Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

Dallas News.com ^ | March 14th, 2008 | DEAN FOSDICK

[nw_arizona_granny]

Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick

Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.

At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."

Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.

A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."

[snipped]

She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.

"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."

[nw_arizona_granny]

Quick and Easy Lemon Cake
# Sep 14th, 2007 Desserts Vegetarian

Lemon Jello Cake

This is the lemon cake that my Nana usually always makes for me when I go home to California. We both forgot about it during my last visit and I didn’t realize until I got back to Sicily that I hadn’t had my Lemon Jello Cake fix.

Luckily, I have the recipe! And lucky for you, I’m going to share it!

This is one of the easiest cakes you can make and I will argue that it’s one of the best-tasting cakes you will ever eat.

What makes this cake so great is the glaze. The cake is baked in a jelly roll pan so it is only about an inch thick. After it’s done baking, you pierce the cake all over with a fork and spread it with the sweet-tart lemon glaze. The glaze sinks down into the cake and the result is the best lemon cake EVER!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Nana’s Lemon Jello Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1 small package lemon jello
3/4 C. water
4 eggs, well beaten
3/4 C. oil

glaze:
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 C. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 18 x 13-inch jelly roll pan.

2. Pour cake mix and lemon jello powder into a large bowl; whisk together to remove any large lumps. Stir in the water then add eggs and oil. Blend, using a wooden spoon, with 50 strokes. There will be lumps, this is ok.

3. Pour batter into a greased and floured jelly roll pan; smooth batter with a spatula so that it is even. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees, checking after the first 20 minutes.

4. While cake is baking, mix together powdered sugar. lemon juice and zest.

5. While cake is still warm, pierce with fork all over then spread glaze evenly over the top. Allow to cool, then cut into squares and serve.

Mixing the Batter

As you can see, the batter will be lumpy. It’s important to smooth the batter evenly with a spatula after pouring it in the jelly roll pan, so that it will bake evenly.

Cake Batter

One of the greatest inventions ever, the microplane grater is perfect for zesting a lemon in seconds!

Lemon Zest

How do you juice your lemons? I usually just squeeze them by hand, using a small strainer to catch the seeds.

Squeezing Lemons

When making the glaze, you don’t have to use a cute little whisk like this one. But it always puts a smile on my face!

Mixing the glaze

After the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over with a large fork. The holes will allow the yummy lemon glaze to penetrate the cake.

Piercing Cake

After the glaze is poured over the warm cake, make sure to spread it out quickly and evenly with spatula.

Pouring Glaze

As the cake cools, the glaze hardens just a bit. Now is the time to dig in with your fork before dividing the rest into squares!

http://pinchmysalt.com/2007/09/14/quick-and-easy-lemon-cake/

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Many do not know that the modern car will not run, if a certain weapon is used, nor will any of the electronics, phones, the list is large.

That gives you a chill down your spine. Imagine the entire country trying to run/walk to safety wearing high heels or dress shoes, in a muddy field or through snow. No cars working and no telephone communication either... scary...

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Here’s the address that was truncated in the post:

http://extension.usu.edu/htm/publications/by=category/category=319

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I love the ethnic recipes you’ve posted. I saw some Ethiopian dishes last night and later some Far East dishes. It’s good to branch out and try new tastes. Will read further, to see if there are Indian recipes, I bet there are.

By the way, do you know how to make African Violets bloom?

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2007/08/lemon-curd-cake.html

Lemon Curd Cake
(from Emily Luchetti’s Four-Star Desserts)

Curd Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cake Ingredients
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar (divided into 3/4 cup & 1 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp (=half stick=2 oz) unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
6 large egg whites

To make the lemon curd
Fill a medium pot 1/3 full of water and bring to a very low boil.

In a medium heatproof bowl whisk together egg yolks, egg, 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk in 1/2 cup lemon juice.

Set the bowl over the pot of water making sure water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, about 10 minutes.

Strain the curd into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd (to prevent a skin from forming). Chill curd until cold (but it’s okay to chill it until it’s cooled down to room temperature).

To make the cake
Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round x 3-inch high cake pan.

Sift together cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, lemon juice, zest, and cooled lemon curd. Stir in dry ingredients.

Using the whisk attachment, in the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase speed to high and gradually add the 1 1/2 cup sugar. Whip until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into batter.

Spread batter into you prepared cake pan. Bake at 325F until cake tester comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Cool on rack and then remove cake from pan.

Dust with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar if desired.

---

http://pinchmysalt.com/2008/11/22/i-love-lemon-curd/

Although I am really enjoying this batch of lemon curd, it’s not as thick as other recipes I’ve tried. I’m not sure if it’s something I did wrong, or if it’s supposed to be this way, but I think next time I might try this Foolproof Way to Make Luscious, Light Lemon Curd that I read about at Fine Cooking.

Lemon Curd
from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl

1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

1. Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and salt in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Cook, stirring, over moderately low heat until mixture warms, then add butter and cook, whisking constantly, until curd is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 10 minutes.

2. Immediately pour curd through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to help force it through. Discard what is left in strainer. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate, covered, until cold.

Yield: about three cups

Recipe Notes: For me, it took much longer than ten minutes for the lemon curd to thicken, although I think that might have had something to do with the faulty burners on my stove. However, it never thickened enough to hold the marks of the whisk like the recipe said. I finally removed it from the heat when it was visibly bubbling and poured it through the strainer. It did thicken in the fridge, but it’s still not nearly as thick as lemon curds I’ve made in the past, so keep that in mind. The lemon curd can be kept, refrigerated, for about a week. And I’ve heard that it can also be frozen, although I haven’t tried that myself. Also, as I mentioned earlier, this is a very, very tart lemon curd. This is perfect for my taste, but if you prefer more sweet than tart, you should perhaps try a different version of lemon curd. I’ll add links below to several recipes.

Lemon curd is wonderful spread on fresh, hot scones but it’s also great on muffins, or even toast. The Gourmet Cookbook suggests folding it into whipped cream for an instant lemon mousse, and I’ve already mentioned how much I love it stirred into some thick, plain yogurt.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/

Peanut butter. Toffee peanuts. Fleur de sel. My co-workers told me these salted peanut butter toffee cookies were insanely delicious. Need I say more?

sphtc_1

Salted Peanut Butter Toffee Cookies
(adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich)
(makes about 50 cookies)

1 1/3 cups (6 ounces) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarse sea salt (like fleur de sel)
4 ounces (8 tbsp/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2/3 cup firmly light packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup smooth natural peanut butter
[Be sure to stir PB well to blend in the oil before measuring]
1 cup (5 ounces) toffee peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in peanut butter. Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour is incorporated.

spbtc_3

Pour the chopped toffee peanuts in a shallow bowl. Scoop 2 level teaspoons of dough for each cookie and shape into a 1-inch ball. Roll the ball in the chopped peanuts to coat heavily, pressing any bits that fall off. Place the coated balls 2 inches apart on the line cookie sheets.

Bake the cookies until they are lightly colored on top, about 14-17 minutes. The cookies will seem soft to the touch but will firm up as they cool.

buttered & floured by Mary on 11/24/2008

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/

[photos]

Best of Both Worlds
ctcb_tart

Sometimes I can’t decide between vanilla crème brulee and a chocolate tart for dessert. For some strange reason, if both are on a dessert menu and nothing else strikes my fancy, then it usually comes down to those two items (both of which I like equally). If I’m dining with companions who like to have dessert after dinner and are the type of people who like to share dessert, then maybe I would have a chance to taste both. But if none of my companions want to have crème brulee or a chocolate tart then I’m out of luck. I’ve always thought to myself “Wouldn’t it be great if the two could be combined into one single dessert?” I’ve seen crème brulee tarts and I’ve seen chocolate crème brulees, but it’s not exactly what I had in mind.

After scouring my many cookbooks, I came across a photo of an apricot tart topped with a caramelized disk of crème brulee in Sherry Yard’s “The Secrets of Baking”. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but it gave me the inspiration to come up with my own version.

First I had to decide on the chocolate tart. Instead of doing a refrigerated chocolate ganache made from equal parts chocolate and heavy cream for my tart filling I opted for a chocolate truffle cake batter since it would be sturdy enough to support a disk of crème brulee. Most chocolate truffle cake batters could work as a filling for this tart. The recipes usually have names like chocolate intensity, chocolate oblivion, chocolate indulgence, well, you get the idea. The ingredients are usually just chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar. Some recipes, like this one, have a bit of flour too. The cake batter is baked in the tart shells until it’s just set. The center is still a bit gooey when you take it out of the oven but will take on the texture of a chocolate truffle when cooled. A sweet nutty crust like an almond pate sucree complements the dark chocolate truffle filling perfectly.

For the vanilla crème brulee disks, I used Sherry Yard’s recipe. The custard is baked in a large baking dish, frozen and then disks can be cut out with a cookie cutter. That woman is a genius with desserts. I would’ve never thought to do something like that in a million years, but I’m so glad that she did.

This chocolate truffle tart with vanilla crème brulee is definitely not everyday food, but it’s perfect for special occasions or holiday entertaining. There are a lot of components to this dessert, but each can be made in advance. But the final assembly should be done on the day you plan to serve it and the tart should be served as soon as the tops have been caramelized. I know it seems like a crazy concoction, but it was really worth all the effort. The smooth and creamy custard with the caramelized sugar combined with the rich chocolate truffle encased in a sweet sugar cookie crust is my best invention to date. I’ll never have to choose between the two again.

ctcb_be2

Chocolate Truffle Tart with Vanilla Crème Brulee

Ingredients for Crème Brulee
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
6 large egg yolks
Additional sugar to caramelize the tops

7 (4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch) tartlet shells made with Sweet Almond Cookie Crust, prebaked (see recipe below)

1 recipe Chocolate Truffle Cake Batter (see recipe below)

Directions for crème brulee:

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Make sure you have a 9x13 inch baking pan and another baking pan large enough to hold the 9x13 inch pan.

2. Bring the cream, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla bean and scraped seeds to simmer in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover pan with lid and let cream steep for 15 minutes.

3. Gently whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl.

4. Remove the vanilla bean and gently whisk the cream into the egg yolks. When the cream and egg yolks are incorporated, strain the mixture through a fine meshed strainer into a clean heatproof bowl.

5. Pour the mixture into the 9x13 inch baking pan and set it in the larger pan. Add enough hot water to the larger pan to come up halfway up the sides of the 9x13 inch pan. Cover loosely with foil (Take care not to let the foil touch the crème brulee.) Bake at 300F until crème brulee is set, about 40-45 minutes. Remove pan from water bath and set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

6. Remove crème brulee from the freezer. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet pan. Run the edge of a paring knife dipped in hot water around the crème brulee. Flip the crème brulee out onto the parchment paper. (If you have trouble getting the crème brulee out of the pan, place the inverted pan on the parchment paper lined baking sheet pan, and warm the bottom of the pan with a warm towel or with a hair dryer. The heat will loosen the crème brulee until it falls onto the parchment paper. If the top is too melted you can put it back in the freezer for a few minutes before cutting.)

ctcb_disk2
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7. Cut out seven circles using a 3 1/2- or 4-inch cookie cutter. Immediately place the circles back in the freezer until it’s time to brulee the tops and assembly your tarts. You will have some crème brulee leftover.

Chocolate Truffle Cake Batter
(enough cake batter to fill seven 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlets)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour, sifted

Directions for cake batter:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water), combine the chocolate and butter and stir occasionally until smooth and melted. Set aside.

3. In the bowl from a stand mixer heat the 4 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk and sugar, set over the same pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally to prevent curdling, until mixture is just warm to the touch.

4. Attach bowl to the stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until just lemony yellow and doubled in volume.

5. Whisk the flour into the chocolate mixture. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture to the eggs all at once. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to mix until well combined, about 1 minute. At this point the cake batter can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped, for up to 5 days. Or you can use it right away.

Sweet Almond Cookie Crust
(makes enough dough for seven 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlets)

2 ounces ground blanched almonds
3 tablespoons superfine or granulated sugar
4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 ounces (1 cup) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions for dough and prebaking the crusts:

1. In a food processor, add the ground almonds and sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse about 15 times or until no loose bits of almonds/sugar remain. Add the flour and salt and pulse about 15 times or until the butter is about the size of small peas.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and the cream. Add it to the mixture in the food processor bowl and pulse until the ingredients are just barely incorporated, about 8 times.

ctcb_fp

3. Dump the mixture into a plastic Ziploc bag and flatten the dough. Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm enough to pat into the tartlet pans.

4. For seven 4 3/4-inch x 3/4-inch tartlets, divide the chilled dough into 7 equal portions. Press each piece of dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of each tartlet pan. Chill the tartlet shells in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before baking.

ctcb_press

5. Preheat the oven to 425F. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F. If the dough starts to puff in places, prick it lightly with a fork or press down lightly with your fingertips. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for another 5-8 minutes or until it turns pale gold, feels set but is still soft to the touch. Cool tartlet shells (still in the pans) on a wire rack.

To assemble the tarts:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pour cake batter into the seven prebaked tartlet shells. It’s okay to fill the shells all the way to the top. (You might have some batter left over.) Bake at 375F for 13-16 minutes until the filling is just set and slightly wobbly in the center. Allow tartlets to cool for at least 30 minutes. Carefully remove the tartlet from the pans.

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2. Remove the crème brulee circles from the freezer and place one circle on top of each tart. Sprinkle each circle with 1 tsp sugar and caramelize the tops using a kitchen torch. Serve immediately.

Sources:
Crème Brulee recipe adapted from “The Secrets Of Baking” by Sherry Yard
Chocolate Truffle Cake recipe adapted from “Desserts By The Yard” by Sherry Yard
Sweet Almond Cookie Crust recipe adapted from “The Pie and Pastry Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum

buttered & floured by Mary on 11/10/2008 21 comments

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/

Hostess Holly of PheMOMenon presented us with the theme of “Pies as a Fashion Statement” for November. She was inspired by the reality show Project Runway and asked us to channel our inner pie fashionistas. I’ve been faithfully watching Project Runway since the very beginning. Has anyone else noticed that Heidi has gotten snarkier with each season? During season one she didn’t have too much to say about the fashions we’ve seen on the runway, but in the most recent season (season five) the woman had a lot to say and not much of it was constructive. And I just love Tim Gunn. That man is just fabulous.

Since almost anything can be considered “fashion” these days, I felt that almost any pie could fit the theme. So like in many of the challenges presented to the contestants on Project Runway, I decided to reinterpret a classic while showing the judges my point of view as a (pie) designer. The classic pie I decided to reinterpret was the pecan pie. I changed it up by using coconut and macadamia nuts instead of pecans for a tropical twist. And then I dressed it up by adding some bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder.

choccocomacpie_sl

The pie was fairly quick and easy to make. I made my own pie dough, but this would work with store bought pie dough if you’re short on time. The pie filling was mixed up in a couple minutes. I loved the buttery macadamia nuts and the earthiness of the coconut. The cloying sweetness normally associated with the corn syrup in pecan pies was tempered by the bittersweet chocolate and the chocolate was further intensified by the cocoa powder. Overall, I felt the pie had the familiar comfort of a pecan pie, but with some sophistication added by the chocolate. The pie was a good marriage of classic with a twist and it was absolutely delicious.

choccocomacpie_cl

Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut Pie
(makes one 9-inch pie)

1 partially baked pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan (see dough recipe below)

Filling:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 ounces (4 tbsp / half stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
3 tbsp heavy cream, half and half or whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
5 ounces macadamia nuts, toasted, halved or coarsely chopped
3 ounces bittersweet (60-70% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Flaky Pie Dough
(makes enough dough for two single crust 9-inch pies)

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup ice water
1/2 tsp vinegar

To make the pie dough:

Cut the butter into tiny cubes and place in freezer for 15 minutes. Sift flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer. Place bowl of dry ingredients in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove butter and mixer bowl with dry ingredients from the freezer. Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix on low for 2-3 minutes until the butter is the size of peas. Combine ice water and vinegar and add to dough. Mix until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds.

Gather dough and divide into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour (and up to 3 days).

Take out one disk of chilled dough. Save the other disk for another use. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick and about 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Transfer dough carefully to a 9-inch pan. Crimp or flute the edges. Let the pie shell rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes (and up to 1 day) before baking.

Preheat oven to 400F. Partially bake the pie shell by lining with parchment or buttered foil, filling the parchment/foil lined shell with pie weights and baking for 15 minutes at 400F. Carefully remove parchment and pie weights. Continue baking for 5 minutes more until light golden. Set pie shell aside on a baking sheet while you make the filling. Decrease oven temperature to 350F.

To make the pie filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup and butter. Whisk in eggs, cream, vanilla, and salt. Stir in coconut, macadamia nuts, chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour filling into your partially baked crust.

Bake pie at 350F until the filling is set on the edges and barely set in the middle, about 40 minutes. Let pie cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

buttered & floured by Mary on 11/03/2008

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

World's Healthiest Foods

November 7, 2008 17:41 - Vegan Banana Split

Hold onto your spoons, guys, because this Vegan Banana Split is extremely yummy -- it will knock your socks off. And it contains no ice cream. Just the extras that make the banana split soooo tasty.

This treat is perfect not only for vegans, but for those who are trying to avoid dairy (such as those who are lactose intolerant or those who are shunning cholesterol) -- well, to be honest, it's perfect for anyone and everyone. YES, IT'S THAT GOOD!

This delicious vegan dessert, from the time you go into your kitchen until the time you're shoveling this divine Vegan Banana Split into your pie hole, is less than 10 minutes.

One ingredient you'll need are vegan marshmallows. You may or may not be aware that traditional marshmallows contain gelatin, which is an animal product (more specifically, horse hooves!).

If you, like me, prefer to NOT put horse hooves into your mouth, you'll need to buy some vegan marshmallows. They're juuuuust starting to appear on the shelves of natural food stores.

You can order Sweet & Sara Vegan Marshmallows here.

(They're sooooooo good!! OMG!!!!)

Vegan Banana Split
Serves 1

1 ripe banana
1/8 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
1 large vegan marshmallow
1/8 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Rinse and dry banana. Using a small paring knife, slice the top panel of the banana peel away to form a long rectangular opening. Discard this banana peel slice. Using the paring knife, cut the banana from the top to the bottom, right down the middle (be sure to cut only the actual banana and not the peel on the opposite side).

 

Step 3: Open the banana pocket as far as you can so you can stuff your yummy ingredients inside. I have found the best way to do this is to insert your thumb into the top of this opening and run your thumb all the way down the crack. It should cause a nice clean opening for you to work with.

Step 4: Line the banana pocket with the chocolate chips. Tear the marshmallow into small pieces, placing each piece on top of the chocolate chips. Cover with finely chopped hazelnuts. Place banana split on a cookie sheet and place in oven for 5 minutes, or until nuts and marshmallow begin to brown. Serve with a spoon.

This divine dessert tastes like you have roasted your marshmallows over a campfire. Totally delish. You will surely faint from ecstacy. ;o)

Vegan Banana Split

Have a great weekend!

xoxo
Sass
p.s. What?!? You want MORE desserts?!?! Ahhhhh, grasshoppah, you are wise. Check out the vegan desserts on my site.

November 3, 2008 21:44 - Vegan Irish Stew

Tonight I made what I'm officially calling Vegan Irish Stew. And it's quite yummy. The stew contains, among other ingredients, green beans, sauerkraut and dill weed, which is oh-so-Irish, thus the name. ;O)

I wasn't planning on sharing a recipe tonight. But it turned out delicious, and since I'll be busy tomorrow night (can you say election night coverage with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert?), and tomorrow night (belly dance lesson -- whoo-hoo!), I decided to take some time to pass this recipe on to you.

It's really very easy to make, but you must have cooked brown rice on hand.

So let's get right to it.

Vegan Irish Stew
Serves 4-6

4 cups veggie broth
2-3 cups green beans, cleaned and ends trimmed,
cut into 1" pieces
2 cups cashews
2 cups cooked brown rice (or your favorite rice/rice mix - mine consists of 1/2 brown rice, 1/4 wild rice, and 1/4 lentils)
1/2 cup sauerkraut with juice
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill weed
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

**********************

1. Bring veggie broth to a boil. Add trimmed green beans, cover, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Place a collander over a large bowl and drain the beans, reserving the veggie broth.

2. Add veggie broth to a blender along with cashews and process until completely smooth. Pour broth/cashew mix back into pot, along with green beans and remaining ingredients. Heat over low flame until warmed through.

Serve in bowls with multigrain bread for a filling and satisfying meal.

Vegan Irish Stew

Happy cooking!
xoxo
Sass

Vegan Diet Tips

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/

Playing with Dough
pizzaDB

Hostess Rosa of Rosa’s Yummy Yums gave us a most delicious recipe for this month’s Daring Bakers’ challenge - pizza dough from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. There was nothing too difficult except that this pizza dough was wetter and stickier than other pizza dough recipes I’ve tried. I’m not sure the reasoning behind the high ratio of water to flour, but I’m sure Mr. Reinhart had a good reason. Other than the wet and sticky, I really enjoyed making the pizza dough.

Rosa asked us to use any sauce and any topping (or toppings) for our pizza. But other than that she gave us a lot of freedom to use whatever we liked. Sauces and toppings could be savory or sweet, with dairy or without, meat loving or vegetarian. The crust could be gluten free or not. Hubby and I topped our pizzas with all sorts of good stuff. Mozzarella, tomatoes, sautéed spinach, feta cheese, green olive tapenade, pesto sausage, and even chopped broccoli. The pizzas turned out great. I don’t think I will have pizza delivered to my house anymore.

pizzaDB_toss2

Oh, Rosa also gave us one other thing to do. She asked us to toss in the air at least two of the six pizza dough balls and capture the moment on film. Well, not on film, but in a photograph (mostly digital these days), but ya’ know what I mean. At first I was apprehensive about tossing the dough since I’m definitely more of a “smoosh and push” the pizza dough kind of gal, but tossing the dough turned out to be really fun. I’m not sure how pizza pros can toss dough and end up with a nice round crust. One of the two I tossed ended up looking more like Italy than a circle and the second one landed on the kitchen floor when I missed the catch on the way down. My husband said we could invoke the five second rule, but being the germ phobic clean freak that I am, I insisted on throwing out that piece of dough.

This post is dedicated to Sher who passed away suddenly in July and was scheduled to host this month’s challenge with Rosa. She will be missed. And don’t forget that links to the blogs of other Daring Bakers can be found on our blogroll.

RECIPE SOURCE: “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering The Art of Extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. Copyright 2001. ISBN-10: 1-58008-268-8, ISBN-13: 978-158008-268-6.
EQUIPMENT: Stand mixer with paddle and dough hook attachments (optional, see recipe), cooking thermometer, baking sheet, parchment paper, cooking oil, plastic wrap, pizza peel/scraper, pizza stone or pan.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter)

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cup (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) unbleached high-gluten (about 14%) bread flour (or all purpose flour), chilled
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast (do not use rapid-rise yeast)
1/4 cup (2 ounces/60g) olive oil
1 3/4 cup (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 Tbsp sugar
Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting

DAY ONE

Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: 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, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, 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.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. 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 zippered 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

8. 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. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately 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.

9. 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).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. 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.

NOTE: 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 re-flour 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, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounce/180g piece of dough), 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.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. 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.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate the pizza 180°.

If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

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buttered & floured by Mary on 10/29/2008 32 comments
Sunday, October 26, 2008

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Spicy Sugar High Friday
holidaycake_4

One of my favorite bloggers Anita of Dessert First is hosting this month’s Sugar High Friday event. Sugar High Friday was created by The Domestic Goddess Jennifer to celebrate all things sweet. Anita chose “Spices” as the theme for this round since it’s the perfect time for the cozy warmth that spices provide as the autumn chill surrounds us.

I’ve wanted to post about this all-in-one holiday cake for months, but I held off until now since the flavors would’ve seemed out of place at any time of year except fall and winter. I personally love pumpkin and use it for baking all year round, but some people think it should only be used in the autumn. Like the time I made pumpkin bread in April and I brought it to the office to share. When I offered some pumpkin bread to a visiting consultant she turned her nose up and said “No thanks. It’s not fall yet.” Well, poo to you lady, that just means more pumpkin for the rest of us in the “off season”.

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Now this cake is filled with all the delicious foods we love during the holidays (hence the name all-in-one). I call it Thanksgiving cake and jokingly tell people there’s turkey and gravy in there too. But, seriously, it has pumpkin, apples, fresh cranberries, pecans, and maple syrup. Oh yeah, and spices too. Lots of them - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Hmmm, the house smells so good when this is baking in the oven.

The cake really does taste like the holidays. The pumpkin is subtle enough to let the spices shine through and it also adds a lovely golden hue to the cake. The soft apple nuggets are studded throughout and adds a touch of moisture to the cake. The pecans add a toasty crunch and the cranberries are deliciously tart. The maple syrup icing is the crowning glory which makes this a perfect cake for this time (or, in my opinion, anytime) of the year.

holidaycake_1

All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake

(Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours)
(makes one 9- to 10-inch Bundt cake)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves (optional)
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoon/5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved or coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Optional: Maple syrup icing (see recipe below)

To make the cake:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9- to 10-inch (about 12-cup) Bundt pan. Do not place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven’s heat to come up through the Bundt pan’s open core.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves (if using) and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside dry ingredients.

Working with a stand mixer (using a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and both sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition; beat in the vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin and apples - don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the flour is just barely incorporated. Working with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the cranberries and pecans.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Slide the pan into the oven and bake 60 to 70 minutes at 350F, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Cool to room temperature on the rack. Drizzle with maple syrup icing (if using) or simply dust the top lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

holidaycake_icing

Maple syrup icing:
Sift 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Add more maple syrup little by little, until you have an icing that runs nicely off the tip of a spoon - you might need another 1/2 tablespoon to get the right consistency. Put the cooled on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and drizzle the icing over the cake. Let the icing set for a few minutes before serving.

holidaycake_2m

buttered & floured by Mary on 10/26/2008 14 comments
Monday, October 20, 2008

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Nuts About Coconut
coconutcake1

My brother Rich asked me to make him a coconut cake after seeing Bobby Flay “throwdown” with Robert Carter from the Peninsula Grill. Apparently coconut cake is one of Rich’s favorite cakes, a fact I never knew despite having lived under the same roof for a quarter of a century. Rich looked into ordering a cake from the Peninsula Grill, but the cake costs $100 and overnight shipping from South Carolina to San Francisco would be $116 for a whopping total of $216! He said I could make him any coconut cake I wanted and he didn’t care when I got around to making it for him. He said anytime is a great time for coconut cake.

Both Bobby’s and Robert’s recipes are available on the internet, but I ended up making my own version for Rich. Some commentors who tried Bobby Flay’s recipe questioned the accuracy of the recipe on the website and Robert’s recipe seemed a bit excessive using 2.5 pounds of butter, 4 pounds of sugar, and 44 ounces (1.3 liters) of heavy cream. I’m not saying that my cake or Bobby’s is any less indulgent, but Robert’s is super duper over the top indulgent. I guess that’s why he calls his cake the “ultimate”.

So I used Bobby’s recipe as a starting point. His coconut custard recipe sounded like it would result in a delicious coconut pastry cream. I also liked that the custard would be used in the cream filling as well as the frosting. For the cake itself I decided to revisit Dorie Greenspan’s perfect party cake which I had tried for a Daring Bakers’ challenge a few months ago. I substituted some of the buttermilk in the cake recipe with some canned unsweetened coconut milk to infuse some coconut flavor into the cake. I used Chaokoh brand since it’s fairly inexpensive (about $1 for a 13.5 ounce can.) and it’s widely available in my local markets. One 13.5 ounce can was enough to make the custard and the cake. For the frosting I went with a cream cheese frosting that was flavored with some of the coconut custard. A simple syrup made by steeping flaked coconut and a garnish of toasted unsweetened coconut flakes completed the list of components.

I’m not very good at assembling layer cakes, a fact that I am determined to change. I hope that with some practice I will eventually improve. Overall, for a first attempt, I think my coconut cake turned out pretty well visually and I was quite happy with the taste. I liked how all the individual components came together in the final product. This was definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The cake just screamed coconut with every bite which is exactly what I wanted to achieve. My brother absolutely loved the cake. My mother, who unbeknownst to me until now is also a coconut aficionado, loved it too. Apparently I didn’t know my family at all. :) But I do know that this cake will be making an appearance at many more family gatherings.

coconutcake2a

Coconut Cake
(makes one 9-inch cake)

Toasted Coconut:
2 cups flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

Coconut Simple Syrup:
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Coconut Custard:
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons coconut rum (Malibu brand works well)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coconut Filling:
3/4 cup coconut custard (see recipe), cold
3/4 cup very cold heavy cream

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces (1 stick / 8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup coconut custard (see recipe), cold
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Coconut Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
4 large egg whites
4 ounces (1 stick / 8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To toast the coconut:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown, stirring once, about 8 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the coconut sit in the oven until very dry and crunchy, about 10 minutes longer. Let coconut cool before using to decorate the frosted cake.

To make the simple syrup:

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir in the coconut, remove from the heat and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

To make the custard:

Combine the whole milk, coconut milk and vanilla bean and seeds in a medium nonreactive saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.

Whisk together the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Remove vanilla bean from warm milk. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened. Scrape the mixture into a clean bowl and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. In order to avoid a skin forming on the custard, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

To make the filling:

Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Stir in about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chilled custard to loosen and lighten the custard. Add the remaining whipped cream to the custard and gently fold in the whipped cream.

To make the frosting:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, coconut custard, vanilla extract on low speed. Add 2 1/2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar and mix until just smooth (don’t whip). You may or may not need the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar depending on how stiff or sweet you want your frosting.

To make the cake:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment circles and butter parchment.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the coconut milk, buttermilk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light.

Beat in the vanilla extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, and then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.

Finally, give the batter a good 2 minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up.

The cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months.

To assemble:

Using a long serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Reserve 1 of the flat bottom layers for the top of the cake. Place another layer on a cardboard round cut side up and brush with some of the coconut simple syrup. Spoon 1/3 of the coconut filling onto the cake and using a small offset metal spatula, spread it into an even layer, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the cake. Repeat with 2 more layers. Brush the cut side of the reserved cake layer with the remaining syrup. Place the layer cut side down on top of the cake.

Frost the sides and top of the cake with the frosting. Pat the toasted coconut onto the sides of the cake and sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top of the cake.

coconutcake3

buttered & floured by Mary on 10/20/2008 19 comments
Sunday, October 12, 2008

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Tombstone Cupcakes
graveyard cupcake with ghost

I can’t believe I’m doing another cupcake post, but I had to share these with you. Once again, it’s nothing fancy, just a devil’s food cupcake with basic chocolate frosting. Throw in some dirt (crushed chocolate wafers), tombstones (shortbread) and cute little ghosts (marshmallows) and you have a delightful treat not only for the kids but the adults too. I know it’s a little kitschy, but that’s part of the fun of Halloween.

Devil’s Food Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (don’t use Dutch-processed cocoa)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored oil (canola, grapeseed, etc.)
1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 12 wells of a standard muffin pan or line the wells with paper liners.

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix until just combined and batter is smooth. Be careful not the overmix.

Divide batter evenly among the wells of your muffin pan. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then gently remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before frosting the cupcakes.

Chocolate Frosting
(makes about 1.5 cups frosting which is enough to frost 12 cupcakes)

2 ounces (4 tbsp / half stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch-processed is fine)
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp milk or water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cocoa powder until mixture is soft and well combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tbsp milk and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add the last tablespoon of milk if frosting is too stiff.

graveyard cupcakes

How to decorate…

Baked and cooled cupcakes
Chocolate frosting
Chocolate wafers cookies or chocolate graham crackers, finely crushed
Tombstone shortbread cookies*
Miniature marshmallow ghosts**

Frost your cooled cupcakes. Place your crushed chocolate wafers in a shallow bowl and dip the cupcake (frosting size down) into the crushed wafers. This is your “dirt”.

Now insert your tombstone shortbread. To prevent crushing or tearing the cupcake, I usually make a slit in the cupcake using the tip of a paring knife before inserting the shortbread. Add your ghosts.

* Use any shortbread or rolled cookie recipe you like. I used a vanilla shortbread cookie recipe and an espresso shortbread recipe. I rolled out the dough and cut out tombstone shapes with a knife. I used melted chocolate chips to write on the tombstones.

** Each ghost requires 2 mini marshmallows. One for the head and one for the body. To make the head, roll the top between your thumb and forefinger to make a slight point. Then slice of a tiny sliver from the bottom to expose the sticky inside and then “glue” the head to the body. To make the eyes, you can use chocolate sprinkles/jimmies or you can using a toothpick dipped in melted chocolate to draw the eyes.

~*~

blackbottomcupcakes1a

The cupcake batter recipe I used for my tombstone cupcakes is based on this black bottom cupcake recipe. I’ve make countless batches of these black bottom cupcakes over the last 20 years. They are quick and easy to make and always a big hit.

Black Bottom Cupcakes
(makes 15 cupcakes)

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 15 wells of a standard muffin pan or line the wells with paper liners.

Make your cream cheese filling:
In a bowl, mix together one 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened), 1 egg, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips. Set aside filling while you make your cupcake batter (same recipe as the one used for the tombstone cupcakes above).

Make the cupcake batter. Divide cupcake batter evenly among the wells of your muffin pan. (I would suggest that each well be no more than half full with cupcake batter. If you still have some cupcake batter left, then line and fill more wells of your muffin pan.) Spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. Your wells might be almost full but that’s just fine.

Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then gently remove cupcakes from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

blackbottomcupcakes2
Sometimes I don’t mix the mini chocolate chips into the cream cheese filling. I just sprinkle the chocolate chips over the filling before baking.

buttered & floured by Mary on 10/12/2008 12 comments
Wednesday, October 08, 2008

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I’m Not Trendy
strawberrycc1

I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter lately about the cupcake trend coming to an end. But in my humble opinion, cupcakes, in general, have been around for decades and will still be around for many decades to come. Whether or not all those boutique cupcake shops and cupcakeries will still be around is another story. Some say that the new trend is fro-yo. But didn’t frozen yogurt already have its time? Remember the 1980s when fat was out and all things low fat (like Snackwells) were in? I guess like fashion trends go through cycles, so do food trends. But as long as children like frosting and adults like small cakes that they don’t have to share, cupcakes will always be available from my kitchen. The cupcakes I make may not be trendy or chic, but they always taste great (and they don’t cost $3.00 each).

These strawberry cupcakes turned out better than I hoped. Don’t get me wrong, I usually have high hopes when I bake anything, but these were surprisingly good and exceeded my expectations. My only complaint was that I hoped the cupcake itself would’ve turned out more red or even pink and less earth toned. I really didn’t want to add red food coloring or strawberry Jell-O powder just to add color. So I guess natural it is. Other than the color, it was a good cupcake recipe. I really liked the texture, crumb and flavor of the cupcake. But how can it not be good when there’s sour cream, oil and butter in the batter?

strawberrycc_int
au naturale

Now, the strawberry frosting is really where all the excitement lives. My co-workers absolutely loved the frosting. I love how pink the frosting was just from the addition of strawberries and some jam. And how pretty are the little flecks of strawberry throughout the frosting? Even though it tasted really good (kinda like strawberry ice cream), the frosting was too sweet for me. But I admit that I find most American-style (butter and confectioners’ sugar, no eggs) buttercream frostings too sweet.

strawberrycc2

Ponchatoula Strawberry Cupcakes

(Makes 24 cupcakes)
(Adapted from Serious Eats who adapted the recipe from Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose)

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sour cream, at room temp
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (4 ounces/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 cup mashed fresh or frozen strawberries, (if the strawberries are cold or frozen, mash and let sit until it comes to room temp)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Strawberry Frosting (see recipe below)

Make the cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the wells of your muffin tins or line with cupcake liners.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.

3. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add the sour cream mixture. Beat for 1 minute at medium speed.

5. On low speed add the flour mixture. Mix until just flour is just incorporated. Mix in the mashed strawberries and orange zest. Spoon into your prepared muffin tins, filling each well approximately two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or when cupcakes spring back when touched lightly in the center. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool on racks. Let cool completely before frosting.

Strawberry Frosting
(Makes enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes. You can double the recipe if you want more frosting)

1/3 cup chopped fresh or frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
1 teaspoon fresh lemon or orange juice
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cups (6 ounces/1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 to 2.5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (the amount needed will depend on how thick you like your frosting)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the chopped strawberries, jam, and lemon/orange juice. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, or until the jam is melted and the strawberries are soft. Press any big pieces with the back of a spoon to mash. Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy. On low speed, slowly add about 1 3/4 cup the confectioners’ sugar and mix until combined. Add the strawberry mixture and mix on low speed until blended. Add as much of the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar until you achieve the desired thickness.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, spread with the frosting.

~*~
carscc_53

I made some cupcakes for my nephew to take to kindergarten for his birthday. He wanted “Cars” themed cupcakes. I made some vanilla cupcakes and frosted them with your basic butter and confectioners’ sugar vanilla buttercream frosting. I did not stay dye free for the frosting. I originally wanted to do a red frosting since the main character in the movie is a red car and the “Cars” cupcake paper liners were mostly blue, but my nephew is going through an anti-red food phase right now. So blue was my next choice. I wanted dark blue frosting but as I was mixing the buttercream I realized that I would have to add more food coloring than I wanted to use. So I made the executive decision to keep it a lighter blue. My nephew was so adorable. He called to thank me for making him cupcakes to take to school. It just made my heart melt.

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The nice man working at the supermarket bakery counter gave me the plastic container.No more smooshed frosting when transporting cupcakes to school.

buttered & floured by Mary on 10/08/2008 12 comments
About Me

My Photo
Name: Mary
Location: San Francisco

Baking in the foggiest side of the city.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Dueling recipes!! LOL!

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html

Last week I spent most of my evenings making cookie dough and baking dozens and dozens of cookies to give to my office mates and those in my husband’s office too. For some reason I wanted everyone to have a variety to choose from so I made 6 different cookies this year. And I wanted my cookies to be as fresh as possible so I baked them over the course of 2 nights with the intention of passing them out at the office the following day.

Never have I been happier to have lots and lots of parchment paper! The parchment made baking all those cookies so much easier. I would scoop the dough onto clean sheets of parchment and they would be ready for the next available baking sheet (after the sheet cooled down of course). I prefer to bake my cookies one baking sheet at a time so you can imagine how long it took to bake 20 dozen cookies.

The 6 cookies I made were crystallized ginger cookies, sables korova aka world peace cookies, soft amaretti, espresso cookies with coffee icing, and the 2 different cranberry cookies included in this post. The first cranberry cookie had dried cranberries. The pistachio and cranberry rugelach were super flaky and rich. They looked so festive with the ruby red cranberries, the green pistachios and the shimmer from the sugar.
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The second one had fresh cranberries combined with oatmeal and 2 kinds of chocolate. The tartness of the fresh cranberries went really well with the sweet and creamy white chocolate and the intense bittersweet Valrhona 85% cacao chocolate.

Except for the 2 cranberry cookies, I hardly have any photographic evidence of the fruits of my labor. I was so exhausted from the whole production that I opted not to take any photographs of the 60 individually wrapped and decorated packages. I just wanted to clean up and go to bed. As much as I love baking, I think I’ll make just 2 or 3 types of cookies next year.

rugelach_2
Pistachio and Cranberry Rugelach
(makes 30-32 cookies)

Dough
4 ounces (8 tbsp/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temp
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup orange marmalade

Optional: 2 tbsp granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

To make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy and had increased in volume, about 5 minutes on medium. On low speed, add flour, sugar and salt. Beat until well combined.

Scrape dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap dough and form a disk about 1-inch thick. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

To make the filling
Heat the marmalade in a saucepan over very low heat to liquefy. Set marmalade aside. In a small bowl, combine pistachios, cranberries and sugar. Set aside.

Assemble the rugelach
Take dough out of refrigerator. If it’s too firm to roll, let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle approximately 12 x 16 inches. Cut the dough into two rectangles (each measuring 8 x 12 inches).

With the 12-inch side in front of you, spoon or brush a thin layer of marmalade over the dough. Sprinkle half the pistachio-cranberry-sugar mixture over each rectangle of dough leaving a 1-inch wide strip of dough at the far edge uncovered (there will only be marmalade on this 1-inch wide strip). To make sure the filling sticks to the marmalade and dough, gently press the filling down into the dough.

rugelach_striprugelach_slice

Starting with the edge close to you, tightly roll the dough away from you. When you reach the strip of dough with the marmalade only, apply a bit of pressure to seal and roll the log so that it is seam side down. Carefully slide the logs onto a tray or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate logs for 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Bake the rugelach
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Slice each chilled log into 3/4-inch wide slices (you should get 15-16 slices per log). Place cookies 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets (sliced side up). Sprinkle with more granulated if desired.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Allow rugelach to cool on baking sheets for 15 minutes before removing from the baking sheets.

~*~
~*~

choc_cran_oat_2666
Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted from Bon Appétit December 2004 )
(makes about 30)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
5 ounces (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup high-quality white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

Preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats and stir until just combined. Stir in both chocolates and the cranberries.

Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until edges are light brown about 16 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.

buttered & floured by Mary on 12/18/2007 21 comments
Sunday, December 09, 2007

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Pecan Pie in the Sky
maplepecanpie_19

Pecan pie is a fairly sweet pie and rightly so. But I don’t like pecan pie when it’s overly sweet. I know that “overly sweet” is subjective, but I wanted to craft this recipe to my family’s tastes. Instead of using one cup (8 fluid ounces) of corn syrup (which is the amount that most recipes for a 9-inch pie seem to require), I cut back on the corn syrup and I even replaced some volume with maple syrup. When combined with the corn syrup, the maple syrup adds a very subtle yet different dimension of sweetness to the pie. Whole pecans are really stunning and pretty in a pecan pie, but I like using chopped pecans since I have difficulty cutting nice pie wedges when I use whole pecans. I have to say that making the filling is as easy as pie. I know, bad pun, but it had to be said.

maplepecanpie_17

Maple Pecan Pie
(makes one 9-inch pie)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
One 9-inch pie shell, pre-baked as directed below*

*Flaky Pie Dough
(makes enough dough for two 9-inch pies)

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup ice water
1/2 tsp vinegar

Cut the butter into tiny cubes and place in freezer for 15 minutes. Sift flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer. Place bowl of dry ingredients in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove butter and mixer bowl with dry ingredients from the freezer. Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix on low for 2-3 minutes until the butter is the size of peas. Combine ice water and vinegar and add to dough. Mix until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds.

Gather dough and divide into 2 disks. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour (and up to 3 days).

Take out one disk of chilled dough. Save the other disk for another use. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and 2-3 inches larger than the pie pan. Transfer dough carefully to a 9-inch pan. Let the pie shell rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes (and up to 1 day) before baking.

Preheat oven to 375F. Blind bake the pie shell by lining with parchment or buttered foil. Fill the parchment/foil lined shell with pie weights.

Bake for 20 minutes at 375F. Remove parchment and pie weights. Continue baking for 10 minutes more until light golden. Set pie shell aside on a baking sheet while you make the filling. Decrease oven temperature to 350F.

To make pie filling

Whisk brown sugar and eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in corn syrup and maple syrup. Mix in melted butter, vanilla and salt. Mix in chopped pecans. Pour filling into pie shell.

Bake at 350F until the sides of the filling are slightly puffed but the center is still a bit “sunken”, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Allow pie to cool on a wire rack. Serve pie slightly warm or at room temperature.

buttered & floured by Mary on 12/09/2007 24 comments

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Source page for the above: http://www.vegancoach.com/200810.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

Now those are some worthwhile pancakes!!<<<

LOL, I was betting that would be the recipe that you choose.

I am hungry for pancakes with a can of corn in them.

I started making them, as a way to veggies into kids and made them for 50 years, LOL, then about 10 years ago the recipe starting making the rounds.

Simple, drain and dump a can of whole corn in your pancake batter.

I had a sister in law that fed her kids veggies, hidden in eggs, in the catering school, they taught using Zuccini sliced thin in scrambled eggs, but Lucille took it further, used green beans, corn, and any thing she got her hands on.

The Veg. recipes, that you posted,I like the looks of the Irish Stew.

[nw_arizona_granny]

That gives you a chill down your spine. Imagine the entire country trying to run/walk to safety wearing high heels or dress shoes, in a muddy field or through snow. No cars working and no telephone communication either... scary...<<<

That is exactly what it will be like.

Dr. Bill does a lot of planning for the Gov.

He worked on “what will happen if a nuclear bomb falls in Los Angeles?”

He says 25 million people will hit the road, going to? ??

They will not have an idea of where to go, how to get there, or have food or cash to survive on.

Credit cards will be useless, with the phones and internet down, the banks will be locked tight.

Cars will break down on the freeway, wrecks and out of gas, soon it will be a parking lot for a million cars.

Then you will be glad for the walking shoes.

He asked a man one night if he had ever been camping, who had told him that he would head for the hills, the man said ‘no’.

Dr. Bill asked if he had ever slept on the ground? again ‘no’.

Dr. Bill says that if a nuke falls, and you are still standing, not burnt to a crisp, or killed with falling bricks, that you must get indoors, in a sealed room.......BUT......you must not allow the contaminated, or outdoor clothes into the house, they must go into a plastic bag, sealed and will be destroyed, you cannot ever clean them.

While you are escaping the falling radioactive materials, use a wet t-shirt over your nose and mouth, even wet panties/shorts, you must use it as a mask, if you do not have the proper mask.

Once out of the clothes, you must shower, using LAUNDRY SOAP ON THE BODY AND HAIR...........not normal soaps, with the oils in them, or the oil will bind the radioactive to your skin.

This is where the plastic and duct tape, that Homeland Security suggests is so important, comes into play, the Israel homes have a special room in their homes for this purpose, that can be sealed.

Reminds me, a couple months ago, the citizens of Israel were issued new gas masks.

If you didn’t know, I also have a terror thread here, we are on the 12th thread, covers terror info and the early threads had a lot of survival info, like here scattered in it. The links to the first threads is on the first page.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2052529/posts?q=1&;page=3503#3503

Every so often, nuclear threats show up and there have been too many news stories lately about the nuclear threat, check the long lists of headlines, they will be some in them.

On one of Dr. Bills programs, a caller [plumber] had a suggestion that Dr. Bill repeats at times.

The caller suggested installing a second hot water heater, on the line before the one you use, but you do not heat this water, since it is before the old heater, the cold water enters the new one and exits on the way to the old one.

Be sure to put a cut off valve/faucet on the line coming into and out of the new water heater.

If there is an emergency, shut these valves down and you have an extra 40 or 50 gallons of fresh water.

They thought it was a good way to store always fresh water.

[nw_arizona_granny]

By the way, do you know how to make African Violets bloom?<<<

Prayer!
More Prayer!!
Feed them.
The right amount of sunshine.

Some are spring bloomers, some year around.

Yes, there are Indian recipes, and we have a reader for Thai food and I find it interesting.

Mexican is of course, my main idea of food, but I like it all.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Dueling recipes!! LOL!<<<

Laughing and thinking “why not”.

[nw_arizona_granny]

As scientific as baking can be, baking can sometimes also rely on intuition. Visual or tactile cues can help a baker determine whether it looks or feels right. I know when flour is just incorporated or when whipped egg whites have been folded into a batter enough to be combined but not over combined. Intuition was definitely needed with the potato bread.

The original recipe for the tender potato bread from “Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World” by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid gave slightly vague quantities of potatoes and flour. “4 medium to large floury potatoes” really means nothing to me as potato sizes can vary widely. I did notice in another recipe in the same book that they called for 3 medium floury potatoes which they said was about 1 pound of potatoes. From this I assumed that one medium potato would weigh about 1/3 pound. But the ever helpful Tanna suggested that bread beginners use no more than 1/2 pound and advanced bread bakers use no more than 1 pound of potatoes. I ended up using a russet potato that weighed 14 ounces before I peeled it.

The recipe also called for 6.5 to 8.5 cups all-purpose flour. I’ve learned that the amount of flour needed for making bread dough can vary depending on many factors including but not limited to the weather, brand of flour, protein content of flour or a vague amount of potato. The dough will tell you when it’s had enough flour. See what I mean by intuition? Since I’m still a bread novice and haven’t fully developed my bread intuition yet, Tanna told us that the dough is ready when it’s smooth and soft and still just a little sticky. Instead of measuring out 8.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, I combined 6.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour with 2 cups white wheat flour for a total of 8.5 cups. (According to King Arthur Flour, it’s okay to substitute about a third of all-purpose flour with their white wheat flour.) I ended up using about 7.5 cups of the 8.5 cups for my dough.

tpb_ch-sm_2575

Tanna gave us the freedom to shape our bread dough any way we liked. I ended up making one 8.5 x 4.5 inch pan loaf, one 10x15 inch flatbread, two 3x5 inch pan loaves (one plain, one swirled with parmesan cheese). I adjusted my baking times as necessary but I wrote the recipe with the original sizes, shapes and baking times.

The bread turned out as tender as its name implied. The crumb of the loaves was tight and even. The flatbread had those irregular random air pockets that I associate with artisan bread. I thought the large and miniature loaves were a bit plain, but the one with parmesan was a bit more flavorful. My overall favorite was the flatbread. I brushed the top of the flatbread with some herb and caramelized shallot compound butter leftover from Thanksgiving and then generously sprinkled it with coarse sea salt.

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A big warm virtual hug to Tanna for picking a great recipe that helped to expand my horizons and helped me gain more confidence when working with yeast. And thanks to all the wonderful Daring Bakers who shared helpful bread making tips. Our membership grows with every passing month. I really love being part of the Daring Bakers.

tpd_sm-lg_2595

Tender Potato Bread
From “Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour & Tradition Around the World”
by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid
(Makes one 9x5 inch pan loaf and something more. Something more = one 10x15 inch flatbread or 12 soft dinner rolls or one small loaf.)

For the bread:
8 to 16 ounces floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
6.5 cups to 8.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 cup whole wheat flour

For the toppings:
For loaves and rolls: melted butter (optional)
For flatbread: olive oil, coarse salt, and herbs (optional)

Instructions:
Put the potatoes and the 4 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cook, half covered, until the potatoes are very tender.
Drain the potatoes, SAVE THE POTATO WATER, and mash the potatoes well.

Measure out 3 cups of the reserved potato water (add extra water if needed to make 3 cups). Place the water and mashed potatoes in the bowl you plan to mix the bread in – directions will be for by hand. Let cool to lukewarm – stir well before testing the temperature – it should feel barely warm to your hand. You should be able to submerge you hand in the mix and not be uncomfortable.

Mix dough by hand (Tanna said no stand mixers were allowed for this challenge):

Mix and stir yeast into cooled potato water and mashed potatoes and let stand 5 minutes. Then stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour and allow to rest several minutes. Sprinkle on the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the softened butter; mix well. Add the 1 cup whole wheat flour, stir briefly. Add 2.5 to 3 more cups of all-purpose flour and stir until the flour has been incorporated. At this point you will have used 4.5 to 5 cups of all-purpose flour.

The dough will be a sticky mess. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, incorporating more of the all-purpose flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough will be very sticky to begin with, but as it takes up more flour from the kneading surface, it will become easier to handle; use a dough scraper to keep your surface clean. The kneaded dough will still be very soft. When the dough is soft and smooth and not too sticky, it’s probably ready.

Place the dough in a large clean bowl or your rising container of choice, cover with plastic wrap or lid, and let rise about 2 hours or until doubled in volume. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently several minutes. It will be moist and a little sticky. Divide the dough into 2 unequal pieces in a proportion of one-third and two-thirds (one will be twice as large as the other). Place the smaller piece to one side and cover loosely.

Shape the large 9x5 inch loaf with the larger piece of dough:

Butter a 9X5 inch loaf/bread pan. Flatten the larger piece of dough on the floured surface to an approximate 12 x 8 inch oval, and then roll it up from a narrow end to form a loaf. Pinch the seam closed and gently place seam side down in the buttered pan. The dough should come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 35 to 45 minutes, until puffy and almost doubled in volume.

Pick one shape for the remaining dough:

Shape the small loaf: Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf/bread pan. Shape and proof the loaf the same way as the large loaf.

OR

Shape the rolls: Butter a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake pan or a shallow cake pan. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball under the palm of your floured hand and place on the baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between the balls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 35 minutes, until puffy and almost doubled.

OR

Shape the flatbread: Flatten out the dough to a rectangle about 10 x 15 inches with your palms and fingertips. Tear off a piece of parchment paper or wax paper a little longer than the dough and dust it generously with flour. Transfer the flatbread to the paper. Brush the top of the dough generously with olive oil, sprinkle on a little coarse sea salt, as well as some rosemary leaves, if you wish and then finally dimple all over with your fingertips. Cover with plastic and let rise for 20 minutes.

Baking instructions:

Place a baking stone or unglazed quarry tiles, if you have them, if not use a baking/sheet (no edge – you want to be able to slide the shaped dough on the parchment paper onto the stone or baking sheet and an edge complicates things). Place the stone or cookie sheet on a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F/230°C. Bake the flatbread before you bake the loaf; bake the rolls at the same time as the loaf.

If making flatbread, just before baking, dimple the bread all over again with your fingertips. Leaving it on the paper, transfer to the hot baking stone, tiles or baking sheet. Bake flatbread until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack (remove paper) and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Dust risen loaves and rolls with a little all-purpose flour or lightly brush the tops with a little melted butter or olive oil (the butter will give a golden/browned crust). Slash loaves crosswise two or three times with a razor blade or very sharp knife and immediately place on the stone, tiles or baking sheet in the oven. Place the rolls next to the loaf in the oven.

Bake rolls until golden, about 30 minutes.

Bake the small loaf for about 40 minutes.

Bake the large loaf for about 50 minutes.

Transfer the rolls to a rack when done to cool. When the loaf or loaves have baked for the specified time, remove from the pans and place back on the stone, tiles or baking sheet for another 5 to 10 minutes. The corners should be firm when pinched and the bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Let breads cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Rolls can be served warm or at room temperature.

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cheese swirl

buttered & floured by Mary on 11/26/2007

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://alpineberry.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

Another Raspberry Something
raspberrycccc2

I don’t know what’s up with my thing for raspberries lately. It’s almost Thanksgiving and I’m still using a summer berry. I try to buy seasonal and local produce whenever I can and I’ll admit that occasional cravings will override my good intentions. Raspberries should be out of season, but the container says they’re from California. Even so, I felt slightly guilty for buying them. Just because they can grow them during the off season doesn’t mean that they’ll actually taste good. This was definitely the case with these raspberries. They looked good but they turned out to be bland. So instead of tossing them into the compost bin, I used them in these quick and easy cream cheese muffins. Right before adding them to my muffin batter I sprinkled a bit of sugar over my raspberries to add a bit of sweetness. I normally use a dollop of fruit preserves to top the muffins, but any fresh or frozen fruit will work just as well.

On a separate note, I want to apologize for my lack of posting lately. I haven’t really been baking much during the last couple weeks. I spent most of this weekend preparing for Thanksgiving. Deciding on the menu, cleaning the house, washing the platters, serving bowls, and fancy glasses. I’ve done most of my grocery shopping and I just need to pickup the turkey and some sourdough bread for stuffing. I made a gigantic vat of turkey stock, a “scarborough fair” herb shallot butter for my turkey and a chunky cranberry sauce. The cheeses have been grated for the spinach gratin and I also made enough pie dough for my pecan tart and pumpkin pie. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to make a third dessert. I’ll see how I’m feeling later in the week. I still have a lot of chopping, slicing, brining, cooking and baking until T-day so I’ll leave you now with a wish for a wonderful Thanksgiving! Have a happy and healthy one!

raspberrycccc1

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins
(adapted from Better Homes and Garden Nov 1997)
(makes 24)

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened at room temp
4 ounces (8tbsp/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
10 ounces raspberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 24 (approximately 3.5 fluid ounce capacity) muffin wells (or use paper cupcake liners).

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 1 minute.

On low speed, add half of flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Mix in milk and then add remaining flour. Mix until just combined.

Divide batter among prepared muffin wells. Place 3 or 4 raspberries on top of each. (If your raspberries are not sweet enough, toss them with a bit of sugar before using.)

Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Cool. If desired, dust with powdered sugar before serving.

buttered & floured by Mary on 11/20/2007 23 comments
Monday, November 05, 2007

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Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
pumpkinchiffonpie

Every once in a while someone shares a recipe with me hoping that I will make it. I’m more than happy to do so because sometimes it’s tough for me to decide what to bake. When there are too many recipes to choose from I can become paralyzed by indecision and end up baking nothing at all. So I’m more than happy when the decision is made for me. This is especially true when it’s a recipe I would normally not pick by myself. Like with the Daring Bakers challenges, it’s a nice break from my usual M.O. and a great opportunity to break out of my baking box. I always enjoy the experience and always learn something new.

My coworker WW mentioned that he saw a pumpkin chiffon pie in a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living and was taken by the jewel like strands of candied pumpkin atop the pie. He searched Martha’s website for the pie recipe but came up empty handed. So he purchased the magazine and asked if I would try my hand at making the pies. I was definitely up for the challenge.

I’ve made many pumpkin pies before but never a pumpkin chiffon pie. Just like a chiffon cake is supposed to be light and airy, I guessed that a chiffon pie should have a light and airy filling. In this case, the filling is a pumpkin pastry cream which is lightened with a meringue (basically egg whites beaten with sugar) and set with the help of some gelatin. The filling was pretty delicious and very different from the usual pumpkin pie filling, but I found it a tad on the sweet side and not particularly pumpkiny. I would probably decrease the amount of sugar in the filling if I make it again.

The crust was simply commercial gingersnaps blitzed in a food processor with some sugar and butter to hold it all together. This was the first time I’ve ever bought Nabisco brand gingersnaps. I tried one straight from the box and didn’t really like it. I expected the gingersnap to be crisp but it just seemed hard. I hoped that the crust would taste better than the gingersnap itself. The crust did taste pretty good when filled. The gingersnap crust provided textural contrast to the fluffy filling but maybe too much of a contrast. In the future I might try using those thin ginger cookies that you can buy at Ikea instead.

pumpkinchiffonpie_crust

The garnish was fun to make. I didn’t have a sugar pie pumpkin but I did have a sweet dumpling squash. It was pretty easy to shave thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler and it was just as easy to candy them in the syrup. I only had a black and white copy of the recipe and photos from the magazine and I thought I messed up since my candied squash ribbons didn’t turn out bright orange like I imagined they would be. Mine were more like a greenish tinged yellow. But when I presented my finished pies to WW he said that they looked just like in the magazine. The garnish was a nice finishing touch. Before laying the candied squash ribbons on my chiffon pie, I dabbed the ribbons with a clean towel to take of any excess syrup.

Even though I love the Martha, my success rate with her recipes has been 50/50. But despite the tiny issues I mentioned, I still must count this pumpkin chiffon pie in the win column. So thank you Martha and thank you WW for your wonderful suggestion.

pumpkinchiffonpie_candied

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

(adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine October 2007)
(makes six 5-inch pies)

Crust
34 gingersnaps*, coarsely broken
(*I used Nabisco brand gingersnaps)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 envelope (1 scant tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin puree
3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Garnish
1/4 small sugar pumpkin or another sweet hard squash*, peeled
(*I used a sweet dumpling squash)
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 piece (2 inches long by 1 inch wide) peeled fresh ginger, sliced 1/4 inch thick

To make the crust

Preheat oven to 350F. Grind gingersnaps, sugar and salt in the food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter and process until combined.

Divide crumbs among six 5-inch pie plates, pressing into the bottom and up the sides. Bake until slightly darkened and firm, about 11 to 13 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes. Using an offset spatula, carefully remove crusts from pie plates and cool completely before filling. (Since I had to transport my pies to the office, I kept my pie shells in the pie plate.) Crusts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

To make the filling

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.

Combine pumpkin, egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, milk, salt and spices in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. (At this point I strained my pumpkin mixture to catch any lumps. Apparently my strainer’s mesh was too fine and it took a while for the mixture to make its way through the mesh. But I wanted to make sure it was lump free.) Let mixture cool completely.

Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat 3 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Whisk one-third of beaten egg whites into cooled pumpkin mixture. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon into pie shells and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. (I refrigerated my pies overnight and they seemed okay.)

To make the garnish

Using a vegetable peeler, shave pumpkin into thin, wide ribbons. Bring water, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and ginger to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin ribbons and reduce heat. Simmer gently until tender and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool completely. Garnish can stand at room temperature for up to 3 hours. (I put mine in the refrigerator overnight before garnishing the pies.)

buttered & floured by Mary on 11/05/2007 30 comments