Evie's Experimental Kitchen

Gluten Free Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Have I finally jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon?? Well, no- not really. I just wanted to see if I could make a gluten-free treat that doesn't fall apart or taste like cardboard.

Gluten, a protein found in wheat products, creates structure in baked goods. It makes bread awesomely chewy and cakes springy. Unfortunately, it makes some people sick. People with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity need to avoid eating it. Recently, people have been using a gluten-free diet as a healthy weight loss tool (mistakenly!). You can read more about this issue here: http://foodandfitnessfriend.com/2011/05/15/is-gluten-free-better-for-you/

So, what can you use as a substitute for wheat flour? There are a lot of other flours out there, such as brown rice flour, tapioca flour, almond flour, etc- the list goes on. How can you improve the texture of a gluten-free baked good? One answer is to use a stabilizer/thickener.

I chose xanthan gum, because it was on the shelf at my grocery store. But it is interchangeable with guar gum, which serves the same function. Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide that comes from the interaction between xanthamonas campestris bacteria and corn sugar, and guar gum comes from the guar bean. At least, that is what the Google machine told me. The Google machine also told me that Alton Brown has a recipe for chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, and no celebrity chef is more trustworthy, exacting and scientific with baked goods than Alton Brown. So I bet the farm on him and felt confident that my ingredients would behave themselves. You can find his recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/the-chewy-gluten-free-recipe/index.html

The formula for all-purpose flour replacement in his chewy cookie recipe is:

11 ounces brown rice flour, approximately 2 cups
1 1/4 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/4 cup
1/2-ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Typically, you need to use 1/2 tsp guar gum or xanthan gum per 1 cup gluten free flour in every cookie or bar recipe. If you use too little, you will end up with a crumbly mess, and too much will yield heavy, gummy baked goods. The ratio Alton Brown uses looks about right. I made sure to double check this before beginning in the kitchen.

I had a ton of peanut butter and peanuts hanging around. I turned to the Google machine once more, and asked it for a gluten-free peanut butter cookie recipe. None of my hits included using alternative flours. All the recipes I found included only peanut butter, sugar, and egg. Boring! I was curious to see if I could just replace the same volume of AP flour with Alton's GF formula. As luck would have it, my FAVORITE peanut butter cookie recipe, from Baking Illustrated, has approximately the same weight of AP flour as Alton Brown's GF flour in his GF chocolate chip cookies. So I just substituted, and here is the recipe:

11 oz brown rice flour, approximately 2 cups

1 1/4 oz cornstarch, approximately 1/4 cup

1/2 ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 TBS

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

7 oz (1 cup) light brown sugar

7 oz (1 cup) granulated sugar

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup peanuts, ground to bread crumb consistency in a food processor (or chopped finely- just do whatever is easier for you- I don't think it makes a huge difference in this recipe, they will still taste good)

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the peanut butter, beat on medium speed until blended smooth. Add the dry ingredients in low speed. Add the ground peanuts and the chocolate chips, stir to combine. Scoop into 1 inch balls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 mins.

The results- surprisingly good. You can't really tell that they are gluten free. Moist, chewy, peanut-y, chocolatey awesomeness. Let me know what you think!

Making Biscotti...

2011-03-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is by far the best biscotti recipe I've ever tried. Known traditionally as "Biscotti di Prato" from Tuscany, they contain almonds. But you can use the same dough and add other ingredients, like hazelnuts, orange or lemon zest, toasted anise seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, dip them in chocolate, etc. This recipe makes a lot (about 4 doz) but they freeze well.

Biscotti di Prato

3 3/4 c flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 c sugar

4 eggs plus 2 yolks, plus additional 1-2 beaten eggs for egg wash

1 tsp vanilla

1 2/3 cups toasted almonds, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Place flour on countertop and make a well. In the center of the well, place all the other ingredients, except for the almonds. Beat the ingredients in the well together with a fork. gradually bringing in the flour. Use your hands when the dough becomes workable. Knead in the almonds.

Form the dough into loaves as pictured and brush with beaten egg.

Bake until golden brown and set, 15-20 mins. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly and arrange cut side up on baking sheets.

Lower oven temp to 325 and bake again for 10-15 mins.

How to Make Croissants (Part 2)...

2011-01-10T10:04:00.001-08:00

After you have rolled the dough, folded it like a business letter and turned it so that the open seam faces to the right like a book, you have completed 1 turn. Repeat this process until you have made a total of 6 turns, wrapping the dough in plastic and chilling it after every 2 turns.

Roll it out into a rectangle approximately 1/4" thick and 16" lon 10" wide. With a bench scraper, cut lengthwise in strips and into triangles:

You can also make filled croissants by filling a rectangle shaped piece of dough with chocolate or grated cheese, etc:

Step 5: Shaping and Proofing Croissants...

To make the traditional shape, start with the wide side of the triangle facing toward you, and roll it upward. Curl the edges into a 'C':

Place the croissants on parchment lined baking sheets, cover with plastic, and proof until nearly tripled in bulk.

Step 6: Baking Croissants...

Brush with dorure (egg wash) and bake at 375 until golden brown, approximately 15 mins.

How to Make Croissants (Part 1)...

2011-01-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Starter:

3/4 cup sifted flour

1 Tablespoon yeast

5-6 Tablespoons warm water (approx 110 degrees F)

2 Tablespoons sugar

Dough:

1 3/4 cups sifted flour

2/3 cups whole milk, warm

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

dorure (egg yolk glaze) made from 1 egg yolk plus 1 Tablespoon whole milk

Step 1: Make the Starter...

To make the starter, stir together all the starter ingredients to form a small ball of soft dough, then submerge it in a tall container of warm water (110 degrees F). It will sit at the bottom for several minutes. When it pops up to the surface as shown in the second photo, it is ready to use.

Step 2: Continue making the Dough...

In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup of the flour, all of the warm milk and the salt. Scoop the starter dough out of the container of water and add to the bowl. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of flour. Crash on the counter top by with the aid of a bench scraper 30 times or so until the dough comes together and is smooth and soft, then flatten it into an 8 inch square, wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator.

Step 3: Make the Butter Square...

Knead the butter with bare hands, smear it and scrape it with a bench scraper until uniform, shape it into a square, then wrap in plastic and chill.

Step 4: Rolling and Making Turns...

Place the butter square inside the dough diagonally as shown:

Wrap the dough around the butter square and pinch the edges to seal:

Roll the dough into a large rectangle 1/4 inch thick, occasionally lifting the dough with a bench scraper and sprinkling flour underneath to prevent sticking. In areas where butter bursts through, dust with flour. When finished rolling, fold as you would a business letter:

Turn the dough so that the open seam faces to the right just like a book:

Danish...

2010-07-31T18:35:00.000-07:00

Danish is made with a yeast dough that is spread with butter, rolled out, turned, shaped and filled with cream cheese and jam. After it is proofed and baked, it is immediately brushed with cold sugar syrup, cooled, and drizzled with white icing.

Danish Pastry

Cream Cheese Filling

6 oz cream cheese

2 TBS sugar

1 1/2 TBS flour

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp lemon juice

vanilla extract to taste

Blend all ingredients well.

Cold Sugar Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Place water and sugar in saucepan, bring to a boil and stir to dissolve. Chill in refrigerator.

Butter Dough

1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, softened

Place flour on counter top and work in the butter with your fingertips. Fraisage the dough with the heel of your hand until a dough is formed.

Yeast Dough

2 TBS dry yeast

1/3 cup of warm water (110 degrees F)

1 cup lukewarm whole milk

2 large eggs at room temp

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cardamom

1 3/4 tsp salt

3 1/2 - 4 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375

In a large bowl, combine yeast and water with a pinch of sugar. Let sit for 5 mins until foamy. Stir in milk, eggs, sugar, cardamom and salt. Mix well to combine. Add flour gradually, beating with a wooden spoon until smooth and shiny. Turn onto a floured surface and work the dough lightly to bring it together. Roll into a 14 inch rectangle and fold into thirds as you would a business letter (this completes your first turn). Wrap in plastic and chill for approximately 20 minutes. Roll it into a rectangle again, fold and chill. Repeat this process 2 more times for a total of 4 turns, chilling the dough after every 1 to 2 turns as necessary to keep it from getting too soft. Return it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll it into a large square 1/4 inch thick. Cut it with a bench scraper and shape it as desired. Below are examples of shapes with cream cheese filling plus jam in them:

-- Make a small square ( approx 3 inch x 3 inch), top with cream cheese then jam, pinch two corners inward.

--Make a long snake, (approx 9 to 10 inches), roll into a coil shape, top with cream cheese filling and jam.

--Bearclaw: cut a rectangle approximately 4 inches wide, 8 inches long. Put filling in the middle and fold it over. Make cuts as shown.

--Curve it when placing it on the baking sheet as shown.

After you have shaped the danish and placed it on a baking sheet covered with parchment, place plastic wrap over the danish and allow it to proof until doubled in size. Brush with dorure (1 egg beaten with a splash of milk or water), and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush with cold sugar syrup. Allow to cool, and drizzle with icing.

White Almond Icing

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

1 1/2 TBS whole milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 TBS rum

Whisk all ingredients until smooth. Add more milk or sugar to achieve a runny consistency.

Dip your fingers in the icing and drizzle across the pastry in a fast back-and-forth motion.

Pate a Choux: Easy as "4,1,1,4"

2010-05-22T09:59:00.001-07:00

Pate a Choux is the name of the dough used to make cream puffs, eclairs, gougeres, and a number of other sweet and savory pastries. It literally translates "cabbage paste" because a baked puff looks like a tiny cabbage. People also call it as "choux paste"

"4,1,1,4" refers to the recipe I recently learned in culinary school. Just remember this number code and you will have a pate a choux recipe embedded in your brain forever:

4 ounces butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
3/4 tsp salt, for taste

...don't forget the salt, which isn't in the code. You would still be successful if you left it out, it just wouldn't taste as good.

To make the choux paste, cut the butter into small pieces (about 1/2 TBS in size or smaller), and put the butter with the water in a medium saucepan over low heat. Bring it to a boil. *note: you do not want your water to start boiling before the butter melts because too much liquid will evaporate. That's why you cut the butter into small pieces and keep the heat low.*

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with a fork to break them up. Mix the salt and flour together.

When the water comes to a boil, dump the flour and salt in the stir with a wooden spoon until well-blended and resembles mashed potatoes. A lot of steam will come out. This is a good thing, because you want the paste to "dry out." Continue to stir the paste over low heat, until it gets shiny, more yellow in color, and smells like butter. These are your clues that the paste has dried out sufficiently enough to proceed with the next step.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and dump the paste into a large bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes until just warm to the touch.

Stir in the beaten eggs with a wooden spoon, one at a time until each is absorbed in the paste. Test it by sticking the wooden spoon straight up and down in the center of the mound of paste. The spoon should start to fall over. If not, then there is not enough liquid. You may add a 5th beaten egg to achieve the desired consistency.

The paste will keep for 3-4 hours at room temperature.

Next steps...piping out the pate a choux...

The above picture shows pate a choux piped to form cream puffs. Use a large plain tip on your pastry bag to pipe out approximately 1.5" diameter circles. If they have points on top of them, simply smear them off with the tip of your finger after you wet it with some water. Be careful about how closely you space them, because they will double in size.

To form eclairs, pipe 2-3" long lines as shown below, with the large plain tip:

Mine are not all that tidy, but basically the idea is to make them oblong.

You can score them with a fork to make lines (not shown), and they look better this way.

Brush them lightly with egg wash before baking, and mop up any excess egg wash with a bit of paper towel.

Baking...

This is critical. The oven needs to be VERY HOT (475 F) during the initial stage of baking and YOU SHOULD NOT OPEN THE OVEN for at least 20-25 mins or until they have puffed and begun to firm up and are golden brown. After that, you can lower the oven to 325 and allow them to dry out this way for 10-20 more minutes.

Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack before filling.

The inside of your pate a choux pastries should have a lot of air bubbles and have a light and fluffy consistency. The eclair shells below are an example of the correct texture:

Cream puffs and eclairs are filled with pastry cream. Below is an example of a savory puff, filled with herbs, cream cheese, and olives:

For savory puffs, you can ingredients such as add fresh herbs and parmesan cheese to the raw choux paste. The possibilities are limitless.

Here is the recipe for pastry cream to make cream puffs and eclairs:

Pastry Cream

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat the hald-and-half in a saucepan until just warm and steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together to the ribbon stage. Stir in the flour and the salt.

Gradually whisk in the half-and-half. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes very thick. Be sure to whisk out any lumps.

Remove from the heat, add vanilla, and strain with a single mesh strainer into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate until it just begins to cool.

Whip the 1/2 cup heavy cream to the soft plop stage. Fold about a quarter of it into the pastry cream to lighten it. Continue to fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Cover with plastic again and refrigerate until firm. Pipe as needed in cream puffs and eclairs.

For Coffee Flavored Pastry Cream:

Add 1 TBS instant coffee granules to the warm half-and-half at the beginning of the recipe.

For Chocolate Flavored Pastry Cream:

Stir 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate into the warm strained pastry cream.

To make chocolate glaze:

Melt 4 ounces of finely chopped chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Add 1 tsp vegetable shortening, stir and allow to cool to desired consistency before applying.

Mushrooms...

2010-05-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

You can peel a portabella mushroom to give it a cleaner appearance:

This is desirable for use in recipes because it makes the mushrooms look better and it also removes any dirt clinging to the surface of the mushroom.

To remove the gills, scrape the underside of the mushroom with a spoon. This is an important step, because the gills are very dark brown and they will destroy the visual appeal of your dish if you leave them on the mushrooms.

I was using portobello mushrooms in a recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup that I got in culinary school.

The recipe is as follows:

1/2 c. dried porcini mushrooms (.5 ounces), soaked in warm water

1 cup onion, diced

1 Tb garlic, chopped

4 Tb butter

1 lb portabella mushroom caps, gills removed and diced

1 Tb Hungarian Paprika

4 Tb flour

4 c. chicken stock

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche as garnish

1. Scoop the porcini out of the water and chop. Strain the liquid through a cheese to remove the grit cloth and retain the liquid.

2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onions in it until translucent and then add the garlic. Continue to cook until softened.

3. Add portobellos and porcini. Season with salt. Saute until the portobellos give off liquid.

4. Stir in the paprika and flour and toast it for a minute over the heat. Pour in half of the stock and simmer until thickened and smooth. Pour in the remaining stock and porcini mushroom liquid. Simmer 20-30 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency and add chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.

People in the culinary world used to think that you should never wash mushrooms before use, because they act as sponges and soak up a lot of water which could then affect the recipe. But now we know this is not true. Also, typical mushrooms used for culinary applications are not grown in manure, so you can put to rest any fears you have about this. See here: The Mushroom Lady

Back from a Blogging Break...

2010-05-07T04:55:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while because I've been undergoing a few life changes: I started a new job and I started you know what...CULINARY SCHOOL. Finally, the time has come. I will learn how to cook using proper technique, etiquette and that certain... je ne sais quoi. (If you want to go to culinary school, be ready to use some French, and pronounce it correctly!)

Recent topics we've covered in class: fruits & spices, vegetables and herbs, knife skills, and the basics of keeping the school kitchen sanitary. (ServSafe Certification comes later).

Before I get too boring, here is an example of a fruit recipe: "Caramelized Pear Crisps" from our Fruits and Spices class

Slice 2 pears thinly using a mandolin and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or silpat mat, which I tried later and trust me, this works a lot better). Dust with powdered sugar and bake in the oven at 175 degrees until they are sufficiently dried out, 2-3 hours.

(oh, and baking times go out the window in the professional culinary world. Ask the Chefs teaching at culinary school, and they will tell you, the food is done... when it's done).

Among other recipes made during that class were bananas foster, peach fritters, filled baked apples, fruit compote, guacamole, blueberry cobbler, grilled chicken with spiced kumquat chutney, poached pears, strawberry rhubarb sorbet, fruit and spice granola,passionata smoothie, mango-tomatillo salsa, fried plantains and prosciutto and brie sandwiches with rosemary fig confit. So we traveled across the spectrum of ways to cook fruit, from sweet to savory.

A few random facts about fruit:

When cutting and preparing fruits that turn brown, such as apples and pears, place the slices in a solution of lemon juice and water as you go to prevent browning.
Freezing fruit works better if there is some sugar in the fruit to protect cell walls against ice crystals (as fruit freezes, the water content expands into ice crystals and breaks cell walls).
Melons are in the squash family, except for watermelon.
Tropical fruits contain bromelain, which prevents gelatin from congealing, so you need to boil the fruit for all gelatin applications in desserts.
An avocado only gets ripe after picking
Fruits that never ripen after they are picked are soft berries, cherries, grapes, citrus, watermelon, and pineapples. So be choosy when you are shopping for these items.

Now to talk about spices...

I learned that Mace is actually the outer covering of Nutmeg. (Seems a little obvious, since mace is so similar to nutmeg...)

The shelf life of spices is basically a year. Whole spices last longer than ground spices, so if you are buying spices for your home kitchen, stick with small quantities and purchase whole spices when you can and grind them yourself when ready to use.

Daring Bakers December 2009 Challenge: Home for the Holidays

2009-12-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

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

Brioche

2009-11-19T11:05:00.001-08:00

To me, brioche is like a cross between a loaf of bread and a criossant. The dough is enriched with butter, eggs, and sometimes milk. I used the recipe from Beth Hensperger's Bread Bible.
(This was only after trying Wolfgang Puck's recipe from Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen...this book is not very well edited, I do not recommend it for the home cook! Let's just say I had a botched batch ;) )

From what I have read, the key is to keep the dough cold because the butter in it needs to be kept cold. The dough is also pretty sticky. I was worried when I made this batch because I thought that it would be impossible to shape it due to stickiness, but when the time came to shape it, the dough was not as sticky and it was very easy to shape.
The brioche pictured above is a "Brioche Nanterre." This is how I shaped it:

If you stagger the dough balls, you get a more braided look in your finished brioche. I find this more appealing than lining them up straight. Since I do not own a brioche pan, I chose this way of shaping the dough.

!I can't wait to smear this stuff with butter, honey, jam, Nutella... etc!
I don't mind having leftover brioche a few days later either because it's great in french toast and bread pudding.

Brioche recipe (taken from The Bread Bible): *yield: 2 brioche nanterre

4 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp (1 pkg) active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water, 120 degrees
6 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened but still cool and cut into small pieces

In a stand mixer w/ paddle attachment, combine 1 cup flour and all the salt, sugar and yeast.
Add the water and mix at medium high speed until smooth ( 2 mins). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add 2 more cups of flour. Add the butter, one piece at a time and beat until smooth. Lastly add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour. (*at this point I switch to the dough hook attachment).
Pour the dough into a greased rising container, cover tightly w/ plastic wrap, and allow to rise at room temp until doubled in bulk, about 3 hrs. Once it has risen, gently deflate it by pressing on it with a spatula. Cover it and allow it to proof overnight in the refrigerator. (*8-12 hrs...although I let mine go for about 15 hours and it was fine)

Remove from the fridge and dust a work surface with flour. Grease two loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and cut it in half (*w/ a bench scraper works best). Roll each large piece into a snake and cut each snake into 6 pieces. Shape each of those and form into balls. Place the dough balls 6 to greased loaf pans as in the photo above.
Allow to proof for 1 hour covered in plastic wrap. 20 mins prior to the hour, preheat the oven to 375.
Mix one egg yolk with 1 Tbsp whole milk and brush the dough.
Bake for 30-40 mins, turning in the oven halfway through to ensure even browning.

The October Daring Bakers Challenge: Macaroons

2009-11-01T09:53:00.001-08:00

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.
2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.
4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.
5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).
6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.
7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Yield: 10 dozen. I made a half recipe. For 2.5 egg whites you can guesstimate or use a food scale, 2.5 ounces of egg whites.

My variation for this Daring Bakers Challenge is Almond Macaroon with Amaretto Ganache. To make Amaretto Ganache, boil 1 cup heavy cream, remove from heat and stir in 4 oz finely chopped bittersweet* or semisweet chocolate until smooth. Add a few teaspoons of Amaretto to taste. Put the ganache in the freezer for 10 mins, stir, and spread on the cookies. If the ganache is still too runny simply return it to the freezer for another 5 or so minutes.

*Since these cookies are very sweet I recommend bittersweet chocolate.

Huguenot Torte from The New York Times Magazine

2009-10-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

This recipe was in the Sept 13, 2009 issue of the NYT Magazine. It was a reprint from a 1965 issue. It's divine. That's all you need to know. So just bake it!!!

------Ingredients:-----

2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
1 cup peeled and chopped tart apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup whipped cream barely sweetened and flavored w/ 1 tsp almond extract *we used sour cream, which was fantastic because it offset the extreme sweetness of the torte. You could also use creme fraiche.

-----Directions:-----

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Beat eggs and salt with rotary beater until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar.
3. Fold in apples and pecans. Add vanilla, flour and baking powder.

4. Pour into well greased baking pan about 8 x 12" or 9 x 9" at least 2" deep.

5. Bake for 45 mins, until sunken and crusty. Serve warm or chilled, with whipped cream.

Serves 8.

Note: it will rise A LOT. So you need to make sure your baking dish is deep:

Caramel Apple Tart

2009-10-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

I was just looking for an excuse to try out my new tart pan when I made this a few weeks ago. So I have a recipe for Wolfgang Puck's Tarte Tatin. (No, this is not the recipe pictured above). I'm actually a little afraid I will royally screw up said recipe, because it involves scorching the apple-covered top of the tart with the bottom of a hot skillet.
So I made a knock off. I prebaked a tart shell then filled with caramel sauce and topped with apple slices sauteed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves.
If anyone out there has tried the French method for making the tart I described above, I would like to know how it turned out, thanks!

Choux Swans

2009-10-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Pate a choux is the dough used to make cream puffs, eclairs, etc.
It's made by boiling water and butter together then adding flour to form a paste. Then you gradually add eggs off heat. The paste is piped onto baking sheets into desired shapes and it puffs to about 3 or so times its original size in the oven.

I piped mine into shapes to make the wings and heads of swans (note: I did not have a large plain tip, only a large star):

...then popped them in the oven:

Here are some recipes for pate a choux:

Sweet or Savory Pate a Choux by Alton Brown

Pate a Choux on eHow.com

Don't be intimidated by this French dough. It's not difficult to make at all. Just pay attention to the texture as you heat it over the stove. It starts out looking like mashed potatoes and then you'll see that it's sufficiently dried out when it pulls away from the sides of the pan and it gets shiny. After the eggs are added, it gets sticky again but forms a nice smooth paste.

The Columbia County Fair County Bounty Cooking Contest, 2009

2009-09-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

This is me at the Columbia County Fair on Labor Day, 2009. I just won 1st place for desserts in the County Bounty Cooking Contest sponsored by Ginsberg's Foods, Inc. (The guy in the white coat is Master Chef Joe DiPerri from the C.I.A.)

I whipped up the cake pictured below in my mom's kitchen. I whipped up two cakes, actually. The other one was sampled by nine of my family members the night before. Each entry needed to feature some local ingredients. I used apples from my parents' orchard in Claverack, NY, Eggs from Feather Ridge Farm in Elizaville, NY and Apple Cider from Golden Harvest Farms in Valatie, NY.

The Grand Prize Winner of $1,000 was Gail Wittwer-Laird, from Claverack, NY for her Goat Cheese Gratin. She used local ingredients to the max to compose her delicious dish, even baked her dish in locally made pottery! Hats off to Gail!

After the contest, the stage was rushed by spectators-- they got to taste all of the entries at the end of the contest (luckily they still had room after a day of eating fried dough and cotton candy)!

I call it...Apple Spice Gateau (there should be an accent circonflex over the "a" ... and the French don't really like anything in their apples except butter and sugar, so I probably just offended an entire nation, but I don't care, I won a trophy!!)

Below you will find the recipe. I learned how to make French style cakes in a recreational class I took at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. This cake is based on one of the cakes from the class. I made it in a pastry ring and the decorations are made of walnut praline run through a food processor and caramel candy doo-dads that I made by spreading designs of hot caramel on parchment paper.

RECIPE:

Apple Spice Gâteau
Adapted by Evie Ullman from a recipe written by Chefs from The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Cake:
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 4 ½ c all purpose flour
• 1 ½ c granulated sugar
• 3/4 c butter (1 ½ sticks)
• 2 c apple cider
• ¾ c regular or golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375, grease and flour three 8” round pans. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternatively w/ the cider until just blended and then add raisins. *Note: The batter will be heavy.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pans and bake for about 20-30 mins. Test w. toothpick for doneness. Allow the cakes to cool.
Soaking Syrup
• 1 c water
• 8 oz sugar
• Rum to taste
• Caramel Extract: 6 oz heavy cream plus 6.5 oz granulated sugar
Boil water and sugar together until dissolved. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, make caramel extract.
To make Caramel Extract:
Place the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon until it is darkened and bubbly and begins to smell like caramel. Turn off heat and add cream. It will bubble rapidly. Keep stirring until smooth. Allow to cool. Then Add rum and Caramel Extract to taste to the water sugar syrup you made earlier to make the soaking syrup.

Caramel Buttercream Filling (used for filling and frosting the cake)
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 17 ½ oz sugar
• 1 ½ lbs butter (6 sticks) cut into small pieces and at room temp
• 4 oz water
• Caramel Extract to taste
Boil sugar and water in saucepan until it reaches about 250 F on a candy thermometer. While sugar cooks, whisk eggs and egg yolks in mixer in high speed. Continue to whip until your sugar reaches 250 F. Then decrease mixer speed to medium low and slowly pour hot sugar water in while mixer is running. Aim to let the syrup fall between the beater and the inside of the bowl. When all syrup is added, continue to mix at medium speed until steam is gone and you can touch the side of the bowl w/ your wrist (it will no longer be too hot). Approx 5-15 mins.
This process cooks and sterilizes the eggs.
Then add butter one piece at a time w/ mixer running on medium-low. The mixture may turn soupy, but don’t worry, it will all come together when the rest of the butter is added. After all the butter is added, to speed to medium-high. Beat well for a few minutes until it thickens and becomes the consistency of whipped cream. Turn speed down and add small amounts of caramel extract and rum to taste. Chill in refrigerator for a few minutes before using so the consistency is firmer and more easy to spread on cake.

Apple Filling
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3-4 Macintosh Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
• ¼ c sugar, or to taste
• Squirt of lemon juice (Optional, If apples are very sweet)
• Cinnamon and cloves to taste (approx 1/8 tsp each)
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat and sauté apples and sugar until tender. Turn off heat and add lemon juice and spices. Set aside to cool.
Cake Assembly
*If you do not have experience assembling a traditional French Cake, I recommend assembling the cake in layers as you would a regular layer cake, e.g. slice each layer in half and brush liberally with soaking syrup, then place the bottom layer on a cardboard round, place on a cake stand, and layer alternately w/ butter cream and apple filling between each layer, then crumb coat the entire cake and chill, then decorate as desired.*
However, if you have experience w/ French cakes, you will chill an 8” cake ring in the freezer, line it with buttercream, chill it again, place on a cardboard round, then layer with trimmed cake, buttercream, cake, soaking syrup, apples, buttercream, cake, syrup, apples, buttercream and so on until cake ring is full. Place cake in freezer until chilled, then heat exterior perimeter of the pastry ring with a chef’s torch all the way around and gently slide the ring off.
Decorate as desired with walnut pieces, caramel candy, or anything else creative you can think of!
*Caramel Candy:
Mix 8 oz sugar with 4 oz water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until Dissolved, then add corn syrup. Heat it until it begins to turn brown and slow bubbles appear on the surface (or heat to caramel stage, 320 degrees).
Spoon designs and swirls of the hot caramel on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and allow to cool 5-10 mins. To make walnut praline, stir chopped walnuts into the hot caramel and spread on the sheet to cool. Break into pieces or process in the food processor to make fine crumbs.

It's Easy to Make Your Own Chocolate Truffles...

2009-08-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

8 oz heavy cream
16 oz good quality dark chocolate
optional: nuts, cocoa, liquor of your choice

*note, this is a fairly large recipe, it will make several dozen. You can halve the recipe if you wish.

Directions:

Chocolate truffles are by far the easiest type of gourmet chocolate to make at home because you don't need to temper any of the chocolate. All you need to do is make ganache, cool it to a thick consistency, scoop small amounts of it with a spoon and roll it into balls and then roll them in the coating of your choice (nuts, cocoa powder, etc).

To make ganache:

You will need a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to heavy cream. For example, if you have a 1 lb bar of chocolate, you need 8 oz (1 cup) of heavy cream, which is roughly half of a pint. If your ganache separates (looks globby and oily), it is easy to correct. Just add a small amount of whole milk and stir and keep doing this until it is smooth. Ganache can be kept in the refrigerator for months. Keep your leftovers!

Slice the chocolate on a cutting board with a serrated knife in a straight downward motion in thin slices (approx 1/4 inch). The thinner the slivers of chocolate, the sooner it will melt.
Then boil the heavy cream in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate. It will be a consistency similar to thin frosting. That's ok, simply allow it to cool in the refrigerator, checking every 5-10 mins. When it is a little less firm than cookie dough, you are ready to make your truffles. If it gets too hard, no problem! You can just reheat it on low power in the microwave until it is the proper consistency.

*When your ganache is still soft, you can add a flavoring. Liquors work well. Some tasty liquors are Frangelico, Amaretto, Kahlua, Framboise, Triple Sec, and Rum.
You can also use extracts, such as mint or almond. Literally any flavor that pairs well with chocolate will do! Keep adding as much as you want until you achieve your desired flavor.

For coating, I recommend processing nuts in a food processor then toasting them in the toaster oven or in a dry skillet. For the truffles pictured above, I used hazelnuts and then toasted them.
Cocoa powder makes a lovely coating if you sift it. Place your coatings in flat-bottomed dishes.
So there you have it!

Step 1. Make ganache and flavor it with desired flavoring
Step 2. Chill it to scoopable consistency
Step 3. Scoop into small balls and roll in dish of nut or cocoa powder coating.
Step 4. Place on trays to set.
Step 5. Eat and enjoy! Give to your friends!

Peanut Brittle

2009-08-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my friend Melissa. It's made in the microwave and I think the cleanup was fairly easy compared to making it on the stove top. It tastes just as good too. The nuts will get slightly toasted in the microwave, so the flavor is spot on.
I've also made batches adding a little bit of chipotle chile powder or cinnamon. Either of those spices work well.

Ingredients:

1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter
1 tsp baking soda

Combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup light corn syrup and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.

Add 1 cup of nuts, mix (although it'll be super hard to mix well), and microwave for 2 minutes. If your microwave is strong, keep an eye on it to make sure the nuts don't scorch.

Add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp butter, mix and microwave 2 minutes.

Add 1 tsp of baking soda and stir well. It gets all foamy at this point but just stir until it settles down.

Spread immediately onto parchment paper, flattening with a spatula or knife to about 1/2 inch thickness. Let cool completely and then break up to serve.

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

2009-07-08T18:44:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Swirl...

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 oz cream cheese
1 egg

Beat ingredients together at medium speed until combined. Set aside.

Brownie Batter (From Baking Illustrated)...

5 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick of butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/4 c granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 x 8" pan w/ cooking spray, line with tin foil sprayed again if desired for ease of removal after baking.
Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler until smooth then whisk in cocoa. Set aside to cool to luke warm.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla.
Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Fold the flour in with a wooden spoon or spatula. Pour into prepared pan. Drop medium sized spoonfulls of peanut butter mixture in rows across the top of the batter and slice through vertically and horizontally with a knife.
Bake for 35 to 40 mins .

The peanut butter filling is based on a recipe from Gourmet but I didn't use the butter called for in their recipe, just cream cheese. I was using Jif, which has added hydrogenated oil so I figured I could get away without the extra butter and it turned out perfectly.

Strawberry Kirsch Cake

2009-06-07T08:36:00.001-07:00

This is a white vanilla cake, 2 layers torted to made 4, soaked in Kirsch simple syrup, then layered with Kirsh italian meringue buttercream and sliced fresh strawberries. I made it for my friend's 30th birthday. It was not without drama though... I learned that defrosting buttercream in a bowl directly over a flame on the stove is actually a big mistake if you are a novice like me. I read it in a book. Oops ;)

I had much better luck leaving the frozen buttercream out to soften on the counter for about 15 mins then zapping it on the lowest power in the microwave for 20 seconds then stirring until it was soft enough to spread.

A great recipe for IMBC can be found here.
It's enough to max out a 5 qt stand mixer and it yields about 5 cups.

Meringue Class

2009-05-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

I took a class on making meringue. It was a blast! I made these mini Baked Alaskas. Of course mine are the messy ones, and the pretty one in the back was made by our instructor. My favorite part: toasting the meringue with the torch at the very end. Our instructor shared with me a very important piece of advice: go to Home Depot to buy a welders torch w/ propane because they are a fraction of the price of the torches sold in kitchen specialty stores. Uh-oh... I shared the secret... the Williams-Sonoma police are going to arrest me!

Here are lovely examples of what my classmates made:

(Hazelnut Dacquoise with Lemon Cream and Berries)

Cookies from The Gourmet Cookbook by Ruth Reichl

2009-05-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Starting from the top, clockwise: Mexican Chocolate (not from Gourmet-- that's actually a recipe I sort of invented, you can find it here), Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brown Sugar-Ginger Crisps, and lastly Anise-Scented Fig and Date Swirls.

The Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe was (not surprisingly) very easy to make. These little babies are suuuuuper tasty. Tastier than regular chocolate chip cookies... I think it has something to do with the extra saltiness. I love, love, LOVE this recipe. I dream about a cereal bowl full of these cookies and a pint of 2% milk. Does "Cookie Crisp" ring a bell? Well this is that stuff... but, you know, ten billion times better!

The Brown Sugar-Ginger Crisps were also easy to make. I can think of several different flavors of sorbet and ice cream that I would like to see these cookies on top of: lemon, lime, honey, cinnamon, chocolate, pear, scallion... ;) Here is the recipe.

The Anise-Scented Fig and Date Swirls were a bit more of a nuisance, shall we say. Any rolled cookie that needs to be sliced at 1/3 of an inch thick is a pain in the rear, I don't care how chilled your dough is. I recommend using dental floss, as you would with cinnamon rolls. Do this as quickly as your can. I'm sure there is a better way of doing it but I'm an amateur, and this way worked really well for me. Any suggestions for technique are greatly appreciated! Also, I don't recommend wrapping the dough in wax paper to roll. I actually had better luck with plastic wrap, rolling on a granite counter top. The wax paper tore as I rolled the dough and I was not a happy camper. But these cookies look cool and they taste great too, kind of like a sophisticated Fig Newton.

All Star Birthday Cake

2009-04-08T16:48:00.001-07:00

Kate's Birthday Cake:

Devils Food with Mocha Buttercream frosting and fondant decorations... what I learned from this experience: mixing luster dust with vodka to paint on bow pieces looks REALLY MESSY... hence why you don't see shiny gold bow pieces on this cake. My new obsession: buying an airbrush for cake!!

dum da da daaaaaaaaaaaa...the presentation!

now... will someone buy me an airbrush for MY birthday? :)

Fondant...

2009-03-31T17:07:00.001-07:00

So I made a cake with fondant the other night...and it sort of looks like an Easter Sunday hat worn by some old lady in the flower arranging club, but whatever :)

Daring Bakers Blog Challenge: Flourless Chocolate Cake

2009-03-01T11:47:00.001-08:00

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

For my version of the flourless chocolate cake, I used a 50/50 blend of semisweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate and decorated it with toasted pecans. It was great with either butter pecan ice cream or coffee ice cream. It's really easy to make. Only 3 ingredients!!!

Recipe:

"Chocolate Valentino"
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

* Notes on this recipe: Not necessary to use the same beater to beat the yolks together. I don't know why the recipe is written this way. Just whisk them in a separate bowl. You'll need to keep your whites in the bowl of the Kitchenaid.
Also, when I baked mine for 25 mins, it came out at 170 Fahrenheit.
If you want more sophisticated flavor, use some bittersweet chocolate!!

Blueberry Lime Cobbler

2009-02-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

For the filling:
-16 - 20 oz blueberries (frozen is ok, just make sure to let them defrost at room temp for best results. If you use frozen, set the berries in a colander over a bowl to catch the juices as they defrost, then reduce the juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until slightly thickened, add this to the filling mixture)
-Grated zest of 1 lime + 1 tsp juice
-1/3 c sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- pinch of cinnamon

For the Topping:
- 1 c flour

-1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c sugar
-1/3 c lowfat milk mixed with 1-2 tsp lime juice (whatever is left over from the lime you zested)
- 1/2 stick of melted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Stir together all the filling ingredients and place in an 8" - 9" pie dish. Bake for 25 mins until bubbling. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, 1/4 c sugar, and baking powder. Add the melted butter and vanilla. It should be the consistency of cookie dough.
When the berry mixture comes out of the oven, increase oven temp to 425.
With spoons or a 2 oz scoop, evenly distribute the dough on top of the blueberry mixture. Bake for 15 mins more, until slightly golden brown on top. Allow to cool 15 mins before serving.

This is my take on "The Best Recipe" version of blueberry cobbler... sort of by accident, because I didn't have all of the ingredients called for. Supposedly blueberry, lime and honey is a flavor affinity. I agree... try this recipe with honey drizzled on top.

Daring Baker's January 2009 Challenge: Tuiles

2009-01-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf.
They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I used the recipe from The Chocolate Book:

Recipe: Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example) Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch 65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft) 60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar 1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract) 2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork) 65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour 1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice Butter/spray to grease baking sheet Oven: 180C / 350F Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly. Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable. If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Obviously I didn't make the butterflies. Instead I made a tuile cup and filled it with coconut ice cream, topped with toasted sweetened coconut and drizzled with honey. Oh, and by the way, the practically neon pink cookie was made by taking a few tablespoons of batter and mixing with a few drops of red food coloring. Yes, it is shockingly pink. Not exactly my intention, but what the heck. I need to tackle this recipe again because my cookies came out really bubbly... probably because I got a little too happy with the Kitchenaid.
The tuiles are easy to shape. I made a stencil out of thin cardboard and spread the batter with an offset spatula:

I baked three at a a time. When I took them out of the oven, I scraped them off the parchment-covered baking sheet CAREFULLY with the spatula and draped them over upside down juice glasses. To make a big enough cup for a scoop of ice cream you need to make them at least 5 inches in diameter.
This recipe is delicious!! The tuiles themselves are so so yummy and vanilla-y, you will enjoy them without any extras.

Oatmeal CRAIsin Cookies

2008-12-15T06:57:00.000-08:00

Raisins are tired boring old things. Enter the magical, plump, colorful CRAISIN!
As if craisins are something new and unusual. On the contrary, Native Americans gathered cranberries for food a very long time ago, and cranberries made a great (I suppose) addition to something called pemmican, a mixture of animal fat and dried meat. Pemmican was used for centuries as an emergency food. Sir Ernest Shackelton's men survived on pemmican for quite some time on during their 1914 epic voyage/distaster tour of the Antarctic. But I have no idea whether or not their pemmican contained cranberries, and pemmican is a far cry from delicious cookies! Sorry forthis disgusting detour. Back to cookies...

This recipe is based on the Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipe recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. Yes, it is a light recipe, which leads you to believe, this could either be a miracle: tasty and low calorie, or: a sad, carboardesque excuse for a cookie.
I added walnunts to this batch, but they still have fewer calories than a standard oatmeal rasin cookie recipe that may contain up to 2 sticks of butter. Trust me, they are soft, chewy and delicious!!

Yield 2 doz.

Ingredients:

1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick of melted butter, cooled
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c packed brown sugar (light or dark, I used light)
1/2 c craisins
1/3 c chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Directions:

Adjust oven racks to middle and upper middle or upper, just make sure you don't have one on the bottom. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets w/ parchment paper.
Whisk flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine brown sugar and melted butter, beat until it begins to become lighter in color and is well combined.
Ad egg and vanilla, mix on medium speed until well-incorporated. Turn mixer to low and gradually add dry ingredients. Lastly, add craisins and walnuts.
Drop on cookie sheets using small scoop. You should have abougt 12 on each sheet. Bake 11-13 mins, or until cookies begin to lightly brown on edges.

Xmas / Holiday Cookies

2008-12-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Seasons Greetings...

Raspberry Jam Cookies

Left to Right: Coconut vanilla cookies, Raspberry Jam cookie, Chocolate Hazelnut cookie, Double Chocolate cookie sandwiches.

Yep, it's that time of year again! Bust out your cookie cutters and rolling pins. Spread cheer to your friends and neighbors in the form of butter cookies and drippings of chocolate and white vanilla glaze!
Cut-out cookies can be finicky. If the dough gets too soft or too dry you're in trouble. Either your cookies will be poorly shaped or the dough won't hold together when you roll it out. I used (of course), the America's test kitchen butter cookie recipe for these cookies. Don't trust any other recipe for something as technical as christmas cookies! You want a butter cookie recipe that has been tested over and over again. The only advice I can give when using this recipe is that if you have granite countertops, do not sandwich the dough between two pieces of parchment paper as directed. It will slide efverywhere and you will feel like a total baking reject! Instead use plastic wrap.
Make whatever fillings you want. The Baking Illustrated cookbook has recipes for things like vanilla glaze and coconut lime. I used nutella and toasted hazelnuts. Go wild! Go crazy! Happy Holidays. :)

Way Better than a Reeses...

2008-12-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

Baking Illustrated's Chocolate Icebox cookie recipe w/ Peanut Butter filling...

Let's face it. Either you love peanut butter or you hate it. Australians hate peanut butter, but I'm not about to make a Chocolate Vegamite sandwich cookie.
This recipe is a cinch. Make the dough, roll it into logs, refrigerate it, take it out whenever you feel inclined, slice and bake.

Rosemary Raisin Walnut Bread

2008-12-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

I got this rosemary olive bread recipe when I took a bread-baking class at CSCA. If you live in the Boston area, I highly recommend taking one of their recreational classes.

Although this time I baked the bread as a loaf, it is a great recipe for fancy dinner rolls too. It lends itself to many different flavor combinations. For example, subtract the rosemary and add dried apricot and pecan, or dried cranberry walnut. You could do basil and sundried tomato, or candied shallots and thyme, the list goes on.

*Warning: allow at least 3 extra hours beforehand to make the sponge...

Ingredients:

Sponge:

2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 c warm water
1/2 c milk, room temp
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
2 c all purpose flour

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water, stir to dissolve. Add sweetener, milk, and flour. Whisk ingredients until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temp for 3-12 hrs. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

Dough:

1 tsp dry yeast
2 c warm water
1 Tbsp salt
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 c olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 c raisins, plumped for about 10 mins in a dish of very hot water, then drained
3/4 c toasted walnuts (toast them in a frying pan over low heat or toasted oven at low setting for a few minutes until fragrant)
5-6 c all purpose flour

Egg Wash:
1 yolk
1 Tbsp milk

To make bread dough:

In a large bowl, sprinkle the 1 tsp yeast over the 2 c warm water and stir to dissolve. Add eggs, salt, sugar, oil and 1 + 1/2 c flour. Whisk to combine, then add the sponge. Whisk again. Add rosemary.

Add remaining flour 1 c at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon. The dough will be sticky. Flour your work surface and keep extra flour on hand to prevent dough from sticking.
Knead in walnuts and raisins. Knead dough until soft but elastic, adding small amounts of flour to prevent sticking.
Put dough in a large bowl or rising container and let rise until tripled in bulk, about 2 hrs.
Turn dough out onto floured surface and gently deflate. Shape into 2 rounds or small rolls. Place on parchment covered baking sheet or 9x13 glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Colver in plastic wrap.
Allow dough to proof x 30-45 mins.
Meanwhile, prepare egg wash and preheat oven to 400.
When dough is proofed, slash tops, glaze with egg wash and bake x 40-50 mins.

Dark Chocolate Explosion Cookies- for the True Chocaholic!!

2008-12-04T09:31:00.001-08:00

An Evie's Kitchen original...

Ingredients:

2 c bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c cocoa powder
2 sticks melted butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 c light brown sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp instant coffee
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (I recommend 2 x 4 oz bars of Ghirardelli 60% cacao)
4 oz semisweet chocolate (again, a 4 oz bar of Ghirardelli)

Directions:

Finely chop 4 oz bittersweet and 4 oz semisweet chocolate as shown. Set aside.

Break remaining 4 oz bar of bittersweet chocolate into about 20 pieces. This will be used as molten chocolate centers later.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars in a standing mixer. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, milk and instant coffee. Slowly add dry ingredients. Add the 8 oz finely chopped bittersweet and semisweet chocolate.
Refrigerate dough for at least 20 mins to chill. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove dough from refrigerator, scoop out 8-10 cookies on each sheet. Flatten gently and place a small square of chocolate in the middle as shown:

Then place another flattened dough ball on top of that, press gently so they stick together:

Press each cookie in a small dish of granulated sugar if desired to coat the cookie tops. Bake at 350 for 12-15 mins until tops look dry and slightly cracked.
Serve warm, or allow to cool and store in tupper ware at room temp, but microwave at medium power for 20 seconds before eating to enjoy the molten centers!

Guava Coconut Cookies

2008-12-04T09:04:00.001-08:00

Guava and coconut are both cultivated throughout the tropics. What grows together goes together so I tried this flavor combination in a cookie and the results were tantalizing. Besides, I had to figure out how to use that random jar of guava jelly taking up space between the soy sauce and blue cheese dressing in the door of my fridge!
Another variation on ATK's Baking Illustrated sugar cookie recipe...

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted sweetened coconut
1 jar of guava jelly, such as Goya brand, sold in most supermarkets

Directions:

Toast coconut: spread coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet and place in oven at 375 for 1-2 mins, shake pan and toast 1 min longer until coconut is light brown. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET IT BURN.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a standing mixer, cream the butter and the sugars. Add egg and vanilla.
Slowly add dry ingredients to combine.
Add coconut until combined.
Using small ice cream scoop, scoop onto 2 cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.
Bake at 375 for 12-15 mins.
Meanwhile, have jar of guava jelly ready.
Remove cookies from oven, immediately press each cookie gently with the back of a spoon to make indentations. Spoon 1-2 tsp jelly into each indentation. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool.

Rosemary Cheddar & Leek Quiche

2008-11-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is a variation on ATK's quiche lorraine recipe...

Ingredients:

Crust...

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into 2 pieces
5 Tbsp shortening, cold, cut into 5 pieces
4 Tbsp ice water

Filling...

2 strips bacon
2 leeks, sliced thinly, green parts discarded
2 c. half & half
2 eggs + 2 yolks
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
pinch nutmeg
1 c. grated extra sharp cheddar

Directions:

In a food processor, combine salt, flour, sugar and rosemary. Pulse for 1 min or until combined. Add pieces of butter and shortening, one at a time. Pulse in food processor until pea size pieces are formed. Transfer to large bowl. With a rubber spatula, fold in the 4 Tbsp of ice water until dough comes together. Remove from bowl and form into a disc, 4" in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 mins.

Par bake the crust:

Preheat oven to 375. Roll dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to about a 12" diameter and transfer to pie plate. place piece of tin foil over pie shell and fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice. This will prevent crust from bubbling up while baking in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 mins then remove from oven and remove foil with pie weights. Return to oven and bake for an addtl' 5 mins or until light golden. Remove from oven.

Make the filling:

Fry bacon in a skillet until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy. Remove bacon and transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp bacon grease and saute leeks in bacon grease until tender, about 5 mins.

Chop bacon into small pieces, about 1/4 inch each.
Whisk eggs, yolks, half & half, nutmeg, white pepper and salt. Put cheese, leeks, and bacon into bottom of pie shell.

Pour egg mixture on top of bacon, cheese and leeks.
Return to oven and bake at 375 for 30-35 mins or until a knife blade inserted in middle of quiche comes out clean.
Allow to cool 10 mins before serving.

Earl Grey Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate

2008-11-30T13:13:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

2 heaping Tbsp loose Early Grey tea (about 6 teabags)

2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 sticks of butter, cut into 16 pieces
2 tsp apple juice or apple cider
2 Tbsp cream cheese

For chocolate glaze:

4 oz bar of bittersweet chocolate, broken up into several small pieces.
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

Put sugar and loose tea in food processor, process until tea leaves begin to become powdery, about 3 mins.

Add flour and salt, process x 10 pulses.
Add butter, 1-2 pieces at a time. Add cream cheese and cider, pulse in food processor a few more times until larger globs of dough begin to form and dough becomes well blended.
Turn out dough onto counter top and knead into smooth dough, shape into 2 discs, 4" diameter each. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for at least 1 hr.
* you can use a standing mixer when you add the cider and cream cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cover two baking sheets in parchment paper. Roll dough on floured surface x 1/8 inch thick. Use cookies cutters to cut as many cookies as possible and reform extra dough trimmings into a thick disc and roll out again to form more cookies. Repeat up to 3 times. Transfer cookie dough to sheets using a metal spatula.

Bake x 10 mins.

Remove from oven and carefully slide paper with cookies to wire cooling rack.

Meanwhile, place chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in double boiler and melt over low heat, stirring often. Decorate cookies with chocolate glaze while it is still warm and liquid. Allow to cool.

Crab Cakes

2008-09-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

I made these with cheap-o canned crab...
..Mixed with some diced red pepper, scallions, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and eggs.
The chutney is a mixture of corn, sauteed onions, red bell peppers, chili powder, cumin and cilantro... serve with chipotle mayo with lime and cilantro.

Rosemary Blackberry Scones

2008-08-17T12:46:00.001-07:00

Again with the scone recipe in America's Test Kitchen's Baking Illustrated...
I typically use this one... after a recent trip to Harvest restaurant in Harvard Square, I came up with the idea of using rosemary and blackberry. Harvest was serving a peach raspberry rosemary shortcake for dessert during restaurant week... I thought the rosemary and raspberry went well together and I decided to make these scones. Why blackberry and not raspberry? Well, I happened to have blackberries in the fridge...but you should would try these with raspberries too!

Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter top
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar, plus more for dusting tops of scones
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 c. blackberries
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 c. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. 4. Toss blackberries with about 2 tsp flour and stir them in.
5. With a spatula, stir in heavy cream until evenly combined.
6. Dust counter top with flour and gently knead dough into a 1" thick disc. Cut as you would a pie, into 8 evenly sized wedges and place on baking sheet.
7. Dust the tops with additional sugar and bake for 15 mins.

Catching Wild Yeast for Sourdough

2008-08-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

I tried catching wild yeast for Sourdough...

Step 1: Crush some green grapes and put them in cheesecloth:

Step 2: Make a sachet our of it by bundling and tying with string, and submerge it in a mixture of about 1 c. flour and 1/2 c. water (it should be like pancake batter):

Step 3. Let it sit 12-24 hrs. It will foam and smell sort of like beer. Mine actually did foam, but I didn't get a picture of it because I forgot!!

Step 4. Stir and keep in the refrigerator, use as you would any sourdough starter in a bread recipe.

This is what happens when you leave it out too long:

It began to smell pretty bad... was probably plenty of bacteria in it...lysteria, MRSA and who knows what else, total disaster ;)

Deep Fried Stuffed Squash Blossoms

2008-07-28T17:57:00.001-07:00

Here are the blossoms... Kate painstakingly filling them (next time we will use a pastry bag)... and the finished product!

Squash Blossoms, stuffed with cheese and deep fried-

This was a team effort inspired by a recent trip to Salvation Cafe in Newport, RI. They were serving up a salad on special that featured a stuffed fried squash blossom in mesculun greens.
We used summer squash blossoms but you can use zucchini blossoms as well.
Also, for the filling, Kate made homemade ricotta using Ricki's Cheese Making Kit and milk from Shaw Farm in Dracut, MA...

Here's the recipe we used:

Battered Squash Blossoms
(With or Without Stuffing)

The Batter:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free chilled milk, beer or water

Cheese-Mushroom Stuffing:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoon mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoons fresh basil or parsley, minced
16 large squash blossoms, washed
Canola oil for frying

1. Prepare the batter first. Sift together dry ingredients, then whisk in milk, beer or cold water until smooth. Cover and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Leftover batter can be stored for up to two days. If it is too thick after refrigeration, add a few drops of water to return to original consistency.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. In a bowl combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, mushrooms and basil. Open the blossoms and spoon about one 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each. Avoid overfilling the blossoms. Twist the top of each blossom together to close. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

3. Pour the oil into a skillet to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over high heat until a small cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown within seconds.

4. Briefly dip each stuffed blossom into the batter, then carefully slip into the hot oil. Cook until golden on all sides, about three minutes total cooking time. Add only as many blossoms at a time as will fit comfortably in the skillet. Transfer with a slotted utensil to paper towels to drain briefly.

5. Sprinkle with salt, if desired and serve immediately.

NOTE: In place of the cheese-mushroom stuffing, try another of your favorite bread or meat stuffings.

Source: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension

________________________________________________________________________

You only need Half of the batter that this recipe calls for. I used water, but I think beer would taste the best!!!

Chocolate Cake made with Guinness Beer...

2008-07-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Legend has it this recipe is from a restaurant in Great Barrington, MA.

Chocolate Stout Cake
2 cups stout (Guinness)

2 cups unsalted Butter (4 sticks)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened Dutch coco powder...(preferably Dutch-process..Droste)

4 cups flour

4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

Icing

4 cups whipping cream

2 pound bittersweet chocolate or semi sweet chopped

For cake: Preheat oven to 350*F. Butter three 8 inch round cake pans with 2 inch sides. Line the pans with parchment paper, butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to a simmer in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add coco powder and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly. This is very important...cool or the hot/warm mixture will start to cook the flour mixture.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add stout coco mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and briefly beat slowly. Using rubber spatula fold mixture until well combined. Divide batter evenly into cake pans. Bake until tester comes out clean about 35 minutes. Cool on racks for 10 minutes...turn cakes out on racks and cool completely.

For icing: Bring cream to simmer in heavy sauce pan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently about 2 hours. Make sure to whisk this in the refrigerator.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over cake. Refrigerate for a few minutes between each layer.. Top with second layer, spread 2/3 icing on cake. Top with final layer and spread remaining icing on cake. Refrigerate to set icing. You will have a bit of the frosting left....enjoy..but it is important to really spread the frosting on the layers and of course on top and sides..really lay it on..also DO NOT USE A STOUT BEER IN A CAN WITH A WIDGET. It ends up way too frothy and will overflow in oven...a real mess!!!

Lychee and Vanilla Ice Cream...

2008-06-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry no photos... my digital camera is on the fritz!

Kudos to Kate for this discovery...

1/3 c brandy
3 Tbsp honey
1 15 oz can lychee fruit, or, (for obvious reasons) 10 fresh lychees
Vanilla Bean ice cream

yields about 4 servings.

1. Peel lychee, cut in halves and get rid of the pits. (if using canned lychee, drain syrup, saving all but 1-2Tbsp, can add it to the sauce).
2. Place fruit, syrup, honey and brandy in saucepan over medium heat.
3. Cook until brandy is reduced and slightly thickened.
4. Serve warm over vanilla ice cream.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Port Reduction

2008-04-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

Tawny Port pairs well with chocolate...and strawberries...this is the cake recipe from the Moosewood cookbook that I mentioned previously.

For the Cake:
1 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee or water (I used brewed instant decaf coffee, cooled to room temp and it worked very well)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp white vinegar

For the Strawberry Port reduction:

8 oz strawberries plus a few extra for decorating
1/2 c Tawny Port
4 Tbsp sugar

For the Chocolate Ganache:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate or 4 oz semisweet plus 4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c vanilla soymilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
Grease an 8x8 inch pan. In an electric mixer, combine oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients. When blended smoothly together, add vinegar, mix quickly.
The mixture should have pale swirls, indicating the baking soda is reacting with the vinegar.
Immediately pour into baking pan and bake for 25-30 mins, or until set (toothpick should come out clean to very slightly moist on the bottom). Allow to cool 10 - 15 mins. Turn out onto a wire cooling rack, allow to cool 10 more mins, cut into 2 pieces horizontally to make 2 layers. If it falls apart don't stress, it's going to be covered in chocolate ganache in the end.

To make the strawberry port reduction, mix together the strawberries, sugar and port in a medium saucepan. Cook at medium high heat until the alcohol is cooked off and the consistency is syrupy.

To make the ganache, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in the warm soy milk and vanilla, stir until smooth.

Spoon the strawberry mixture on top of one of the layers, then place the other layer on top. Finish by frosting it with the chocolate ganache and top with strawberries.

Orange Scented Cinnamon Raisin Scones

2008-03-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

Baking Illustrated 's scone recipe. They suggest using a food processor, but it's totally unnecessary if you have a pastry blender.
I find that making them by hand is really the best way to go, you just need to pay close attention to the texture of the dough as it forms.
Scone recipes that lack eggs can turn out pretty hard and dry. The heavy cream is reduced in this recipe and replaced by an egg.

Ingredients:

2 c. flour (I used 1 c. King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat flour and 1 c. of their all purpose flour)
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp butter
grated zest from 1 orange
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 egg
1/2 c. raisins

For Cinnamon Sugar Glaze:
1-2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon + more depending on how strong you want the cinnamon flavor to be

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to center. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet w/ parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, orange baking powder and salt. Stir in the orange zest.
Cut the butter into small pieces. Add to flour mixture and chop it into the flour with the pastry blender. This is very important! Cut the butter in until the mixture represents coarse sand with a few small lumps in it. Measure out the heavy cream in a liquid measuring cup and beat in the egg with a fork.
Stir the liquid in with a spatula until it forms a shaggy dough. Stir in the raisins.
Knead the dough together with your hands until it all sticks together. On a floured surface, form the dough into a circle about 1" thick.
With a large knife, cut like a pie into 8ths. Transfer to baking sheet.
Brush the tops of each scone with heavy cream. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425 for 12 mins. Scones should be cracked, dry, and very lightly browned on top when done.

Green Tea Ginger Cookies

2008-02-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

This is the ATK Baking Illustrated sugar cookie recipe w/ added ginger and matcha green tea powder.

Ingredients:

2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp matcha green tea powder (http://www.stashtea.com/w-111855.htm)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar, plus 1/2 c for rolling dough later
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c candied ginger pieces, chopped fine
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together. Add egg and vanilla. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients. Add candied ginger.
In a small dish, stir together fresh ginger and 1/2 c sugar.
Scoop out dough balls with an ice cream scooper and roll each one in the ginger sugar. Place on cookie sheets and press each ball with the bottom of a measuring cup to make slightly flat.
Bake for 15 mins.

Herbed Sourdough "Everything" Bread

2008-02-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

For this recipe, you'll need a sourdough starter. My favorite is from Beth Hensperger's Bread Bible. The following recipe is also based on her recipe for Farmstead Sourdough Bread.
I made a crust inspired by everything bagels. This bread is excellent with cream cheese or boursin cheese and is great for sandwiches too. For example, smoked salmon with boursin, capers, greens, etc.

Ingredients:

¾ c warm water

1 ½ tsp active dry yeast

1 ½ tsp sugar

½ c sourdough starter*

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ tsp salt

2 ½ - 3 c all purpose flour

2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tbsp dried onion flakes

¼ c boiling water

1-2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp sesame seeds

Dorure (a.k.a. egg wash)

Directions:

Pour ¼ c warm water in a bowl, add yeast and 1 pinch sugar. Stir to dissolve and let stand until foamy, about 5 mins.

In a medium bowl, stir together thyme, 1 ½ c flour and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, remaining ½ c warm water, sugar and olive oil. Beat until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture. Add Remaining flour, ½ c at a time until dough becomes workable. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is soft and springy, adding small amounts of flour to prevent from sticking. Dough will end up slightly sticky at the end. Grease a rising container or large bowl, deposit dough and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Gently deflate dough. Grease a loaf pan, shape dough into a rectangle and tuck edges underneath. Put dough in loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, pour ¼ c boiling water over 2 Tbsp onion flakes and cover w/ plastic wrap, after 10 mins or until onion is soft. Pour off water.

Preheat oven to 350.

Make Dorure: beat 1 egg w/ 1 Tbsp milk.

Slash loaf 3 times. Brush on Dorure, then sprinkle loaf with onion, poppy seeds, kosher salt and sesame seeds.

Bake for 35- 40 mins or until instant read thermometer registers 180 degrees.

*Hint: to keep bread fresh for several days, wrap in tin foil and store at room temperature.

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

2008-02-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

To make citrus cream cheese frosting, pick your favorite citrus fruit, mix with some cream cheese, butter and confectioners sugar and you are good to go. This is the yellow cupcake recipe from Baking Illustrated with added coconut.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sour cream
1 large egg plus 2 large yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3.5 oz (half a bag) of sweetened coconut, toasted lightly

Whisk dry ingredients together. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, sour cream. Slowly add dry ingredients, mix until smooth. Add coconut.
Scoop into paper lined muffin pan.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.

Frosting:

(This one I just played around with).
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
juice and grated zest from 1 lime
3-5 c confectioners sugar

Beat butter and cream cheese together. Slowly add confectioners sugar, about 3 cups. Add zest. Taste. Adjust desired sweetness and lime flavor by adding lime juice and confectioners sugar to taste.

Chewy Chai Tea Cookies

2007-12-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

Again I used my favorite sugar cookie recipe... from America's Test Kitchen... a very versatile sugar cookie recipe guaranteed to yield good results. I checked on the contents of "chai tea," came up with a spice blend...

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cardammom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinammon
2 tea bags of black tea (English Breakfast or Irish) cut open tea bags and grind leaves into a fine powder in a coffee grinder

1 c granulated sugar + 1/4 c more to coat outside of cookies
1 egg
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, spices, and ground tea leaves.
In an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated.
Gradually add dry ingredients.
Set aside a small dish with about 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Scoop dough balls out with a small ice cream scoop and roll each one in sugar to coat and place on baking sheet.
Press each ball flat with the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 10 mins.

Comments:
Everyone agreed that these cookies really do taste like chai tea! A plus: they are soft and chewy, my favorite kind of cookie!!!

German "Partybrot"- crazy bread

2007-12-10T17:44:00.000-08:00

This is a decorative bread that I found in Treuille & Ferrigno's book entitled "Ultimate Bread."
It's a lot of fun to make... It's a nice book with good photos and instruction... though I wouldn't recommend trying their method for making a sourdough starter...

Sweet Potato Rolls

2007-12-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

(Shaping, Slashing w/ scissors, dorure, and the finished product)

This recipe was passed on to me by Emma C. of Littlechefbigknife

Ingredients:

2 TBS yeast
1/2 c warm (tepid) water
2 TBS honey
4 TBS white sugar
4 TBS brown sugar
3 TBS unsalted butter, melted
1 3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3 1/2 - 4 c all purpose flour
1 c sweet potatoes, mashed
2 TBS dorure (egg+milk wash to glaze the tops... 1 yolk and a splash of milk will do)

Directions:

Combine yeast and water and allow to proof. Combine honey, sugars,
butter, salt, eggs, and add to yeast mixture. Stir in 2 cups flour and
then add sweet potatoes and blend. Add remaining flour. Knead for
several minutes, keep sprinkling with flour to prevent sticking. Let rise until doubled, covered in plastic wrap.
Punch down and let rest several minutes.
Twist and pull the dough into a long snake and cut in 12-14 equal pieces. Shape into 12 to 14 rolls and place in a ring in two buttered 9-inch
pyrex pie dishes (or any other baking dish. Or you can just space them
out on a sheet pan, honestly). Rolls will 'grow together' as they
proof. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Dorure (brush with egg wash) and bake for 20 minutes.

Green Tea & Ginger Brownies

2007-12-03T17:24:00.001-08:00

So they're not very pretty... sort of like the Incredible Hulk meets Duncan Hines!
It's a basic cream cheese brownie recipe with matcha powder added to the cream cheese swirl mixture. Then, after baking and tasting, I found that the brownies needed something to cut the plant-y flavor of the green tea. So I added a sugary glaze and some candied ginger on top.

Ingredients for brownie base:

1/3 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick of unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Green Tea Swirl:

8 oz Cream cheese
2 + 1/2 tsp green tea matcha powder
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg yolk

Ingredients for the ginger topping:

1/2 c confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Roughly 1/3 c Candied Ginger pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8 x 8 " baking dish with tin foil so that edges of foil overhang by 2". Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Set a double boiler over low heat and melt chocolate and butter together.
Whisk in sugar.
Set aside and allow it to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, soften the cream cheese in the microwave on low power for about 2 mins. Place in an electric mixer and beat in the sugar and egg yolk. Add matcha powder and vanilla and beat until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time to the chocolate mixture and whisk well. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until well incorporated. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Drop evenly spaced 1 Tbsp dollops of green tea swirl batter on top of the brownie batter. With a table knife, run through each dollop vertically and horizontally a few times to make a swirl pattern.
Bake for 50-60 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Prepare the glaze: put confectioners sugar in a small bowl. Add Cream, 1 Tbsp at at a time. (Depending on the humidity in your kitchen, you may need to add more or less cream to achieve desired consistency). Add vanilla extract.
Spread glaze over brownies when they are cooled and top with candied ginger pieces.

Lemon Pinenut Anisettes

2007-11-30T18:58:00.001-08:00

*ATK's recipe for sugar cookies with some additions. Also, these can be made without the anise, as plain lemon pine nut cookies.

Ingredients:

2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar + at least 1/2 c for coating cookies
1 egg
grated zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c pine nuts + 1 T for decorating
1/2 tsp anise extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Toast pine nuts in a small pan on medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, a few minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and 3/4 tsp of lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
On low speed, add dry ingredients, mix until well combined and add pine nuts.
Make sugar coating: In a small dish, combine 1/2 tsp of anise extract and 1/2 c sugar. Add more anise if stronger flavor is desired.
With a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop small balls of dough and round them with your hands. Roll each dough ball in sugar to coat and place on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.
Butter the bottom of a drinking glass or 1/4 measuring cup. Press the center of each dough ball to flatten slightly. Press pine nuts into top of cookies.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Apple Candied Ginger Scones

2007-10-30T16:32:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

2 c + 2 tsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
grated zest from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
1/2 c heavy cream
2 apples, peeled, cored and minced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel, core and mince apples, add cinnamon, allspice, and brown sugar.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together sugar, 2 cups of the flour (reserve extra 2 tsp), salt, baking powder, and lemon zest.
With a pastry blender (small hand held wire device: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/glossary/tools/pastryblend.html)
cut butter into flour mixture. Set aside when it resembles large crumbs.
In an electric mixer, combine eggs and cream at medium speed until creamy and smooth. Do not whip too much!
On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients until dough is shaggy and lumpy and all flour is incorporated.
On a well-floured surface, knead for about a minute and shape dough into a disk 1.5" thick. With a large knife, cut as you would a pie, into eight pieces. Place on baking sheet and press candied ginger pieces into top of each scone. Add more than the 1/4 c if you like.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 mins or until light golden brown.

Ginger Almond Apple Crisp

2007-10-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Looking for something to do with crystallized ginger?

Ingredients:

6-7 medium apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 c brown sugar
1T all purpose flour

for the topping:
1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c brown
1/4 c granulated sugar
5 T butter
3/4 c chopped almonds
1/4 c crystalized ginger

Preheat oven to 375.
mix apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, 1 T flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside.
To make topping:
In a food processor, combine flour, crystalized ginger, salt, sugar and spices. Pulse for 4-6 seconds.
Add butter and pulse for 10 seconds more. The mixture should look like wet sand.
Add almonds and pulse for a few seconds more.
Place apples in a 9 inch glass pie dish or 2 quart baking dish.
Bake for 45-50 mins.

Cashew Cookies with Ginger Honey Glaze

2007-10-15T16:50:00.001-07:00

I revisited the cashew honey milk chocolate idea. It is based on a peanut butter cookie recipe from the Best Recipes (America's Test Kitchen) and I made a honey ginger glaze, which pairs very well with this cookie.
It also works well with milk chocolate chips... add 1 1/2 - 2 c of milk chocolate chips to the recipe if you want it to be chocolaty!

Ingredients:

2 + 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1 granulated sugar
1 c cashew butter (easy to find in health food aisle of grocery store)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c finely chopped cashews, toasted, cooled to room temp*
1/4 c honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

*to prepare the cashews, spread on baking sheet and toast whole cashews for 4 minutes at 350 degrees, then grind in a nut grinder or food processor

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and cooled nuts.
In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together. Add vanilla and eggs. Add cashew butter. Slowly add dry ingredients. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheet with small ice cream scoop. press tops with fork in a criss cross pattern.
Bake for 10 mins, or until golden brown around edges.
Meanwhile, heat honey and ginger together in small saucepan until bubbling.
Dip cookies face first in honey glaze.

I Can't Believe it's Vegan Chocolate Cake-

2007-10-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook. It is called
"Six Minute Chocolate Cake" and it's vegan.

For the Cake:
1 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee or water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp white vinegar

For the Chocolate Ganache:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
3/4 c hot water or vanilla soymilk (vanilla soymilk lends a better texture)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
Grease an 8x8 inch pan. In an electric mixer, combine oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients. When blended smoothly together, add vinegar.
The mixture should have pale swirls, indicating the baking soda is reacting with the vinegar.
Pour into baking pan and bake for 25-30 mins, or until set (toothpick should come out clean to very slightly moist on the bottom). Allow to cool.

To make the ganache, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in the warm soy milk and vanilla, stir until smooth. Spread the ganache over the cooled cake.
Top with fresh raspberries or strawberries and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with Vanilla Tofutti.

Cardamom Pistachio Coconut Cookies

2007-10-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Soft aromatic cookies...

Ingredients:

2c + 2Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cardamom

1 + 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to luke warm
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c toasted sweetened coconut
1 c toasted chopped pistachio nuts

To toast coconut, spread on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 3-4 mins, or until light brown.
To toast nuts, bake at 350 for 5 mins, or until fragrant. Toast separately.

Directions:

Toast coconut and pistachio nuts. Melt butter. Preheat oven to 325.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cardamom.
In an electric mixer, beat sugars and melted butter together. Add egg, extra yolk, and vanilla.
Slowly incorporate dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
Add coconut and pistachios.

Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.

Gingered Sugar Cookies

2007-09-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

This is a variation on the Sugar Cookie recipe in the Best Recipes Cookbook from America's Test Kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the sugar coating:

1 c granulated sugar
2-4 tsp grated fresh ginger
*depending on how flavorful your ginger is, you may need to adjust the amount of ginger.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together. Add egg and vanilla.
On low speed, slowly incorporate flour mixture into wet ingredients.
In a shallow baking dish, stir together ginger and flour.
Scoop dough balls with ice cream scoop and coat with ginger sugar. Place at least 1 " apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Rub butter onto bottom of drinking glass or measuring cup. Press each cookie down to flatten slightly. Dip bottom of glass into ginger sugar mixture before pressing cookies.

Bake at 375 for 10 mins.

Cherry White Chocolate Almond Cookies

2007-09-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2c + 2 Tbs all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 & 1/2 sticks of butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1 c brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
2 tsp almond extract

1/2 c white chocolate chips
3/4 c toasted almonds*
1 cup chopped dried cherries (easily found at natural food stores)
*to toast almonds, spread on baking sheet and bake at 375 for 4-5 mins or until browned and fragrant

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.
In electric mixer, beat together sugars and melted butter. Add egg and almond extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
With small ice cream scoop, scoop about 2T each on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 14- 17 mins or until edges of cookies slightly browned.

Velvety Mexican Chocolate Cookies

2007-09-02T13:52:00.001-07:00

Hot & Spicy Chocolate cookies... will be featured on the Bake Guru Application for iPhone/iPod Touch

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 sticks of melted butter, cooled to luke warm or room temperature
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For Chocolate Glaze:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
4 T butter
2 T light corn syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Melt butter and allow to cool to about room temperature.
Meanwhile, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cayenne and cinnamon.
In electric mixer, combine melted butter and sugars. Beat until well incorporated. Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients. With small ice cream scoop, scoop 2T dough each on ungreased cookie sheets. Covering the baking sheets with parchment paper yields the best results.
Bake for 15 mins or until cookies appear dry and cracked on top.

Make the glaze:

In a double boiler, combine chocolate, butter, and corn syrup. Over low to medium heat, stir until completely melted and combined.
While glaze is still very liquid, drizzle over cookies with a small metal spoon. If glaze begins to harden, simply microwave it on low heat for a minute or two.

Coconut Lime Shortbread Stars

2007-08-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 c superfine sugar*
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lime zest
2 & 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c toasted sweetened coconut + 1 c for dusting*

*you can make superfine sugar by putting it in a food processor for 30 seconds. To make toasted coconut, spread coconut on baking sheet and bake for 5 mins at 350.

Ingredients For glaze:

1 cup sugar
6-8 tsp key lime juice (you can use regular lime juice but key lime juice yields the best flavor).
1-2 tsp water

Directions:

In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt. In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and lime zest. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients.
Add toasted coconut and mix throughly.
Refrigerate dough for a few hours until firm, or put in freezer for about 1 hr.

Roll dough to 1/8 inch thick. Make cookie cutouts and place on baking sheet. Knead together dough scraps and repeat.
Bake at 375 for 5-7 mins.

As cookies cool, make glaze:
In a small saucepan, stir together water, lime juice, and sugar. Stir over low heat until it reaches a syrup-like consistency.
Allow to cool for 10 mins.
Put remaining coconut in pie pan.
Dip cookies face down in glaze then press into coconut.

Honey Cashew Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-08-30T05:41:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 sticks of butter, melted and cooled to about room temperature
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/3 c cashew butter
1 and 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
*3/4 cup of toasted chopped cashew nuts

*grind nuts in a food processor and spread on cookie sheet. bake for 3-4 mins at 325 degrees, or until slightly browned and fragrant

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.
Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream butter and sugars together in an electric mixer. Add egg, honey, cashew butter and vanilla extract. Slowly add flour mixture.
Add milk chocolate chips and cashews.
Using small ice cream scoop or 2 spoons, spoon dough balls on ungreased cookie sheets. (cookie sheet covered in parchment paper works best). Place on middle and top rack of oven and bake for 15 mins.