sweetcakes bakeshop

Raspberry Frangipane Slice

2011-03-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

You know when you finally convince yourself to buy that special, expensive ingredient and as soon as you place it in your pantry it just sits there...to special to be used. That happens to a lot of the things I buy. As you can probably attest to, baking isn't exactly the cheapest hobby. Over the next few weeks I'm forcing myself to suck it up and use some of my coveted ingredients that have been sitting around. In the next few weeks expect to find a dessert incorporating the chestnut cream I bought on my last trip to Paris that I just haven't had the heart to use yet. But for today, the star of the dish is the almond meal that was tucked away in my refrigerator.

The recipe is a combination of the shortbread crust from my favorite lemon bar recipe and the almond cream (frangipane) recipe from the (equally coveted and rarely used) Tartine cookbook.

Raspberry Frangipane Slice

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cups almond meal
1/2 cup sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup raspberry jam (or as desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and the first amount of butter. Pat dough into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the frangipane topping. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and mix to incorporate. Add the almond flour and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the salt, almond extract (if using), and egg and mix until incorporated. Add the milk and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread raspberry jam (or any flavor that you like) on the warm crust. Pour the frangpiane mixture on top of the jam layer and spread evenly with an angled spatula, making sure to cover the jam completely.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Halfway through baking sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the frangipane if desired. Cool completely before cutting to serve.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2011-02-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

A close friend of mine was celebrating her birthday earlier this week and while I was consulting with her regarding her birthday treat she jokingly suggested "red velvet cookies". I instantly replied "Done!" because I had seen so many adorable looking red velvet cookies online all week. She was surprised that such a thing existed and I assured her that in the food world "anything and everything is possible". I had fallen in love with the cute, crackly cookies I spotted on Babble. However, when I made the recipe myself using the homemade version based on a Paula Deen recipe they came out more like whoopie pies than cookies. Rest assured that my disappointment was short lived as these cookies are delicious, especially the day after they are assembled and the cream cheese filling has a chance to moisten the cookies. If anyone decides to try out the cake box version available on Babble, please let me know if those turn out flat and crackly like in the pictures.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (adapted from here)

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet.

Scoop dough onto a lined cookie sheet (I piped mine) using a generous medium scoop (2-3 tablespoons). Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until centers appear set. Allow to cool slightly. Then pull the liner onto the wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Beat in milk and vanilla. Sift powdered sugar over the wet ingredients and beat in until smooth. Spread in between two cooled red velvet cookies (again I piped mine, just seems cleaner and easier).

Makes 10-15 sandwiches.

White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti

2010-12-16T18:56:00.001-08:00

These biscotti were whipped up short notice to fill a sudden craving my mom had for something sweet. I've had quite a few biscotti recipes bookmarked and was really intrigued by all the different methods used. Some recipes used butter, others oil, or even both. And a few recipes I came across used neither. For my purpose, I decided to go the traditional route and make my biscotti with olive oil.

Now, if you know me well enough by now, I hardly ever make a full recipe. However, this time I went one step further and actually didn't complete the full list of instructions. Biscotti gets its crunchy texture from a "twice-baked" method. The dough is formed into a log, baked, removed from the oven, sliced, then baked again. This makes biscotti the perfect dipping cookie for coffee, teas, or simply milk. However, I don't drink coffee or milk and although I love tea, I don't have it all too often. So I decided to make "soft-baked" biscotti. After baking the dough as a log, removing it from the oven, and slicing it, I allowed the cookies to cool and left it at that. Then I dipped the bottoms in white chocolate...well actually, I tried to dip them, but without success. What I found worked better and yielded a more aesthetically pleasing result was simply spooning the melted chocolate onto the bottom of the biscotti, then spreading it cleanly with a small angled spatula. Then I set them carefully down on their rounded (undipped) side and allowed them to dry.

Well, whichever way you decide to make these--crisp or soft, dipped or spread with chocolate--I assure you, you'll love the combination of delicate

Below I'm posting the recipe in its entirety. Including the steps that I decided to skip. Because I tend to adapt recipes, I often make mistakes when retyping them into my blog. So please if you see any discrepancies, let me know and I will amend it as soon as possible.

White Chocolate Lemon Biscotti (adapted from here and here)

1/4 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract (or to taste)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups (6-ounce) bar premium white chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts and zest, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture.

Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough will be very sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.

Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F.

Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or using your preferred method. When the biscotti is cool, dip, spread, or drizzle white chocolate and allow the cookies to dry on a cookie sheet before storing in an air tight container.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting and Streusel

2010-12-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus, this blog is finally back in action. During the past few months of this break I've been able to concentrate on school and clean up my diet. Perhaps a greater influence on my blogging than my academic schedule has been my attempt to overcome my dependency on sugary sweets. Today I am very happy to say that one of these bad boys is the first homemade treat that I've had in months. And as delicious as it was, there was something different. The way I felt when I ate it was different...less ravenous. I savored every bite of it, but when it was over I didn't run back for more.

Now although this new found lifestyle may mean great things for me, I'm not exactly sure what the significance is for my blogging. This holiday season will definitely warrant much more baking and testing of my self control. So for now, I'll resist making any predictions until the end of the holidays. Enjoy yours, as I enjoy mine...and try these cupcakes!

These cupcakes were made using the leftover batter I had after making a pumpkin bundt cake for an end-of-the-semester/Christmas party on Wednesday night. Like the cake, they are topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, but are taken a step further with a sprinkling of brown sugar crumble.

Pumpkin Cupcakes (allrecipes)

2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Pour batter in muffin tin, filling cups 3/4 full.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (allrecipes)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Mix in cinnamon, add more if desired. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Brown Sugar Crumble (allrecipes)

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted

Line a sheet pan with foil. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and melted butter together. Crumble onto sheet pan, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake crumble for 10 minutes or until brown, watching carefully.

Orange Milk Sherbet

2010-08-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

I only recently discovered my fondness for Orange Sherbet. I recall throughout my lifetime hearing others exclaim their love for the treat and disregarding them almost instantly. It was a chance encounter with a grocery store Orange Sherbet ice cream cake, something that I would normally overlook without a second thought. Soon, a small slice turned into a second and a third...an accompaniment to my breakfast cereal, an after school snack...until one day, it was gone. There was something undeniably nostalgic about the flavor that I just couldn't place. And then suddenly, I had it. I even called my sister from across the house to have a taste and confirm my suspicion. Orange Sherbet tasted oddly like...Fruity Pebbles. Yes, Fruity Pebbles: a childhood favorite from my pre-gourmet days. A flavor-memory that I still find hard to resist when it crosses my path. Definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

Behold, my hand-churned orange sherbet. Now before you start thinking that you ought to be impressed...my decision to hand-churn the ice cream was based more on desperation than inspiration. I had prepared and chilled my rather impromptu sherbet mixture and was starting to assemble the ice cream maker attachment on my KitchenAid stand mixer when I realized that the adapter was missing. What ensued first was panic, then frustration, and finally...insanity.

My freezer bowl was already out and starting to condensate. I had to act quick. I grabbed the chilled mixture and poured it into the bowl. I hastily set the microwave timer to twenty minutes, grabbed the plastic churner and began to spin the bowl with my left hand, while my right hand clenched tightly onto the top of the churner. I tried my best to keep my knuckles away from the freezing mixture. The end result was light and slightly creamy, with the tiny ice crystals characteristic of a sherbet. Thanks to my unwavering will and endurance, the consistency is exactly what I expected to achieve if I had used the ice cream maker.

This orange sherbet is not so much the result of a recipe, but the outcome of trial and error. I'm so embarrassed by my method that I won't even attempt to post a recipe or instructions. I simply took a few scoops of vanilla ice cream (cheating? perhaps, but I told you this was very impromptu), a teaspoon and a half of vanilla, a splash of milk perhaps (I used soy), and enough orange juice concentrate to achieve the flavor you want.

Not really faithful to a real Sherbet at all I suppose, but it satisfied my (Fruity Pebble) craving.

Dimply Peach Cake

2010-07-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit apprehensive as I type this and soon you'll understand why. When my mother came home yesterday she brought along a small bag of peaches from her best friend's backyard. She told me that she would be out of town for the next two days and knowing that most of my clandestine baking happens while she's gone, she commissioned me to make a peach cobbler. Nothing fancy, no individual ramekins: just one simple cobbler.

Well I guess I don't take directions well unless they're part of a recipe that promises something delicious at the end. I convinced myself that if I made an alternative to cobbler that was simple, yet delicious enough to win over my mother, I would be in the clear. So I began my search for the perfect simple peach recipe. I found my answer in Dorie Greenspan's Dimply Plum (Well, Anything) Cake. I've always been an obedient daughter, but I suppose baking must bring out my inner rebel, because I had the audacity to make miniature cakes as well.

The cake smelled delicious sitting in the oven and I was so sure of my success. The first downhill turn was when I pulled the cakes out (the 6" cake and the 3" mini cakes) at 20 minutes and found them a little too dark along the edges. I tried to stay hopeful as I proceeded with picture taking and when I finally shut off my camera, I grabbed a slice and took a bite straight off the prop fork. Dry. Well, at least, not moist enough for my liking. Nothing too spectacular in terms of taste, but I'll also admit that the peaches from her friend didn't taste so good on their own to begin with.

Even still, I was disappointed and consequently worried about how my mother will receive the not-so-cobblery cakes when she returns. Whenever I run into a recipe I don't favor, especially from a source as reliable as Dorie Greenspan, my first assumption is that the fault is my own. Can someone please let me know if the cake is meant to be slightly dry? Am I missing out on something?

I'll be sure to give it a try again tomorrow morning and hope for the best, but my expectations aren't high.

You can find the recipe here.

* Just as I went to retrieve the link for the recipe, I skimmed through the recipe commentary over at Bake-En and am instilled with new hope. "Dorie says that the first day the cake is like corn bread and the 2nd and 3rd days it's soft and moist. Perhaps I'll fall in love with it tomorrow." This is somewhat reassuring and now I am a little more excited for what breakfast might reveal. Perhaps it's the juices of the fruit permeating through the cake that makes it more moist over time...but for now that's just speculation. I'll find out for sure tomorrow. I knew Dorie wouldn't let me down so hard...

Meanwhile below is a Before & After project I took on, my first really. I saw this worn-out, shabby chic end table outside of a neighbor's house as I drove to work one morning. When it was still there on my way home from work the next day, I quickly pulled over and timidly went to go knock on the door and inquire about it. Fortunately for me, the homeowner walked right out to retrieve her child's toys outside and when I asked her about it, she gladly let me have it for free. I giddily placed it in my trunk and drove the half a block to my house where I immediately got started. After smoothing it down with a power sander, I vacuumed it and wiped it down. Then the next day I spray painted it bright white. Dozens of adorable color combinations flooded my mind, but for my first project I decided to keep it simple and clean...and easy to coordinate. It took me years of admiring Before & After projects for me to finally tackle one myself. Now I won't hesitate to pull over when I see a promising find. You can click here and here to see the "before" photos.

Raspberry Walnut Rugelach

2010-07-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Remember how I confessed to just not being a "cookie lover"? Well, there must exist some technicality that prevents rugelach from being classified as a cookie, because as of today...I love rugelach. More realistically, I could love rugelach. I made an almost classic variation with raspberry jam, walnuts, and semisweet chocolate chips. The recipe is great, but I had mixed feelings about the batch I made. For one, I'm not a big fan of chocolate. I know...a food blogger that isn't fond of chocolate or cookies, some might consider it an oxymoron. If and when I make these again, I'll probably cut down on the chocolate and definitely make the trip to go buy some currants or dried fruit, because although the cookie itself was flaky and tender, the texture of the filling left much to be desired. I'm also sure that the fruity flavor of the currants would lighten up the richness of the chocolate. So I suppose what I'm saying is that I'm not in love with these cookies as much as I am in love with the idea of what they could be.

Please don't let my rambling stop you from trying these cookies. The fact that they're Dorie's should be enough motivation to get you in the kitchen. And besides, the majority of my reservations are based solely on my inability to stick to the recipe in the first place...as soon as I add those currants, I might as well delete this whole rant and simply post five gold stars underneath picture.

Enough, enough. Run away before I start up again, you can find the recipe here.

Lemon Pouts

2010-07-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

This is not an attempt to alienate my readers, but I honestly am not a cookie lover. In a bakeshop filled with all manner of baked goods, the last thing to usually catch my eye are the cookies. The only cookies that I ever crave are the ones sold at the Teacake Bakeshop locations around the Bay Area. And even then, the craving is often never strong enough to get me to walk into the store. I suppose my bias is this: if I'm going to put something unjustifiably caloric in my mouth, its looks should somewhat mirror its decadence. I guess even my stomach has a very particular aesthetic.

One of my favorite cookies there is the simple Lemon Pout. A soft, chewy sugar cookie with an undeniable lemon zing, perfectly offset by the crunch of sparkling sugar. I finally convinced myself into buying a microplane zester just so I could make these cookies. The recipe I found yields the most perfectly soft and chewy cookies. But beware: "store them in an airtight container to keep them nice and soft" is not a suggestion, it is a must. I left a few of the best looking cookies on a paper plate and covered them in plastic wrap so I could save them for picture taking later and within a few hours they lost their delicate texture. Nothing a quick zap in the microwave won't fix, but not ideal nonetheless.

Another note, I didn't have any lemon extract on hand (but after this incident, I will soon), so I took a cue from here and substituted four tablespoons of lemon juice. The result? Sadly not at all lemony. More like sugar cookies with a subtle hint of zest. Good, but just not tempting enough to cram down my mouth. I will, for certain, try this recipe again as soon as I get my hands on some lemon extract. Until then, for all you lemon lovers...don't settle for a substitute!

On a lighter, purely aesthetic note: next time I would definitely opt for rolling these cookies in sparkling sugar. Again, I only had granulated on hand, which lent nothing to the texture. Well, there was turbinado in the pantry, but I didn't want to risk discoloring the cookies with caramel-colored flecks. Just another reason to try it again, I'm missing out on that delicate crunch!

Lemon Sugar Cookies (adapted from Crepes of Wrath)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated or raw sugar for rolling cookies (I used raw sugar, which I think was an awesome choice)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or tin foil and spray lightly with Pam.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Rub together the zest and granulated sugar until the sugar is a pale yellow color. This helps to infuse all of the oils in the zest into the sugar and gives your cookies an even more lemony flavor. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).

Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and lemon extract.

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.

Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden and set.

Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks. As soon as the cookies have cooled, store them in an airtight container to keep them nice and soft. Makes around 20 cookies.

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins

2010-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have had my eye on this enticing Baked Doughnuts recipe from 101 cookbooks for months. I have daydreamed in class about simple glazed doughnuts and different jam-filled varieties. And yet, I'm practically half way in to my summer and haven't found the time to tackle a yeast recipe. Or perhaps it's a little bit of moxie that I can't seem to locate. However, I did promise myself that I would get to it sometime before school starts and I have no intention of letting myself down.

Until then, I had to satiate my doughnut craving with this quick fix solution: doughnut muffins. The recipe is from The Downtown Bakery and Creamery north of the Bay Area in Healdsburg. They claim to sell out of these muffins every morning and I can already see why. The original recipe, which I posted here, yields 24 standard sized muffins. Predictably, I quartered the recipe and made 24 mini-muffins, but each little, melt-in-your-mouth bite is delectable. I'll shamefully admit that I've already eaten somewhere over 6 mini-muffins which is a little under 2 standard muffins...in under an hour. I've since forced myself to clean the kitchen completely and grab myself a glass of water so that I won't have a reason to go into the kitchen for a good couple of hours. I won't lie...doughnut muffins are not the new doughnut. But don't let that stop you from trying them.

Doughnut Muffins (recipe found here)
makes 24 medium muffins

12 oz. (24 Tbs.) unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature
1-3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 lb. 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1-2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk

8 oz. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

Combine the milk and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't overmix.

Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup, about 1/2 cup. (A #16 ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 min.

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the tin, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar.

Southern Red Velvet Cake

2010-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised that in my almost two years of blogging it has taken me this long to make and post the notorious and often over-hyped Red Velvet Cake. Well take a good long look at it now, because this will likely be the last time that you will see any form of Red-Velvet-Anything for a while...or ever. I brought this cake to church last Sunday as a sampler and took orders for 6 inch cakes to raise funds for some youth in the church who want to go to Family Camp this summer, but can't afford it on their own.

It's so difficult to brainstorm products and prices for people that you know. Not only did I have to come up with something that appeals to their tastes and that they would actually buy (which entails that they either cannot make it themselves or conveniently buy it elsewhere). I remembered often hearing the women mention red velvet cakes before. It seemed perfect, it wasn't a cultural staple, so it wasn't something that most of the women would make on their own. It was also not too simple, as many of the women were already well-seasoned in making their own quick breads, so banana bread for sale was out of the question. Red velvet was the perfect option the more I thought about it.

Then there was the price to consider. After researching prices at most well established bakeries, I found that even a small 6 inch cake can run up over $30. Considering the population of the church, I realized that this would not do. Even with the price above $20 I could already imagine their polite "No Thank You"s. I figured the price had to be low, a low amount of funds is better than no funds at all and I was hoping that the low price would encourage more orders. So, I sold 6 inch red velvet cakes for....$15 dollars. No lie. And for a moment it even pained me to do it, but it all turned out for the better in the end. The cake was very well received and on our first day of taking orders we sold 10 cakes, totaling up to $150 raised on our first go.

This of course means that this Friday, I will be in the church kitchen baking up ten red velvet cakes. And although we'll continue taking orders for more as the weeks go by (I have several requests to make a sugar-free version) I assure you that by the time I get back to school, I will be running out the door if my friends so much as request a Red-Velvet-Anything.

But for now, I give you this cake recipe. The only adaptation I made was altering the prescribed one teaspoon of cocoa powder to two tablespoons. I know, I know there is so much controversy over doing this. However, I had made a half recipe earlier in the week as a batch of mini-cupcakes for an order of 6-dozen (2 dozen lemon with cream cheese, 2 dozen vanilla with chocolate ganache, and 2 dozen red velvet) and the flavor never seemed to develop. To make a six inch cake, I only needed to use half the recipe, but I added a tablespoon of cocoa powder instead and after the cake cooled and I had sliced it and taken my bite of the scraps I immediately screamed for my sister to come down to the kitchen. Even right out of the oven, without maturing, the flavor was so full and complex. That extra hit of cocoa gave the taste so much body without actually being too obviously chocolate, because believe me I am NOT a chocolate fan. Just keep in mind that the recipe posted below makes a three-layer, 9 inch cake. You could make half and end up with a good sized 6 inch or use the other half for cupcakes. All up to you.

*Also, I'm considering making those 6 inch cakes into three-layers instead of two. Well maybe if I ever make it again for myself I'll try it out.

Southern Red Velvet Cake (adapted from Food Network)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
red food coloring (as much as desired)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. (Occasionally turn the mixer off, and scrape the down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.)

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Assembly

Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down, in the middle of a rotating cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

Strawberry Shortcakes with Whipped Cream

2010-06-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

For any of you who have yet to pick up on the pattern, I'll spell it out for you. If you so much as see the word "strawberry", know that the post has my boyfriend all over it. Because of the recent makeover and all my giddy self-satisfaction at doing it all on my own--from the logo to every last, frustrating bit of code--my boyfriend has taken a closer look at my blog, instead of the customary once over. I even received my first "reader complaint" when he noted that I had failed to mention him in the Strawberry Bavarian post. The title of the post clearly shows that I had meant to make mention of it, but my busy school schedule and sheer laziness when it comes to writing here prevented the post from ever developing into more than just a recipe card. The cake was made for my boyfriend's .......th birthday. Funny, I hesitated to announce the age, partly because I'm not sure how much more information my boyfriend minds me posting outside of a mere mention and because I suddenly became worried about dating ourselves by giving his age. Besides, as most of you know, the number itself means little and most people who see that kid in action and then hear his real age are surprised.

I will now simply refer to him as J, because I'm not sure how fond he would be of my previous nickname for him. Anyways, this last Monday was our 34 month anniversary or two months short of three years anniversary...however you choose to look at it. And yes, you can see that we're still silly enough to celebrate our relationship down to the month, but part of me hopes that if we're together ten years from now, we'll still be celebrating our 114 month anniversary, a.k.a our 9 1/2 years anniversary.

As soon as I hinted to J that I would be making him something, he immediately exclaimed "ice cream cake!". I almost went for it too, and began mentally planning out individual ice cream cakes made in ring molds, but inevitably came back to my original idea...strawberry shortcakes. Which surprisingly for a strawberry lover, he has never tried, but he's not the kind to try something new unless under duress. He also stared shocked for a moment when he saw how I had cut the dozen peach roses he had given to me short enough to fit into a mason jar. He had expected for me to leave them long-stemmed and elegant, like he was accustomed to seeing, but I explained that I liked the cozy feel of the simple display.

So the verdict? Success! Despite a few helpless (albeit, adorable) questions about how he should go about eating it, his plate was emptied and scraped in a few minutes and I was finally relieved of enough anticipation to enjoy my own.

As soon as I hinted to J that I would be making him something, he immediately exclaimed "ice cream cake!". I almost went for it too, and began mentally planning out individual ice cream cakes made in ring molds, but inevitably came back to my original idea...strawberry shortcakes. Which surprisingly for a strawberry lover, he has never tried, but he's not the kind to try something new unless under duress. He also stared shocked for a moment when he saw how I had cut the dozen peach roses he had given to me short enough to fit into a mason jar. He had expected for me to leave them long-stemmed and elegant, like he was accustomed to seeing, but I explained that I liked the cozy feel of the simple display.

So the verdict? Success! Despite a few helpless (albeit, adorable) questions about how he should go about eating it, his plate was emptied and scraped in a few minutes and I was finally relieved of enough anticipation to enjoy my own. As for myself, I love the recipe. Too often you encounter dry or flavorless shortcakes, but these were so moist and tender that I couldn't resist taking one to work with separate little containers of sliced strawberries and whipped cream and trying to assemble it without anyone noticing and sneak it back to my desk to enjoy.

This recipe came from a recent Tuesdays with Dorie, though I don't know if I can officially claim to have participated seeing as I am two weeks late. You can find the recipe over at The Tortefeasor.

Key Lime Pie

2010-05-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here! Well, supposedly. Finals are through, school is out, and I'm still alive. However, this temperamental Bay Area weather indicates anything but. Add in the fact that few other colleges let out this early and that I started working a full time job two days after my vacation started and you've got the perfect formula for the anti-summer.

The only way I could convince myself otherwise was to make key lime pie. I few months earlier I spotted bags of key limes being sold at Food Max and I took this as a sign that it was finally time to try my hand at this iconic dessert. Of course, this was in the dead of winter and on top of being buried in weekly exams and hospital clinical days, I was still craving the comfort of warm, cozy baked goods.

Only a few minutes into my undertaking I realized that it was a good idea that I had decided to wait until my vacation to try this recipe. Although I halved the recipe and needed only half a cup of key lime juice, it took over thirty minutes just to squeeze out enough juice from those tiny little buggers and they left my fingers stinging. Fortunately for me, the rest of the recipe is cake, well you know what I mean. Some people bake their key lime pies with zest in the filling, which I'm sure adds even more delightful tartness. However, I just couldn't bring myself to blemish the pristine, marble-like custard. Instead I opted to add zest to the graham cracker crust, which I enjoyed just as much. The bright, green flecks of zest added just the right amount of zing and quirk to the pie. Key lime pie is notorious for being deceivingly light, yet calorie laden so I spared myself a fraction of the guilt by making it in tart form. I'll post the amounts that I used and if you'd like to make a full size pie you could easily double the ingredients--note though that you might end up with a little more filling than you need, but I'm sure you can find something to do with that.

Key Lime Pie (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

makes one 8-inch tart

4 egg yolks, beaten
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
zest of a few key limes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and zest until well blended. Press mixture into an 8-inch tart plate.

Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Mix well and pour into unbaked graham cracker shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight before serving.

Strawberry Bavarian and a Birthday

2010-04-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Bavarian adapted from Tartine via No Special Effects

Chiffon Cake

160 g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
55 g (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
88 g (6 tablespoons) water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
small pinch cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon if you must)

Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan or ring (at least 2-1/2 inches high) with parchment paper cut to fit exactly; don't grease the pan. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, baking powder, and 125g (1 cup and 2 tablespoons) sugar until combined. Sift the flour over this, at the same time whisking until very smooth.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and beat on medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Add the remaining 25g (2 tablespoons) sugar slowly while beating on medium-high speed until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks. Add a third of the egg whites and fold into the yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in the rest of the whites until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and spin it around to flatten the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once completely cool, run a thin knife around the sides and invert onto your hand (a little crust loss is okay since it'll be covered with cream, but you may also invert onto a sheet of parchment sprayed with baking spray if you wish), then place right-side up on a platter. Measure the height of the cake and split it horizontally into two layers of equal height. Carefully separate the layers.

Bavarian

250 g (1 cup) milk
1/2 vanilla bean
small pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
58 g (4 1/2 tablespoons) sugar
1 large egg
27 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoons gelatin
1/2 tablespoon water
250 g (1 cup) heavy cream, very cold

Make the pastry cream: In a small saucepan, add the milk and scrape the vanilla caviar into it, then throw the pod and salt in. Heat the milk gently, whisking constantly, until small bubbles start to appear on the sides. Remove from the heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and egg until a paste is formed. Pour the milk into the paste in a thin stream, whisking madly all the while. Return this to the saucepan and place over low heat, constantly whisking until the bubbles just disappear, about a minute. Immediately remove from the heat and place into a cool bowl. When it comes down to about 60°C (140°F), whisk in the butter until incorporated. Leave to cool completely, then place cling film flush against the surface and place in the fridge.

In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes. Take 60g (1/4 cup) of the pastry cream and heat it in a microwaveable bowl at LOW in 10-second intervals, or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until it is hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin water until smooth. Whisk in half the remaining cold pastry cream until well-combined, then the remaining pastry cream.

Whip the cream using a cold bowl and beaters until it holds medium-stiff peaks, then fold in the pastry cream mixture.

Fruit Puree

85g (slightly more than 1/2 cup) berries (I used strawberries)
25g (2 tablespoons) sugar
pinch of salt

Combine the three ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Assembly

150 g (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) heavy cream, very cold
2 teaspoons sugar
285 g (10 oz or a pint) strawberries

Whip the cream and sugar using a cold bowl and beaters until it hold soft peaks.

Use an 8" cake ring or springform pan to assemble. Line the sides with plastic wrap, or as I did, a strip of food grade acetate. Place a cake board cut to 8" diameter on the bottom, then the bottom layer of cake. Brush this with half the fruit puree. Spoon on half the filling, then arrange the fresh fruit over this (if using strawberries, start with the sides, using halved strawberries). Dump the remaining filling over this, using an offset spatula to go over the surface to make sure there are no large air pockets. Place the top layer of cake over this push lightly over the top to compress the filling. Moisten the top layer with the remaining fruit puree. Frost the top with the sweetened whip cream, taking care not to bleed the color of the puree into it (spoon the cream over the whole surface, then fix it with an offset spatula). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Unmold and remove the plastic wrap or acetate before serving.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

2010-02-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

Blueberry Crumb Cake
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 8x8 inch pan.
Cream together 3/4 cup sugar, butter, and egg.
In a separate bowl mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture, alternating with milk. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 8x8 inch pan.
To make topping: Combine 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter.
Bake at 350 degree F for 30-40 minutes.

*I received a comment saying that the picture didn't match the recipe. Well it is the exact same recipe, I just forgot to mention that instead of stirring the blueberries into the batter, I poured half of the batter into the pan then poured in a layer of blueberries and topped that off with the rest of the batter and then the topping. Also, part of me, the part with the giant sweet tooth, thought it would taste even yummier if I DOUBLED the topping and layered it in this order: batter, blueberries, streusel, batter, streusel. But when it comes down to it, in baking...it's all your preference.

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

2010-02-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

Deciding on a Valentine's Day gift for my boyfriend can be too difficult these days, especially because my boyfriend has a very small and picky sweet tooth...in our case, opposites do attract. You can imagine how overjoyed I was when I watched a big, satisfying smile appear on his face as he bit into (well, more like popped a whole one into his mouth) one of these and deemed it "perfect".

Not that I could say I was surprised, I already knew since the night before how perfect they were. I had worked on these until 2 a.m. on the morning of Valentine's Day and had one (well two, for quality assurance) of the chocolates to give me the sugar-driven motivation needed to press on into the wee hours of the morning. The ratio of chocolate to peanut butter was perfect for both our tastes, just enough chocolate to encase the just-sweet-enough peanut butter filling without being too rich and thirst-inducing.

To add to my personal triumph, the chocolates were also well received by my family and his co-workers, although I can't deny that I was happy to hear him proudly claim the rest for himself, seeing as I did put my heart into each and every one of them.

Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (adapted from Pete Bakes)

12 oz milk chocolate *see Note

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I added a couple more tablespoons to suit my preference)

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp salt (not in the original recipe, but you can omit it, or add more or less depending on your taste)

1/4 cup crushed graham crackers

*I actually ended up with a lot of chocolate left over, so for easy storage I poured the chocolate into the molds I used and let them set up so that I could have solid, portionable pieces. If you want to avoid this problem, and don't feel too lazy, melt a little bit of chocolate at a time, so as not to waste any.

1. in a bowl, mix together the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar and graham crackers. set aside.

2. in a double boiler, carefully melt the chocolate (set a metal bowl on top of a saucepan with boiling water). alternatively, you can microwave the chocolate in short bursts.

3. using a pastry brush or a clean paintbrush, brush the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of mini cupcake liners. it’s helpful to stack some the liners together to give more support. when in doubt, add more chocolate, since this will be the base for your candy. place the cupcake liners on a plate or in a cupcake tin and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

4. remove the liners from the freezer, and place about one teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture in each cup. press down a bit with a spoon to spread. spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup.

5. place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set. eat cold or let warm to room temperature before serving.

Lemon Bars

2010-02-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Lemon Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup lemon juice
confectioners' sugar for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.

Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.

Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

Miniature Blueberry Pies

2010-02-11T13:49:00.001-08:00

Double Crusted Blueberry Pie
From: Baking: From My Home To Yours, written by Dorie Greenspan.

Ingredients:

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough for Double Crust , chilled (below)
2 ½ pints fresh blueberries
1 cup of sugar, or a little more, to taste, plus more for dusting
½ cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Coarsely grated zest of ½ lemon
Squirt of fresh lemon juice, or a little more, to taste
¼ cup dry bread crumbs (you can use packaged unseasoned crumbs)

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp of water, for egg wash
Sugar, for dusting

Getting Ready: Butter a 9-inch pie plate (Dorie uses a standard Pyrex pie plate).

Working on a well-floured surface (or between wax paper or plastic wrap), roll out one piece of the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 – inch. Fit the dough onto the buttered pie plate and trim the edges to a ½ inch overhang. Roll the other piece of dough into a 1/8 inch thick circle and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Cover both the circle and the pie plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you pre-heat the oven and prepare the filling.

Getting Ready to Bake: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Put the berries in a large bowl and gently stir in the sugar, flour, salt, zest and juice; let sit for about 5 minutes. Taste the filling and add more sugar and/or lemon juice, if needed.

Remove the pie shell and top crust from the refrigerator. Sprinkle an even layer of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the shell. Give the filling a last stir and turn it into the crust.

Using your fingertips, moisten the rim of the bottom crust with a little cold water. Center the top crust over the filling and gently press the top crust against the bottom. Either fold the overhang from the top crust under the bottom crust and crimp the edges attractively or press the top crust against the bottom crust and trim the overhang from both crusts even with the rim of the pie plate. If you’ve pressed and trimmed the crust, use the tines of a fork to press the two crusts together securely. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 4 slits in the top crust crust and cut a circle out of the center, then lift the plate onto the baking sheet. (If you have time, refrigerate the pie for about 30 minutes. The pie can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. Glaze and sugar it before you put it in the over and add at least 15 minutes to the baking time).

Brush the top crust with the egg wash, then sprinkle the crust with a little sugar, just to give it sparkle.

Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and bake the pie for another 30 minutes or so (total baking time is about an hour) or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through the slits. If the crust seems to be browning too quickly, make a loose foil tent for the pie.

Transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool and settle for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Good for Almost Everything Pie Dough

For a 9 inch Double Crust

3 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 ½ sticks very cold unsalted butter, cut into tbsp size pieces
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces (I opted for all butter, just my preference)
About ½ cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don’t overdo the mixing- what you’re aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 6 tbsps of the water- add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn’t look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a work surface.

Divide the dough in half. Gather each half into a ball, flatten each ball into a disk and wrap each half in plastic. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling (if your ingredients were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the fridge).

To Roll Out the Dough: Have a buttered 9 inch pie plate at hand.

You can roll the dough out onto a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. If you’re working on a counter, turn the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over often and to life the paper, plastic, or cover frequently so that it doesn’t roll into the dough and form creases.

If you’ve got time, slide the rolled out dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest and firm up.

Banana Bread Muffins

2010-02-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

Banana Bread Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Samoas Cookies

2010-02-04T14:54:00.001-08:00

I had my very first Samoas cookie rather recently while visiting my sister-in-law and her husband last year. Apparently, they're his favorite and as we were all out shopping he was immediately drawn to the Girl Scouts who had set up camp outside and returned triumphantly with several boxes of these babies. So, appropriately, I thought I'd make them for real (real as in sans preservatives and novel-sized ingredient list) and bring them along for our next visit. I deviated from the recipe a bit by opting out of dipping the bottom of the cookies in chocolate...that's just too much chocolate for me...and now no worry about melty-chocolately fingers.

Samoas Cookies (adapted from Baking Bites)

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate (or milk chocolate, if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

White Chocolate Toffee Blondies

2010-01-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

In Anaheim now as I type this, getting ready for a fun weekend at Disneyland. As another birthday nears, I'm thankful for having a sister and friends who are always exciting and young at heart, to remind me not to worry about growing up too fast. I doubt I'd ever have as much fun here without them, I wouldn't know where to start.

This weekend is a reunion for my sister and I with our childhood friend from Las Vegas who has always been there for me to talk about all things food. So now after all these months I finally get to treat her to something more than a pretty picture and decided to whip up these blondies last minute (a little too last minute considering I was a few minutes late for work due to the delay). But it was worth it, especially to wake up and hear her and my sister last night take a bite of one as I laid half asleep in the other room.

My biggest worry was that they would harden up once they were cool, but a quick sneak into the kitchen to rip off a corner of one and savor a bite proved that they remained irresistibly tender and delicious, even straight out of the refrigerator. Must have been Disney magic.

White Chocolate Toffee Blondies
adapted from Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used white chocolate)
1 cup butterscotch chips or Heath Toffee Bits (I used 1/2 cup toffee bits, plus a roughly chopped Heath bar for extra texture)

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan and put it on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate and toffee. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best you can.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies comes out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2-1/4 x 1-1/2 inches.

Lemon and Brown Butter Madeleines

2010-01-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

With one week until school begins I find myself lamenting how quickly my five weeks of vacation flew by and how little free time I actually had. I blame it on the constant cycle of work that made the days go by faster and faster as they became indistinguishable. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. Now I'm saddened that I, once again, did not get to doing all the fun things that I had planned and day dreamed about instead of being attentive during last semester's classes. But I can't deny that I am excited for school and clinicals to start, so one could say that the fun has just begun for me.

Now these madeleines were something I whipped up in the few hours in between waking up and heading to work at noon this morning. Just had to satisfy my baking fix. Now, I've made madeleines once before with great success. They're my father's favorite, he loves the ones baked up by the Sugar Bowl Bakery in San Francisco that are sold in Costco, so I wanted to see what he thought of these. I was delighted to hear from my sister the next day that they were devoured by the familyin one sitting. My one qualm about that batch of madeleines was that I slightly overfilled the pan, which ruined the ideal shell shape. So I noted that I would have to make them again properly in order to document them here.

However, this time around I used a different recipe from 101 Cookbooks. That looked promising and was deemed "fail-safe", but I couldn't help but notice the lack of baking powder and refrigeration in the recipe. Now, baking powder I know is not a MUST in all madeleine recipes, but in my previous research I came up on a lot of emphasis regarding refrigeration, sometimes anywhere from 2 to 4 hours. But I pressed on and followed the recipe regardless. Now maybe it was my use of a handmixer as opposed to a stand mixer, but when I pulled the first tray of madeleines from the oven I was discouraged to find that they had not developed that signature hump nor had they risen at all. The backs were sunk in and they stuck to the pan. So, crossing my fingers, I sprinkled a small amount of baking powder into the remaining batter, gave it a good fold and hoped for the best. I even stuck the filled madeleine pan into the freezer for a good ten minutes. To my relief they came out much better, not humpy, but nicely puffed up. Now, I want to say that it must have been something that I did wrong that caused the problem, because I'm sure that the recipe, which has given others so much success, can't be flawed. But I'll be sticking with my original madeleine recipe, which is what I'll be typing up here. For the other recipe, see here.

Madeleines (adapted from Baking From my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan)

2/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
Grated zest of 1 Lemon
2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 Stick (6 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale, thick and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days. This long chill period will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines. (For convenience, you can spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the cookies directly from the fridge; see below for instructions on prepping the pans.)

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, or up to 36 mini madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Or, if you have a nonstick pan (or pans), give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter in the molds, filling each one almost to the top. Don't worry about spreading the batter evenly, the oven's heat will take care of that. Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, and minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

If you are making minis and have more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking.

Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioners' sugar.

Raspberry Pistachio Teacakes

2010-01-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

The days are dwindling fast until school starts up again and my life gets lost in a whirlwind of classes, work, and clinicals. Free days are becoming a rare commodity and considering that I will be gone for half of the last week of my vacation (celebrating my 20th birthday in Disneyland with my sister and friend), I realize now that I have very few opportunities to bake at my leisure. That's why I woke up early this morning in order to take advantage of this and over my bowl of cereal I quickly began to rack my brain for a relatively simple recipe that utilized the ingredients I had on hand.

Then of course, I had to factor in my dying need to use the adorable baking cups I purchased from Daiso (a Japanese goods store) a few weeks ago. So then I finally settled on making teacakes, which--maybe due in part to their simplicity--I had never made before.

Meanwhile, while I love the versatility of my new camera, I'm still struggling to achieve that bright, sunny look--but there's not much that can be done about that when shooting on a foggy Bay Area day. Keeping that in mind, I am content with the results.

Here is the recipe, adapted from Tartelette.

[As you may have noticed, I am notorious for attempting to make the smallest possible portion of any recipe and so I divided the recipe in half, which yielded exactly three muffin-sized teacakes. ]

Raspberry Pistachio Teacakes Recipe:

Makes about a dozen

1 cup (120gr) pistachios, raw, divided
1/2 cup (110gr) dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 stick (113gr) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon (5gr) vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (205gr) cake flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon (4.6gr) baking powder
1 1/2 cups (185gr) fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly spray or butter 10 to 12 muffin cups or tins.
Coarsely chop the pistachios and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with hand held beaters), whisk together the sugar and the eggs on medium speed, until thick, about 2-3 minutes. Lower the speed and with the machine running, add the butter, vanilla extract, cake flour, salt and baking powder. Increase the speed to medium and whisk until just incorporated. By hand, fold in the raspberries, being careful not to break them up too much and half of the reserved pistachios. Divide evenly between the muffin tins (or other small molds). Sprinkle the remaining half a cup of pistachios evenly over the cakes. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Vanilla Bean Eclairs

2010-01-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

My brief trip to Paris last November had me swearing upon my return that I could never again be tempted by the baked goods that my home country had to offer. It didn't take me long, however, to realize my folly. I much as I do miss the light, cloud-like vanilla eclairs of Laduree, I no longer consider it infidelity to crave treats from San Francisco gems such as Miette and Tartine. One of my favorite Christmas gifts (along with my new Easy Bake, but more about that in a later post) is the Tartine cookbook.

The cookbook suggested a traditional chocolate glaze, but in homage to Laduree I left these eclairs simply dusted with powdered sugar, allowing the vanilla bean-flecked pastry cream to dominate the palate. Struggled to photograph them and do them justice on such a cloudy Bay Area day, but I am quite impressed with how they turned out and you ought to be too, once I tell you that I baked these eclairs up in a little toaster oven. Yes! Toaster. Oven. Just another experiment in satisfying my baker cravings while simultaneously keeping the electric bill low. Economical and environmental? Perhaps.

Delicious? You bet.

Raspberry Bakewell Tartelettes

2010-01-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

The only thing that makes a great recipe better is when it carries over into another great recipe. This greatness is applicable to the Apple Frangipane Tart that graced my Christmas dessert spread. Case in point, Raspberry Bakewell Tartelettes made from the irresistibly fragrant vanilla bean frangipane left over from the apple tart. I've wanted to make a Bakewell tart ever since the Daring Bakers flooded Tastespotting with their beautiful tarts (er, puddings?) and I finally got my chance, albeit months later. But more importantly, none the less delicious. This was also a chance to use the precious raspberry preserves I brought back with me from my recent trip to Paris that I feared I treasured so much that I could never get myself to use it. Worth it? Yes indeed.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)

Sweet shortcrust pastry:
225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Assembling the tart:

Jam or curd (I used the aforementioned Raspberry Preserves from Paris)

Frangipane (I used the leftover frangipane cream from this recipe)

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.

When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Apple Frangipane Tart

2009-12-31T15:58:00.000-08:00

I have been dying to try my hand at frangipane ever since I purchased almond meal from the Ferry Building in San Francisco in the middle of autumn. When I started planning my Christmas baking lineup I was faced with the difficulty of creating desserts that would not only satisfy my ambitions as a baker but would also be accessible to people of different ages, with tastes ranging from simple to adventurous. As suggestions started pouring in, I started to see that apple would have to make some sort of appearance. But I was determined to present it in a not so traditional way. That's when an apple frangipane tart came to mind and I was instantly sold on the idea, the days approaching Christmas Eve were filled with images and days dreams of a beautiful, seemingly intricate, yet deceptively simple tart in bloom. If dessert is my life, would it be appropriate to say that, in my opinion, dessert (life) should imitate art?

Anyways, enough with the idealistic blah blah blah. End result: delicious and devoured.

Apple Frangipane Tart

makes a 9-10 inch tart

Pate Sucrée:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In a mixer, beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten egg, beating just until incorporated. Don't overmix or butter will separate and lighten in color. Add the flour and salt and mix until a ball is formed. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.

Flatten dough into disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about an inch larger than the size of the tart pan. Roll out from the center to maintain a uniform thickness, about 1/4-inch thick. Take rolling pin and gently wrap dough over pin, dust off excess flour, and transfer to top of pan. Gently lay dough down, careful not to stretch dough, or dough will shrink down. Press dough into sides of pan, remove excess dough from edges by rolling pin over top of tart pan. Prick bottom of dough with a fork, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

At this point you can bake your crust for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees F with pie weights or dried bean atop dough. Instead, I opted to just fill the uncooked crust immediately and just bake the completed tart.

Frangipane Cream:
1 stick (115 gr) butter, softened
1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
1 cup (100 gr) ground almond
seeds from one vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup (60gr) heavy cream

Place the butter, sugar, almond powder, vanilla bean seeds and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir in it instead of whisking not to emulsify it or it will rise while baking. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Assembling the tart:
6-8 Apples, peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced (keep in cold water; I used Golden Delicious)
4 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Gently spread frangipane over bottom of crust. Beginning at the outside, place apples slices perpendicular to the bottom, halfway overlapping each slice. For every new layer, place apple slices alternatively to the layer before. Cut smaller apple slices to fit in center of tart.

Sprinkle apples with a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until crust is a deep golden brown and apples are cooked through, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

2009-12-30T18:08:00.000-08:00

Finally taking the time to divulge my Christmas baking adventures. It's been so long since I've been able to go all out baking what I will that I've compiled an extensive list of things to try next. Of course, I was reminded to take into consideration what everyone else might enjoy rather than just what I'd fancy making. This Pineapple Upside Down Cake was my mom's request. In truth, it was meant to be a gift for a friend, but after it was finished she decided that we "didn't have enough desserts" for the Christmas party and so we kept it for ourselves...*ahem* I mean, the family.

This particular recipe is from Thomas Keller's "Ad Hoc At Home" and the first time I made it, my family and I fell in love. Try it, love it.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Note: The recipe makes more schmear than you need, but it is difficult to make less. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, ready when you want to make another cake, or it can be frozen.

For pan schmear:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon dark rum

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract

Kosher salt

1 Gold (extra -sweet) pineapple

For cake:

1 1/3 cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle, combine the butter, honey, rum, sugar, and vanilla, and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch silicone cake pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.)

Cut top and bottom from pineapple, and cut away peel. Cut pineapple lengthwise into quarters, and cut off core from each section. Cut each piece crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an overlapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out. Make a second ring inside the first one, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction, working toward the center of the pan. Reserve any pineapple for another use.

Sift flour and baking powder together; set aside.

Put butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Mix in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding second and scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in milk. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating just until combined.

Pour batter into pan and spread over pineapple. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 to 30 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm. (Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

From “Ad Hoc At Home”

Millionaire's Shortbread

2009-12-23T13:27:00.000-08:00

I love how my new camera can make even the most disappointing attempts look deliciously mouth-watering. The recipe for Millionaire's Shortbread seemed simple enough: buttery shortbread crust, creamy dulce de leche center, and smooth chocolate on top. Unfortunately for me, despite my many victories in much more complex areas of baking, these basic treats had me stumped. First, there was my use of an 8x8 inch pan instead of a 9x9 inch, which left me with a slightly too overwhelming shortbread base. Then my compulsive need to achieve a darker, more caramel colored dulce de leche, which required more cooking time, but ultimately left me with only a small amount of nearly unspreadable sauce. Finally, there was the fact that I couldn't find the kitchen scale amidst all the Christmas-prep chaos in order to properly measure the chocolate because the recipe I found gave the amount in only ounces and grams. So I eyeballed both the chocolate and the butter that I needed to melt into the topping and was left with a not so flawless finish. (However, this mishap I grew to overlook as the swirled chocolate on top looked so charmingly homemade)

I certainly would like to try it again, especially since I hate to leave such "defeats" unresolved. But for now, the end product is edible and really, I just wanted to take my new camera for a spin.

Millionaire's Shortbread recipe from Joy of Baking

Valentino Flourless Chocolate Cake

2009-10-24T00:39:00.001-07:00

Chocolate Valentino Cake Recipe, adapted from Chef Wan.

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).

With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.

Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C

Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.

Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Strawberry-Lemon Curd Galette

2009-04-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Those mornings when I wake up with a craving for something sweet and ample time to make something from scratch are the bane of my existence. The fact that I have a refrigerator full of fresh strawberries just waiting for new, yummy ways to be enjoyed only amplifies the danger. I'm catching up a little late with the discovery of lemon curd, but ever since I got my hands on some a few weeks ago, I can't get enough of the stuff. On crepes, on cake, there's no possible vessel for lemon curd that I won't try...so I thought to myself, why not a galette? I've always wanted to try my hand at the simple, free-form pastry and I finally found the perfect opportunity. The tart sweetness of the strawberries and lemon helped balance the soft, buttery crust.

Strawberry-Lemon Curd Galette

Pate Sucree
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick butter
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Mix the flour and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour.

Galletes
1 pate sucree
lemon curd
Strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the strawberries, cornstarch, honey, and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.

Roll out the crust to about 1/4 inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter. Top with a few tablespoons of lemon curd. Placed the strawberries on top of the curd in an even layer, leaving a one inch ring around. Fold the edges of dough over the strawberries. Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is browned and the center is bubbling.

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

2009-04-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, March 31, was the birthday of a very special boy. Yep, Mr. Simple turned twenty three. Back in January, he grumbled at how I always seemed to make treats for my friends and never for him...which, after giving a few examples, I easily argued was not true in the least. However, I explained to him that his time would come when it was his birthday for him to choose his special treat. His favorite dessert, which is saying a lot considering he tends to shun dessert and constantly warns against my weakness for it, is strawberry ice cream. So he decided that he would like an ice cream cake. After some consultation, we came upon the agreement that the perfect ratio for an ice cream cake 45% cake to 55% ice cream...roughly. At first, I ambitiously wanted to make my own ice cream, but considering the already hefty expense of his surprise gift (a Playstation 3), the added cost of an ice cream maker attachment for my new, and regrettably, little used Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer deterred me.

The process of making the cake itself was fun. The top of the cake that I sliced of to create a flat surface tasted delicious with lemon curd and became my snack as I finished the rest of the process. It was hard to resist licking my fingers as I spread the ice cream, and even the whipped cream was irresistible. Although it isn't included in the recipe, I garnished the top of the cake with fresh strawberries and shaved white chocolate with bittersweet strawberries, a product from Divine that I stumbled upon at Borders and thought would go perfectly with the cake. The finished product was everything I hoped it would be and the smile on Mr. Simple's face confirmed that he was, for once, in agreement with me.

A note before you read the recipe, I altered the recipe to make a 6" cake. I also apologize for the quality of the photos which I was forced to take inside in less than ideal lighting. Due to the sensitive nature of the cake it seemed ridiculous to attempt to take it out into the sun for a pho

Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream Cake
adapted from Joy the Baker

Vanilla Cake

adapted from the “Confetti Cakes” cookbook via ButterCakesbyEvan

2 cups cake flour (8 ounces)

1 3/4 cups plus 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (8 ounces) (yes, two types of flour)

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

3 cups granulated sugar (21 ounces)

3/4 tsp salt

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 cup egg whites (8 ounces; about 7 eggs)

1 1/2 cups milk, room temp (12 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter, flour, and line pans with parchment paper (optional) and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla to the eggs and then add the egg mixture, a little bit at a time, until fully incorporated. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Try to do this as quickly as possible so you don’t dry out the cake by over mixing. It is okay to add the milk immediately after adding the flour, and vice versa.

Divide the batter between your cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For cupcakes, bake 20-25 minutes.

Whipped Cream Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl of an electric mixer add whipping cream and vanilla extract. Using the whip attachment, begin to beat the mixture on medium speed. Gradually add the powdered sugar, increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembling the Cake

Step One: Grease the two 8-inch round cake pans. Make the vanilla cake batter and add about 2 -2 1/2 cups of batter into each cake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove cakes from oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Once cooled, loosen the edges of the baked cake with a butter knife, flip the cake pans over onto a wire rack. Return 1 cake round to one of the 8-inch cakes pans and place the other cake round on a plate. Place both cake pan and plate in the freezer to begin to freeze the cake rounds.

Step Two: Freeze the cake rounds for 1 to 2 hours. You’ll need the cakes to be firm enough to spread fairly hard ice cream over them. Take the ice cream out of the freezer about 15 minutes before you’d like to use it, letting it rest on the counter.

Step Three: Remove the cake that’s in the cake pan from the freezer. Using the back of a stiff spatula, spoon the strawberry ice cream into the 8-inch cake round, on top of the first layer of vanilla cake. I used all but 1 cup of the half gallon of ice cream. Leave about 1-inch of space from the top of the 3-inch deep cake pan. At this point you’ve got a vanilla cake bottom layer topped with strawberry ice cream, leaving about 1 inch of empty space at the top of the pan.

Step Four: Remove the plated vanilla cake layer from the freezer. Place the second layer of vanilla cake inside the 8-inch round, on top of the strawberry ice cream. Return pan to the freezer to set for about an hour, depending on how soft your ice cream became while you were shaping the cake.

Step Five: Make Whipped Cream Frosting and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Step Six: After 1 to 2 hours in the freezer, remove the cake pan. Run a butter knife under hot water and run the knife along the cake, in between the cake pan and the ice cream cake to loosen the sides. Flip pan over onto a serving plate or cardboard cake round. Return cake to freezer if you find it too soft.

Step Seven: Quickly frost Ice Cream Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting. Return to the freezer to chill. Decorate the cake as you like. I used fondant to make a layered heart topper.

Miniature Strawberry Cheesecakes

2009-03-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

My, now ex-, roommate always seems to provide the perfect excuse for baking up treats that I could never justify baking simply on a whim--and with only myself responsible for consuming them all. Her recent birthday meant that it was her turn to choose her dessert of choice and she insisted on strawberries. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore strawberries, can't get enough of them. However, prior to her request I had just spent the past few weeks trying to exhaust the seemingly infinite amount of strawberries my mother brought me from Costco. Plus the fact that my boyfriend's birthday was also due at the end of the month and strawberries were also his favorite. Despite my desire to work with something new, I reluctantly adhered to her request and after the finished product was produced and consumed-very quickly, I might add-I can't say that I regret her choice one bit.

The cheesecakes themselves were simple; the graham cracker crust was to die for-I used cinnamon graham crackers from Trader Joes which lent a much richer taste to the crust than the standard graham cracker. Unfortunately, I'm posting this almost a week after the fact, and I've forgotten where I got the recipe for the strawberries. Let me assure you that you don't need it. These cheesecakes are delightful enough plain and any topping imaginable would suit them. I've tried them with balsamic strawberries and even bananas, whipped cream, and a drizzle of caramel sauce-reminiscent of the banana cream cheesecake that used to be my favorite at the Cheesecake Factory. With these cheesecakes, anything goes.

Miniature Cheesecakes

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 3/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 8 tablespoons butter 8 tablesponns sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar together with your hands or a fork, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into each paper cup.

3. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.

4. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool.
[The pictures are of my roommate and her boyfriend. The unfortunate drawback of always being the photographer is that I am always behind the camera. Haha. ]

Vanilla & Orange Bavarian Custard

2009-03-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ate at Va de Vi in Walnut Creek a few nights ago with my mom. The tapas style dishes were to die for, but it was the dessert sampler that truly made my nigh: miniature versions of the vanilla and orange bavarian custard, the huckleberry bread pudding, the profiteroles, and the Guittard chocolate souffle. Of course, due to the fact that the lighting in most restaurants is too dim for pictures decent enough for sharing, the only picture I have to offer is of the dessert we brought home for my sister to enjoy: a full size vanilla orange bavarian custard with caramelized bananas and brown butter cake.

Time is short, so today I regretfully leave you with little more than this picture.

Chocolate Souffle

2009-03-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

While a week out of school means that I finally have time to relax at home, it also means that I must also face those inevitable, perilous hours of temptation trying to stay as far away from the kitchen as possible. Unfortunately, I was always a lover, not a fighter, and the irresistible calling of sweet possibilities always gets me. Being back in the kitchen felt so natural and so therapeutic and of course, the finished product was a reward in and of itself. My sweet tooth urge is my ever present companion, it's just up to me how I choose to express it in the kitchen.

Today, my sweet craving materialized in the form of an individual chocolate souffle. That's also a big factor in choosing a recipe for me, individual servings, which means no leftovers, no tempting extras waiting to be devoured. Just one little treat, just one time. Unfortunately, because I choose to bake this up in my small toaster oven in order to save electricity, the top came out slightly burned because even on the lowest rack, the souffle was too close to the top of the oven. Regardless of this minor flaw, the souffle was rich on flavor and light in texture; enjoyed with a side of vanilla bean ice cream and freshly sliced strawberries.

Chocolate Souffle

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) unsalted butter
2 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup (1 oz.) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon chocolate liqueur

1. Lightly butter two 6-ounce souffle dish and dust with granulated sugar, tapping out excess. Set the ramekins on a small baking sheet.Set aside.

2. In bowl over saucepan of hot water (not boiling)or in a microwave, melt chocolate with butter.Remove from the heat and whisk until glossy and smooth. Stir in the chocolate liqueur and the salt.

3. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, and beat in 3 tablespoon of the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.

4. In another bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining sugar until thick and pale yellow. Beat in chocolate mixture until incorporated. Fold in one-quarter of the egg whites; gently fold in remaining whites. Divide into prepared container. (Can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 4 hours or freeze for up to two weeks.)

5. Place dish on baking sheet. Bake in lower third of 375 degrees F oven for 18 minutes or until puffed and the exterior is set but interior is still a bit loose and creamy and risen about 1 inch above the ramekin.Careful not to overbake. Dust souffles with powdered sugar and serve immediately as is or with vanilla ice cream or creme anglaise. (To bake straight from the freezer, unwrap the ramekins and set on a small baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Let them sit for 20 min. while heating the oven to 400°F. Bake on the baking sheet until puffed and risen about 1 inch above the ramekin, 18 min.)

Chocolate Cupcakes Stuffed With Strawberry Chocolate Ganache

2009-02-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

I've been a lousy blogger lately, I'm afraid. It's been over a month since I last had the time to write up a post. Even this post will probably be shorter than I would normally prefer, but something, anything, is better than nothing. Before school was let out for winter vacation I promised my roommate and her boyfriend cupcakes for his birthday once we met again in January. This was the perfect opportunity to use my brand new kitchen aid stand mixer, which is a beautiful dark gray shade, just like the new '09 Honda Civic I got in early December. It was also a good time to use my new, much more convenient and portable, digital camera. As much as I love my semi-pro looking Fujifilm, it's just not something I can carry around with me everywhere I go. So, in order to capture the unexpected, I bought a new compact Panasonic digital camera.

School work aside, another reason I've been so preoccupied is that I finally got a job! My first job ever at the California Pizza Kitchen in the Corte Madera Towne Center. This is as much as I have time to update everyone with for now. Until the next time, enjoy the recipe...my friends and I definitely did!

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop)
makes 8 regular cupcakes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temp
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup high quality unsweetened cocoa powder like Valrhona brand
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2 Add egg and beat until well combined.
3. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Measure out the milk and vanilla and stir to combine
5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 2/3’s full. Bake cupcakes for about 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Strawberry Ganache Filling and Ganache Glaze

4.5 ounces (128 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
1/3 cup strawberries, diced

1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and salt. Stir until combined.
5. Divide the ganache in two approximate equal portions. In the first portion, mix in the chopped strawberries. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
6. Leave the second portion on the counter to cool down. You want the filling to thicken up before the glaze. Once the filling is think, fill the cupcakes with it. Then glaze with the glaze. See assembly instructions below.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat at low speed, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.

Assemble.
1. Fill the cupcakes with the strawberry ganache filling using the cone method.
2. Spoon a tablespoon of glaze on each filled cupcake and smooth.
3. Top with buttercream frosting and a strawberry.

Caramel Apples

2008-12-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

Farewell to the dormitories and the cafeteria food! Today was my last day in my dorm, so as a goodbye present I made my roommate and her boyfriend caramel apples, per request. Living on campus was a fun experience, but one that I realized just wasn't important enough for me to spend so much money on. $13,000 a year to live 30 minutes away from my own house is just about as expensive as buying a new car -- so that's what we did, I now have a new car. I've been applying for jobs all around Marin County close to my university to help my mother pay it off.

I'm definitely going to miss my roommate, but I'm sure I'll be back at her room everyday between classes anyhow. To make up for leaving I've already spoiled her with homemade cheesecake, fudge, caramel apples and promised to make cupcakes for her boyfriend's birthday once school gets back in on January 19th (my birthday, actually, his is on the 3rd).

Canneles

2008-11-26T14:34:00.001-08:00

Canneles (adapted from Tartelette)

Makes 18 to 24 depending on your molds

750 milk (2 1/2 cups)
50 gr butter (2 TB)
3 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
200 gr granulated sugar (1 cup)
1 Tb vanilla extract
1/4 cup rum
155 gr flour (1 1/4 cups)

In a saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer, add the butter cut into dices. Mix well and let cool to lukewarm. In a bowl, mix the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla and whisk until foamy.

Slowly add the rum and flour. Add the milk slowly and whisk until smooth. Pass it through a sieve if necessary. Let the batter rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

When the batter has rested, preheat the oven to 375F and divide it evenly among the canneles molds, generously coated with cooking spray or well oiled if you use copper.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. They will be scortching hot right out of the oven, so let them cool 20 minutes or so before enjoying them.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Pretzels

2008-11-26T14:18:00.001-08:00

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Pretzels

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup raisins

cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, raisins, and cinnamon and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.

Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan.

After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.

Miniature Cinnamon Rolls

2008-11-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

I love taking on yeasted bread recipes, there's simply something about the little extra effort that makes the result even more satisfying. This cinnamon roll recipe is no exception, although for the longest time I feared that I'd never be able to try it because I didn't have a fancy-pants bread maker (something I've considered adding to my Christmas wishlist, but definitely not a priority). Luckily for me I found tips on making these cinnamon rolls sans bread machine and this weekend I finally took the time to make them. If you're considering making this recipe, go for it, I promise you'll have no regrets.

Cinnamon Rolls [of course, I halved the recipe and made miniature rolls instead]

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. [To make without bread machine: Dissolve yeast in warm milk and then add eggs, butter, salt, and sugar. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Then pick up with rolling out the dough.]

After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Persimmon Waffles with Cinnamon Honey Butter

2008-11-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I finally got that waffle maker I've been literally dreaming about. After confiding to my mother that I actually lost sleep at school one night thinking of waffles. Crazy, I know. I've never had an obsessive craving like that before. She just laughed at me and told me I could pick up a waffle maker at Costco and the next morning I got my long-awaited satisfaction. It was pouring so hard outside that we were all shut inside the house and our family got to have a real breakfast together for the first time in a long while.

This week I wanted to try something new and a little more indulgent than the classic waffles and maple syrup. The idea donned on me as I woke up this morning: Persimmon Waffles! I didn't want to overpower the taste of the persimmon with bold maple syrup, so I decided on making a sweet Cinnamon Honey Butter to compliment the spice-filled waffles.

Tonight my mission is a fried chicken dinner for the family, so since I've got lots of grocery shopping to fill my day I'll keep this post short. I've got a delicious breakfast in my tummy and I'm ready to go!

Persimmon Waffles

2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup persimmon, pureed
1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, puree, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar honey and cinnamon. Beat until light and fluffy.

Pizza Dough - Part Deux: Chicken Alfredo Pizza

2008-11-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today's nonstop downpour made it the perfect day to turn on the oven and fill the house with the warmth and essence of a cheesy, melty pizza. In many ways the rain was much welcomed; it brought an end to the drought that's been plaguing California and it forced the family to stay at home on a Saturday, something that hasn't happened for a few months. The day began with homemade waffles from my new toy (a waffle maker I bought yesterday) and ended with fresh chocolate chip cookies...with three chicken alfredo pizzas in between.

I love love love this pizza dough, it's easy and not ingredient-fussy, a perfect way to help deplete the giant bag of flour from Costco.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe

For the topping:

Alfredo sauce
Italian cheese blend
Gorgonzola cheese
roasted chicken breast, chopped
sliced fresh mushrooms
sliced red onion
garlic, finely chopped
fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Daring Bakers: Dessert Pizza

2008-10-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Finally, another opportunity to participate in the Daring Bakers' Challenge. Homemade pizza dough always seemed like such a labour-intensive and time-consuming task and because of the numerous daunting paragraphs of instruction that detail the making of it, I have always put it off. Once again the DB Challenge offered me that much needed push of encouragement to overcome my hesitancy and with so many others also taking the plunge, the Daring Bakers' seems to serve as a support group and it's easier to go head on into a task with the knowledge that you're not alone.

I was happy to find that only the "time" factor was indeed true about the making of pizza dough. Laborious it was not, although I did have to put in some extra work kneading and working the dough by hand and cleaning the constantly floured counter top due to my lack of stand mixer (I won't fret though, Christmas will arrive soon enough), but the overall experience was fun and fulfilling. Today I used a fraction of the dough to make a small dessert pizza: cream cheese, apricot spread, apples, topped with an almond streusel. Tomorrow I plan on making a savory chicken alfredo pizza, more on that in a following post.

The sweet pizza overall was delightful, the smooth tangy cream cheese, the sweet mix of the apricot and apple, and the added texture of the streusel. The dough came out perfectly, even though I wasn't apple to enjoy the crust due to the sensitivity caused by my braces. Thank you once again to the Daring Bakers for another chance to add something new to my repertoire!

Apricot-Apple Pizza with Cream Cheese and Almond Streusel

Basic Pizza Dough

Adapted from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 4-6 pizza crusts

For the dough:
4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Instant yeast
1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) olive oil or vegetable oil
1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) ice cold water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tb sugarSemolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl or stand mixer. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (spoon or paddle attachment) to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth. If it is too wet, add a little flour and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper. Cut the dough into 4-6 equal pieces. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil and cover with plastic wrap. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

DAY TWO

On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Take 1 piece and lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

Make only one pizza at a time. During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin.

When the dough has the shape you want, place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes. [My pizza baked at 375 for 15 minutes.]

For the topping:

adapted from Pillsbury

1/3 cup cream cheese or light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 large apple, peeled, thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped

Halloween Sugar Cookies

2008-10-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

This sudden onset of rain that appeared yesterday may discourage many trick-or-treaters, but that just means more candy for me. I'm never much of a candy person, during the other 365 days of the year I'm quite immune to popular allure of candy bars, they're just not my indulgence of choice. Well, they're not much of an indulgence at all. Typically I figure that if I'm going to put something of questionable nutritional value it might as well be decadent. However, there's something about Halloween that removes the "stigma" I normally attach to mass produced chocolates. In fact, I'll admit that I just opened up the bag of Halloween candy I purchased at Costco today and grabbed an Almond Joy on my way to my laptop to write this post.

Halloween this year has also given me a new appreciation for sugar cookies, which I normally ignore due traumatic experiences with cheap grocery store cookies and frosting. My mother asked me last week to make a batch of sugar cookies and use up the left over sprinkles from my little sister's school project. The cookies are supposed to be for my little cousins when they stop by tonight for trick-or-treating, but my mom's boyfriend has already eaten about two of them. And my mother and I, admittedly, ate up a cookie as well, quickly passing it back and forth bite after bite, in awe of how simply delicious it was, until it was gone.

Sugar Cookies

(makes roughly 60 cookies, I made only 1/4 of this recipe)

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring

In a large bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar and butter until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth and stiff, about 5 minutes. Color with food coloring if desired.

Ciao Bella alla Casa

2008-10-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Why do let me stay here?

All by myself

Why don't you come and play here?

I'm just sitting on the shelf

- "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him

Last week Mr. Simple happened to mention that his sister bought a new kind of ice cream. I begged him to elaborate.

Mr. S: I dunno. They're in these kinda small cups.
Me: What kind of small cups?
Mr. S:What do you mean?
Me: Are they paper, plastic?
Mr. S: Paper, why do you want to know?
Me: How small are they?
Mr. S: I don't know, small. Why do you keep asking.
Me: Can you save an empty cup for me and bring it next time?
Mr. S: Why?
Me: I just want to see it.
Mr. S: Why?
Me: I just like cute stuff like that.
Mr. S: What are you going to do with it?
Me: I don't know, I'll see if it's right.
Mr. S: Right for what?
Me: ... *embarassed*
Mr. S: You want to see if it's right for what?
Me: ...Right for baking something in...
Mr. S: ...grr.

He finally brought me one of those little ice cream cups, with the ice cream still in it. As soon as he handed it to me something about the little cup caught my attention.

Me: Why didn't you tell me it was "Ciao
Bella"?!
Mr. S: I didn't that was important...is that
bad?
Me: [tears of lid and savors a spoonfull of creamy gelato]
...Not in the least. ^ ^

Creamy Chocolate Fudge

2008-10-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

Per request I attempted my very first batch of fudge yesterday. Needless to say I was very on edge over the daunting concept of candy making because an edible product is contingent upon no mistakes, a very unforgiving process. The fact that this was also something my mom's boyfriend has been craving for the past week and waited anxiously until the weekend for me to come home and try it did not make the task any less difficult. I panicked midway too when I poured the chocolate into the mixture and each stir seemed to turn the smooth texture into a grainy nightmare. I reluctantly poured it into a mold anyway, spread it as best I could, hid it away in the refrigerator and tried to forgot about it for the next few hours. Part of me hoped that my family would forget about it too and my failure would sit behind the leftovers undiscovered until I could sneak back sometime and throw away the evidence after it was long gone from everyone's mind.

Unfortunately, I really did forget about it and went out that night to a bible study and the thought only returned to me when I got a call from my mom telling me how much he loved it. That was a little hard for me to believe and I couldn't stop myself from being overly apologetic about its every flaw, must especially its texture. She assured me though that the texture was anything but and I came home to happily discover that this was indeed the truth. The fudge was smooth and creamy and melted deliciously once it hit the tongue.

Initial fears dispersed, I can't wait to try other variations. Maybe peppermint for the holidays!

Creamy Chocolate Fudge (Allrecipes.com)

48 servings [this is the original recipe, I halved the recipe however]

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

Dulce de Leche Apple Cake

2008-10-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

This morning began with a request for a fresh batch of homemade pancakes and soon after the requests began to pile up. My first mission was a coupon treasure hunt at Costco and more miscellaneous grocery shopping at Lucky. Then a request for chocolate fudge sometime this weekend...and a suggestion for sweet potato fudge (still doing some research on that one). Then a bread pudding for my mother's best friend, another batch of pancake batter for my mom to use after I leave on Sunday, maybe some brownies because my mom's boyfriend ran out of box mixes. Not that I had the heart to turn any of these requests down, any excuse to do some baking is enough to catch my attention. But first I had to do what I wanted.

I have been waiting to try this recipe all week. Now they were originally meant to be "Dulce de Leche Apple Bars", but I picked up an adorable circular paper baking mold yesterday at Sur la Table and thought that it would make the perfect size little apple cake. Unfortunately, I must've been into what I was baking that I didn't consider that the batter might overflow. I realized this too late and when I peeked into the oven to see for myself, my susupicious were confirmed. Overflow it had. But I thought it added a certain imperfect charm and it was delicious nonetheless.

My mother and I both agreed that it would do just fine sans the browned butter icing and we would do just fine without all that extra sugar. And being the fruit lovers that we are, we also agreed that next time adding more fruit than the recipe called for wouldn't hurt.

Dulce de leche Apple Cake with Browned Butter Icing

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled apples
1/2 cup dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x9-inch square baking pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy.

Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture, just until combined. Carefully stir in apples.

Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Drop dulce de leche by heaping Tablespoons over batter. Drag a butter knife through dulce de leche to swirl through the batter. Drop remaining batter over dulce de leche.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and firm to touch. Let cool completely.

Browned Butter Icing

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons half and half cream

Prepare icing: In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium until it begins to brown. Remove from heat. Add to a bowl with powdered sugar, vanilla and half/half. Beat on high speed with electric mixer until creamy. Drizzle and spread over bars, and chill until icing is set.

Peachy-Keen Cobbler

2008-10-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today I came home to discover a darling pile of peaches displayed on the dining table. Now I know the peaches probably taste great au natural, but being the sugar fiend that I am, I opted for smothering them in sugar and cinnamon and sprinkling them with a crumb topping. In other words, I could have sweet fresh peaches, but I'd really rather have a warm, delicious peach cobbler.

In keeping with my "mini" or "individual" baking style in order to minimize: 1) waste, 2) my sugar intake, 3) my waistline, I used only two of the tiny white peaches to make myself a single serving cobbler. I will however post the full serving recipe here.

The top of the cobbler did unexpectedly caramelize and ended up looking deceivingly similar to a creme brulee, but for the most part the topping remained soft and crumbly. The little white peach slices soaked up the cinnamon and sugar perfectly and every bite was warm with a subtle hint of spice.

Peach Cobbler

8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

MIX TOGETHER:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Champage French Bakery Cafe

2008-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today I got my weekend off to an even earlier start. Morning classes were closed today due to the VoteSmart event that came to my university. Unfortunately, the event was so crowded that by the time my friends and I got there no more seats were left except at the live viewing held at the adjacent lecture hall. Disappointed though I was, I didn't lose that opportunity to call my mom up and get picked up early. Well, she had a doctor's appointment so lucky little me got dropped off to frolic in The Village at Corte Madera.

I walked into Sur La Table as soon as they opened their doors and bought myself an adorable little cake stand, the perfect size for all the 6" cakes I make. For the past few weeks every single cake I've made has been in miniature and my regular glass cake stand just overpowers them. Now with the perfect little cake stand to match, there's nothing to steal the spotlight from my darling little creations. My cute new purchase will make its debut on my blog soon enough.

If that wasn't indulgent enough, I couldn't help looking into the Champagne French Bakery Cafe and buying myself a little Carrot Cream Cheese Snack Cake with Vanilla Glaze (for a little over $1 I could hardly help myself) and of course, I couldn't resist trying one of the free samples of the many other treats they offer, an atypical strawberry cheesecake. What a way to kick off my weekend...all before noon!

To get me even more inspired I spent over an hour waiting to get picked up at Barnes & Noble flipping unstoppably through cookbooks and magazines. By the time I finally got back into the car I was more than ready to hit the grocery store and never leave the kitchen until it was Sunday night and time to go back to school.

Yay for National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day!

2008-10-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

During a brief moment of unproductive boredom in between classes I was searching online through the countless random food holidays that take place on every single day of the year unbeknownst to most people. That's when I learned that today was National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day, who would've guessed? And lucky for me, I just had a delicious mini pumpkin cheesecake from Viva Cocolat in Petaluma on Sunday and was actually waiting until I had some free time to make a quick post about it. Well, I think today would be the perfect day to do so.

I was also bored enough to write down almost every food celebrated (at least the ones that interested me) on every day for the rest of the year. Just in case I needed any inspiration, or excuse, to bake something. October is actually National Caramel Month.

Well there you go, some eye candy to help you celebrate National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. I can't wait until next year's National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day! Haha. No, not at all, there are definitely plenty of food holidays to keep me occupied for the next 365 days of the year.

Chocolate Layer Cake

2008-10-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm just not a big fan of chocolate cake...there I said it. It's not that I won't eat it, I like it and I'll have it every now and then, but only as a "last resort" when I'm craving something sweet. I'm more easily tempted by other flavors, like vanilla, or something unique, or something fruity. I can't resist a fresh, warm, ooey-gooey brownie however, but chocolate cake just always seemed to me rather...ordinary.

My prejudice has prevented me from ever really considering the challenge of taking on a chocolate cake. It was only after my friend made a request for two little chocolate cakes that I actually looked into the possibility. The idea was exciting, the prospect of making a cake other than carrot (I made eight last weekend and another one by my mother's request this weekend) was too irresistible.

While I was in the process of making my friend's cakes, my mother's boyfriend walked by the kitchen and was disappointed to find that what I was preparing was not meant for the family. By his request I whipped up another quick chocolate cake, which is the one shown in the picture with a chocolate fudge frosting and coating of chocolate ganache. The two for my friend were frosted with a chocolate buttercream icing and unfortunately, I was in such a rush to get them to her on friday night that I forgot to snap a picture of them.

I can't say that this cake completely changed my perspective on chocolate cake, but I did have more than one slice and it was delicious with a refreshing glass of milk. The downfall of a chocolate cake for me is its temperature. I'll go gaga for a warm brownie or a molten chocolate cake or gooey chocolate souffle, but since I can't throw a slice of chocolate layer cake in the microwave without ending up with soupy chocolate frosting it just doesn't make it on my top list. But I would never turn down a chance to make it again for a friend, any excuse to bake. Although now I can't wait for something new!

Chocolate Cake

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water (plus 1 tsp of instant coffee)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 teasp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk or half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

In a heavy medium saucepan combine the sugar,cocoa and salt. Mix everything together.

Add the butter and place over a medium heat stirring to melt the butterand mix everything together into a smooth brown sauce.Add the milk,stir well and bring to a lively boil stirring often.Adjust the heat to maintain an active but gentle boil and cook for five minutes stirring often.

When the frosting begins to thicken remove it from the heat, stir in the vanilla and set it aside to cool for twenty minutes.Beat the frosting until it thickens and looks shiny then spread it over the cake or the layers you want to ice.

Another Cupcake Excursion

2008-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

I took my sister out today to Berkeley to photograph a couple of pieces from her clothing line whoabot:vestures you can click here to check out her Etsy store. My photographic services today were free and I promised to follow her anywhere no matter how far or strange as long as she sustained me. So all our food today was on her...for once.

Before Berekeley we couldn't help but stop at Emeryville's Teacake Bakeshop and were set on getting the Coconut Cupcakes and Chocolate with Dulce de Leche Buttercream that we had yet to try when our plans were ruined by a sign announcing the arrival of the new seasonal autumn flavors: Pumpkin and Apple Crumb. Well, we couldn't really justify getting the pumpkin cupcake, seeing as I just made pumpkin bread the day before. So I got the apple crumb and my sister got...a pumpkin cookie. I guess I couldn't really stop her if she wanted pumpkin that bad, but at least it was in a different form than was offered at home.

Both were delicious, of course. My cupcake was flecked with juicy little bits of cinnamony-apple and I adored the crumb topping, crumb toppings are one of my favorite parts of certain desserts. The coconut and chocolate ducle de leche cupcakes can wait, for a second day in a row I have chosen to honor the coming of autumn.

Maine Pumpkin Bread

2008-10-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

I finally gave into my craving for the taste of autumn. Putting summer behind me and embracing the spicy warmth of fall flavors. It wasn't until the breads were in the oven for a good while and started to perfume the house with a deep spicy aroma that I realized that I love cold season cuisine the best. Albeit, I am a winter baby, but for some reason the hearty dishes that characterize the season seem to resound within me more than the light crisp flavors of spring and summer. Now don't get me wrong, I love lemonade and berry-based desserts as much as the next. However, lately my head is filled with anticipation for the taste of spiced apple cider, pumpkin and applie pies, egg nog-all very spice dominated foods. There's something about the deep complexity of fall foods that strikes me more than the innocent simplicity of spring and summer. Plus, I've been waiting all year to enjoy a much needed hot chocolate again. I can't wait to recreate the rich Spanish hot chocolate and churros that I ate almost every day on my trip to Spain last winter (my last dinner in Spain consisted of just hot chocolate and churros, hehe).

So as fall and winter step in I can't help but get excited at the prospect of all the yummy things that will be filling my house (and my tummy) over the next few months. Uh oh...I reckon that also ushers in the entrance of those inevitable holiday season pounds.

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread (from Allrecipes.com)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Hi, I'll have a tall...Red Velvet Cupcake??

2008-10-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what my favorite order is? Caramel Macchiato? Cafe Au Lait? Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino Blended Coffee? Actually I never drink coffee, if I ever go to Starbucks I'll normally pick up an Iced Green Tea or a Chai Tea. Although I am excited to try the new signature hot chocolates, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate, Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, and their Signature Hot Chocolate. A childhood favorite refined! However, none of these drinks was inside the tall Starbucks logo cup that my mom brought me home today.

Inside was actually a tiny red velvet cupcake!! I don't know which location she found it at but it was the nicest little surprise. The frosting on top wasn't the cream cheese frosting common to most red velvet cupcakes, but it was nice (if not as wonderful) nonetheless. There was even a little surprise inside of my surprise...a rich chocolate ganache center, a wonderful discovery I made after two or three bites.

I also baked another carrot cake this weekend, an adorable miniature 6 inch double layer cake. I increased the ratio of the carrots, used half brown sugar and half white, and added a touch of cinnamon to cream cheese frosting. My family definitely appreciated the slight changes and unfortunately, so much so, that I was unable to take even one photograph before my tiny creation was cut into and almost half devoured. However, one blessing that did arise from this was my mother's suggestion that I sell, what she has dubbed, my "perfected" carrot cake as well as my other delicious quick breads to the women at the church to help raise funds for my college, seeing as I've been unable to acquire an on-campus job as of yet. I told her I'd look into the possibility and the notion has got me very excited for such a legitimate excuse to bake every weekend. More updates as that on going project progresses.

Tea Time

2008-09-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Right after I left the orthodontist, I knew I needed a pick-me-upper, so I hopped into my car and without even going back home I headed to the grocery store. A few people were surprised that I wouldn't rather lay down but what I knew that the dull pain I felt would become almost unbearable in a few hours, making any such leisure impossible. I used the sorry state I was in to my advantage, making it an excuse for an impulsive trip to Costco to buy the vanilla beans I had eyed for weeks. But when you think about it it wasn't so irresponsible an action, 10 vanilla beans for $11 versus the 2 vanilla beans $13 can buy at a supermarket? It was a smart impulse. Then I headed to Ranch 99 to buy some adorable tea cups that I had seen the day before but had guilted myself out of getting. For $1 I bought two porcelain teacups and spoons, again, a not so destructive impulse.

While sitting in silently endured pain at the orthodontist I had made the decision that I would allow myself a small luxury to reward myself for being such a patient and quiet victim, I would finally make that green tea and vanilla panna cotta that I had seen on Nordljus and had been drooling over all week. I did however restrain myself to some extent by halving the recipe to only make enough to fill the two teacups that I had just purchased.

My sister was surprised to come home from school to see me up and about in the kitchen instead of moping in bed like everyone had assumed I would be. But her nagging concern was short lived when I presented to her my second panna cotta to eat for herself and we sat down together at the table to taste my attempts. The combination of the dark chocolate sauce and the green tea was truly wonderful. My biggest excitement was the flecks of vanilla seeds that permeated through the cream, because I always felt that real vanilla seeds made such a difference and could never approve of a restaurant that didn't utilize them in their creme brulee or panna cotta. Now I finally had pods of my own, and a lot of them, so I can finally try the many recipes that I've had to put on hold because of my stubborn prudence in not buying the overpriced vanilla pods for myself. The panna cotta was worth all the teasing from my sister as she watched me carefully maneuver the spoon into my sore, metal-filled mouth and I'm glad I made it because now, several hours later, I can tell by the pain that I won't be able to eat anything interesting for awhile.

Green Tea and Vanilla Panna Cotta with Chocolate Sauce

Makes 4

100ml milk

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds removed

3 green tea bags or 2 heaped tablespoons of green tea

350ml double cream

1 1/4 leaves of gelatine, soaked in water

70g icing sugar

30g caster sugar

150ml water

1 level tablespoon cocoa powder

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Put the milk, vanilla pod and seeds, tea bags or tea and half the cream in a small pan and slowly simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and extract the tea bags (put the mixture through a sieve if you’ve used loose tea or you tea bags have burst). Squeeze out the gelatine, discarding the soaking water, then stir the gelatine into the tea mixture and leave to dissolve. Allow to cool a little, then place in the fridge, stirring occasionally until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla pod.

Whip together the icing sugar and the remaining cream. Mix the two cream mixtures together. Divide into four metal moulds (small glasses or cappuccino cups also work well). Cover and chill for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, place the caster sugar, the water and the cocoa in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and stir in the broken chocolate. Stir until dissolved and warm briefly before serving.

To serve, sometimes I dip the mould or cup into some simmering water to loosen the panna cotta, then turn it out on to a plate and spoon the chocolate around it, or – especially if you feel the mixture is a bit wet – you can simply serve the dessert in its cup with chocolate sauce poured over the top.

Filipino Empanadas

2008-09-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today brought about some big changes, but more on that later. Before all that I was given one objective, to take on the empanada. Now I've never been very fond of empanadas, it's not that I don't like them, I began to look at them as so commonplace that it just became a habit to overlook them whenever they were offered amongst other more enticing dishes. The poor little empanada is always overshadowed by the ever popular lumpia. So when my mom asked me to make a large batch of empanada to sell at church I was excited to get to know it better.

I didn't have to make the filling, my mother made that on her own, it consisted simply of ground beef, peas, and carrots, but the variations of filling are endless. It was my task to make the dough and assemble the empanadas, which didn't seem so daunting until I saw that the large container of filling waiting for me in the refrigerator.

The process overall was quite laborious, if only because of the sheer volume of the batch. But afterwards I was rewarded with my first taste of my hard work. There's definitely something different about fresh baked goods, especially when you had a part in it. I'm not sure if it was because I stubbornly searched for a dough recipe that used butter instead of the traditional shortening, but the crust was unlike any empanada crust I've tasted before. Sometimes a small change from the traditional can make a world of difference and I think that butter crust does just that. The filling by nature is simple, which truly lets the crust take center stage, but hey, maybe I'm being biased, I've always been a devoted crust-lover.

Unfortunately, I could only savor one of my creations before speedily brushing my teeth and hopping into my car to drive to my orthodontist, where...I got my braces put on. I suppose this marks an inevitable downward slope for my eating adventures, at least for the time being. The range of foods I can eat is significantly narrowed and the cravings and hunger pangs are only dulled by the aching toothaches. Alas, I won't allow this to deter me and for now I will simply take this as a challenge to explore other textures in hopes of finding flavor beyond the bland instant oatmeal that I've been having nightmares about.

Sinigang: A Lesson In Comfort Food With My Mother

2008-09-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

One thought that has kept me going all week is a promise my mother made before I left for school on Sunday night, that she would teach me how to cook Sinigang, a filipino sour soup. The opportunity excited me so much because I've always been worried that I'd never learn that element of my culture. I already lament the loss of my native tongue, but what concerned me most was that when I'm finally living on my own my cravings for the comfort foods of my childhood will have to be satisfied with a trip to a restaurant not the kitchen. The memories and the smells of my childhood are something I want to be able to give to my future family as well.

I learned a lot more than just a recipe, well, in fact, I didn't learn a recipe at all and that in itself was the lesson. I've always found myself to be more of a baker than a cook, I don't feel confident improvising or eyeing things. Exact measurements and instructions help me feel structured and calm my worries that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. My training began in the grocery store, as I pushed the shopping cart, watching my mom grab ingredients left and right, no detailed list in her hand like the ones I've come to rely on. The hardest part came when we entered the kitchen and I began to ask too many questions. How much water should I put in the pot? How hot does the stove need to be? When do I know when to add what next or when it's done? How long should it cook? The answer to all these questions was similar, It doesn't matter, Just eye it, Touch it, Taste it, You'll know. It was an out of body experience, I was forced to literally abandon my dependencies on instructions and had to get to know the food for myself.

I felt more proud of my finished product than I did for any of my more elaborate endeavours. The simple, giddy excitement of making an adorable treat for myself gave way to feeling that felt much deeper. I felt fulfilled, I had created something with a purpose much more significant than simply pleasing my fleeting fancies, I had begun to learn a craft that has nourished and comforted families for generations and now it was no longer beyond my reach.

I won't be posting a recipe, as there was none given to me and it seems to defy the nature of filipino home cooking. Ihave to force myself to learn it by heart so that each time I make it for my future family that's exactly where it will be coming from, my heart, with it all my memories of what my parents also shared with me.

Sol Food and a Long Awaited Father-Daughter Moment

2008-09-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Finally my weekly exoneration from dorm food! My father took me out for lunch again today-when went out for Indian food last Monday. Today we decided to try Sol Food, restaurant down on 4th Street offering authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine. The green painted interior is a quaint recreation of a busy island kitchen, crowded with plants and eclectic furniture and decor. A large shelf by the cashier displays a collection of beverages from Agua de Coco to Fizzy Lizzy's in eight different flavors. Below the shelf were two troughs of ice filled with chilled beverages, my father selected a Fizzy Lizzy, but I had my heart set on trying the homemade limeade in a jar advertised on the door.

He ordered the Ensalada de Pollo, organic greens, tomato, avocado, baked (free-range) chicken, pickled pink onions, and lemon-garlic dressing. I had the Combinacion Vegetariano, black beans served over rice, organic greens, fresh avocado, tostone, and maduro. And of course, having the sweet tooth that I do, I ordered the Tembleque, a creamy coconut pudding with mango sauce. After ordering we took a seat at one of the heavy wood tables and played catch up, discussing my school, his business, my little brothers, music, religion. I love to hear my father talk, impart wisdom, ponder, and share with me his goals in life.

The food was good and I ate slower than I am accustomed to, savoring the flavors, the moments spent with my father free of conflict, devoid of the complications of the divorce. Turning eighteen at the beginning of this year marked the end of his "legal obligations" towards me and I was afraid that that would end any hope of us having the close relationship that we have always tried to attain but that he always managed to put off, prioritizing work. But sitting there, I realized that my fears were unfounded. Turning eighteen, being in college, allowed him the comfortable freedom of being able to visit me as often as he had always wanted to.

I offered him a taste of the coconut pudding. He took a bite and quickly put down the spoon, dubbing it a "triple shot of sugar." He was right, the syrup was heavy and sugary, and I apologized, remembering his diabetes. The fact that the risk of diabetes runs on both sides of my family and the fact that it really was a bit too sweet should've made me put down my spoon right then as well, but I have a terrible habit of always finishing dessert.

We had a moment in the car, sitting in front of my dorm saying goodbye. It took almost ten minutes to say goodbye. He couldn't stop looking at me and he kept telling me how much he missed me. He wiggled my nose as if I were a child, like a desperate attempt to reclaim the years that he had lost. He told me he loved me and wiped his eyes. And he promised to do his best to take me out to lunch almost every week. No matter how many promises he's broken in the past, no matter how much my mother and stepdad and sister and boyfriend pity me each time I get my hopes up about my father...I believe him. I want and I need to believe him.

I thank God for food and the things it does to people.

Banana Bread

2008-09-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

When I first began my fascinating endeavour into all things cooking and baking-really only a few months or so ago-my mind was filled with big and ambitious desires and projects. It honestly still is. However, as of late, many factors are forcing me to humble my culinary aspirations. The first of which is finances, lately the two culprits of our rather high electrical bill have been our dryer and oven. There is also the matter of the rising price in our groceries, as my projects become more elaborate and the ingredients, consequently, more specialized. Therefore, per my mother's entreaties, I will be taking a turn into the more practical and less frivolous.

The second factor is my boyfriend, who will from now on be addressed in this blog as "Mr. Simple," a very appropriate pseudonym as you will gradually learn from my mentions of him. The concept of good food, in my mind, consists of dishes made from high quality ingredients, unique and intriguing combinations of flavor, presentation, an opportunity for artistic expression. These are the characteristics in my head when I first set out to hone my kitchen skills. Mr. Simple is quite the opposite. To him, practicality is everything, all that really matters is taste and portion. If it's a minuscule serving that won't fill him up, no matter how lovely the presentation or how decadent the ingredients or how laborious the cooking process, he will not hesitate to criticize it. I am very often teased for my "foodie behvior," my love for food that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but of the best quality, and the wide-eyed stares and giggles, the typical "kid-in-a-candy-shop" syndrome, that come over me when I enter a real life candy shop. I learned the hard way that any recipe with less ingredients and less steps will win his heart over more easily than a labour-intensive recipe. The faster the food gets to him the better.

These past few weeks have forced me to learn how to compromise. Any particularly extravagant or money-hungry recipes will only be tried if it is possible to scale them down or if there is a particular occassion that calls for such extravagance. And I can't say that I'm too particularly upset about this either. I do admit that the one thing that I lack most in life is practicality and having someone there to keep me in check-while still allowing me to dream-is just what I need.

In the past few months, food has definitely changed its role in my life. Thoughts of food, whether it be planning a recipe, images, inspirations, projects, have recently replaced my once very fashion-centered thinking. Notebooks that were once filled with doodles of the latest runway inspirations and lists of things to buy are now occupied by lists of recipes to try, supplies to purchase. Not that fashion is no longer prevalent in my life, I still find it a primary outlet of my expression. However, food just seems to be a more practical way to express myself aesthetically and creatively, and it definitely has more advantages. Cooking can not only be admired by others, but it can also be shared, a thing that one can't really say about fashion-a very self-gratifying interest.

This is the kind of mindset I have begun to instill myself with over the past few weeks. Not only as a means of comforting myself as I put many of my culinary "projects" on hold, but also as a transition into a different chapter of my life, a departure from the very egocentric teenager stage, when one improves themselves in order to satisfy their own desires. Now I'm beginning to improve myself in order to better serve others, my family, a serious boyfriend, and eventually a home of my own.

So, by my boyfriend's request...

Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Miette Patisserie

2008-09-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

A few posts ago I lamented leaving Sur La Table empty handed, however, I was not able to stop myself from indulging in a little instant gratification at the adorable Miette Patisserie also housed in San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace. The owners of Miette have maximized the very few square feet it occupies for ultimate adorablility. Gorgeous glass jars are filled to the brim with various macarons, caramels, meringues, and candies. A table displaying a multi-tiered cakestand is laden with towers of homemade graham crackers, shortbreads, sables and cookies. Their glass case showcases their many gourmet cakes, including the decadent Princess as well as the irresistible Tomboy. Also on display are petite pots de creme, opera cakes, brownies, scones, and cupcake versions of their signature cakes.

Because a visit to Miette was what drove me to request a trip to the Ferry Building in the first place, I knew I couldn't leave without taking advantage of the treats it had to offer. I purchased one of their pots de creme baked into a miniature jar (which could be bought back for a dollar-but the jar was the whole reason I chose it anyway, so there's no way they're getting it back, hehe). I also selected a miniature cupcake version of their most popular Gingerbread Cake with Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting as well as miniature version of their Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Boiled Icing. While the cashier was ringing me up I did the best that I could to ignore the macarons that were displayed right at eye level, but I inevitably gave in and asked her to add one vanilla macaron to my purchase and I nibbled on it happily as we strolled through the rest of the vendors.

Emergency Cheesecake Makeover

2008-09-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

As soon as I came back home on Thursday I knew exactly what dish I wanted to tackle. Cheesecake has been on my mind all week-during lectures, before bed, while studying-and I've even had the particular recipe I wanted to attempt bookmarked for months. So after my roommate requested a cheesecake my mind was set. So when I left school on Thursday afternoon I bought my first spring-form pan and a ton of cream cheese and got to work.

Unfortunately, things did not go as easily as I had imagined and for some reason my graham cracker crust just didn't look stable enough as I pressed it into the bottom of the pan-could it have been the low-fat graham crackers? And then it seemed that my bargain spring-form pan-at under $10-was also working against me and when I opened the oven after an hour my cheesecake was browned on the edges, domed in the center and cracked. I closed the oven door dejectedly, disillusioned by my less than picture-perfect cheesecake.

I gave myself a few hours to get over it as the object of my disappointment set in the oven for a few hours. I woke up the next morning ready and determined to get the better of this cheesecake. Before even having breakfast, I faced the cheesecake once again-this time with the dome thankfully sunken and level, albeit cracked. Knife in hand I began to carve away the browned top and sides, nibbling the shavings as I went-still tasty, just not aesthetically pleasing enough for me.

Left with a naked, white cheesecake I sliced the entire cake and proceeded with the embellishments. I cut up strips of parchment paper and pressed them into borders on each individual slice. I made whipped cream dams on the shortest side of each slice and began to spoon blueberries into several of the slices, while the paper borders helped to keep the topping, well, on the top. Other slices were topped with raspberry white chocolate glaze that I concocted by reducing fresh raspberries with sugar, water and corn syrup and mixing it with melted white chocolate, while other slices were topped with the smooth dulce de leche I made the day before while the cheesecake was in the oven.

Afterwards I put all the individual slices into the freezer to set. My new and improved cheesecake made its debut at the bible study held at my boyfriend's house later that night and received rave reviews. No leftovers made it back home with me that night, good thing I kept a couple of the slices hidden in my freezer to keep.

My ability to rummage a success out of a self-proclaimed baking failure saved me from never attempting a cheesecake again. However, it will be a while before I try it again, mostly because I'm eager to try new and exciting recipes and also because cheesecake for two weeks in a row might kill me.

New York Cheesecake

15 graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

La Provence

2008-09-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Another Friday home with a stomach and mouth eager for flavor after a torturous week of dorm food. Today I sought satisfaction in the city. My first stop was San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace. Where I ogled the goodies from Miette Patisserie, Recchuiti Confections, and Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker. I also spent a good half hour running wide-eyed through Sur La Table, adding to my infinite mental wishlist and sadly leaving empty handed, yet inspired.

My destination for lunch was very spontaneous. La Provence was chosen solely by name from a search on local restaurants from my mother's GPS. I know they say never to judge a book by it's cover, but on this occassion (and many others) I have to plead guilty. I often pick a book because of an interesting cover, a restaurant because of an intriguing name, and a recipe because of a drool-inducing picture. My method doesn't fail me often, so I have yet to reform my ways.

This choice proved to be no exception and I was very happy with my decision making skills after lunch. La Provence serves organic, natural, and free-range dishes inspired by Southern France, as well as locally grown fruits and vegetables. I started off with the Salade Olivier (goat cheese toast, tapenade, bacon, frisse, honey cilantro dressing), that I unfortunately consumed happily before realizing half way through that I hadn't yet taken a picture of it. My main course, the Tartine Provencal, pictured above, was a delightful combination of anchovies, pesto, bell pepper, and parmesan on a wheat toasted tartine. My dessert choice was spontaneous, the Tarte Tropezienne, brioche filled with citrus infused pastry cream served with a side of marmalade, a very new experience for me since I hardly ever order anything citrusy. No regrets whatsoever, the brioche wasn't too heavy, the cream was flavorful and light, and the marmalade was refreshing and cool.

After lunch I was overcome with a desire to visit the South of France myself to confirm the authenticity of my delicious meal. Until that time, however, they will definitely be seeing more of me over at La Provence.

Vanilla and Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

2008-09-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

I used to abhore cupcakes. Ever since elementary school. A classmates mother would bring in a giant box of generic supermarket cupcakes and all the kids would jump up and down. I was indifferent. I hated the frosting the most. The thick, tasteless blob that I would wipe off with a napkin and offer to my eager friends. I would never go out of my way for a cupcake.

Then I had a life changing experience. A few years ago the Teacake Bakeshop opened up the shopping center of Bay Street Emeryville. The bakery was adorable, with it's pink candy-striped interior to it's glass case of delicious cookies. My first few visits I ordered a cookie, I never paid much attention to the cupcakes. Then one day while standing in a ridiculously long line for a few sugary treats I gazed over at the variety of cupcakes displayed on dainty glass cake stands. The array of pastel frosting, tiny pearl decorations, and fondant daisies enchanted me and after years of trauma I voluntarily tried a cupcake.

I started simple, a Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream. One bite and I was sold. The moist cake was delicious and the once-feared frosting quickly became my new favorite part. Light and creamy and flavorful. This was the beginning of a beautiful romance and I haven't ordered a cookie from there since.

What started out as a simple taste-experimentation of a gourmet vanilla cupcake quickly advanced into a quest for more mouth-watering flavors: Pink Velvet Cupcakes, daily specials like Coconut and Carrot Cake, and seasonal flavors like Pumpkin with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.

Soon one bakeshop wasn't enough and I eagerly sought out new potentials. From the Fleur de Sel and Passion Fruit filled cupcakes at Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco's Ghiradelli Square to the Matcha Green Tea and Pretty In Pink strawberry cupcakes at the Love At First Bite Bakery tucked away in secluded corner of Berkeley.

I have yet to bother baking my own batch and really am just waiting for an occasion to do so. It would be safest for me to have them, say, consumed by friends at a birthday party, rather than sitting enticingly in my glass cake stand in plain sight from the living room couch, with myself as their only captive audience.

Maybe I will attempt a scaled-down recipe that could yield only six cupcakes without sacrificing flavor or texture due to the reductions. But then again I wouldn't even know where to start. Which flavor? Paired with which frosting?

For now, cupcakes will remain the one thing I am contented to seek out at a bakery before my own kitchen. For now.

Carrot Cake

2008-09-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend my mom asked me to bake another bread pudding-yet again. Considering that it would've been my fourth bread pudding within the span of a month, I honestly told her that I would bake anything but. So I listed to her some possibilities and she quickly decided upon a carrot cake. Although I had been hoping to try a pie recipe sometime soon, I was just as content to take my first shot at a layered cake.

I did run into a few minor problems, the cake stuck to the bottom of the pan, bits and pieces of cake remained stuck to the bottom when I forced it out. But on a positive note, that gives me an excuse to buy a new foolproof cake pan next weekend. Hehe.

A few changes I will make next time: 1) Replace the 2 cups of white sugar with 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar for a richer cake. 2) My sister suggested that a little cinnamon in the frosting would take the cake to the next level (and after we test-tasted a little cinnamon sprinkled on the frosting leftover on the handmixer, I agreed. haha).

Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cake. Sprinkle with additional chopped pecans, if desired.

Soft-Centered Chocolate Puddings

2008-09-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Another leisurely weekend back at home with more opportunities to bake myself up a little fun. Today's aspiration was a Soft-Centered Chocolate Pudding. ONE Soft-Centered Chocolate Pudding. So after selecting a recipe from Design*Sponge, an adorable crafts and DIY website, and throwing the data into a recipe calculator, I crossed my fingers and hoped the reduced "individual-serving" recipe would work just as well. And thank goodness it did, it came out perfect, moist and chocolatey and oh-so-rich in the middle. [I was also very fortunate that I was able to make only one...or else I'm sure I would've devoured all four servings that the original recipe yielded]. I also had to race against time while taking my photos, because as soon as I placed the fresh raspberries on top the delicate ceiling of the pudding slowly began to sink. By the time I was finished all three raspberries had fallen into the warm, gooey center and they tasted heavenly once I fished them out.

Soft-Centered Chocolate Puddings

Makes 4
4 tbs granulated white sugar (60g) + 2/3 cup sugar (160g)
100g butter chopped
200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
2 tbs self-rising flour (30g)*
Icing sugar (powdered) & thick cream, to serve

*To make your own self-rising flour, for each cup of all-purpose flour (125g), add 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5g) of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (2.5g).

Preheat oven to 200°C/390F. Lightly grease 4 x mud australia Limoges porcelain baby noodle bowls (or similar oven-safe bowls). Sprinkle 1 tbs sugar into each bowl and turn so sugar coats inside of the bowl.

Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon for 5 minutes or until mixture is smooth then remove from the heat.

Using electric hand mixer, beat eggs and remaining sugar on high speed until pale and slightly thickened. Pour warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Sift flour over mixture and stir gently to combine. Pour mixture evenly between bowls. Place onto a tray. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until well risen.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with thick cream if desired.

Herbed Focaccia

2008-09-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Since I was a child, I have loved the smell of fresh, warm bread. Unfortunately, that smell was a treat I could find only at restaurants. I have very few complaints about my childhood, but every now and then I envy those who reminisce about the heavenly smells that continued to pour out of their mother's oven day after day, be it baked goods or homemade breads. That is a memory, I am resolute, that my future children will not be deprived of. But for now I'll stop being so melodramatic and will carry on with the more optimistic view.

The fact that my boyfriend is not the devoted sweeth tooth like I am (and often criticizes for my "always leave room for dessert" lifestyle), I am content with the fact that he is, like me, a bread fanatic. So in my recent attempts to master all things domestic (and to put more on the table than sugary, adorable treats) I have decided to progressively advance with baking homemade breads.

This herbed focaccia marks Day One and the warm, earthy smells of oregano, thyme, and basil that bombarded me as I opened the oven door could well have been fireworks celebrating "Day One's" victory.

Herbed Focaccia

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Day Two: I begin the conquest of the loaf.

*Wishlist:

Stuffed Pasta Shells

2008-09-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

I realized after all the baking that while all the baking I had been doing lately was all very delicious and fun it wasn't exactly practical. I mean, sure I can bake, but when I'm older and have a family I can't exactly serve baked goods and treats every night for dinner, now can I? So this weekend I was forced to realize that I ought to be spending more of my time learning how to cook, especially because my boyfriend doesn't exactly share the sweet tooth that I have and is often indifferent to my exciting baking accomplishments. Although I, for the most part, have the domestic skill of baking in the bag...there's no denying that the main course comes before dessert for a reason. [sigh]

So tonight I decided to take on a childhood favorite of mine. Stuffed pasta shells had always been one of my favorite orders, along with a simple capellini pomodoro, but I noticed as I grew older that it slowly started to disappear from many menus until I realized that, although I still considered it a favorite, I had not had it for many years. Therefore, I decided that I was now a big girl who could take matters into my own hands, and, if restaurants would refuse to provide me what I craved, I now had the power create it myself. So create I did and yes, it was oh so satisfying.

On another note: Unfortunately as much as I enjoyed this dish, I sadly observed that my boyfriend (although he asked for serving after serving) did not jump up and down for it like he is known to do over a dish he particularly loves. I suppose the more intricate the recipe I make to please myself, the more it loses its appeal to his simple tastes. I've seen him much more thankful when I whip up a batch of garlic rice and chicken.

Oh well. This was for me. Hehe.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
4 cups large curd cottage cheese
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pinch garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook shells according to package directions. Place in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.

Mix together cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, and garlic powder. Rub the dried herbs in the palms of your hands to pulverize them, and stir into the cheese mixture. Stuff mixture into the shells.

Spread 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 15 x 10 inch pan. Place shells open side up, and close together in pan. Spread remaining sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Eclairs

2008-09-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

For my first endeavour into what I assumed to be a more ambitious baking project, I was surprised to find that eclairs aren't exactly as overwhelming as one might fear. The process itself is actually quite manageable and the end result was perfect eclairs that received rave reviews from my family and friends. I can truly say that it was worth it to take the challenge and try my hand at a Daring Bakers' Challenge, because this pleasant experience has definitely encouraged me to take on more intricate recipes.

I am, however, hesitant to official join the Daring Bakers' Blogroll because I'm unsure of how committed I can be to the monthly challenges. I fear that in a few weeks my schedule at school will prevent me from having as much free to time to frolic in the kitchen as I have the privilege of doing at the present. Regardless, when I see an idea that I think I could manage, I am now eager to try it for myself.

Now that I realize how simple eclairs really are, I'm looking forward to experimenting more with flavors and colors and possibly try to concoct a "cuter" pastry.

Chocolate Eclairs

Cream puff dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm

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

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

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

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

Assembling the éclairs: [This is where I deviated a little from Pierre Hermé’s original recipe, because instead of chocolate pastry cream, I made vanilla and I also used a simplified version of a chocolate glaze that didn't require making a chocolate sauce first. If you wanted the entirely original recipe you can check it out here.]

Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.

Dip the tops of the éclairs in the chocolate glaze and allow them to set. In the meantime fill the bottoms with the pastry cream. Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottom of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to set them.

Notes: The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.

Cream Puff Dough

(makes 20-24 Éclairs)

½ cup (125g) whole milk
½ cup (125g) water
1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, at room temperature

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

Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.
Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your handmixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.
You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.

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

Notes: Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately. [You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.]

Creme Patissiere

1 cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup all purpose flour (scooped and leveled)
2 cups boiling milk
1 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

In a 3 quart mixing bowl, gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks with a wire whisk or an electric beater. Continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon.

Beat in the flour.

Beating the egg yolk mixture, gradually pour in the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.

Pour into a clean, heavy bottomed 2.5 quart saucepan and set over moderately high heat. Stir with a wire whisk, reaching all over the bottom of the pan. As the sauce comes to a boil it will get lumpy, but will smooth out as soon as you beat it. When boil is reached, beat over moderately low heat for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour. Be careful the custard does not scorch in the bottom of the pan.

Remove from the heat and beat in the butter, then the vanilla. If the custard is not used immediately, clean it off the sides of the pan, and dot the top of the custard with softened butter to prevent a skin from forming over the surface (alternatively, cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic is sitting right on the surface of the custard).

The creme patissiere will keep for a week in the refrigerator, or may be frozen.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Hard Chocolate Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter
5 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Combine chocolate with butter in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Miniature Cinnamon Sugar Crepes

2008-09-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

On my first morning back home from school I found myself all alone with nothing to do and nothing to eat for breakfast. Having been away from a kitchen all week I couldn't convince myself not to back and just relax. My biggest fear was preparing a big batch of delicious something that I would feel obligated to finish all by myself.

Ready to take a risk, I set out to bake myself an "individual" batch of crepes. I was really worried that scaling down a recipe might change the consistency of the crepes themself, but to my relief they came out just as I had hoped. Light and ever-so delicious.

To keep it light I simply spread a light layer of butter on the inside of the crepe and sprinkled it with a little powdered sugar and cinnamon. After folding it into quarters I lightly dusted the crepe with a little more sugar and cinnamon for a little extra flavor and added cuteness. It's hard to tell from the picture but these crepes really were tiny, maybe 4 inches in diameter. The added vanilla filled the kitchen with such a heavenly aroma as soon as the batter hit the skillet.

Here's the full serving recipe:

Basic Crepes

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Sift together flour and sugar and beat into egg mixture until smooth.

Heat a lightly greased skillet and about 3 tablespoons of batter. Tilt skillet so that the batter spreads to almost cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until lightly browned; turn and brown the other side. Repeat process with remaining batter, grease skillet as needed.

Yields approximately 6 servings.

I choose to have my crepes with cinnamon and sugar, but the combinations are endless. Fresh fruit with whipped cream or Nutella, lemon juice with a light sprinkling of sugar, or a light layer of your favorite jam would make an equally delicious crepe. Omit the sugar and vanilla for light and fluffy, savory crepes.

Home Sweet Home

2008-09-04T19:20:00.001-07:00

As I promised, here are pictures of my dormitory: Meadowlands Hall. The beautiful building is the oldest residence hall and the only original estate home remaining on campus. Meadowlands Hall was built in 1888 and served as the summer home of Michael de Young and his family. The de Young's are the founders of the San Francisco Chronicle and the de Young Museum, also in San Francisco. In 1918, the Dominican Sisters purchased the stately parcel. The hall features fine leaded glass windows, the mural-clad Hunt Room, the Meadowlands Assembly Hall, and a sweeping front porch facing the sprawling Meadowlands lawn and a view of Mt. Tamalpais.

Haha. I admit, I copied that right off of my university's website. However, the photos are all mine and there are so many beautiful corners of the campus that I've only been able to cover a few places on foot with my camera in hand. There's a breathtaking array of flowers on campus and even an international botanical garden. I love being surrounded by so much green, the impeccably trimmed lawns and the hundreds of trees add to the romantic feel of the environment and make the walk to class a literal stroll in the park. Another feature I love is that my dormitory is not far off from the building of the Music Department and my walks are often accompanied by decorative piano, violin, or the occassional clarinet.

As much as I adore my campus, I have to admit that it feels so good to be home again for the weekend. The manicured scenery and the organic salad bar filled with local produce could only charm me for so long. The confortability of home has a way of sneaking up behind me and forcing me out the healthy habits I have clung to for the whole week and within minutes of hitting the couch I began to crave salty, sweet, flavorful-all at once. So...

...this is what happened. [Baked] Sweet Potato Fries sprinkled with Thyme. Mmm...everything I craved without the guilt and glutton of traditional fries. Do I regret it? Not at all. Sometimes a pat on the back for a studious week at school can be found in the form of a little healthy self-indulgence.

Haha, well I've been asked for the recipe for these sweet potato fries and I'm afraid that I can't really give an official one. They were really sort of a product of boredom and curiousity. Simply put, preheat oven to 350F, peel and slice a few sweet potatoes (some people like to slice their fries in wedges, but I find that thinner sliced fries never get as soggy) and drizzle with olive oil. In a separate bowl mix an appropriate amount of flour with a teaspoon of thyme or seasoning of your choice. Lightly coat the fries in the flour and herb mixture, lay out onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or so.

*NOTE: Although these are originally "baked" sweet potato fries, I later realized that tossing them in a skillet after baking until their browned ensures that the fries have a nice crispy texture. That's just a personal observation, because I tend to prefer my fries a bit browned.

Hopefully more culinary adventures to come while I'm home for the next few days.

Comfort Food

2008-09-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

My last day home before I return to my dorm on the Dominican campus. It's really only been a week of school but I've become so accustomed to the on-campus pace that it feels like it's already been a semester. I miss my boyfriend and my sister most, but I didn't realize until after this weekend that there was something else I missed almost as much: filipino food.

I might have been thrilled about the organic local produce available in my cafeteria and though I still haven't tired of having a fresh salad and fruit everyday, my gung ho healthy habits didn't stand a chance against a table stocked with trays of hot filipino dishes that greeted me at a party last Friday.

So this morning, to get me through a week of classic gourmet options my mom made me a big pot of hot noodles, a filipino dish called Sotanghon. Even if it will hit the upper 80's today this dish really hit the spot and I'll be looking forward to my welcome home meal on Friday and my farewell meal next Sunday night before I go back.