thing, and then you eat four of these right out of the pan while they're cooling because they taste so good. Then you might feel a little bad about your lack of self-control. But you won't regret making these, just try to get them to your friends and co-workers before you can eat them all.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Meyer Lemon Bars</b></div><div>Ina Garten recipe adapted a couple times (not by me) - found <a href="http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2011/03/meyer-lemon-bars.html">here</a> on The Cooking Photographer.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Crust:</b></div><div>1/2 lb butter (2 sticks), room temperature</div><div>1/2 cup sugar</div><div>2 cups flour</div><div>1/8 tsp kosher salt</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Filling:</b></div><div>6 large eggs at room temperature</div><div>2 1/2 cups sugar</div><div>2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest</div><div>1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (I used about 6 lemons)</div><div>1 cup flour</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease a 13x9 pan.</div><div><br /></div><div>To make the crust, cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and salt. Beat until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a ball. With floured hands, press the dough into the baking pan forming an even layer. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Then bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.</div><div><br /></div><div>To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the cooled crust, and then bake for 30-35 minutes or until the lemon layer is set. Cool to room temperature. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cut into squares or triangles and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.</div><div><br /></div><div>Makes 24 larger bars or 32 smaller bars. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Century Gothic', Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-56460289885935631532012-01-08T23:01:00.005-05:002012-01-09T22:29:11.037-05:00Buttermilk Biscuits<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6670913385_e3fe56df04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6670913385_e3fe56df04.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I made some biscuits this morning. It's the same <a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/search?q=buttermilk+biscuits">recipe</a> that I've posted before, the same one I always use. But this time, I used a technique I saw on Serious Eats in an Andrew Carmellini biscuit <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/11/the-worlds-best-biscuits-recipe.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+seriouseatsfeaturesvideos+%28Serious+Eats%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">recipe</a> for folding the dough multiple times before cutting out your biscuits. Sorta like when you make puff pastry and have to keep rolling and folding the dough.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6664342961_264dc4c635.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6664342961_264dc4c635.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I also brushed the tops of the biscuits with a little extra buttermilk and then sprinkled some sea salt on top. These definitely rose up and had more layers than usual, so I think I'll stick with that little trick. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6664373709_11e5cd579c.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6664373709_11e5cd579c.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>As expected, this biscuits are really best when they are still hot. But I don't think I'll have any problems finishing them up this week.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6670907087_ef80152e80.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6670907087_ef80152e80.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Buttermilk Biscuits</span><br />recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Illustrated-Cooks-Magazine-Editors/dp/0936184752/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301880101&sr=1-1">Baking Illustrated</a> with help from Andrew Carmellini via <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/11/the-worlds-best-biscuits-recipe.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+seriouseatsfeaturesvideos+%28Serious+Eats%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">Serious Eats</a><br /><br />1 cup all purpose flour<br />1 cup cake flour<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />1 tsp sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces<br />3/4 cold buttermilk<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 450ºF and place rack in the center of the oven.<br /><br />Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender (or two knives), cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms a coarse meal with some slightly larger pieces of butter. Add the buttermilk and mix it in with a spatula until it forms a soft sticky ball of dough. Add a little extra buttermilk if a ball does not form.<br /><br />Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick and then fold into thirds (like you're folding a business letter). Repeat this step 7 times, but don't fold the 7th time you roll out. Cut the dough into circles with a round biscuit cutter. Use the scraps to form additional biscuits. Place on a ungreased cookie sheet. Brush the tops with buttermilk and then sprinkle with sea salt (if desired).<br /><br />Bake until tops are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-67144606362633341312012-01-02T11:57:00.002-05:002012-01-02T12:16:54.414-05:00Christmas CookiesHappy New Year! Soooo I'm a little late, but I wanted to a run-down of some of the cookies I made for Christmas this year.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6621008039_9cf162819e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6621008039_9cf162819e.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />New cookies this year: <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/12/nutmeg-maple-butter-cookies/">Nutmeg Maple Butter Cookies</a> from Smitten Kitchen. Salty, buttery, sweet - yum! Seriously addictive.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6621000595_ff627f01a8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6621000595_ff627f01a8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/vanilla-bean-spritz.html"><br />Vanilla Bean Spritz</a>. One of my favorites from childhood.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6621015435_1c34dac63d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6621015435_1c34dac63d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/dessert/recipe-chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies-with-cherries-pecans-124638">Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Cherries and Pecans</a> from the Kitchn. One of my new favorites. I'm not usually a big fan of chocolate chips in my oatmeal cookies, but somehow when you add the cherries and the pecans and the chocolate chips it just works.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6621023859_b7a1de3cdc.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6621023859_b7a1de3cdc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/purple-and-pink-rainbow-cookies.html"><br />Italian Rainbow Cookies</a> - my favorite cookie ever (they're actually more like cake, but they're cookie sized so they count in my opinion).<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6621031421_b381253876.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6621031421_b381253876.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And not cookies or baking, but still filled with sugar and butter - <a href="http://eatmakeread.com/2008/09/02/caramels/">Salted Caramels</a> from eat make read. I think this is my first successful attempt at caramels. <br /><br />Also made this year, but all gone now:<br />My Mom's Sugar Cookies (in the shape of NJ and unicorns)<br /><a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/carrot-cake-sandwich-cookies.html">Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies</a><br /><a href="http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2009/12/12-days-of-cookies-1-marlow-sons-shortbread/">Marlow and Sons Brown Sugar Walnut Shortbread</a> - (awesome, try sprinkling some salt on top with the sugar)Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-83623936728093458122011-12-31T12:03:00.003-05:002011-12-31T12:26:26.607-05:00Holiday Breakfast WreathEvery year for Christmas, my gramma makes a Swedish Tea Ring. It's basically cinnamon bun dough, filled with maraschino cherries, walnuts, butter, cinnamon sugar, shaped into a ring and covered with icing. It's amazing.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6607474701_1f9e183cda.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6607474701_1f9e183cda.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Since I knew I'd be having the Swedish Tea Ring at her house on Christmas Eve, I tried out this similar recipe for our office holiday party. It's a Holiday Breakfast Wreath, and it pretty much the same as the tea ring except that it's filled with dried cranberries and almonds instead of maraschino cherries and walnuts. It looks pretty impressive, and really isn't that hard. Plus it makes your kitchen (or your tiny apartment) smell amazing.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6607483401_92c13b923b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6607483401_92c13b923b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Holiday Breakfast Wreath</span><br />recipe from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/breakfast/from-the-email-holiday-breakfast-wreath-072783">The Kitchn</a>, adapted from Sunset Magazine recipe<br /><br />Dough:<br />1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast (I used instant yeast)<br />1/4 cup warm water (about 110ºF)<br />1/2 cup warm milk (about 110ºF)<br />3 tablespoons sugar<br />1/4 cup butter, softened<br />1 1/2 tsp salt<br />1 tsp cardamom powder<br />2 large eggs<br />2 tsp grated lemon zest<br />3 1/2 cups flour<br /><br />Filling:<br />3/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries, soaked in 1/2 cup brandy or other liqueur<br />6 tablespoons butter, softened<br />1/3 cup flour<br />3/4 cup finely chopped blanched almonds<br />3 tablespoons sugar<br />1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest<br />1 tsp almond extract<br /><br />Glaze:<br />1 cup powdered sugar<br />2 tablespoons water<br />1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice<br />1/4 tsp cardamom powder<br /><br />In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let sit for a few minutes until it's foamy. Add the milk, sugar, butter, salt, cardamom, eggs and lemon peel in your mixer. One cup at a time, stir in 2 cups of the flour. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a soft, workable dough. (You may not need to use all the flour, I only used about 3 cups)<br /><br />Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.<br /><br />While the dough is rising, drain the dried fruit from the liquer and combine the fruit with the rest of the filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.<br /><br />When the dough has doubled in size, punch down and turn out until a lightly floured surface, kneading just enough to release any air bubbles. Your will need a large surface for this part (I just used my kitchen table). Roll the dough into a 9x30 inch rectangle. Crumble the filling over the dough to within 1 inch of the edges. Starting at one of the long edges, tightly roll up the dough, pinching the edge against the loaf to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise and turn the cut sides up. Loosely twist the two pieces together into, keeping the cut sides up, and shape into a wreath. See the <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/breakfast/from-the-email-holiday-breakfast-wreath-072783">pictures</a> on the Kitchn for better instructions.<br /><br />Carefully transfer the wreath to a greased and floured baking sheet, and let rise uncovered for about 45 minutes to an hour.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350ºF and bake wreath for about 25 minutes, or until golden. While the wreath is baking, combine all the ingredients for the glaze. When wreath is done baking, transfer to a cooling rack to cool. After a few minutes, drizzle the glaze over the wreath.<br /><br />You can prepare the wreath up to 2 days ahead of time, cooled completely and wrapped tightly in foil (save the glaze until your serve). Store at room temperature then re-heat at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes, drizzling the glaze right before serving.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-3151462858224207902011-11-03T23:08:00.002-04:002011-11-03T23:47:43.397-04:00Halloween Cupcakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6120/6311220008_563c47d2c4_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6120/6311220008_563c47d2c4_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We had a Halloween party at work and I brought two types of cupcakes - Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and Vanilla Candy Corn Cupcakes.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6310702529_8f54901b69_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6310702529_8f54901b69_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />For the gluten-free chocolate cupcakes, I used a Serious Eats recipe for one-bowl chocolate cake and a peanut butter cream cheese frosting recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sky-High-Irresistible-Triple-Layer-Cakes/dp/0811854485/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320376285&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes</span></a>. For the vanilla cupcakes, I used a Dorie Greenspan recipe that I used for my <a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentine-cupcakes.html">Valentine cupcakes</a> and the best frosting ever, which I found on <a href="http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/">Tasty Kitchen</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6098/6311225996_f019be6220_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6098/6311225996_f019be6220_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Seriously, that vanilla frosting is amazing. Not too sweet, very light, kinda like whipped cream. Make it.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes</span><br />recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/06/one-bowl-gluten-free-chocolate-cake-recipe.html">Serious Eats</a><br /><br />2 cups granulated sugar<br />1 cup white rice flour<br />1/4 cup sweet rice flour<br />1/2 cup cornstarch<br />1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 1/2 tsp baking powder<br />1 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />1 tsp salt<br />1 tsp xanthan gum<br />2 eggs<br />1 cup buttermilk<br />1/2 cup vegetable oil<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br />1/2 cup hot coffee<br />1/2 cup warm water<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350ºF and line about 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flours, cornstarch, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add the wet ingredients and stir until completely combined, no flour or dry ingredients are visible. <br /><br />Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the cupcake tins for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.<br /><br />Makes about 18 cupcakes<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting</span><br />recipe from <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sky-High-Irresistible-Triple-Layer-Cakes/dp/0811854485">Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes</a><br /><br />8 oz cream cheese, room temperature<br />1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature<br />4 cups confectioners' sugar<br />1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (commercial brands work better than natural because they don't separate)<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter. When fully combined, gradually add the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Beat for about 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and beat until fully combined.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vanilla Cupcakes</span><br />recipe from Dorie Greenspan's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297917984&sr=8-1-spell">Baking: From My Home to Yours</a> via <a href="http://cheeseandchoco.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweetheart-cupcakes.html">Cheese and Chocolate</a><br /><br />Makes 18-21 cupcakes<br /><br />2 1/4 cups cake flour<br />1 tablespoon baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk<br />4 large egg whites<br />1 1/2 cups sugar<br />2 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)<br />1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />1/2 tsp lemon extract (optional)<br />Yellow and red food coloring<br /><br />Make the cupcakes:<br />Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.<br /><br />Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites. Set aside.<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest and rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant (if using). Add the butter, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.<br /><br />Beat in the lemon extract if using. Add one third of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Then add half the milk mixture. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the remaining half of the milk mixture, and then the remaining third of the flour mixture. Beat for about 2 minutes until the batter is fully combined and smooth. Be sure not to over-mix here since you will be mixing more when you add the food coloring.<br /><br />Divide the cupcake evenly into 2 bowls. In one bowl, add yellow food coloring until it's the desired color. In the second bowl, use a combination of yellow and red (about 2 drops of yellow for every red) until it is the desired color. Fill each cupcake liner about a 1/3 full with the yellow batter. Then fill to about 2/3 full with the orange batter.<br /><br />Bake for 20-25 minute or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the muffin tins on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool them completely before frosting on the rack.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Whipped Vanilla Frosting aka Best Frosting Ever</span><br />recipe from Tasty Kitchen<br /><br />5 tablespoons flour<br />1 cup milk<br />1 tsp vanilla<br />1 cup butter<br />1 cup granulated sugar<br /><br />In a small saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk over medium heat. Stir constantly until it thickens to the consistency of brownie mix. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla.<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and completely combined. Add the cooled milk and flour mixture and beat on high until it looks liked whipped cream. It will probably look separated before it gets there, but that's ok, just keep beating it. <br /><br />Makes about 18 cupcakesJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-6926643850874052252011-11-02T21:47:00.004-04:002011-11-03T23:08:35.846-04:00Apple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6239/6301254392_d3c3e50891_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6239/6301254392_d3c3e50891_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I went apple picking last month on a weekend trip back to NJ, and I've been trying to use up the 20 pounds of apples I picked. There has been apple sauce, apple butter, and two batches of these oatmeal cookies. They are super good and taste just like fall. I have needed to bring them to work or give them away to friends so that I would stop eating them.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6300726081_c8da814038_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6300726081_c8da814038_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I used an oatmeal cookie <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/">recipe</a> I found on Smitten Kitchen and adapted it by adding apples and increasing the amount of flour to account for the apples. The cookies end up nice and chewy, and if you refrigerate the dough for at least a couple of hours, they don't spread out completely, which is a problem I've had a lot with oatmeal cookie recipes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Apple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies</span><br />adapted from Smitten Kitchen <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/02/thick-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/">recipe</a><br /><br />2 cups flour<br />1 tsp baking soda<br />1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />1 tsp salt<br />1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened<br />1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed<br />2 eggs<br />1 tsp vanilla<br />3 cups rolled oats<br />1 1/2 cups chopped apples (about 2 apples)<br />1 cup chopped walnuts<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until fully combined. Add in the oats, apples, and walnuts.<br /><br />Refrigerate the dough for a couple hours or overnight.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until ends are golden and the tops look slightly under baked. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then finish cooling on a wire rack.<br /><br />Makes about 48 cookies.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-41164139310534563112011-09-26T22:26:00.005-04:002011-09-26T23:12:32.407-04:00Homemade Skyr (Icelandic Yogurt)<a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6187678976_b13febbe9b_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6187678976_b13febbe9b_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love Siggi's yogurt. It's super thick, they have great flavors (um, orange and ginger...yum!), and it's fat-free to boot. It's a bit expensive though. So I was really excited when I found this <a href="http://julesfood.blogspot.com/2011/04/skyrhomemade-icelandic-yogurt.html">recipe</a> to make your own.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6187136679_24580d92bb_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6187136679_24580d92bb_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Basically you start with a gallon of fat-free milk, heat it up and then let it cool back down. Add some yogurt and a few drops of rennet, then wrap it up in some towels and let sit for half a day. Then you let it drain for a long time, and you have yogurt!<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/6187139789_660642e654_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/6187139789_660642e654_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I actually bought the adorable Weck jars that I used for the yogurt months ago in anticipation of making it. I finally got around to buying the rennet I needed last weekend, and I picked up two other ingredients - milk and siggi's to start it off.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6187143631_d0302db3d1_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6187143631_d0302db3d1_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It took a long time, but most of the time was letting it drain so it didn't require any work. And for the price of a gallon of milk and a container of yogurt (plus the couple drops of rennet), I have six 6oz containers of yogurt. Next time I'll just have to buy the milk because I'll save a few tablespoons of the yogurt I made.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6187150497_441765d4c7_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6187150497_441765d4c7_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've just been eating it with some cherry jam and a little granola, but I really want to try to replicate the orange & ginger flavor that they make.<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6187150497_441765d4c7_z.jpg"><br /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6187154597_318b461da5_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6160/6187154597_318b461da5_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6176/6187678976_b13febbe9b_z.jpg"><br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Homemade Skyr</span><br />recipe from<a href="http://julesfood.blogspot.com/2011/04/skyrhomemade-icelandic-yogurt.html"> Jules Food</a><br /><br />1 gallon fat-free milk (not ultra-pasteurized)<br />3-4 tablespoons skyr (Siggi's or another brand or leftover homemade)<br />7-8 drops rennet (I used 3 drops of Double Strength Plus rennet)<br /><br />Heat the milk to 195ºF in a large pot, stirring occasionally. When the milk reaches 190-195º, turn off the heat and let cool to 110ºF. Mix 3-4 tablespoons of the skyr into a couple tablespoons of the warm milk in a small bowl until it is mixed and pourable. Stir this mixture into the pot of milk, being careful not to scrape up any milk solids that may be at the bottom of the pot.<br /><br />Add the rennet and stir carefully. Cover with the lid on the pot and wrap up in 2-3 towels. Place on the counter and let sit for 12-16 hours.<br /><br />Look inside and make sure it looks like a mostly solid mass with some whey around the outside. If not, then you need to start over. If it looks good, then slice the curds into cubes.<br /><br />Line a large strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Spoon the cubed curds into the strainer, then let sit for 1-2 hours. When the dripping has slowed, tie the corners of the cheesecloth together and hang on a wooden spoon over a bowl or pot. I did this on the counter, but you can also move it into the refrigerator if your apartment is warm. Let sit for 2-3 hours or until it is firm. It should be thicker than greek yogurt but not as thick as cream cheese.<br /><br />Dump into a bowl and whisk until smooth. You can also put it in your mixer and beat it until it is smooth. Flavor as desired and eat!Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-35132273674125037402011-09-21T21:39:00.003-04:002011-09-21T22:03:32.510-04:00Peach CobblerI made peach cobbler for Labor Day. I can't find the recipe I used though, so it's just pictures for this one. Pretty basic recipe though, peaches sliced and mixed with cornstarch, biscuits on top.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6165331764_649a3dfd18_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6165331764_649a3dfd18_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6168447258_64fefd2f8c_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6168447258_64fefd2f8c_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6167917847_0d3872d917_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6177/6167917847_0d3872d917_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-88628755739094180652011-09-18T21:19:00.004-04:002011-09-18T21:55:39.129-04:00Peanut Butter Banana Bread and Zucchini Corn BreadLast weekend I was on a quick bread kick.<br /><br />First, there was Peanut Butter Banana Bread from <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/02/peanut-butter-banana-bread/">Joy the Baker</a>. How could that not be awesome?<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6160626501_6210e798b2_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6160626501_6210e798b2_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6160632037_272e1e861a_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6160632037_272e1e861a_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6161189852_57326c25fe_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6072/6161189852_57326c25fe_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Then I made some Zucchini Corn Bread from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Zucchini-Cornbread-366395">Bon Appetit</a>. No complaints on this one either.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6160637085_ef9a149bb6_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6160637085_ef9a149bb6_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6161180622_bfe1f90d37_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6193/6161180622_bfe1f90d37_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6161185660_01e1ce3b51_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6073/6161185660_01e1ce3b51_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />They were both great, I just probably should have only made one at a time because that's a lot of bread for one person to eat. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peanut Butter Banana Bread</span><br />recipe from <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/02/peanut-butter-banana-bread/">Joy the Baker</a><br /><br />1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas<br />1/3 cup plain or vanilla fat free yogurt<br />1/3 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter<br />3 tablespoons butter, melted<br />2 eggs<br />1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />1/2 cup brown sugar<br />1 cup whole wheat flour<br />1/2 cup all-purpose flour<br />1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal<br />3/4 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />1/8 tsp ground allspice<br />1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350ºF and put rack in center of the oven. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan and set aside.<br /><br />In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, flaxseed meal, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice. Set aside<br /><br />In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, and melted butter. Whisk in the eggs and sugars until no sugar lumps remain.<br /><br />Pour the banana mixture into the large bowl with the flour mixture. Fold together until no more flour is visible. Fold in the chopped peanuts.<br /><br />Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.<br /><p style="text-align: left;">Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then run a butter knife along the edges of the pan and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Makes 1 9x5 inch loaf. Keep well-wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days. This bread also freezes well.<br /></p><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zucchini Corn Bread</span><br />recipe from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Zucchini-Cornbread-366395">Bon Appetit</a><br /><br />1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter<br />2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />1/2 cup buttermilk<br />1 large zucchini (about 10 ounces or 2 cups shredded)<br />1 cup all-purpose flour<br />1/2 cup whole wheat flour<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />3/4 tsp fine sea salt<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />3/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350ºF and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan.<br /><br />Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids at bottom of the pan turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Scrape the butter into a medium bowl, and set aside to cool. When cool, whisk in the eggs and buttermilk.<br /><br />Trim the ends of the zucchini and thinly slice five 1/8" rounds from 1 end of zucchini and set aside for garnish. Coarsely grate the remaining zucchini. Add to the butter mixture and stir until well-blended.<br /><br />Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk in the cornmeal. Add the zucchini mixture, and fold in just until combined.<br /><br />Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and place the reserved zucchini slices on top of the batter down the center in a single layer. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.<br /><br />Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then run a butter knife along the edges of the pan and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.<br /><br />Makes 1 9x5-inch loaf. Store in a airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-49904108196078301582011-09-11T16:18:00.002-04:002011-09-11T17:06:36.973-04:00Salted Caramel and Fudge Swirl with Pretzel Ice CreamI want to apologize for the crappy pictures, but I decided to try to take pictures of this ice cream when there was only one sad little scoop of ice cream left in my apartment. But I wanted to share the recipe because this ice cream was amazing. Sweet and salty and creamy.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6137776990_058947f10b_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6137776990_058947f10b_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love Chubby Hubby so this was my attempt to make something similar with salted caramel instead of the peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but I had some leftover salted caramel from a batch of Sweet and Salty Brownies from <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Baked-Explorations-American-Desserts-Reinvented/dp/1584798505/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315773086&sr=1-3">Baked Explorations</a> that I had been wanting to use in some ice cream. I used the vanilla base and fudge swirl recipes from David Lebovitz's <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Scoop-Sorbets-Granitas-Accompaniments/dp/158008219X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315772938&sr=8-1">The Perfect Scoop</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Salted Caramel and Fudge Swirl with Pretzel Ice Cream</span><br />recipe adapted from <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Scoop-Sorbets-Granitas-Accompaniments/dp/158008219X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315772938&sr=8-1">The Perfect Scoop</a> by David Lebovitz and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Baked-Explorations-American-Desserts-Reinvented/dp/1584798505/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315773086&sr=1-3">Baked Explorations</a> by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito<br /><br />Makes 1 quart<br /><br />1 cup whole milk<br />3/4 cup sugar<br />2 cups heavy cream<br />pinch of salt<br />1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise<br />6 large egg yolks<br />3/4 tsp vanilla extract<br />1 cup fudge swirl (see recipe below)<br />1 cup salted caramel (see recipe below)<br />1 cup crushed pretzel pieces (I crushed some pretzel logs, but you could use any type, even chocolate covered pretzels)<br /><br />In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and salt over medium heat. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean halves as well. Cover, remove from the heat, and steep for 30 minutes.<br /><br />In a large bowl, pour the remaining 1 cup of cream and place a mesh strainer over top of the bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Carefully pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, and then pour back into the saucepan.<br /><br />Heat over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom until it thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the remaining cream and add the vanilla beans back to the custard. Place the bowl into an ice bath, add the vanilla extract, and stir until cool. <br /><br />Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. When it is chilled and you are ready to churn the ice cream, remove the vanilla bean and rinse and reserve it for another use.<br /><br />Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. In the last few minutes, add the pretzel pieces. <br /><br />When it is done churning, layer the ice cream with spoonfuls of the fudge swirl and the caramel. Do not stir the ice cream together with the fudge swirl and the caramel. Freeze until firm in your freezer.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Salted Caramel</span>:<br />1 cup sugar<br />2 tablespoons light corn syrup<br />1/4 cup water<br />1/2 cup heavy cream<br />1 tsp fleur de sel<br />1/4 cup sour cream<br /><br />In a medium saucepan, carefully stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water, taking care not to splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until the temperature is 350ºF or until a dark amber in color, about 6 to 8 minutes. Keep a close watch on the caramel because once it starts to brown it goes quickly.<br /><br />Remove from heat and slowly add the cream and then the fleur de sel. Whisk in the sour cream, and set aside to cool.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fudge Swirl</span>:<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1/3 cup light corn syrup<br />1/2 cup water<br />6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder<br />1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br />In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, water and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to bubble at the edges.<br /><br />Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil and then continue to cook for an additional 1 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, then set aside to cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-52957335162735368182011-08-27T13:34:00.004-04:002011-08-27T14:57:32.456-04:00Crustless Broccoli, Fontina, and Bacon QuicheThis morning I was preparing for the hurricane by making ice cream, and I got to the part where the recipe said to whisk together 6 egg yolks in a bowl. But instead of doing that, I whisked together 6 eggs, yolk and white, in a bowl. Oops! So I made quiche.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6085838267_30d2171646_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6070/6085838267_30d2171646_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />I didn't feel like making a pie crust because it's hot in my kitchen (which is why I was making ice cream). I found a basic recipe for crustless quiche <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/simple-crustless-broccoli-quiche-269019">here</a>, and made some adjustments - used 6 eggs instead of 4, used whole milk instead of half-and-half, swapped the swiss cheese for fontina, added 4 strips of crumbled up bacon and a healthy splash of hot sauce, and nixed the nutmeg.
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<br />The crust is generally my favorite parts of a quiche, but I really liked how this one turned out. Pictures of the ice cream to come soon!
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crustless Broccoli, Fontina, and Bacon Quiche</span>
<br />recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/simple-crustless-broccoli-quiche-269019">food.com</a>
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<br />6 eggs
<br />1 cup whole milk or half-and-half (I used a really creamy whole milk from the farmers' market)
<br />1 cup fontina cheese, shredded
<br />2 cups broccoli florets
<br />4 strips bacon
<br />1/2 tsp salt
<br />freshly ground pepper
<br />couple splashes of hot sauce
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<br />Preheat your oven to 350ºF and butter a 9-inch pie pan.
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<br />Cook your bacon in whatever way you generally cook your bacon, and then crumble up into small pieces. Blanch you broccoli in a large pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes.
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<br />In a medium bowl, whisk together your eggs and milk. Add in the cheese. Then add in the broccoli, bacon, salt, a few grinds of pepper, and hot sauce.
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<br />Pour into your buttered pan and spread around the broccoli so it's evenly distributed. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
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<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-2025961712089781052011-08-21T12:07:00.003-04:002011-08-21T13:11:45.597-04:00Dutch Baby with Buttermilk SyrupFirst, I want to thank the Union Square Farmers' Market for having strawberries in the middle of August. Delicious little strawberries.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6065434439_3a42a6e5b8_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6065434439_3a42a6e5b8_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />My mom used to make dutch baby pancakes when I was growing up and she would always make buttermilk syrup to go with them. I know buttermilk syrup sounds weird, but it awesome. Buttery, sugary awesomeness. The Dutch Baby is delicious too, but it was really always about the syrup for me.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6065986144_b350f635f2_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6065986144_b350f635f2_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />I didn't have my mother's recipe for the syrup, but I found one online that I think it's pretty similar and it tastes the same and frothed up the same way I remember. I think my mom's used corn syrup though.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6065992534_fe6c48cf6a_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6065992534_fe6c48cf6a_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />I sprinkle the pancake with lemon juice and powdered sugar, and then covered it in syrup and strawberries. And then I stuffed it in my face.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6066002684_1ab74931e7_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 427px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6066002684_1ab74931e7_z.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dutch Baby Pancake</span>
<br />recipe from <a href="http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Dutch-Baby/23038/?Extcode=L1HN3BA00">Cook's Country</a> via Joy Cho on <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/124820426/">Pinterest</a>
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<br />2 tablespoons vegetable oil
<br />1 cup all-purpose flour
<br />1/4 cup cornstarch
<br />2 tsp grated lemon zest
<br />1 tsp salt
<br />3 large eggs
<br />1 1/4 cups skim milk
<br />1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
<br />1 tsp vanilla extract
<br />2 tablespoons lemon juice
<br />3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
<br /><span class="block_header instructions">
<br />Preheat oven to 450ºF and place oven rack in the middle position. Brush the surface and sides of a large oven-safe skillet with the vegetable oil. Place the skillet in the oven and heat until the oil is shimmering, about 10 minutes.
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<br />In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
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<br />In another bowl, whisk the 3 eggs for about a minute, or until frothy and light. Whisk in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla until fully incorporated. Add one-third of this milk/egg mixture to the flour mixture until no lumps remain. Then add in the remaining milk/egg mixture and mix until smooth.
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<br />Pour the batter into the heated skillet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges of the Dutch Baby are deep golden brown and crisp. Place the skillet on a wire rack to cool, and then sprinkle with the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar.
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<br />Cut into wedges and serve with syrup and fruit.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buttermilk Syrup
<br /></span>recipe found on <a href="http://dandelionmama.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/recipe-homemade-buttermilk-syrup/">Dandelion Mama</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">
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<br /></span>1/2 cup butter
<br />1 cup granulated sugar
<br />1/2 cup buttermilk
<br />1 tsp vanilla
<br />1 tsp baking soda
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<br />Combine the butter, sugar, and buttermilk in a medium saucepan over low heat to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Then bring to a boil and boil for one minute.
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<br />Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and baking soda. It will foam up, but continue to stir until fully combined. Serve warm.
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<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-41005909089160956532011-08-14T22:30:00.007-04:002011-08-15T22:45:27.637-04:00Italian Rainbow Cookie CakeSorry for the three month hiatus. It's been really hot so I haven't really turned my oven on for the past month and I was on vacation for a couple weeks. And let's just face it, it's summer and I've been lazy.
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<br />I did make <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/06/fudge-popsicles/">these</a> the other day, and they were delicious. I tried to take a picture, but they were messy and didn't come out of the molds very well. Still tasted good though.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6048164516_161e2f33c1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6048164516_161e2f33c1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />One of my co-worker's birthday was this weekend, so I decided it was time to suck it up and turn on my oven again. Plus it rained all day today so it was slightly cooler in my kitchen. He is gluten-intolerant, so I was on the hunt for a good gluten-free cake recipe. He loves italian rainbow cookies, so I decided to try to make <a href="http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2009/11/italian-rainbow-cookie-cake.html">this</a> recipe and convert it to gluten-free. It looked awesome.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6047616789_3d63c7f170.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6047616789_3d63c7f170.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />The only ingredient I had to replace in the recipe was the flour. Also, I had to make sure that the almond paste that I had was gluten-free as well. The Solo brand (in the cans) is gluten-free, but the Odense brand (the one in the tube) has wheat in the ingredients. Unfortunately, I had one can and one tube, but the recipe calls for more than one can. I tried both of the grocery stores near my apartment, and neither had almond paste, so I ended up buying some blanched almonds and making my own almond paste using a recipe I found <a href="http://www.mysisterskitchenonline.com/2008/12/10/you-mean-i-can-make-my-own-almond-paste/">here</a>. It was actually really easy and if I wasn't buying the almonds at the fancy grocery store it would probably be a lot cheaper than the canned stuff.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6047620253_5f8b878a5b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6047620253_5f8b878a5b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />For the gluten-free flour substitute, I used a rice flour mix recipe I found <a href="http://www.heythattastesgood.com/p/flour-mix.html">here</a>. I think this mixed worked really well, the cake had a really good texture and everyone said it didn't taste "gluten-free".
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6068/6047623797_f898434b0d.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6068/6047623797_f898434b0d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />Sorry for the crappy post-slicing pictures, I didn't have my real camera at work and only remembered to snap one with my iphone after most of it was gone.
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<br /><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6047629083_0b427a0dbb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6207/6047629083_0b427a0dbb.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />Obviously it was enjoyed by all. Especially the birthday boy.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Italian Rainbow Cookie Cake (Gluten-free)</span>
<br />recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/2009/11/italian-rainbow-cookie-cake.html">Always Order Dessert</a>
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<br />3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups), softened
<br />1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
<br />6 large eggs
<br />12 oz almond paste (homemade, see recipe below, or store-bought), grated with a box grater
<br />1 tablespoon pure almond extract
<br />1 cup white rice flour
<br />1 cup brown rice flour
<br />2/3 cup potato starch
<br />1/3 cup tapioca starch
<br />1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
<br />3 tsp baking powder
<br />red, green, and yellow food coloring
<br />1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
<br />1/4 cup apricot preserves
<br />1 cup heavy cream
<br />12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
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<br />Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans and place a round of parchment in the bottom of each pan.
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<br />Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the almond paste and almond extract and beat until well combined.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>In another bowl, sift together the four types of flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter in the mixer and mix until combined.
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<br />Separate the batter evenly into three bowls. Add red food coloring to one bowl, green to another, and yellow to the last. Pour each color mixture into individual pans, smoothing out the tops. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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<br />Let cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and remove the parchment paper. Let cool completely.
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<br />While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache. Place the semi-sweet chocolate chips into a medium sized bowl. Heat 1 cup heavy cream in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edge (do not boil). Turn off the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for a minute. Then stir continuously until melted completely and smooth. Cool to room temperature.
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<br />When the cake and the ganache have cooled to room temperature, assemble the cake. Place the pink layer on the bottom and spread with the raspberry jam to the edge of the cake. Place the yellow layer on top and then spread with with apricot preserves to the edge. Then place the green layer on top.
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<br />Pour the ganache on top of the cake and spread with a an offset spatula so it goes down the sides of the cake. Spread to that it evenly covers the entire cake. Let sit in a cool location for 1-2 hours to let the ganache harden (I used the fridge since it is so hot in my kitchen).
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Homemade Almond Paste</span>
<br />recipe from <a href="http://www.mysisterskitchenonline.com/2008/12/10/you-mean-i-can-make-my-own-almond-paste/">My Sister's Kitchen</a>
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<br />1 1/2 cups (8 oz) blanched almonds
<br />1 1/2 cups (5 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
<br />1 egg white
<br />1 tsp almond extract
<br />1/2 tsp salt
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<br />Grind the almonds in a food processor. Add the sugar, egg white, almond extract, and salt and combine until it forms a stiff paste. Store in the refrigerator or freezer, tightly wrapped in saran wrap or plastic bag. Makes 1 1/3 cups (13 oz) almond paste.
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<br />Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-52378970372032956302011-05-17T23:25:00.005-04:002011-05-18T00:21:37.919-04:00Lemon Raspberry Petits Fours<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/5732541392_362d752e61.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/5732541392_362d752e61.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I made petits fours over the weekend! Aren't they cute?<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5731988569_42b00a1304.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5731988569_42b00a1304.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I think you should go make these, because they just make me happy. I showed a picture of them on my phone to a co-worker today and she squealed. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/5731992639_dfb9d151a3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2060/5731992639_dfb9d151a3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I made these for my amazing friend Heather's bridal shower on Sunday. We had a beautiful party hosted by my friend Yuri, ate awesome food, and drank a ton of wine. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon.<br /><br />I also learned a couple things about swiss meringue buttercream:<br /><ul><li>It might look like your buttercream is curdling or soupy and will never come together, but just keep letting it whip. Eventually it will thicken and turn into fluffy buttercream.<br /></li><li>If you decide to refrigerate your buttercream before using and you end up with cold separated buttercream, melt about 1/4 of it in a small saucepan. Add back to the rest of the buttercream in the bowl of your mixer and whip until it turns into beautiful buttercream again. <br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lemon Chiffon Cake</span><br />recipe found <a href="http://www.make-fabulous-cakes.com/chiffon-cake.html">here</a><br /><br />2 1/4 cups cake flour<br />1 1/4 cups granulated sugar<br />1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder<br />1/4 tsp salt<br />8 egg yolks<br />1/2 cup lemon juice<br />1/4 cup water<br />3/4 cup oil<br />8 egg whites<br />1 tsp cream of tartar<br /><br />Preheat oven to 325ºF and line two 9 inch cake pans or one 9x13 inch sheet pan with parchment or wax paper. (I ended up having enough batter to fill both a 9x13 inch sheet pan and an 8 inch round cake pan)<br /><br />Sift the cake flour in a large bowl and add 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.<br /><br />Mix together the lemon juice, water, oil, and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the liquid mixture. Mix together for about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.<br /><br />Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.<br /><br />Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched.<br /><br />Run a knife along the edges of the cake and invert onto a wire rack. Invert once more and let fully cool on wire rack.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Raspberry Limoncello Simple Syrup<br /></span>recipe adapted from <a href="http://annies-eats.net/2008/04/30/petit-fours/">Annie Eats</a> and <a href="http://userealbutter.com/2008/04/15/lemon-petits-fours-recipe/">Use Real Butter</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>1 cup sugar<br />1/3 cup water<br />2 tablespoons limoncello<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>1 cup raspberries<br /><br />Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and strain. Let cool.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meyer Lemon Curd</span><br />see recipe in my last post <a href="http://makeandbakeblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/meyer-lemon-curd-and-buttermilk.html">here</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lemon Swiss Buttercream<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span>recipe found on <a href="http://userealbutter.com/2008/04/15/lemon-petits-fours-recipe/">Use Real Butter</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://userealbutter.com/2008/04/15/lemon-petits-fours-recipe/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></a><br /><br /></span>4 oz egg whites (from 3 or 4 large eggs)<br />8 oz sugar<br />1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature<br />1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />3 oz lemon juice<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><br /></span><p>In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Place the mixture over a pan of simmering water until 140ºF is reached, stirring constantly. Move to the mixer and whip until stiff on high speed. Turn down the speed to medium high and whip until the mixture is cool to the touch. Change to the paddle attachment and slowly add the soft butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once the desired consistency has been reach, add the vanilla and lemon juice.</p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poured Fondant Icing</span><br />recipe found on <a href="http://userealbutter.com/2008/04/15/lemon-petits-fours-recipe/">Use Real Butter</a><br /><br />4 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar<br />1/3 cup water<br />1/4 cup light corn syrup<br />1/2 tsp vanilla<br />1/4 tsp almond extract<br />drop of yellow food coloring<br /><br />Mix together all ingredients in a double boiler or a large bowl over a pot of simmering water. Heat until lukewarm. If the consistency is too thin, you can add slightly more water. Remove from heat and stir in the he food coloring.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Assembling the Cake:<br /><br /></span>Bake the lemon chiffon cake and let cool fully. You make want to refrigerate the cake when it's cool for at least an hour because it is easier to slice after refrigeration. Once the cake is cool, slice the cake in half horizontally so you have two equal halves. Spread each layer with the simple syrup. Spread about 1 cup of lemon curd on the bottom half. Then spread the buttercream on top of that. Sandwich the top half on top of the bottom half<span style="font-weight: bold;">.<br /><br /></span>Using a serrated knife, slice the cake into 1 1/2 inch squares. Place each square on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, leaving an inch in between each square. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br />Either ladle the warm poured fondant over top of each square, or fill a plastic squeeze bottle with the fondant and use to cover each cake. You may need to do a couple coats, let cool in between coats. Place a raspberry on top of each cake or decorate as desired.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-85601831570248792022011-04-03T21:04:00.003-04:002011-04-03T22:05:39.722-04:00Meyer Lemon Curd and Buttermilk Biscuits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5587408620_a501bba42a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5587408620_a501bba42a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This lemon curd is the only reason I got dressed today. <br /><br />See, I got up and made the lemon curd from the beautiful meyer lemons I picked up at the coop yesterday. But then I had nothing to put the lemon curd on. I was going to make pancakes or biscuits, but I had no milk or buttermilk or sour cream. Not even any soy milk. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5586811127_392d1e40e8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5586811127_392d1e40e8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />But I really wanted to put the lemon curd on something and eat it, so I had to get dressed and leave my apartment. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5587412538_02e11f0cd3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5587412538_02e11f0cd3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Biscuits are now made and eaten with lemon curd on them. This picture was taken before I ate two more of the biscuits. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5587416172_20645548bc.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5587416172_20645548bc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It was yummy and totally worth getting dressed for.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meyer Lemon Curd</span><br />adapted from recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Put-Up-Comprehensive-Preserving-Creative/dp/1603425462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301879831&sr=8-1">Put 'Em Up: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling</a><br /><br />1 tablespoon lemon zest<br />1 cup fresh meyer lemon juice (from 6-8 lemons)<br />1 1/2 cups sugar<br />3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces<br />4 eggs<br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />Combine the lemon zest, juice, sugar, butter, eggs, and salt in the top of the nonreactive double boiler or in a glass bowl set on top of a saucepan. Bring the water in the bottom pan to a simmer and whisk the curd constantly until it thickens, this should take about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.<br /><br />If you just want to keep your curd in the fridge, ladle it into jars, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.<br /><br />If you want to can it like I did, have 3-4 sterlized half-pint canning jars ready. Ladle the curd into the clean, hot jars leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Release trapped air by tapping on the counter. Wipe the rims clean with a clean cloth, then screw on the lids and bands. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove canner lid and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals and then store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year.<br /><br />Makes about 3 cups (I got 3 half pint jars plus a little extra to use right away)<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buttermilk Biscuits</span><br />recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Illustrated-Cooks-Magazine-Editors/dp/0936184752/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301880101&sr=1-1">Baking Illustrated</a><br /><br />1 cup all purpose flour<br />1 cup cake flour<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />1 tsp sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces<br />3/4 cold buttermilk<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 450ºF and place rack in the center of the oven.<br /><br />Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender (or two knives), cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms a coarse meal with some slightly larger pieces of butter. Add the buttermilk and mix it in with a spatula until it forms a soft sticky ball of dough.<br /><br />Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Pat the dough out and then divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. You can cut it into circles if you like. Place on a ungreased cookie sheet.<br /><br />Bake until tops are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve immediately.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-81843323657804004732011-03-10T20:47:00.007-05:002011-09-05T10:36:59.144-04:00Panda Cookies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5515995567_5849ee0078.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5515995567_5849ee0078.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Oh, hey there panda.
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<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5516002519_1758c7b059.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5516002519_1758c7b059.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />Don't be sad.
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<br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5515999437_f58fc1c41c.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5515999437_f58fc1c41c.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />So many pandas!!
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<br />My friend sent me the link for these <a href="http://diamondsfordessert.blogspot.com/2011/02/turtle-icebox-cookies.html">turtle</a> cookies (and lions and pandas and domos) last week and I had to make them. Except I decided I wanted to try a different animal. What's cuter than pandas??
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<br />Mine are nowhere near as perfect as hers, but I still think they're pretty darn cute.
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Panda Icebox Cookies</span>
<br />recipe found on <a href="http://diamondsfordessert.blogspot.com/2011/01/lion-cookies.html">Diamonds for Dessert</a>
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<br />2 1/2 cups flour
<br />1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
<br />3/4 cup sugar
<br />1/2 cup powdered sugar
<br />2 egg yolks
<br />2 tsp vanilla extract
<br />2 tablespoons cocoa powder (I honestly didn't measure this, but know I put a few scoops in)
<br />food coloring, optional
<br />white nonpareils or sprinkles, melted chocolate, for decorating
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<br />Cream the butter and the sugars together. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then add the vanilla extract. Add the flour until just combined. Split the dough into 3 equal pieces, combine 2 of the pieces together in a separate bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining piece of dough and add a mixture of red and blue food coloring (if desired) until the dough is dark enough to resemble panda ears.
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<br />Now it's time to form the panda face. Take two pieces of the brown dough and roll each out into a skinny rope. Form three long sheets of the white dough, excuse my crappy diagrams:
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOymseUbDRyJrDuNXbkwy102YjyluqUcOEm9Q9ly6upBSlW0a_5fh8MZb9zlOgWna2T5MewttX7wNg4ESZnzdPsjhABzR9b1rOaNo6iTazTBfJCBBOrU-7FxTNhVuclwrvRHmfwpdvpLjC/s1600/pandadiagram1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOymseUbDRyJrDuNXbkwy102YjyluqUcOEm9Q9ly6upBSlW0a_5fh8MZb9zlOgWna2T5MewttX7wNg4ESZnzdPsjhABzR9b1rOaNo6iTazTBfJCBBOrU-7FxTNhVuclwrvRHmfwpdvpLjC/s400/pandadiagram1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582641991450370402" border="0" /></a>Wrap the white dough around the brown dough so you get something like this:
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkcPD_Y0sJtyo2XRBMl6CvtSUtbigfzdkdccd2vCAYv2RcRiYPWOiOzmL-h6UV0L2e-eWxhsDsh3ld8LLWRqa78kG4OH93vP-j6YzrXlGc-U5jxcy_7PtaQXWqYfIZTC_RJHzCIerzTvW/s1600/pandadiagram2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkcPD_Y0sJtyo2XRBMl6CvtSUtbigfzdkdccd2vCAYv2RcRiYPWOiOzmL-h6UV0L2e-eWxhsDsh3ld8LLWRqa78kG4OH93vP-j6YzrXlGc-U5jxcy_7PtaQXWqYfIZTC_RJHzCIerzTvW/s400/pandadiagram2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582642194643689042" border="0" /></a>Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. After chilling, slice the dough into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. With the remaining brown dough, form a long skinny tube of dough. Slice off a 1/4 inch piece and cut in half. Stick the halves to the top of the circle as the ears. Add white nonpareils as eyes. Chill the cookies for 10 minutes.
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPFyDOPFMozdgnmENMhqDB_OUT3kA4nYJgEcDj9ZlygW4AYBVR0nVv9ebUwKciisHjU9chp2aYDPBN4i-pPHHwVHjacMVZAby2eT9EiETml0bDXO6d3qoX8M-M9OAniIT8ESLamsV37gc/s1600/pandadiagram3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPFyDOPFMozdgnmENMhqDB_OUT3kA4nYJgEcDj9ZlygW4AYBVR0nVv9ebUwKciisHjU9chp2aYDPBN4i-pPHHwVHjacMVZAby2eT9EiETml0bDXO6d3qoX8M-M9OAniIT8ESLamsV37gc/s400/pandadiagram3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582645529256365346" border="0" /></a>Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then finish cooling on a wire rack. When cool, draw on a chocolate nose and mouth using a toothpick.
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<br />Makes 4 dozen cookiesJesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-2394709590395550292011-02-15T00:17:00.005-05:002011-02-16T23:54:02.828-05:00Valentine Cupcakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5447340596_5bc2b24b9d.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5447340596_5bc2b24b9d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love cutesy valentines decorations and candies and desserts. Last year I bought sprinkles on sale after Valentines Day and they've sat waiting in my cabinet for a year. This year I used those sprinkles and some new cupcake wrappers to make some treats for my coworkers.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/5447366134_aedc1951d0.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/5447366134_aedc1951d0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I really think these might be the cutest cupcakes I've ever made. I bought a new frosting tip last week, and I really like how they came together. And I got to use my awesome Martha Stewart <a href="http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=401935&cm_mmc=Google_Feed-_-6-_-77-_-MP677">cupcake carrier</a> to tote them to work with me. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/5446740105_903d161bc4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/5446740105_903d161bc4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I saw the recipe on <a href="http://cheeseandchoco.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweetheart-cupcakes.html">Cheese and Chocolate</a> and knew I had to make them as soon as I saw them. The only thing I changed was that I did not add the lemon flavoring to the cake, I just wanted plain vanilla cupcakes. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5447372722_1ca6e13638.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5447372722_1ca6e13638.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I've never made this type of frosting before either and I really like how it turned out. I was a little worried about the pound of butter I put into it, but it was still nice and light and way less sweet than a regular buttercream. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Perfect Party Cake Cupcakes</span><br />recipe from Dorie Greenspan's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297917984&sr=8-1-spell">Baking: From My Home to Yours</a> via <a href="http://cheeseandchoco.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweetheart-cupcakes.html">Cheese and Chocolate</a><br /><br />Makes 18-21 cupcakes<br /><br />2 1/4 cups cake flour<br />1 tablespoon baking powder<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk<br />4 large egg whites<br />1 1/2 cups sugar<br />2 tsp grated lemon zest (optional)<br />1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />1/2 tsp lemon extract (optional)<br />Red food coloring<br /><br />Make the cupcakes:<br />Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.<br /><br />Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites. Set aside.<br /><br />In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest and rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. <br /><br />Beat in the lemon extract. Add one third of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Then add half the milk mixture. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the remaining half of the milk mixture, and then the remaining third of the flour mixture. Beat for about 2 minutes until the batter is fully combined and smooth. <br /><br />Fill each cupcake liner about 1/3 full with the white batter. Add a few drops of red food coloring into the remaining batter in the bowl and stir until it's light pink. Put about 1/3 of the pink batter into a pastry or ziploc bag and set aside. <br /><br />Add more red food coloring into the pink batter until the batter is red. Add all the red batter into another pastry or ziploc bag. <br /><br />Cut the tip off the bag of red batter and carefully squeeze a couple tablespoons of red batter into the center of each cup of white batter. Then cut the tip off the bag of pink batter and carefully squeeze about a tablespoon of pink batter into the center of the red batter you just added. <br /><br />Bake for 20-25 minute or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the muffin tins on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the tin and cool them completely before frosting on the rack. <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Classic Buttercream</span><br />recipe from Cook's Illustrated via <a href="http://cheeseandchoco.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweetheart-cupcakes.html">Cheese and Chocolate</a><br /><br />4 large eggs<br />1 cup granulated sugar<br />1 1/2 tablespoons chambord (optional for raspberry flavor, or use 2 tsp vanilla extract)<br />pinch of salt<br />1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, cut each stick in quarters<br />3 tablespoons powdered sugar<br /><br />In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, combine the eggs, sugar, chambord (or vanilla) and salt. Whisk gently but constantly, and heat the mixture until 160ºF. It will be thin and foamy.<br /><br />Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium high with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, one piece at a time. Wait for each piece to be fully combined until adding the next piece. The mixture may look curdled as your are adding the butter, but keep whipping it and eventually it with begin to look smooth. After you have added all the butter, add the powdered sugar and beat for one more minute. The frosting should be fluffy and smooth. You can keep this frosting stored in the refrigerator covered for up to 5 days.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-52479758674742401432011-02-08T22:16:00.002-05:002011-02-08T23:20:47.618-05:00Gaufres de Liege<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5430143672_86e8d709d2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5430143672_86e8d709d2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Two years ago, I went on an awesome trip to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam with my aunt. In Brussels, we would go to the waffle place near our hotel, and I would order the gaufres de Liege with whipped cream and chocolate every time. My aunt always got the fluffy belgian waffles, but I was loyal to the gaufres de liege. I became a little obsessed with those chewy little waffles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5430018402_001388c7ed.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5430018402_001388c7ed.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Those waffles are actually a major part of why I decided I needed a waffle maker. And the only reason it's taken me almost two months to make them was because I didn't have the pearl sugar that goes into them. Then I happened to be in Ikea over the weekend buying some picture frames (and a couple of plants and pots for them to go in), and I was walking through the little Swedish market on my way to buy a 50 cent hot dog and there was the pearl sugar! I love Ikea...<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5430009810_29950e8d4f.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5430009810_29950e8d4f.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I used a recipe I found on <a href="http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/11/20/gaufres-de-liege-the-waffle-that-has-made-me-forget-about-all-others/">not martha</a>, which was originally from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/guest-post/the-best-waffle-youll-ever-eat-gaufres-de-liege-guest-post-from-chichi-of-my-chalkboard-fridge-090629">the Kitchn</a>. These are yeasted waffles, so it does take a little longer than a regular waffle to make. Definitely a lazy weekend waffle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5429404489_36643ae523.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5429404489_36643ae523.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And I'm not sure if I lost track of my measuring, but when I had everything mixed together, my dough was definitely not yellow and stiff. So I added about half a cup more flour, and then it was fine. I may have been distracted, I was making the baked oatmeal in my last post at the same time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5430015740_9285645d84.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5059/5430015740_9285645d84.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This recipe makes 12 waffles, which is a little more than I should be eating on my own. I put them in a tupperware container between layers of parchment paper, and I just toasted one and it still was yummy two days later.<br /><br />The verdict? They were really good. Definitely not as good as the ones I ate in Brussels, but a good substitute until I can go back.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5430021724_5dd5ca0698.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5093/5430021724_5dd5ca0698.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gaufres de Liege</span><br />recipe found on <a href="http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/11/20/gaufres-de-liege-the-waffle-that-has-made-me-forget-about-all-others/">not martha</a> from<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/guest-post/the-best-waffle-youll-ever-eat-gaufres-de-liege-guest-post-from-chichi-of-my-chalkboard-fridge-090629"> the kitchn</a><br /><br />6 tablespoons warm milk (no hotter than 110ºF)<br />1/2 tsp granulated sugar<br />2 tsp instant yeast<strong></strong><br />1 1/2 cups (230 grams) bread flour, sifted<br />1 tsp cinnamon<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1 medium egg<br />1 egg yolk<br />1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly cooler than room temperature<br />140 grams turbinado sugar or pearl sugar (it was slightly more than 1/2 cup pearl sugar)<br />cooking spray<br /><br />Dissolve the sugar in the warm milk and then add the yeast. Cover with a plate and let sit for about 5 minutes. It should look bubbly.<br /><br />In a stand mixer, mix together the flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, then the egg and yolk. Mix on medium speed until a stiff yellow dough is formed.<br /><br />Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.<br /><br />Cut the butter into pieces and add the pieces one at a time to the dough while beating in the mixer. Once about half of the butter has been added, the dough will start to look like a thick paste. Keep mixing on medium high and add the rest of the butter. The dough will become smooth and elastic. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.<br /><br />Gently knead the sugar into the dough until it's evenly distributed. Work quickly so that you don't soften the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls.<br /><br />Set on a cutting board and let sit for about 15 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, preheat your waffle iron to a low setting (should be very warm, not hot).<br /><br />Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray. When the waffle iron is heated, place one ball of dough into waffle maker (you might be able to fit two, but I didn't). Cook until the dough starts to puff up and the surface of the waffle is golden to dark brown. Mine took about 2 - 2/12 minutes. <br /><br />When the waffles are done, carefully remove from the waffle maker. Beware of dripping sugar. Cool on a wire rack to keep crispy. Serve with powered sugar (or plain or with whipped cream and chocolate - I went with plain this time).<br /><br />You can store waffles in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper. To reheat, toast for about 30 seconds.<br /><br />Makes 12 waffles.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-36751518648918595272011-02-06T12:56:00.005-05:002011-02-06T14:59:46.942-05:00Baked Oatmeal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5422580876_d0be11df53.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5255/5422580876_d0be11df53.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I am obsessed with this baked oatmeal. This is the third time I've made it in the last two weeks. It makes about 4 large servings so I can have it for breakfast most days of the week and then not feel so bad about the egg sandwich I eat on the 5th day.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5421946849_307550342e.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5421946849_307550342e.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I found this recipe on <a href="http://www.sevenspoons.net/blog/2009/1/22/curing-what-ails-me.html">Seven Spoons</a> and I've made a few adjustments to the recipe. First, I use slightly less sugar, only 1/4 cup brown sugar. I've also used soy milk and almond milk in place of the regular milk.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5421961093_c02f9ed3f3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5421961093_c02f9ed3f3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The recipe notes that there is room for a lot of variations in the recipe, so I did make my own variations and plan to try others. The first two times I made it, I used about 1 cup fresh blueberries and 1/2 cup pecans. This time, I didn't have any fresh fruit, so I used 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen cranberries and 1/2 cup pecans. I want to try it with some sliced apples too. And I want to try it with the pepitas as well.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baked Oatmeal</span><br />based on recipe from <a href="http://www.sevenspoons.net/blog/2009/1/22/curing-what-ails-me.html">Seven Spoons</a><br /><br />Butter or cooking spray to grease pan<br />2 cups rolled oats<br />1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or almonds or walnuts...)<br />1/4 cup pepitas (optional)<br />1/4 cup brown sugar<br />2 tsp flax seeds (I used ground flax seeds)<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />3/4 tsp cinnamon<br />1/4 tsp ground ginger<br />1/8 tsp ground nutmeg<br />1/8 tsp ground cloves<br />1/8 tsp kosher salt (I used slightly more)<br />2 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />2 cups milk (regular, soy, or almond)<br />1 large egg<br />1 tsp vanilla<br />1 tsp maple syrup<br />about 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)<br />About 1 tsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top<br /><br />Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease an 8 inch round or 8x8 inch square baking dish and set aside.<br /><br />In a medium bowl, combine the oats, nuts, pepitas, brown sugar, flax seeds, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside<br /><br />In another medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Set about 1 tsp of the butter aside, and then add the milk, egg, vanilla, and maple syrup to the remaining butter in the bowl. Whisk until combined and then set aside.<br /><br />Spread the fruit in an even layer in the bottom of the greased pan. Lightly spread the oat mixture over the fruit. Then evenly pour the liquid mixture on top. It will look like too much liquid, but it will be absorbed during baking. Drizzle the reserved teaspoon of butter over top and then sprinkle with coarse sugar.<br /><br />Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and set. Cool slightly before eating. This can be stored covered in the fridge for about a week.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1212689395427330700.post-73173621435343790622011-02-01T20:50:00.003-05:002011-02-01T21:28:09.893-05:00Deli Rye Bread<a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5406781096_b89e58c021.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5176/5406781096_b89e58c021.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We always had rye bread at our house going up. I think I ate more rye bread than white bread as a kid. I would eat peanut butter and jelly on rye, grilled cheese on rye, and rye toast with peanut butter. Now I'm more of a whole wheat girl, but I still love my rye.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5406788526_f4ccd7d6f8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5406788526_f4ccd7d6f8.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I bought a bag of rye flour at the farmers' market a couple months ago and decided a couple weekends ago to finally use it. I used a recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Illustrated-Cooks-Magazine-Editors/dp/0936184752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296611502&sr=8-1">Baking Illustrated</a>, which is one of my favorite general baking cookbooks. <br /><br /><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5406177717_a6361c9c39.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 375px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5406177717_a6361c9c39.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The recipe is simple, it just takes a long time. And it makes two large loaves, so you can freeze one, which makes the time commitment more worth it. I would definitely make this again.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Deli-Style Rye Bread</span><br />recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Illustrated-Cooks-Magazine-Editors/dp/0936184752/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296611502&sr=8-1">Baking Illustrated</a><br /><br />Sponge:<br />2/3 cup rye flakes (optional)<br />2 3/4 cups water, room tempurature<br />1 1/2 tsp instant yeast<br />2 tablespoons honey<br />3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour<br /><br />Dough:<br />1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour<br />3 1/2 cups (12 1/8 ounces) medium or light rye flour<br />2 tablespoons caraway seeds<br />2 tablespoons vegetable oil<br />1 tablespoon salt<br />Cornmeal for sprinkling on the baking sheet<br /><br />Glaze:<br />1 egg white<br />1 tablespoon milk<br /><br />Make the Sponge: If using the rye flakes, preheat the oven to 350ºF and then toast flakes until golden (10 to 12 minutes). Cool to room temperature. Mix the water, yeast, honey, rye flakes, and flour in a stand mixer until all combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the entire surface is covered in bubbles (at least 2 1/2 hours). If you want, you can keep at a cool temperature over night.<br /><br />Make the Dough: Mix the flour, 3 1/4 cups rye flour (reserve 1/4 cup), caraway seeds, oil and salt into the sponge. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed. Once the dough is all combined, add the remaining 1/4 cup of rye flour. Continue to knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and slightly sticky. Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and knead the dough into a smooth ball. Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, 1 1/4 to 2 hours.<br /><br />When doubled, sprinkle the cornmeal on a baking sheet. Turn the dough back out onto a well-floured surface. If you want to make one large loaf, shape the dough into a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. If you want two smaller loaves, divide the dough in half and shape each into a 9 x 6 inch loaf. With the long side of the loaf facing you, roll dough into a 12-inch log (or two 9 inch logs). Pinch the seam and then seal the ends by tucking them into the loaf. Transfer the shaped loaf (or loaves) to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise until the dough looks "bloated and dimply", about 60 to 75 minutes.<br /><br />Place the oven rack in the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 425ºF. Whisk the egg white and milk together and brush over the sides and top of the loaf. Make 6 or 7 slashes, 1/2 inch deep, on the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife or a razor blade. Bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF, then reduce the heat to 400ºF and bake another 25 to 30 minutes (15 to 20 minutes for smaller loaves), or until golden brown and the internal temperature is 200ºF. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01470927992330435873noreply@blogger.com0