Once Upon A Cookie

The Earth Laughs in Flowers...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:51:00 +0000

I love making cupcakes for my kids, such a simple pleasure. What a great way to celebrate the arrival of Spring!! I made these using Dum-Dum pops and green Fruit Roll Ups for the leaves, a few sprinkles of chocolate jimmies for the dirt, and voila spring has sprung.

Cherished Possessions

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Growing up I can remember having Sunday dinners at my Grandmother's house. My Grandmother loved to cook, which was something we had in common. She was a good cook, but not what you would call a healthy cook. I think sugar and salt were my Grandmother's two favorite ingredients. Even her tossed green salad was loaded with sugar and salt.
Most of her veggies seemed to come from a can and she even knew how to make those taste good. Her canned corn casserole is still on our table every year at Thanksgiving.
But you never did hear anyone complain about the meal that was put before them, especially my Grandfather. He used to say "Boy, I wonder what the poor people are eating tonight" every time we sat down together.
And dessert was always part of the meal. I can still remember her milk glass cake plate that her sugary cakes were placed on. Such a fancy thing to a 7 year old girl, a billowy frosted cake served on a pedestal.
As I got older and started preparing my own meals I realized just how unhealthy of a cook she was. She would often give me recipes or tell me how she would go about making something. And of course I would graciously accept them, however never giving them a second glance knowing that this one recipe alone might just take a year off my life.
Well, my Grandmother passed away a few months ago. I find myself trying to remember those recipes, and the things she shared with me, wishing I had paid closer attention. It's funny how losing someone makes those details so much more important. And those recipes she handed down to me are now some of my most cherished possessions, along with that beautiful glass cake plate that now will proudly serve my own beautiful confections.

Here is a recipe for short ribs. It is not my grandmother's recipe but she used to tell me all the time how much she loved short ribs and how I really should try them. Well Gram, you were right, they really are delicious. This ones for you!

Honey and Vinegar Braised Short Ribs
adapted from Bon Appetit

This recipe is best made the day before you are going to serve it.

4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 1/2 lbs beef short ribs
1 cup carrots
1 cup onion
1 cup celery
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup vinegar
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups dry red wine
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon butter
3 Tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil over med. high heat in a large heavy pot. Sprinkle salt and pepper over ribs. Working in batches brown ribs really well on all sides. Wipe out the pot and add remaining olive oil. Add carrots, onion, celery and garlic to pot, cook about 5 minutes stirring as you go, until vegetables are soft. Return ribs to the pot and add honey, cooking about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and boil until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add broth, red wine, thyme, and bay leaf and boil 5 minutes. Cover pot with lid and put in preheated oven. Bake until meat almost falls off bone, about 2-2 1/2 hours.
When ribs are tender, transfer them to a large bowl. Boil cooking liquid until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Mix butter and flour in a small bowl to form a paste. Whisk into sauce and boil about 3 minutes or until thickened. Let cool. Store both ribs and sauce in refrigerator over night in seperate containers. The next day when you are ready to eat remove both the ribs and sauce from the refrigerator. Skim the layer of fat off the top of the sauce that has formed over night. Return the ribs to the pot with the sauce and rewarm both the sauce and the ribs over medium heat.
Serve with sauteed spinach and creamy polenta...yum!!!

Oh yeah, and its almost spring....yeaaahhhh!!!

A Piece Of Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:01:00 +0000

I feel like I have been struggling lately with what I am supposed to be doing. "Whats next?" is constantly being played in my head like a broken record that cant seem to move past the first line of a song. And I'm not exactly sure how to get past that first line, to the place in the song where my heart and my soul come alive with what I am supposed to be doing. I have gotten away from this blog that I love. Put it high up on the shelf hoping to someday get back to it. After all the chores are done, the house is clean, and the kids are content. And after I'm done chasing the dog around the house to retrieve the last roll of toilet paper that he thinks would just be a hoot to spread all over the house. But that never happens. The house is clean, than its a mess. The kids are good, for about 5 minutes, until one of them screams from the other room, as if something is on fire, "He hit me" or "Ollie (our lovely thief of a dog) has my socks". So you can see that this stuff is never done. But I am learning that it is OK for the house not to be spotless, and the kids to work a few things out on their own. I am learning that sometimes it is necessary to put all that other stuff on the back burner in order to get back to myself a bit. To try and figure out what makes me happy and what might be next, so that record is no longer skipping. Capturing the essence of my life through the food that I make and share with those that I love, that's what makes me happy. So I am going to make a real effort to get back to this blog.

So what better way to get back to my blog than sharing with you a recipe for my favorite birthday cake. This is the cake I ask for most every year. And the cake I sometimes drive 30 minutes for just to have a piece of (it is from one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants up the road a bit). It is THAT good. And its even better the next morning for breakfast with a cup of nice strong coffee. And the best part about it is that it is made with love just for me by the ones that I love the most in this world.

Claire's Lithuanian Coffee Cake With Buttercream Frosting
adapted from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook

Filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground coffee (not brewed)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

cake:
12 tablespoons butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 lg. eggs
2 tablespoons brewed coffee, chilled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream (can use low fat)
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

preheat oven to 350.
spray a 10 cup bundt pan with cooking spray or grease with butter

combine filling ingredients and set aside.

for the cake, cream the butter and the sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 30 seconds. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go, add the coffee, vanilla and sour cream. Beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl sift together dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients in mixer until just combined.
Pour half the batter into the prepared bundt pan and sprinkle half the filling over the top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter evenly over the filling. Sprinkle the top with the remaining filling.
Bake in center of oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted int he center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and then turn it out onto a plate to cool. After the cake cools, frost with butter cream frosting (recipe follows).

Buttercream Frosting
also from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook

4 tablespoons butter, room temp.
4 tablespoons margarine, room temp.
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together butter and margarine with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add the confectioners sugar, half cup at a time, beating about 2 minutes after each addition, until light and creamy. This takes a little time but you want to make sure you do it this way so the frosting is very light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla until well combined.

The Next Best Thing...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:08:00 +0000

If you are like me and cant wait for this seasons bounty of juicy, ripe, red, summer tomatoes than give this a try.
Go to the store pick out those barely red, hardly sweet supermarket plum tomatoes and throw them in the oven for a couple of hours. What you will pull out just might surprise you.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

from Barefoot Contessa Bact To Basics

By Ina Garten

12 plum tomatoes, cut in half long way and seeds removed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

16 oz fresh mozzarella

12 fresh basil leaves

preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Arrange tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet, cut side up in a single layer. Pour olive oil and vinegar over tomatoes. Sprinkle with garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Roast for about two hours and let cool to room temp.

Slice mozzarella and layer with tomatoes and basil leaves. Drizzle with more olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve with grilled bread that has been drizzled with Olive oil, salt and pepper.

This should tide you over until August when the real thing comes along.

The Perfect "One Cow" Burger

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:30:00 +0000

In our house we love burgers! Not the frozen preformed patties some people call hamburgers. I would much assume take the bun with all the fixins and hold the "Patty" if that were my option.

But rather the plump, juicy, fresh burgers that actually have amazing flavor.

It wasn't until I read the cookbook Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes (love this cookbook by the way) that I came across a recipe for the "One Cow" Burger. I know it doesn't sound very appetizing, but when you think about that preground stuff (or preformed patties) exactly how many cows do you think went in to make up that pound of meat? 25? 50? Possibly 100! And set aside taste for a minute, what about the chance of one of those cows having some sort of disease? Hard to think about- huh?

So here's the solution. Go to your local grocery store, pick out a fresh piece of chuck, go find the butcher and ask him to grind it up for you. They have always been more that happy to do it for me! And now go home and make the most amazing burger you have ever had and never, I mean never buy those preformed patties again!

The One Cow Burger

adapted from Blue Eggs and Yellow tomatoes, by Jeanne Kelley

2lbs ground chuck (premium beef if you don't mind paying a little more)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Unsalted butter

5-6 hamburger buns

preheat outdoor grill.

Combine first 5 ingredients, ground chuck through ground pepper. Form mixture into 5-6 patties, about 5-6 oz. each. Cook patties on grill about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Lightly butter hamburger rolls and grill them butter side down for a minute or two.

As for the toppings, go crazy if you would like. But mostly we like to keep it simple: shredded lettuce, chopped red onion, and chopped dill pickle, a little mayo on the bun and a squirt of Dijon mustard on the burger. And you now have (in my opinion) the perfect burger!

Simply The Perfect Summer Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Hot lobster, warm butter, a squeeze of lemon on a toasted roll. Need I say more?
OK- how about a nice breeze and an amazing view?

Your not going to find anything fancy here. No sides, other than a bag of chips . Nothing that even requires a fork and a knife. Just simply put, the freshest lobster roll you will ever taste.
And no mayo either!!

So if your ever in the area and are looking for a treat check out Lobster landing- you wont be disappointed!

Love

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:52:00 +0000

We forgot what it was like to have a puppy. And actually we never knew what it was like to have a puppy with two small children, but now we know. Life has certainly gotten more interesting around here. Yes, the kids are now chew toys and nothing seems to be safe from destruction. Who knew a 14 lb. puppy could steal a 5 lb. bag of rabbit treats, a small vacuum, a bag of art supplies, and drag a chair across the room all within the time it takes me to whip up my morning Mimosa (kidding about the Mimosa, but Oliver actually did do those things this morning).

His feet are the size of a polar bears and the sweetest moments of the day are when he is asleep.

But we love him already , so welcome to our family Oliver!

In The Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Peonies waiting to bloom.

Our beautiful tree whose flowers are gone way to soon.

Jack loves the garden too!

my strawberry pot that needs more strawberry plants. You can see the plastic bottle I stuck in there. I cut holes in the bottom of the bottle and when I water the plants I put the water in the bottle and it helps the water get down deep to all the plants.

Here come the poppies...one of the first perennials to make an appearance in my garden. And I love the look of my beautiful willow fence.

Old man in the garden...this and the next two pics are from my lovely neighbor, Loretta's garden.

mmmm...mint for mojitos

waiting for the birds...

lonely daffodil

The last time Abraham (my four year old) and I were out in the yard looking at all the flowers he said to me "Mama, they make my heart bigger".

Sunlight fades, stars appear, garden fairy's gather here!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Just a quick note to say that life seems to be balancing itself out a bit, I am really going to start blogging again soon.

Magical...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Whoever said Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits just had to be biscuits?

Give these a try on a snowy day and serve them with hot cocoa. Your kids will think you are a magician.

Ordinary biscuits go from this:

to this:

And you can even make these:

Buttermilk Biscuit Donuts
from Paula Deen

Ingredients

Peanut oil, for frying (Canola is good too)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

Icings:

2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
5 tablespoons milk, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Colored sprinkles
Chocolate sprinkles

2 cans buttermilk biscuits (I use the ones that come 10 to a can because they make mini donuts and mini donut holes. But you can also use the larger biscuits if you want bigger donuts.)

Directions:

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, stir together the ground cinnamon and sugar and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, set aside. This is the vanilla icing. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of milk and set aside. This is the chocolate icing.

Lay out the biscuits on a cutting board and with a 1/4 to 1/2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter (or any small circle you can find), cut out a hole from the middle of each biscuit. Fry them in the oil until just golden and then flip with tongs to fry the other side. Be careful not to cook them to long. You can even fry the donut holes. Drain on paper towels and then toss in the cinnamon-sugar or ice and decorate with sprinkles, as desired.

So make them for someone you love and watch the magic happen!

On Giving Thanks And Praying

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:20:00 +0000

I am thankful that Obama won. I would not have much hope if he were not the one sitting in the white house for the next four years. In my heart I know that he is the change this country so desperately needs.

I am thankful that I live in a state where I can finally marry my partner of thirteen years. I pray for a day when minorities no longer have to fight to have the same rights as everybody else. I pray for a day when voting on other peoples rights is no longer an option. I pray that someday we will all be considered equal.

I am thankful for the friendship we had with our dear friend Tisha who bravely lost her battle with an illness that took her from us way to soon. If there is one thing I have learned from losing somebody so close, it is to not take our loved ones for granted. It is to appreciate and celebrate and love one another each and everyday that we get to be together.

Tish and I appreciated a lot of the same things. Good food, good music, and good shoes were a few of the things we loved to share. We marveled at each other when one of us was sporting a brand new pair of Keens (the shoe of choice for both of us) or when we found an amazing recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking Magazine. One time I remember complaining to her about my dull knifes and the next time she came to my house she brought me my very own steel. That steel has now become priceless to me, and I will never sharpen my knifes again without thinking of her.

She would often refer to me as Sarah Martha, telling everyone Martha Stewart had nothing on me. She was one of my inspirations for writing this blog, always reminding me that its been a while since my last post and didn't I think I should do something about that. In fact, she is the reason my last post is marked September 22 nd. I just couldn't find it in myself, until now, to write about my love of food when I could no longer share it with my friend.

These last few months have been full of highs and lows, ups and downs. Its amazing how life can give and take, yet still leave you feeling thankful for it all.

Here is a recipe I wanted to share just in time for Thanksgiving. Its a wonderful excuse to sit down with those you love and let them know just how much you are truly greatful that they are in your life.

Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake

from Baking: From My Home to Yours,

by Dorie Greenspan

For the Crust:

30 gingersnaps (or a scant 2 cups graham cracker crumbs)

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

For the Apples:

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter

3 large Golden Delicious or Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths

2 tbsp (packed) light brown sugar

For the Filling:

1 1/2 pounds (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

6 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp apple cider

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

To Make the Crust:

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 or 10-inch spring form pan. Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and whirl until you have crumbs; you should have a scant 2 cups. (If you are using graham cracker crumbs, just put them in the food processor.) Pulse in the sugar and cinnamon, if you're using it, then pour over the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened. Turn the crumbs into the spring form pan and, using your fingertips, firmly press them evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan as far as they'll go. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Remove the pan from the freezer and wrap the bottom tightly in aluminum foil, going up the sides. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is set and lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool while you make the apples and the filling. Leave the oven at 350 degrees F.

To Make the Apples:

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, toss in half of the apple slices and cook, turning once, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the apples with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and cook them, turning, just until coated, another minute or so. Scrape the apples onto a plate, wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining apples. Let the apples cool while you make the filling.

Getting Ready to Bake:

Have a roasting pan large enough to hold the spring form pan at hand. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

To Make the Filling:

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the bowl often, for about 4 minutes, or until it is velvety smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in the cider, vanilla, and cinnamon. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Finally, beat in the sour cream and heavy cream, beating just until the batter is smooth.Pour about one third of the batter into the baked crust. Drain the apples by lifting them off the plate with a slotted spoon or spatula, and spoon them into the pan. Cover with the remaining batter and, if needed, jiggle the pan to even the top. Place the spring form pan in the roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the spring form pan.Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 to 45 minutes , covering the cake loosely with a foil tent at the 45-minute mark. The cake will rise evenly and crack around the edges, and it should be fully set except, possibly, in the very center--if the center shimmies, that's just fine. Gently transfer the cake, still in the pan, to a cooling rack and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least 6 hours; overnight would be better.Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the crust, open the pan's latch and release and remove the sides.

My Search Is Over...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:17:00 +0000

For those of you who have read this blog from the beginning you know one of the things I have been trying to find is the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Dare I say, I think I have found it.

If you are a food blogger I'm sure you have seen the amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe from the New York Times. There has been so much buzz about this cookie recipe in the blog world I knew I had to try it (and share it with all of my non-food blogging friends).

There are a few tricks to making the perfect chocolate chip cookie. First you must make the dough about 36 hours before you are going to eat them. I know this sounds ridiculous. But by letting the cookie dough hang out in the fridge for a few days it actually develops a wonderful rich flavor that is missing in a more traditional chocolate chip cookie.

Secondly, this recipe calls for over a pound of good quality bittersweet chocolate. We are not talking chips here. I used Callebaut bittersweet that they sell in large chunks at my local grocery store and it tasted divine, well worth the extra cost.

Third, the recipe says to use 3 1/2 oz. of dough per cookie. This makes a very substantial cookie. I ended up making mine only 3 oz each and it seemed to be plenty. Making larger size cookies creates that desirable contrast between a crispy outside and a soft a chewy inside. Cookie heaven if you ask me.

And the last trick to divine chocolate chip cookies is a tiny sprinkle of sea salt right on top of those chocolaty mounds right before they go in the oven. Salty and sweet, what can be better than that?

Intrigued? Wanna give these a shot yourself? You can find the recipe here. Trust me, you will be glad you actually let that dough stay in the fridge longer than you thought was humanly possible. And besides, I never said you couldn't "test" the dough every now and then. Cookie dough, its a good thing.

Oh, and I almost forgot. These cookies are best eaten still warm (although they tasted pretty good at room temp. too), so I just baked them as we were going to eat them. The dough can hang out in the fridge for up to 72 hrs. But don't worry, I don't think it will last that long. And make sure you have plenty of milk to go with them. Enjoy!

Its Worth The Drive...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 02:05:00 +0000

These amazingly fresh, still warm donuts can be found here. Trust me, its worth the trip!

Oh Heavenly Potatoes...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:26:00 +0000

These potatoes are amazing! Caramelized and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. They go amazingly with roasted chicken. You can try doubling the recipe so you can have left overs, but we have never been able do that because no matter how many I make we end up eating them all!

I got this recipe from my friend Tish who I believe got it from an issue of Fine Cooking Magazine.

Roasted Smashed Potatoes

1 1/2 - 2 lbs baby potatoes (skin on)

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook whole potatoes until fork tender. Drain potatoes and lay out to dry on a clean dish towel. Line a rimmed baking sheet (you might need more than one) with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Using a second clean dish towel press down on each potato to flatten to about 1/2'' and fan out a bit by pressing and twisting at the same time. Put potatoes in a single layer on baking sheet and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast in oven for 30-45 minute, flipping potatoes over about halfway through (I usually wait for them to start to brown on one side and then I flip them over). You will know they are done when they are brown and crispy.

This recipe feeds one, or I mean two, actually it should feed four, but it never has in my household.

The Daring Bakers Strikes Again...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:38:00 +0000

This month... chocolate eclairs! Well in my case they are more like cream puffs. My first batch of Pate a Choux (cream puff dough) deflated as soon as I took them out of the oven. I don't think I kept them in long enough. The second time I kept them in a few minutes longer and viola, perfect cream puffs! Oh yeah, and instead of chocolate eclairs I made Chocolate peanut butter eclairs. I used a chocolate glaze for the top and a salty peanut butter pastry cream for the filling. They were quite nice if I do say so myself.

Here is the recipe as given to us by the Daring Bakers Tony Tahhan and MeetaK.
The only change I made to the recipe was replacing the chocolate in the pastry cream with 1/3 cup of peanut butter. I also added a touch of fleur de sal after it cooled down to get the lovely salty sweet effect. It got many rave reviews. I highly recommend you give it a try!

Éclairs consist of 3 elements:

- Pâte à Choux, also known as Choux Pastry or Cream Puff Dough

-Pastry Cream

- Chocolate glaze

Pierre Hermé’s Chocolate Éclairs

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Divide the oven into thirds by positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven. Line two baking sheets with waxed or parchment paper.

2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.

3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes.

Notes:

1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.

Assembling the éclairs:

• Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)

• Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the bottoms with the pastry cream.

3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to settle them.

Notes:

1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create bubbles.

2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk

• ½ cup (125g) water

• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.

2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.

3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your hand mixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes:

1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.

2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk

• 4 large egg yolks

• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted

• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.

4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.

5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

Notes:

1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.

3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream

• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.

2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes:

1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly  in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.

2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce

Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)

• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• 1 cup (250 g) water

• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream

• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.

2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes:

1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.

2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

Check out all the other wonderful creations of my fellow Daring Bakers.

The Magic Of Little Pies...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:54:00 +0000

Needless to say my summer has been pretty busy. Seems like we have gone from one thing to another and its already August. August? Where has the summer gone? I can remember summer lasting forever when I was a kid. What happened to lazy days? To catching fire flies at night? To swimming until our hands turned into little prunes? Guess that's part of the magic of being a child. And now that I am a Mom I get to do it for my own kids, and that's pretty magical too.

I made these little pies a while ago when sour cherries were in season. I was So excited to find them at my local farmers market, I couldn't pass them up. Sour cherries are just that, sour. So I wouldn't recommend eating them straight up. But put a little sugar on them and throw them in a pie shell and they are just heavenly...especially with vanilla ice cream!

I used Martha Stewart's recipes for both the crust and the filling. But instead of using a typical 9 inch pie plate I made them in my muffin tin. I think they came out pretty adorable if I do say so myself.

All you have to do is roll out the dough the same way as a traditional pie, but using a cookie cutter or a circle of some sort, cut out little 4" circles for both the top and bottom crusts. Line the muffin tin with the bottom crusts and fill with cherry mixture. Cut top crusts into strips to make lattice tops. At this point I put them in the fridge for a few hours or as long as over night. When you are ready to bake them brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with course sugar. I baked these little guys for about 30 mins. Also I let them cool for quite a while before I removed them from their pan. If you do it while they are still warm I think they may just fall apart. Makes about 8 little pies.

So grab whats left of the summer and make some little pies. And if you cant get sour cherries just use whatever fruit is in season at the time. And just maybe the magic of one of these little pies will make you feel like a kid again!

Heres a wonderful little pie chart that tells you how to use different fruits for pie filling!

With Friends...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:42:00 +0000

So this weekend I find myself by myself. Well let me clarify, with time for myself. I have forgotten what it was like to do what I want when I want. To sit and read , clean the house and it actually stays clean for more than 24 hours, to go to a farmers market and think about only what would make myself happy, to prepare meals just for me and sit and eat them at a leisurely passe. This is all things I did before the boys. All wonderful things. Things that had once escaped me until Cyndee gave me the wonderful gift of a weekend for myself.

So of course having time for me had to include a wonderful dinner with friends, two of my best friends. A time to relax and decompress from all our worlds bring to us. A time to laugh and eat a bit to much and drink things that only taste best when shared. A time to giggle and cook and share stories of our life's and responsibilities. And a time to let go of it all.

Mango and avocado salsa. Freshly made mojitos with mint from the garden. Bruschetta, bright with locally grown tomatoes. Spaghetti and clams only made better with a bit of pancetta. This is a meal to linger over, to share with best friends, to let go of it all and feel refreshed.

Mango and Avocado Salsa

1 ripe mango, diced

1 ripe avocado, diced

2 scallions, sliced thinly

half pint cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped

handful fresh cilantro, chopped

juice of 1-2 limes

salt

Mix all ingredients together and serve right away. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Spaghetti and Clams

Our get togethers usually involve lots of picture taking. Me for my blog and Sopha for her flickr. But mostly because we just love to do it. Here Sopha is with her new macro lens she got for her Birthday.

And amazing chocolate peanutbutter cake from Sopha that I get to enjoy right now because we had no room for it after our lovely meal.

Thank you to my friends for helping make life just a little bit sweeter!

And as far as my family goes: As much as I have enjoyed this time for myself, they are my heart and my home, and I honeslty cannot wait for them to walk through the door!

Heavenly Day...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:58:00 +0000

Sweet And Simple...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Chocolate. Hazelnuts. Peanut butter. Ice cream. Need I say more? Actually it's Nutella ice cream with swirls of creamy, frozen peanut butter.

When I first read about this ice cream on one of my favorite blogs I was intrigued.

I had made ice cream before but never with such few ingredients. I usually go the custard based route for the ice creams I have made in the past. But I have to say, this is one of the simplest, easiest, tastiest ice creams I have ever made.

The original recipe just called for evaporated milk and Nutella. But after tasting that mixture it was a little on the sweet side for me, so I ended up adding a small amount of heavy cream.

The peanut butter, also my idea, was just a way of making it even more indulgent!

Nutella, Peanut butter Swirl Ice Cream

1 & 1/2 cups Nutella

1 (12oz.) can evaporated milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3-4 good Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Mix Nutella, evaporated milk, and cream together in mixing bowl until combined thoroughly.

Let mixture chill in refrigerator a few hours or over night until well chilled. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. Add peanut butter towards the end when ice cream is almost done. For firmer ice cream put in air tight container in freezer until firm.

Don't have an ice cream maker? Here is a way to do it without one! (Another favorite blog of mine!)

"I think this is one of the best ice creams you have ever made." Says Cyndee.

"Mama! You made this?" Says Caleb.

A Very Daring...Braid!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Well its 9:47 0n a Sunday night and I just walked in the door and realized...yikes, I didn't post my Daring bakers! Luckily I still have about a few more hours to get it done...so here it goes.
This months challenge is something I had always thought about making. It was filed in the back of my mind in the "someday file". But thanks to the Daring bakers, Danish Braid can now be stored in the "I did it!" file. Actually the "I did it and loved it and will be doing it again" file.
Danish pastry is considered a laminated dough, which is layered dough created by sandwiching butter between layers of dough. The same idea is used for croissants and puffed pastry.
The challenge was to make at least one danish braid and than we could do what we wanted with the remaining dough. We could also make the recommended apple filling or we could come up with our own homemade fillings. I chose to make little pastries using rhubarb, blueberries, pastry cream, almond paste and of course chocolate. I was able to create some delightful little treats.
The braid was blueberry and pastry cream (my favorite). And the pastries were a combination of almond paste and chocolate, rhubarb jam and almond paste, some just chocolate, some just jam, and some just almond paste. They were all delightful. Don't be afraid to experiment a little.

Here is the original recipe given to us by Kelly of Sass & Veracity, and Ben of What’s Cookin’?
The cardamom and the orange zest give an amazing flavor to the dough.

DANISH DOUGH
Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients
For the dough (Detrempe)

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

For the butter block (Beurrage)

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

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

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

chocolate almond croissants

BUTTER BLOCK
1. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.
2. After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

dough after its first turn

APPLE FILLING
Makes enough for two braids

Ingredients
4 Fuji or other apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Toss all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat until slightly nutty in color, about 6 - 8 minutes. Then add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’ve chosen Fujis, the apples will be caramelized, but have still retained their shape. Pour the cooked apples onto a baking sheet to cool completely before forming the braid. (If making ahead, cool to room temperature, seal, and refrigerate.) They will cool faster when spread in a thin layer over the surface of the sheet. After they have cooled, the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Left over filling can be used as an ice cream topping, for muffins, cheesecake, or other pastries.

fresh blueberry jam and pastry cream danish braid

DANISH BRAID
Makes enough for 2 large braids

Ingredients
1 recipe Danish Dough (see below)2 cups apple filling, jam, or preserves (see below)

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

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet.
2. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
3. Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Egg Wash

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

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

blueberry jam pastry with coffee glaze

These are the fillings I used for my braid and pastries.

Rhubarb Jam

Pastry Cream

Blueberry Jam
Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1 -2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, scraped

Stir berries , sugar, and vanilla bean in a large microwave safe bowl. Put bowl in microwave and cook for 10 minutes. Take out and stir. Continue cooking until most of the juice is gone, about 8 more minutes. Remove vanilla bean. Stir in lemon juice and let cool. Can be refrigerated for up to a week.

chocolate almond pastry drizzled with chocolate

Almond paste
Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

1 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 lg. egg white, lightly beaten

Put the almonds, sugar and butter in food processor. Process until mixture is finely ground. Add the almond extract and 2 tablespoons of beaten egg white and mix until fully combined. Can be kept in fridge for one week.

coffee glaze
Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

3 tablespoons strong cold coffee
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted.

mix sugar and coffee together and drizzle over pastries after they are baked.

Come see all the other daring braids!!!

The color alone will make you swoon...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Rhubarb is one of those things I do not have much experience with. I never really had it growing up and honestly I never really wanted too. But as of late I have been reading a lot about this seasonal vegetable and I became intrigued. And yes, I did confirm that rhubarb is indeed a vegetable, though many people commonly mistake it for a fruit. Good to know! It kind of goes along with that whole avocado thing. I had no idea it was actually a fruit!

Anyway, back to rhubarb. I picked up a bunch at my favorite local farmers market (I'm so excited it is time for farmers markets again!) and brought it home and let it sit on my counter for a few days until I turned it into luscious rhubarb jam. Its slightly tart flavor was an unexpected delight. I can see why it is commonly paired with strawberries, each bringing its own distinctiveness to the other for a lovely balance.

So when I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart I knew rhubarb would be a welcome flavor squished between two buttery layers of soft cookie dough. Their sugared cookie tops add a nice contrasting crunch to the soft tart centers that lay just below.

Rhubarb Jam
adapted from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan

This jam could not be any easier to make and the color alone will leave you wanting to make more.

1 lb. rhubarb, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Put rhubarb, sugar, water and scraped vanilla bean (along with scraped seeds) into a medium sized sauce pan. Simmer over low heat until rhubarb softens and melts. remove vanilla bean and cool to room temp. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to a week.

Do yourself a favor and go pick up some rhurarb while you still can!

Now Tishy, dont you think its time for another post???

Happy 20th Birthday Buddy!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Little Fairy Opera Cakes...

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:00:00 +0000

I must admit, I had never heard of an Opéra Cake before this months Daring Bakers challenge.

A cake comprised of a Joconde ( a thin sponge cake that is typically made with ground almonds), a syrup to flavor the joconde, a butter cream frosting, a ganache/mousse, and a glaze certainly seemed outside of my baking comfort zone. I typically stick to simpler cakes topped just with butter cream frosting or sometimes a layer of berries in between the two layers. But a butter cream, a syrup, a mousse, and a glaze? Look out- this is a serious cake!

The rules of the challenge were to keep the flavors light in color and in flavor. No chocolates or coffees (which is what a traditional Opéra Cake is made with) or anything dark in color. I must admit, thinking up the flavors turned out to be the biggest challenge for me. With so many different components of the cake I wanted to think of a combination of flavors that would compliment each other and not be over powering.

So I took the recipe one step at a time. First I made the jonocade and I followed the recipe exactly using the ground almonds. You could substitute hazelnuts, pistachios or any other kind of nut here if you want to. I then made the syrup flavoring it with almond extract and a bit of lemon juice. I also used lemon juice to flavor the butter cream . I used a white chocolate ganache/mousse and flavored it with a small amount of rose water. And the final layer, the glaze, I stuck to the recipe and used white chocolate.

A typical Opera cake is a 10" square cake. Trying to be a bit creative I chose to make mine into little individual cakes. I used a drinking glass to cut the jonocade into 4" circles and then layered according to the recipe. For the garnish I went into my garden and chose edible flowers (that have not been sprayed with pesticides) to crystallize with sugar. For the leaves I sugared mint leaves the same way as the flowers.

I think overall the cakes came out delightful. I like to think of them as little fairy opera cakes!

Thank you to Lis, Fran, Shea, and Ivonne for hosting this months challenge and helping me think outside the (cake) box!

Here is the recipe as given to us from the Daring Bakers. The changes that I made are stated above.

Opéra Cake

This recipe is based on Opéra Cake recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Paris Sweets and Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty’s Chocolate Passion.

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperate)

What you’ll need:

•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.)

•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)

•parchment paper•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer

•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature

2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar

2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

6 large eggs

½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to over mix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 grams) water

⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar

1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the butter cream

(Note: The butter cream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the butter cream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the butter cream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

•a candy or instant-read thermometer

•a stand mixer or handheld mixer

•a bowl and a whisk attachment

•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

¼ cup (60 grams) water seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your butter cream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured butter cream, then by all means leave it out!)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the butter cream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the butter cream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse

(Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

7 ounces white chocolate

1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)

1 tbsp. liqueur of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.)

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.

2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.

3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.

4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.

5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.

6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze

(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.

2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.

3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.Spread about three-quarters of the butter cream over this layer.Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.Spread the remaining butter cream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.

check out some of the other Daring Bakers delicious Opera cakes. See if one inspires you to think outside the (cake) box!

The Magic Bean!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:08:00 +0000

Black. Bean. Brownies. Need I say more? Intrigued yet? Skeptical? Well so was I when I first heard about them. They are from the new cookbook Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano. For those of you who don't know what agave nectar is, it is an all natural sweetener that has a low glycemic index. I have been using it lately in place of my usual artificial sweetener because it is all natural and will not raise my blood sugar (something I am trying to become more aware of these days).

So my skepticism got the best of me and I knew I had to try them... and they were good! They were real good. In fact, everyone who tried them could not believe they were made with black beans. So set aside your preconceived judgements and go pick up some agave nectar and black beans (and a few other odds and ends) and see just how tasty wholesome eating can be. And yes, that's right, Jack And The Beanstalk is not the only place for magical beans!

The Amazing Black Bean Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 cup unsalted butter or non hydrated butter substitute

2 cups soft-cooked black beans, well drained (canned works fine too)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup natural coffee substitute (found in health food store) or instant coffee

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups agave nectar

preheat oven to 325 degrees. line an 11 by 18 inch (or closes you have to it) baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir to melt chocolate completely. Place beans, 1/2 cup walnuts, vanilla extract, and a couple spoonfuls of chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor (a blender will not work for this). Blend for 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixture beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. set aside.

Add the bean-chocolate mixture to the coffee-chocolate mixture. stir until completely blended. Add the egg mixture, reserving 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick or skewer to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a swirled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in pan completely and then refrigerate for several hours or overnight before slicing.

And yes, this recipe does create a lot of dirty dishes, but I assure you they are worth it! And besides, arent no guilt brownies worth a few dirty dishes?

Flower of Salt

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:42:00 +0000

This is a recipe I have been wanting to try for a while now, ever since I discovered Fleur de Sel. Fleur de Sel, which means flower of salt, is a french sea salt that is harvested by hand off the coast of Brittany. It is a finishing salt that you usually sprinkle on at the end so that it does not melt and lose its delicate flavor. And let me tell you it is divine!
This recipe, from an old issue of Food & Wine magazine, really shows off the flavor of Fleur de Sel . It has that salty sweet combination that dances on the tongue and makes your taste buds sing.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake
serves 6

Because I had so much cheesecake left over from doing the cheesecake pops I used the rest to make these. It is a rich and substantial cheesecake that really held up well to the salted caramel. But feel free to use your favorite cheesecake recipe.
make sure you let the caramel cool completely before adding the Fleur de Sel at the end, or it will lose its flavor.

cheesecake baked in individual ramekins ( I baked mine in a water bath at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes)

Salted Caramel Sauce

6 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fleur de sel

In a heavy medium saucepan, heat the corn syrup. Stir in the sugar and cook over moderately high heat, undisturbed, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 9 minutes. Off the heat, carefully stir in the butter with a long-handled wooden spoon. Stir in the cream in a thin stream. Transfer the caramel to a heatproof pitcher and let cool. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon of fleur de sel.

Pour caramel over the top of each individual cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least three hours until it is completely chilled. Just before serving sprinkle with a tad more Fleur de Sel and watch your taste buds do a little dance! Enjoy!
Can be stored in refrigerator for up to three days.