the urban baker

Truffle Brownie Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

2010-11-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I can honestly say, I am still a little obsessed with pumpkin. I cannot wait for pumpkin pie, I am making my pumpkin soup as I write this, and I am thinking about attempting some sort of pumpkin macaroon (have lots of egg whites on hand).

My Thanksgiving menu is already set and organized and I am not planning on adding to it. However, my kids are off from school this week and later today, we are meeting friends for a hike. Our plan is to go out for lunch after the hike, yet I knew everyone is going to end up back at our house to play for a bit. I wanted to have some snacks on hand. I whipped up these truffle brownie pumpkin cheesecake bites as I had some left over pumpkin puree in the fridge. Rather than making them in a 9x9" pan, I opted to make individuals in my silicone baking muffin pans. These are going to be the perfect compliment to a big bowl of pomegranate seeds and a white bean dip with roasted pita chips. Maybe, we will skip lunch all together and simply come home for the snacks!

Truffle Brownie + Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

yield: 28 mini bites

ingredients:

brownies:

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 stick of butter, cubed

2 Tbls. unsweetened cocoa

1 Tbls. espresso powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 cup flour

cheesecake

8 oz. cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbls. flour

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

instructions:

• preheat oven to 350*

for the brownie layer:

• melt chocolate, butter, cocoa, and espresso powder in a bowl over simmering water.

• remove bowl from the heat and add the sugar, vanilla, and salt. add the egg and mix until smooth.

• fold in the flour.

• using a small ice cream scoop, scoop batter into individual muffin tins. set aside while you make the cheesecake

for the cheesecake layer:

• in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.

• add the sugar and combine

• add the egg and the vanilla and mix to combine

• mix in the remaining ingredients until fully incorporated.

• using the same ice cream scooper(cleaned, of course), scoop over brownie mixture and fill muffin cups almost to the top.

• using a toothpick or small skewer swirl the cheesecake mixture slightly to form a pattern with the brownie mixture.

• bake 20-25 minutes, rotating pans back to front mid through. brownie bites are done when the top of the cheesecake feels slightly firm to the touch.

• let cool on a wire rack. once cool, stick in the fridge for about 45 minutes. once totally firm, pop the brownie bites out of the muffin cups and enjoy!!

Apple Slab Pie

2010-11-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Raise your hand if you have an over abundance of apples right now. I thought so! There are many things I want to do with my apples; make apple challah, apple sauce, apple cake, and an apple slab pie. Well, 1 out of 4 isn't so bad now, is it?

This past summer I made a cherry slab pie and it was so good. I shared it with my friends and, without tooting my own horn, we are still talking about it. So, why not an apple slab pie? The pastry from the cherry slab pie was near perfect. I made another batch of the dough and then simply switched out the fruit. Apples cook differently than cherries, so I adapted the filling from a recipe from The Cook's Country Cookbook. Slab pies are great for a crowd. And this pie fed a huge crowd. It was demolished in about 15 minutes. I had one teeny tiny bite. That teeny tiny bite was really good. I am going to make this many times over throughout out the next few months. Next time I will pair my apples with some fresh pomegranate seeds!

Think about this apple slab pie for your Thanksgiving Dessert Table. Maybe add some cranberries or some pomegranate seeds! Your guests will thank you later!!

Apple Slab Pie
crust adapted from here
yield: 16 servings

ingredients:
7 lbs apples (3 1/2 lbs tart apples, 3 1/2 lbs. sweet apples) peeled, cored + cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted
4 Tbls. cornstarch
3 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
zest of two lemons
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

instructions:
• roll out dough according to this.
• preheat oven to 350* and butter + flour a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan
• toss the apples with 1 cup of sugar and place in a colander set over a bowl (to catch the juices). reserve the "apple juice". in a large bowl, mix the apples, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, and salt. add 2 tablespoons of the reserved juice.
• spread the apple mixture over the bottom layer of crust. place the second dough over the apples and with the overlap of the bottom layer of crust, seal the top and bottom crust together.
• brush the entire surface with an egg wash (1 egg + 1 tablespoon of water, whisked) and then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• with a knife, make a few slits in the top of the crust so the steam can release during baking.
• bake the pie until the juices are bubbling, and the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let the pie cool on a wire rack!
• cut into 3" squares and serve!

My Thanksgiving Round-Up

2010-11-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

I think I have mentioned that I love the holidays. Valentine's day we make lots and lots of candy, Easter, we decorate eggs and love a good Easter egg hunt, Passover we become a macaroon factory, Fourth of July it's all about the red, white and blue accents, New Years it' all about the cocktail, and Thanksgiving - it's all about the sides, the table decorations, and the annual Salzman family turkey "football" bowl.

I started collecting Thanksgiving recipes all the way back in the late 70's. Even before Miguel and I were married (25 years ago!), I enjoyed making Thanksgiving dinner. The more guests, the merrier. I love to feed a crowd and Thanksgiving is that one holiday that makes feeding a crowd really fun. I love to mix the flavors, the colors, the savory with the sweet. And I especially love Thanksgiving because it is that one holiday where nothing is expected. No gifts, no candy, no gestures. It is just a way to get everyone together, be grateful, and simply say "thanks".

This year, I am sticking with some old favorites, but introducing some new hopefuls!

Family Favorites

My mac 'n cheese coins

Parmesan -White Cheddar Straws

Artichoke-Olive dip

Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce

Pumpkin Soup

Squash Gratin

Mom's Turkey

Mom's Gravy

New Additions:

Rustic Herbed Stuffing

Rustic Apple Galette

Brussels Sprout Salad

The balance of the meal; sweet potatoes, more veggies,etc, will be made by other family members. I promise to share a recap of our holiday feast, after I have digested this meal. Which may take a few days. So be patient!

This cranberry recipe was my dad's favorite. He would eat it with a spoon. Now, my son-Eli, has taken on that role and requests this cranberry sauce all year around. I always made a double recipe, one for our table and one for my dad to take home. I will set a place for him this Thanksgiving holiday and be grateful for the 46 years that he was in my life.

Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce

yield: 4 cups

ingredients:

1 lb. fresh cranberries

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange marmalade

10 oz. frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

instructions:

• throw all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. pulse until chunky.

• refrigerate. can stay for about 1 month.

Brussels Sprout Salad

There is a restaurant in my neighborhood (The Six) that is a great place to grab lunch or eat an early dinner before a movie. The menu constantly changes and uses mostly seasonal, fresh ingredients. I look forward to their shaved brussels sprout salad and am always disappointed when it is not on the menu. Inspired by The Six, I decided to create one of my own. It's delicious, if I do say so myself!

ingredients:
dressing:
1/4 cup grainy Dijon mustard
2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbls. sugar
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

candied pecans:
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbls. unsalted butter
3/4 cup pecans, chopped + toasted

1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*
• bring a pot of water to boil
for the candied pecans
• in a heavy duty pan, melt butter with sugar. bring to a boil. boil for one minute.
• remove from heat and add the pecans.
• spread mixture onto a silpat lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
• cool completely
for the dressing
• make dressing, combine all ingredients and mix well. taste for seasoning. set aside
• once the water has boiled, add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. add brussels sprouts and cook for
5 minutes or until tender.
• drain, rinse with cold water. cool on paper towels.
• using a food processor fitted with the 1/8 or 1/4" slicing disc, slice brussels sprouts. transfer to a large bowl. cover and chill.
when ready to assemble
• toss brussels sprouts with enough dressing to coat. let marinate for 30 minutes.
• top with candied pecans and pomegranate seeds.

Rustic Herbed Stuffing
adapted from Bon Appetit
yield: 8-10 servings

Stuffing is never my department. My mom has always made the stuffing (another one of my dad's favorites) and she ALWAYS stuffs it in the bird. It happens to be really delicious and really moist and has a very distinct flavor. But as my mom gets older, it becomes harder and harder for her to do tasks such as these. So, this year, we are veering off of tradition, just a little, and I am making this rustic herbed stuffing. We did a trial run. Eli ate half the pan and gave it two thumbs up!

ingredients:
11 cups (16oz.) country style french bread, cut into 1" cubes
10 Tbls. unsalted butter
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cups chopped, fresh italian parsley
1 Tbls. chopped, fresh oregano
1 Tbls. chopped, fresh sage
1 Tbls. chopped fresh thyme
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, stems removed, chopped coarse (12 cups)
3 large eggs
3/4 cup chicken stock (I used homemade)
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
2 oz. grated Gruyere cheese

instructions:
• preheat oven to 375*. butter a large casserole dish.
• spread bread cubes on a large sheet pan. bake until very dry, 15 minutes. cool.
• melt butter in a heavy large skillet over high heat. add green onions and next 8 ingredients. saute until celery is tender, 6-8 minutes.
• add Swiss chard and saute for 3 minutes.
• place bread crumbs in a very large bowl. add warm veggies and toss to coat.
• whisk eggs and 3/4 cups broth(i used a 1/2 cup more) and add this to the bread mixture. mix in Parmesan.
• transfer to prepared dish. cover with buttered foil and bake for 30 minutes. remove foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until golden.

*will post photos and recipes after Thanksgiving

I wish Thanksgiving was a week long holiday. If it were, I could then make all the dishes that I desire. Here are some amazing recipes that have inspired me:

Spiced-Mulled-Cider by Organic Spark

Chestnut Soup by The Italian Dish

Bacon-Sweet Potato-Spinach Salad by Family Fresh Cooking

Pumpkin Scones by The Little Teochew

Gluten Free Stuffing by Gluten Free Girl

Carmelized Onion Cornbread Stuffing by Organically Delicious

Pumpkin, Quinoa + Hazelnut Gnocchi by Cannelle et Vanilla

Roasted Turkey Breast by What's Gaby Cooking

Thankful Cookies + Blessings by I am Mommy

Spiced Pear + Cranberry Pocket Pies by The Cilantropist

Pumpkin Crumble Cake by Indigo's Sugar Spectrum

Pear-Frangipani Galette by The Wives with Knives

How to make Pie Crust by Brown Eyed Baker

for more great recipes and inspiration, check out Tastespotting and Foodgawker.

gluten-free crackers + my new book crush

2010-11-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

I had the great pleasure of meeting and chatting with Shauna James Ahern a.k.a. "the gluten free girl", last month, at Blogher Food. She is warm, honest, engaging and gluten free. We chatted about our kids, food, parenting and life. Although the conversation was short, it felt comfortable and I knew it wasn't going to be the last time that she and I chatted about everyday stuff.

Hence, when I received an email from her (at the suggestion of my favorite gal), to participate in a gluten free baking challenge, I accepted immediately. I had purchased her book, gluten-free girl and the chef, right after meeting her and I had tagged many recipes I wanted to make. While I have been working on my Thanksgiving menu for the past week, crackers and dips are part of that menu. Although I have already made and frozen my "mac 'n cheese coins" as well as my "Parmesan spicy straws", I thought, what the heck, another cracker wouldn't hurt anyone. Plus, these crackers would compliment my roasted ratatouille dip so well!

I had most of the ingredients in the house as I have been experimenting (unsuccessfully) with alternative flours, slowly altering some of my most favorite recipes. So, creating these crackers wasn't much of a challenge at all. In the recipe instructions, Shauna mentions that the dough isn't as easy to work with as a dough made with gluten. However, I did not have that experience. I found the dough so incredibly easy to use. I followed the recipe almost exact, except for a slight alteration, adding a sprinkling of Parmesan to the top of the crackers(prior to baking). These are delicious. I enlisted my friend's daughter, whom is 12 and has been gluten free for half her life, to be the taste tester. She highly approved. And I know you will, too!

Whether you are gluten-free or not, this book is worth adding to your library. There are tons of recipes that inspire healthy eating without using white flours and white sugars. I cannot wait to make the multi grain waffles!

Buy this book, to get the recipe for these crackers and make one of your favorite dips to compliment them. Here's mine:

Roasted Ratatouille Dip

yield: 1 1/2 cups

ingredients:

1 very large eggplant, peeled and cubed

1 red bell pepper, cored and cubed

1 orange bell pepper, cored and cubed

1 small zucchini, cubed

1 purple onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbls. olive oil

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 Tbls. tomato paste

splash of red wine vinegar

instructions:

• preheat oven to 400*. line a sheet pan with heavy duty foil and spray with cooking spray.

• throw all the veggies on the sheet pan and toss with olive oil. sprinkle with salt and pepper. mix with your hands.

• roast for 45 minutes, rotating pan half way through.

• let cool. once cooled put roasted veggies in the bowl of a food processor. pulse, but don't puree. add tomato paste and splash of red wine vinegar.

• serve room temperature. store the leftovers in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt for National Bundt Day

2010-11-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

Today is National Bundt Day. Duty calls. I made a bundt. I am trying to stay seasonal, so what would make the most sense? You guessed it, pumpkin! When I want to make a bundt, my first stop on the internet is always Mary's blog. She could be considered the queen of bundts and boy does she love pretty much all things bundt related.

She recently posted this recipe for Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt which she got off of the Libby's website. I would never in a million years think to pull something off of a branded website. Since reading Mary's post, I have actually perused a few of the sites, just to see what their ideas are for the holidays. Some interesting, some not so interesting. Yet, none the less, good info and always inspires new ideas.

Regardless, this cake is a winner. And as I have mentioned in the past, bundts are easy and they are always a crowd pleaser. This one certainly pleased a crowd. I made three minor alterations to the recipe. I added dried cranberries to the streusel, cut back a little on the streusel ingredients, and replaced sucanat with white sugar.

We are having friends for brunch Thanksgiving weekend. I may just have to make this again!

Sour Cream Pumpkin Bundt
adapted from here

ingredients:
streusel
2 tsp. butter, cold
1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbls. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar (I used sucanat)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
4 large eggs, room temp.
1 cup pumpkin puree
8 oz. sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. butter & flour a 12 cup bundt pan
for the streusel
• combine all dry ingredients and whisk. cut butter into dry mixture until crumbly. add dried cranberries. set aside.
for the cake
• whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. set aside
• cream sugar and butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy.
• add eggs one at a time.
• add pumpkin, sour cream, and vanilla. scrape sides of bowl and mix again until incorporated.
• spoon half the batter into the prepared pan
• top with streusel mixture. don't let streusel hit the side of the pan.
• cover with remaining batter.
• bake 55-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• cool for 30 minutes in pan, then remove from the pan and cool completely.
for the glaze
• combine 1 1/2 - 2 cups sifted powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of milk. mix completely.
• spoon over cake and let drip down the sides.

Enjoy!

Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake = French Friday's with Dorie

2010-11-12T05:46:00.000-08:00

I am so glad it is Friday. I am happy because I have two days off from packing lunches, I don't have to rush the kids out the door as the sun is coming up, begging them to eat breakfast, no rushing from here there and everywhere and I can relax, just a little.

I also love Friday's because I get to take myself to Dorie's virtual cooking school. I get to share my cooking experience with people who live all around the globe and we talk to each other, via the Internet, as if we have been friends since childhood. I have only known these people for a little under a month, but we all share a common passion; food, cooking, Dorie, and her new book; around my french table.

What I really love most about this book is that it puts "french food" into perspective. It is not intimidating and it is Americanized just enough for it still feel very, very french. Before joining French Friday's with Dorie, I had earmarked so many pages in the book. This cake was earmarked. I was overjoyed when I saw that this cake made the list of November challenges.

The semolina in this recipe is plain old, Cream of Wheat cereal. Growing up, I was a HUGE cream of wheat fan. I liked it with a little pat of butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar. I have not eaten it for over 30 years and obviously did not have any in the house. However, I did have a bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Brown Rice Cereal. You ask why? Can't tell you! So, I opted to use what was on hand. The recipe calls for golden raisins, which I was out of. Yet, I did have some dried, black mission figs. Rather than making a special trip the grocery store, I swapped out the raisins and added the figs. Mmmmmmm.

The texture of this cake reminds me of a cross between a flan and a clafoutis. It is somewhat custard like and then cake is topped with a caramel sauce. I think that is why I originally earmarked the page. Caramel anything is my friend. This cake is my new friend! It got the thumbs up from everyone in my house!

Caramel-Topped Semolina Cake
page 438-439

Pecan Bars - bite size!

2010-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is around the corner and I always bake, among many other things, my "famous" pecan pie. My mother-in-law LOVES pecan pie and Thanksgiving, generally, falls on or around her birthday. Pecan pie usually adorns our dessert table - with a candle in it while nine adoring grandchildren, sing happy birthday to their "nana"!

I have been making this recipe for about 20 years and it just gets better with age. Originally, I followed the recipe, exactly. Then, as the years went on, I realized that I didn't like the crust and worked really hard to find the right balance between the dry ingredients, the fats, and the wet ingredients. I now have one basic pie crust that I use pretty much for all pies and tarts. And the filling evolved as well. I now make it more like a tart rather than a pie. Makes eating a small slice much more friendly.

I wanted to experiment a little this year and had an idea to make bite sized pecan bars. I reinvented the filling for my pecan pie and made these in a 13" x 9" pan. These bars have a shortbread crust and I replaced the white sugar with sucanat. This is not my original pie filling, but it is a pretty good version of it.

I loved these bars. I am going to make them one more time before Thanksgiving and make them in mini muffin tins. They will be more like a "tassie" rather than a bar. I think I am going to wrap these up, in little individual boxes and give to all the kids teachers as a little pre-Thanksgiving treat!

Pecan "Pie" Bars
yields: 32 mini bites

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sucanat (or white sugar)
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 cup organic butter, cut into cubes
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 3/4 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
1/4 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

instructions:
for the shortbread:
• preheat oven to 350*
• butter a 13" x 9" metal pan. line with parchment and butter the parchment.
• combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your food processor. pulse a few times. add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• press dough evenly into prepared pan.
• bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the edges of the dough are light brown.
for the filling:
• while the crust is baking, combine the sucanat, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup of butter in a heavy bottom pan. bring to a boil over low to medium heat. Once boiled, immediately remove from heat.
• beat eggs in a medium bowl.
• ladle a small amount of the mixture into the beaten eggs. do this a few times to temper the eggs (so they don't scramble and cook on you). once tempered add the rest of the hot mixture to the eggs and combine.
• stir in the pecans, salt, and the vanilla. mix thoroughly.
• pour over cooked shortbread
• bake for 32-35 minutes or until the filling no longer jiggles when you shake the pan.
• cool completely on a wire rack. once cooled set in fridge for about an hour. this makes cutting them a bit easier. cut into desired size bars or bites.

Dulce de Leche

2010-11-08T05:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend a friend of ours had a huge party. They asked me to bake. A few restrictions; no nuts, mini bite sized - everything, and keep it simple. No problem. I made lemon squares, gooey, fudgy brownies, whole wheat-oat chocolate chunk cookies, and a vanilla bean cupcake with dulce de leche butter cream.

About a week before the party I started collecting provisions. My first stop was Surfas. I have talked about Surfas in the past and I am always overjoyed to have an excuse to shop there. After collecting most of what I needed, I simply could not find the dulce de leche. They were out of it. I knew I could make my own, but sometimes, when baking for a crowd, I do look for shortcuts. No problem, I said to myself, I will just make it. How hard could it be? I soon found out, not hard at all.

I will never buy pre-made, store bought Dulce de Leche, every again. This is one of the easiest things I have every made and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Dulce de leche will be lining my refrigerator shelves along side my homemade caramel and my homemade hot fudge sauce. I just adore finding new discoveries!

Dulce de Leche

make a little or make a ton!

instructions:

• remove all the paper from several cans of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz. cans)

• put 2 - 4 cans in a dutch oven. fill with water. the water should cover the cans of milk.

• bring to a boil. once boiled, turn down to simmer, cover slightly, with a lid and let simmer for 2-4 hours. the longer it simmers, the thicker the caramel becomes. I simmered mine for 3 hours.

• remove the cans from the water and let cool for one hour.

• once cooled open the cans and transfer the thick caramel to a glass jar (I used ball jars). let cool completely before attaching the lid.

• this will store in the fridge for ever!

enjoy!

French Friday's with Dorie: pommes dauphinois

2010-11-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

I have a serious problem with this dish. I am embarrassed to say that I ate 25% of it before dinner was served last night. I am scared to put on my jeans. Instead of walking my usual 2.5 miles today, I am going to have to double that! What was I thinking?

The real problem here is that these are so utterly good, that one cannot just take a small portion. With that said,, eating 25% of the pan, isn't all that unreasonable. Is it? In the past, I have always made Patricia Well's recipe, Gratin Dauphinois from her book At Home in Provence. I adore her books and have made many of her recipes, but her particular dish requires one to cook the potatoes in the cream and milk mixture, on the stove, before layering the pan, etc. An unnecessary step. Dorie's recipe beats out any other potato dish of this kind and this is my new "go-to" dish for those nights when I just don't have time to mess in the kitchen.

Potatoes au Gratin or "scalloped potatoes" as my dad endearingly referred to them as, was one of my dad's favorite dishes. He loved his food. And he loved his restaurants. He was a carbs kind of guy. Happily I admit, I am as well. As I tempered the cream and sliced the potatoes, all I could really think about was my dad. He would have loved these potatoes. And he would have told all his friends about them and he would have talked about them for weeks!

I got my passion for food from my dad. I can remember, even at 10 years old, a huge desire to go to the best restaurant I could find. If someone had mentioned something being the "best", I would make a mental note and hint a little hint to my dad. Growing up we were in no position to eat in these types of restaurants. But, there were those rare occasions when he'd step out and indulge.

I felt such pride the first time I ate at Scandia, Chasens, The Bel-Air Hotel, Spago, The Palm, Musso and Franks, and countless others. And as much as I enjoyed putting on my best outfit, my dad enjoyed it even more. He looked so good in a suit and the smile that stretched from ear to ear, knowing how excited I was, is a memory etched in the back of my brain. I know, if he could have, he would have done it a lot more than he had. Yet, just as much as my dad and I loved dressing up and going to the finest, we also loved a good burger at The Apple Pan, the fried eggs and salami at Nate 'n Als, the fried zucchini circles at The Hamburger Hamlet and the french onion soup at La Frite.

My life today, centers around food, the home, and my kitchen. At age 7, when I whipped up that first cake, from scratch, for my dad's birthday - the feeling was no different. So as I take another bite of these delicious potatoes, I say thank you to my dad for sharing his passion with me and I also say thank you to Dorie for bringing me back to a place in my life that I hold very, very near and dear to me.

around my french table
potato gratin (pommes dauphinois)
page 360-361

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

2010-11-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin is going to be with us for the next two months and I want to capitalize on all that it has to offer. As I start to plan my Thanksgiving feast, in my head, I take into consideration all the wonderful flavors of the season; pumpkin, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberries, brussel sprouts, citrus, apples, pears, pecans, baby squash, beets, and so much more.

I like my Thanksgiving table to be colorful, festive and tasty. I have my trusty favorites;

cranberry-raspberry sauce

beet-pear puree

roasted brussel sprouts

pecan pie

pumpkin praline pie

However, each year, I try to create new dishes. Right after Halloween (like now), I start to mull through magazines (new and old), cook books, the Internet, and my friend's blogs. Each year, I like to try new potato dishes, vegetables, biscuits, savory puddings, breads, and quick breads. I came across this recipe on Molly's blog, Orangette, and ironically I had this recipe earmarked in one of my books, The New Joy of Cooking. It was a sign. I had to try it.

I had a bit of left over pumpkin puree in the fridge and this was a great way for it to not go to waste. I love making quick breads and muffins. Generally, when making both of these, one could easily use things found in your very own pantry. It is a great way to whip up an after school snack, a quick early morning breakfast for the kids and both really take no time at all.

I love this bread. The original recipe called for golden raisins, but I immediately knew I wanted to replace the raisins with cranberries. The pumpkin flavor is not overwhelming, the cranberries add just the right tartness and the hazelnuts add the perfect crunch. This is not only going to be a staple in our home this holiday season, but I already see it wrapped and packaged as gifts for friends and neighbors.

Pumpkin Bread with Hazelnuts + Cranberries

adapted from The New Joy of Cooking

1 9" loaf

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. table salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp. vanilla

6 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cup succanat

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup pumpkin puree, room temperature

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

instructions:

• preheat oven to 350*. Butter a 9 x 5" loaf pan(I used an 8 x 4" loaf pan and two small paper loaf pans).

• whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder. set aside.

• in another bowl, mix the water and the vanilla.

• in a the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. beat in the sugar until combined and just blended. add the eggs, one at a time. add the pumpkin puree and beat on low speed until blended.

• add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the water/vanilla mixture in the two parts.

• scrape down the sides of the bowl and then fold in the hazelnuts and the cranberries.

• pour batter into the prepared pans.

• bake the 8" loaf for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

• bake the mini loaves for about 22-28 minutes.

• let cool on rack for about 15 minutes.

• turn the loaves out onto the wire rack and let cool completely.

I actually made several of these and froze them, individually. Next week I have a breakfast meeting to go to and I plan on taking one of these out of the freezer the night before and reheating, slightly the following morning. This beats dunkin doughnuts any day of the week!

Marie-helen's Apple Cake

2010-11-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I am a couple days late in posting this, but it was a very busy and hectic weekend. Halloween is fun yet daunting all at the same time.

I did make this cake on Friday morning and had nothing but good intentions in posting on Friday. But, between pumpkin carving, an international pot luck at Eli's middle school and making Friday night dinner, I ran out of time. Then the weekend came...and went!

So, here I am, on Monday morning to tell you how much I love this cake. I have so many plans for this cake. I want to make it again, this week (have tons of apples) and make them bite size. I love bite size anything and I have a feeling that this cake would be great as little cakelettes!

Friday morning was wet and rainy. As this cake baked in the oven, my house smelled so good. I could not wait to dig into it. All I wanted to do was cut a huge slice, get under my favorite blanket and catch up on Oprah. But I held out. I restrained. I exercised my skills in will power. Glad I waited. I had some homemade caramel sauce in the fridge. Drizzled a little warm caramel sauce over the cake and it was like eating a caramel apple.

I have committed or possibly over committed to French Friday's with Dorie. But, I love all things Dorie, so I am treating this like an education. Some days you just don't want to wake up and get up and go to class, but you really don't have a choice in the matter. I have made the commitment and I want to see it through.

I am anxiously waiting for the November "assignments" to come my way. If anyone of you want to do this with me, I would welcome the company! It's fun and it forces you to do things you wouldn't normally include in your weekly meal plans. Come on, people, buy the book and let's do this together!

Mmmmmmmmm. Can't wait until the next time I make this cake!

Marie-Helen's Apple Cake

page 432-433

Make it and enjoy a slice for me!

Pumpkin Soup + Halloween Traditions

2010-11-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

We had a weekend filled with Halloween celebrations and traditions. The week started out with a visit to the pumpkin patch The farm that we traditionally visit is about an hour away and it is well worth the drive. It is a huge farm with old fashion fun and games; a huge corn maze, tomato shooting, hay rides, shaved ice, and acres of pumpkins to choose from. Eli is 12 and he still looks forward to our yearly tradition of spending an afternoon simply having fun.

When Eli was very young, my mom started a tradition of carving pumpkins with the kids. We try to do carve as close to Halloween as possible. If we do it too far in advance, the bugs take over and it is not such a pretty site. It's our job to get the pumpkins but it is mom's job to purchase the kits. She and the kids mull over the pages in the book and decide which pattern to recreate. In the past, our pumpkins could have won prizes. This year...not the case. They actually sucked. They were so bad, they were funny. The kids didn't have the patience this year and I think mom was simply tired. None the less, we still set them out on the porch, lit a candle and enjoyed the light!

The day of Halloween was filled with anticipation, parties and dressing up. Isaac went to his friend Gaby's for a pre-dinner extravaganza. His friend's costumes were amazing and it turned out to be a great group of adults. We both thoroughly enjoyed!

"the joker", banana head, the devil, and Darth Vader

After that, Eli was off to his friend, Jamie's. Jamie and her dad create this amazing haunted house. My friend Joanne had commented that "Halloween had thrown up on their lawn". However, I totally disagreed. It was fabulous. I was a tad jealous (unfortunately, I did not get a photo). It was the grave yard of all grave yards and it was super festive. I loved it. Eli ended up going trick or treating with all his "gal pals". When he came home he was happy, happy, happy. And then his molar tooth fell out. I decided to peek through his candy bag. I saw all the OPEN WRAPPERS! He easily could have eaten a pound of candy! No wonder, his tooth fell out!

In the past years, we have always entertained the neighborhood. Some years I would make huge vats of chili with all the fix ins, other years it would be pulled turkey sandwiches, and then there were those years of baked ziti and lasagna. Whatever worked for a crowd, I did it. Yet, this year, since the kids were going to be spread out a bit on Halloween night, I choose to create something quiet, that we adults could eat at our leisure. I made a pot of pumpkin soup (usually ends up on our Thanksgiving table), a huge salad, a hunk of bread and and apple cake (post to follow). I love this soup. It isn't heavy, it could be vegan (replace the butter with coconut oil) and it is hearty. I have been making this soup for over 20 years and to this day, I still look forward to eating it.

Puree of Pumpkin Soup
yield: 1 quart

ingredients:
4 Tbls. unsalted butter or coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
1 medium leek, white part only, chopped
1 pound canned pumpkin puree
4 cups homemade veggie stock
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 bay leaf

instructions:
• in a large stock pot, melt the butter. saute onion and leeks until soft. stir occasionally to avoid burning.
• stir in pumpkin puree, stock, all the spices, and the bay leaf. bring to a boil.
• lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.
• remove the bay leaf and puree the mixture in batches in a blender.

if you desire a creamer soup, add some half and half after it is pureed and cook for a few minutes over low heat.

Polenta Chips

2010-10-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have attempted polenta in the past, however unsuccessfully. So, when I saw several recipes for Polenta in donna hay magazine, I attempted yet one more time. Polenta is so, so easy. I don't know what I was afraid of. I served these chips with Isaac's favorite chicken dish and some roasted brussel sprouts and everyone in my house was perfectly happy with their meal! I love when that happens!

These would make a really good nosh before the Halloween mayhem starts on Sunday night. I am loading my kids up on protein and veggies all day. Boycotting sugar this weekend for fear of what's to come!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Polenta Chips
adapted from DH issue 51

ingredients:
3 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock
1 cup instant polenta
30g butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
sea salt
fresh herbs

instructions:
• place the stock in a heavy duty pan. bring to a boil.
• gradually whisk in the polenta. you want to add slowly, whisking the whole time. otherwise you will get lumps and you can't get the lumps out.
• cook 2-3 minutes or until thickened.
• remove from heat and add the Parmesan, salt, and a little pepper.
• spread mixture into a lightly greased baking pan (i used a quarter sheet pan).
• refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until set.
• slice into strips.
• preheat oven to 425*. brush strips with a little olive oil. place on lightly greased tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown

these are also really good with a side of homemade marinara!

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

2010-10-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

I had this recipe filed away and when I was cleaning out my recipe file the other day, it just happened to slip out and fall neatly on the floor. The universe was on my side because I was in the process of researching what I was going to make for the bake sale at this years Halloween Hoot.

The "Hoot" as we call it in the "hood", is one of our most favorite days and one of our best fundraisers. The school yard is transformed into a magical Halloween wonderland. The haunted house is a scary place, however I appreciate all the dad's that spend their Saturday setting it up. The local restaurants set up their food tents, and each and every one of them donate their "fare", the games area is where Levi spends the majority of his day and the rides, especially the grand prix race track, is where I am guaranteed to find Isaac. The kids art is scattered through out the yard and it is always exciting to see our teachers wondering around, with their own off spring in tow.

The bake sale is a huge draw and I am always up for donating my goodies. This year was no different. Along with 7 dozen garbage disposal cookies, I also made 5 dozen of these mini cupcakes. These are delicious and decorating them with my kids was a fun, creative project!

Mini Halloween Pumpkin Cupcakes
adapted from here
yield: 30

ingredients:
1 cup self rising flour (to make self rising flour, go here)
2/3 cup succanat or brown sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
food coloring, candy, sprinkles, sanding sugar

instructions:
for the cupcakes:
• preheat oven to 350*. line mini muffin tins with 30 liners(I doubled my recipe).
• mix flour, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice in a large bowl
• whisk egg, canned pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, sour cream and vanilla in another bowl.
• mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to combine
• fill liners 2/3 full with batter.
• bake cupcakes about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. remove from the pan and let cool on wire racks.
for the frosting:
• using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and the butter until combined. add the sugar and a touch of vanilla, mix until all is smooth and combined.
• divide the frosting between 3 bowls. tint each bowl, separately, with the food coloring (black and orange).
• chill frosting for at least 2 hours before piping or spreading on cupcakes.
• have fun with the decorations!

October 25th marks my 2 Year Anniversary

2010-10-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I started this blog. Happy Anniversary to the Urban Baker!

I originally started blogging as a way to connect with family and friends who lived all over the country. I thought it would be a great way to share milestones, the kids growth and our families travels. But then, somehow, it turned into something completely different.

I have always enjoyed being in the kitchen and through it's evolution, I saw my blog as a vehicle for creating, for lack of a better description, a virtual photo album for my kids of our journey through food. I have three boys and they don't always join me in the kitchen. I wanted this to be somewhat of an heirloom piece, to be passed down to them. Lord knows, I am not in any photographs with them (as I am always the one with the camera in my hand), at the very least they will remember me not by what I looked like, but by how I shared my love through the food and celebration.

Never in a million years would I have thought that this blog would have brought me so much happiness and satisfaction. I have challenged myself in the kitchen, I have challenged myself with the camera and I have challenged myself with my voice. I have made friends and created relationships that are deep, true and authentic. And through these relationships, I have been introduced to a world, a somewhat virtual world, that is supportive, funny, creative, loving, and inspiring. I have a new found love and appreciation for all things culinary and I have changed the way I grocery shop, feed my family and plan my meals.

I am just a home cook, self taught, yet find ways to learn each and every day. I am not a professional photographer, yet through other blogs and meeting amazing photographers; Penny de los Santos, Diane Cu + Todd Porter, Matt Armendariz, Aran Goyoaga and countless others, I have learned, grown and gone outside my comfort zone. This blog has taught me that I am an eternal student. This blog has kept me humble.

So, in my most humble voice, I raise a glass to you (and to me) and on this day, I say happy 2 year anniversary. May we share many, many more years together!

Bill's Big Carrot Cake
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking, from my home to yours
yield: 10 very big servings

ingredients:
for the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup plump golden raisins
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

for the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut

toasted coconut for garnish

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*. butter 3 9" x 2" cake pans and dust with flour. line the pans with parchment.
for the cake:
• whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. in another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.
• working with a kitchen aid mixer, beat the sugar and oil together on medium speed. add the eggs, one by one, beat until smooth.
• reduce the speed and add the flour and combine. mix in the chunky ingredients. divide the batter between the three pans.
•bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pan from top to bottom, front to back.
• cool on racks for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. invert them and let them cool completely.
for the frosting:
• working with a kitchen aid mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. gradually add the sugar and vanilla. when combined add the coconut.
to assemble the cake:
• put one of the cakes on a cardboard cake round. put a third of the frosting on the cake. top with the second cake and repeat until all three cakes have been frosted.
• toast some additional coconut and then sprinkle the top of the cake with coconut.
• refrigerate the cake before eating.

French Friday's with Dorie: Hachis Parmentier

2010-10-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am sure you all know by know that I am a big Dorie Greenspan fan. So, when I read about French Friday's with Dorie, a virtual cooking class, I immediately signed up. The idea here is that every member of this "cooking class" creates a dish from Dorie's new book; around my french table.

I am thrilled to be a part of this as I was "shut out" of "Tuesday's with Dorie" Each week I would see submissions on tastespotting and completely felt left out. Boo Hoo! I am now a proud memeber of "FFwD". I have yet one more thing to add to my "to do" list, however cooking doesn't feel so much like a chore, I actually enjoy it. I am excited to step a little bit outside of my comfort zone and try a new way of doing things.

When I saw what was on this weeks, menu, I was ecstatic for two reasons. One, I had earmarked this page, and two, "shepherd's pie" was on this weeks meal plan. I was able to check a dinner off my weekly menu and I was able to create dorie's version of this very classic dish!

Hachis Parmentier is simply just a fancy name for shepherd's pie. I made it according to dorie's recipe, however my original plan, was to make one with ground turkey. I am happy I made it Dorie's way.

hachis parmentier
page 258-259
yield: 4-6 servings.

This recipe was easy, super economical and DELICIOUS!!!

Banana Jam

2010-10-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

I think we are all a tad guilty of letting our bananas sit on the counter a bit too long causing them to over rippen. I know, I am. The natural solution is banana bread, banana muffins, after school smoothies. I wanted to try and mix it up a bit.

So, when I posted on Facebook a plea for your suggestions on what to do with over ripe bananas, I got some pretty good comments, However, the best comment came from my friend, Lynne, who suggested a banana spread she had found in Cooking Light Magazine. I went out to buy the magazine but the only thing on the newsstands was the holiday issue. Lynne was sweet enough to forward me the recipe.

I don't even like bananas, I never eat them, and I NEVER eat my own banana bread. Yet, this spread, I was eating out of the jar, with a spoon! How good would this be on the chocolate-cherry bread from La Brea Bakery? I can't stop thinking about it! I am going to make a ton of this come holiday time and include in my cookie crates!

Banana Spread
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
yield: 8 oz.

ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
3 medium, over ripe bananas
2 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of salt

instructions:
• put brown sugar, sugar, lime zest and lime juice in a small sauce pan. bring to a boil.
• add the smashed bananas and reduce heat to medium low.
• cook, uncovered for 45 minutes, breaking up the bananas from time to time
• remove from heat and add the butter and a pinch of salt. stir until butter melts.
• the mixture thickens as it cools.
• place in a ball jar and store in the fridge.

How great would this be at your next brunch, served with homemade biscuits or scones?!

Itsy Bitsy Doughnuts

2010-10-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

I purchased these mini muffin tins a few months back. I have been dying to make some little doughnuts, but for some reason just haven't had the time. With all my meal planning (cooking most nights), three kids going here there and everywhere and all the back to school stuff, I barely have time to focus on the day to day.

Halloween is always a really fun holiday in our house. For the past 9-10 years we have had a neighborhood party. The party, for me, is just an excuse to decorate, create fun and creative food, get everyone in one place, and keep my kids close to home. This year, each of my kids want to invite just a few kids over for dinner(prior to trick-or-treating) and although they are going to gather tons of "junk" as they venture into the neighborhood, I wanted something sweet and festive on the table.

Isaac and I experimented with a baked doughnut recipe I found on one of my favorite blogs, Sprinkle Bakes. Hers were so cute and the recipe seemed easy enough. As I was making the dough, it reminded me of a pancake or waffle dough. There is no yeast involved and all can be done in one mixing bowl. My kind of Sunday morning activity.

All my kids fell in love with these doughnuts! Isaac, my savory, loving, chip eating, curly headed monster could not stop eating them. Generally, when I make something new, he takes one bite and says, "it's just okay". Hence, these he ate proudly!

Vanilla Bean Baby Doughnuts
adapted from here
yield: 4-5 dozen

ingredients:
doughnuts
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted
seeds from half of a vanilla bean

glaze
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 Tbls. whole organic milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
food coloring of your choice

instructions:
doughnuts:
• preheat oven to 425*. spray mini doughnut pans with cooking spray.
• in a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, vanilla seeds, and melted butter.
• mix just to combine. don't over mix
• using a piping bag and medium size tip, fill doughnut trays, 1/2 way full.
• bake 5-8 minutes or until top of the doughnuts spring back when touched.
• let cool in pan 4-5 minutes before removing.
glaze
• in a small bowl, stir together sugar, milk, and vanilla. you may need to add more
sugar, depending upon the thickness you desire. add food coloring and mix until
color is uniform.
• use immediately. sprinkle with nonpareils, or jimmies.

National Dessert Day + Florentine Chocolate Bars

2010-10-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, October 14th, was National Dessert Day. To celebrate the day, I baked several things:

Chocolate Pecan Biscotti • Carole Bloom - intensely chocolate

Florentine Shortbread bars • Fine Cooking Magazine

Lemon Drop Cookies • my recipe

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes • my recipes

The Florentine Shortbread Bar were "sick". These bars are so good, that I couldn't decide it they were a cookie, a candy or a pastry. They were all that, wrapped into one. I love a good Florentine cookies and have been known to make Rose Levy Beranbaum's from time to time. I think it is the caramel aspect of it all. Caramel is my 5th food group. So, if I see caramel anything on a menu I am sure to order it. Finding a recipe with a caramel element, is no different.

In honor of National Dessert Day, I salute all of you chefs, bakers, home cooks, cookbook authors, and fellow food bloggers who continue to inspire me and motivate me to get into my kitchen pretty much seven days a week!

Chocolate Drizzled Florentines
adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine
yield: about 60 pieces (depending upon how you cut them)

ingredients:
for the dough
14 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups ( 1lb. 5oz.) all-purpose flour

for the topping
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 Tbls. light corn syrup
7 oz. unsalted butter
3/4 cup honey
1 cup heavy cream
17 oz. sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted
1/2 cup chopped dried apricot
3 oz. each semisweet chocolate + bittersweet chocolate

instructions:
make the dough:
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, zest, sugar, and salt and beat until light and fluffy. add the egg, scraping down the side of the bowl after mixing.
• add the flour, in three batches, mix until well blended.
• form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. chill for 1 hour.
• preheat oven to 350*.
• line a jelly roll pan with heavy duty foil. butter the foil and set aside.
• between two pieces of parchment, roll the dough to 1/4" thick. remove the top layer of the parchment from the dough and flip it into your prepared pan. once in the pan, remove the second sheet of parchment and with your fingers or with the palm of your hand, spread dough so it evenly rests inside the sheet pan. make sure to get it into the corners of the pan.
• chill until firm.
• lay a piece of parchment on top of the chilled dough. set a second jelly roll pan on top of the parchment lined dough (this is a better method than using pie weights) and press gently. the second sheet pan acts as a weight, creating a very even crust when baked.
• bake for 20 minutes and then remove the foil and the sheet pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
• cool completely on a wire rack.

for the topping:
• in a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. cook until the mixture becomes amber in color.
• the recipe in the magazine says 350* on your candy thermometer. yet, I found that cooking it until about 315-320* was perfectly amber in color. my was starting to smell "burnt" at this point, so I removed it from the heat.
• carefully add the butter and the honey, return to heat and stir until dissolved.
• bring the mixture back to a boil and carefully add the heavy cream ( it will bubble and this is very hot sugar, so be careful not to burn yourself).
• boil the mixture until it reaches 250* on a candy thermometer.
• remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and dried apricots.
• quickly pour the hot caramel over the cooked baked sugar cookie crust. spread mixture evenly with a greased, off set spatula.
• bake until the top begins to bubble, about 20-25 minutes.
• let cool completely. once cool remove from pan and cut into desired size pieces.
• set cut Florentine bars on 2 parchment lined cookie sheets.
• melt both chocolates on top of a double boiler. once melted add about a tablespoon of corn syrup.
• fill a pastry bag fitted with a very small tip, with the warm chocolate. pipe chocolate onto cookies in whatever pattern you desire.
• set on wire racks so chocolate can set ( you may have to stick in the fridge for a bit).

Enjoy these bars!

New Friends, Good Food + Dorie Greenspan

2010-10-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was up in San Francisco, attending the Blogher Food '10 Conference. I did not go last year, yet I was told that it was something that could not be missed. I anticipated this weekend for months. I booked my flight, I made my hotel reservation and I planned my eating itinerary. I packed thoughtfully (however, next year I need to bring another suit case to cart back all the "swag") and I remembered all my computer cables and charged my camera battery! I was set to go.

I was looking forward to spending face time with some of my posse (Gaby, Brooke, Carrie, Jenn, Marla) and I was really looking forward to meeting new people. I took my camera with an extra memory card, anticipating taking tons of pictures. Well, I got caught up in the moment and didn't snap as much as I had hoped. Maybe I was a little "star struck", or just plain overwhelmed. I am kind of mad at myself for not being the shutter bug that I can annoyingly be, yet with that said, I LOVED my weekend. I was inspired, I learned, I ate, I laughed, and I even cried.

The highlight of my weekend was meeting Dorie Greenspan. For years, I have admired her from a far, have been reading her columns in magazines, studying and cooking from her various books, reading her posts on facebook and of course, following her blog. Dorie is lovely, approachable, humorous and humble. I revere Dorie as my mentor as my inspiration and now, my friend.

In celebration of a fabulous weekend, I have made the savory cheese and chive bread from Dorie's new book; around my french table. As I eat this bread and share it with my family, I will savor the memories of meeting lots and lots of amazingly wonderful people, becoming closer with those that I already know and love, recount how Penny de los Santos inspired me and brought me to tears, and embrace how this silly little blog has brought me to a place in my life that fulfills me in ways that I never could have imagined!

savory cheese + chive bread
adapted from around my french table
yield: 1 loaf (I doubled it and made 2)

ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose
1 Tbls. baking powder
1/2- 1tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 generous cup grated Gruyere
2 oz. English white cheddar, cut into cubes
1/2 cup minced fresh chives
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

instructions:
• center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350*
• generously butter an 8" x 4 1/2" loaf pan
• whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and white pepper together in a large bowl
• put the eggs in a large bowl and mix for about a minute, whisk in milk and olive oil.
• pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. using a sturdy spatula, gently mix until the dough comes together.
• stir in the cheeses, herbs, and walnuts. this is a thick dough
• spread into the prepared pan and even out with a spatula.
• bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the bread is golden and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• remove and set on a wire rack to cool for 3 minutes. then run a knife around the edges and then turn the loaf over onto the rack. invert and cool, right side up.

Me, Penny (Penny de los Santos) + Gaby

Top: Diane and Todd (White on Rice Couple)

MIddle left: Helene (mytartelette), right: Brooke

Bottom: Marla, Amanda(I am Baker), Carrie, and Natanya(fete + feast)

visiting the ferry building, walking the farmers market, eating lunch at

il cane rosso and eating treats at miette was a fun field trip

partying with my posse

brooke, jaden, carrie, + marla

GROUP HUG

HP provided this VERY COOL photo booth,
we went a tad crazy snapping fun-silly photos!

before flying out on Sunday morning, I met my cousin for breakfast

at my FAVORITE place; Tartine! It was a gab fest and a carb fest.

Ahhh...the perfect ending to a most memorable weekend!

Until next Year!

Mini Lemon Sponge Tarts

2010-10-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. I love that the air is changing and there is a crispness about it. I love pulling out my sweaters and bundling up and feeling cozy, I love watching my son practice with his football team at the park, and I especially love that my Meyer lemon tree is coming back to life after being dormant all summer long. I love lemons. Perhaps, lemons could quite possibly be my favorite fruit. My mother-in-law laughs at me every time I order an iced tea in a restaurant. I always request a huge bowl of lemons, on the side, and I am very specific on how I like them cut. In wedges, no dinky slices for me. I have to be able to squeeze all of the luscious juices out of them, getting every last drop, including the pulp.

It seemed only appropriate that I make a lemon dessert to celebrate the beginning of fall, coupled with a handful of very ripe lemons on my favorite tree.

This recipe comes from a book that I consider "perfectly perfect", rustic fruit desserts. I bake from it often and, to date, I have had not one catastrophe! The original recipe was for a 10" tart. However, I opted to make minis (I adore mini anything) and in doing so, I had to alter the baking time of the crust (I over baked the first batch of crust and I was unconscious and baked the minis for the same time as the 10". ooops!) These are light, flaky, and utterly delicious!

Lemon Sponge Tart

Short dough
yield: 15 mini tarts or one 10" tart shell

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 Tbls. heavy cream
1 egg yolk

instructions:
• put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl of your food processor.
• add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• lightly beat the cream and egg yolk and add it to the flour mixture, and pulse lightly. you don't want to over process. this will result in less firm, less flaky dough.
• wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a 6"disk and chill for 1 hour.
• preheat oven to 375*
• on a lightly floured surface (the dough is on the sticky side) roll the dough out to 1/8" thickness
• cut enough circles to fit your tart molds. press dough into tart shells. prick a few times with a fork.
• put tart shells on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• cover each tartlette with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
• bake for 17 minutes (for the tarteletts, 30 minutes for the large tart)
• the tarts can be pre-baked one day ahead.

Lemon Sponge Filling

ingredients:
2 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs separated
juice of 2 lemons
2 1/2 Tbls. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

instructions:
• preheat oven to 425*
• in the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and the lemon zest at medium speed until well combined.
• add the egg yolks one at a time. mix until the batter is creamy.
• stir in the lemon juice, then the flour. mix thoroughly. this is a very thin mixture
• in a clean metal bowl, whisk the egg yolks and salt until soft peaks form. gently fold in the egg whites into the lemon mixture until evenly incorporated.
• pour into pre-baked tart shells.
• bake for 5 minutes. turn the oven down to 325* and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, until the filling is golden and firm to the touch.
• cool to room temperature.
• these are best eaten the day they are baked. can be stored in the fridge, for up to 3 days.

Roasted Carrot Soup

2010-10-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here, in fabulous San Francisco, attending BlogHerFood'10(writing this with total and utter glee) and I couldn't leave my home without cleaning out my vegetable drawer. My veggies simply needed some love. And had I not loved my veggies, there would have been lots and lots of waste. I would not have been able to leave in good consciousness had I wasted all those veggies. So, I put my carrots, leeks, celery, kale, chard, radishes, fennel and parsnips to good use. Here is what transpired once I cleaned out the drawer:

Roasted Carrot Soup

Vegetable Stock

Fettuccine with Kale and Sausages
A very, very simple Apple Tart

Israeli salad (cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, red onion, radishes, lemon)

While I roasted my veggies for the soup, I started a big batch of vegetable stock. The beauty of making your own stocks is that you can use up veggies that are on the verge of being thrown out, plus, stocks freeze really, really well! I use both vegetable stock and chicken stock in almost all of my savory dishes and there is really nothing better than homemade stocks!

Roasted Carrot Soup
yield: 2 quarts

ingredients:
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 Spanish onions, rough chopped
3 leeks, white part only, cleaned and chopped (reserve green parts for stock)
3 garlic cloves, rough chopped
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
7 cups vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
fresh chives

instructions:
• preheat oven to 375*. lightly spray a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
• combine the carrots, leeks*, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin on the tray. toss lightly with your hands. spread evenly, try not to overlap veggies.
• roast in preheated oven for 40-55 minutes or until veggies are tender, but not burnt.
•in the meantime, warm your vegetable stock and chop your chives.
• in a blender, blend equal amount veggies and stock until completely pureed. you will have to do this in several batches.
• warm pureed soup over a low flame. you may need to add more stock or water to get the consistency you prefer. check seasonings.
• if you so desire, add some heavy cream (I didn't and it was still delicious)
• serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with chives and a drizzle of good olive oil.

* to clean leeks, cut the white parts in half and soak in warm water for 10 minutes. you will see sand grains at the bottom of your water. rinse and repeat. while you are doing the whites, do the green parts as well as you will be using them in your vegetable stock.

The Best Vegetable Stock

ingredients:
1 lb leeks, white and green parts
1 lb. carrots, cleaned and chopped
1 1/2 yellow onion chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
3 parsnips, chopped
the leaves and ends of a bunch of celery
handful of parsley
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
10 black peppercorns
8 quarts of water

instructions:
• heat a little sunflower oil in a large stock pot ( I use a huge le creuset). saute leeks (white part only), carrots, fennel, parsnip, onion, and celery leaves/ends. saute for 10 minutes until just starting to soften. add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
• once boiled, turn fire down to simmer and slightly cover. simmer for 1 1/2 hours. turn off fire, remove lid and let cool for 30 minutes.
• remove veggies, discard. strain stock into another stock pot. let cool completely.
• once cooled, store in quart sized, freezer friendly containers(I get mine at surfas. will post photos later).
• label the containers with date and description. can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Not your typical "bakery" cookie

2010-10-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

I had a little bit of both chocolate butter cream (from here) and the dulce de leche butter cream (from here) left over, from last weeks creations. If you know me, I don't throw much away. My tomatoes almost gone bad turns into tortilla soup, at the end of the week, my veggie drawer turns into either a stir fry or a big hearty vegetable soup and if I have either (or both) zucchinis and leeks, I make an orzo, a farro salad or some some sort of fritter.

I am a planner. I make lists, I plan a weeks worth of meals and shop accordingly (actually, Miguel shops accordingly- with a typed up list, broken down by market) and I always cook with the mind set that there needs to be something left over for lunch the next day. Yeah, Miguel brown bags it! However, I am guilty of not always following through with my "weekly meal plan" and there are those rare occasions where we call up Mulberry Pizza and order a huge pie.

So, when I had this left over butter cream sitting in the fridge, I couldn't toss it. I found the perfect cookie to embrace two very different butter creams. We brought these to dinner at friends and all enjoyed them as we ate in their Sukkah, under a sky filled with lots and lots of stars.

Orange Rosettes
adapted from here

yield: 2 dozen sandwich cookies

ingredients:
12 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
zest from 2 oranges
1 Tbls. orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*. line 2 baking sheets with parchment
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, confectioner's sugar and the orange zest until smooth.
• add the orange juice and the vanilla.
• in a small bowl, combine the salt, flour, and cornstarch. whisk to combine. slowly add it to the mixer and combine thoroughly.
• place dough in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. pipe small, one inch rosettes onto the parchment lined cookie sheets.
• bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
• allow to cool completely.
• pipe a small amount of butter cream on a rosette and make small rosette cookie sandwiches!

Salmon Cakes

2010-10-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night, my kids trade off choosing the dinner menu. This past Friday, Eli choose roasted salmon, roasted carrot soup, stuffed baked potatoes, and artichokes. I was really happy with this choice. I always buy a little too much. And as I have said before, I hate throwing food away.

The next day I took the salmon, flaked it with a fork and whipped up some salmon cakes for lunch. These are good hot, cold, room temperature. They are just plain good. Squeezed some lemon over them, served over field greens. This is a great way to get a little extra protein into the kids. Plus, if I put it on a mini slider bun, and call it a salmon "burger", slather it with some homemade cocktail sauce, no one complains! It was a simple lunch on a perfect Saturday, shared with my delicious little family!

ingredients:
1/2 lb. cooked salmon
2 Tbls. unsalted butter
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 shallot diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 Tbls. italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbls. capers
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1-2 dashes Sriacha chili sauce
1-2 tsp. old bay seasoning
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
3 Tbls. dijon mustard
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
kosher salt
fresh gound pepper

instructions:
• in a large non-stick sauce pan, melt butter. add onion, shallot, celery, pepper, capers, and parsley and saute for 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Add the capers, worcestershire sauce, Sriacha, old bay, 1 teaspoon salt, and 10 grinds of fresh ground pepper. saute for 1 more minute. let cool
• with a fork, break apart the salmon. put in a bowl.
• in a separate bowl, whisk the dijon, eggs, and egg yolks, until combined. add this to the salmon.
• add the bread crumbs. lastly, add the cooked veggies.
• cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. once chilled, make into patties ( I use an ice cream scooper for size, then flatten and shape into patties). Put on a small cookie tray and freeze for 10 minutes. freezing them helps them to not fall apart.
• heat 2 Tbls. coconut oil in a large saute pan. Saute the salmon cakes and fry until brown on one side. flip and do the other side. set on paper towels to drain while you make the remaining salmon cakes.
• I serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Homemade Bread Crumbs
• cut left over bread into cubes. put in the bowl of a food process fitted with a metal blade. pulse.
• place crumbs on a large sheet pan and toast crumbs in a pre-heated 350* oven for about 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown. these keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Strawberry Crumb Bars

2010-10-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last month I made the chocolate caramel slice bars from donna hay magazine. What a disaster. I did everything that was asked of me, hence it wasn't enough. The caramel filling didn't set and the parchment paper that lined the baking dish was one big sloppy mess ( didn't stop my friend Kate from eating around the edges, licking her fingers - oohing and awwing the whole time ).

I have decided to give her bars another go around. I opted to go with something somewhat safe. She has a recipe for rhubarb crumble slice. I didn't have any rhubarb on hand, but I did have strawberries. So instead, I made strawberry crumble bars.

They were well received. Thank goodness! I do not do well with kitchen disasters. I take it all very, very personal. I needed these to be a winner! And they were.

Strawberry Crumble Bars
adapted from donna hay magazine, issue #51
yield: 24 servings

ingredients:
shortbread crust
1/3 (75g) caster sugar
1 1/2 (225g) cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. baking powder, sifted
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g unsalted butter, melted

strawberry filling
450g strawberries, hulled + chopped
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

crumble topping
1 1/2 cups (225g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
150g cold butter, chopped

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. lightly grease an 9 x 12" baking dish. line with parchment paper and butter the paper.
for the shortbread crust:
• place the sugar, flour, baking powder, egg and butter in a bowl and mix to combine.
• press into your prepared pan. bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and firm.
strawberry filling:
• toss the strawberries, sugar, and vanilla. set aside
for the topping:
• place the flour, sugar and butter in a large bowl and mix to combine. the mixture should resemble coarse bread crumbs.
• spoon the strawberries over the cooked base and top with the crumble topping.
• bake 35-40 minutes or until golden. cut into 2" squares! dust with a little confectioner's sugar!

Coffee, Coffee, and More Coffee

2010-09-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was National Coffee Day. I am not a huge coffee drinker. If I do drink it, I get something like an iced latte. Feels more like a milkshake rather than a coffee drink. Kind of like a snack rather than a vice or a morning habit.

So, I decided to turn my coffee creation into a sweet. No duh ( as Levi has been known to say). These bars pack a huge jolt. With that said, I decided to cut them into small portions. Eat them sparingly!

Coffee Crunch Bars
adapted from here
yield: 48 pieces

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 Tbls. instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sliced almonds

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*. set aside a 9 x 13" baking pan
• whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. set aside.
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until blended.
• add espresso powder and vanilla.
• add flour, in 3 additions, mixing until well combined
• stir in chocolate and almonds
• turn dough into baking pan. spread evenly with an off set spatula. pierce with a fork
• bake until edges are lightly browned and beginning to crisp, 45-50. cool on a rack and after one minute,
score.
• can store in an airtight container for 5 days.

Not Your Average Sloppy Joe!

2010-09-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's the end of September and summer has finally arrived in sunny, southern Cal. Record heat and with record heat, for some of us, comes a loss of electricity and power. I was one of the not so lucky ones that had partial power yesterday. It was over 100 degrees and although I lost power in the kitchen, I didn't loose the air conditioner! Thank goodness for that! However, my fridge was not so lucky. I didn't loose much. I realized the power was out, before my frozen peas and ice cream turned to mush. Eli helped me take much of our perishables to our second fridge/freezer in the garage and eight hours later, the power was back on!

With the day being what it was, I needed something quick, easy and nutritious for dinner. My kids have never really been a fan of Sloppy Joes. I have tried several homemade recipes and until this one, they couldn't stand it. So, when they lifted up the lid on the sauce pot and asked what was for dinner, I renamed it. Instead of them scrunching up their noses and walking away, they asked how soon they could eat (it was 4:45). I happily said, "now"!

I lightly buttered the buns, wrapped them in foil and stuck them in the oven for a few minutes. Then unwrapped them and put them under the broiler for just a few seconds. Roasted some "yam fries" on high heat, cut up some Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, organic sweet onions - sprinkled it with feta and balsamic vinaigrette and voila, dinner in minutes. Isaac added pickles to his sandwich (of course) and Eli added Jalapenos. They each ate two. This is going to be one of those staple weeknight meals.

Sloppy Joes
adapted from an Gourmet Quick Kitchen

ingredients:
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes in juice, drained
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbls. unsalted butter
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/2 lb. organic, ground chuck
1 Tbls. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbls. packed brown sugar
4 potato rolls

instructions:
• heat saucepan over medium heat. add the butter.
• in the bowl of the food processor* fitted with the metal blade(or chop by hand), pulse the onion and the garlic until finely chopped. add to the melted butter. saute until very soft, about 5-10 minutes.
• rough chop both the carrot and celery and add to the work bowl of the food processor. process until finely diced. add to sauteed onions with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. cook until veggies are soft.
• add drained tomatoes to the food process and puree. set aside.
• once veggies are soft add the meat to the pan and brown, stirring to break up the lumps. cook until the meat is no longer pink.
• add the chili powder, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook stirring 2 minutes.
• add the pureed tomatoes, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 6 minutes.
• season, if needed, to taste and place on buns and eat!

* I use the food processor to chop my veggies because my kids do not like chunks of veggies in their food, unless it is a big bowl of soup!

Yam Fries

ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbls. good olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
3/4 tsp. ground chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

instructions:
• preheat oven to 500*.
• wash, peel and cut sweet potatoes into long match sticks.
• spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
• mix potatoes with the rest of ingredients and massage spices and oil into the potatoes.
• spread, evenly, in one layer, on the prepared sheet pan and put in the middle of the preheated oven.
• bake for 30 minutes. rotate pan half way through and turn fries a couple of times during cooking.
• sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve.

A Big Birthday Cake

2010-09-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

I don't really make a lot of cakes. I make loafs, I make coffee cakes, I make bundt cakes, and lots of other cakes. However, I don't make a lot of layer cakes. I was requested to make a layer cake for a friend of a friends birthday. If you know me, you know I have hard time saying NO. So, I made a birthday cake.

I happen to love Rose's Heavenly Cakes cookbook and adore her recipes. I really wanted to make one of her cakes but for some reason or another I stumbled upon Dorie's Black and White Chocolate Cake. Glad I did.

The recipient of the cake came up to me after his first bite and said that this was his favorite kind of birthday cake and how did I know. I wanted to tell him I was psychic and that I know all things flour, sugar, and butter. But it was his 85th! I didn't want him to go into shock. Instead, I just nodded and wished him a very, very happy birthday!!

Black and White Chocolate Cake
adapted from here
yield 18 servings

ingredients:
for the cake
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. slat
1 1/4 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
for the dark chocolate butter cream
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
6 Tbls sugar
3 Tbls. cornstarch, sifted
1/4 tsp. salt
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 1/2 Tbls. unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces, room temp.
white chocolate whipped cream
6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 crushed chocolate covered cocoa nibs

instructions:
• preheat the oven to 350*. butter 2 9" x 2" round cake pans, dust them with flour and line the bottom of the pans with parchment. set aside
for the cake
• sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
• in a standing mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. add the sugar. add the eggs, one at a time, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. beat in the vanilla, the mixture will look curdled. reduce the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. scrape down the side of the bowl and mix one more time.
• divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a spatula.
• bake for 28-30 minutes, rotating the pans at the midway point.
• when done, transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
for the chocolate cream
• bring milk to a boil
• in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, cornstarch and the salt until thick and well blended.
• whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk- this will temper, or warm the yolks so they don't curdle. still whisking, add the remaining milk in a steady stream. put the pan over medium heat and whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly, bring the mixture to a boil. keep whisking for 1-2 minutes. remove from the heat.
• whisk in the melted chocolate, and let stand for 5 minutes. whisk in the pieces of butter, until fully incorporated and smooth. press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream. refrigerate until chilled. can be made 3 days in advance.
white chocolate whipped cream
• put the white chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water. meanwhile bring 1/3 cup of the heavy cream to a boil. when melted, remove bowl from the pan. pour the heavy cream over the melted chocolate. mix until smooth. let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
• working with a standing mixer, whisk the remaining 1 cup of cream, until it reaches the softest peaks.
• turn the machine to high and add the cooled white chocolate and beat it until it reaches firm peaks. put a piece of plastic wrap over it and put in the fridge for 2 - 6 hours.
assembly
• using a long serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to even them. slice each layer horizontally in half. place one layer cut side down on a cardboard cake round.
• remove the dark and white chocolate creams from the fridge and whisk each of them vigorously to loosen and smooth them. on one layer, spread some chocolate (about 1 cup) over the cake layer. put a cake layer on top of that. cover second layer with white chocolate whipped cream. repeat with the remaining layers.
• frost the exterior of the cake with the white chocolate whipped cream
• decorate the top with the crushed chocolate covered cocoa nibs
• chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Ice Cream Cake + A Memory

2010-09-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Growing up, summer time meant spending time on Balboa Island. Some summers, we would rent a house. Sometimes with another family, yet most summer's we just rented our own home. We participated in many daily activities; fishing in the bay, riding around the island in a small motor boat, and riding our bikes until the moon was our only light source. The most important daily activity was eating a "bal bar". A bal bar is basically a brick of ice cream with a stick in it. Then it is dipped in the most amazing chocolate sauce and covered in either nuts or jimmies. I always went for the nuts (see original ice cream here).

This dessert reminds me of my childhood. For me, it's all about the nuts. The original bal bar didn't have cake in it. However, topping this dessert off with roasted, salted peanuts brought back some darn good memories!

Brown Butter Pound Cake
yield 1 - 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf
adapted from here

ingredients:
2 1/4(9 oz.) sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sifted cake flour (before measuring)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*. butter and flour an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf pan
• heat butter in a 10" skillet over medium heat until milk solids on bottom are dark chocolate brown (don't walk away, it burns super fast). transfer to a shallow bowl and chill in freezer until congealed, 15 minutes.
• whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
• in a mixer, beat sugars and brown butter until fluffy (the smell at this point is intoxicating). add eggs, one at a time. add vanilla.
• mix in flour mixture until just incorporated.
• transfer to prepared pan. bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. cool in pan for 1 hour, then invert onto cake rack to cool completely.
• once cooled, stick in the fridge for an hour(this makes it easier to cut).
• this pound cake can stand on it's own. it is delicious!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream w/Cookie Dough
adapted from David Lebovitz
yield 4 cups ( you will need three cups for this recipe)

ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half, lengthwise
6 large egg whites
3/4 tsp. vanilla

instructions:
• warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of cream, and salt in a medium saucepan.
• scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean as well.
• cover, remove from heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• pour the remaining 1 cup into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
• in a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• stir the mixture, constantly, over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula.
• pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.
• put the vanilla bean into the custard, add the vanilla extract and stir until cool, over an ice bath.
• chill the mixture in the fridge for about 3 hours.
• when ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving (I make vanilla sugar with it). freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• before transferring to a plastic container, mix in your favorite cookie dough(it is best if your cookie dough chunks have been previously frozen).
• freeze in an air tight container.

Glaze

ingredients
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped

instructions
• bring the cream + corn syrup to a boil in a heavy saucepan. remove from heat.
• pour cream mixture over chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. let stand about an hour,
but still pourable.

Assembly:
• cut the cake in half, lengthwise. Then cut it again. You will end up with 4 parts, all about 1" thick.
• freeze the four pieces on a sheet pan for about an hour.
• 15 minutes before taking the cakes out of the freezer, let ice cream rest on your kitchen counter. you want your ice cream spreadable.
• line a 9" x 9" square baking pan with plastic wrap. make sure there is enough overhang to wrap the cake tightly.
• take two of your cake pieces and lay them on the bottom of prepared pan.
• spread a little of your glaze on the surface of the cake. freeze for 15 minutes
• spread your ice cream ( 3 cups) over the cake. smooth with an off set spatula.
• lay the other two pieces of cake directly over the ice cream layer. press gently to get the cake to stick to the ice cream.
• wrap the cake with the plastic wrap(the overhang of your pan). wrap a 2nd layer of plastic wrap around the entire pan.
• freeze over night.
• remove the cake from the pan. discard the plastic wrap. cut off the uneven ends(my kids made good use of the rejected ends), creating a 7 1/2" x 7 1/2" square. cut into desired size squares(I did 1 3/4" squares).
• put the squares on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. quickly, spoon your glaze over the cake squares. sprinkle each mini cake with nuts, jimmies, m+m's, what ever strikes your fancy. Set in the freezer until ready to eat!

There are so many variations one could do with this idea. Although it was a laborious task, I would certainly do it again. However, may wait until next Spring. At the moment, I am kind of relishing all the seasonal fruits I am finding at the local farmer's market! Be on the look out for lots of tarts, stewed fruits and galettes!

Dulce de Leche Buttercream + a cupcake

2010-09-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been very, very busy. Between Miguel's birthday, beginning of school, the Jewish New Year and catering a party for a bunch of "ladies", I am happy to finally be on the other side!

At the last minute, the hostess of the party(that I was catering) called to say they needed some sort of "cupcake" so they could honor the birthday girl. My original plan for desserts were the bite sized ricotta cheesecakes (here), apple galettes (here), and lemon tartlettes (recipes to follow). Four desserts was a little over the top. I opted to swap out the galettes and replace them with these little chocolate cupcakes. Everyone was glad I did!

I made a batch of my favorite devil's food chocolate cupcake recipe (here). Topped them with the most delicious dulce de leche frosting and finished them off with crushed, chocolate covered cocoa nibs. This was one fantastic creation!

Dulce de Leche Buttercream w/devils food cupcakes
yield: 36 cupcakes 2 oz. cupcakes

ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbls. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
3/4 cups prepared Dulce de leche
1/2 cup crushed chocolate covered cocoa nibs

instructions:
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter.
• gradually add the sifted powdered sugar
• add the cream and the vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth.
• add the Dulce de leche and combine on low speed
• depending upon how you like your frosting, you may want to add more sugar
• scoop frosting into a piping bag fitted with desired tip
• top with crushed cocoa nibs

note: I used 2 oz. souffle cups, filled them 2/3's full and baked them at 350* for 18-22 minutes

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll

2010-09-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

The kids survived the first week of school ( quite happily, I may add) and now we are on to week 2. Thus far, I have done a pretty good job of making lunches the night before (sans the sandwich or hot food) and my goal for breakfast is to have goodies on hand, in the freezer, ready to bake off before the kids wake up.

I don't always give them something sweet in the a.m. Once a week Eli requests "eggy sopita" lovingly coined by our nanny when Eli was oh so young. Eggy sopita is an egg, dropped in boiling water for 4 minutes. I then take the egg out of the water and crack open it's shell and scoop out the soft, gooey center into a heated ramekin with a tad of melted butter. The ramekin is then put over the flame for a few minutes to finish cooking. Add S + P, serve with "toast slices", along with some berries and this is one of those perfectly balanced meals
( when I was growing up, we didn't have a name for it, but the name "eggy sopita" is here to stay). Isaac likes a BLD - turkey bacon, lettuce, Dijon on toasted sour dough. And Levi likes a "push down"; a toasted whole wheat English muffin, once out of the toaster, we put a slice of cheese between the two halves and "push it down". Other than these favorites, it is usually normal stuff like, bagels, fruit, fruit smoothies with protein powder + yogurt and sometimes, a bowl of cereal.

Today, the kids had fruit smoothies and these wonderfully easy chocolate chip cinnamon rolls. No yeast, therefore no rising. The wet ingredients included cottage cheese. Cottage cheese you say! I said the same thing and this ingredient almost deterred me from making them. Glad I didn't follow my instincts. These are light and delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll
adapted from here
yield: 12 buns

ingredients:
cinnamon rolls
3/4 cups cottage cheese
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
4 Tbls. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
9 oz. all-purpose flour
1 Tbls. baking powder

filling
1 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup mini bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup toasted pecan, chopped

glaze
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk
drop of vanilla

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. spray a 12 capacity muffin tin. set aside.
cinnamon rolls
• combine all wet ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. pulse until smooth, about 10 seconds. add the dry ingredients and pulse in short bursts until the dough clumps together.
• lightly flour your work surface ( I use a marble slab) and knead dough with the heal of your hand, 4-5 times.
• with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12 x 15" rectangle.
filling
• brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges.
• in a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients
• sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area. push the mixture into the dough(I use a piece of wax paper and lay on top of the mixture and press gently to get the goods into the dough).
• starting at the long edge, roll up the dough jelly roll style. pinch the seams and leave the ends open
• cut 12 equal parts and set each piece in the individual muffin tins.
• bake 22 - 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
• let cool 5 minutes and remove from the muffin tin. cool, slightly on wire racks.
• mix ingredients for the glaze and drizzle on top.
• mmm mmm good!

note: if you want to make these in advance, freeze them in the muffin tins, uncooked. once frozen, remove from muffing tin and place in a freezer bag and seal tightly. these will last for a month in the freezer. when ready to bake, remove from the freezer and let rest in your muffin tin while your oven is preheating. add 5 minutes or so to the baking time!

Zucchini Ricotta Tart

2010-09-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

I made this tart last week and I seriously can't stop thinking about it. I have a little ricotta in the fridge as well as some zucchini's and I may just have to whip one up today to accompany tonight's dinner. I found this recipe on Heidi Swanson's blog; 101 Cookbooks. I did not file this recipe in my ever growing folder of "things to make", instead it lived on my kitchen counter to remind me that this was something I wanted to eat, immediately.

I made the crust in advance and then just assembled the tart a few hours before baking and serving. Generally, I am a huge fan of everything Heidi. However, this crust just did not work for me (or my guests). I was perfectly content eating a crust less tart, however next time I am going to opt for a cornmeal crust. I think a cornmeal crust will be the perfect compliment to this rich, yet light, savory, and delicious tart. I may even make minis (5") and freeze them. Pair this with a wonderful field greens salad and one has the perfect lunch!

Lasagna Tart
adapted from here
yield: 8-12 servings

Tomato Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. olive oil
dash of red pepper flakes
pinch of kosher salt
1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 Tbls. heavy cream
2 medium zucchini, sliced very thin ( I used a mandoline)
sea salt

instructions:
• make crust of your choice. I am going to try this one, next time (here) and add a little Parmesan cheese to it.
• preheat oven to 375*
• slice the zucchini's very thin and set in a colander. sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and set colander over a bowl. let them sweat while you make the tomato sauce.
• set a small saucepan on the stove. add the garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and the salt and turn the heat on to medium-high. cook until the garlic starts to sizzle. stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer and turn down heat. let simmer for 15-20 minutes. remove (this can be done a day ahead).
• combine the ricotta, heavy cream, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• pat the zucchini dry.
• to assemble the tart; spread half of the ricotta mixture on to the tart shell. spoon half the sauce over that and then arrange the zucchini circles over the first layer of sauce. repeat this layer one more time, using up all your ingredients. sprinkle, generously with fresh, grated Parmesan.
• place the tart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the tart is cooked through. remove from the oven and let cool for about 1o minutes before serving.

• we ate it at room temperature and it was simply scrumptious!

Lemon Bars in the Round

2010-09-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

I have been testing various lemon desserts. When I found this one on Tastespotting, I was immediately attracted to it. Why you ask? Because this particular lemon "bar" does not require making a curd. No curd, you say. I am IN!. With that said, this recipe took 20 minutes to assemble. And 20 minutes is the perfect amount of time when uninvited guest show up at your door, on a weeknight! This is being added to my repertoire and I am insisting that it is added to yours as well!

Classic Lemon Bars
adapted from here
yield: 12 slices

ingredients:
1 cup plus 2 Tbls. flour
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbls. icing sugar
8 Tbls. cold, unsalted butter, cubed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of sea salt

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*
• in a small bowl combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup icing sugar. cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal ( i used my food processor). press evenly into the bottom of an un-greased 8" round pan. poke holes with a fork.
• bake about 15 minutes, until light golden. remove from oven and set aside
• in the work bowl of an electric mixer,beat the eggs until frothy. add the sugar. add the lemon zest and the lemon juice, beat at high speed for 10 minutes. the mixture should be smooth and thick.
• mix the flour and the baking
• in a bowl, combine the baking powder, salt and 2 Tbls. of flour and gradually add in the egg mixture.
• pour into the baked crust and bake for about 20-25 minutes until set and lightly browned. cool on a wire rack. when cool, sift with powdered sugar, cut into wedges and eat!

Peanut, Butter, and Jelly LInzertorte

2010-09-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

School has not even started yet and the requests and the obligations are already starting. I am not complaining. I love to do and give. I am the first to respond to the emails offering my services. However, I am wondering where the time goes. Didn't the kids just get out of school? Didn't we just begin 12 weeks of lazy days, biking at the beach, basketball in the back yard and staying up late playing Apples to Apples and Bananagrams? Oh, how I am going to miss these long, lazy days of summer.

It is now time to return to packing lunches, the morning rush, the dreaded homework, racing to all the after school, extracurricular activities and driving, driving and more driving.

This past week was jam packed. I think I spent almost everyday in the kitchen. Between Labor Day BBQ's, hosting a Jewish New Year dinner for 25, catering a dinner party for 12 and prepping for back to school lunches, my "to do" list was miles long. I somehow managed to survive.

This torte was the last thing on my very long list. Our school has a tradition of welcoming the teachers and the staff back to school with an appreciation lunch. Nothing says "back to school" like Peanut, butter, and jelly" and this torte was may way of saying, I appreciate all that you do for our community and my children.

Peanut, Butter, and Jelly Linzertorte

adapted from Ready for Dessert

yield: 1 9" tart

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup ( 6 oz.) unsalted butter, cubed + chilled

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups jelly ( I used wild blueberry)

instructions:

• preheat oven to 350*. butter the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

• in the bowl of a food processor, process the peanuts until chopped and ground. add the

flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. pulse until well incorporated.

• add the butter and pulse until it resembles coarse meal.

• add the egg and the egg yolk and process until the dough comes together.

• transfer two thirds of it to the prepared pan. press the dough evenly into the bottom and about

1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan. the dough is sticky. use wet hands to help in this process.

• spread the jelly, evenly over crust.

• lightly flour a work surface. pinch off pieces of the remaining dough and roll them into long ropes.

arrange the ropes on top of the jelly, spacing them an inch apart from one another, until you have gone

across one end of the dough. arrange a second set of ropes on the tart, positioning them diagonally across

the first ones, to create a lattice top. don't worry about this looking "pretty".

• bake until deep golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. let cool completely.

• run a knife around the edges to help loosen it.

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

2010-09-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

Another birthday for Miguel. It feels like yesterday when I met him. Actually, it wasn't yesterday, it was 32 years ago. Thirty two coconut or carrot cakes later, he still requests one or the other each year. This year he didn't give any hints. So, I made an executive decision and I went with the coconut.

Made a new cake recipe and my old standby frosting. Thumbs up all the way around. May have to stick with Rose's coconut cake recipe as the critics highly approved!!

Heavenly Coconut Cake
adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes
yield: cupcakes

ingredients:
cake
3 large egg whites at room temperature
2/3 cup (5.3 oz.) canned cream of coconut
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 cup minus 1 Tbls. superfine sugar
1/2 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbls. unsalted butter
1/2 cup toasted, sweetened coconut flakes

frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
4 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds only
3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

instructions:
cake:
• line cupcake trays with liners. preheat oven to 350*.
• toast the coconut on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes. set aside.
• in a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites, 3 tablespoons of the cream of coconut, the vanilla, and the coconut extract just until combined.
• in the bowl of a food processor, process the sugar and the coconut until the coconut is powder.
• in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle, mix the coconut mixture, flour, baking powder, and salt on low speed, about 30 minutes. add the butter and the remaining cream of coconut. mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. raise the speed to medium and beat about 2 minutes.
• gradually add the egg white mixture in two parts, beating for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients. scrape the batter down on the sides of the bowl.
• fill each cupcake liner about two thirds full.
• bake for 15-22 minutes. insert a toothpick in the center of one of the cupcakes. if it comes out clean, they are done.
• let cool completely before frosting.

frosting:
• in the bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until well incorporated. add the vanilla bean seeds, scraped from the pod. add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. I like my frosting a little bit thicker. Add your powdered sugar until you get the consistency that you desire.
• fill a pastry bag with the frosting and pipe cupcakes. sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Mini Apple Galettes and a Happy New Year!

2010-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

"Apples dipped in honey for Rosh Hashanah! This time of year I hear my kids singing this song around the house, unconsciously, and it always makes me smile. The apples, and especially the honey, represent a "sweet new year". So, this time of year, I try and incorporate both apples and honey into almost everything I make.

This year, I am making a plethora of goodies, however these mini apple galettes are something I am really excited about. I love making galettes almost anytime of year. Who doesn't like pie? And better yet, who doesn't like an "unconstructed" pie? There is nothing easier than rolling out some dough, in a not so perfect way, and throwing on some of your favorite fruit, mixed with a little citrus zest, some sugar and voila...a quick, easy, and delicious dessert.

This is one perfect dough! I am adding this to the frozen food section in my freezer!

Galette Dough
adapted from rustic fruit desserts
yield: 9 minis (5"round)

ingredients:
dough
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbls. sugar
3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
3/4 cup ( 6 oz.) cold, unsalted butter
3 Tbls. ice water ( plus a little extra)
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

fruit
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 Tbls. corn starch
1/2 tsp. sea salt
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 lbs. prepped fruit

instructions:
dough
• put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stir to combine, then put in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
• cut the butter into 1/2" pieces , then add it to the flour mixture and toss until each cube of butter is coated with the flour mixture. cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender, just until the ingredients become coarse and crumbly.
• stir the water and the lemon juice and drizzle over the dough. the dough will hold together when squeezed together in your hand. add more water if needed.
• dump the pastry onto a floured surface and pat into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• roll out dough and cut into several 5" circles. line rolled pastry on parchment lined baking sheets. set, covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator until ready to use.

fruit
• in a bowl, mix vanilla sugar, cornstarch, zest, and salt. sprinkle 1/4 tsp. over each piece of dough, leaving a 1" border around the edge.
• toss the apples in the remaining sugar mixture. arrange a few slices of apple on each piece of dough. drizzle a little of the apple juices over the fruit.
• fold the outer edges of the dough over the outermost apples, pleating the dough as necessary.

baking:
• preheat the oven to 400*. put the galettes in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to chill and relax the dough.
• sprinkle galettes with turbinado sugar.
• bake in the lower third of the oven for 25-28 minutes. then turn the oven down to 350* and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling. cool for 30 minutes before serving. these will last 2 days, covered with a tea towel.

Dad...Happy 90th!

2010-09-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today, my dad would have been 90 years old. I truly thought he would be here, celebrating along with us. Sadly, that is not the case.

As I have mentioned in many of my past posts, my dad loved his sweets. He would drive pretty much anywhere to get his favorite pecan bun, loaf of bread, tuna sandwich, or burger. Martino's Bakery in Burbank, was no exception. Their tea cakes were a staple at most holiday or family gatherings. These tea cakes are simply a square cupcake. The cake is a moist, buttery, mapley cake with the most perfect maple glaze. I have already eaten one. I may just have to eat one more, in honor of my dad.

Happy Birthday, Dad. I miss you each and every day!

Quinoa Falafels

2010-09-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

In college, I discovered falafels. I happen to be a lover of most things fried (unfortunately for me) and eating a falafel with tons of veggies and avocado makes devouring them a bit more acceptable. As I have mentioned in the past, I am a fan of Dave Lieberman and his book; the 10 things you need to eat, makes me like him all that much more.

Dave taught me a thing or two about quinoa. Most recipes say a 2 to 1 ratio when making most grains. Yet, with quinoa, this rule does not apply. However, up until acquiring Dave's book, I was no good at making quinoa and basically, gave up. His tip: use 1 1/4 cups water to 1 cup quinoa. Genius!

I like to make a big batch of quinoa and keep it in the fridge. Not only do I make these amazing falafel balls, but I also love to make quinoa cakes ( similar to a veggie patty) and the quinoa breakfast cereal (here). The cooked quinoa can stay in the fridge, for about a week. The only down side to this recipe is that they have to be eaten within a short time of making them. They get a little soggy and don't really keep their texture nor their taste. Too bad for Miguel. He loves to take his lunch to work and this could be one of those perfect foods.

I like to serve them with fresh whole wheat pita, homemade hummus and a huge Israeli salad! My kids have fallen in love with these. And getting this kind of protein in them makes me very happy!

Quinoa + Chickpea Falafel
yield: 30 balls

ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp. black pepper
canola oil for frying

instructions:
• combine chickpea flour, cumin, olive oil, and boiling water in large bowl. mix well with a fork to form a paste. let sit for about 10 minutes. add the remaining ingredients except for the canola oil.
• heat the canola oil in a small dutch oven ( i use a small le creuset) on medium heat ( you don't want to burn the oil). using a deep frying thermometer, heat to 350*
• using a small, 1-2 tablespoon size ice cream scooper, scoop batter to make free formed balls and dump, gently into the hot oil. put 5-6 in the pot at at time. you don't want to overcrowd the pan and you also don't want to reduce the heat of the oil. cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.
• drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet. repeat with the remaining batter.
• serve at once.
• serve with warm pita, hummus, Israeli salad, eggplant dip, or whatever suits your fancy!

I like to make hummus and keep it in the house. It is so inexpensive to make and literally takes 5 minutes from start to finish. And in my opinion, the only way to make an Israeli salad is to chop the veggies really, really fine. Keeping this on hand keeps me far away from the sweets!

Hummus
yield: 2 cups

ingredients:
1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed twice (reserve the liquid)
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
4 Tbls. freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Tbls. reserved liquid
several dashes of Sriracha (Asian hot sauce)
chopped parsley

instructions:
• put garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until pureed. taste for seasoning, add kosher salt and a little pepper to taste. sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley. serve with toasted pita chips and cut up veggies.

Israeli Salad

ingredients:
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 4 Persian cucumbers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 7 radishes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 Tbls. basil
• juice of one lemon
• dash or two of olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste

instructions:
• chop all veggies super small. add to the bowl.
• squeeze lemon over veggies. add olive oil and toss.
• season with salt to taste
• add basil right before eating!
paprika

Black Bottom Pecan Praline Bars

2010-09-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

We had way too many commitments this past weekend. Which always means lots of cooking and lots of transporting. I wanted simple, easy and stuff that I could do in advance.

I was doing my early morning blog reading, when I was inspired (yet again) from Patricia's post on these lovely bars. I instantly made a batch before the kids woke up. The praline mixture was the perfect balance of very, very sweet with salty. I "accidentally" licked the spatula after I laid the praline mixture over the brownie base. Oops! It was a tiny morsel of perfection.

Another plus to these perfect bars; no mixer required. Happiness all the way around!

Black bottom pecan praline bars
adapted from here
yield 16 pieces

ingredients:
brownie layer
2 oz. (56g) unsweetened chocolate (I use valhrona)
4 Tbls. (56g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup + 1 Tbls. (112g) caster sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cold large egg
1/4 cup (35g) all purpose flour

praline layer:
1/4 cup (35g) all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbls. (56g) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. (70g) packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups (140g) pecans, coarsely chopped

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350* butter an 8" square pan and line the bottom with parchment, leaving an overhang. butter the parchment.
for the brownie layer:
• place the chocolate and the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. stir frequently until smooth and the butter has melted.
• remove the bowl from the heat. stir in the sugar, vanilla, + salt with a spatula.
• add the egg. stir in the flour and beat it until the batter is smooth, glossy, and beginning to come away from the sides of the bowl.
• spread the brownie batter in a thin layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
for the praline layer:
• mix the flour and baking soda together, set aside
• combine the melted butter, sugar, and slat in a medium bowl. stir in the egg yolk and vanilla, then the flour mixture and finally the nuts.
• drop spoonfuls all over the top of the brownie batter ( the praline mixture will spread).
• bake until the edges and top are well browned and cracked, 20-25 minutes.
• let cool completely in pan on a rack.
• lift the ends of the parchment and transfer to a cutting board. cut with a warm knife.

Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Streusel Topping

2010-09-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in previous posts, at the beginning of each month, the G's receive a box or two of my baked treats(see original post, here). With another school auction this past spring, I was asked to donate yet another "sweet of the month" and me being who I am, I couldn't say NO. So now, both the G's and the M's get something sweet, on their doorstep each month ( sometimes even twice a month).

I needed to use up, yet, more zucchini. I have been making a lot of tarts and baked savory dishes and was ready for something sweet. I found this recipe for a cake (here), but changed it up a bit. Instead of the cake, I choose to make muffins. I was able to pack up a half a dozen muffins for each the G's and the M's and they had a nice little treat for a weekday morning breakfast.

All three of my kids ate these without one mention that there was something "green" in their muffin. I made a few extra and froze them after they were baked. With school looming right around the corner, these are going to be a feather in my cap on those oh so very rushed mornings. These are a win, win sweet + savory treat!

Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Streusel Topping
yield: 22 muffins

ingredients:
muffins
1/2 cup softened butter, organic
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups all- purpose flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat organic flour
2 1/4 cups, peeled, grated zucchini

streusel topping
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3/4 cup mini, bittersweet chocolate chips

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. Line 2 - 12 cup capacity muffin tins with paper liners.
for the cake:
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. add the eggs, vanilla, water, and buttermilk, mix to combine.
• in another bowl, combine both flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. whisk to combine.
• add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and combine. fold in the zucchini.
• using a 1/4 cup ice cream scooper, scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. fill them up about 3/4 of the way to the top.
for the streusel topping
• combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly
• sprinkle mixture (about 1 tablespoon) over each muffin.
• bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes.

enjoy with a big glass of cold milk!

Olive Oil Citrus Cake

2010-08-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

In my house, olive oil, zest and the juice from citrus, generally means - marinate the chicken breasts and light the BBQ. However, today, I used these few ingredients in a whole new way. In a cake!

The fusion of the citrus zest and the olive oil, mixing around in my kitchen aid, permeated my kitchen with the most wonderful scent. I could not wait for this cake to emerge from the oven.

I am going to make this cake over and over again. Next time, mini olive oil citrus cakes, anyone?

Olive Oil Citrus Cake
adapted from rustic fruit desserts
1 8" cake

ingredients:
cake
1 1/4 cups unsifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbls plus 3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 grapefruit
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

glaze
3/4 - 1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbls. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. using a paper towel, coat a 8" round baking pan with olive oil, then sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar. set pan aside.
for the cake
• sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, twice.
• using your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and the zests on high speed for 5 minutes, until the eggs thickened.
• add the vanilla, turn the mixer down to low speed and add the olive oil into the batter, pouring slowly along the edge of the bowl.
• add the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. pour into prepared pan.
• bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake is golden and has domed in the center. cool to room temperature.
for the glaze
• sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl. whisk in the grapefruit juice to combine. pour over the cooled cake.

wrapped in plastic wrap, the cake will keep for 2-3 days!

Mini Zucchini-Pecan Cakes

2010-08-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

I am thinking of many ways to use up all the zucchini that I currently have on hand. I had bought some at the farmers market and then my sister-in-law brought me a few beautiful zucchini's from her garden. I have made a vegetable tian (layered potatoes, Roma tomatoes, + zucchini, over caramelized onions, baked and topped with Gruyere ), zucchini feta fritters, and now these wonderful, bite-size cakes. I feel the secret to the success of these cakes was the olive oil!

The original recipe called for a cake pan. Yet, I needed something that one could grab and go. I baked this recipe off in my mini bundt pans. Glad I did! The cake was light, sweet, savory and utterly delicious!

Zucchini-Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from Bon Apettit Magaizne
yield: 22 mini bundts

ingredients:
cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup olive oil ( not extra virgin )
1 cup sucanat ( or light brown sugar )
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (8 oz)
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

cream cheese frosting
8 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbls. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

instructions:
for the cake
• preheat oven to 350*. Brush two mini bundt pans (12 bundt capacity) with melted, unsalted butter. set aside
• whisk flour, baking powder, coarse salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
• in another bowl, whisk oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, mix to blend.
• fold in the flour mixture
• fold in the zucchini and pecans.
• fill up bundt pans a little more than 1/2 way full. place bundt pans on a baking sheet
• bake cakes until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.
• cool completely on wire racks. turn cakes out onto a platter and set aside
for the frosting:
• using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until combined. add remaining ingredients and beat until thick ( you may need more sugar).
• pipe a dollop on each cake.
• can be made a day ahead ( I made the cakes the day before and frosted the day of ). cover and chill in fridge.

Bite Sized Ricotta Cheesecakes

2010-08-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

I live in house of cheesecake lovers. Big, small, bite-sized or sliced, it really doesn't matter. Up until today, the household favorites have always been the raspberry ( or chocolate ) swirl cheesecakes (here) and the mini mascarpone - chocolate cheesecakes (here). However, today, we have added yet another version of a cheesecake to the top of the list.

I had saved this recipe from a back issue of donna hay magazine. Yet, another recipe in my overflowing "file" of all things edible that I hope to accomplish in this life time! I was reminded of it when I was reading Patricia's blog, Technicolor Kitchen, and of course, she beat me to it! Hers looked perfectly perfect.

I wanted to give these a trial run for an upcoming dinner event I have next month. My three trustworthy taste testers gave them the thumbs up! And, I am confident you will too!

Vanilla + Macadamia Crumble Mini Cheesecakes
adapted from donna hay magazine #17
yield 48 bite sized morsels of goodness

ingredients:
cheese cake
370g ricotta cheese
300g cream cheese
1 1/3 cups (267g) caster sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

base
125g shortbread cookies ( I used these )
1/2 cup (50g) almond meal
45g unsalted butter, melted

crumble topping
100g shortbread cookies
1/2 cup (70g) unsalted macadamia nuts
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbls. brown sugar, packed
50g unsalted butter, melted

instructions:
• preheat oven to 285*
for the base:
• in the bowl of a food processor, process the cookies ( I had some lemon scented sables in the freezer that I baked off, however any shortbread would work ) until crushed. add the almond meal and the butter and process until combined.
• press 2 tsp. of the crumbs into mini silicone muffin tins. using a 1/8 cup measuring cup ( or a small bottle) flatten the crumbs into the bottom of the pans. refrigerate the crumbs until ready to use.
for the cream cheese filling:
• place the ricotta and the cream cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. add the sugar, eggs and the vanilla and process until combined and smooth.
• pour the mixture almost to the top of the baking cup. set the silicone muffin pans on a baking sheet.
• bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until set. rotating pans half way through.
make the crumb mixture:
• while the cheesecakes are baking, place the cookies, macadamia nuts, vanilla, sugar, and the butter in the bowl of the food processor and process until roughly chopped.
• after baking the cheesecakes, top them with the crumb mixture and bake for another 10 minutes or until the tops are golden.
• cool completely to room temperature.
• once cooled, place trays in the freezer. once frozen the cheesecakes pop out beautifully. serve at room temperature!

BLT De-Constructed

2010-08-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Jo ( Mylastbite) came over for lunch last week. Jo is the ULTIMATE foodie and has eaten in every restaurant across the globe. In addition, she rubs elbows with 90% of the top Los Angeles chefs and confidently calls them her friends!

I wasn't going to serve Jo a "sissy" salad. Jo likes to eat and I wanted something that was going to stick to her ribs. I have been coveting a recipe from Carrie's blog, Deliciously Organic for her Bacon - Tomato Hash. After reading the ingredients ( the best kind of recipe - 6 ingredients ), I immediately thought, this is synonymous with a BLT and was looking for a way to incorporate an avocado.

I used Carrie's recipe, in it's authentic state, and added a fresh, french baguette and a perfectly ripe, organic avocado. The end result was perfection. The "BLT bruschetta" was a huge hit. Not only with Jo, but with my boys. This recipe, with or without the avocado, is a keeper!

BLT + Avocado Bruschetta
originally from Nigella Lawson
yield 2 servings

ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
5 pieces antibiotic free bacon ( I used applegate farms)
2 cloves garlic, minced
30 organic cherry tomatoes
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbls. fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1 french baguette
1 ripe avocado

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. cut french bread, on an angle, and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. brush, lightly, with olive oil.
• heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. when the oil is hot, add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. I drained a little of the bacon fat. when the bacon is done, add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire, and the parsley (save a little to sprinkle on top).
• while the tomatoes cook, put the bread in the oven (5 minutes)
• transfer bacon mixture to a bowl and season with kosher salt and pepper.
• mash the avocado
• spread the mashed avocado onto the bread. sprinkle a little salt onto the avocado. top with the hash and enjoy!!!

I served this with a simple side salad and some mint infused iced green tea! After we ate, Jo taught me the art of "Twittering". When Jo left, I sat in front of the computer for 2 hours, and became addicted to "tweet deck". I'm in trouble!

Scallion Pancakes - Chinese Style

2010-08-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

When ever we go to a Chinese Restaurant, the first thing I look for, on the menu, are the scallion pancakes. I was first introduced to these savory yet flakey dough pancakes back in the mid 80's. Back in the day when MIguel and I had the luxury and freedom to pretty much do what ever we wanted, when ever we wanted, On those care free evenings, we would hit Mandarette for a late night snack. We always ordered the same thing
( unless we were others ); scallion pancakes, cold summer noodles, and the pan fried string beans with fresh garlic. So good!

I have not been able to find a scallion pancake as good, until yesterday. This pancake, made in my very own little kitchen was just as good as the savory pockets of dough with green onions that are reminiscent of those leisurely, late night snacks.

Scallion Pancakes
inspired from here
yield: 2 large pancakes

ingredients:
250g (8.8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
110 ml (3.9 ounces) warm water
20g scallions, green part only, chopped
vegetable oil or ghee for frying

instructions:
• sift flour and salt in a large bowl. make a well in the middle and add the warm water. using your hands, slowly mix to a dough.
• cover the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes ( I let it rest longer ).
• divide the dough into 2 equal parts
• place one of the portions of dough on a lightly floured surface ( I use a marble slab ). using a rolling pin, roll it out to a circle, as thin as possible. the thinner the better as it will make a flakier pancake.
• brush the surface with the oil and sprinkle half the scallions over the top.
• roll up the dough, like a cigar, pinching the edges to seal in all the goodness inside.
• now take your "cigar" of dough and coil it, like a snail. once coiled, flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. using your rolling pin, roll out to a large circle.
• heat a non-stick pan with a little bit of ghee. over medium heat, cook the pancake about 4-5 minutes per side, until lightly golden brown, crisp, but not burnt.
• repeat with other pancake.

I served my pancakes with two dipping sauces. one was straight rice wine vinegar with julienned ginger and the other was a mixture of plum sauce, hoisin sauce and a very little bit of rice wine vinegar.

Peach Tea Cakes - For One

2010-08-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have a huge bowl of peaches. I don't really know what compelled me to buy, what seems to be, a bushel of peaches at the farmers market the other day. But I did. My quest is to "use them up"!

Last summer I made a stone fruit tea cake (here) that was absolutely delicious. I have recreated the recipe, but individual size. I have not delivered sweets to the G's in a while. I have neglected them. Hopefully, these little portions of sweet pastry dough with fresh peaches will redeem me. I am also going to take a few to my father-in-law. He loves anything with fruit in it!

This dough is really sticky. I froze the dough for about an hour before working with it. Then, cut the dough in half and put one half in the freezer while I created the bottom crust. I pressed one ounce size portions in the palm of my hands and then put each disk in the bottom of each ramekin. Freezing the dough made it much easier to work with.

You can use any stone fruit ( plums, apricots, nectarines, etc.) for this dish. I just happened to have lots of peaches on hand. These really are a must make dessert. If I wasn't watching my girlish figure, I would have eaten all 12 of them!

Stone Fruit Tea Cakes
adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts
yield: 12 individual portions

ingredients:

2 Tbls. unsalted butter, for the ramekins
2 1/4 cups (11 1/2 oz.) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup (7oz.) sugar
6 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs
1 Tbls. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups stone fruit, coarsely chopped
turbinado sugar

instructions:

• whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.
• cream the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, until light and fluffy
• add the eggs, one at a time. stir in the vanilla.
• add the flour mixture, stir until a smooth dough forms. wrap in plastic wrap. freeze for 30 minutes to an hour.
• preheat oven to 375*. melt some butter and brush each ramekin with the melted butter. set aside.
• divide dough in half. measure out 1 ounce pieces of dough from one of the portions of dough and flatten into each ramekin. top with a good scoop of your stone fruit. from the other half of the dough, pinch off another 1 ounce portion of dough and break it apart, unevenly, on top of the fruit. sprinkle with turbinado sugar. place ramekins on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• bake for about 30-35 minutes, rotating back to front half way through baking. cool before serving or eat at room temperature.
• these keep for a couple of days so can be made the day before.

PIckled Veggies

2010-08-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

Isaac and I have established that a burger isn't a burger without pickles. We both agreed that our pulled pork sandwiches ( last nights dinner ) was no exception to the pickle rule. I love pretty much anything pickled. I have been a pickle lover ever since I could remember.

Growing up, my elementary school, Erwin Street Elementary had a fall festival each year. Some classrooms had a different game theme, one classroom housed all the prizes where one could "buy" stuff with the winning tickets. Yet, my most favorite classroom of all had a huge barrel filled with the fattest pickles I had ever seen. The classroom with the barrel of pickles was the place I searched out first. I could still remember what they tasted like. And I can still remember the feeling I got with that first bite of that sour, tart pickle!

Each summer I end up pickling some sort of veggies. This past week I choose English cucumbers, radishes, and purple onions. I also threw in a shallot, sliced thin! The pulled pork could stand on it's own, but adding these veggies made it that much better.

Wish I had some photos of the sandwiches. I made 5 pounds. Thinking it was way too much, I decided to invite some friends over. All 5 pounds was polished off, leaving NO leftovers. Thus, no photos! Guess, I am just going to have to make another roast. I don't think my family will be disappointed!

Pickled Vegetables
original recipe here
yield: 4 cups

ingredients:
1 English cucumber, sliced thin
1 small red onion, sliced thin
10 radishes, sliced thin
1 shallot, sliced thin
3 Tbls. coarse salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 Tbls. whole black peppercorns
2 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. whole coriander seeds

instructions:
• using a madoline( mine is 30 years old and probably the least expensive one out there), slice veggies about 1/8" - 1/4" thick. toss veggies with 2 tablespoons kosher salt in a large colander, set over a bowl. Set in fridge for an hour.
• rinse veggies well. pat dry and place in a clean glass jar.
• bring remaining 1 tablespoon salt, vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, mustard and coriander seeds to a simmer in a small saucepan. simmer 5 minutes.
• pour over vegetables, let cool for 1 hour. cover, and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 weeks.

* they also make a terrific, low-cal, mid afternoon snack!

Frozen Mocha Lattes - Kahlua Style!

2010-08-13T06:33:00.000-07:00

I had a very brief moment (stressing on the "very brief")to sit down and read my newest Bon Appetit Magazine. I savor those moments and am always overly inspired. I love reading cooking magazines, cook books, food blogs and the New York Times Food section. The problem is, upon reading these various periodicals, I want to make and create almost everything on the pages. My "recipes to try" folder is overflowing and I am hoping, in this lifetime, I get to make each and every one of them.

This recipe didn't make it into the "recipes to try" file. This drink was made immediately. It was served to at the end of a weeknight meal, neighbors included. Prior to devouring this drink, we dined on roasted pulled pork sandwiches, pickled veggies (cucumbers, radish's, + red onions), broccoli slaw, twice fried, fries! Although we were all stuffed, we all felt the meal would not have been complete without this "dessert" drink.

I made a slightly less mocha version for the kids ( used more cocoa, non fat milk, and WAY less espresso - 1 tsp. ). Blended theirs with a little bit of whole milk, goats milk yogurt and a little cinnamon. They LOVED it! Add a little protein powder and some blueberries and you a perfectly delicious breakfast!

Kahlua-Spiked Frozen Mocha Lattes
adapted from here
yield: 8 servings

ingredients:
mocha ice cubes
3/4 cup sugar
5 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
4 tsp. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 pinches of salt
2 1/2 cups water, divided
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup Kahlua or other flavored coffee drink

vanilla whipped cream (optional)
3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 Tbls. packed, light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

instructions:
for the mocha cubes
• whisk first three ingredients and pinch of salt in a medium saucepan
• gradually whisk in 1 cup of water, whisking until smooth
• cook over medium high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to boil
• remove pan from heat. add 1 1/2 cups water and half and half, whisk to blend
• pour espresso mixture into ice cube trays, filling almost to the top ( made about 48 cubes)
• freeze ( can be stored for 1 month in Ziploc freezer bags.
for the whipped cream
• using an electric mixer ( I used my and held one ), beat the cream, brown sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt in medium bowl until peaks form. cover and chill.

• freeze mugs or glasses in freezer for at least 15 minutes.
• working in batches, place 14 espresso ice cubes and 1/4 cup Kahlua in the blender. blend until smooth.
• divide among the glasses and either drink right away or store in the freezer. when ready to serve, top with the whipped cream.

frozen mochas for breakfast, anyone? I cannot wait to start
my day off with this frozen beverage (sans the Kahlua)!

Apple - Pomegranate Crumble

2010-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have a problem with my fridge. I have had this problem since it entered my house. The bottom drawer, where I like to keep some of my produce, freezes my fruits and veggies. I like my apples cold. Aside from the obvious fruits, this is the one fruit that I have to eat cold. Up until this week, I have continued to keep my apples in the bottom drawer ( creature of habit ). If I don't eat them within a few days, they are virtually ruined. I am tired of throwing away perfectly good ( and expensive ) produce. I was determined to not throw 6 frozen apples down the drain. I peeled these sorry little creatures, cored and cubed them and made a perfectly healthy and delicious dessert.

I added a few new apples into the mix along with some frozen pomegranate seeds and viola, no more waste. I no longer store my apples in the bottom drawer of the fridge. They reside in a large bowl, on my counter along with some of their friends; plums, peaches, nectarines, bananas, and avocados. Each night, before I go to bed, I put one apple in the fridge. The next day, I have my perfectly chilled apple which makes me very happy.

Hence, the drawer did not stay empty for too long. It has become the perfect home for all my alternative flours!

Apple - Pomegranate Crumble
yield: 8-10 servings

iingredients:
topping
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. fine salt
5 oz. unsalted butter, melted

filling:
6-8 large apples, peeled, cored and cubed
1 1/2 cups frozen pomegranate seeds
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbls. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest from one lemon

instructions:
• preheat oven to 375*. Spray a 3 quart oval baking dish with cooking spray.
to make the topping:
• mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, and salt together in a bowl. stir in the butter and mix until it comes together. it should be clumpy. put the topping in the fridge or freezer ( can be frozen for 1 month )
to make the filling:
• combine the apples and frozen pomegranates, and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. mix until it all comes together.
• put filling in prepared baking dish.
• press the crumb topping onto the fruit.
• bake 45 - 55 minutes, or until lightly golden and bubbling around the perimeter.
• if serving immediately, cool for 20 minutes.
• best served the same day along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Cherry Slab Pie

2010-08-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have not really made any cherry desserts this summer. After all, cherry season is almost behind us and I felt it only fitting to make a cherry something or another. I love cherries. Aside from plums and pineapple, they are my favorite fruit. I like dried cherries in almost everything, cherries straight out of the bag while perusing the grocery isles (shhh...don't tell anyone ), and a humongous slice of cherry pie.

I have been wanting to make this for YEARS! Now this dessert has a purpose. Gaby from What's Gaby Cookin has thrown together a pot luck picnic with some of our food blogger friends. Because this dessert makes a huge tray ( a 15" x 10" jelly roll pan ), it proved to be the perfect dessert for both the youngest in the crowd as well as the oldest ( no doubt, will be me )!

It was fun spending the day with Gaby (what's gaby cookin), Esi (dishingupdelight ), Carrie and her family
(deliciouslyorganic), and Allison (aforaubergine). It was fun talking about food, family, restaurants and the upcoming Blogher Food 2010 event in October. There were several of you that were missed, however look forward to our next lunch, dinner or a simple hang out!

I will miss cherry season. In the meantime, I will happily enjoy this pie.

Cherry Slab Pie
Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart
yield: 16-ish servings

ingredients:
for the crust:
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 sticks ( 12 oz ) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1/2 cup ice water

for the pie:
2 1/2 lbs. (about 6 cups) fresh sour cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. heavy cream
sanding sugar for sprinkling

instructions:
for the pate brise:
• place flour, sugar, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor. pulse a few times. scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse a few times. the mixture resembles coarse meal. don't over mix.
• while the machine is running, add the water, 2 tablespoons at a time. keep adding the water through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when squeezed.
• turn dough out onto a clean work surface. divide into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. flatten dough and wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

for the filling:
• preheat oven to 375*. spray a 10 x 15" sheet pan with cooking spray.
• on a lightly floured surface ( I use a marble surface ), roll the larger dough to an 18" x 13" rectangle. fit it into the sheet pan, pressing into corners and letting some hang off the sides. chill while assembling the filling.
• roll out the other piece of dough to a 16" x 11" rectangle. place on parchment and let rest in fridge as well.
• in a large bowl, combine the fruit, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. stir to combine. spread mixture over chilled pie shell
• using the second piece of dough, drape over filling. fold edge of bottom dough over the top dough. pinch edges to seal. prick the top dough all over with a fork.
• brush entire surface of the pie with the cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
• bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 40 - 55 minutes.
• transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• serve warm or at room temperature.
• this is best eaten the same day. don't worry it wont last...cuz whatever doesn't get eaten, i will happily polish off!

thank god for my cherry pitter. I couldn't have done this with out it!

Cafe au Lait Pots de Creme

2010-08-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this sound intimidating? Well, it isn't. Pots de Creme is just a really fancy way of saying, PUDDING! Yet, with the volume turned up.

Isaac loves Pot de Creme. I make mine in little 2 ounce custard dishes ( actually, they are Chinese tea cups ) and on a good day I can get 8 custards out of one recipe. All 8 disappear within 2-3 days and most likely it is Isaac whom has eaten them all!

I licked the spoon. These are creamy, flavorful from the espresso, and bowl lickin good! I believe the secret ingredient in this recipe is the brown sugar. I altered the original recipe just a tad, regardless the results were delicious! This is the perfect week night dessert as it takes minutes to make and can be ready in a flash.

Cafe au Lait Pots de Creme
adapted from Melissa d'Arabian

ingredients:
3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
2 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls sucanat
1 Tbls. espresso powder
1/2 vanilla bean ( beans scraped from the pod)
pinch of salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*
• warm some water in a tea kettle
• in a small saucepan, combine the milk, cream, sugars, espresso, vanilla bean ( scrape the beans from the pod and put both the pod and the beans into the saucepan ), and salt. Heat over low heat just until starting to boil.
• in a measuring cup whisk the egg yolks and the one egg.
• once milk mixture reaches the almost boiling point, pour about a 1/4 cup of the mixture into the egg mixture. do this slowly, you don't want to "cook" the eggs. keep adding the milk mixture a little at a time until all is incorporated.
• pour the custard into 8-2 oz. ramekins or 4-4oz ramekins and place in a baking dish.
• fill the baking dish to the halfway point of the ramekins with the heated water ( I like to put my ramekins into the baking dish and put it in the oven. once steady, i pour the hot water into the pan. push the oven tray back, gently and close the oven door).
• bake until the edges are set, but still a little wobbly, about 20-25 minutes.
• remove ramekins from the water and place on a small sheet pan filled with ice water. let cool.
• refrigerate until serving

I dusted each custard dish with a little cocoa powder

Chocolate "Stout" Cake + Peanut Butter Frosting

2010-08-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Chocolate + beer + peanut butter = CAKE. I don't see anything wrong with this equation.

Sitting on my desk is the 50th issue of donna hay magazine. What I love most about this magazine are the photographs. Don't get me wrong, the recipes are truly inspirational, but it is really the photography that makes me want to create what is on the page. Both visually and gastronomically! I have been reading this magazine for a few years now and each month, when the new issue comes out, I am filled with an abundance of excitement. The magazines give me pure joy.

In celebrating 50 glorious issues, I made one of the cakes that grace the pages of this magazine. The Chocolate Stout Peanut Butter Cake. The cake was so light, so chocolaty and so delicious. I may have over beat the frosting, yet no one who ate it complained!

Happy Birthday, donna hay!

Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
donna hay magazine issue 50
yield: 6-8 servings

ingredients:
cake
1 cup stout beer
225g butter, chopped
3/4 cup (75g) cocoa, sifted
2 eggs
2/3 cup (160g) sour cream
2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, sifted
2 cups (440g) caster (superfine) sugar

frosting
1 cup (160g) confectioners sugar, sifted
1 cup (280g) smooth peanut butter
80 g butter, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup (80ml) heavy cream

instructions:
for the cake:
• preheat oven to 325*. lightly grease a 9 x 4" loaf pan and line with parchment.
• in a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and the stout beer. stir to dissolve butter. remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa. set aside.
• whisk together the eggs and the sour cream. add to the stout mixture, mix thoroughly. add the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
• pour into prepared pan. bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes ( i let it cool longer ). turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
for the frosting:
• place the sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla in an electric mixer and beat for about 6 minutes or until fluffy. add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes. spread peanut butter frosting over cake.

Enjoy!

Giveaway Winner!

2010-08-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

I want to thank all of you for commenting and sharing your favorite cookie recipes with me. It was so fun reading all your comments and all your stories about cookie memories. I wish I had a set of these wonderful measuring cups and measuring spoons for all of you, but I only have one. And, we have a winner:

Jocelyn is the winner! I love and adore my set of spoons and measuring cups and I know she will as well. I am so excited to give her package of goodies. I am including a batch of one of my FAVORITE cookie along with the white, porcelain set. I have been making Oatmeal Cookies since I was 10 years old ( a very long time ). Originally I only made Oatmeal - Raisin ( recipe from the back of the Quaker oats box ). Over the years, I have created other combos and recently I have experimented with alternative flours, sugars and have added really good bittersweet chocolate to the dough. I feel, I have come up with a winning combo.

I love these cookies and so do my kids. They have no idea that they are made with alternative ingredients.

Jury is still out! Let's see how Jocelyn feels about them!

ENJOY!!!

French Toast Muffins

2010-08-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

I like to wake up early, while the house is really, really quiet and have a little "me" time. Generally, I make myself a cup of tea, read the NY Times and the LA Times food and life style section ( on line ), read my emails and check out my favorite blogs. I love that 1 hour in the a.m. right before all the turmoil and chatter begins.

Yesterday, I was reading Sprinkle Bites and she had posted a recipe for French Toast Muffins. Before I had finished reading the post, I was on my way into the kitchen to make these for the family for breakfast. I love, love, love one bowl recipes. To not have to drag out my mixer and all its parts is truly a wonderful thing. This is one of those recipes. Easy, quick, pantry ingredients and scrumptious.

Eli, as usual, gave it two thumbs up, Levi ate every bite, and Isaac - my savory, loving, Doritos eating chow hound ate every last morsel and asked for seconds. The reviews are in - 3 thumbs up!

French Toast Muffins
adapted from Sprinkle Bites ( a seriously wonderful blog)
yield: 12 muffins

ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter
maple syrup
powdered sugar, for dusting

instructions:
• preheat oven to 400*. line cupcake pan with 12 liners.
• whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• in another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter.
• make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. stir until just incorporated, don't over mix.
• fill cupcake liners half full. bake 10-15 minutes. muffins are done when toothpick comes out clean
• poke holes in the muffin tops and gently spoon over 1-2 tablespoons of good maple syrup. dust with powdered sugar.

A Giveaway

2010-07-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

The other day I posted about my first "gluten free" dessert. In one of the photos were these white, porcelain measuring spoons. I received blog comments and personal emails regarding the spoons. The spoons were the star of the post. Don't get me wrong, I am glad you all loved the spoons, but the dessert was pretty fabulous as well!

Since the spoons were so well received I have decided to share them with all of you. I am in love with these spoons! I have tons of measuring/baking gear, but there is something about these spoons ( and their matching measuring cups ) that makes baking and cooking all the more special. I am giving one set of spoons and a set of measuring cups to one lucky Urban Baker Follower!

Here is how to enter:

become a follower (maybe you already are) on my site.
leave me a comment telling me what your favorite cookie recipe is and where the inspiration came from
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This Giveaway will be open from today, Friday, July 30th through Monday, August 2nd. The contest will close on Monday at 11:00 p.m.

There will be an additional treat for the lucky winner! Good luck.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

2010-07-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

If you want the perfect weekend food, this is it!

Brisket is such a versatile meat. I like it best, slow cooked. I make it in the winter time, slow roasted with red wine, orange marmalade, orange zest, garlic and dried herbs. Yet, in the summer and fall months I like to make it BBQ style and serve it on delicious french bread with a side of Asian Cole Slaw.

The recipe calls for jarred BBQ sauce. Yet over the past few years I have really become even more conscious of what I am feeding my family. I have never bought a jarred salad dressing (even in college). Two reasons why;

they taste lousy
there are way too many things in the ingredients list that I can't pronounce.

And if I can't pronounce it, I am not going to eat it. I have come to the conclusion that BBQ sauce is no different. I have decided to make my own. I make a big batch of it and use it for grilling, marinating, roasting and my kids like to dip their oven baked chicken nuggets ( recipe to come ) in it.

I have been making my brisket this way for 20 years and each time I make it it gets rave reviews. It is a great Sunday evening meal, creating left overs for the next day. It is also terrific for a big crowd!

BBQ Brisket
yield: lots of sandwiches!

ingredients:
6 - 7 lbs brisket of beef, grass fed
12 oz homemade BBQ sauce
1 large yellow onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves
dash of paprika
dash of garlic salt
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*
• pat dry the brisket with paper towels. put in a large dutch oven ( I have a large, oval Le Creuset that I use)
• slice garlic. make slits in brisket and put slivered garlic in the brisket. season with garlic salt, paprika, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• add sliced onion, tomatoes, and homemade BBQ sauce.
• cover pot and put in oven for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. check it every 45 minutes and baste.
• remove brisket from the pan and let cool to room temp. once cooled wrap in foil and refrigerate.
• puree all the sauce from the pan and place in a clean container. put in fridge until ready to use.
• when ready to serve, slice thin and place in a roasting pan. cover sliced brisket with pureed sauce (save some for slathering on the bread). cover roasting pan and put in a 250* preheated oven. heat brisket when for about 25 minutes or until warm to the touch.
• generally, I make the brisket the day before I want to serve it. this is one of those easy meals; put everything in the pot, put in the oven and forget about it!
p.s. shred the brisket and put it in fresh corn tortillas with a little bit of pickled onions. so goooood!

BBQ Sauce
yield: 2 1/2 quarts

ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, diced
9 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbls. avocado oil
1 Tbls. lemon zest
5 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 cups organic ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 Tbls. molasses
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chili powder
4 Tbls. cider vinegar
1 Tbls. chipotles in adobe, pureed
3 cups water

instructions:
• heat pan and add oil. saute onions and garlic until translucent, about 7 minutes. add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. let cool completely, then refrigerate.

Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream

2010-07-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

Each week, Levi gravitates to the fresh raspberries at our local farmers market. He insists on buying them claiming to "love them". He eats 2 or 3 and then he is done. I pack them in his lunch box and a few stragglers end up coming home with him. I can't toss them. So, I either eat them or throw them in a baggie and put them in the freezer.

I had just enough fresh and frozen raspberries to make David Lebovitz's Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream. Doesn't that sound good? I haven't made any ice cream this summer and it has been on my mind. Today, the kids are going to arrive home from camp to a very, very, sweet treat.

This recipe calls for vanilla extract. Instead, I steeped the cream with a fresh vanilla bean. I cut the pod in half, scraped out the seeds and threw them in the bowl of cream along with the pod. When it came time to add the custard to the cream, I removed the pod and saved it to make some vanilla sugar.

This ice cream is a small reminder that summer is here and it is here to stay for just a little while longer.

Raspberry Swirl Ice Cream
adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop
yield: 1 1/2 quarts

ingredients:
ice cream
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I replaced this with a 1/2 of a vanilla bean, beans scraped from the pod)

raspberry swirl
1 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 Tbls. sugar
1 Tbls. vodka

instructions:
to make the ice cream:
• warm the milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. pour the cream (this is when I added my vanilla bean and pod) into a large bowl. set a mesh strainer over the top.
• in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks. set aside. slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks. i add the milk 1/4 of a cup at a time in order to temper the egg yolks. otherwise you may cook the egg yolks and then you would have to start all over again. scrape the warm egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan.
• stir the mixture over medium heat until heated and the custard coats the back of your heatproof spatula.
• take the vanilla bean pod ( if using ) out of the cream and set aside. pour the warm custard through the strainer into the vanilla infused cream. if not using the vanilla bean, add your vanilla extract here.
• cool over an ice bath. when cool, chill thoroughly in the fridge.

to make the raspberry swirl:
• mash the raspberries together with the sugar and the vodka. after mashing, i strained the mixture into a bowl and then re-mashed the fruit. once finely mashed i added the fruit to the liquid. chill in the fridge until ready to use.

• churn the cooled custard in your ice cream maker for about 20-30 minutes. as you remove it from the machine, layer it in your container with spoonfuls of chilled raspberry swirl. do not mix.
• freeze for several hours before serving.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

2010-07-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to test some gluten free goodies for sometime now. I have purchased ALL the various flours, sugars, sorghum, etc and it has been sitting and waiting in my extra fridge. I finally started to test and create.

We went to my cousins for dinner the other day and she has Celiac Disease. Basically, Celiac Disease is is an autoimmune disease in which the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats. Years ago, when she was first diagnosed, it was hard on her. Now, with all the knowledge out there and all the products on the market, she eats most everything. Going to their home, gave me the perfect excuse to try something a little new.

I have been reading The Allergen-Free Bakers Handbook. I am so inspired, intrigued and excited to bake with alternative ingredients. I am curious about this new movement for many reasons. I have been secretly wanting to eliminate some white food products from our diet and my youngest son, Levi has bad eczema. I have been reading that eliminated both wheat and eggs from his diet could possibly help it. I am starting with the wheat!

Although I am ready to "develop" some of my own recipes, I am starting with a chocolate cake recipe from Helene's blog; Tartelette. I am always super inspired when reading her blog and this cake was a wonderful opportunity for me to go outside my comfort zone and use ingredients that I wouldn't normally cook with.

Simply Good Chocolate Cake
adapted from my tartlette

ingredients:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar or sucanat
1 cup sour cream
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 Tbls. cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1/2 cup superfine sweet rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

instructions:
• preheat oven to 350*. line 15 muffin tins with liners. lightly spray the inside of the cups
• in the bowl of an electric mixer, whip eggs and sugar for 2-3 minutes, until light and airy.
• turn to low and add the sour cream, melted chocolate, and butter and blend.
• slowly add the flours, cocoa powder, the gum, baking powder and salt. mix until well combined
• divide batter, evenly into cups or vessels and bake for about 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Pomegranate-Cranberry Cocktail (sans alcohol)

2010-07-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

After our very successful bake sale ( see post here ), I have been asked by many to post this drink on the blog. This is my go to non-alcoholic beverage when entertaining for brunch and in the summer months, it hangs out in the fridge.

This is so refreshing and so light, that after the first drink you end up craving it. One always has milk, orange juice, apple juice, and lemonade on the beverage shelf. Why not this drink? Most times I make this drink "virgin" yet I have been known to spruce it up with a little kettle one vodka or throw the whole concoction into a margarita!

This drink is good to go all year long!

Pomegranate-Cranberry Cocktail
yield: about a 1 1/2 quarts

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups simple syrup
1 1/4 cups "just" pomegranate juice (unsweetened)
1 cup "just" cranberry juice (unsweetened)
2 Tbls. fresh lime juice
1 25.3 oz bottle of pelligrino
1 lime, sliced
1 bunch of mint
ice cubes

instructions:
to make the simple syrup, put 1 1/2 cup of sugar and the 1 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan. bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. once you start to see the bubbles, turn the heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes, making sure all the sugar is dissolved. set aside and let cool.

• combine the pomegranate juice, the cranberry juice and the simple syrup in a large, glass pitcher. let this sit for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
• if serving a crowd, add the whole bottle of pelligrino to the juice mixture along with some ice cubes. add the sliced lime and mint. let people help themselves

I like to keep the mixture in the fridge. when I feel like a little something sweet, I pour about 2/3 of the mixture into a tall glass and then fill the other 1/3 with the pelligrino. Add some ice, a lime wedge and a sprig of mint.

Coconut Cake

2010-07-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Miguel loves coconut everything. He especially loves a good coconut cake. Last year, one of my donna hay magazines had a whole section on "queen of cakes". I made the cinnamon coated maple apple cakes (here) and they were out of control. I am almost positive I made one of the chocolate cakes, but I can't remember when? Last week I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs and Patricia from Technicolor Kitchen ( see her post here ) had made the coconut cake from this same issue. I was inspired to make this cake.

Friday nights we sit down together, as a family and eat dinner. We like to share our Friday night dinners with family and friends. This past week our cousin, Jackie came to dinner. It was a beautiful night, we ate outside, we laughed, told stories and enjoyed. The coconut cake was the perfect ending to a meal of seared tuna with a citrus ginger sauce, orzo with peas, feta + basil, and sauteed string beans.

Coconut Cake
adapted from donna hay magazine #44
inspired by Technicolor Kitchen

ingredients:
cake
250g butter, room temperature
275g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs
300g self-rising flour, sifted*
80g unsweetened coconut
250ml milk

icing
640g confectioners sugar, sifted
1/3 cup boiling water

instructions:

for the cake
• preheat oven to 325*. butter and flour a 10-cup capacity bundt or ring pan.
• place butter, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of your electric mixer until light and creamy. gradually add the eggs and beat well. add the flour, coconut and the milk, mix until well combined.
• spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. bake for 1 hour or until a skewer tested in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• cool in pan for about 30 minutes. turn out onto wire rack to cool completely
for the icing
• whisk together the sugar and the water until smooth. spoon the icing over the cake and allow to set.

the cake was so good that when I went to take more photos of it, it was pretty much gone. I think it was breakfast the next morning!

* to make self-rising flour; combine 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. I usually make the equivalent of 4 cups at a time and store in a glass jar in my pantry. just use when needed.

Mini Nutella Doughnuts

2010-07-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

I love making a "doughnut" that doesn't require yeast! These are much more like a beignet than a doughnut, but who really cares; fried dough is fried dough. And fried dough is really, really good.

I was reading one of my really old cookbooks, The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham and came across a recipe for some simple doughnuts. Then, I was reading Helene's blog and she had a recipe for mini Nutella Doughnuts. It was a sign!

I whipped up a batch of these a few mornings ago, prior to the kids waking up. When they did ultimately get up
( it is summer, after all - sleeping until 10:00 a.m. has become the norm), they ventured into the kitchen first. There were quite a few smiles that morning!

These are easy and delicious. Next time I will pipe them with jelly or lemon curd or some marshmallow fluff for Levi!

Nutella Doughnuts

adapted from My Tartelette

ingredients:

3 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

8 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

canola oil for frying

powdered sugar for dusting

nutella for piping

instructions:

• heat 3 inches of oil in a dutch oven until it registers 375* on a thermometer

• in a large bowl, stir together eggs, ricotta cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. add the flour, baking powder and mix until combined

• drop a tablespoon of batter into oil. fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side. you want them amber in color. do not crowd the pan ( I fried one to begin with to check for doneness. I opened one up to make sure the dough was cooked through).

• when cooked, drain on paper towels.

• when warm enough to handle, pipe nutella into the center of each doughnut. dust with powdered sugar.

• eat them immediately. best when fresh from the fryer!

PIzza, homemade everything!

2010-07-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

My kids come home from camp STARVING! Generally, I bring some sort of snack for the ride home. But, when they get home, they want a full on meal. I am trying to come up with healthy alternatives ( avoiding hot dogs, mac n cheese, ice cream, etc) and pizza is a really good choice. Especially when one makes their own pizza dough and their own sauce.

I keep my freezer stocked with dough and usually make a double recipe of pizza sauce. The left over sauce, I place in ice cube trays. Once frozen I store in baggies. An ice cube equals about 2 tablespoons of sauce which makes defrosting fast and easy. I started making my own sauce when I read what was on the label of a store bought pizza sauce. I was somewhat disgusted. After researching pizza sauce there was no question in my mind that I was now going to be making my own. Not only is free of preservatives and junk, but it is so ridiculously economical. Once one realizes that it is just as easy to make most of this stuff ( pizza sauce, salad dressing, marinades, BBQ sauce, rubs, etc ) at home, not only will you save money at the super market but you will be filling your family up with healthy, clean ingredients.

Eli likes his pizza with arugula, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and caramelized onions, Isaac likes his with cheese and pepperoni and Levi likes "just cheese".

Homemade Pizza Sauce
yield: 1.5 quarts

ingredients:
3 Tbls. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (28-oz) cans tomato puree
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper, fresh ground

iinstructions:
• heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. add all the ingredients and bring to a boil. lower heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
• unused sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
adapted from David Lieberman, Ten Things you need to Eat
yield: 4 individual pizzas

ingredients:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. active dry yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup warm water (110*)
2 Tbls. olive oil

instructions:
• whisk flour + salt together in a large bowl
• in a bowl combine yeast, sugar, and warm water and let stand until all the yeast has been dissolved and the mixture starts to foam. add olive oil and pour yeast mixture into the flour. using a fork, combine the mixture until a loose dough forms.
• transfer the dough to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead the dough for 10 minutes. place the dough into a well oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 1 hour.
• preheat oven to 400*
• place a large sheet pan or two in the oven to preheat.
• place dough onto a well floured work surface and divide into 4 equal parts. roll each disc into an 8" circle (the unused dough can be frozen and saved for another day). i like to roll my pizza doughs onto parchment. this makes it easy to transfer to the hot-preheated cookie sheet.
• top the pizza dough with favorite toppings.
• bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is crispy and cheese is bubbling.