At the Baker's Bench

My Emo Zombie Cake ~ Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:59:00 +0000

Part 2: My Emo Zombie Cake
In which a movie and a cake get made, and everyone celebrates.

"Not Even Death"

Recently, my 15-year-old daughter and a friend made a music video. It is awesomely awesome. It's wicked good. Consider this: they managed to direct their friends in a video that shot over a period of several weeks, without in-fighting, creative disputes, or other notable drama. And they did it on a budget that wouldn't have bought a decent shoestring.

The video features zombies and realistic-looking blood made from a secret recipe that includes chocolate syrup and red food color. On warm days when the sun is shining, my front door still smells delicious. (You'll have to watch the video to understand why.)

The girls released their video on Halloween. We had a party; I made a cake. My design, as you can see below, is a tableau of a zombified Romeo and Juliet reaching for each other from their graves. "Till death do us part?" Not them. So emo.

Since this was my first cake involving figures and fancy stuff, and I was going mainly went on instinct and je ne sais quoi, I don't have a terrific step-by-step to show you. Next time, I'll aim for that. (Confession #2: I kept this cake a secret from the kids and baked cookies just in case it didn't turn out.)

For the "dirt" the arms are pushing up out of the graves, I used crushed cocoa-hazelnut dragees that I had made for something else.

I used marzipan for the figures. I modeled the arms and the sleeves separately. To color the "fabric," I kneaded gel food color into the marzipan.

The gravestones and title plaque are white chocolate tinted gray with black gel food color. The writing is piped bittersweet chocolate.

So far, this cake-decorating thing gets a thumbs-up from me. With no real pressure, the process was all about having fun with a playful design. I'm happy to report that the cake was a hit. It tasted good and looked reasonably like what I'd pictured in my mind's eye ~ main criteria I measured my success by. And everyone got what it was supposed to be.

I'm looking forward to getting my cake on again.

My Emo Zombie Cake ~ Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:04:00 +0000

Part 1: In which I begin to conquer my fear of cake decorating....

A Confession

Cake making intimidates me.

Not cake making, exactly. Cake batters and fillings are a walk in the park. I have no fear of buttercream. (Remind me to tell you about the time when I was making a 10-pound batch of Italian meringue buttercream and added the butter to the hot meringue too soon. Long story short . . . it turned out just fine.) So what's the problem then?

It's frou-frou that gives me the sweats. The necessary perfectness of smooth surfaces, the decorating in painstaking detail and making of figures that are recognizable to people who are not you. There is an incredibly weighty responsibility attached to making a cake that has the sole power to make or break someone's entire marriage celebration. (Well, not really, but you'd think so, given the pressure involved.)

Lately, I've started to feel a little embarrassed about this. What kind of pastry chef avoids cake decorating? And do I want to be that kind? Ick. Maybe I'll never be the Frank Lloyd Wright of cake architecture, but so what? There's only one Frank Lloyd Wright and that didn't stop other people from designing buildings. I can decorate a cake if I decide I want to. And lately, I've decided that I want to. It's only cake, not brain surgery.

So I'm building my stock of decorating tips and gel food colors. I've picked up a few good books on technique. And I've decided to make cakes for every conceivable occasion between now and whenever I master the art of cake decorating. Practice makes perfect, right?

Stay tuned for Part 2, in which you'll meet my first cake featuring modeled figures: my emo zombie cake, "Not Even Death" . . . .

Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:04:00 +0000

Some muffins are great because they're fast and fuss-free. You dump all the ingredients into one bowl, sling the pan in the oven, and before you can say "way better than a heavily processed toaster pastry," you're tossing hot buttered muffins to your kids as they're running out the door to catch the school bus. But these are not those muffins.

We like other muffins because they incorporate leaves and twigs and similar healthful ingredients intended to meet our nutritional needs and enable us to feel virtuous about scarfing muffins instead of less appealing fiber sources. But these are not those muffins either.

These muffins are the kind you bring out on your best tea-party china and serve on occasions that merit your breakfast A-game. In-laws coming for brunch for the first time? Yeah. Your mom/daughter/sister having a special birthday? Definitely. Someone order a romantic anniversary breakfast in bed? Oh, yes. These are those muffins.

Ruby red raspberries, mellow white chocolate, a hint of almond, and a buttery streusel crumb make these totally top-shelf. If you want to get bakery-fancy, give these a dusting of confectioner's sugar when they're completely cooled.

Raspberry White Chocolate Streusel Muffins

4 oz (1 stick) butter, at room temp
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
½ cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
¼ cup white chocolate chips, roughly chopped

For streusel:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup oats
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 oz (6 tablespoons) cold butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

For streusel:
1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and use pastry blender to cut in butter till crumbly. Set aside.
For muffins:
1. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg and continue beating. Combine milk, sour cream, and extracts in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients.
2. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternating with wet ingredients until just combined.
3. Gently fold in raspberries and white chocolate chips.
4. Spray 12 standard or 6 jumbo muffin cups with nonstick pan spray. Divide batter among muffin cups, top with three quarters of the streusel. Use a butter knife to swirl streusel into muffin batter, sprinkle with remaining streusel.
5. Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in center emerges without crumbs clinging to it. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes; carefully remove muffins from pan and let cool completely on rack. Store leftover muffins in refrigerator.

Oatmeal Graham Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:10:00 +0000

These are not your grandma's oatmeal cookies. At least not my grandma's. There's not a single raisin in sight. Not a walnut, not even a chocolate chip. This crazy little cookie is a hybrid oatmeal-graham cracker baby ~ soft, chewy, grahamy . . . Your grandma would like them, I think. You should bake her some.

These cookies are pretty good on their own, but if you want to take them right over the border into Swoontown, I highly recommend sandwiching some Cheesecake Ice Cream between a couple. You can find that recipe on my cooking blog, Eat Real. It's super easy and ~ trust me ~ these cookies and that ice cream were born to be together. (They were, literally. I made the ice cream first and then needed to come up with a cookie to sandwich it. Cheesecake, graham . . . you get it.)

Oatmeal Graham Cookies
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment or coat lightly with butter.
Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and continue beating, scraping down sides of bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add to butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in oats and graham cracker crumbs.
Use a #40 ice cream scoop or roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place on cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies with the palm of your hand or a fork.
Bake two sheets at a time for about 10 minutes, until cookies are golden, rotating sheets halfway through. Allow to cool for a minute or two on sheets, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely.

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

This model is jumbo-size. Like a good ice cream sandwich should be.

Turtle Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:44:00 +0000

There are lots of recipes for these indulgent little cookie bars, which are modeled on the famous pecan-caramel-chocolate candy. I like this one in particular because it's absolutely un-fussy, doesn't rely on jarred caramel sauce, and it's always welcomed at parties and potlucks.

If you're feeling frisky, you can substitute almonds for the pecans; replace some of the flour with an equal portion of whatever nut you're using in the topping, ground into meal (e.g., almonds and almond meal); or replace the milk chocolate with white chocolate and throw in a handful of dried cranberries or cherries when you add the chocolate. Keep this recipe on hand for those "can you make something for me to bring to school/work/a friend's tomorrow" occasions. It's a solid go-to.

Turtle Bars
Makes 4 dozen

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, broken
5.5 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
11/4 cups milk chocolate chips (or milk and semisweet mixed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick pan spray; set aside.

Combine the 4 ounces butter, 1 cup brown sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, mix until the texture resembles fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to baking dish and press mixture firmly into pan in an even layer. Sprinkle the broken pecan halves even overtop and set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine 5.5 ounces butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and salt over medium heat. Cook until butter melts, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil and allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Pour caramel over cookie base, distributing evenly over pecans.

Bake the cookie base for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly overtop. Return cookie base to oven for 1 to 2 minutes, or until surface is evenly bubbly and chocolate is glossy. Remove pan to rack and let cool completely.

Carefully lift foil sling out of pan and onto cutting board. Fold foil edges down flat and use a long knife to cut cookie slab into small bars. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freeze for longer storage.

Herbed Almond Crackers ~ Grain-free, Gluten-free, and Paleo!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:18:00 +0000

Let me get right to the point. This cracker . . . this gluten-free, grain-free, delicious, wonderful, well-keeping, amazing cracker is my latest favorite thing to come out of my oven. I'm not kidding. And I'll be honest with you, I wasn't sure where we were headed at first.

Personally speaking, I'm not on a gluten-free, grain-free, or vegan path. But as a runner in mid-training cycle, I do try to make my carbs count. And I'm always on the lookout for good sources of protein so I don't have to pretend I like snacking on water-packed tuna. That's right, I snack. I like snacks; snacks make me happy. Bad snacks, ugly snacks, snacks engineered by robots make me less happy.

These crackers, therefore, absolutely send me. Why? First of all, they're so good I have to hide them from myself. Actually, not really, but I do have to ration them or I'll eat them all (it's not a huge batch, but still). Second, they're easy to make. No, seriously, they are. Third, they're good for you: nuts, seeds, a little olive oil. Did I mention that they're incredibly good? They have this hard-to-describe texture that's so, so addictive. Imagine some really delicious nuts seasoned with your favorite seasonings but in a cracker form. Mercy.

And if you happen to know someone who is on a gluten-free (or grain-free or paleo or primal), well . . . you better make two batches because you are about to become that person's new BFF.

Herbed Almond Crackers

2 cups almond meal
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons of za'atar* or your favorite blend of herbs or spices
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons water
1 egg white
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Kosher salt for sprinkling, optional

Combine almond meal, salt, za'atar, and sesame seeds in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together water, egg white, olive oil, and sesame oil. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until a stiff dough forms and all dry ingredients are moistened.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to an even thickness of about 1/8 inch. Transfer parchment-covered dough to a sheet pan and remove the top piece of parchment. Use a pizza wheel or a pastry wheel to trim the uneven edges of the dough, then cut the sheet of dough into cracker-size squares.
If desired, sprinkle crackers with kosher salt and place in oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Turn off oven and let crackers sit inside oven for an additional 10 minutes, until golden. Remove baking sheet from oven and let crackers cool completely before storing in an airtight plastic container.

Recipe Notes

You can purchase almond meal (also called almond flour) or make your own. To make it, just process blanched whole or slivered almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Do not overprocess or you'll end up with almond butter.
Za'atar* is a wonderful Middle Eastern spice blend made up of roasted thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. I purchase mine loose, from a bulk jar, at the health food store. If you purchase it prepackaged, checked the ingredient list carefully ~ some brands may include wheat flour.

Feel free to experiment with other herbs and spices. Chili, curry, rosemary, herbes de Provence, and cumin are all good choices.

Bake Your Own Bread ~ You Can Do It!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:50:00 +0000

It's true, you can! And the best part is that once you get started, it gets easier. Don't be intimidated by recipes that sound complicated or yeast disaster stories ~ we've all had mishaps and we emerge better, wiser bakers from them. Stick with it and the rewards will be enormous; there's nothing like making homemade breads and other baked goods for your family, your friends, and yourself.

Over the course of this coming year, I'll be exploring some new recipes here ~ old breads that are artisan classics as well as newer breads that employ unconventional flours and techniques. In the meantime, I've gathered a few recipes to get you started on the path to oven love.

Remember, enjoyment is everything, so relax and "lean into" the process! Have fun. Wear an apron, or don't. Smile. Bread is on its way!

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day = No excuses!
Irish Soda Bread ~ It isn't just for St. Patrick's Day!
Azerbaijani Sweet Bread ~ Like a giant cinnamon roll
Hot Dog Buns ~ or red hot rolls
Cracked Wheat Topknots ~ Delicious and pretty
Lavash Crackers

Happy Baking!

Cookies We Love: Basler Brunsli

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 21:43:00 +0000

For my third cookie in the Cookies We Love Series, I chose the chocolate-almond Basler Brunsli. These spiced chocolate treats hail from Switzerland (where else?), and were fairly easy to make and not too expensive. They're also a bit different from the usual chocolate-nut cookies I make in that they contain no flour ~ a bonus, if anyone's looking for a nice gluten-free holiday cookie recipe.

If you make these, take note that the formed cookies require significant drying time before baking, like French macarons do, and plan accordingly. I'd I make these again, I'll experiment with swapping out the spices for espresso powder. This recipe makes quite a few cookies, so you can either halve it or freeze some. I'm thinking of drizzling the finished cookies with white and dark chocolate before putting them on my cookie platters. If you'd like to do the same, do so after you've frozen and thawed them, not before.

Click here for the recipe, and be sure to check out what the other bakers in our group have come up with!

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes

Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen

Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook

Judy of No Fear Entertaining

Kelly of Sass & Veracity

Michelle of Big Black Dog

RJ of Flamingo Musings

Tiffany of The Nesting Project

Courtney of Coco Cooks

Cookies We Love: Krumkakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 22:31:00 +0000

For week 2 of the Cookies We Love challenge, I chose Krumkakes (Norwegian Wafer Cookies). They sounded so good, "light and crisp and perfumed with cardamom," that I added these to my list right away. Regardless of the fact that I do not own, nor do I know anyone who owns, a krumkake maker.

Where there's a will, there's a way, right? Also, I know that my mom happens to own a pizzelle press, and I figured that would be good enough.

In the interest of holiday spirit, I'll skip the fussing and fuming and just share a few tips with you that I learned from this particular piece of fieldwork:

Lubricate the preheated grids well. Then lubricate them again. And one more time.
If you fail to comply with step one, you will need wet paper towels, a clean pastry brush, and a bamboo kebab stick, plus a perfectly good afternoon, to steam-clean and evacuate the grids.
Don't skimp on the lube.
Rolling these into cones without a krumkake roller is tough. Consider making lovely flat cookies or small waffle bowls.

These are really tasty ~ they are exactly as described, light and crisp with a delicate cardamom flavor. They break easily, so store them carefully. I made waffle bowls by putting a warm krumkake in a small bowl and gently nestling an identical small bowl on top of the first to press it into a bowl shape. Cool completely before storing.

Click here for the recipe, and don't forget to check out what the other bakers are baking!

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes

Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen

Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook

Judy of No Fear Entertaining

Kelly of Sass & Veracity

Michelle of Big Black Dog

RJ of Flamingo Musings

Tiffany of The Nesting Project

Courtney of Coco Cooks

Cookies We Love: Tozzetti

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:52:00 +0000

For cookie numero uno in the Cookies We Love challenge, I chose tozzetti. These cookies, Roman-style biscotti, have a delicate anise aroma, and they're packed with nuts, featuring both almonds and hazelnuts.

I've made a lot of biscotti and biscotti-type cookies over the years, but this is the first recipe I've seen that uses the somewhat unconventional method of pouring the batter into the pan, rather than forming a stiffer dough into loaves. Although the resulting cookies are free-form and not tapered on the ends as biscotti and mandelbrot typically are, it's a decent trade-off for skipping the sometimes-tricky step of shaping a uniform loaf of sticky biscotti dough.

Like all biscotti, tozzetti are twice-baked. If you're short on time, you can do some advanced prep. Make and bake the cookie dough, then let it cool completely in the pan on a rack. Slice and bake the individual cookies later, or even the next day. Alternatively, you can cut the cooled baked cookie dough in half, wrap it well in plastic wrap and a layer of foil, and freeze it for up to two weeks, then slice it and bake as directed.

One final note . . . the recipe contains no fat other than what is present in the eggs. This means that these are traditional hard biscotti. Ideally, they should be dunked before consuming them, unless you like a good gnaw and have durable choppers. They're excellent with espresso, coffee, hot chocolate, tea, milk, or even red wine.

Click here for the recipe, and don't forget to visit the other blogging bakers to see which cookies they chose this week!

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes

Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen

Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook

Judy of No Fear Entertaining

Kelly of Sass & Veracity

Michelle of Big Black Dog

RJ of Flamingo Musings

Tiffany of The Nesting Project

Courtney of Coco Cooks

Some things you might need:
10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan
almonds
hazelnuts
anise seed

Cookie Season Opens Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:28:00 +0000

It's that time of year again ~ cookie time! And oh, have I got cookies for you. For the past few years, a very special group of food bloggers has been celebrating the season with a baking challenge. We've baked Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and now, we're taking on Saveur!

This year's challenge will feature a minimum of four types of cookies, spread out over four weeks ~ all chosen from Saveur's Smart Cookies: Favorite Holiday Treats From Around the World feature. As in years past, each of us will choose our cookies at random, independently from one another. We may post the same cookies on the same weeks, or we may all post something different. In any case, it will be fun to see everyone's take on the same set of recipes. I know I'm looking forward to it!

Who's involved in this completely fabulous baking group? Here's a complete list:

Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes

Claire of The Barefoot Kitchen

Di of Di’s Kitchen Notebook

Judy of No Fear Entertaining

Kelly of Sass & Veracity

Michelle of Big Black Dog

RJ of Flamingo Musings

Tiffany of The Nesting Project

Courtney of Coco Cooks

Sandy of At the Baker's Bench

Be sure to visit each of these blogs weekly and see what the other baking bloggers are up to! Stay tuned for Cookie #1 . . .

Note: Thank you to Claire for creating all of our amazing badges, and to Courtney for coordinating our group this year!

Apple Walnut Cake with Caramel Butter Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:54:00 +0000

Everyone should have at least one go-to recipe that's a guaranteed smash hit. The one that makes people smile (applaud?) when you walk into a room carrying it on a plate. The one friends call you for. The one friends of friends call you for. This is mine. It's pretty much no-fail. You can make it into muffins, loaves, layers, even cookies just by adjusting the baking time. And the frosting? Just between you and me, I like to make this when no one else is home, so there will be no witnesses to my disgrace. It is finger-, spoon-, pot-licking amazing.

This is the kind of cake that just might become your signature sweet if you're willing to let it. You can bring it for coffee hour, for brunch, for baby showers and bachelor/ette parties, and of course for dessert ~ it's heavenly with scoop of French vanilla or cinnamon ice cream snuggled beside it if you warm a tiny bit first, just to make that frosting a little melty. Swoon.

I like to make this with walnuts or pecans, though it's just fine with no nuts too. Throw in some dried cranberries, or don't. For apples, I like to use something tart and firm ~ Cortland, Granny Smith, Rome, even Macoun or Empire. If you're making cookies with the batter, go less on the apples or your cookies will be soft. If your making muffins or loaves, go to town.

Apple Walnut Cake with Caramel Butter Frosting

3 cups all-purpose flour (can replace 1 cup white flour with wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Caramel Butter Frosting

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 stick (4 oz) butter
¼ cup milk, cream, or half-and-half
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 11/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Spray two 9" cake pans with nonstick pan spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder, spices, and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla, apples, and walnuts; stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon or large spatula to incorporate all dry ingredients.
Transfer batter to prepared pans and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center tests clean. Remove pans to rack for 10 minutes; de-pan cakes and let cool completely before frosting or freezing.
For Caramel Butter Frosting: Combine brown sugar, butter, and milk or cream in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool until the caramel is just slightly warm. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, beat in confectioners’ sugar ½ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cake layer(s) with a small offset spatula, swirling frosting in a smooth motion. If frosting hardens too quickly, place over low heat on stove (or in microwave for a few seconds) until it softens. If desired, add sprinkles or decorations immediately after spreading as this frosting will set up quickly.

Recipe Notes:

If desired, you can make this cake in a Bundt pan. Let bake a few minutes longer until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean ~ about 45 to 50 minutes. Let sit on rack for 15 minutes before removing cake from pan and cooling completely. Prepare frosting as directed but use less confectioners' sugar to achieve a drizzling consistency. Alternatively, thin frosting with a little bit of milk or cream, or heat and drizzle over cake while the frosting is melted.
This cake freezes beautifully. Make one layer to serve now and wrap the other tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and store in the freezer to serve later.

Rocky Road Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:06:00 +0000

Rocky Road Brownies. What else can I say? Make some!

Rocky Road Brownies

For Brownies:

6 ounces (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
11/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

For Marshmallow Topping:

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (optional)

To make brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square pan with nonstick pan spray and line with a sheet of parchment paper. Spray parchment as well.
In a mixing bowl,whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add chocolate and nuts and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, vanilla extract, and eggs. Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 40 to 45 minutes.
Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge of the pan emerges without crumbs. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on rack for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, carefully remove brownie from pan by lifting parchment sling. Let cool completely on rack.

Meanwhile, make the marshmallow topping:

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar, water, and vanilla bean. Place over high heat and stir with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If there are sugar crystals ringing the sides of of the pan, wash them down with a wet pastry brush.
Let the sugar mixture boil until it reaches a temperature of 242 degrees F on a candy thermometer. While it is coming up to this temperature, prepare the egg whites.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff.
When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature, carefully remove the vanilla bean with a pair of tongs. Lower the speed of the stand mix to low and slowly pour the syrup into the beaten whites. Do not pour the syrup onto the whisk; aim for the side of the bowl where the egg whites are. Don't worry about splatters on the side of the bowl, just leave them there. When all the syrup has been poured in, increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to beat for about 5 minutes or until the bowl is barely warm when you place your hand on the bottom. The marshmallow creme should be silky and smooth and hold its shape when you lift the beater. This makes about 2 cups; store any leftover creme in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Assembly:

Remove parchment sling from brownie and place on serving platter. Spoon marshmallow topping over surface and smooth with an off-set spatula or butter knife. If desired, use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallow topping, moving the flame in a sweeping motion from side to side to avoid scorching.

Yields 16 brownies

Print this recipe

Recipe Notes:

When beating egg whites, make sure your bowl and whisk are scrupulously clean. Any lingering trace of fat (including yolk, so separate carefully) will inhibit rising and leave you with flat whites that refuse to rise.
Be extremely cautious when working with hot sugar syrup. It can cause one of the most serious and painful burns in the pastry kitchen. It's a good idea to work with a bowl of ice water on hand. If you splatter hot sugar syrup on your skin, immediately immerse it in the ice water to stop the burning process.
When adding the sugar syrup to the beaten egg whites, be very careful to avoid the whisk. Otherwise, you will end up with a lovely web of spun sugar on your beater and a pool of stiff egg whites ~ no marshmallow.
Cooled sugar syrup will form a seemingly impenetrable shell on your pan and utensils, which might lead you to despair of ever cooking with those objects again. No worries ~ run a little warm water into your saucepan, soak your spatula and bowls for a few minutes, and the sugar will dissolve with no problem.

BYOB roundup ~ September 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 01:45:00 +0000

Andrea of Family and Food gets us off to a great start this month with an entire buffet of baked lovelies! Flex your mouse hand, folks, you're going to want to get warmed up for these links: Elegant Dinner Rolls, Instant Sandwich Bread, Pita Bread, Pain de Seigle, Seven Grain and Seed Bread, Prosciutto Bread, Pain de Campagne, Five Grain Bread, Ice Cream Petit Fours, Portuguese Sweet Bread, Cinnamon Buns, Chocolate Raspberry Almond Tart, Thumbprint Rolls with Lemon Curd, Tuna and Onion Filled Breadring.

Courtney of Coco Cooks crafts tempting Chorizo Rolls. Not only do these look like they'd be heavenly next to a bowl of hot soup, but Courtney goes the extra mile by grinding her own sausage meat for the filling. Don't miss this one!

Kira of Blogs from a Homesick Aussie made Sourdough Muffins! And she spins these unique treats in a variety of ways ~ all of them yummy-looking.

Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook brings us a treat just in time for back-to-school: homemade Granola Bars, perfect for customizing! And . . . and absolutely picture-perfect Cranberry Plum Upside-Down Cake. Why not make both today? Send the kids off to the halls of education with their granola bars, and then cozy up to the cake!

Margaret of Tea and Scones has provided us with an entire bread basket of oven love! Pull up a hot cup of whatever makes you warm and cozy and check out these wonders: Semolina Sesame Braid, Instant Sandwich Bread, Simple Whole Wheat, Elegant Rolls, and the ever popular Pizza Dough.

Another prodigious baker, Heather of Girlichef, gives us much to drool over this month. Do check out her fantastic baked goods ~ but do yourself a favor and don't go on an empty stomach: Lammas Loaf, Chocolate Chile Brownies and Zucchini Brownies, Cherry Almond Bars, Savory Scallion and Cheese Scones, Yeasted Beer Bread, Sage and Cheddar Beer Bread.

And our summer hostess, Cathy of The Bread Experience, rounds things off with a wonderful, inspiring selection of specialties: Four-Leaf Clover Broccoli and Cheddar Buns, Peach Cobbler with Bread Crumbs, Five Grain Bread, Rosemary Flax Baguettes ,Baguettes: Poolish and Pâte Fermentée, Msemmen ~ Algerian Flatbread.

Armenian-Style Lavash Crackers

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:34:00 +0000

Say you have been invited to a friend's house for a dinner party. You ask what you can bring, and your friend tells you that she is making her killer homemade hummus and baba ghannouj mezze. She asks you to bring some "lavash, you know, those insanely good crackers we had at that Middle Eastern place?" to serve with them. You're relieved that you don't have to make a cheesecake or something this time, so you happily agree. Until you get to the market and realize what a problem you now have.

The only lavash your market carries is the soft, wrap-style lavash. How can this be? you think. This is absurd. Everyone knows that lavash (or lavosh or even lahvosh) is a cracker ~ a crisp, crunchy flatbread-type cracker. What's up with this floppy, tortilla-like object? Well, turns out that's lavash too.

Lavash, you see, has an alias. Mmm-hmm. It's aka Armenian cracker bread. I know exactly what you're thinking because I was thinking it too: That's a contradiction in terms, right? Well, maybe. Or maybe not. See, if you take a piece of soft lavash and dry it in a slow oven ~ voila! ~ you have a cracker.

But it's a little trickier still. Armenian-style dry lavash is cracker-y to begin with. And typically covered with at least 2 types of seeds. This is what you want to dip into your hummus and baba ghannouj.

So . . . you can go back to the market and confidently request dry lavash . . . or you can make it yourself. And I highly recommend the latter. Why? Because it's likely to be a good deal tastier and considerably cheaper than anything you can buy, it's a snap to make, and it'll be pretty impressive when you show up with homemade crackers. But by all means, feel free to buy them ~ if, you know, you don't want to steal your friend's thunder. It's her dinner party, after all.

Armenian-Style Dry Lavash
*I adapted this recipe from one I found on the KAF Web site.
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached preferred)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 3/4 cup water plus more if needed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil*
• 1 cup mixed seeds (e.g., sunflower, flax, poppy, white and black sesame) for topping

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add water and oil*. Mix, and knead until dough is smooth, adding additional water 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too dry.

2. Place the dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm, draft-free place, for about an hour, until it’s risen a bit.

3. Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic and set aside while working with the first half. Roll out the first half to a thickness of 1/8 inch. As you roll, sprinkle with topping seed mix. Turn the dough over periodically and sprinkle with seeds, pressing them into the dough with a rolling pin as you roll the dough to the correct thickness. If the dough springs back as you’re rolling it out, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with second piece of dough.

4. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place each sheet of rolled out dough on a parchment-lined sheet pan and prick with a fork. Cut each sheet of dough into strips or diamonds with a pizza cutter. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking time. Turn off the oven and let crackers sit inside for an additional 15 minutes, until crackers are crisp and well browned. Remove crackers from oven, cool, break apart, and store in an air-tight container.

Makes about 100 lavash crackers ~ size will vary if cut into diamonds
Recipe Notes:

The thinner you roll these out, the better they will be. If you find the dough is shrinking back when you roll it, cover it with a clean dish towel and let it rest for 10 minute intervals. This will allow the gluten to relax and you'll have an easier time rolling out the dough to the right thinness.
If you prefer, you can just break the baked cracker into pieces instead of cutting it. Just bake it in one large sheet ~ don't forget to prick it everywhere with a fork before baking.
*Please note that the original recipe did not include oil, and they're just fine without it. The end result sans oil is rustic and crunchy and every bit as delicious. I've made these a few times now both with and without oil, and I'm finding that I prefer the addition of a couple of tablespoons of oil. The crackers are just slightly more crisp than crunchy, but still sturdy enough to bear up under whatever dip you want to foist on them.

Noon Rogani ~ Azerbaijani Sweet Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:27:00 +0000

When the Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook group chose this recipe for Noon Rogani as the July BOM, I knew that no matter how busy I was or how much bread I already had in the house this month, this one was going on my to-bake board.

I knew it would be an attractive loaf of bread, but to tell you the truth, the results exceeded my expectations. The end result was not just attractive, it was beautiful. Really. I'm not bragging; I was honestly surprised at how pretty it was, given the amount of work it took, which is to say, not much at all.

This was an exceptionally easy* dough to work with. It performed exactly as I anticipated it would, kneading cooperatively and rolling out smoothly. It rose as it should and performed predictably in the oven. I covered it with a sheet of foil for the last 10 minutes or so of baking, when it seemed to be browning a perhaps a touch too enthusiastically.

I embellished on the original recipe by adding an almond-butter-cream glaze and toasted sliced almonds to the cooled loaf. This produced a sweet bread that resembled a giant cinnamon roll, but since the dough has so little fat that it almost qualifies as lean, it's neither as calorie-dense nor as heavy as a typical cinnamon roll. And yet it was every bit as delicious.

The leftovers ~ and there were some, it was a large loaf ~ I sliced, dipped into an egg batter, and made French toast with. I served this with homemade blueberry compote, a not-too-sweet accompaniment that suited it nicely.

I can't wait to experiment more with this recipe. Next time, I may use ground almonds or almond paste in the filling. I'd like to try a savory version, maybe with sauteed shallots and farmhouse cheddar ~ if I do, look for it here.

In the meantime, I encourage you to try this recipe for yourself. Click here for a link to the recipe, which you'll find on the King Arthur Flour Web site. My modifications to the recipe (ingredients and/or process) are noted below:

*Recipe Notes

The recipe calls for "1 1/4 cups warm water" but I found that I had to use significantly more than that. Begin with that amount and add more, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until you achieve the correct consistency.
I did not make a slurry. Instead, I combined all the dry ingredients, then added the wet ingredients, then mixed them together by hand, adding additional water as necessary to achieve a cohesive dough that wasn't overly sticky.
For the egg batter to make French toast, I whisked together 2 large eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt.

To make the almond-butter-cream glaze: In response to the comments I've received, I'm adding my formula (can't quite be called a recipe) for the glaze I used. This also works well for iced cookies, scones, and Bundt cakes. The less liquid you add, the firmer the glaze will dry.

1 tablespoon butter (not margerine)
Confectioner's sugar ~ about 11/2 cups
Heavy cream, light cream, or half-and-half ~ about 1/4 cup
Almond extract (can use any flavor of extract to vary)

Place butter in a small heat-proof bowl and melt in the microwave. Add confectioner's sugar by the tablespoon until you have a pasty consistency and all the butter is absorbed. (Depending on the water level of the butter you use, this will vary. Plan on about a cup, at this point.) Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking it in with a fork until you have achieved a relatively thick glaze with good drizzling consistency. Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and whisk in. Let stand 1 minute and check consistency; add additional confectioner's sugar as necessary to adjust consistency. Cover any leftover glaze and store in the fridge.

BYOB Roundup ~ July 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:32:00 +0000

This month's BYOB roundup is once again being hosted by the terrific Cathy Warner on her site, The Bread Experience.

In spite of the prolific heat we've been having, our intrepid bakers have been churning out oven love without regard to the climbing temps. Proving that, We are bakers, we can stand the heat!

Be sure to grab something iced and refreshing and go check out all the wonderful offerings in this month's roundup. Thanks, Cathy!

Happy summer!
~Sandy

On Not Baking My Own . . . and My First Baker's Bench Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:00:00 +0000

If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that perhaps a good 90 percent of the baked goods consumed in my house are produced there. Of the remaining 10 percent or so, a good-sized chunk is composed of those guilty pleasures that can't be satisfactorily reproduced. For example, when we get overtaken by an indefeatable craving for Double Stuf Oreos (I'm not going to lie, it happens), I buy them. I don't even try to make them or some facsimile of them. I'm a baker, not a chemical engineer.

And, although I can certainly make shortbread, one of my all-time absolute favorite cookies, buttery and sweet ~ and oh, just teasingly salty ~ I can't make Walkers shortbreads. No, Walkers Scottish shortbreads are an entity unto themselves, and the folks at Walkers do just fine, making shortbreads the way they've been doing it since 1898. You just have to respect that kind of track record.

But unlike the case with some of my more dubious cravings, I have no regrets when I purchase Walkers. I put that little red plaid box right up there on the checkout conveyor belt with my dried black beans and whole wheat flour. I don't feel obligated to eat them out of a brown bag; I happily give them to my kids (well, okay, not "happily," but I do share if pressed). Why? The ingredients listed on the Walkers Shortbread Highlanders box directly in front of me as I write this are as follows: "Wheat flour, butter, sugar, demerara sugar, salt." Precisely what I'd put in there myself. And no mixing bowl to wash.

If you're already a fan of Walkers, then I'm preaching to the choir. If you haven't made their acquaintance yet, then you're in for a treat. In either case, dear readers, you will be happy to hear that the generous folks at Walkers would love to give away an Afternoon Tea Box to a reader of At the Baker's Bench! Trust me, this is a terrific prize, a veritable tea party in a box ~ and who doesn't love a tea party?!

The tea box features several different kinds of shortbread, biscuits for cheese, and two varieties of tea. If you are a tea drinker, prepare to be transported with delight . . . and start praying for lovely cool, rainy afternoons to host some spectacular tea parties. If you are not a tea drinker ~ even better! If you win, you can use your tea to make the very special Earl Grey ice cream recipe I've got for you. Read on after the jump for my recipe for ice cream sandwiches using Walkers Shortbread Thins! You'll find instructions for how to enter the giveaway following the recipe!

Scottish Shortbread Sandwiches with Earl Grey Ice Cream and Crystallized Ginger

11/2 cups whole milk
11/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar, divided
6 Earl Grey tea bags, tags and strings removed
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
16 Walkers Scottish Shortbread Thins

In a large saucepan, combine milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring just to the scald and remove from heat. Add teabags, cover pot, and let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Place egg yolks and remaining sugar in a medium nonreactive mixing bowl; whisk to break up yolks. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and set aside.
Remove tea bags, squeezing gently to release all liquid into the pot, and discard. Return milk mixture to medium-high heat until it just reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and carefully pour into egg-yolk mixture while whisking constantly. When all the cream has been added. Pour yolk mixture back into pan and return to stove.
Heat custard base over medium-low heat, stirring in a figure-8 motion with a wooden spoon. Be careful to scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir. The custard is done with it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (holds a line drawn through it).
Remove the custard from the stove, pour through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, and place in an ice bath or in the fridge to cool completely. Spin in your ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When finished, spoon into a storage container, sprinkling the crystallized ginger over it between spoonfuls.
Freeze the ice cream until solid, then sandwich scoops between 2 shortbread thins and serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve.

Makes 8 sandwiches.

To enter:

It's easy! Just leave a comment below with your answer to this question: If you won the Walkers Afternoon Tea in a Box and hosted a tea party, which 5 people ~ living or dead ~ would you invite?

Leave your comments by 8 p.m. (EST) Monday, June 21, 2010, please. I'll use a random number generator to choose a winner and make the announcement on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. U.S. readers only, please, due to shipping constraints.

One comment per person, please. If you'd like a couple of extra chances to win, you can (1) Tweet about this giveaway and comment here with a link to your Tweet and/or (2) mention this giveaway on your blog with a link to it and comment here with a link to your post.

Good luck!

BYOB ~ June 1 Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:19:00 +0000

At the end of the May BYOB roundup, I mentioned that I was going to take a break from posting the BYOB roundups over the summer. Then Cathy of The Bread Experience stepped up and volunteered to host them. And how lucky for us! She's done a fantastic job of assembling the June BYOB roundup!

Thank you, Cathy, for being such a great hostess, and thank you, BYOB bakers, for submitting links to share your oven love with us!

May your ovens hold their temperatures and your bread always rise!

Guava Butter Crumb Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:48:00 +0000

In my last post, I shared my experience with guava paste in some wonderful little sweet empanadas. This time, I'm going to share a recipe I found while searching for a way to use up some of the rest of the can of guayaba (guava paste). Although you can certainly eat guava paste on its own, I wanted to play around with it in desserts. I found this recipe for a simple butter-crumb bar that's perfect for picnics and barbecues because it won't melt and doesn't need to be kept cold.

I made a few adaptations, and they are as follows: I swapped out a small portion of the white flour for wheat. I like the nutty, slightly sweet texture and flavor wheat flour contributes here. I also added some coconut, capitalizing on the tropical flavor of the guava. I suggest using unsweetened coconut if you can find it (I buy mine at the health-food store, and it's relatively inexpensive). If not, you might want to scale back on the brown sugar to compensate for the sweetness of the coconut flakes if you go with the sweetened variety.

Guava Butter Crumb Bars
~recipe adapted from RecipeZaar

1 cup packed light brown sugar
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup butter, melted
Guava paste (guayaba) ~ amount according to preference

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9-inch baking dish or pan with foil. Spray foil with nonstick pan spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, white and wheat flours, baking soda, salt, rolled oats, and coconut. Pour melted butter over and use a wooden spoon or your fingers to incorporate. The mixture should be crumbly. If it is very dry (lots of very small particles, dry flour remaining), add a tablespoon or two of additional melted butter.
Press half of the crumb mixture into the lined pan.
Begin adding slices of guava paste, laying them over the crust mixture to cover it to within about half an inch from the edge of the pan. The slices should be between 1/8 and ¼ inch thick.
Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the guava paste. Use your hand to press lightly on the crumbs so they compress into the guava paste a bit.
Bake the bars at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. Let cool completely in pan and then use the foil to lift the entire thing out onto a cutting board. Cut into bars and store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to three days or freeze for longer storage.

Recipe Notes:

How much guava paste you use will depend largely on your preference for how thick you would like your fruit layer to be. I used about half the can of guava paste.
Don't worry too much if you're guava paste doesn't melt and bubble up on baking. Depending on how thick (and cold) it is when you put it in the oven, it may or it may not melt. It will still be delicious, either way. Judge the doneness by the color of the crumbs on the top.

Empanadas con Guayaba

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:26:00 +0000

If you've already tried empanadas, savory or sweet, you are probably, like me, wondering why they haven't become more of a smash sensation in this country. If you haven't tried them, go ahead and give this recipe a shot and you'll be jumping on the empanada bandwagon too.

Off the top of my head, I can think of at least 5 excellent reasons why these delicious pastries should be on everyone's make-it list. For one thing, they're easy to make. For another, they're inexpensive. They're endlessly customizable. They're relatively healthy. Kids love them. You can make them ahead and freeze them. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and/or snacks. What's not to love about them?

For this sweet version, I use guava paste, or guayaba, and cream cheese. If you've never tried guava paste, here you're not alone. While it's a pretty commonplace ingredient in Latin America and the Caribbean, it's uncommon here in the U.S. It tastes a bit like an apple crossed with a strawberry married to a kiwi. Texturally, it's a little grainy ~ like fruit leather ~ but it's dense and sliceable, like cheese (if cheese were made out of fruit). You're most likely to find it in a low, flat can that looks like an outsize tuna can. I bought mine in the ethnic foods section at my Wal-Mart Supercenter for under $3.00 and I've used a mere fraction of the can so far.

Goya sells some pretty decent empanada shells (look for these in the freezer case), but I like to make my own. My favorite recipe for this dough can be found here ~ on the wonderful, incredible Laylita's Recipes blog site. (I urge you to take some time to browse around ~ in my opinion, she's got some of the most delectable food photography anywhere.)

Empanadas con Guayaba

1 recipe empanada dough
Guayaba (guava paste)
Cream cheese (low-fat okay)
1 egg, beaten
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll empanada dough out very thin, to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Using a 3-inch ring cutter, cut dough into circles. Moisten edges of each circle, place a thin piece of guayaba and a thin piece of cream cheese on the center of each circle. Fold dough over into a crescent, sealing edges. Crimp with a fork.
Oil baking sheet and set empanadas down on sheet, about an inch or two apart. Brush each empanada with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Let stand a minute or two before serving. Keep leftovers in refrigerator; reheat in 350 degree oven if desired.

BYOB and No-Knead Breads

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Interested in learning more about the BYOB group? Check out my posts here and here.

If you're stopping by to check out my adventures with no-knead bread, here's where you'll find a pretty comprehensive look. And here's some naan I made with the same basic dough ~ fantastic!

As an artisan baker, I've worked with all kinds of bread dough, and there are many I count among my favorites. Some are temperamental and require coddling, kid gloves, coaxing, nurturing. Others, like the no-knead doughs, require almost nothing, yet return a very nice result. For example, the basic dough from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a workhorse dough, a utility player on the baker's bench. I've used it successfully for everything from pain d'epi to pizza ~ when I have a tub of this dough in the fridge I feel ready for anything. More than once, drop-in guests at my home have benefited from the capabilities of this wonderful dough.

For Your Cookshelf:
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Kneadlessly Simple: Fabulous, Fuss-Free, No-Knead Breads by Nancy Baggett

My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method by Jim Lahey

200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads: No-Knead, One-Bowl by Judith Fertig

May 2010 BYOB Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Courtney of Coco Cooks tempts us with an amazing-looking Sweet Potato Everything Bread ~ it's bread like this that butter was made for!

Kathy of Panini Happy makes us very, very happy with her luscious Chocolate Bread! You won't want to miss this one . . . Kathy uses it as the foundation of 3 delicious-sounding paninis: Brie and Basil Grilled Cheese on Chocolate Bread, Almond Butter and Raspberry Panini on Chocolate Bread and Open-Face Ice Cream Panini with Caramelized Bananas and Walnuts.

Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook went to town with one of my perennial favorites: Pizza! (Adorable snaps of the next generation of bakers hard at work in Di's Kitchen, too.) And Di also says a special happy birthday to her sweetie with some Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes ~ picture perfect!

Chrystal and Amir of The Duo Dishes take note: I am coming to your house for coffee and cake. This Apple Butter Cake, to be specific. So better bake an extra one . . . I have a whole mouthful of sweet teeth, and they like cake!

Apu of Annarasa has taken two of my all-time favorite things ~ rosemary and olives ~ and paired them in this delectable Kalamata Olive and Rosemary Focaccia. Which is going straight to the top of my "to bake" list!

Jim of Musings on the Path to Frugality has made some gorgeous No-Knead Soft Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls. And while I was fantasizing about what I would put on these bad boys, Jim was making a real-life masterpiece for dinner: check out his burger on one of these rolls!

Margaret of Tea and Scones brings us a simple, elegant Light Wheat Bread and some drool-worthy Lavash. Go, check out her posts, but you might not want to go on an empty stomach.

Andrea of Family and Food has kept her oven fired up with a parade of oven love! Her bounty this month: Light Rye Bread , Cocoa Banana Muffins, Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips, Easter Bunnies, Fennel Fig & Almond Bread, Bagels, Norwegian Wheat Rusks,Devil's Food Cake, Rustic Bread, æbleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls), Blueberry Crumb Muffins, Real Welsh Scones, Spicy Jalapeno Cornbread, Karelian Water Rings (Bagels), Date Cranberry Almond Bread, Cranberry and Orange Pudding. Grab your steaming beverage of choice, warm up your mouse hand, and get ready to be inspired!

And as for me . . .

Where to begin? So much has taken place over the past few weeks ~ birthdays, good-byes, new beginnings, bon voyages . . . I feel like I haven't stopped baking. And while I love that, one downside is that I haven't had the time to write here as much as I'd like. Ah well . . . hopefully you've been busy with your own baking and can forgive me.
Coming up on the summer season, and hotter weather, I actually anticipate getting busier in the kitchen. Summertime is my busiest baking season. My kitchen is typically at a temp of 90 degrees or better on baking days, and that's with our central air. So, if you are taking a partial or full baking hiatus for the hot months, I can sympathize. Come and bake with me instead . . . I'll be hotting up the kitchen anyway. And hopefully, we'll be doing some flatbreads and pizzas on the grill, too.
Happy spring, and keep baking . . . summer's coming!

Macarons

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 21:36:00 +0000

Macarons. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're a tricky devil of a cookie every baker has to confront at some point in their kitchen career. My time came a few weeks ago, with the Passover that just passed. I'd never made a classic macaron before, and with the gauntlet laid down at work, I decided to produce a practice batch at home before game time.

There are many excellent articles ~ even whole books ~ written on this topic, so I see no reason to reinvent the wheel here. If you want to experiment with making a few batches of macarons, you can do an online search for recipes or get your hands on a reputable pastry book. I've included a few links that I found helpful during my quest.

If you search and find 10 recipes from 10 different sources, you will notice that they all look pretty similar anyway. The macaron is not complicated when it comes to ingredients. It all comes down to technique, baby. And this cookie is way, way more than the sum of its few simple parts ~ egg whites, almond flour, sugar, and lemon juice, more or less.

I made a few batches using different recipes. I changed variables like stacking multiple pans, adjusting resting times and temps, switching oven types (convection versus conventional), and altering percentages of different ingredients. There are so many picky little details involved in making a successful (read: perfectly domed and footed) macaron. The mixing, the piping, the resting, the tapping, the oven temp, the cooling . . . These are not your throw-together Friday-night-sleepover chocolate chippers.

Do not be discouraged, or surprised, if your first batch fails. Consider it a lesson learned ~ a snack round, even. But do yourself a favor and pay close attention to the variables that will make a huge difference in the final outcome.

Age your egg whites. Do NOT attempt to cut corners here. Age them for at least 24 hours (48 or 72 is even better) in the refrigerator, and leave the top partially off the container. You want some of the moisture to evaporate.
Weigh your egg whites if you are taking them from a container holding multiple whites. (Do not use the "glug" method.) Each egg white will weigh about 30 grams.
Let your baking trays of piped macarons rest for a good long time. I rested mine for about 4 hours, until the surface felt almost dry to the touch, before baking.
Let the baked macarons sit on the cookie sheets for a good long time. The longer they sit on there, the drier and therefore the easier they will be to remove from the parchment. Mine rested for nearly 8 hours and came off without a hitch.
Do NOT overmix at the macaronage stage ~ use a bowl scraper if you have one.
Again, do NOT be discouraged or surprised if your first batch doesn't come out perfect. Consider this a bonus round and eat it while you are working on your next batch.

All things considered, the macarons weren't nearly as difficult as I thought they'd be. Nor, actually, were they as transportingly, rapturously exceptional as I expected them to be. With all the fanfare and froufrou, I thought they'd be the most delicious cookie ever to drop crumbs in my lap. But, you know, not so much. I mean, they're very good and they certainly have a lot of curb appeal, but a cookie that takes an entire day to plan around better be worth its weight in edible gold leaf or something, and these were tasty and chic but not thelastthingIwantinmymouthbeforeIdie good.

One more thing . . . you can fill your macarons with any sort of cream, curd, or frosting that tickles your fancy. I filled mine (variously) with fresh raspberry buttercream (pictured here), bittersweet chocolate ganache, Nutella, and lemon curd. Mmm. Come to think of it, adding the filling made for a pretty good upgrade. Maybe even a little bit of rapture.

BYOB ~ April 2010 Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Smith) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:40:00 +0000

Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook made some really gorgeous Hard Rolls (BBA) and a picture-perfect Light Wheat Sandwich Loaf. This is what BYOB is all about, guys!

Kira of Blogs from a Homesick Aussie brings us a yummy Irish Soda Bread and some pretty indulgent-looking Buttermilk Scones with Cream and Jam. If you're on a diet, I strongly suggest you have a salad in hand before clicking the scones link.

Cathy of The Bread Experience strives to keep us (virtually) well fed with an entire buffet of baked goods: Grilled Pizza (BBA), Tuscan Bread, Pesto and Pine Nut Focaccia, Irish Soda Bread, Roasted Onion and Asiago Miche (my heart be still!). Wouldn't you love to be this woman's neighbor?

Frieda of Lovin' from the Oven turned out some pretty darn amazing Homestyle Flour Tortillas as well as a whole wheat version ~ and both look just incredible. I've gotta say that I, for one, am VERY excited about this because to this point, tortillas have been one of the very few things that I've excluded from my BYOB project. Why? Who knows? I don't even like store-bought tortillas ~ they smell weird when you heat them up, they always stick together in the package, and I never have them on hand when I want to make burritos. I can't wait to BYOB tortillas! Vamanos a cocina!

And ~ as if that weren't good enough ~ Leslie of La Cocina de Leslie brings us Corn Tortillas and Gorditas!! Please tell me, can it get any better than that this month? Oh, yes, it can! Because she's also offering dessert: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (*swoon*) and Chocoflan . . . a special celebration cake from Mexico that uses cajeta, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite indulgences in the world. (*double swoon*) And congrats to Leslie on her new domain name! Love the new look, Leslie!

Margaret of Tea and Scones serves up some lovely Kaiser Rolls (BBA). She uses the knotting technique to shape these, and I'm tellin' you . . . you're not going to find prettier rolls in a New York deli. Go, see!

Sophie of Sophie's Foodiefiles has this incredible talent for making healthy food sound decadent. Case in point: Wholemeal Spelt Chocolate Ricotta Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chips. And not only are they good for you, but these muffins are absolutely adorable because she's made them in the most precious molds. Just beautiful!

Andrea of Family & Food has kept her oven on overdrive lately! Check out her oven love: Pan Suave, a Cuban egg bread; Whole Wheat Bread (BBA); Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Torpedos (BBA); Financiers au Chocolat; Sauteed Onion and Parmesan Miche (BBA ~ and Andrea caps off the challenge with this entry!); Irish Lace Cookies; Hot Cross Buns (Mellow Bakers, BBD); Orange Tian (Daring Bakers); Swedish Crispbread; Gluten-Free Hearty Kneaded Sandwich Bread (BBB); and Pugliese Pizza Buns (BBD). Wow!

As for me . . .

It's been a pretty busy baking month, with Easter and all. Breadwise, I've been making the usual peasant loaves for sandwiches and I've thrown a few fluffy white loaves in just for fun and toast. For Easter I made tarts with orange and lemon curd, carrot cake, and egg-shaped petit fours from genoise with lemon buttercream in the middle. All fun stuff and fairly simple. I'm hoping to post those later this week (she said optimistically).
Enjoy your spring and if you dislike a hot kitchen during the summer months, bake now for the freezer!
Cheers,
Sandy