13 Bakery

TWD: Lots of Ways Banana Cake

2010-07-20T17:35:00.000+02:00

I made this one a week early. Surprised? I know...especially since even though I did it so early, I'm only now making the post about it. Halfway through Tuesday, and my TWD is just now going up. It's appalling. I know.

But let's talk cake!

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Kimberly of Only Creative Opportunities. Be sure to check out her site for this yummy, moist recipe.

And this really was yummy. It's very much like a banana bread, but it's brought to another level by baking it in layers and frosting. Yum Yum.

There's a reason why this is called Lots of Ways Banana Cake. Dorie gives lots of variations on this cake so that you can make it how you want it and with what ingredients you have on hand. I didn't have a lot of brown sugar, so I made this with all white sugar. And while I technically have shredded coconut, it's expired, and I didn't want to mess with it. And I didn't have coconut milk, so I substituted with buttermilk. The result was a very, very moist, very banana-y cake. You should definitely try it.

I topped mine with marshmallow frosting. This was my first time trying to make marshmallow frosting, and I'm not so sure it went exactly to plan. First of all, one of my beaters for my mixer went missing, so I enlisted my hubby to whip the egg whites for me with a hand beater (you know the kind with the wheel that you turn). I knew it would take longer to whip by hand than with a machine, so I had him start on it right away while I worked on the syrup. Well, the syrup took a really, really long time. And, top that all of with me burning it. So....I had to make the syrup again. All the while, the egg whites are in firm peaks. I checked on them in the middle of my second batch, and while the outside looked nice, the egg whites were starting to deflate underneath it's pretty exterior. So I tried whipping them again. I don't know if you can actually do that, but I tried. Anyways, the second batch of syrup turned out well, and I made the frosting. It looked alright, but it was a little softer than I had imagined it would be. But it tasted good, and the first day my cake looked wonderful. This was not the day I decided to take the pictures.

The second day, the frosting got all foamy and started kinda disintegrating. It didn't look as nice, but it still tasted good. I don't know if this is normal for marshmallow frosting, but I think it probably has to do with my egg whites being overwhipped or the fact that the egg whites here are very, very watery.

But don't let my tales of woe over my frosting deter you. Dorie also gives lots of choices for how to top the cake, some which are way easier, so really, go make this...now! And check out how the other TWDers who made this did. I'm sure theirs are beautiful and will make your mouth water!

Easy Cinnamon Bread

2010-07-01T10:20:00.000+02:00

Dun duh duh daaaa! The bread I promised! And on the day that I promised it! Is it bad that I'm so proud of myself?

Okay, so let me tell you about this bread. The batter that you make is what I call a semi-yeasted bread. According to the recipe, the author calls this a cross between a yeast bread and a quick bread. The dough has all the elasticity and distinctive smell of a yeast bread, but comes together as easily as a quick bread. It actually gets its rise half from the yeast and half from the baking powder that is folded in just before baking. Interesting, huh?

I was drawn to this because I always enjoy yeasted goods, but I'm really terrible at actually making them. This was perfect for me. It's practically a fool proof yeasted bread. So for all out there that are afraid of yeast, don't be, you can do this one.

And the result was absolutely delicious. You really can't beat the baking cinnamon smell, so it already had that going for it. Then through in the taste of cinnamon rolls without all the fuss of having to actually roll them, and you've got a winner in my book.

But before you get to baking ('cause I know you will), let me make a few comments about the ingredients in this recipe. This recipe calls for instant yeast. I'm sure that many of my fellow bakers are familiar with this ingredient, but just in case, here's a little run down. This is not the yeast that you get in those little packets: that's dry active yeast. I've only seen instant yeast sold in vacuum packed cubes at the store. The difference between instant yeast and dry active yeast is that instant yeast does not need to be mixed with a warm liquid and sit for a while to be ready for use. It's ready right away. You mix it in directly with the flour, and you're good to go. So for all you lazy, I mean, time-aware bakers out there, instant yeast is so your friend. And you can use it in any recipe that calls for the active dry yeast. Just instead of that prep stage I mentioned, just mix it with the flour called for in the recipe, let sit for one minute, and continue on with the recipe. So I highly recommend getting some instant yeast. But if you'd like to try this with active dry yeast, you can try mixing it with a little bit of the warm milk called for in this recipe, let it sit, and then mix it in to the flour. I haven't tried that, so don't hold me to that.

Also, this recipe calls for cinnamon chips. I know, I know, it looks like chocolate chips in the pictures, but they are actually cinnamon chips. I had some that were shipped to me, and this was really the perfect use.

Okay, so that's all I have to say. Here's the recipe!

Easy Cinnamon Bread

from King Arthur's Flour Baker's Companion

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cinnamon chips

Cinnamon-sugar, for topping

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating until smooth. (I wasn't sure exactly how long this was. This is not kneading, so shouldn't look like a finished dough ball when you're done, meaning, I could still see some yeast when I looked at the surface. I probably beat for about 2-3 minutes, by hand.) Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spoon the batter (yes, it's thick but elasticky) into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it from the pan to a rack to cool completely. Don't slice the bread while it's hot; it will slice much better when it's completely cool.

TWD: Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes (minus the rum)

2010-06-29T07:00:00.001+02:00

I turned these Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes into Vanilla-Drenched Vanilla Cakes because who doesn't like vanilla? Plus, I don't really mess around with alcohol. I find things are good without it, so why bother?

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Wendy of Pink Stripes. Check out her site for the recipe.

This recipe called for the pulp of two vanilla beans (or extract if you don't have them), and I actually had some beans that I was saving for something. I'm not sure what I was saving them for, so I figured I give this recipe the "honor" of my vanilla beans. I was very intent on getting everything out of those beans, and as a result, I think I got a little more than just the seeds in my mix. I think I got a little of the fibrous insides in my batter from all my scraping that didn't quite break down with baking. So I have a few larger than tiny specks dotting my cakes. But now I know better. I had to learn sometime, I suppose.

I was a little surprised at these cakes. I thought they would puff up a little and have that nice domed look that loaf cakes normally have, but mine actually kinda sunk in the middle. That was unexpected.

And I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I guess I was just expecting a little more flavor out of the cakes, but they were decidedly plain vanilla. Now that I write that, what was I really expecting? I had decided to make these vanilla-drenched vanilla cakes so they better taste like vanilla and nothing more. So yeah, don't know what I was expecting. I think some of my disappointment was stemmed from my baking earlier that day a semi-yeasted cinnamon bread (that recipe will come Thursday) that smelled up the kitchen like warm cinnamon rolls, and this cake was just not as fragrant. And I made the mistake of trying the cinnamon bread first then this cake, and they didn't really compare. But I think a lemon or orange version of this cake would have been quite delicious. If I make these again, I will definitely try one of those. But the cakes as they are would be great layered with some fresh cream and berries. As I have neither of those things, I'll just have to dream about eating my cake with all that yumminess.

Be sure to check out what the other TWDers whipped up this week. And be sure to check back on Thursday for the cinnamon bread recipe. So easy, and so good. You'll really not want to miss it. I promise!

TWD: White Chocolate Brownies

2010-06-01T09:20:00.001+02:00

I love raspberries. Seriously. They are by far my favorite fruit. They are so delicious, sweet, and tart. I could eat them every day if I could. When I first bought the book Baking from My Home to Yours, I spent hours poring over the pages, imagining what it would be like to make some of the recipes. I particularly remember oogling the picture associated with this recipe. White chocolate and raspberry. What a delicious and wonderful pairing. So when I saw that this was the recipe for this week, I was...what do they call it...drooling, I mean, excited.

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Marthe of Culinary Delights. Be sure to check her site for this yummy recipe.

So have I made it clear that I love raspberries?

Well guess what...no raspberries here. I cannot recall one time when I have ever seen them here. I was/am sooooo disappointed.

But, I decided to buck up and try anyway. I figured, I'll just use a different berry. Strawberries. I've seen them here, so it shouldn't be a problem. Well, it was. No strawberries at the store. So my bars are sadly berryless. But, they still turned out yummy.

I also couldn't find oranges for the orange zest called for, so I went with lime. At first I was really frustrated because I couldn't make it the way I wanted, but then I remembered that lime and white chocolate are like one of my all-time favorite combinations. One of my favorite cheesecakes is this combo, and it's scrumptious. But add some raspberries on top, and you've got a slice of heaven. That's what these bars could have been. Perhaps someday.

But even without the king of all berries, or even any berries, this bars were still quite good. They reminded me less of a brownie and more of a lemon bar. But that could be due to the fact that when I went to cut these up, I realized that the center was not quite done. Ack! I tried sticking them in the oven for a few minutes after they were cut up, but I'm not sure that really worked. (I learned that I really should read the P&Q on the TWD site before making these. Maybe if I had baked them first as suggested, I would have had completely done brownies...but c'est la vie.) But done or not, they tasted good.

I'm anxious to give these bars another go, and I definitely will when I'm back in the states. But if you're curious to see what these bars could have been, check out what the other TWDers who made this recipe did.

Pregnancy Update: Next week we should be able to find out the sex of our little one...that is, if he or she cooperates!

TWD: Apple-Apple Bread Pudding

2010-05-19T04:35:00.001+02:00

I'm late, but I'm here. I'm actually finishing a two-week stay with my parents in Maryland, and being back in the US has been such a wonderful experience. I'm a little afraid of what my reaction will be when I get back, but we'll just have to see.

So back to the reason for the post. It's Tuesday!! This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Elizabeth of Cake or Death? Be sure to check out her site for this yummy recipe.

This was a really great recipe for me. I've always liked bread pudding, and this one did not disappoint. It had the yummy custardy flavor and texture of bread pudding, but it had an added bonus of a delicious apple center. My dad commented that this bread pudding felt a lot lighter than ones he had previously eaten. I think this is mostly due to the addition of the apples and the fact that the bread is separated, so you don't get one big chunk of custardy bread. Just another reason to praise Dorie for her superior baking skills. We are in awe.

I apologize for the less than ideal pictures but it was a sad rainy day today, and I didn't get this done in time to have even minimal lighting. Oopsie. But don't let the bad pictures deter you. This is yummy. And especially good with ice cream (which I homemade, but I'll leave that to another post.)

But be sure to check out the other TWDers who made this recipe. I'm sure their pictures will more than convince you to make this.

And for just a FYI on my pregnancy update, I got to hear my little one's heartbeat today. So exciting, so special.

Cocoa Brownies

2010-05-01T09:10:00.000+02:00

I am always on the look out for easy, fast, but yummy dessert recipes because you just never know when the urge is going to hit or the need is going to arise for something sweet, and you don't always have time to wait for butter to soften.

Brownies from scratch are generally pretty easy to begin with, but I like this recipe because the main ingredient is cocoa rather than chocolate. Around here I can buy cocoa by the barrel load, but all my chocolate has to be bought in candy bar form with candy bar price. So needless to say, I have more cocoa laying around than chocolate.

These mix up really quickly, and only bake for 25 minutes. So from start to finish you could be done in 45 minutes to an hour max. I always double the recipe and put it in a 9 by 13 pan because I think that an 8 by 8 pan of brownies is just a travesty. How can that little pan ever satisfy my brownie desire? And for next to no extra effort, why not make a bigger batch to share (or hoard)?

Now the flavor of these brownies will largely depend on the quality of cocoa that you use. Higher quality will give you a more luxurious taste, but cheap cocoa will still give you a decent brownie. When I make these from the cocoa I get here, I think it tastes like it has a hint of cinnamon, which might be a nice addition if you want to try to jazz these up a little.

One last thing, you should definitely do the old parchment paper liner trick for these. It makes it that much quicker to go from pan to mouth. Enjoy!

Best Cocoa Brownies
from Sunday Nite Dinner

[printable recipe]

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
Special equipment: An 8-inch square baking pan

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.
In a medium heatproof bowl, add the butter and set on top of a large sauce pan with barely simmering water. Melt the butter, then add sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. Next add the cocoa powder and stir until mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.
Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.
Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.
Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Chocolate note: Any unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder works well here. Natural cocoa produces brownies with more flavor complexity and lots of tart, fruity notes, which maybe more exciting for you. Dutch-process cocoa results in a darker brownie with a mellower, old-fashioned chocolate pudding flavor, pleasantly reminiscent of childhood.

Makes 16 large or 25 smaller brownies

TWD: Chocoblock Cookies

2010-04-27T18:50:00.000+02:00

I'mmmm backkkkk!

I am so glad to be making this post right now. You don't know how much I've been missing baking and blogging. I would think of it often, but it would make me so sad to know that I was physically so worn out and nauseated to do it. But I managed to do it this week. And I'm so glad.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet. Be sure to check out her site for the recipe of these very interesting cookies. Lots of stuff in these cookies.

I literally just made these cookies half and hour ago. I had planned to do it last night, but my afternoon nap turned into an evening nap, which I just couldn't shake the stupor off for. I'm usually a night baker, but with this pregnancy, I have been so wiped out, I'm lucky to be fully conscious after 10 pm. So sad. I guess I'll have to start switching my schedule around.

As with many recipes, I had to modify this one a lot based on the ingredients I could find here normally...and based on things I thought I had only to learn I didn't. For example, I always keep loads of butter around, but I guess because I haven't been baking as much, I haven't been staying on top of it. So lo and behold, no butter. Well, margarine it is. I never have seen shortening here, so more margarine. The closest I can find to molasses is this black thin honey stuff that I don't really know what it is, but I'm not sure I want to know. Never have found old fashioned oats here, so I used muesli cereal. I figured that was better than quick oats, but who knows. I didn't have any nuts, but I figured it didn't really hurt to have them left out. Also, I thought I had a lot more semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I didn't. So I used part semi, part dark, and part milk. But I think this change will just add to the cookie. And...nope, I think that all the changes I made. I would have loved to try this recipe as is, but that will have to just wait until next time.

I haven't actually tasted them, but they smell pretty good. Perhaps after I take a nap I'll feel up to trying one, but if you're anxious to hear how they taste, be sure to check out the other TWDers who made this one and find out.

I'm pretty sure I'm back for good, so be sure to come back soon!

I've got an Announcement

2010-03-23T08:24:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone!

I know it's been a while since I last posted, and some of you might be wondering why that is. I haven't been out of town or anything. But the reason why I haven't been keeping up lately is because...

I'M PREGNANT!!

Yay! So exciting! But with the morning (actually all day) sickness, extreme fatigue, and general aversion to food, I just haven't had the strength to bake anything lately.

But I'm hopeful that this stage of the pregnancy will pass soon, and I'll be back on my feet in the kitchen baking up a storm.

And I'll be sure to keep you updated with how things are progressing. This is our first baby, so it's really exciting and new for us. So your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

So next time you bake something, think of me, and hopefully I'll be right there baking with you really soon! :)

TWD: Thumbprints for Us Big Guys

2010-03-09T19:15:00.000+02:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it on this one. I haven't been feeling too good lately, and I was a little skeptical that I would feel up to making these this week. But after some encouragement (read "get off your butt, honey"), I got up and made these.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Mike of Ugly Food Dude. Check out his site for the recipe.

I've never made thumbprints before because I just didn't like them that much. I considered them okay, but all I ever really liked about them was the jam. The more jam the better.

So for my first try at thumbprints, I was pretty set on making a deep, wide hole to fill with jam. But I failed. The centers puffed up in the baking, and the ridges of the hole totally sunk down to barely nothing. So sad. But like I said before, I wasn't feeling so hot, so these were just going to have to do.

I decided to forgo the powdered sugar dusting, simply because I didn't feel like the extra mess. I went with two different jams for the filling: classic raspberry jam and fig jam. I really love raspberry anything and probably would have filled all of them with that jam, if I had had enough. But since I didn't, I branched out with fig jam, which I think gives it good variety.

I haven't actually tried these yet (I just made them, and I wanted them to set up a bit) but I'm sure they're good. Dorie's recipes just about always are. She's good like that. :)

So if you've got a little time, give these a shot, and don't forget to check out what the other TWDers are baking!

TWD: Toasted-Coconut Custard Tart

2010-03-02T18:45:00.000+02:00

Now doesn't that title just sound good. Now take a look. Yeah, you wish you had this tart.

I have to admit, at one time, I was not a fan of coconut. Why, I couldn't tell you because now I simply love the smell (and taste) of lightly toasted coconut. It rocks the house. And when you pair it with cool creamy custard, you really can't go wrong.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Beryl of Cinemon Girl. Be sure to check out her site for this great recipe.

Now back to the tart. It has a layer of sweet tart dough. It has a layer of toasted coconut-infused custard. And a layer of whipped cream. Top that off with some more toasted coconut, and you've got one mean (but delicious) tart.

The look and the smell definitely remind you of warm summer days which (sorry to rub it in to those of you in the north) is what I've been experiencing the past few days. We've actually got heat reaching the mid to upper 90s, so it was definitely time to bring out a treat to usher in the summer.

Well, all this talking makes me want to get to eating, but be sure to check out how the other TWDers did on their tarts.

DB: Tiramisu

2010-02-27T19:58:00.000+02:00

I'm a little late and a little rushed, but here goes.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

I'm finally back in Tripoli after two weeks stuck in Malta, and as a result, I didn't have much time for this multi-day challenge. But I pulled it off (sort of), so come check it out.

For this month's challenge, we had to make our own mascarpone, our own lady fingers, as well as assemble them into tiramisu.

Now I'm a big fan of tiramisu; it's a dessert that you can usually count on to be good, so it's my fall back dessert at restaurants...okay sometimes it's my fall forward into, too! :) But the idea of making my own kinda scared me, especially the part about making my own mascarpone. I think I would have felt a little more comfortable if I could get my hands on some fresh cream. Unfortunately, all I can find is little cans of cream that has been mixed with vegetable thickeners. But I had no other choice. So I just went for it.

And surprise, surprise, the mascarpone actually didn't turn out too badly. The flavor of it was not the best since it still tasted like where it came from (the can) but it seem to get the right consistency.

And I was pretty proud of my lady fingers. If I were a lady (wait...I am...um, awkward), I would want fingers like these. I was proud of this little things.

Then it was time to put it all together. Unfortunately, I think I tried to make a few too many individual tiramisus, so I kinda ran out ingredients to do three layers of each, and I only managed two layers each.

But all that said, it turned out to be a humble-looking but pretty good tiramisu. I did it! And on time! That's good enough for me.

MASCARPONE CHEESE

(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar,

Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

TIRAMISU

(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Black and White Squares Part I: Oreo Rice Krispies

2010-02-22T12:24:00.000+02:00

Sorry I've been so long in posting. Ever since my last post (Feb 9) I have been in Malta trying to renew my visa for working in Libya. Every six months you have to leave the country to renew your visa. Usually this is a three or four day ordeal, but I have been here for two weeks now, and it doesn't look like we're going to get it any time soon.

So...I haven't been able to bake, and it's been killing me. But instead of sulking, I decided to share with you something I baked earlier. It's easy and good, so here goes.

This is a super easy treat because it takes an already really easy treat and bumps it up a notch by adding Oreos...or actually since I can't find Oreos here, by adding Stereos. Yes, these fake Oreos are called Stereos.

And when you cut anything up into little pieces, you can't go wrong. :)

The basic premise is to add some crushed "Oreos" to a mix of rice krispies treat mix. That's it. It's so simple, but I didn't think of it until I saw it on someone else's site (which I can't remember where I found it for the life of me). Sometimes the simplest things just elude you.

So when you need a quick fix, whip these up, and everyone you share them with will be like, "Why didn't I think of that?" You don't have to tell them I told you. :)

Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
adapted from Cookies in Motion
[printable recipe]

1/4 cup butter
10 oz. mini marshmallows
5 cups rice krispies
2 1/2 cups crushed oreos

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until smooth. Remove from heat.

Add in the rice krispies and the crushed oreos. Stir until completely coated.

Press into a buttered or oiled 9 by 13 inch pan. Let cool, and then cut into adorable little squares.

Twofer TWD: Milk Chocolate Mini Bundts and Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia

2010-02-09T01:20:00.001+02:00

Lucky lucky you! You get two Tuesdays with Dorie for one! Yipee!

So let's start with last week: Last week's TWD was Milk Chocolate Mini Bundts chosen by Kristin of I'm Right About Everything. (Great blog title, huh?)

And this week: This week's TWD was Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia chosen by Tanya of Chocolatechic.

I'd like to pretend that both of these recipes went exactly to plan, but that would be so not true...otherwise known as a lie. I don't want to do that, so let me just give it to you straight.

Let's go chronologically, shall we?

Okay, so for the milk chocolate mini bundts, I call this the tale of the "Shopper's Remorse."

I really enjoy shopping and getting new things. I love having lots of things, so this really works out for me. However, I also suffer from shopper's remorse because I want to be wise with Jacob's and my money. This manifests itself in one of two ways: either I buy something that I don't really need but really want and then feel guilty about it later, or I don't buy something because I tell myself I don't need it but then I come home wishing that I had just bought it. (Tell me I'm not alone in this!!) This particular instance was a case of the latter.

I found some mini silicone bundt pans in a store on the Monday before last (just in time for the TWD), and I picked them up and walked around the store with them. But because I didn't buy anything else in the store, I put them back. Way to go, Christina. I still can't believe I did that. It wasn't even that expensive. Well, all that to say, I didn't buy them, so I didn't have them to make this recipe.

I was planning on just putting this in a regular-sized bundt pan, but there wasn't enough batter. So I just made a loaf of it. The flavor was actually pretty good. It was very nice the first day, but it got dry very quickly. But maybe being in little miniature bundt forms would have prevented this...I'll never know...but I'm not remorseful...oh wait, I am. I think I'm going to go back to that store this weekend and just buy them. Then maybe I can try this again.

Now for this week. Let's call this one the tale of the "I Think I Remember."

There's not much to this story other than I thought I remembered what this week's Tuesday with Dorie was. I was so confident, I didn't even bother checking the site. I knew.

I didn't. I just totally made the wrong brownie recipe. I ended up making the Hepburn Brownies, but I really want to try out Rick Katz's. I won't say no to a brownie.

But maybe you can forgive me because they are just so darn cute! My mother-in-law sent me two brownie bite pans for Christmas, so I just had to use them. Making anything smaller makes it automatically cuter and automatically worth next to no calories, of course!

I actually tried these out a few weeks ago with another brownie recipe, but I had a lot of trouble getting the brownies out of the pan. So, as a result, I kinda overbaked these. And by "kinda overbaked" I mean some of these are little gems, as in biting into a gemstone it's that hard. It's actually not quite that bad, but still, they are overbaked.

But just because I had some drama with these recipes shouldn't stop you from trying them out. Give them a go, and show me how it's done. And when you're done, check out the other TWDers, and be amazed at their skills!

TWD: Cocoa-Nana Bread

2010-01-26T12:50:00.000+02:00

I actually did this one early! Woo hoo!

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Steph of Obsessed with Baking.

This recipe called for the most cocoa that I've ever used in one single recipe I'm pretty sure. 1 cup for one loaf. I doubled this recipe and was able to squeeze out three good-sized loaves.

I unfortunately didn't have quite enough bananas, so my bread was a little dry, but other than that, it was pretty good. And I loved hitting a chocolate chip in the bread. It was like a treasure hunt.

My house-mate had asked me what I was making, and I told him it was a cocoa banana bread, but he must have only heard the banana bread part because he was quite worried when he saw the dark loaves. He thought they were severely burnt! But no, these are just very laden with cocoa and dark, dark, dark.

Now I was so proud of myself for making this bread early that I didn't even think about posting about it until it came time to eat the last few pieces for breakfast. My hubby had sliced us up the last hunk, and midway through my first bite, I realized I had totally forgotten to take pictures. So in a rush, I snapped these pictures before I had to gobble up the bread and head out the door. So a slice, a bite, and some crumbs is all you get.

You'll have to make it yourself or check out the other TWDers if you want to see a full loaf! So get to it! :)

Yeasted Cinnamon Rolls

2010-01-24T08:00:00.000+02:00

I had made one of my goals in this post to make 12 yeasted items this year. And wouldn't you know it, I'm so getting right on those goals. Here's my first tick-mark on my goal list: yeasted cinnamon rolls.

Now, I must admit, I've made these before. But I never did stipulate that they had to be new recipes. A yeasted item is a yeasted item. Besides, I thought it would be wisest for my sanity to start with something easy when I am trying to tackle something I most definitely stink at.

This time was a little different, though, because this time I used instant yeast. I've never worked with instant yeast before, but I've read a little bit about it. Now bear with me, I'm going from memory here. Instant yeast is supposed to be a good thing because you don't have to wait for it to bubble up and get ready, it's ready instantly. Amazing, right? But the trick is that you have to mix the instant yeast with the flour first because...I'm not really sure, but I know you're supposed to do it. (Maybe someone can jog my memory.) Then you can mix things normally.

So, I woke up early one morning, because I wanted to surprise Jacob with the cinnamon rolls. I mixed them up, but the dough was looking a little grainier than I thought it should. But I didn't want to overmix them. Then when I went down later with Jacob (I got a little impatient waiting for him to wake up...such a bad wife), I asked him if he thought the dough looked right. Then he reminded me I needed to knead it for few minutes until smooth. Wow...what a dummy am I. I applied the muffin/quick bread method to yeasted bread. It's okay to mix yeasted bread. So I quickly kneaded it, and what I difference that made. I actually incorporated the yeast. Then it was time to rise.

It was cool that day, so I used a warmed up oven. It always works great to get a good rise. After that, it was time to spread on the cinnamon sugar mixture. Leave it to me to choose a recipe that calls for several tablespoons of ground cinnamon when all I have is cinnamon sticks. So I had to grind my own. I started with a box grater, but tired of that really quickly. So I decided to put the sticks in the spice grinder that we have. It worked okay, but the resulting cinnamon was more coarse than store-bought kind. But I was making lemonade out of lemons...er ground cinnamon out of cinnamon sticks. :)

Then it was my favorite part, rolling up the rolls. I love trying to make the most rings possible per roll, rolling it as tightly as I possibly can. And then when you cut it and see those beautiful rings...perfection.

Next you wait for it to rise a second time, and then it's baking time. The baking time is nice because it's so short compared to the two rising time. And you just can't beat the fresh baked cinnamon roll smell. You pull it out of the oven, slather on some cream cheese icing, and try to wait until it's cool enough to eat. Yum, yum, yum.

So all in all, things worked out okay (okay...delicous!), even after all my mishaps. Maybe I can do this yeasted thing. Let's see how I do next time. :)

Clone of a Cinnabon
adapted from Allrecipes

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix together flour and instant yeast, let rest for one minute.
Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients, and then add the wet. Knead until you have a smooth dough.
Place dough in a covered bowl in a warm area to rise.
After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

2010-01-19T18:47:00.000+02:00

Yay! It's Tuesday! Not very early in Tuesday, but Tuesday nevertheless.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Lillian of Confectiona's Realm. Check out her site for the recipe.

These were pretty easy to whip together, and tasted pretty good. I only had them cold, but they are probably pretty good room temperature.

I didn't add the nuts since I was planning on giving them to people who had specifically asked for no nuts, but I think without the nuts they turned out pretty nice. I still wish I had some rolled oats, but subbing quick cooking oats worked out fine.

Don't forget to check out what the other TWDers are doing!

Chocolate Chip Blondies

2010-01-10T09:00:00.000+02:00

I am an impatient girl.

This is generally looked down upon as not being a great quality to possess, but it's especially not good when you're a baker. I'm not a huge fan of waiting for butter to soften, or for bread to rise, or for whatever else you have to wait for. Sure, I love the process of baking, which is part of the reason I'm so impatient. I want to get right to the mixing, the measuring, the beating, the decorating, and of course the tasting. I love all those parts, and waiting just makes me...wait.

So, whenever I'm in need of a quick dessert, I always remember this one. These are technically called blondies, but they seem more like chocolate chip bar cookies instead. But no matter what you call it, they are delicious.

They don't require any of the waiting (besides bake time) that other recipes call for. This uses melted butter which is sooo much faster than coming to room temperature. Now I know melted butter is different from room temperature butter, so don't do what I did during the early days of my baking season of substituting melted for softened, but if it calls for melted, more power to you. All that to say, this is a quick recipe. What's stopping you from making it?

Chocolate Chip Blondies
from Allrecipes
[printable recipe]

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Measure 1 cup sifted flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift again. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Mix well and set aside.
3. Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. If shortening is used, add 1 tablespoon hot water. Cool slightly.
4. Add egg (beaten) and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
5. Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

TWD: Cocoa Buttermilk Cupcakes

2010-01-07T08:00:00.001+02:00

It is okay if I let the T in TWD stand for Thursdays with Dorie?

I had ever intention with making these before Tuesday so I wouldn't be late. I was ready to go Sunday night, but then I was out of eggs. Then Monday night, I was even more ready, but when I went to check on the warming to room temperature butter, it was back in the fridge. Foiled by the guy who cleans our dishes after dinner! And then I did make the cupcake part on Tuesday, so I kinda didn't miss this one. But I didn't finish them until Wednesday...I needed to wait until then anyways because I needed some natural light for pictures. But they're done, and I'm pretty proud of them.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Laurie (the founder of TWD) of Slush. You can check out her site for the recipe for the cake.

I read a lot of reviews that said they weren't in love with the recipe for the frosting so I decided against it. Besides, I didn't have malted milk powder anyhow. But I did have Maltesers. And for those of you that don't know what those are, they're basically whoppers with another name. So I decided to make a frosting that would be a tribute to Chocolate Malted Buttercream. So I give you vanilla buttercream with Malteser topping.

I found this recipe for a basic vanilla buttercream here, and I am just in love with it. I haven't had any trouble with it, and that is amazing! I almost always screw up frosting, but this one has really worked for me. It gets a little scary when you have added most of the butter and it is not setting up at all, but once you throw in that last bit of butter, it all thickens up and comes together. And it's great. But make sure you use quality butter for this because the butter flavor comes through.

Martha's Vanilla Swiss Buttercream
from 17 and baking
[printable recipe]

1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place egg whites and sugar in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk until sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot. [I rub the mixture between my fingers and it should feel completely smooth.] <--(such a good tip!)

Move the bowl from the pan to the mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the whites have cooled to room temperature and formed stiff peaks (about 10 minutes.)

Add the butter one piece at a time, beating until just incorporated between additions. [If the buttercream curdles simply keep beating and it will come together, do not panic!] Add vanilla and beat until just combined.

Beat with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed to eliminate air pockets and smooth the buttercream. If you’re going to use it soon, cover and store in a cool environment until needed. If not, you can refrigerate buttercream (tightly wrapped) for up to 3 days. When ready to use, bring to room temperature and then beat on low speed with the paddle attachment until smooth.

Don't forget to check out the other TWDers that probably made it on time.

Cashew Brittle

2010-01-04T08:00:00.000+02:00

I'm not sure why, but I've been really learning to like nuts. I only just discovered cashews (and by that I mean I finally tried eating one), and they are surprisingly sweet. I was not expecting that. But they are, and they are pretty good.

So when it came time for a Christmas party at one of my colleague's home, and a house-warming gift was in order, I thought to make something with cashews, specifically cashew brittle.

Now I've had mixed results with making caramel, but I've learned in my experimentations (or rather trial and error) I work best with making caramel from just dry sugar, nothing else. This caramel, I find, is less likely to burn and is more like the caramel I imagine in my head with the actual caramel-ly color rather than a burnt amber color.

So when I found the following recipe, I knew I had a winner. And the best thing is, it will work for any kind of nut: peanut, almond, brazil nut, macadamia, whatever. And it's fast, so it's perfect for a quick gift. The longest part of the process was waiting for it to cool enough to break it into chunks, and during that time, you can be finishing your hair and getting on your shoes. :)

Cashew Brittle
from Pastry Pal
[printable recipe]

This recipe yields almost 2 lbs of hard-to-resist goodness. Like I said, you can substitute any nut or seed. The brittle will keep at room temperature for a couple of weeks if stored in an airtight Ziplock bag or Tupperware box.

2 cups (14oz or 392g) sugar
1 stick (4 oz or 112g) butter, chopped up into small dice
3 cups (about 12 oz or 350g) coarsely chopped cashews (I actually forgot to chop them a little, but it worked out just fine with whole cashews)

1. If your nuts are not roasted, you’ll want to toast them up first for maximum flavor. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and get those nuts in there for 15 minutes, until they’re golden and the fragrance wafts through your kitchen.
2. Let’s caramelize the sugar. Set a light colored pan over medium-high heat (so you can see the change in color), and sprinkle a little of the sugar over the surface. Watch it start to melt.
3. Add more sugar. You can stir to keep the stuff on the bottom and edges from burning. (I actually added all the sugar at once and it worked just fine)
4. Add the remaining sugar, and let all of it melt down and deepen in color. Be patient with the lumps that may form. They will melt away. Stir now and again so the heat is evenly distributed. Once all the sugar is melted, let it continue to darken until you get a nice, deep golden brown color.
5. Working quickly, throw in the butter. It will start to sizzle and melt immediately. Whisk it in with fervor, while being careful to not let it splash back at you. That’s some hot grease! The butter has a tendency to pool and form a slick on the surface. You want to really meld it into the caramel, so keep whisking until it’s all very smooth.
6. Toss in your nuts of choice, then stir it all up until they’re completely coated. It may happen that adding cool nuts to hot caramel will harden pockets of the sugar at first, but keep stirring it over the heat until none of the nuts are naked.
7. Plop the mixture onto a sheet pan lined with a Silpat. You can also use parchment that’s been spritzed lightly with cooking spray.
8. Now quickly spread it out as well as you can before the sugar gets a chance to harden. Let this cool completely (about an hour) and break into chunks.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T17:39:00.000+02:00

I think the picture says it all, but Happy 2010!

Doesn't that seem like such a big number?

Anyways, with the beginning of the new year, I guess it's time for some New Year's Resolutions. So here goes for my blog this year:

Bake 12 yeasted items.
Make 12 savory items.
Purposefully edit my pictures instead of posting as is.
Make 12 highly decorated items.
Attempt to make up one recipe on my own.
Significantly modify 4 recipes to make them my own.
Add cuter buttons and things to the look of my blog.
Make 12 international items.

And I think I'll stop here before I commit to too much. I do have the habit of over-dreaming, just ask anyone. But I figure better to have the goals and not quite reach them than to have no motivation and do hardly anything.

So that's what I'm shooting for. I hope you'll stick around as I try to make them happen.

DB: Gingerbread House

2009-12-27T18:52:00.003+02:00

Would you believe that I started this gingerbread house two weeks ago, but only put it together last night and decorated it this morning? Well, you should.

I seriously waited two weeks between baking the pieces and putting them together. It really shouldn't have taken me that long, but I just hit a baking slump. Do you ever get those? Where something just goes terribly wrong in the kitchen, and you're afraid to go back for fear of more failure? Well, I do, and I did. But I think I'm alright now. I did some baking this weekend, and it went well. I think I'm back on the horse. How stinky that it happened after all the fun of Christmas baking. Way to go, brain.

Anywho, the December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

So, since I have not found molasses here, I went with the Scandinavian recipe since it didn't call for molasses, also, I'm partial to Scandinavian recipes since I'm half Swedish. You wouldn't really know by looking at me, but I'm Sveedish.

Back to the house, this was my first house I've made, gingerbread or otherwise (unless you count popsicles, I have made one of those I think), so I guess you could say I had a learning curve. I made up the template myself, but I forgot to scan it at work, so it'll go up tomorrow I promise.Okay, so it took a little longer. Here it is. I decided to go with a simple house but with a porch, since I really like porches and want one on my future dream house. Oh, this is supposed to be my dream house, at least that's what Jacob said I should do. So I tried, but this is so not what I want my dream house to look like. It needs to be at least three times this size (yeah, that's a Zoolander reference). And our exterminator bills would be astronomical. I had trouble enough keeping the ants off of this house for one night.

But anyway, I made the template, cut out the pieces, and to my surprise, they baked up pretty good. I didn't have trouble of shrinkage like other people, so I was glad. I did have some crinklage because I have less than Silipat mats. I didn't know it made a difference until I tried making things that need to be flat. I'm hoping I'll get some in the mail soon. Hint hint, family. But I think I was able to cover it up well enough with the royal icing.

So, at the beginning of this post, I mentioned that it took me two weeks to complete this house. And all that time, the pieces were sitting out on the counter. I thought it was all well and good, until I went to build the house to find out that some of my pieces had been eaten. Someone ate my door, but I think I worked well with a Kit Kat bar, but someone also ate some of my chimney, so no chimney for me. Sadness, but I guess that's what I get.

I had a little trouble with the roof. I put together the sides of the house no problem, but also not thinking about the length of my roof. I made it without any overhang which means, the walls could not go out any farther than the long wall, but I didn't do that. So I had a roof that made it almost all the way across, but not quite. I tried to cover it up with some scraps, but it looks a little dorky. I'll admit it.

But I've got to bring attention to this. This was Jacob's genius idea. They're flower pots! We made them out of bitten off cherry gummies and a partial cut blackberry gumdrop. I thought this was such a cute idea. I had to give him props (but not to his face...we wouldn't want a big-headed husband now would we?)

Oh, and in a moment of desperation or stupidity, I drew Jacob and me on the sides of the house. I had some space, I had to fill it.

So that's my escapade with the gingerbread house. It was fun once I actually got down to making it. And this recipe of gingerbread actually tasted pretty good, no cardboard taste here...unless you eat the cardboard, then you just can't get away from it.

So if you didn't make one this year, make plans for next year, or just make one now. It is only the third day of Christmas after all...

Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)
from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas

[printable recipe]

1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.

2. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.

3. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.

4. [I rolled out the dough on a floured bench, roughly 1/8 inch thick (which allows for fact that the dough puffs a little when baked), cut required shapes and transferred these to the baking sheet. Any scraps I saved and rerolled at the end.]

5. Preheat the oven to 375'F (190'C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing:

[printable recipe]

1 large egg white
3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling. If you aren't using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats

2009-12-19T10:37:00.000+02:00

I have had the hardest time finding marshmallows, or marshalades as I usually call them (it's a Homestar Runner thing), while I've been here. I just can't seem to find them anywhere. But luckily, I've got connections. Usually, when somebody goes home or to another country, I solict their help in getting me baking ingredients. So when my friend Will went to Kuwait, I asked for marshmallows, and he brought me back a sack full of them! Hooray! I was so glad and so excited. Now I could make these tempting treats.

I stumbled across these while I was looking for some recipes for fudge during my uncalled for obsession with the stuff (I don't like fudge). But these seemed like something I could sink my teeth into.

Actually, that's a picture of Jacob's teeth marks, but I think you get the idea.

So when real Rice Krispies were in the store, and I had my marshalades in hand, I made these goodies. And goodie they are.

Now you might think it's cute that they are cut into such small little pieces, but it really is necessary because these are rich, as most fudge treats are, but I think these avoid the labeling of too sweet by having that rice krispie layer. And who doesn't like Rice Krispie treats? Jacob. (I bet you were expecting me to say no one...tricked ya!) But even he liked these because he said the fudge layers masked the dryness of the krispies. My husband is a super moist food eater. Anything dry he snubs, unless of course it has sugar in it, then he'll eat it but not fully enjoy it. :)

The only trouble I had was with the peanut butter fudge layer. I must have added too much powdered sugar because it did not pour at all, but even with that mistake (and the resulting occasional top of the treat falling off), these were a hit all around.

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats
adapted from joythebaker.com

from Framed
[printable recipe]

Rice Krispy Treats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispy Cereal (or any puffed rice cereal)

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray.

4. Cool. Make Peanut Butter Fudge.

Peanut Butter Fudge
(recipe from Alton Brown)

1 cup butter

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound confectioners (powdered) sugar

1. Microwave butter and peanut butter for 2 minutes on high.

2. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.

3. Pour over the Rice Krispy treats in the pan and spread evenly.

4. Let cool in the fridge while you make the Chocolate Fudge.

Easy Chocolate Fudge

2 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla,. Beat for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows melt and mixture is thoroughly combined.

3. Pour over peanut butter fudge, spread evenly and place in the fridge to harden and cool.

4. Cut into 1-inch pieces or smaller.

TWD: Cafe Volcano Cookies

2009-12-15T17:37:00.002+02:00

These were some weirdy cookies for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, chosen by Macduff of The Lonely Sidecar.

I have to admit when I saw this recipe, I was a little worried. I'm only just becoming friends with nuts, and these cookies centered on them. So I was nervous, but like a good TWDer, I plodded on and whipped these up. And it really was a quick process. The only part that took a while for me was skinning the almonds, but if you had bought already skinned almonds, you would be good to go. I just like to make my life harder...apparently.

These cookies are made in a saucepan and then baked in the oven. And what you put in the oven looks so much different from what you get back out of the oven. It's crazy, and fun! The go in the oven looking like pile of nuts with just a little bit of sauce on them, and then they puff up into these cookies.

The bite is crunchy and very nutty, but in a really good way. I really liked the flavor much to my surprise. I wonder what it would have been like if I had chopped the nuts up more. Maybe next time.

But you really should give these a try because their simple, delicious, and if you know someone who's allergic to gluten, it's also gluten free.

So be sure to check out the recipe and what the other TWDers are up to.

Making Candied Ginger

2009-12-12T09:00:00.002+02:00

Jacob hates ginger. Jacob abhors ginger. Jacob wants to beat ginger up and bury him in the ground under 6 feet of dirt.

Jacob used to have some serious stomach problems when he was younger, and the doctor said the remedy was to eat a piece of fresh ginger every day. So he had to choke down pieces of ginger daily, and I guess it scarred him. He hates the thought of eating ginger, even if it's wrapped in a thick coating of sugar.

So guess what I made?

Aren't I just the most loving-est wife you have ever known?

Not that Jacob's bad experiences don't mean anything, I just saw this recipe here and had to try it. I had never thought of making my own candied ginger before, but it seemed so easy to do. And when I get something stuck in my mind to make, the only thing to do is just make it...before I go crazy.

Plus, I had a recipe for cookies that used candied ginger that I wanted to make again, so this was the perfect excuse. I'll post those cookies as soon as I make them.

This process was really easy. I didn't have a mandolin slicer, but just using a knife worked just a well. It gave it a rustic feel, which probably appeals to those who like chocolate chunks over chocolate chips. I'm not that kind of person, but I'm learning to roll with the punches.

This candied ginger hardened up pretty quickly, and it was more spicier than store-bought versions. It was nice. I think they will make a nice addition to the cookies I'm planning, a little spicy a little sweet: a great combination.

I'm also including the recipe for ginger ale, which I haven't tried yet, but it looks easy and good, too. I'll let you know when I do try it. But if you beat me, let me know how it turns out!

Candied Ginger
From The Purple Foodie
[printable recipe]

1/2 pound / 225g fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
2 cups / 400g sugar, plus additional sugar for coating the ginger slices, if desired
2 cups / 1/2l water
pinch of salt

Put the ginger slices in a non-reactive pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let ginger simmer for ten minutes. Drain, and repeat one more time.

Mix the sugar and water in the pot, along with a pinch of salt and the ginger slices, and cook until the temperature reaches 225F/106C.

Drain very well while the ginger is hot, so the syrup will drain away better and sprinkle the drained slices with caster sugar as you toss the ginger in a bowl. Spread the ginger slices on a cooling rack for a few hours or overnight, until they're somewhat dry.

Alternatively, you could let the ginger sit in the syrup for an hour or overnight and even store the ginger slices in its syrup.

Storage: The ginger, packed in its syrup, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year. Tossed in sugar, the pieces can be stored at room temperature for a few months.

Ginger Ale
Yield: 6 servings

Leftover ginger water from boiling
Leftover sugar syrup from candying
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
Juice of 3 limes (or half per serving)

Simmer all of the above except the lime for 5-7 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is beginning to thicken. Turn off the heat. The syrup will continue to thicken. Once cool, transfer to a jar if you're not going to be using it all up.

In a glass, add 4-5 tbsp of the concentrate, juice of half a lime and club soda and stir. Drink up!

TWD: Sables

2009-12-08T18:06:00.000+02:00

These cookies smell so familiar. They smell just like the cookies that you get in the Christmas tins, the butter cookies that always come in the little paper cases. It was really nice making something that was so familiar and that reminded me of Christmas, which is perfect for this time of year.

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Barbara of Bungalow Barbara, where you can find the recipe.

They came together really quickly, only using five ingredients, but these are refrigerator cookies. Now I love the ability to slice and bake these, but I am by nature an impatient person. I do not like to wait. I especially don't like to wait when I'm all excited about baking. But alas, these had to chill in the fridge for 3 hours.

So I let them chill. But not before I turned them into cookie sausage. I even decided to make them link cookie sausage. I know, really dorky, but I had fun doing it.

The dough is pretty soft when you put it in the fridge, so mine came out with a slight edge to my rolls. I had remembered reading in Dorie's book a trick about keeping refrigerator cookies round, but I forgot to check it before I chilled it. Dorie suggests putting the roll in a paper towel roll, so that it keeps it's round shape. It thought that was so clever and wished I had re-read the tip before I made these cookies. But her second tip helped me out better. She suggests to quarter turn the cookie roll after each slice, that way you don't end up with smashed oval cookies instead of round. And it really worked. Most of mine turned out pleasantly almost round.

And the flavor was nice. Just a nice thing to put in your mouth that you don't have to feel bad about because it doesn't seem as bad as other desserts.

So give these a try, and check out what the other TWDers are doing!

Chocolate Fudge Truffles

2009-12-03T06:00:00.001+02:00

I'm on a roll. Literally. For some reason, I felt the need to make three different types of ball-shaped treats. The first were these bundt balls. And these were the second.

I've been in a really fudgey mood lately, meaning, I want to make me some fudge. And this is so confusing to me. I don't like fudge. I think it's too sweet to be really enjoyable, but I still have really wanted to make it. Weird, huh? But I'm a woman, can't I explain that away with hormones or something?

Well, whatever the reason for this strange desire, it was there. And as always, I gave in.

These were really easy truffles to make. I don't know what it's like to make real truffles, but these came together pretty quickly. They are a fairly squishy truffle, but that makes them moist. The flavor could have been a bit better, maybe some espresso would have been nice in it, but I just loved the look of them in rolled jimmies. I especially liked them in chocolate jimmies, but I ran out.

Speaking of jimmies, do you call them jimmies? I know some call these sprinkles, but in my mind, sprinkles are the little round ones, and jimmies are the elongated ones. But some people hear me say jimmies, and they have no idea what I'm talking about.

Okay, back to the truffles. These are quick and impressive, so if you're in a pinch but want to look good (who doesn't?), you can get these made in no time.

Chocolate Fudge Truffles
from About.com

[printable version]

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Pour the condensed milk into your heaviest pot. Stir in the cocoa powder and the salt.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat. Keep the mixture barely at a boil to prevent burning and sticking.
3. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring, until mixture becomes very thick and shiny and starts to pull away from the bottom and sides of the pan.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes. With buttered hands, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls.
6. Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles, and place in a paper liner.
7. Chill until ready to serve.

DB: Cannolo

2009-11-27T07:00:00.003+02:00

Last month, I didn't get the Daring Bakers Challenge completed in time...I was disappointed. And I was determined to get this one done on time. I so did. :)

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.

This seemed like a great challenge. Who doesn't love crispy fried dough stuffed with smooth creamy filling. The only problem was that I didn't have cannoli molds, and I really wanted that cannolo shape. So I had to improvise. Lisa suggested using cannelloni pasta to be the molds, but I couldn't find any around here, in fact no pasta that would be big enough for making cannoli. I tried looking for some other cylinder shapes, but had no luck. Lisa also suggests using a wooden broom cut and oiled, but I have no saw so that didn't work either. So I decided to make them for myself out of aluminum foil.

Aluminum foil is not, I repeat, is not the best material for this. The idea is to fry the dough around the tubes and then slide them off. Rolled up pieces of aluminum foil is not quite smooth, so the dough doesn't exactly slide off. But I got around this by not using the recommended egg white to seal the dough, so my dough kinda came apart from the mold, which worked out for me since I wouldn't be able to get it off otherwise. But if you are going to try this, I would really suggest getting some molds. They will turn out much prettier I would imagine.

So for this recipe, you have to make the dough really thin. You can either do this with a rolling pin or with a pasta maker. I had actually bought a pasta maker a few weeks ago, wanting to make pasta, but I had never gotten around to using it yet (Do you do this, too? Buy something with every intention of using it only to have it sit around for much longer than you would like to admit? Yeah, ...uh...me neither...uh...my sister was telling about it and I said, "You're crazy." Sheesh.), so this was a perfect opportunity to give it its maiden voyage. It was very important to have the dough be the right consistency of dry and wet or else it didn't really work in the pasta roller. But I eventually got it worked out, and it was pretty fun to use.

I was a little in a rush, so I didn't have time to make a decent filling. So I filled it with strawberry cream mixed with a little bit of cocoa. It wasn't quite the right consistency to fill the cannoli properly, but it worked in a pinch. I still have some dough left. So when I get back from my weekend trip to Tunisia, I hope to try these again with some good thick filling.

But if you're ready to try this yourself, here's the recipe!

Cannoli
[printable recipe]

Cannoli Shells
2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar

Note - If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough (Thanks to Audax).

Cannoli Filling
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note - If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

Directions for Shells:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.

2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.

3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.

4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.

5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.

8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.

9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Pasta Machine method:
1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Starting at the middle setting, run one of the pieces of dough through the rollers of a pasta machine. Lightly dust the dough with flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Pass the dough through the machine repeatedly, until you reach the highest or second highest setting. The dough should be about 4 inches wide and thin enough to see your hand through

2. Continue rolling out the remaining dough. If you do not have enough cannoli tubes for all of the dough, lay the pieces of dough on sheets of plastic wrap and keep them covered until you are ready to use them.

3, Roll, cut out and fry the cannoli shells as according to the directions above.

For stacked cannoli:
1. Heat 2-inches of oil in a saucepan or deep sauté pan, to 350-375°F (176 - 190 °C).

2. Cut out desired shapes with cutters or a sharp knife. Deep fry until golden brown and blistered on each side, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from oil with wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, then place on paper towels or bags until dry and grease free. If they balloon up in the hot oil, dock them lightly prior to frying. Place on cooling rack until ready to stack with filling.

Directions for Filling:
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.

2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

Assemble the Cannoli:
1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.

2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.

TWD: All-in-one Holiday Bundt Balls

2009-11-24T07:00:00.000+02:00

This week for Tuesdays with Dorie, I made the All-in-one Holiday Bundt Cake, chosen by Britin of the Nitty Britty.

I know. This does not look like a bundt. You're right, but believe it or not, it did start off that way.

I had every intention to make this all-in-one holiday bundt cake as written, but I couldn't find cranberries...again. And I even went to a new store this time, but no luck. No problem, I thought, I'll just use dates instead. That's kinda holiday-ey, right?

So I set to making the cake. The cake mixed together without a hitch. Things went smoothly as it went into the oven. Ten minutes before time, I smelled the cake, and it smelled ready. I poked it several times with a skewer, and it came out clean, so I pulled it out of the oven.

I was a little in a rush, so I let it cool a few minutes while I got ready to go. I came back to the kitchen wanting to flip it out of the pan before I left. All went well with the flip, but it wasn't coming out of the pan. Then it was, but only part way. I started to panic...I wanted a pretty bundt shape, but it wasn't looking good.

I decided that part of the problem might be my rushing, so I wanted to put the part that was breaking back into the pan. I tried to flip it back into the pan, but disaster struck. My pan is silicone, and it just did not take well to being flipped with only part of the cake in it. So it slipped, and I flipped the cake halfway into the pan and halfway onto my cooling rack. Pretty great, huh?

I didn't have time to break down and cry, so I just grabbed a bowl, dumped the cake in it, destroyed it with a spoon, wrapped it in saran wrap, and left.

But I had to do something with the cake, so cake balls it was. Cake balls don't need any preformed cake shape, so it was a natural choice for this catastrophe. But they turned out pretty good. I call them bundt balls. Jacob says I can't do that, but I just did. So there. :p

The cake balls were nice, a little spicy, a little chewy, a little crunchy, and a lot of delicious. I think I would have preferred the bundt, but for a lemonade version, I was pretty happy.

So check out the other TWDers, and their more successful bundts!

Sophia's Chocolate Cake with Caramel Buttercream

2009-11-23T06:00:00.004+02:00

Let me tell you about my job.

I like to call myself at work the "Jack of all trades" or, to be more gender-specific, the "Jacqueline of all trades." Basically, that means I do all things for all people. That means that I work with all kinds of people doing all kinds of odd jobs. I've worked with human resources; I've worked with the infrastructure division; I've worked with communication; I've worked with the housing division; I've worked with the visa department; I've worked with the COO of the company; I've worked with the contracts department; and I've worked with the office manager...just to name a few.

This has both pros and cons. I absolutely hate being bored...which is kinda of what got me in this situation in the first place. I got bored so I offered my services to all these different departments just trying to keep myself busy. But...when all those people ask for my help at one time...well, that's one of the cons. I like having lots to do, but I wish it was just more meaningful things. I can't understand why I need to type up something for someone when they have more than capable fingers. Instead of using both our time, they could just do it themselves, but, I'm beginning to rant.

My job really isn't that bad. I like having work, I'm just working on finding my place. Once I do, I'm sure I'll be smiles and roses.

But the reason for talking about work is because of the cake. It was the office manager's birthday, Sophia, and her husband asked me to make a cake. And I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to make a cake. Plus, Sophia is a really sweet girl. So cake I did make.

I decided to use a chocolate cake recipe that I used here because it produced a pretty yummy moist chocolate cake. But to change it up a little, I went with a caramel buttercream. I'm not exactly sure since I've only had one real success with caramel, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

The buttercream turned out well, not being bitter, and just lightly tasting of caramel. And the color was great. The only problem was that it produced waaaaayyy less frosting than I was expecting or needing.

This seems to happen to me all the time. Why can't I ever have leftover frosting? Why am I always scraping the bowl dry trying to get enough for what some might call a crumb coat? I just can't seem to get it right...yet.

So, since I didn't have what I would consider enough frosting, I improvised. I decided to distract from the cake with some chocolate decorations. Actually, I used chocolate bark to make these decorations, and I was pretty pleased on how it turned out. The only thing that was difficult was the sides because the chocolate was warm and runny and not quite adhering to the cake. Plus, the plate I put it on had a huge lip so I was unable to get real close to the cake.

But despite these problems, I think I turned out a pretty good cake.

Caramel Buttercream
(printable recipe)

from Chow

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup powdered sugar

Briefly stir together granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and slowly add in cream and vanilla, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Set aside until cool to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Combine butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar, and mix until completely incorporated.

Turn mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add caramel. Beat frosting on medium-high speed until airy and thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until stiff, about 45 minutes, before using.

Cake Balls Gone Turkey!

2009-11-22T06:00:00.000+02:00

So I saw these pictures from this blog featured on foodgawker.com, and I just had to try it for myself.

I wanted an excuse to make cake balls anyway because it just wasn't right for the people of Libya to not partake in the wonderful delights of cake ball-ness.

So I set of to make these little gems. But like everything I do here, things have to be just a little different. I just can't seem to make a recipe here just like I did in the states. But I guess it's good because it forces me to expand my culinary repertoire. They actually do have cake mixes here, Betty Crocker brand, too. But they don't have cans of icing. So I had to do some tweaking on that.

I always like a moist cake ball, so I thought a more liquidy icing would work nicely in these balls. I found the recipe listed below, and I thought it would be nice fit with my yellow cake. I think it turned out pretty well, but it wasn't exactly like cake balls made at home. They reminded me of Texas Sheet Cake, because the icing is very similar in taste.

I tried my hand at decorating these in the turkey fashion, and they came out alright. I think I could have done a little better if I had given it a little more thought. I also think it would have been better if I had some actual candy coloring. Icing coloring just doesn't color chocolate (or bark) as well. So my colors were off. But I wanted to use candy instead of royal icing because I'm not a huge fan of royal icing. I thought, the more candy coating, the better.

Here is a plain cartoony turkey. No eyes, just beak and tail feathers.

This one I managed to get eyes on.

I tried one or two with the little hangie thingie, but I ran out of pieces.

Perhaps I'll try these again and, perhaps, they will come out looking more like turkeys. I'll keep you posted.

Brownie Frosting
from allrecipes

6 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
1 dash vanilla extract
Combine the milk, butter, and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil; allow to cook at a rolling boil for 30 seconds and immediately remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla to the milk mixture and stir until the chips are completely melted. Pour immediately over warm brownies.

TWD: Cran (Raisin) Apple Crisps

2009-11-17T13:20:00.000+02:00

I have often said that I was going to halve a recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie, but I would never remember to actually do it. Ladies and gentlemen, I did it this time! This may seem like nothing for most of you, but I think it's important to celebrate the little victories. It's the same reason that when I have a lot to do, I make a very detailed to-do list. And by detailed, I mean, instead of do the laundry, I say, sort the clothes, wash the clothes, dry the clothes, fold the clothes, put the clothes away, and so on. I do this because I like the feeling of having accomplished something and being able to cross it off of my list. It's so rewarding to me to double triple quadruple cross-out items on my enormously long to-do list. So you know what--I'm going to celebrate this small victory. :)

The TWD I picked for this week was Cran-Apple Crisps, which was originally chosen by Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef. Be sure to check out her site for the recipe.

But like usual these days, I can't seem to get my hands on some of the ingredients necessary. I just couldn't find cranberries for sale, so for the dried cranberries, I used raisins, and for the fresh cranberries, I used pears.

I was pretty happy with the flavor combination, and I absolutely loved the coconut in the topping. What a genius idea, Dorie! Also, for once I was glad I didn't have regular rolled oats but the quick-cooking kind. I'm of the faction that's not a huge fan of oatmeal laden struesel topping. For me, I'm just not a big fan of the chewiness of the oats in something I expect to be crumbly and buttery. But by using quick-cooking oats, I got the oat flavor without the chewiness. I will definitely try to remember that trick when I'm in America making an oatmeal topping....we'll see how well that goes....but one can hope!

And these little puppies came together in a flash. The baking time originally called for 40 minutes, but I think they were quite ready in 20-25 minutes. And you just can't beat the smell of baking apple. It just transports you to home and makes you feel cozy...happy...loved. It's amazing what one smell can do. And I have yet to meet someone who smells baking apples and thinks, "Blech...baked apples!" No, it just doesn't happen. And for good reason.

So to sum it all up, these were nice little treats that are perfect for a cool day or a warm one, really anytime you just want to feel good. And you can feel good. They're made with apples. That's a fruit. And oatmeal. That's like super health food. So those things totally cancel out anything negative in these cups. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :)

I Heart Waffles!

2009-11-14T17:00:00.001+02:00

I used to make waffles all the time while I was in college. It was my go-to meal when I didn't like what was being served in the cafeteria. They were always good, and they were something I knew that I wouldn't mind eating or wouldn't give me stomach problems. I used to eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and when there weren't any good desserts, waffles it was. A topping of ice cream and chocolate syrup you had a dessert fit to split...and you better because those things were filling and surely overflowing with unnecessary calories.

But nevertheless, I still love waffles. They are so great in that they are pre-prepared for syrup and butter and other lovely toppings. But now, I never make them, mostly because I have never owned a waffle iron.

Now you're probably thinking I'll say I own a waffle iron now, but nope. Still don't have one, but the villa I live in does. So I decided to give it its first test run, and I have to say, I am one awesome waffle maker. :)

I just used a basic waffle recipe, and it worked perfectly in the waffle iron. I had no trouble with sticking or burning. It was marvelous, but I think my favorite part was the shape the waffles came out in. It came out as a nice clover shape, but when you cut along the lines you get cute little hearts.

So if you have a waffle iron that collecting dust, I've got the remedy.

Classic Buttermilk Waffles
from The King Arthur Flour's Baking Companion

2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups buttermilk (I use a combination of milk and yogurt)
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups pastry flour or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients; combine the wet and dry ingredients until smooth.

Spray the waffle iron with a non-stick cooking spray before preheating it. (I didn't have spray, but I light brushing of oil worked just fine.) For a 8-inch round waffle iron, use about 1/3 cup batter. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the iron stops steaming.

TWD: Sugar-Topped Molasses Cookies

2009-11-09T07:00:00.000+02:00

I know it has been a really long time since I last posted. I would love to say that I have been out saving the world, solving world hunger (but telling no one...do you know the quote?), or something honorable like that.

Nope, not been doing that. Instead I've been celebrating my and my hubby's birthday!

My birthday was on October 28th, and my husband's was on November 2nd. So to celebrate our birthdays, my husband was so wonderful and took me to Florence, Italy! We spent 9 glorious days exploring the Tuscan area and just plain enjoying ourselves.

And then we came back, but my mind was not quite out of vacation mode. I really wanted to get back in the kitchen, but most of me just wanted to get back in bed. Was is it about vacations that makes it relaxing and tiring at the same time? Crazy.

But I'm back and baking. And I have every intention of making up the TWD and DB that I missed. I have not forgotten. Just give me a little bit of time. I'll be back on track in no time.

So for this week's TWD, I chose to make Sugar-Topped Molasses Cookies, which was chosen by Pamela of Cookies with Boys. TWD is different this month because we get to choose the order in which we make the goodies.

And these cookies did not disappoint. They were a taste of Christmas. And I love Christmas. Christmas and me are like this (imagine me crossing my fingers...yeah, like that.)

I was excited about making these cookies, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to find molasses. I looked in the stores that I usually go to. I asked my coworkers if they had seen it anywhere, but no luck. Then, on my way back from a day trip to Leptis Magna (a Roman ruin site in Libya), there were some vendors on the side of the road selling honey and some black liquid. I was intrigued but nervous. I like the stability of prepackaged things, so buying from a street vendor scares me a little. But the guy let us taste the honey and the black stuff. It tasted a little like molasses. I decided to with it. I'm not exactly sure what it is because it's much thinner than molasses, but then again, I'm not sure I want to know. I'm just going to pretend it's watered down molasses. And I don't want anyone to bust my bubble of ignorance. :)

So into my cookies the "molasses" went, and it produced a pretty scrumptious cookie. Jacob said it was like gingerbread or gingersnaps. Any way you slice it, they were yummy. So yummy, I decided to bring some of them over to my first home visit to one of my Libyan coworkers. And they went over so well, she asked for the recipe. Now that's going to be a challenge. She speaks only a little English, and I speak next to no Arabic, so translating a recipe is going to be difficult. Throw in the fact that Libyans don't bake much so measuring cups and spoons are not that common, and you've got one big heaping challenge. But we'll figure it out. Gestures, drawing, estimates, and dumb luck and we'll get it.

If my Libyan coworker wants to make this and she doesn't bake much, you know you have to try them. So do it! And check out what the other TWDers did this week.

Blender Banana Bread

2009-10-30T08:00:00.004+02:00

Ever since I can remember, my mom has been making this banana bread. And I've always loved it. It's a perfect loaf of just bananas, no nuts or anything, and it's just plain good!

And it's so easy to put together. If you've got some overripe bananas, a blender, and a bowl, you can whip this bread up for an afternoon snack. Make two, and you've got some for breakfast.

Blender Banana Bread
from My Momma

2 1/2 cups flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup soft butter
1 egg
3 small bananas, sliced
1/2 cup milk

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Put into the blender the sugar, butter, egg, bananas, and milk.
Blend, and pour the blended mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix until ingredients are well moistened.
Pour batter into a greased 9-by-5-by-3 loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree over for 1 hour.
Cool on a rack, slice, and eat.

Don't forget to viist here to vote for Iron Cupcake!

ICE: Music Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes

2009-10-25T18:50:00.003+02:00

Iron Cupcake is back!

I was very excited to see that Iron Cupcake was back after its few months hiatus. And this month's theme was music. We were to create a cupcake centered around or inspired by music.

I decided to go with a song and take my inspiration from that. I played around with a lot of ideas...

Making a mountain of a cupcake for "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
Making banana cupcakes for " Day-Oh"
Making a cupcake look wet for "Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain"
Making a spicy cupcake for "Feeling Hot Hot Hot"
Making a sugar and spice cupcake for "I Feel Good"
Making a blue cupcake for "I'm Blue..ah bo di ah bu di"
Making a exlax cupcake for "Dare You to Move"
I had more...I know a lot of songs :)

But in the end, I went with a fairly straight forward cupcake, inspired by "Ebony and Ivory."

Why is it that every time I say those words, I start singing the song. It's inevitable. And not only that, but I totally sing it and imagine it like the "Psych" commercial where the two main guys are singing, pushing each other around, and playing the "pyano" keyboard...why can't we?

So for these cupcakes, I knew I wanted to do a dual layer cupcake but not in the traditional style of horizontal layers. I wanted vertical layers. So my first task was trying to figure out how I could pull that off. My first idea was trying to make a divider in the cupcake tin, but then my genius husband suggested that I squirt them in simultaneously. What a great idea...and it totally worked! I knew I married him for some reason. :)

So here you can see me using my completely classy ketchup and mustard squirt bottles to fill the cupcake molds. Look at that amazing division, but yet they are together...in harmony...okay, I'll stop...eventually...if I can...I've been singing this for three weeks now...someone please help me...

I went with a black velvet cake recipe that I actually found on Smithfield farms recipe. I halved it for the ebony side, and then modified it for the coconut ivory side. I thought that if the two halves were from the same recipe they would bake at the same temperature and for the same amount of time. I think this would have worked out perfectly if I had tweaked my modifications a little bit. As it was, the ivory side was a little thicker (I think I overcompensated for the lack of cocoa too much) and so it rose slower and sank more than the ebony side. So I got a little lopsided cupcakes, but they were still good. In the future, I think I will only add an extra 1/4 cup of flour instead of a 1/2 a cup.

And here's how I made them.

Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes

adapted from Paula Deen's Black Velvet Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder (divided)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup cold espresso

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil (divided)

1/4 cup chopped shredded sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with liners.
For the ebony side:
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup and 1 tablespoon of sugar, cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and pour in one egg, coffee, buttermilk and 1/4 cup oil. Mix until smooth, batter will be thin.
For the ivory side:
In a large bowl, combine 1 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup and 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chopped coconut. Make a well in the center and pour in one egg, coconut milk, and 1/4 cup oil. Mix until smooth.
Put into squeeze bottles and squeeze into prepared liners evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Frost with your favorite white or chocolate icing or a mix of the two.

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Don't forget to visit here to vote on October 30!

And if you want to join in the fun next month, check out the website here!

TWD: Sweet Potato (Pumpkin) Biscuits

2009-10-20T18:00:00.000+02:00

It seems like I'm making lots of substitutions lately. I had actually fully intended to use sweet potatoes in this recipe; I was even excited about it because all I've seen here are purple sweet potatoes. How cool would it have been to have some purple biscuits! But alas, it was not meant to be. I went to the store twice to get some sweet potatoes. The first time the produce section was not open. The second time there were no sweet potatoes. So I grabbed what I hoped to be a pumpkin (it was green, kinda like a watermelon) and decided to switch it up. I was pleasantly surprised not only when I found out it was indeed a pumpkin (or at least a squash with orange flesh) but also when I looked at the Tuesdays with Dorie site and found suggestions on making a pumpkin version.

So this week's TWD was chosen by Erin of Prudence Pennywise, and you can check out her site for the recipe. And don't forget to check out the other bakers of TWD.

I decided to make these for the weekly bible study that I'm in along with a few others from work. It's a pretty informal affair, but we get together to study the bible, have some fellowship, and, of course, eat some food.

These biscuits didn't quite rise as far as I wanted them to, even though I was trying to be really careful about over mixing. I think my down fall was the oven temperature. I had to throw these in the oven at the last minute (the bible study was coming over to our villa that night and the others were already there), so the oven didn't have enough time to properly heat up. I still have a few left in the freezer, so I'm going to bake those up right and see if I don't get a better rise out of them.

The flavor was really great. It was just a little bit sweet and the texture was soft and flaky. And you can't beat that color. Anything orange this time of year automatically is good. I really wished that I had some nutmeg though because I think that would have been amazing in these; it really would have brought out the flavor of the pumpkin (or sweet potato).

I think I'll definitely be making these again. They were really quick to mix up and bake, so when I'm feeling a hankering for breakfast for dinner, I've got my recipe.

Whoopie ! Pies!

2009-10-17T19:40:00.002+02:00

Sometimes I just get an idea in my head and I cannot get it out for the life of me. This one was making whoopie pies. I have no idea what exactly made me want to make these, but I really, really wanted to. I could not get the idea of making them out of my head. I've never made whoopie pies before, so I have no idea where this urge came from. But it was there, and I had to satiate it.

I was so glad that I did. What I great idea I had! :)

And these were great! They were like Ho-Hos but in a different form.They stayed incredibly moist for a long as we had them (which, incidentally, wasn't very long, but I think it would last pretty long as long as it was well wrapped).

So all in all, these were pretty good.

Whoopie Pies
from Stylish Cuisine

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease cookie sheet or cover with parchment paper or silpat. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffly, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and continue beating 1-2 more minutes. Beat in milk and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until combined.

Using a cookie scoop, drop mounds of batter onto cookie sheet. Sprinkle tops with raw sugar. Bake 8-12 minutes until top springs back when touched.

Cool completely, then pipe or spoon a heaping amount of frosting on flat half of one cookie and make a sandwich with the flat half of another cookie.

Cream Filling
adapted from And Then I Do the Dishes

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

5 tbsp butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 to 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. In the bowl of your mixer of choice, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese and the butter until light and well blended. Add the sifted powdered sugar, in batches, until the filling is perfectly smooth. Add the vanilla extract, mix well.

TWD: Allspice (Cinnamon) Crumb Muffins

2009-10-13T18:04:00.000+02:00

I could not find allspice. I looked, but I could not find it. It probably doesn't help that I can't read hardly any of the labels. So I resorted to cinnamon. But can it really be called a resort? I think I have to say that cinnamon is my favorite spice. It's so versatile and just plain yummy. And I don't just love it because my initials, before I got married, practically spelled cinnamon: CMN. Okay, not quite, but you get the picture. All that to say, I used cinnamon today.

So for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, the recipe chosen, by Kayte of Grandma's Kitchen Table.

I ended up doubling the amount of spice since cinnamon is not quite as strong as allspice. The flavor was pretty good, with the struesel topping being the best part. I think the muffin itself might have been more exciting with some fruit mixed in, like raisins, dates, or apples. Then these muffins would have been over the top.

I actually made these not too long ago, while I was still in Los Angeles, and I did them mini style. I much prefer the regular sized muffin. Too small and you run the risk of getting dry.

As they were they were good, but not amazing. But since it was so easy to throw together, even at 11:00 at night (I am a major procrastinator and a night owl), I was able to bake these and still get to bed at my regular time (not a time I'm proud of, but at least I'm pretty consistent).

So give these muffins a try, and check out what those other TWDers are doing!

Experimenting with Royal Icing and Sugar Cookies

2009-10-11T11:00:00.002+02:00

I'm not a huge fan of sugar cookies. To tell the truth, they are pretty bland. The only thing that redeems them in my book is the fact that they are a blank canvas. There is some amazing sugar cookie art out there, and I wanted to try my hand at it.

I've tried decorating sugar cookies before but never after I learned about the technique of flooding. That was the look I was going for but never could achieve. Until now.

So this was my first time flooding cookies, and I think it turned out pretty well. The flooding was pretty easy to do, and I had fun doing it. But I quickly realized that I need more couplers and more small plain tips. I never knew why I would need more than one tip of a certain size until now. I get it now. Now I want to buy some tips, but I have no idea if I can even get them in Libya. Hmm...maybe I see a package in the horizon...

I used the tutorial found here to help me through my first time flooding, and I found it super helpful. She gives some advice that's a little different than I've seen elsewhere, particularly with the consistency, and I found it to be most practical.

So the decorating was fun, but I was not really in love with the taste. I used Dorie Greenspan's sugar cookie recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours, and it was okay. I prefer this other recipe I have used before that used cream cheese in the dough. I think it makes for a softer cookie. I also wish I hadn't rolled them so thin. The ratio of icing to cookie was about half, and I think I would have liked it to be just a little more cookie. And the icing was just royal icing. Maybe there is a more flavorful recipe out there, even though I tried to liven mine up with some almond extract.

So I've got a lot of learning to do in this field, but I really want to get it. I want to make cookies that are pretty to look at and pretty darn good in your mouth, too. On goes the search!

New York Style Cheesecake

2009-10-09T19:50:00.003+02:00

While at my parents' house, it was requested by my siblings that I make a cheesecake. They wanted a plain one, and Trisha asked for a peach topping. I personally thought a peach topping would be a little weird, so I bought some raspberries, just in case.

I actually learned how to make cheesecakes from my husband. He made one for me for the first birthday I had after I met. He actually did this whole elaborate thing for me that birthday, because I had said one time that I like surprises. Let me tell you the story, and mind you, this was before we were dating.

About a week before my birthday, I received a letter in my school mailbox. I was loved getting mail, and this time was no different. However, this letter was printed from a computer printer with no sender. Curious. I opened it up, and all it said was "It's coming..." And a dime was taped to the paper. (I never thought to remove the dime, but under the time where the words "You're a ten." What a great hubby in the making.) Weird, huh? That's what I thought. I thought I had a stalker or someone is trying to play a joke on me. I got more of these letters as the day went on, and I of course tried to find out who was responsible. I got Jacob to tell me that it was him, but he made it seem like it wasn't just him. It turns out it was only him all along. Then on my birthday day, he gave me a letter which was the beginning of a scavenger hunt. He had taped letters all around campus, and I had to find them. It was a really sweet idea, but he had me criss-crossing the campus for a good hour or so. When I finally reached the end of the hunt, he was there waiting for me with a cheesecake: a white chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate coating decorated in Hugs. Hugs (the candy) were special to us because we weren't showing any outward signs of affection, but he gave them to me when he wanted to show those signs. What a sweet man. I love him. I knew then that he really did like me (I had previously gone back and forth on the idea). And the rest is history, our history, but I'll save that for another time.

Anyways, after that time, we made cheesecakes together for various occasions. He started me off easy, crushing the graham crackers for the crust, but then, there came a point when I was making them all by myself, and he was just eating. :)

But Jacob always turned to this website for new cheesecake recipes, and we have not been disappointed so far. I think my favorite cheesecake of all time is the key lime cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Soooooo good. I love key lime pie and cream cheese is divine, combine them with my favorite fruit, and you've got heaven.

So when it was time to make the cheesecake for this occasion, I didn't hesitate for where to find the recipe.

The cheesecake turned out delicious, but it did come out with a giant crack down the middle. But I had just come back from watching Julie and Julia, so I was in that mindset of "make no apologies." Plus, as my mom pointed out, it was just a marker for where to cut it. So I made a presliced cheesecake.

New York Style Cheesecake
from Flora's Recipe Hideout

Ingredients:

1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs, * see note

3 Tbsp. Sugar

3 Tbsp. Melted Butter, ** see note

32 Oz Cream Cheese, softened, *** see note

1 Cup Sugar

3 Tbsp. Flour

4 Eggs

1 Cup Sour Cream, **** see note

1 Tbsp. Vanilla

Topping Of Your Choice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press onto bottom of 9 or 10-inch spring-form pan Bake 10 minutes.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in sour cream and vanilla. Pour over crust. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn oven off and let cake sit in oven with the door propped open until oven has cooled.
3. Loosen cake from rim of pan. Rim can be removed when completely cooled. Best flavor is developed if refrigerated.
(Notes from author)
* Any kind of crumbs can be used. I often use chocolate cookie crumbs rather than graham cracker crumbs. I've also used finely chopped nuts.
** You can use margarine instead of butter, but I always figure that when I make a cheesecake, it's special, so why cut corners on fat, calories, and, most especially, flavor.
*** Many times I have added an additional partial package of cream cheese that I may have had on hand, and once I added a whole additional 8-oz package with no problem with the texture or taste.
**** I have also added more sour cream than is called for since I always buy it by the pint.

Peach Topping
from Recipe Zaar

1 1/2 lbs peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 lemon, juice of

Add all the ingredients to a large saucepan. Place pan over medium heat; stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

TWD: Split Level Pudding

2009-10-06T20:21:00.001+02:00

I'm on time! Hooray!

Today's TWD was picked by Garrett of Flavor of Vanilla. Be sure to check out that site for the recipe.

This recipe was really simple to make, but really good tasting, too. I used the idea from someone else to use the leftover ganache from last week for this week's creation. Great idea, you! As a result, this took me no time at all. The longest part was the chilling.

So, if you are in need of a quick dessert for later, whip yourself up a batch of this. It's sure to please!

And don't forget to check out the other TWDers and their lovely creations.

Beet Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-10-03T07:20:00.001+02:00

I found these cupcake liners at a store in Tripoli and knew I had to buy them to make some pretty little cupcakes. And the price was so right. It was only 0.750 LYD for a package of 100, which is like $0.60 US dollars. I thought it was a steal! I am definitely going back for some more. The only draw back is that they are a little shorter than normal muffin pans, but luckily for me, in the effort to save space with moving to Libya, I had only packed one 6-hole silicone muffin pan that had holes a little smaller than normal. It was meant to be.

Then I found these beet chocolate cupcakes on foodgawker, and I knew what I wanted to try.

Believe it or not, my first time having beets was just about two weeks ago. I had heard horror stories, so I was hesistant to ever try them. But when I saw them on the lunch buffet, I decided to give them a shot. And I liked them. At least I think I did...I only ate 5 or 6 quarter-inch cubes. But what I did have, I thought wasn't half-bad.

So beet cupcakes it was.

Beet Chocolate Cupcakes
from Food Mayhem

3 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
scant 2 cups beet puree (instructions at the bottom)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Melt chocolate and 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
3. Cream together 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) butter with brown sugar in a large bowl with wooden spoon or paddle attachment on a stand mixer. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Beat in chocolate/butter, beets, and vanilla. It’s ok if it looks clumpy.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir flour mixture into the batter and mix well.
5. Divide into prepared muffin tins (should make 24 standard sized cupcakes). Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan, on the counter for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Frost cupcakes once they are cool.

Beet Puree
from Food Mayhem

4-5 large beets or 9-10 small beets

Remove roots and tops of beets. If you are using small beets, cut them in half. If you are using medium or large, quarter them.
Place beets in a pot of water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. Run the beets under cold water until cool enough to handle. Remove the skin (which comes off easily just by rubbing with your fingers).
Place the beets in a blender or food processor to puree. Allow to cool before using in this recipe.

I really wanted to frost with the beet frosting they had on their site, but I couldn't get beet powder, at least not any time soon. So I just went with a plain cream cheese icing. Be sure to check out their beautiful pictures and recipe for their frosting.

TWD: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

2009-10-02T18:00:00.000+02:00

I know this is super late, but I still wanted to post about it anyway. This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Carla of Chocolate Moosey.

I was supposed to make a chocolate-crunched caramel tart, but I didn't have any nuts, so no crunch, and I was really tired, so I decided to skip the caramel (plus I haven't had good luck with it yet), and I was lazy even further and decided to use my leftover puff pastry for a crust instead of making tart dough, so it wasn't even really a tart.

I guess you could call this a collaboration of TWD and DB, or TWDB.

All that said, I wish I had made this according to recipe. The ganache was good, but it lacked sweetness that would have been there from the caramel, and I think I would have preferred tart crust in this application. I guess I'll just have to try again some other time. After I get some sleep.

So go check out some of the other TWDers, if you haven't already!

Goodness Gracious Cake Balls of Fire

2009-09-28T10:34:00.000+02:00

I wanted to make cake balls one time before I left Los Angeles. I did not want to leave without Jacob's coworkers experiencing the joy and wonder of the cake ball.

I absolutely love these things. I especially love them straight out of the fridge. Delicious! The only thing is that they are kind of a pain to make. But after all that trouble, the first bite makes it all worth it.

I made these in 1/2 tablespoon size. I usually make full tablespoon size, but I wanted to make sure I got enough for every one, so I went with smaller. I actually liked this small size because it made the balance between gooey center and chocolate shell better.

I make the balls with just a measuring spoon. I scoop some into the spoon, scraping the side of the bowl so that it's about level, then I tap it out on the counter. They almost always just fall out. Super easy. This produces very even portions for me and requires no extra equipment, which my husband loves. He just can't understand why I need some gadget or another. I try to explain, but he just doesn't get it. So, I buy it when he's not with me. Problem solved. :)

I originally thought I might try to do cake ball pops, but I had a memory lapse and forgot how much of a pain they are to make. And why is it that I always pick the time intensive baking projects when I know I won't start until 10 pm? I just don't get it. Anyone that knows me knows that I love sleep. But no, not when baking's around. Sleep gets pushed to the back burner while baking and I have a night out on the town...or in my kitchen...

Anyways, after making about a dozen cake pops, I discarded that idea and made regular cake balls. Then I ran out of chocolate bark. But I had some white bark, so I used that. Then I ran out of that and had to use my two leftover portions to make "swirls." But I really prefer the chocolate bark. The white is just a little too sweet, and I can't eat as many as I want to eat. :)

I've never included a recipe for cake balls, and while I'm sure most people have come across this before on some site or another, if you have forgotten or on the off-chance this is your first view of them, here's the recipe:

Cake Balls
from I have no idea where the original recipe came from, I learned about it from my brother and sister-in-law

1 package of cake mix (any flavor)
1 tub of icing (that goes with your cake mix)
bark coating

1. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box. I usually make it in the 9x13 size since it requires the least amount of work.
2. While it is still warm, crumble the cake and mix in the icing.
3. Scoop the icing/cake mixture into equal portions and form into balls.
4. Freeze the balls. (It makes it easier to dip.)
5. Melt the bark coating and dip the balls, coating evenly.
6. Let set and store. I like to keep in the fridge but they are good room temperature, too.

DB: Vols-au-vents

2009-09-27T10:47:00.004+02:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

This was my first time ever making puff pastry, but I had heard about making it, and I was anxious to try. Not too anxious though (I waited until the very last minute to make these, which I guess is my style.).
It turned out to be easier than I thought it might be, but it required regulated time in the fridge. Waiting is not my speciality, so this was the most difficult part.

The recipe calls for a silicone mat to placed over the top for even baking, and I did it against my better judgment and the rise was not as much as I think it could have been. I still have some dough left, so I may try it again without anything on top, or maybe just some aluminum foil (since I cannot find any parchment paper here).

I decided to fill my vol-au-vents with a recipe I found in one of my magazines that I got from the bon-bon shop, and I was really please with the flavor.

Mousse Au Moka et Poivre (Mocha Mousse with Sichuan Peppercorns)

From Gourmet Magazine, September 2008

1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp ground coffee beans
4 oz. 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large egg whites
1 Tbsp sugar

Grind peppercorns with mortar and pestle.

Bring cream, coffe, and pepper to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 30 minutes. Strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids.

Melt chocolate in a large bowl. Stir in cream. Cool slightly.

Beat egg whites with sugar using an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks. (I didn't want to eat or serve raw eggs from here, so I did this while over a hot water bath to steam cook the eggs, basically the method used to make Swiss meringue buttercream.) Fold into chocolate mixture gently but thoroughly.

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough

From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter
plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:
Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.
Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:
Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.
To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).
With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.
Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:
If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.

Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent

Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent
In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:
-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choice

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.
(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)
Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.
Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.
Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)
Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)
Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.
Fill and serve.

Bon-Bonning Finds

2009-09-24T16:13:00.001+02:00

While I was visiting my parents in Maryland, I got to do my favorite activity with my mom: going bon-bonning. Now this is probably a new term to most of you, but I've grown up with it all my life. It just means that we got to go to thrift stores and try to find some good bargains.

My mother has some kind of bon-bon radar because no matter where we are, where we live or where we visit, she seems to know exactly where the bon-bon shops are. It is incredible. I wish she could come to every place I have lived so that she can show me where the treasure shops are.

Anyways, on this trip, we visited the book bon-bon. It's a part of the library in Olney (where my mom lives), and they sell used books and magazines.

I found these cooking magazines on their shelves. And do you know how much they were? 10 cents a piece! And if you bought 15, which of course I did, you only paid a dollar. Amazing! And these weren't magazines from the dark ages, these were only a few months to a year old. But even if they were older, old recipes rock the house, so any way you look at it, it's a winner.

I have plans to cut out the recipes and paste them in a book, organizing them some way, and then I'm going to get to cooking. There are some great recipes in there that I am super anxious to try. And I always love a craft thing to spend my time on.

I have already decided that I want my mom to get some more of these for me and send them to me here in Libya. How awesome would that be?

So, Mom, what'daya say?

TWD: Cottage Cheese (Sour Cream) Pufflets

2009-09-22T19:50:00.000+02:00

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie, I actually made while I was still in Los Angeles. These were chosen by Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes. I was trying to clean out my fridge, and I didn't have cottage cheese, but I did have sour cream. So that's what I used.

I wasn't terribly impressed by these. They were okay, but working with the dough was a nightmare. I had to use sooo much flour to get these to roll out. I went with a round shape just because. It probably would have been less work to do squares into triangles, but too late now. For the filling, I used the strawberry balsamic jam I made earlier. They were tasty, but for the work that they took, I thought they would be a little more exciting. Maybe if I made them bigger. Perhaps my other fellow bakers had better luck.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-09-18T15:45:00.000+02:00

So it's the first thing I've baked in Libya, and let me tell you, it was really difficult finding the ingredients and equipment to make these. I'm definitely looking forward to when all my baking supplies arrive from DHL, but they are being really dumb right now. I asked them if I needed to do anything else, and they said no, then, days later, they said that they haven't shipped it yet because they need some other documentation. Argh! But we finally got everything sorted through, and my boxes should be on the way.

So without my regular baking supplies,
I measured in a liquid measuring cup, I used an actual spoon to measure out teaspoons, and I mixed in the liner of a rice cooker because I could not find a mixing bowl. Then I had to do some conversions from metric and Celsius. Fun stuff.

But these were pretty good cookies, but I really noticed the need for real vanilla. Vanilla makes chocolate chip cookies, and Libya does not allow any alcohol in the country (not legally anyway). But I've got some on the way. So I bet when I try these again, they will turn out awesome.

They smelled really good when they were being mixed up. The brown butter gives it the smell of fresh baked even before it goes in the oven. I just wish I could have had real chocolate chips. I am a chocolate chip fan not a chunk fan. I really like how uniform chocolate chips are, so I know what to expect each bite. Maybe I'm weird, but oh well, that's they way I am.

So without further ado, I give you the recipe. Give them a try. They're different from your normal chocolate chip cookies, but in a good way. Enjoy!

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Slice of Sueshe

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips, chopped

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Line two large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla to the bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, and then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips, giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 8 balls, two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

2009-09-16T20:04:00.001+02:00

So I'm a little late with this week's Tuesday's with Dorie. But I blame it on being in another country. This recipe was chosen by Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen. Be sure to check out her blog for the recipe, because these are delicious!

This was actually my second baking adventure in Libya. My first was some chocolate chip cookies that I will post about soon. The most difficult thing about baking right now is that all my baking supplies have not arrived yet. We sent them by DHL, and they were slow to get them out. So, I had to make due with what I had, which meant I had to measure everything out in one liquid measuring cup. If I keep this up, I might have an idea for a cookbook.

But back to the turnovers.

These were flaky and delicious, and just the reminder of home that everyone needed. My housemates were pretty pleased that I had made them. I think we'll have no problem finishing them off. I think they turned out quite nice, and one good thing about being in Libya is that the sugar is basically sanding sugar, so it's really good for decorating, maybe not so good for even distribution and texture while baking, but it looks like I really tried to get sanding sugar when really it was just the sugar I had.

I used cream cheese in the dough instead of sour cream because that was one of the few items I had bought at the store the other day. Going to the store can be a bit of a hassle right now because we have to request a driver, drive there, get there and not be able to read most of the packaging, then try to find out where our driver parked, then finally come back home to an overstuffed refrigerator. Fun stuff. But I'm willing to do it for some time baking. I thrive on it, so I'm gonna do it no matter what. And my housemates have been really great. They have offered to get some ingredients from Malta that I have not been able to find here. So sweet.

So even with my substitutions and my lack of real accuracy with my measurements, this came together quite easily. The hardest part was waiting for it to chill. I'm not a very patient person, so having to wait was a killer. Especially when I wanted to have it right then. But it was worth the few hours wait.

So try these. And be sure to buy some vanilla ice cream. These would be even better if I had some ice cream to go with it. But when my DHL boxes get here, I'm totally there.

A Caribbean Dinner and My Sister

2009-09-14T13:00:00.001+02:00

This is my sister, Trisha.And I'm sure she'll be really pleased that I put this picture up, but I really could have chosen much worse.

While I am the baker of the family, Trisha is the cooker. She loves to cook, and it's good, let me tell you. So, when I was up visiting my family in the middle of August, Trisha had to make at least one dinner. And she did. She made jerk chicken and shrimp with coconut mango rice and Caribbean vegetables.

It was delicious.

I actually helped a little with the dinner, so I'm going to try to steal as much credit as I can.

I think my sister should start a food blog to chronicle her adventures with food, so that I can drool at them from afar, and also so I can have the great recipes she finds and makes up.

What do you think?

A Balsamic Strawberry Jam Session

2009-09-12T03:14:00.000+02:00

We're in Libya now!

This creation came out of the necessity of cleaning out my freezer right before we left for Libya. I had some strawberries that I had frozen earlier this summer in there, and I was anxious to use them before I left. And I thought a jam would be a perfect solution.

I've never made jam before, but always wanted to try. I didn't have any canning equipment, but that was okay because I wasn't planning on keeping it long. I ended up using almost all of it in my Cottage Cheese Pufflets that I made for TWD (coming soon).

But even though this was my first time, I thought the jam turned out awesome. I didn't have any pectin, and I didn't want to buy any, so I searched for a recipe that didn't call for any, and I came across this recipe. It called for balsamic vinegar, which I was a little hesitant doing, especially when I smelled it while cooking, but it turned out just fine, good in fact.

This came together quite easily, and it actually set up like a jam. I was so pleased. And the flavor was great, too. Easy and tasty, you can't beat that combination. So try this recipe out!

Easy Balsamic Strawberry Jam Recipe
from Savory Sweet Life

Ingredients:
2 cups of chopped strawberries
1 cup of sugar
2 Tbl. of balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Cook strawberries, sugar, and balsamic vinegar in a medium pan on med heat for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. I usually eye-ball the thickness of the sauce to determine when it is done. When the jam mixture has reduced to the consistency of thick honey or 220 degrees F. ( I don't know if mine ever got to a thick honey stage, but I waited until it thoroughly coated the spoon and tried to remember what heated up jam looked like.) Remove from heat and allow to cool. Enjoy!

TWD: Chocolate Souffle

2009-09-08T22:30:00.000+02:00

Today I am actually on a plane to Libya, but this is what I did before I left. Enjoy!

This was my first time making a sweet souffle, so I was really excited when it came up in the TWD rotation. Check out Susan's blog She's Becoming DoughMessTic to get the recipe. I was excited because they always look so nice, and I've always wanted to try them. So try them I did.

But...there's a problem. The recipe was for one big souffle, but I really did not want to do that because my husband and I just can't eat that much in one sitting, and the idea of reheating sunken souffle was not really appealing to me. So I wanted to do individual souffles. The only problem is, I don't have ramekins. I've always wanted to get some, but I never have. So, I needed to get some.

I'm doing a lot of baking trying to get ready to leave, so I wanted to make this but again needed ramekins. I didn't have time to drive somewhere to get them, so I walked to the Asian market that is just down the street from my apartment. There I found a cute tea set that was the right price, and I just prayed that it would be oven safe. Thankfully, my prayers were answered, and I got nice little souffles.

I thought I would be super impressed with these little cakes, but I really wasn't. The cake was just "okay" to me and I wanted it to be out of this world. It just needed to be more decadent to me. And I really wished I had halved the recipe because my husband and I are still working on it.

But now I know, and I've conquered the sweet souffle. Now let's see if I can conquer life in Libya. :)

Pear Butter (Round Three: Me vs. Fruit Decay)

2009-09-07T02:20:00.000+02:00

This is the final round, for a while at least, of me versus fruit decay, and I must say, I totally won this round. I actually got to the pears in this pear butter before they started to go. I'm really quite proud of myself.

I saw this on foodgawker and thought it would be perfect for the pears that had been sitting on my counter. And I was right.

This recipe produces a nice fragrant sauce that is great for putting on yogurt. It didn't think it was quite thick enough to be labeled a fruit butter, but I was still happy with the results.

Pear Butter
from Feasting on Art

4 TB apple juice (I didn't have it so I used water)
1 1/2 TB fresh lemon juice, divided
5 large ripe pears
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp coarse kosher salt

Add the apple juice and 1/2 TB of lemon juice in a large pot. Prepare pears by peeling, coring, and chopping into 1/2 inch pieces. To prevent the pears from browning, add to the juice mixture as soon as you mix pears into juice mixture in pot as soon as pears are cut, to prevent browning.

Over high heat cook the fruit until the juices begin to boil. Stir continuously for about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pears are tender. Continue to stir frequently for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and pass the pear through a sieve or food mill back into the pot. Add the remaining lemon juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Over medium heat bring back to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Reduce heat and continue to simmer until thickened and reduced to 2 cups. Be sure to stir ever couple of minutes to prevent the bottom from burning.

Pour the hot mixture into sterilized canning jars. Leave 1/4 of an inch of space from the top. Wipe the rim clean with a damp cloth and screw on the lids. Process in a hot water bath for about 10 minutes. Will keep in a dark cool place for 1 year.

TWD: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

2009-09-01T19:24:00.000+02:00

Today's Tuesday with Dorie is a great combination of cheesecake a brownie, chocolate and coffee. It was chosen by Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell. Check out her blog for the recipe. Be sure to check out the other TWD bakers to see how theirs turned out.

I decided, like usual, to make it for Jacob's work, so instead of baking it in a 9x9 pan, I used doubled the recipe and put it in my large jelly roll pan. This produced a thinner than intended bar, but I think the proportions turned out well.

I realized later that the point where I poured the cheesecake mixture in made the brownie spread away to almost nothing, so if I did it again, I would pour small amounts around the pan.

I also didn't do the sour cream topping. I was going to, and I had grand dreams of piping fleur di lis on them to make them classy and creamy, but... I made this right before I left for my parents house and I simply did not have the time to do it without missing my plane. I made these early because I'm trying to get it all ready for when I move to Libya in one week exactly. I don't know how I'm going to bake over there, and I expect that it might take me a little time to figure that out, so I'm trying not to fall behind.

Also, as a result of barely getting them made, I didn't get to try them. It's quite a bummer because based on my husband, his coworkers, and other TWDers, it seems like a missed out on a scrumptious treat. I guess I'll just have to drool over the pictures until I get to make it again.

Peach Ice Cream (Round Two: Me vs. Fruit Decay)

2009-08-31T23:15:00.000+02:00

So I mentioned in an earlier post, and I was fighting mold on my fruit. Jacob salvaged the peaches, and I made a galette, and then I made ice cream.

This is my second time making ice cream, and let me tell you, I need to invest in an ice cream maker. I'm a terrible ice cream cooker, at least using the no machine way. I forget about the ice cream, and then it turns into ice crystals. And so instead of peach ice cream, we got a milky-ish peach icee.

I think I would have liked it a little better if I had skinned the peaches before putting them in the ice cream because I didn't really like the texture of the skin, although it did add a pretty color.

I tried to make it look creamier in the picture, but there's only so much I can do. Nevertheless, I bet this is a really great recipe. You can find the recipe here, along with some really appetizing pictures. You could probably whip this up in no time have a creamy luscious ice cream. Maybe I could too, with a little mechanical help.

DB: Dobos Torte (My first challenge!)

2009-08-27T16:00:00.000+02:00

I joined Daring Bakers, and this is my first challenge. I was very excited to get into this group, but I must say, I was a little intimidated by the dessert we were to make. The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

Let me tell ya, there is a reason why this is called a challenge. I don't think I've ever spent so much time to make a cake. There are a lot of steps.

You have to make the sponge cake mixture.
You have to individually bake the really thin sponge pieces.
You have to carefully peel the thin cakes off of the parchment paper.
You have to trim the cakes.
You have to make the buttercream.
You have to skin the hazelnuts. (I suppose this could have been avoided if I had bought the unpeeled ones, but that's beside the point.)
You have to toast the hazelnuts.
You have to make the caramel.
You have to struggle for ages trying to get the caramel/cake pieces apart.
You have to ice in between each layer.
You have to decorate the cake.
You have to wonder how in the world other people made it look so easy and look so nice.
Then...you have to eat it.

After all of the struggles, the end result was really quite nice. Jacob said it was better than he thought it was going to be. He had sneaked some of my cake remains and thought the cake was going to be quite bland. But the combination of the cake with the buttercream really gave it depth. I have to say, though, my favorite bites included the chopped hazelnuts that I used to decorate the sides. I guess it reminds me of Nutella, but I felt the cake really came together in those bites. I would have liked to used the hazelnuts throughout the cake.

As for complaints, (I've got to vent somewhere) I did not really like this buttercream recipe. It was kinda melty at room temperature, and I felt like it could have been more chocolatey. Perhaps a ganache would have been nice. Or maybe add a few ounces more chocolate to the buttercream. But I didn't really like the method of making this buttercream, though. It was time consuming, and very hard to get smooth. And then there was the caramel. I cringed when I saw that it was part of this recipe, but wanting to be a good Daring Baker, I did it. And I found out a cringed for a reason. How is it that caramel made at home tastes so bitter. And it was sticky. And it was nearly impossible to get apart from the parchment paper. There has got to be a better way get pretty amber colored decorations than that.

So of the other Daring Bakers did some other flavor combinations, and I hope that someday, I'll get around to trying one or two.

TWD: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

2009-08-25T19:30:00.000+02:00

So this week, I'm at my parents house in Maryland. One thing you have to know about my father is that he looooves pies. So when I saw that this week's Tuesday with Dorie was the Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie, I knew it was a match made in heaven. So thank you Linda of Tender Crumb. And be sure to check out her site for the recipe, and check out the other bakers on the TWD blogroll.

So, I originally meant to make this last night, but being me, I didn't read the recipe all the way through and didn't realize it required a lot of time chilling. But I did get it finished today, although it is now waiting in the fridge until we have the pleasure of eating it.

Unfortunately, when I needed to brown the meringue, my mom had put some cornish hens in the oven for dinner, so I had to use the little portable oven they had. And unfortunately, it got a little darker than I had wanted, but you live and learn. This was my first meringue pie, and I think it turned out pretty well.

Peach and Blueberry Galette (or My Battles with Fruit Decay)

2009-08-21T17:00:00.000+02:00

So, I have a nasty habit. I buy fruit on sale without any idea what I'm going to use it for. My most common culprits are soft fruits of any kind like stone fruits and berries. And I don't just buy a small amount. It's a sale! I've got to take advantage of it, right?

Add to that, there are only two people in my household. Two people. So it's a race between me, my oven, our stomachs, and our furry friend, I mean fiend, mold. Well, all that being said, we throw a lot of fruit away.

Well, it was getting around that time when old fruit decay was creeping up on our fruit, so I had to act fast. I searched around, and found this recipe, and thought it would be a great candidate for the peaches and blueberries I had on my counter and in my fridge.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite move fast enough, so our fruit had started to go. But thankfully, after a mad dash away from the fruit after I saw the fiend, Jacob salvaged enough for this galette.

I've made a galette one time before, and I had the same trouble that I had this time.

I didn't center the fruit well enough so I ended up with one doofus edge.
The butter content of the crust causes it to melt in the oven.

I want to know how to make a pretty galette. How do I make sure I won't end up uneven? How do I not leak butter every time I try? Teach me! :)

I liked this crust pretty well, but I think it needed to be sweetened up a bit. The galette ended up tasting very fresh tasting (as in just tasting like the fruit) but it wasn't the dessert taste I was looking for. I might try to tweak it sometime to see if I can get that dessert feel I wanted.

Still, I was happy to have come out on top this round, but I guess I should mention, right before this, I threw away strawberries an raspberries.
Christina:1 Mold: 2

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

2009-08-18T17:37:00.000+02:00

I decided to make this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, chosen by Karen of Something Sweet (where you can go to find the recipe) for Jacob's work. Since they can never get enough of what I bake, I decided to double it. The recipe calls for walnuts, so I made one batch with the nuts and one batch without.

This came together pretty quickly, and the batter was so fragrant. It really makes you think of fall with cool, breezy nights. I love taking walks on nights like those. And the batter totally brings you there.

These bars are incredibly moist, and thus, incredibly hard to cut. But being hard to cut never made it hard to eat. Whether they ended up misshapen or otherwise, they were delicious.

Be sure to check out the creations made by the other TWD bakers.

Uber Chocolatey, Uber Delicious

2009-08-14T21:08:00.000+02:00

The person that is directly over Jacob at his work is leaving the company today. He had a luncheon party yesterday, and I decided I wanted to make him a treat. Jacob asked what he would like, and he requested something chocolate.

So I set to work looking for a recipe. This is actually quite fun. There are so many places to look for recipes, and with pictures to boot.

Along my search, I found this recipe from Annie's Eats. They looked chocolatey; they looked moist; and most importantly, they looked delicious.

I decided to go with them because I had the ingredients on hand and they looked good.

In fact, they turned out good, too. They had the nice sheen that stayed long after it was baked, kinda like a good brownie.

And I should think so. There's three types of chocolate in these, including 16 ounces of melted chocolate. That's a lot of chocolate for some cookies!

But the result was well worth the chocolate and the effort.

And Jacob's boss loved them. So mission accomplished. (I so felt like Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove right there. I love that character. Especially when he does his own theme music.)

Chewy Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
as seen on Annie's Eats

2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz.) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a mixture of semisweet and dark because it’s what I had on hand)
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed (10 1/2 oz.) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz.) granulated sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until completely melted and smooth; remove from the heat. (Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals, mixing thoroughly in between, until melted and smooth.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla and instant coffee granules; stir well with a fork to dissolve; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Mix in the sugars until well combined, about 45 seconds – the mixture will look granular. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate to the bowl in a steady stream and continue beating until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, being careful not to overbeat. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets with a 1 ¾-inch cookie dough scoop, spacing the dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart.

Bake until the edges of the cookies have just began to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 10 minutes, transfer to cooling racks and allow to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets before baking more batches with the remaining dough.

This says that it will make about 42 cookies, but I got 60 or so. More to enjoy...mmmm....