tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39953496306262606252024-02-19T11:04:10.954-05:00Kittymama in the KitchenLife's short, so I bake.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-5332670703765625482009-08-02T12:36:00.006-04:002009-08-03T08:20:47.778-04:00Moving DayI've started a new blog to chronicle our trip to adopt You Er. It's by invitation only, so if you'd like to follow along, please send an email to me at: ers1113@gmail.com and I will invite you to read it. I apologize if this seems like a bit of an inconvenience, but we would prefer to keep our daughter's photos and history private. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I need your email address in order to put you on the "guest list." </span><br /><br />If you came here via Rumor Queen, I'm happy to include you - just let me know your screenname over there <span style="font-weight: bold;">as well as your email</span>.<br /><br />If you don't have a google account, you'll need to create one to see our blog - you can do it easily when you accept the invitation.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-57389713912279049292009-06-07T09:35:00.008-04:002010-06-03T08:40:40.212-04:00Time OutTo anyone who might still possibly be clicking on this page occasionally...I'm taking a time out from baking & blogging for a short while. Right now, I've got my work cut out for me with preparing for a trip to China this summer and becoming a first-time parent. I barely have time for any baking, let alone photographing and writing about it. I've baked a few things (I even made the Cinnamon Squares for TWD) but then I never seem to get around to shooting it or writing a post.<br /><br />I'll be back...someday. In the meantime, here's a sneak preview of our little cupcake, due to come home sometime this summer or early fall:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QRwVfI30bE54_alzj8LYTg-DV3YyTZJAYm1lfTxdgi-QSA0VW2Xr8ym-9qBZnqftBsG9v8q-HUUx9vzalVxHAAFNlGC4rgTBbOra6hZno4ZOusJZFqVzyHFtxJaLF5VVVhHu-hbBn6g/s1600-h/ZhuYouEr06.02.09-1.jpg"><br /></a>(Photo deleted for privacy reasons - sorry but I had an icky comment here)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Happy baking to all my baking buddies -- and for those of you who came here via RQ, stay tuned for a travel blog at some point.<br /><br />kittymama<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-1151997594868475122009-03-22T19:17:00.020-04:002009-03-24T08:27:46.180-04:00Blueberry & Sour Cherry Crumb Cake (TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1W6L0FBGSr4W_3HlRfvoKSKgxvwlHS7A9EdzmCn3uWYog3kCW1UWnX0tsamyUAmB1s9-T6V5cHf7fSL8EFj0DV3UAzYZXTNEzVvZxWvNuXD3X0Eh_6QvjS1dBP9e-5ZmkbNmmxwTwVo/s1600-h/IMG_2326.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1W6L0FBGSr4W_3HlRfvoKSKgxvwlHS7A9EdzmCn3uWYog3kCW1UWnX0tsamyUAmB1s9-T6V5cHf7fSL8EFj0DV3UAzYZXTNEzVvZxWvNuXD3X0Eh_6QvjS1dBP9e-5ZmkbNmmxwTwVo/s400/IMG_2326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316548433321663778" border="0" /></a><br />One of my favorite things in our house is the full-size freezer we have in the basement. I love freezing, especially flash-freezing local fruit and vegetables from the farmer's market so that I can pull them out in the depths of winter and get a taste of last summer or last fall. Of course, it helps if I remember that I have stuff in there. And it helps even more if I both remember it and then cook with it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4VsdgB2m9w2IdTe88vNJkVwyh4pIl-pAG1w_IWjBZMsVqOTKIXBTgkd2lPOOSzL-QQlDsIMgC5H5uOzgV55Y-xoUsLBpvGMC_cz2fXOVFqOwVC_fo5Vra-5bnMEfUcj-THAuaX8Flno/s1600-h/IMG_2245.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4VsdgB2m9w2IdTe88vNJkVwyh4pIl-pAG1w_IWjBZMsVqOTKIXBTgkd2lPOOSzL-QQlDsIMgC5H5uOzgV55Y-xoUsLBpvGMC_cz2fXOVFqOwVC_fo5Vra-5bnMEfUcj-THAuaX8Flno/s400/IMG_2245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316174840288262674" border="0" /></a><br />When I saw that this week's selection for Tuesdays with Dorie was the Blueberry Crumb Cake, light bulb!, I remembered that I still had both blueberries and sour cherries in the freezer from last summer. Yup, that's 8 months ago, but trust me, freezing fruit that long is fine. It hasn't killed us yet. And I was so glad to not be stuck buying tasteless, overpriced berries at the Stop & Shop. Happily, I pulled out New York State blueberries and sour cherries from Summer 2008.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo1MzW2LxOU12-L032yA2dEmoDfsSGitSWAdTpniF7Vxspwaiot8ZrC1rbzPDCB7n2vpPqOf-WGYt6ITPzxwWN_8jovlVpgga54YJaHTq2aArtRpExbOw3K5_PJmGz_BY2PbQKisPYCk/s1600-h/IMG_2217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipo1MzW2LxOU12-L032yA2dEmoDfsSGitSWAdTpniF7Vxspwaiot8ZrC1rbzPDCB7n2vpPqOf-WGYt6ITPzxwWN_8jovlVpgga54YJaHTq2aArtRpExbOw3K5_PJmGz_BY2PbQKisPYCk/s400/IMG_2217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316174827895771634" border="0" /></a><br />I've made this cake twice before. My friend Hestia had it at a brunch the first time I made it and when her 40th birthday rolled around last year, she asked me to make it as her birthday cake. Crumb cake for a birthday? Well, okay...who can deny a birthday girl? (Not me). We all gorged that night on this cake, along with a lemon almond layer cake (because I had to make a proper birthday cake too).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi5xBloY5N4rGImK-jzUsz-t32iHfsZbgGznLOx0BSBW9I52DX-NB9a7Y6gQuHLYNYx-3MHYBLcUo7nRkwZxph_l0jtGqqSHXIE0tvuLrhr6XdMOU-zJGo2PTqnHQFF1sljYcQuvN2Co/s1600-h/crumbcake2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigi5xBloY5N4rGImK-jzUsz-t32iHfsZbgGznLOx0BSBW9I52DX-NB9a7Y6gQuHLYNYx-3MHYBLcUo7nRkwZxph_l0jtGqqSHXIE0tvuLrhr6XdMOU-zJGo2PTqnHQFF1sljYcQuvN2Co/s400/crumbcake2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316176949014334530" border="0" /></a><br />This time, I used half white whole wheat flour, just to make it a little different. It adds a nice earthiness that goes well with the berries and cherries. I also used almonds instead of walnuts in the topping, and added a touch of almond extract to the cake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HvatMkZwSjGzK12PquUZtRuE1DwJcUWt2ckvOQL40_GhUr9pAR-R5vr_sLXHaK4V60WhUww8qNz9TtP4oPy5kjABJFmkP_JezSTvajQVvjoQyMU1YVtckNfNUeDL57b5CGoDhk1Vll4/s1600-h/IMG_2189.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HvatMkZwSjGzK12PquUZtRuE1DwJcUWt2ckvOQL40_GhUr9pAR-R5vr_sLXHaK4V60WhUww8qNz9TtP4oPy5kjABJFmkP_JezSTvajQVvjoQyMU1YVtckNfNUeDL57b5CGoDhk1Vll4/s400/IMG_2189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316177899023971810" border="0" /></a><br />I loved the sour cherries in it, especially in contrast to the sweet blueberries. So once again, my freezer came through for me in the dead of winter, bringing last summer's sweetness to life again on a chilly winter's day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt439fnspjRKNwe4_os0U5CusOxtIHop4GQ5HdgcCWXaHkTnvEpW0kRgZkm5BmgiHirjriTluVVrHf3v0d6j09Nn3by3hSgHyO8Kjdt4nmR1DF8glg7u1FKkJlBCGiDI4prtY-mh_7yGc/s1600-h/IMG_2211.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt439fnspjRKNwe4_os0U5CusOxtIHop4GQ5HdgcCWXaHkTnvEpW0kRgZkm5BmgiHirjriTluVVrHf3v0d6j09Nn3by3hSgHyO8Kjdt4nmR1DF8glg7u1FKkJlBCGiDI4prtY-mh_7yGc/s400/IMG_2211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316177888167119506" border="0" /></a><br />You can find the recipe for this delicious crumb cake on <a href="http://www.fundamentally-flawed.blogspot.com/">Sihan's blog</a>.<br /><br />As for me, I'm going back down to the freezer to see what else might be hiding in there!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-84366191009278392952009-03-16T22:12:00.009-04:002009-03-17T08:41:18.082-04:00What I'm Not Showing You (TWD)This is a first for me in my short life as a blogger with <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">TWD</a>. I'm going photo-less for a post. Yup, I made the lemon yogurt cake. But no, I didn't like it. I didn't even like it enough to take its picture! Isn't that terrible? Am I a bad, bad baker girl now? Go on, you can tell me the truth.<br /><br />Baked creations are not like children or pets, people. You don't have to love them just because they're yours. Or because they took up some of your time, your money and space in the kitchen. It's okay to say "feh". So there, my response to French lemon yogurt cake: feh. I mean no disrespect, really. And I know I am officially now a blogger hypocrite because I don't like it when other food bloggers totally dis a whole category of foods or one particular ingredient. The whole "if you can't say anything nice" thing and all that. But, so be it. I decided that in this case, a negative post was better than none. It's good to break your own rules once in a while.<br /><br />My homely lemon yogurt loaf cake looked so sad, with its sunken top and its overly browned sides. Ugly is okay if it tastes good. But ugly combined with a rubbery, bland texture just isn't getting its picture taken.<br /><br />Determined to triumph despite the little flop, I tried another version. I just finished reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Life-Stories-Recipes-Kitchen/dp/1416551050">"A Homemade Life" </a>by Molly Wizenberg of <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/">Orangette</a>. Oh, you must read it! It's terrific. I cried, I laughed, I couldn't wait to read more and I was sorry when it was over. Molly also has a recipe for French Lemon Yogurt Cake. It's very close to Dorie's, almost identical in fact, except she uses one more egg, bakes it in a 9" round pan and makes two simple icings to coat it. I don't know if it was the extra egg, or a lighter touch with my folding, or the shape of the pan, but this second cake was much better than the first. And possibly even worthy of photography. But it's late now and the light is gone and I just don't have the get-up-and-go to shoot it, because a cake like this would still require some food styling to give it any photo-worthiness. And, I still don't love it. I don't know - maybe I need butter in my cakes. Or maybe I should have tried harder to find full-fat Greek yogurt instead of 2%. Or maybe I should admit I don't like lemon desserts all that much. Who knows but I daresay that's my last French yogurt cake. I gave it a good shot, I baked two in two days and I tried really, really hard to like both of them. Honest, I did.<br /><br />Just because I didn't love this cake shouldn't stop you from trying it. For you, it might be just perfect. You can find recipe on Liliana's blog, <a href="http://www.cookbookaddiction.blogspot.com/">My Cookbook Addiction</a>. And you can check out the other TWD bakers' reports by heading over to the <a href="http://www.bloglines.com/public/TWD-blogroll">blogroll</a>.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-49019540944123387122009-03-14T12:15:00.021-04:002009-03-20T23:43:58.025-04:00Dark Chocolate Rosemary Tart for Pi Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox8nof6MV24TieqKzymvL4EwbyhGyXYvj-C4TEOOJ9DZNMZ6Xgn1RdSK6l-55BczIKfO8r0AXN3pcraW25gzuUFHNVyexj-U0yU3DZ35M1tKEF75l8O33TdewyNT5ti-mppX98RTyeoU/s1600-h/IMG_1794.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox8nof6MV24TieqKzymvL4EwbyhGyXYvj-C4TEOOJ9DZNMZ6Xgn1RdSK6l-55BczIKfO8r0AXN3pcraW25gzuUFHNVyexj-U0yU3DZ35M1tKEF75l8O33TdewyNT5ti-mppX98RTyeoU/s400/IMG_1794.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313088865265469810" border="0" /></a>Dark chocolate and rosemary. Rosemary and dark chocolate. Thinking about it, you just can't imagine how utterly transcendent the two are together. At least, I couldn't. Until I dipped a finger into the tart base and just KNEW I was onto something big. Really big. As in, baking-life-changing, big.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixl6USilAq9-PE5g1ub3obskVYL5NbTk9WLazQsJfe0cw32xW6b9obiHypjdy9IcxuiGakVbzg5hwAxJyglS2xt8VuhMT5yLFqh-4q1_oBAYZ58gxKUlEOn27vxw8rpGZbMuYIsTKbpeA/s1600-h/IMG_1934.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixl6USilAq9-PE5g1ub3obskVYL5NbTk9WLazQsJfe0cw32xW6b9obiHypjdy9IcxuiGakVbzg5hwAxJyglS2xt8VuhMT5yLFqh-4q1_oBAYZ58gxKUlEOn27vxw8rpGZbMuYIsTKbpeA/s400/IMG_1934.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313088059221240674" border="0" /></a><br />For this month's <a href="http://pieswiththat.blogspot.com/">"You Want Pies with That"</a> challenge, we blogger-bakers were invited by Elizabeth of <a href="http://cake0rdeath.blogspot.com/">Cake or Death</a> to make a pie with herbs or spices. I knew immediately that I wanted to combine an herb with chocolate. My first idea was chocolate and basil, which I've seen done a few places. But when I mentioned the pie challenge to my good friend Marie, who is a terrific pastry chef-turned-bookkeeper, she suggested chocolate and rosemary together. At first, I wasn't sure about it but when I realized that I already had rosemary in the house and that it's not really basil season anyway, I decided to try it.<br /><br />All I can say is: you simply must try this combination. The sum of chocolate and rosemary is so much more than either of the parts. I never could have guessed just how much they would complement each other. The rosemary adds a depth to the chocolate and the chocolate brings out a new side of the rosemary. I just could not get enough of it, and I wish I could serve you a taste of it right now through the screen. Because then you would know. You would know this discovery is as big as finding the <a href="http://ask.yahoo.com/20010720.html">formula for pi</a>. At least, in my world it is. (Sorry, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes">Archimedes</a>)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSBZ9NAUVHZhMGzFsYduHr5VOHilhhw2v7td68-zU3-mQlBm692eee7MLu8JTq2NwIWpNNmIpXIP9vt1T-NsWHRkngO4S9Xcq4KJd0dkBOWPMLEtswdxs4XAb3G-1jkVc5h3q0jukE44/s1600-h/IMG_1894.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSBZ9NAUVHZhMGzFsYduHr5VOHilhhw2v7td68-zU3-mQlBm692eee7MLu8JTq2NwIWpNNmIpXIP9vt1T-NsWHRkngO4S9Xcq4KJd0dkBOWPMLEtswdxs4XAb3G-1jkVc5h3q0jukE44/s400/IMG_1894.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313087307382863938" border="0" /></a><br />As soon as ice cream season hits my kitchen, I am going to attempt a chocolate & rosemary ice cream, based on <a href="http://kittymamabakes.blogspot.com/2008/09/twd-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate.html">my favorite chocolate ice cream recipe.</a> And I'd like to try a chocolate & rosemary ganache on top of chocolate cupcakes. But honestly, I could just keep making this same tart over and over again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf4DhjoyXQpYk49o53v7RAVWpKZBjhhk5X1kOQ0Q6motHm922rdJKj32tOeGE1ijFLAhd56_G2CpQWWONJbzF0r8sNfpbjmFuQcQ0-vrdnQ5O8EkvIDCCISpKlgmDPEEu54EnrHZKXNg/s1600-h/IMG_1899.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf4DhjoyXQpYk49o53v7RAVWpKZBjhhk5X1kOQ0Q6motHm922rdJKj32tOeGE1ijFLAhd56_G2CpQWWONJbzF0r8sNfpbjmFuQcQ0-vrdnQ5O8EkvIDCCISpKlgmDPEEu54EnrHZKXNg/s400/IMG_1899.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313087858345913618" border="0" /></a><br />The tart is based on the cover recipe from <a href="http://www.lorilongbotham.com/">Lori Longbotham</a>'s glorious book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Luscious-Chocolate-Desserts-Lori-Longbotham/dp/0811835162/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237050883&sr=8-1">Luscious Chocolate Desserts</a>. If you don't own a copy, then I can tell you right now that the dark chocolate tart and the chocolate cheesecake are worth the price of two copies of the book. Lori's book is like a slice of this chocolate rosemary tart: sleek, simple and irresistible.<br /><br />I got very lucky with the amount of rosemary I used in this. As I was winging it without a recipe, I just guessed that two sprigs would do it. I was almost tempted to add more as I like bold flavors and then I was worried that perhaps I should add less or the herb would be overpowering. In the end, the two sprigs were just perfect.<br /><br />This is my first entry for "You Want Pies With That" after signing up so many months ago. I'm excited to start off with such a marvelous tart. If not for the challenge, I would never have discovered the combination of chocolate and rosemary -- a flavor that is going to haunt me (in a good way) for the rest of my baking life! See below for the recipe.<br /><br />Oh yeah, I also made a savory rosemary ham & egg tart, using a recipe from Nick Malgieri's new book, The Modern Baker. As lovely as it was, especially with <a href="http://www.framani.com/our_salumi_salumi_cotti">Framani's rosemary ham</a>, it just couldn't touch the chocolate-rosemary tart. I'm only mentioning it because I'm partial to these photos:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bhEiFqfTHzce97S9H50odJIhZFC1BP-01IYB2Ud_gATXmZrGsW7GCeoDOX2YSIHPwHOpnMndO4Pg7ta__2Yg42QJ4DuBA1yI9LuvoypzQhdTPuHMQXrYbCcuqWUxvc2OOgkcjM80xTI/s1600-h/IMG_1836.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bhEiFqfTHzce97S9H50odJIhZFC1BP-01IYB2Ud_gATXmZrGsW7GCeoDOX2YSIHPwHOpnMndO4Pg7ta__2Yg42QJ4DuBA1yI9LuvoypzQhdTPuHMQXrYbCcuqWUxvc2OOgkcjM80xTI/s400/IMG_1836.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313090791220563522" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAP-XGnHPOekef9YNfIj69ZXKygcjZfgZ6w1bW_Uzsrf_QW0lZOBrPftdUm-y7I1ZFWIOtk5n7xesTpzAxMFJ0-TNm88RJtJFZPtlhL21X2txxgcO6dtzKAubebAfTcKBApMr44pCEqfg/s1600-h/tart2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAP-XGnHPOekef9YNfIj69ZXKygcjZfgZ6w1bW_Uzsrf_QW0lZOBrPftdUm-y7I1ZFWIOtk5n7xesTpzAxMFJ0-TNm88RJtJFZPtlhL21X2txxgcO6dtzKAubebAfTcKBApMr44pCEqfg/s400/tart2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313091851834124658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate & Rosemary Tart</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Adapted from Lori Longbotham</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">To infuse the cream (best if done 24 hours in advance):</span><br />Place 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 3-4" sprigs of fresh rosemary in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Turn heat down to low and let cook for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl and cool to room temp. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until ready to proceed with tart, no less than 6 hours later, preferably at least overnight.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the crust:</span><br />1/2 cup confectioner's sugar<br />1/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled<br />3/4 cup flour<br />1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, cut into small pieces<br /><br />Process the sugar and walnuts in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add the flour, cocoa and salt and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse just enough until mixture begins to come together when small amount is pressed between your fingers. Do not overprocess. Press dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a lightly butter 10 or 11 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bake for 15-18 mins in a 350 oven until crust begins to pull away from sides of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.<br />(Alternatively, you could buy a premade tart shell or make one with chocolate cookie crumbs).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the filling:</span><br />14 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped<br />6 Tbs sweet butter<br />2 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />Good pinch of sea salt, fleur de sel or kosher salt<br />1 tsp vanilla<br />Rosemary-infused cream from above<br /><br />Remove the rosemary sprigs from the cream.<br /><br />Melt the chocolate with the cream and butter in a heatproof bowl over saucepan with 1.5 inches of simmering (not boiling) water, whisking until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the eggs, sugar and salt until well blended. Add vanilla. Transfer the filling to the warm crust.<br /><br />Bake in a 350 oven for about 12-18 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still a bit jiggly in the center (this actually took about 25 minutes in my oven but it always run slow). It's okay if the top of the tart blisters slightly (mine didn't). Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.<br /><br />Before serving dust with cocoa if you like. Serve with whipped cream (also infused with rosemary would be a nice idea!) or creme fraiche.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update: I have to say I'm tickled that my chocolate-rosemary tart won the challenge for this month on You Want Pies with That. I never win anything! Really, I don't. Okay, I won a Heineken beer sign once at a bar in college but someone stole it from my dorm room later and I won $20 once on a scratch-off lottery ticket. But really, I just don't win stuff. So I guess I was due. I'm glad y'all liked it, blush blush.</span>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-57323101188234889092009-02-24T07:55:00.008-05:002009-02-24T08:17:12.505-05:00Caramel Crunch Buttons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKdHwxEuPUk2BcY-UU0wo6_u5k7bNkH9YGgxgMIF6XhJU6fMaGWJXWykTG1V4z6tyaojvAeZUCplHPtqBX23FyeGGPQDGpkvEbQBIs_7LZGXYE_-5ZuirlmhemhzVsrukSLjBbutu3Ng/s1600-h/toffeecup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKdHwxEuPUk2BcY-UU0wo6_u5k7bNkH9YGgxgMIF6XhJU6fMaGWJXWykTG1V4z6tyaojvAeZUCplHPtqBX23FyeGGPQDGpkvEbQBIs_7LZGXYE_-5ZuirlmhemhzVsrukSLjBbutu3Ng/s400/toffeecup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306348179057127522" border="0" /></a>This week's challenge for <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> is Caramel Crunch Bars. I mini-sized mine as buttons made in mini muffin cups and they came out pretty darn cute. Not much to report on these, to be honest. They have a buttery shortbread crust scented with a bit of espresso, studded with dark of chocolate and topped with dark chocolate and toffee bits. Mmm mmm good. I think that says it all.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y7x3QPi5YliJiXwsfZOX5pdzMrHEz2EJmLKehwsy5HkPccQccDekhieM0ZxaRvmK5mfsneVRmGGK1cBt03yzQmnDijM_npE5POy7Rb7VJXGeEFpfXBKksVlHcx_FLQQI5PPeeHLxWJ8/s1600-h/IMG_1615.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y7x3QPi5YliJiXwsfZOX5pdzMrHEz2EJmLKehwsy5HkPccQccDekhieM0ZxaRvmK5mfsneVRmGGK1cBt03yzQmnDijM_npE5POy7Rb7VJXGeEFpfXBKksVlHcx_FLQQI5PPeeHLxWJ8/s400/IMG_1615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306350571394540706" border="0" /></a><br />If you'd like to try your hand at these as either buttons or bars, you can find the recipe on Whitney's blog, <a href="http://whatsleftonthetable.blogspot.com/2009/02/twd-caramel-crunch-bars.html">What's Left on the Table</a>.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-64538108376784061542009-02-16T18:07:00.040-05:002009-02-17T20:51:15.615-05:00Tuesday with Rose, Nick & Molly<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-AwzRRmhOXAEyTrHJzwtefcerqqfCAljBNIDYASjS54HA1QIjQ-803HNeu8ZPQcCOuJWRst2ugy_bK5KLNIUKOWJd3rrehIKNnWdMRbnV_Czrfsbzt0ICE7K-AVC-MWuDW_pMHvzT-s/s1600-h/heartbrownies5.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-AwzRRmhOXAEyTrHJzwtefcerqqfCAljBNIDYASjS54HA1QIjQ-803HNeu8ZPQcCOuJWRst2ugy_bK5KLNIUKOWJd3rrehIKNnWdMRbnV_Czrfsbzt0ICE7K-AVC-MWuDW_pMHvzT-s/s400/heartbrownies5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303936537824845122" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />I did a bunch of baking this weekend, but had to cheat on <a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/dorie_greenspan/">Dorie</a> & <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">TWD</a>. As much as I love chocolate layer cakes, it just wasn't in the cards for us as I was more tempted by other treats.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOlEJfm7N-Yp2aVuvoRBE5BtvutWCRztvYNznMnKeIdxGBXpUjkrgsTWnK684B-taXn9zd9breuAO1fV-0N8iUFnZUsc2VpqylawJMtPsRoYe9S1nh-SCwEsavmOMpN06S7AXiJ5iQHM/s1600-h/IMG_1352.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOlEJfm7N-Yp2aVuvoRBE5BtvutWCRztvYNznMnKeIdxGBXpUjkrgsTWnK684B-taXn9zd9breuAO1fV-0N8iUFnZUsc2VpqylawJMtPsRoYe9S1nh-SCwEsavmOMpN06S7AXiJ5iQHM/s400/IMG_1352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303948997375883346" border="0" /></a><br />First, I started out with some scones from <a href="http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/">Rose Levy Beranbaum</a>'s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pastry-Bible-Rose-Levy-Beranbaum/dp/0684813483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234876763&sr=1-1">Pie and Pastry Bible</a>. Rose's recipes always intimidate me when I first look at them - the complicated chart of ingredients by 3 different measures must be what does it. But once you start following the instructions, she is so clear & precise that I feel comforted and certain it's going to work. Which is why I found myself rolling out and folding scone dough five times, rather than just patting it together once like I usually do.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSzlg4LweRF1pAqh2U9kwfgw5MW-042Q8VJ2ni8T7MJuL0CWenx4LnbLDKhkH1tfuDq_viTNupDl9LzZw3KHYWs-6nnxnLfmcWMRUJOCfFr6hx6HqT81aNSFrv0ga8KqpHgPPC8LliU4/s1600-h/IMG_1308.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSzlg4LweRF1pAqh2U9kwfgw5MW-042Q8VJ2ni8T7MJuL0CWenx4LnbLDKhkH1tfuDq_viTNupDl9LzZw3KHYWs-6nnxnLfmcWMRUJOCfFr6hx6HqT81aNSFrv0ga8KqpHgPPC8LliU4/s400/IMG_1308.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303759719304294642" border="0" /></a> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div></div><br />It wasn't as hard as I thought and WOW! Look how high these things rose up in the oven. These scones have more of a biscuit texture than that of flatter, crumblier ones. They were light as air. I threw in chopped dried cranberries as well as currants, in a nod to the red theme of the weekend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HOWgVG0uRKwFkAy4-yCbrMgI6yB9IuxyImLXZqBD1SJlB7yaoI9sFIl203gFvKc9baVlm9x9fm3Bo-4pyBd0bEhwcGP_NsDfmvTGu4YuqqaNNmmBgibHx6zOvqkM2xQf5DRIp06hoM4/s1600-h/heartbrownie3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 356px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HOWgVG0uRKwFkAy4-yCbrMgI6yB9IuxyImLXZqBD1SJlB7yaoI9sFIl203gFvKc9baVlm9x9fm3Bo-4pyBd0bEhwcGP_NsDfmvTGu4YuqqaNNmmBgibHx6zOvqkM2xQf5DRIp06hoM4/s400/heartbrownie3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303539197615346386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Next I moved onto a new brownie recipe from Nick Malgieri's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Baker-Time-Saving-Techniques-Cookies/dp/0756639719/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234876812&sr=1-1">The Modern Baker</a>. These are so scrumptious and get a little crunch from cocoa nibs. I can't wait to try more of Nick's bar recipes - they are calling out to me from the photos. Right now I just have a copy from the library but I think I may have to buy the book. So far the brownies alone are worth the price of ownership. I made these brownies in heart shapes and handed them out to some friends for Valentine's gifts, packaged in pink Chinese take-out boxes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOkFA8iN73Rr8ksbJdOaiaZARHD07vs9l8I1Vnz-px9MT8tume_Y3L5Z8x_yUrDkowUI0693V1XYmcwoQ40F_FQJf1l_9b3DWQrOt06HUnYgp_ELppaa1H9mdAPXs0c4UeuY8DpFKWJI/s1600-h/heartbrownie1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOkFA8iN73Rr8ksbJdOaiaZARHD07vs9l8I1Vnz-px9MT8tume_Y3L5Z8x_yUrDkowUI0693V1XYmcwoQ40F_FQJf1l_9b3DWQrOt06HUnYgp_ELppaa1H9mdAPXs0c4UeuY8DpFKWJI/s400/heartbrownie1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303539196148741970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5_fiMjd6WEyoX3mhC831gFJtFXKZzrOcm2BLJuKmhgI41Za-XkFbjtMM9YjRSTw1PjitrO2T0goC4TV7JZOVFXwFAuWvGFcPpY3o08M-YKQ7OH-BtEk_CmOpeKmprXzluSyo2JV8OiQ/s1600-h/heartbrownies2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 181px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5_fiMjd6WEyoX3mhC831gFJtFXKZzrOcm2BLJuKmhgI41Za-XkFbjtMM9YjRSTw1PjitrO2T0goC4TV7JZOVFXwFAuWvGFcPpY3o08M-YKQ7OH-BtEk_CmOpeKmprXzluSyo2JV8OiQ/s400/heartbrownies2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303539210323334626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, for my sweetheart of a husband I made Molly of <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/">Orangette</a>'s apple cake-tart. He loved this so much the first time I baked it that I thought I would enchant him again. It was our dessert on Feb 14th and the following two nights as well (did I mention there were also brownies in the house - well it was a holiday weekend after all!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4Reg4ncjtZdqsFtR9kAjD_6H2zsfZU-mkAe9skALWCL38pCnnqqA7mMN3spu2i14Nrns-RNVkrqfSMt6QbymMzspgmv1PNgGQ_UHYoKxzU7Fq7zhFKKbvtnNmepDjSVdVox0zjO73ZI/s1600-h/applecart4.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4Reg4ncjtZdqsFtR9kAjD_6H2zsfZU-mkAe9skALWCL38pCnnqqA7mMN3spu2i14Nrns-RNVkrqfSMt6QbymMzspgmv1PNgGQ_UHYoKxzU7Fq7zhFKKbvtnNmepDjSVdVox0zjO73ZI/s400/applecart4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303934774146013282" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccjAYJPeG7hc69iSSxHB0EnyZz4EpxxVyHWwA8Y6KZ5xRqgB1tzxg6GVFdDwKMUpvH5sFIoJBhe2_afY7aglgfQjZP_xVbHBSzPABIxAs6SBmk3Lu0D0Rmg_RN9S__6xK_SmD53vPwpk/s1600-h/applecart3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccjAYJPeG7hc69iSSxHB0EnyZz4EpxxVyHWwA8Y6KZ5xRqgB1tzxg6GVFdDwKMUpvH5sFIoJBhe2_afY7aglgfQjZP_xVbHBSzPABIxAs6SBmk3Lu0D0Rmg_RN9S__6xK_SmD53vPwpk/s400/applecart3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303934387319074690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkpXIlCBSusLo_od5BRL8f7Ywr277MZP-kC3q0AatX4sM36CbgMi4U7rfcJtkpNSavkZAks0lG9tW1bJQhvTCcL62DDZfY4bPg2XuwwzaizYkalO8ZS-bv3fhyphenhyphenczVhxFV46WoxVtla4w/s1600-h/applecart2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkpXIlCBSusLo_od5BRL8f7Ywr277MZP-kC3q0AatX4sM36CbgMi4U7rfcJtkpNSavkZAks0lG9tW1bJQhvTCcL62DDZfY4bPg2XuwwzaizYkalO8ZS-bv3fhyphenhyphenczVhxFV46WoxVtla4w/s400/applecart2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303934384034073602" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBpMdAzNYw2pPvEkBcoRjPqe3gyzTuN6iM4iAEtuNh9F7GDzgwTdI_-fzF-LSvYQk58oAEMDXa0HgNv-YNnrqZhPAmDTiKYrYJ2HgydI57vvX1wFihKfcCGikllErE9ERDCPnCNwbF-c/s1600-h/applecart1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBpMdAzNYw2pPvEkBcoRjPqe3gyzTuN6iM4iAEtuNh9F7GDzgwTdI_-fzF-LSvYQk58oAEMDXa0HgNv-YNnrqZhPAmDTiKYrYJ2HgydI57vvX1wFihKfcCGikllErE9ERDCPnCNwbF-c/s400/applecart1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303934381097663954" border="0" /></a><br />The apple cake-tart (or apple cart as one Orangette commenter dubbed it) is really easy and if you're someone who doesn't think you can bake or doesn't like to, this might be the apple dessert for you. It's a tart that involves no rolling pin and a cake that involves no folding, frosting or layering. I made a few adjustments to Molly's original (albeit recycled) <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2009/01/calls-for-cake.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">recipe</span></a>. I added a touch of almond extract and reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup.What I love most about this apple cake/tart/cart/thing is that the edges of the crust get nicely caramelized and crunchy, which contrasts nicely with the soft cake interior and apples. It's a keeper in our house, for sure.<br /><br />I'm going to be checking out how the other TWD bakers did with this week's chocolate cake, and you can too by going to the <a href="http://www.bloglines.com/public/TWD-blogroll">blogroll</a>, or find the recipe by visiting Stephanie's blog, <a href="http://confessionsofcityeater.blogspot.com/">Confessions of a City Eater.</a><br /><br />The Recipes:<br /><br />Rose's Scones<br /><br />2 sticks (8 oz) sweet butter, cold<br />4 cups flour<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />1/4 tsp kosher salt<br />2 liquid cups heavy cream<br />1 cup currants and/or dried cranberries or other fruit<br /><br />Cut the butter into one-inch cubes and chill for 30 minutes, minimum.<br />In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the butter and with your fingertips or a pastry blender, press the cubes into large flakes (you could also do this in food processor if you have a large one).<br />Mix in the cream and toss with rubber spatula just until the flour is moistened and the dough starts to come together in large clumps. Add in the currants.<br />Knead the dough in the bowl a few times until it just holds together, then turn out onto a lightly floured board.<br />Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll out into a rectangle that is 1inch thick, and about 8x12 inches. Use a bench scraper to keep the edges even.<br />Fold the dough in thirds, like a letter. Lightly flour the board and rotate the dough so the smooth sides face to the left. Roll out again to same size rectangle and fold again. Do this for a total of 4 "turns". Refrigerate the dough if it starts to get too warm between turns.<br />Preheat oven to 400, with rack in middle.<br />Now, roll out the dough one more time and trim the edges so it's all nicely squared off (the scrapes can be re-rolled).<br />Cut lengthwise so you have two pieces, about 4x12. Cut each piece of dough into triangles (I got 6 from each piece but the scones turned out very large - you might try to get 7 instead).<br />Chill the scones on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet until ready to bake.<br />Bake 15-20 mins until nicely browned on bottom and golden on the tops and sides (but not too dark).<br />If you want to be fancy, you could brush the tops with heavy cream or beaten egg before baking but I don't think they need it.<br /><br />Store airtight at room temp up to 2-3 days (re-heat in toaster oven) or freeze up to 3 months. I like to freeze half the batch unbaked, flash freezing first and then wrapping in saran.<br /><br />Nick's Cocoa Nib Brownies<br /><br />8 oz sweet butter, cut into 12 pieces<br />9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped<br />1-1/4 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed<br />4 large eggs<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />3/4 cup sugar<br />1 Tbs vanilla<br />1-1/4 cups flour<br />1/2 cup cocoa nibs (optional)<br /><br />Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir a few times, and let bubble for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Stir in the chocolate and set aside for a few minutes to let it melt. Use small whisk to mix smooth.<br /><br />Put brown sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat in 1 egg at a time on the lowest speed.<br />Add salt, sugar and vanilla and beat smooth.<br /><br />Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate-butter mixture with rubber spatula.<br />Mix in the flour, followed by 1/4 cup cocoa nibs if using.<br /><br />Line a 9x13 baking pan with buttered foil (you may need 2 pieces - let it overhang the sides).<br /><br />Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and scatter rest of nibs on top.<br />Bake in a 350 oven until firm but still very moist in center, about 30 mins (toothpick will still have some moist crumbs clinging to it - don't let it go until dry).<br /><br />Cool brownies in pan on rack, then refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.<br /><br />Let come to room temp, then invert, peel off foil and invert again.<br /><br />You could use nuts or dried cherries in place of the nibs but the nibs are nice addition - adding crunch and bitterness.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-60838439356337934002009-02-02T20:37:00.017-05:002009-02-03T08:42:30.332-05:00World Peace Cookies (TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaroO3MTu6vHdNVu3yhzy_uQrVwRA4hdfheh3bNkVZ52gIIVBe3Dkv-7jV9ZLtfnvFRR7eOvdCLUHplZDGOdCaYXc6_-UZAPR-RfehgZUbAMRbnZo-sPPW-nrzmWgOFTzoPxpSkuU_Ig/s1600-h/cookies&milk1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaroO3MTu6vHdNVu3yhzy_uQrVwRA4hdfheh3bNkVZ52gIIVBe3Dkv-7jV9ZLtfnvFRR7eOvdCLUHplZDGOdCaYXc6_-UZAPR-RfehgZUbAMRbnZo-sPPW-nrzmWgOFTzoPxpSkuU_Ig/s400/cookies&milk1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298384446937250946" border="0" /></a>Oh, Dorie, if only we could bring about world peace through cookies! Our little <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">TWD</a> group would be the biggest peacemakers of all.<br /><br />Yes, this week, my fellow bakers and I are blogging about <a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/dorie_greenspan/">Dorie Greenspan</a>'s World Peace Cookies. I won't tell the story behind the name as I know many of the other bloggers will do so and it's in the book (buy<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233668460&sr=1-1"> the book</a>! you won't regret it!). But if you believe sharing good food can great good will, then you get the idea.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDyhIRoJGczisJf8hR1fo5QOgS7dl8jKg4mS2usyEwFherWTwnyLLlyVryK913DzmwU8W0MbdZ4QfmBDOxLNgVcwgU3TJPTNip7vuqPTVqFs7KuNxtKeX66ybVtNiaIMss7Ji_jRlFYc/s1600-h/worldpeacecookie5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDyhIRoJGczisJf8hR1fo5QOgS7dl8jKg4mS2usyEwFherWTwnyLLlyVryK913DzmwU8W0MbdZ4QfmBDOxLNgVcwgU3TJPTNip7vuqPTVqFs7KuNxtKeX66ybVtNiaIMss7Ji_jRlFYc/s400/worldpeacecookie5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298556730330405042" border="0" /></a><br />This was my third batch of World Peace Cookies. The previous two times, I was frustrated by the dough's crumbly-ness and ended up cursing a lot as I tried to slice the logs into neat circles. So this time, I tweaked. I added an extra tablespoon of butter and subtracted two tablespoons of flour. Yes, the dough was easier to form into logs and to slice. But, I also learned why it's hard to mess around with baking recipes. While not a flop by any means, the cookies seemed a bit too buttery, almost verging on, dare I say it, greasy. They also spread more than the original version and were therefore thinner and crisper. And I didn't like them much more than the previous attempts, when I was less-than-enamored of their sandy texture. Don't get me wrong, I can still easily pack in a handful or so because, after all, they are made with lots of chocolate. But I generally prefer my cookies on the chewy or cakey side or more like shortbread. Thin and crisp is not my thing. But if YOU like thin & crisp cookies, then these will work great for you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxSF-xij0QvR6HSuGMU6p5RzqJaUXKmtAldmTsYqbBrl6aPtf8ThNi0q_PWHLwOSn9KKEHeZgfc53KCWUy4ibcqIVdztdojfnGI0HI5V7IkULCy62n3q1cH7_mk3B9WURXCi5wiWbZ-8/s1600-h/IMG_1240.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxSF-xij0QvR6HSuGMU6p5RzqJaUXKmtAldmTsYqbBrl6aPtf8ThNi0q_PWHLwOSn9KKEHeZgfc53KCWUy4ibcqIVdztdojfnGI0HI5V7IkULCy62n3q1cH7_mk3B9WURXCi5wiWbZ-8/s400/IMG_1240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298562004266321970" border="0" /></a><br />These cookies incorporate a healthy dose of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur_de_sel">fleur de sel</a>, which I love. I even sprinkled more fleur de sel on top before baking. Mmm...salty and sweet together...so good. I am such a fan of adding a good amount of salt to your sweets.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsyFRoatLcun9uJfUBEZLWrTYu0bBC7gB6JTsQ-FVt8soSFJGdOCrPOqCnuKZWY4dUKQ4-maciBMwLErfQErX21MiRQGaUUz3XnUHqEhmG8iJglByE7KZBqvG8U9T49mcjJxTjW8-Vbk/s1600-h/worldpeacecookie1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsyFRoatLcun9uJfUBEZLWrTYu0bBC7gB6JTsQ-FVt8soSFJGdOCrPOqCnuKZWY4dUKQ4-maciBMwLErfQErX21MiRQGaUUz3XnUHqEhmG8iJglByE7KZBqvG8U9T49mcjJxTjW8-Vbk/s400/worldpeacecookie1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298384964894104114" border="0" /></a><br />I also decided to make another change - mostly for visual purposes - and use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate chips. It worked nicely, though they did come out a bit sweeter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvAUKQUP6KS5eWr1Wmvcuiy_HQCZv7e6FJjkHDNtZKAUxouXHJbZet94CEnDmaY0BGylXTmLwRG7wb6Tk8Y8RyxjHczDT14hCJDIe8yIkjftBfaRSpMEohv8zNlMA_wy8qH8ER0ZOLiQ/s1600-h/worldpeacecookie7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvAUKQUP6KS5eWr1Wmvcuiy_HQCZv7e6FJjkHDNtZKAUxouXHJbZet94CEnDmaY0BGylXTmLwRG7wb6Tk8Y8RyxjHczDT14hCJDIe8yIkjftBfaRSpMEohv8zNlMA_wy8qH8ER0ZOLiQ/s400/worldpeacecookie7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298562286019894130" border="0" /></a><br />If you'd like to try your own hand at encouraging world peace one cookie at a time, head over to <a href="http://cookbookhabit.blogspot.com/">Jessica's blog </a>and check out the recipe.<br /><br />Peace out, fellow bakers. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ore1_-3OfCWlitxptmvv0HRKl6Bw3LYMhkXjktKBG8-7lZMLHJOE2zOmWGFgPoFQQ8DHO853Eu43g19lDU5tY3jjGLLSY4UKXzR9DcYeVlYcK_6AYh5jm6ho3ViPao6HQSr293r2WwU/s1600-h/worldpeacecookie8.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ore1_-3OfCWlitxptmvv0HRKl6Bw3LYMhkXjktKBG8-7lZMLHJOE2zOmWGFgPoFQQ8DHO853Eu43g19lDU5tY3jjGLLSY4UKXzR9DcYeVlYcK_6AYh5jm6ho3ViPao6HQSr293r2WwU/s400/worldpeacecookie8.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298557386376751794" border="0" /></a>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-51002250878884876242009-01-26T20:29:00.013-05:002009-01-27T08:02:15.278-05:00Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread (with pears)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawL5p9QCXTDt39cqZGdYaNidHmtVyVd72S4KYmImY4BqBvRNP0XzC9BnkGQkeAE-tiAR9Nqrmvm933ieodzaUoEIk6sKdyzIJij0ro4Up7csiBO97jlUP8gxCYWDlA8JQhlD-HsV8Jss/s1600-h/gingerbread1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawL5p9QCXTDt39cqZGdYaNidHmtVyVd72S4KYmImY4BqBvRNP0XzC9BnkGQkeAE-tiAR9Nqrmvm933ieodzaUoEIk6sKdyzIJij0ro4Up7csiBO97jlUP8gxCYWDlA8JQhlD-HsV8Jss/s400/gingerbread1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295779944961212274" border="0" /></a><br />This week's selection for <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> is a dark, chocolately gingerbread. Many gingerbread recipes rely simply on powdered ginger and molasses for their spiciness, but this one calls for a handful of chopped fresh ginger as well. Dorie recommends adding some stem ginger in syrup or candied ginger but I decided to add some poached pear chunks instead, just for something different. I had saved the poaching liquid from the <a href="http://kittymamabakes.blogspot.com/2009/01/twd-french-pear-tart.html">French Pear Tart,</a> which quickly sweetened and softened a couple of pears.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPpWBBzAnuH5nBPGXG2wOPA9pTxKhiQD6py8tYPFC-1aWOblXjs0hpGuNJu8oV2MzpZvrEkkTe9PLqzOKEx9-2ny1n-aZlY6k8b665mnhU4qgZIFwQ9aJcRozYFMUznQngoNqd-D_PvM/s1600-h/IMG_0986.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPpWBBzAnuH5nBPGXG2wOPA9pTxKhiQD6py8tYPFC-1aWOblXjs0hpGuNJu8oV2MzpZvrEkkTe9PLqzOKEx9-2ny1n-aZlY6k8b665mnhU4qgZIFwQ9aJcRozYFMUznQngoNqd-D_PvM/s400/IMG_0986.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295806265411708066" border="0" /></a><br />Dorie's gingerbread incorporates chocolate in two forms - melted and chunked. I loved the chunks - ginger and chocolate are such a great combination. I skipped the chocolate frosting that she also recommends, as it just didn't seem necessary to me (and I was being lazy).<br /><br />As for the cake itself, I found mine to be almost too molasses-y - it verged on a licorice flavor that was just a bit too strong for me, even though I like licorice. Mine also looks darker than Dorie's and some other bloggers'. I wonder if my organic molasses was too dark, perhaps. But nevertheless, I liked it and it was a hit with my taste-testers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYDLM-L7YpvaxhKKA5G_mIU1QDktlCRhEqVrv2XS2vJ32YW4ohdPbpdeOAIAWPKm-rbLqxXW7JLBn3Qmcbq_vzE9oe7jbqLkVQyAcDzPYrkhChZ46ijJruq7YiJJuuDMoGwmRIWsdLeM/s1600-h/gingerbread3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYDLM-L7YpvaxhKKA5G_mIU1QDktlCRhEqVrv2XS2vJ32YW4ohdPbpdeOAIAWPKm-rbLqxXW7JLBn3Qmcbq_vzE9oe7jbqLkVQyAcDzPYrkhChZ46ijJruq7YiJJuuDMoGwmRIWsdLeM/s400/gingerbread3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295779957444354450" border="0" /></a><br />I made Dorie's ginger-infused whipped cream as well -it was fantastic! You just steep some fresh ginger into heavy cream, let it cool, then whip with some sugar. I have added maple syrup, vanilla beans and other flavors to whipped cream before but the ginger was so good. I can't wait to try it with pumpkin pie. I really think gingerbread calls for whipped cream - the cream provides a nice contrast to the spices and makes the whole experience much more divine than just a piece of spicy cake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKCUSkiIKoyb5ARm6USIiSLFTTi9zDrnxlyTRa-JuRnDTpY90P6F9ur_iQIatEnU5tc6QVua6l37NQ4-PVOxMCmYXD5ypBetTb-opOcU8q3sfg-sb-ugKqn1hXyXgpQP6Xulgxv1zdFY/s1600-h/IMG_1008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKCUSkiIKoyb5ARm6USIiSLFTTi9zDrnxlyTRa-JuRnDTpY90P6F9ur_iQIatEnU5tc6QVua6l37NQ4-PVOxMCmYXD5ypBetTb-opOcU8q3sfg-sb-ugKqn1hXyXgpQP6Xulgxv1zdFY/s400/IMG_1008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295957805798443154" border="0" /></a><br />Thank you to Sherry of <a href="http://sherrytrifle-lovelycats.blogspot.com/">Sherry Trifle</a> for choosing this week's recipe and reminding me how much I love gingerbread, especially when it's "mitt schlag." You can find the recipe on Sherry's blog.<br /><br />I'd like to leave you with a recent picture of one of my kitties, Go Go Boots. I just love this picture (and its subject, too!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMrBZWDGLmg4TaeTWqSrDXnl21Can_Cyqa_GIitEWy1DN7LRhXWN9SQ2AQwu-5hMI0BsCV-t6KaoZl0O5yCAzmBvvkGls9SN6UxOisTGZjTgRynO-XAKGW5SENLNAJ1hF_PFG38ZJiKI/s1600-h/GoGoBoots01.25.09.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMrBZWDGLmg4TaeTWqSrDXnl21Can_Cyqa_GIitEWy1DN7LRhXWN9SQ2AQwu-5hMI0BsCV-t6KaoZl0O5yCAzmBvvkGls9SN6UxOisTGZjTgRynO-XAKGW5SENLNAJ1hF_PFG38ZJiKI/s400/GoGoBoots01.25.09.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295781113845155954" border="0" /></a>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-22198805862328682072009-01-13T19:58:00.011-05:002009-01-13T20:52:56.191-05:00Savory Corn & Pepper Muffins (TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAecafpQRrs2xKuaHeFK3672mEpq4fOiLNdqgYv6l9PkqQetEW9XdrcVPQ6F03jp0MkJtDAWsOgyWHcO8sX9P-y9G4eLzrMVt0jjkl7cp_lv1IIEKK6yQ3ofhS581x-l5j1eY47lPFog/s1600-h/cornmuffins1.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAecafpQRrs2xKuaHeFK3672mEpq4fOiLNdqgYv6l9PkqQetEW9XdrcVPQ6F03jp0MkJtDAWsOgyWHcO8sX9P-y9G4eLzrMVt0jjkl7cp_lv1IIEKK6yQ3ofhS581x-l5j1eY47lPFog/s400/cornmuffins1.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290951180148382210" border="0"></a><br />For this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>, Rebecca of <a href="http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/1930">Ezra Pound Cake</a> chose Dorie's Savory Corn & Pepper Muffins. I have talked about my love for all things corn <a href="http://kittymamabakes.blogspot.com/2008/08/festival-of-maize.html">before</a>, so I was really happy to try a new corn muffin. These are yummm-eeeee. They are studded with corn, cilantro, jalapeno & red pepper which adds such a great kick and tons of flavor. The crumb is tender and they are really buttery.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsxesuNy9nQ6IdCWw1AFgHotiIsJOoa7rM00POBnpx_gUM6kOhPE2a7C9hLYrgpJluV0WIVXWRW3QI8lrsShKTapkgXjRpL6oZlIPG9_BOXTW2Xbc9JEt4E0skVmQWuu0AwoBmh2uKa8/s1600-h/cornmuffins3.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsxesuNy9nQ6IdCWw1AFgHotiIsJOoa7rM00POBnpx_gUM6kOhPE2a7C9hLYrgpJluV0WIVXWRW3QI8lrsShKTapkgXjRpL6oZlIPG9_BOXTW2Xbc9JEt4E0skVmQWuu0AwoBmh2uKa8/s400/cornmuffins3.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290961394306698450" border="0"></a><br /><br />A lot has been written about the Southern/Northern debate over sweet vs unsweetened cornbread. Personally, I like it both ways, according to the menu and my mood. I love it baked in cast iron so it gets a nice crust and I generally like to add a bit of honey or maple syrup, but I sometimes prefer it unsweetened too -- despite my Northeastern origins.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_X5E1J44rv-CsNPS1ckK8gSj-N13UQfz-9PuAKU-6Uiy9So0vz6SsJzpdRkyXQXOx4jv7vmywinaOnUoDA2zhZ2AxWCOelAhuelkrKxToL6SV5R3SVS1afbDQlrMxoXcBVTShdcieL4/s1600-h/cornmuffin4.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_X5E1J44rv-CsNPS1ckK8gSj-N13UQfz-9PuAKU-6Uiy9So0vz6SsJzpdRkyXQXOx4jv7vmywinaOnUoDA2zhZ2AxWCOelAhuelkrKxToL6SV5R3SVS1afbDQlrMxoXcBVTShdcieL4/s400/cornmuffin4.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290951185855674530" border="0"></a><br />In these muffins, I think the small amount of sugar works, because they have a lot of spiciness from the hot peppers and it balances out. I love how colorful they are and that they're a nice change from straight-up cornbread. We had them one night with chili and another night with an orange-chipotle pork stew -- they were great with both, or on their own in the morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJBRPAfJRop7Y02NFAQxsv2C9GpJKfZ_qY1toAdRDtMlTZonYGFj9DYrDtjB74xAjpF9_DWS72jt9hgRMV2MSdzzagW39rnrMXOsytA6zOtpyn2d1ZV-WCJjEd0l-zBhMf-mfXRcuM_I/s1600-h/cornmuffins2.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJBRPAfJRop7Y02NFAQxsv2C9GpJKfZ_qY1toAdRDtMlTZonYGFj9DYrDtjB74xAjpF9_DWS72jt9hgRMV2MSdzzagW39rnrMXOsytA6zOtpyn2d1ZV-WCJjEd0l-zBhMf-mfXRcuM_I/s400/cornmuffins2.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290961394185688354" border="0"></a><br />If you'd like to see the recipe, go to Rebecca's blog. You can also see what all the other TWD bakers thought by checking out <a href="http://www.bloglines.com/public/TWD-blogroll">the blogroll</a>.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-8591040750457463542009-01-05T20:06:00.011-05:002009-01-06T07:08:57.944-05:00TWD: French Pear Tart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpAO4xomb_iJrz5NuYlhiFE8oL3vfIFxlrlVh6ygHxySzBYqKF9dYIGm3C1kU5g__CyyJu2-XjPN5yApM8KokM-9OE27Bs_25v8gKhJcVSTI0e7iafv8AnYLiVo7WvNhjMX7h4yc2gnY/s1600-h/peartart6.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpAO4xomb_iJrz5NuYlhiFE8oL3vfIFxlrlVh6ygHxySzBYqKF9dYIGm3C1kU5g__CyyJu2-XjPN5yApM8KokM-9OE27Bs_25v8gKhJcVSTI0e7iafv8AnYLiVo7WvNhjMX7h4yc2gnY/s400/peartart6.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287989200083718066" border="0" /></a><br />This week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays With Dorie</a> selection is the French Pear Tart chosen by our patron saint of baking herself, Ms. <a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/dorie_greenspan/">Dorie Greenspan</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAh0UwnrNu_S9kXufTeszznGN58Am2WEJJfi0uRho4ZKDa29D9nACwi7ImSbQGM-Zy1CkLVZ-MdUcDhpY39NwLgnmhVz1yGLLfgWX1tG3ce-fnpJBko6i0jwjOu3SHhznkoSnwZRsgks/s1600-h/peartart5.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAh0UwnrNu_S9kXufTeszznGN58Am2WEJJfi0uRho4ZKDa29D9nACwi7ImSbQGM-Zy1CkLVZ-MdUcDhpY39NwLgnmhVz1yGLLfgWX1tG3ce-fnpJBko6i0jwjOu3SHhznkoSnwZRsgks/s400/peartart5.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287987466373370898" border="0" /></a><br />I was excited to write this post until I realized that I actually have some critiques of the recipe and I soooo don't want to offend Dorie, especially on a week when she might actually read all 200+ posts. So Dorie, if you're here, if you made it to the letter K in the alphabetical listing, I just first want to say how much I admire and respect your work (and you). I love the book, I have at least 10 pounds of Dorie baking weight now added to my frame and many happy friends who enjoy the treats I bring them weekly. I have learned so much from the book!<br /><br />Nevertheless.....oh and I so hate to go here but....I have to say that this recipe had me more confused than most.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oTulKOUG_RWuLjnxc6H-mJV0WfLVOUdD6K_eqFXnVI8dLX_WhCfUT5yYpIcuA4xtag5X3VA8lKe3RmVLS8mAm_BVpb5kggYjOHFhLV0j2qngSC5xNuVf0TYkJwcJdK7CPcStmI6YeEU/s1600-h/peartart7.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oTulKOUG_RWuLjnxc6H-mJV0WfLVOUdD6K_eqFXnVI8dLX_WhCfUT5yYpIcuA4xtag5X3VA8lKe3RmVLS8mAm_BVpb5kggYjOHFhLV0j2qngSC5xNuVf0TYkJwcJdK7CPcStmI6YeEU/s400/peartart7.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287989212177421602" border="0" /></a><br />So, Dorie, here are my questions: Was I supposed to knead that tart dough or leave it crumbly? It seemed like a contradiction in terms to me.<br /><br />Was I supposed to leave the stem on the pears after halving them - I think you meant that, but I totally didn't get it even after reading the recipe twice and I ended up slicing them entirely. I think that's okay but after the fact, I wished I had left the pear halves intact and then fanning which is what I think you intended us to do (oops).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wMo8PR-Imx2kpQlswln3N9kz9VHCpyZZjvGO-AcbpJZ3bl7o76iut6OgOAPS_p5qfZVl-uNvzlrRQEFIlFeo38_xsMdFQ-el8KLfFwkyNWFxLJgEOfsNSp3ssu8za5_8v5O6PapRx50/s1600-h/PearTart01.09-2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wMo8PR-Imx2kpQlswln3N9kz9VHCpyZZjvGO-AcbpJZ3bl7o76iut6OgOAPS_p5qfZVl-uNvzlrRQEFIlFeo38_xsMdFQ-el8KLfFwkyNWFxLJgEOfsNSp3ssu8za5_8v5O6PapRx50/s400/PearTart01.09-2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287985452474461858" border="0" /></a><br />The almond cream seemed a little bland to me (so sorry, Dorie! just being honest here!). Did it maybe need a dash of salt? I have learned so much about the value of added salt from you Dorie, I really think it was needed here too.<br /><br />To counter the blandness of the almond filling, I decided to brush my tart shell with some melted bittersweet chocolate after the partial baking. I loved it like that, though my husband thought it ended up too sweet and too rich. I of course had no problem with either of those things, since I am still eating it, 4 days later.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6f7Ucj0Icoud2z2085LafVQB4sSLM__UCP0Rs7KP9xL5M8yKMllMig9nka1wMc-ekflViapA6CNXbW36zaVQ0PA5BR2D_-Xs94WEMgwbrenCL7E0katmuKu47VT3Hlsz_KcS1chaHnvY/s1600-h/peartart1.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6f7Ucj0Icoud2z2085LafVQB4sSLM__UCP0Rs7KP9xL5M8yKMllMig9nka1wMc-ekflViapA6CNXbW36zaVQ0PA5BR2D_-Xs94WEMgwbrenCL7E0katmuKu47VT3Hlsz_KcS1chaHnvY/s400/peartart1.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287987447428499154" border="0" /></a><br /></div>As for the tart filling "browning" in the oven, that never happened. No matter how long I left it in there, it seemed to reach one shade of golden and never go beyond it. I was also worried my pears were too wet as it looked very moist even after baking 15 minutes longer than specified, but I finally just took it out. Then I thought I had overbaked it because when it cooled, the filling had separated a bit from the pears and wasn't so pretty. Nonetheless, it turned out pretty darn yummy.<br /><br />I loved the idea of poaching the pears first. If we liked alcohol in our desserts at my house, I might try poaching them in red wine & cinnamon next time. Another idea is to try adding some chocolate to the almond cream filling and make it a really chocolatey pear tart. Clearly, I need to make this one again and I know one little boy who might agree...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrvOgPoGz8szkxzWGCJEQrQxpnEZ2gMoJYYGGDPQs_RLEGcauUJe1alO6jPIROPKqAcr6K408yv6vwhxp4TW_Ec5CmnLszBVKWEyuWN8kVjvxWalDFfukXdQysfa0at-S04zb_veK7K4/s1600-h/Bernie01.03.09-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrrvOgPoGz8szkxzWGCJEQrQxpnEZ2gMoJYYGGDPQs_RLEGcauUJe1alO6jPIROPKqAcr6K408yv6vwhxp4TW_Ec5CmnLszBVKWEyuWN8kVjvxWalDFfukXdQysfa0at-S04zb_veK7K4/s400/Bernie01.03.09-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287987444914237282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Bernie enjoying his tart & cake!</span><br /></div>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-13665909623475436092008-12-25T19:05:00.006-05:002008-12-25T19:57:04.311-05:00Chocolate Chunky Cups<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-KDWktaKWZ9GLurU0Iywid7WxHk3qYKibYqw8YwQdKzNpW-Y4h_Aouzw71lt7GqMGLNnjKUPiSl182r8SXevBcD4JYzaC34XBoJI7OcsZRvqSoBL4v4JuGrTUW_NNm0sbhyphenhyphenMIj8bbQM/s1600-h/chocolatenutcup2.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3-KDWktaKWZ9GLurU0Iywid7WxHk3qYKibYqw8YwQdKzNpW-Y4h_Aouzw71lt7GqMGLNnjKUPiSl182r8SXevBcD4JYzaC34XBoJI7OcsZRvqSoBL4v4JuGrTUW_NNm0sbhyphenhyphenMIj8bbQM/s400/chocolatenutcup2.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283884531558716290" border="0" /></a><br />You guys all read <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/">Orangette</a>, right? At least all you food bloggers do, no doubt. Orangette was one of the first food blogs I found. I don't even know how I got there but I remember a post about her kitchen and a UPS package and that she had polaroid-style photos. I was captivated instantly. One thing I really admire about Molly's blogging is that it's generous in ideas but spare in both its prose and posts. She doesn't post every single thing she cooks. She obviously self-edits, only writes up recipes that are well-tested, and she doesn't show off.<br /><br />And when she refers back to an earlier post about something from the past, I always follow the links. Because invariably I will find something else to swoon over. But for all the months that I have been reading Orangette, I had not actually cooked anything from it yet. Well, I think I started off on the right foot. In <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2008/12/look-at-that.html">a recent post</a> about holiday baking, she mentioned "chocolate blocks." Cacao-freak that I am, I had to check it out. Which is how I wound up with a friend dubbing me a "chocolatier" and making me laugh out loud. If they only knew how easy it was! Easier than making <a href="http://kittymamabakes.blogspot.com/2008/07/believe-hype.html">chocolate chip cookies</a>. Easier than making fruit crisp. And way, way easier than making <a href="http://kittymamabakes.blogspot.com/2008/07/tuesdays-with-dorie-tale-of-two-pies.html">a pie crust</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeYyEVYDHwdLqkJfTzYLIjxDo6gmiz1vPpTnU1wxZh1LS8bo8DqlrWxBY81S13I6J5s_gy2ys7GqtAqFvTtlW3Az_h0BzDJRulKdwNe5Z145j0iZ_AnvwrDB4CySaC_mQKAjYvrOtHHc/s1600-h/chocolatenutcup5.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeYyEVYDHwdLqkJfTzYLIjxDo6gmiz1vPpTnU1wxZh1LS8bo8DqlrWxBY81S13I6J5s_gy2ys7GqtAqFvTtlW3Az_h0BzDJRulKdwNe5Z145j0iZ_AnvwrDB4CySaC_mQKAjYvrOtHHc/s400/chocolatenutcup5.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283884546889580786" border="0" /></a><br />Here's the basic idea: Start with good chocolate. Melt it. Add your choice of dried fruit & nuts, and some sea salt. Chill. Done in an hour.<br /><br />You can find the recipe <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/12/building-blocks.html">here</a>. My big change - and with all due respect to the food blog goddess herself, I think it's a huge improvement aesthetically - was to chill my chocolates in mini muffin cups and to reserve some fruit & nuts to sprinkle on top*. So much prettier this way and alerts everyone to the presence of nuts in case of any allergies. Molly chills hers in an 8-inch square baking pan and then cuts into small blocks. I tried that method on the first go-round, but found it hard to cut neat squares. You also lose a lot of the edges if you want them all to look nice - and I hate to waste chocolate! (I melted that batch and started over - it's a forgiving recipe).<br /><br />The fruit & nut combinations are endless. Dried cherries are so good with dark chocolate, and I combined them with golden raisins, peanuts & pistachios. I added chopped crystallized ginger to a second batch and that was terrific! Hazelnuts would be great if you had them - but really, any nut and any dried fruit can work. I also sprinkled fleur de sel both in and on the chocolates - just be careful of over-salting if your nuts are salted, too. I wish I had had dried apricots in the house because the orange would be pretty - perhaps next time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNFEiMt_bxtXGPEENeChqhaNJwvQcK9B3xWnyWO9PAptAeIQF4kzjvaI7e0Gyf-UkhF_1OIxEgSZw3flc9CSmyl-vjJkdxryU0Oc-IlBsJtThuIq2OROSQU2SJwTHn261c5mV2hgImWQ/s1600-h/chocolatenutcup4.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNFEiMt_bxtXGPEENeChqhaNJwvQcK9B3xWnyWO9PAptAeIQF4kzjvaI7e0Gyf-UkhF_1OIxEgSZw3flc9CSmyl-vjJkdxryU0Oc-IlBsJtThuIq2OROSQU2SJwTHn261c5mV2hgImWQ/s400/chocolatenutcup4.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283884537705716850" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A bonbon cup might be a more manageable size for popping in the mouth, but the mini muffin cup is easier to fill and I used <a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=12150172">my 24-cup mini muffin tin </a>to store them while chilling - very handy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6AkyfyTdqiaMmwKG_QNkO_u-sf9rrCPTMF5bkrEMOQf43l-WdlCgN0KH0i8DjfCSLFhGPw3LmfadGCfKw17j0X4N4FZ14o5xMppVdlvfqcM_3HjR8fPhKZLfeuYZBIlsY6XdQCKrtiY/s1600-h/chocolatenutcup6.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6AkyfyTdqiaMmwKG_QNkO_u-sf9rrCPTMF5bkrEMOQf43l-WdlCgN0KH0i8DjfCSLFhGPw3LmfadGCfKw17j0X4N4FZ14o5xMppVdlvfqcM_3HjR8fPhKZLfeuYZBIlsY6XdQCKrtiY/s400/chocolatenutcup6.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283884554752171186" border="0" /></a><br />For my holiday gift bags, I packed 4 chocolates into small Wilton brand candy boxes that I found at Michael's Arts & Crafts, and tied with ribbon.<br /><br />I will never give up baking, but I have to say that chocolate-making -- at least this kind -- is so simple and so rewarding. I've started reading recipes for homemade peanut butter cups - oh lordy, we're in trouble now....<br /><br /><br />*Full disclosure: I got this idea from the French Chocolate Bark in Ina Garten's new Back to Basics book. I am a food plagiarizer, guilty as charged.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-17421349875217544692008-12-23T22:31:00.004-05:002008-12-23T22:44:59.617-05:00No Pudding in the HouseIf you came here looking for a TWD post on butterscotch pudding, I am sorry to disappoint you. There is just way too much holiday baking to be done for me to squeeze in pudding also. Pudding can't be put in a gift bag so that rules it out for this week. <br /><br />Also, I have been making the most amazing butterscotch pudding for a number of years now. It comes from a New York restaurant called Drovers Tap Room and the pudding was a signature dessert there for a long time. It requires no cornstarch and is baked slowly in a bain marie, producing the silkiest pudding ever. I just can't see going back to the cornstarch method after knowing the Drovers version. The NY Times published the recipe a decade ago and I've been making it ever since. You can find the recipe <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E3DF163AF935A2575BC0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&&scp=4&sq=butterscotch+pudding+drovers&st=cse">here</a>.<br /><br />Merry Christmas, everyone!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-72945338667373125862008-12-21T15:23:00.013-05:002008-12-21T15:57:39.571-05:00Still I'd Like to Save One Soul<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYr4-n9EBtYVoEaHtH5qHdCfmqIuURR6zM1vEwInNz1nOuae8lXMfk60wBCtcbo63GwybfBBxnclSZnWnD6mx4sjpmg6jAG5IEGnEcNItcCCQUcWbwTZQPzT0d2KRq9S4OviDLjN1kBg/s1600-h/wmtheangel.jpb"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYr4-n9EBtYVoEaHtH5qHdCfmqIuURR6zM1vEwInNz1nOuae8lXMfk60wBCtcbo63GwybfBBxnclSZnWnD6mx4sjpmg6jAG5IEGnEcNItcCCQUcWbwTZQPzT0d2KRq9S4OviDLjN1kBg/s400/wmtheangel.jpb" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282347838383361538" border="0" /></a><img src="file:///Users/Ellen/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />I'm not Christian. I need to say that upfront because I am about to tell you about my favorite Christmas cd, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/William-Angel-Rob-Mathes/dp/B001IN2INU/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1229892227&sr=1-10">"William the Angel" by Rob Mathes</a>. It's a song cycle about angels, the birth of Jesus, the meaning of Christmas and the power of faith. It's not even the type of music I typically like - being more ballad-y, ez-listening-y and schmaltzy than I normally choose. But I think the songwriting is excellent, the music will make you dance and sway and the story is a universal one about hope, redemption and belief. I love it. It puts me in a Christmas mood every year about this time and brings tears to my eyes if I am feeling a little sappy. It also reminds me of my first year of dating my husband when we went to one of Rob Mathes' annual Christmas concerts. That was a magical evening; I remember being awed by the music - we saw Mavis Staples among others - and feeling so madly in love. Anyway, give it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh3UYHx2FE0">a listen</a>. This is the title track but the whole album is beautiful. (Sorry but I can't embed the video as it's protected on youtube).<br /><br />I am also a huge fan of Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." I am a total sucker for it and cry every time, and not just at end - I cry through the whole thing. There was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/movies/19wond.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=it%27s%20a%20wonderful%20life&st=cse">a good article</a> in the NY Times this week about its subversive nature as a cautionary tale about the disappointments of adulthood and conformity - I agree that that is in the movie and it's what makes it more than just a Christmas story to me. It's that cynicism veiled in saccharine which makes me love the movie on more than a sentimental level.<br /><br />Why do I celebrate Christmas if I don't believe Christ was a saviour? I've been asked that many times over the years. Well, I love all the cultural trappings - the cookies, the carols, the lights, the tree, the big dinner, Rudolph, Santa, the Grinch, champagne & eggnog. And as someone who doesn't participate in any organized religion, I find it important to have a time when we focus on family, friends, helping others less fortunate than us and finding joy in an often-cruel world. Tom and I have already started talking about the traditions we will give our daughter for Christmas. Yes, there will be gifts, a tree and the myth of Santa Claus. But we will also create a day when we remember the most important and invaluable gift of all - love. Love for our family & friends and for those we don't even know.<br /><br />Now I need to get back to the kitchen and bake more cookies!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-81268113384154395492008-12-16T08:45:00.019-05:002008-12-16T09:02:51.144-05:00Triple Ginger Buttery Jam Cookies (TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBnmxnLv7A1FWwoicbBsBYWnYK5rcqubADTcAsyWRGjy0ca8ypfuUIN0ABICIKZuHKRlxkwJoPJ39tOhxR0dx-J7nRmOd3A4uwPhMPEj24gCTt3L114KPk9T2QjjbYPfFu8cJ3OqJeGo/s1600-h/IMG_0384.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBnmxnLv7A1FWwoicbBsBYWnYK5rcqubADTcAsyWRGjy0ca8ypfuUIN0ABICIKZuHKRlxkwJoPJ39tOhxR0dx-J7nRmOd3A4uwPhMPEj24gCTt3L114KPk9T2QjjbYPfFu8cJ3OqJeGo/s400/IMG_0384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280387374254281634" border="0" /></a><br />This week for<a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/"> Tuesdays with Dorie</a>, Heather of <a href="http://www.randomosityandthegirl.com/">Randomosity & The Girl</a>, invited us to make Buttery Jam Cookies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_sM8DXNFnWvAX6bsAHNCOnM4EvXhSzslzSihZp-vIuCJkD85nDA8QCko1xSfVQpTYAKhRplXK9S9vHpA-4H9mWz8HKCpAVa9_HnUEROJsJ4VykDjNvXaio9pWx9C3x3rgMdUBCGg7G8/s1600-h/IMG_0374.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_sM8DXNFnWvAX6bsAHNCOnM4EvXhSzslzSihZp-vIuCJkD85nDA8QCko1xSfVQpTYAKhRplXK9S9vHpA-4H9mWz8HKCpAVa9_HnUEROJsJ4VykDjNvXaio9pWx9C3x3rgMdUBCGg7G8/s400/IMG_0374.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280385483651565906" border="0" /></a><br />Peering into my fridge, I found a jar of ginger preserves that I had bought for the <a href="http://kittymamabakes.blogspot.com/search/label/fruit">Fruit Galette</a> back in the summer. Inspiration struck and I decided to make a triple ginger cookie. Dorie's original recipe calls for powdered ginger, so I just upped the ginger-y-ness and added the preserves, along with diced candied ginger. I think this made a different cookie than was intended but as a big fan of ginger, I didn't miss the fruit jam at all.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfnrQPVcOO2D4Yw1ltPfMwJ51AJ-5xo5QzBkX8RW0OutbtTFw5mKU0ehXKegbBtZfDrrIOhGdHe5dBe5wjapomuewI0Vsx-laGH4RVt1MQ8mdIVPbUD72dqvBwvLfjj_2k3EjjEJltA4/s1600-h/IMG_0411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfnrQPVcOO2D4Yw1ltPfMwJ51AJ-5xo5QzBkX8RW0OutbtTFw5mKU0ehXKegbBtZfDrrIOhGdHe5dBe5wjapomuewI0Vsx-laGH4RVt1MQ8mdIVPbUD72dqvBwvLfjj_2k3EjjEJltA4/s400/IMG_0411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280386715554975730" border="0" /></a><br />The cookies are puffy and soft - not my favorite cookie texture. But I think they're still a nice cookie, and the ginger is especially good for this time of year. My dad loves all things ginger so I'll be baking up the rest of the dough for him on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />You can find the cookie recipe on Heather's blog and if you'd like to make my version, just throw in a handful of chopped candied ginger at the end. I also flattened the balls of dough after putting them on the cookie sheets, to ensure a more uniform shape - if you follow Dorie's instructions, you'll get a more spherical shape and the bottoms may cook faster than the tops.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIMGf2wpSbbvRbTFfDrqbuhCxG6RzVHJPuWp18m8XLWyecWx5byl-Nc16ysye2yHyjmNIo_4AS3tQrRAGJs-BQUsyXYGf91kIQSzzhG0RTN1JhSvKKyfTfUVW6LFKPolCF1CvguXYPwQ/s1600-h/IMG_0340.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIMGf2wpSbbvRbTFfDrqbuhCxG6RzVHJPuWp18m8XLWyecWx5byl-Nc16ysye2yHyjmNIo_4AS3tQrRAGJs-BQUsyXYGf91kIQSzzhG0RTN1JhSvKKyfTfUVW6LFKPolCF1CvguXYPwQ/s400/IMG_0340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280387001396797474" border="0" /></a><br />It's a cookie time of year and I was happy to add another one to the roster - thanks, Heather!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-23144358468767462482008-12-08T20:56:00.012-05:002008-12-09T07:12:23.124-05:00Grandma's Sugar Cookies ( TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYaLsUkaoCnAUAqmqMDd-2Urvf6DUObo3XqU_TBBmjb3GFBMMhgt1pyLSM2svQ6Pqt60ns6i8-RgF0Zeqn6IB0j_pu3lG0BEdLCQjoQt9Md8L3Ex1j6IzdK-Lno9VTzUq8UodZlJVZXI/s1600-h/cherrypist5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYaLsUkaoCnAUAqmqMDd-2Urvf6DUObo3XqU_TBBmjb3GFBMMhgt1pyLSM2svQ6Pqt60ns6i8-RgF0Zeqn6IB0j_pu3lG0BEdLCQjoQt9Md8L3Ex1j6IzdK-Lno9VTzUq8UodZlJVZXI/s400/cherrypist5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609588793961042" border="0" /></a>Sugar and spice. And butter. And salt. And well you know, a few pistachios and dried cherries don't hurt either. For this week's <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>, we are making Grandma's Sugar Cookies, which are a very simple cookie that offers lots of room for improvisation. These cookies were chosen by Ulrike of <a href="http://ostwestwind.twoday.net/">Kuchenlatein</a> and you can find the recipe on her blog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9N-QgdKsjedrzy_Rd7FTzG0y7WjY2xGi85wA1yplaTOAOjZdR7syQhYzcn6L1zgD4kx5JszoV8KIrsr16DFGQpA4bZpoRz8djisbNXxBTiRdWF7oyekE2ThAVRc7j-sZ7Brtp6CNzNek/s1600-h/cinnsug2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9N-QgdKsjedrzy_Rd7FTzG0y7WjY2xGi85wA1yplaTOAOjZdR7syQhYzcn6L1zgD4kx5JszoV8KIrsr16DFGQpA4bZpoRz8djisbNXxBTiRdWF7oyekE2ThAVRc7j-sZ7Brtp6CNzNek/s400/cinnsug2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609021922745602" border="0" /></a><br />I baked two versions -- one a simple version with lots of spicy cinnamon baked inside (I love <a href="http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysvietnamesecinnamon.html">Penzey's Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon</a>) and a light dusting of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on before baking. These remind of a crisper, neater Snickerdoodle and they are really well suited for accompanying afternoon tea or late night cocoa.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXENZx_3ioIG9bnW3npK26_9evAkKOk1YvY7AeLsrmy_BnW-H6W0dpm5jSPFQ39ImeGblUeFYj4E2nGzhZa-VZjh2aDnnwb-MuZ0PnPCyEcQRGlEs49X3Yi7n_s4MeIYtwr0fNTcVqg8o/s1600-h/cinnsug1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXENZx_3ioIG9bnW3npK26_9evAkKOk1YvY7AeLsrmy_BnW-H6W0dpm5jSPFQ39ImeGblUeFYj4E2nGzhZa-VZjh2aDnnwb-MuZ0PnPCyEcQRGlEs49X3Yi7n_s4MeIYtwr0fNTcVqg8o/s400/cinnsug1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609246316408706" border="0" /></a><br />My second batch was studded with dried cherries and pistachios. I love this combination for the holidays as you get the red & green effect but in more muted tones than brightly colored sugar. And the flavors are so good together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHdWhOPV3-_4hn8oSOB65mtyePpfTWKAhBR51PcAsBdy-hdOfoP1nENtbDX54mA72vqTuEd6GeH3kyVC6YqoR72349WmbVpiAGEHMsND7p4Xrv5EIhiee3pDLJBtlXyDCrdaGoow-7F0/s1600-h/cherrypist3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHdWhOPV3-_4hn8oSOB65mtyePpfTWKAhBR51PcAsBdy-hdOfoP1nENtbDX54mA72vqTuEd6GeH3kyVC6YqoR72349WmbVpiAGEHMsND7p4Xrv5EIhiee3pDLJBtlXyDCrdaGoow-7F0/s400/cherrypist3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609580766104466" border="0" /></a>For the record, I don't make shaped, frosted cookies for the holidays. Or for anytime. I have nothing against those cookies, and I know that the TWD bakers are going to knock themselves out with creativity and artistry on this week's challenge.<br /><br />But you see a while back, I worked for <a href="http://www.elenis.com/">a cookie company</a> that specializes in hand-iced cookies. The cookies look gorgeous, and sometimes they don't taste bad either. But when you have a job where you watch people ice cookies for 8 hours a day, and they do it really, really well and really, really fast... Well, let's just say your motivation to do it at home definitely wanes. I ate so many iced cookies at that job. And I have never even liked iced cookies that much to begin with! But they were everywhere, all day long, and when a hunger pang or a boredom streak would hit, there the cookies were - so pretty, so inviting, so damn fattening. Sigh.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgUyRm8ci7OdZ8R8BtZFY2jrSw4I37GAu-JpbDDDYpwJAkNlkicOY0g3AwJHYVuNIxYRJh6tqfDQxZQws5VeYqXamhxxKaSZICwkKhTW5wepsonuJmxfX3i5vqkFMfnnd557MOJa6vxE/s1600-h/cherrypist4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgUyRm8ci7OdZ8R8BtZFY2jrSw4I37GAu-JpbDDDYpwJAkNlkicOY0g3AwJHYVuNIxYRJh6tqfDQxZQws5VeYqXamhxxKaSZICwkKhTW5wepsonuJmxfX3i5vqkFMfnnd557MOJa6vxE/s400/cherrypist4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609584151834258" border="0" /></a><br />Every once in a while, we would have to test out new packaging and we would try eating really old cookies to see how they had fared. Needless to say, somebody has to spit out yucky, rotten cookies in order to tell you when they are "best eaten by." And that person was occasionally me. So, yup, I'm over iced, shaped cookies. They look pretty, and I bow down to all of you who slave over them. But as for me, I am now solely a "slice and bake" gal when it comes to sugar cookies.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimB8F1jsKZV2JTwbRiPKb7KF4WgMMnCEvKE3JQ2gEPdCQYTEe4erQN_5LzdJJSK_RzyG7r8gmMoL_COA80LiRZsUpfhhdEiuNJAlmIK9kplMpHnYGaFX-5Tp5nKni-d6ZeENdUCM2FgdQ/s1600-h/cherrypist2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimB8F1jsKZV2JTwbRiPKb7KF4WgMMnCEvKE3JQ2gEPdCQYTEe4erQN_5LzdJJSK_RzyG7r8gmMoL_COA80LiRZsUpfhhdEiuNJAlmIK9kplMpHnYGaFX-5Tp5nKni-d6ZeENdUCM2FgdQ/s400/cherrypist2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277609574458991218" border="0" /></a><br />Speaking of which...I like to wrap my cookies in parchment rather than the saran that Dorie recommends. I find it's helpful if you write the baking time and temp on the packages so you don't have to root around for the recipe later. I usually make 6 or 7 different cookie doughs for the holidays. I freeze the doughs in parchment rolls or individually scooped balls, label them and then bake in small batches for gift bags as I need them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwALlmuv9eE_pzNZaiUJ_2ckqye6XycyuJ9EGNm6lU_lfqRLHuWQkP2RHC5yEcIBc9psVVzwQPiOg7_bfKiLdfq92PDwAUBuJZewSW2qpfOh-V4l5LUW2mnd5Qb0PuphM-1mEjqvAffk/s1600-h/tags2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwALlmuv9eE_pzNZaiUJ_2ckqye6XycyuJ9EGNm6lU_lfqRLHuWQkP2RHC5yEcIBc9psVVzwQPiOg7_bfKiLdfq92PDwAUBuJZewSW2qpfOh-V4l5LUW2mnd5Qb0PuphM-1mEjqvAffk/s400/tags2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277603482740832178" border="0" /></a>This year, these cookies will definitely be in the line-up.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-75567724904142401202008-12-02T22:11:00.007-05:002008-12-02T22:31:48.561-05:00Pecan Sable Sandwiches (TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfPDTHwB1lY-pIDxYdH_i0JwDRqb1hBPfV30hqun3NbzmHaT450ZF0_4IX78v5GpOPmPx3lfaNDaFOJVQ3rFu1d_CXQZCF5v_rRyI76W40YqrXIGbPyePq0J5fgXeWM5vlUT5dtCqKoo/s1600-h/pecancookie1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfPDTHwB1lY-pIDxYdH_i0JwDRqb1hBPfV30hqun3NbzmHaT450ZF0_4IX78v5GpOPmPx3lfaNDaFOJVQ3rFu1d_CXQZCF5v_rRyI76W40YqrXIGbPyePq0J5fgXeWM5vlUT5dtCqKoo/s400/pecancookie1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275399414641075762" border="0" /></a><br />I can't believe I am squeaking this post in under deadline! It's been weeks since I did a <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> recipe - I know, I'm a bad, bad blogger. But I did it! 10:13 pm and I can post my pecan sable sandwiches.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/dorie_greenspan/">Dorie</a> didn't say you could use pecans in this recipe. Did she know something that I didn't? Well, I forged ahead anyway with some of the many pecans stocked in my freezer. I also used light brown sugar instead of white sugar - it's become a standard substitution for me lately as I think it's always an improvement. I filled mine with apricot jam and used a rectangular scalloped cutter that I LOVE. I poked tiny holes with the end of a tapered chopstick as I couldn't find my teeny pastry tip. The holes were a bit too small to give any peekaboo action, but I still love the shape and look of these and will definitely try it again with another recipe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScrjGLIXcxaNW5bjQfDjOf4Nu8HuG56ndKnwoiQHi1AoYTz_sGiPntlGlsvPwBMJ3TAEA4fq7jpKwF0iHCyXUZ1uW7C7Qw4WtxtQ270Vl7CwvaMUmNepLyk2jKI5LAzNfn9aPd-fDvFQ/s1600-h/pecancookie2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScrjGLIXcxaNW5bjQfDjOf4Nu8HuG56ndKnwoiQHi1AoYTz_sGiPntlGlsvPwBMJ3TAEA4fq7jpKwF0iHCyXUZ1uW7C7Qw4WtxtQ270Vl7CwvaMUmNepLyk2jKI5LAzNfn9aPd-fDvFQ/s400/pecancookie2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275399419771264482" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Despite my abiding love for pecans and brown sugar, I have to say that I found these a little bland. With a few bites I got a shot of salt and that seemed to improve things for my tastebuds but otherwise I'd have to say "eh."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT4iNwK5587GxrRU1SpNP2Cl5K5gaF_w3QYZWlkgBoVhaTBcnm89bPW8L4Fc-EvI6xXskC0G-fFJPvImfk4u4lcwP8wcLjzcbEwhbnPyjIE6Wk03KzygF0RKgpLvyw8om_5IgeGxhQ_8/s1600-h/pecancookie3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT4iNwK5587GxrRU1SpNP2Cl5K5gaF_w3QYZWlkgBoVhaTBcnm89bPW8L4Fc-EvI6xXskC0G-fFJPvImfk4u4lcwP8wcLjzcbEwhbnPyjIE6Wk03KzygF0RKgpLvyw8om_5IgeGxhQ_8/s400/pecancookie3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275399418776483842" border="0" /></a><br />As for the comments from other TWD'ers about the yield, my cutter is 2"x1.5" and I would get at least 30 sandwiches if I baked all of the dough.<br /><br />Thank you to Dennis of <a href="http://noskos.blogspot.com/">Living the Life</a> for choosing this week's recipe. I had never made sandwich cookies before and I'm inspired to make more types, so thanks Dennis.<br /><br />On another note, I have a <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=17624">new camera</a>. I am in love with it. Still working on getting the hang of how to use all the features and take better shots, but it's a great improvement and I can't stop taking pictures with it. It would probably help matters if I stopped trying to shoot late at night in my dark kitchen, but that's another issue. I love my new toy - thanks, Tom!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-29650240654163933262008-11-26T21:35:00.006-05:002008-11-28T08:31:45.887-05:00Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving.......and all through the kitchen: the turkey was a-brining, the pie shells were a-chilling and the ice cream maker was a-churning. That's pretty much the status here. Actually, the turkey is no longer in brine but now splayed out on a sheet pan in all its full glory (legs wide open, wings akimbo) in the bottom of the fridge. I am following a Cooks Illustrated recipe, which involves letting the skin dry out before roasting. Supposedly this gives a crisper skin. All I can say is right now I crack up every time I open the fridge door and see that naked turkey butt staring at me.<br /><br />Every year, I try some new-fangled turkey concept and it's usually a bit of a disaster. Let's not revisit last year's grilled butterflied turkey incident (charred on the outside, raw on the inside, anyone?) or the 18-pounder whose brining solution spilled all over the fridge and the floor the year before. This year, I'm back to the oven method but I still couldn't stay away from a recipe that promises perfection through complex processes. So I'll be turning the turkey over 3 times during the course of its time in the cooker, punching holes in foil to go under it and basting with butter. We'll see what happens. Next year, I promise, really, truly, I will just stick the thing in the oven, shut the door and wait until the timer goes off.<br /><br />Anyway, also on the menu is stuffing which I haven't made yet but will be fairly basic: bread, turkey stock, celery, onions, sage, parsley, apples and pecans. Sometimes I add sausage and I bought a nice chicken-fennel sausage last Saturday with that intention but we ate it on Monday. Oh well.<br /><br />Determined not to make the gravy easy either, I followed a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/dining/19gravy.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=gravy&st=cse">NY Times recipe</a> for making do-ahead gravy with real pan drippings. Took me all day Sunday. But I ended up with 2 quarts of gravy that is already done. I hate making gravy - always another stresser. It's hot in the kitchen, people are trying to get in and out of the oven while I'm stirring like a madwoman and cursing that stupid fat-separating measuring cup that never actually works. So the gravy is done and I hope it's okay. I didn't really taste it much on Sunday.<br /><br />I'm making pies too. More on that tomorrow when I know how they turned out. Pie crust is my nemesis and I'm still not sure I succeeded this time. I made another batch tonight despite already having 2 pie shells in the freezer because I didn't feel confident about one of them (had to roll it out twice). So more rolling on the agenda in the morning. Man, do I hate rolling out pie crust - why is it my favorite dessert??<br /><br />But I love this holiday. We all get along, there's a nip in the air, no gifts are required and it's all about food!<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! May your turkeys be juicy, your cranberries neither too tart nor too sweet and your pie crusts flaky! Catch you on the other side of gluttony.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-80402786733972354032008-11-18T07:40:00.019-05:002008-11-19T08:44:29.910-05:00Heartbroken<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YR3JADnL4xRJG7TjK_LpFEIQ0nTdjaDQbyrkJFRazu7FfYQaPBOAL4snAAgx94fhPV8k6iDWAcG_YzxlII0NaCYX9she_X5yfDiY4lQQLVNIBdlXv9m2Jt_u3l-bIxgh30dupg0AWRc/s1600-h/pumpkinsolo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 366px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YR3JADnL4xRJG7TjK_LpFEIQ0nTdjaDQbyrkJFRazu7FfYQaPBOAL4snAAgx94fhPV8k6iDWAcG_YzxlII0NaCYX9she_X5yfDiY4lQQLVNIBdlXv9m2Jt_u3l-bIxgh30dupg0AWRc/s400/pumpkinsolo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270355609046101698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pumpkin as a young kitten</span><br /></div><br />We have been left speechless and heartbroken by the sudden death of our 5-year-old Pumpkin.<br /><br />Pumpkin had the purest heart we have ever known, sharing love with all of us unconditionally and selflessly. We called him Mr. Sunshine because he brought so much happiness to our home and greeted each new day with nothing but joy. He loved to play, and could jump so high to catch bouncy balls that we also called him Air Pumpkin. His ability to turn 180 degress in midair was truly remarkable and never failed to make us laugh and marvel at his agility. He was a small fellow, never growing much past kitten-size, but he was fast, agile and graceful.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShvmYAX1flzBJs94zQVuaf7COj_CAm5_570qf6KJRlNWI3MRXyjgZNsc2oF-FJHs5xm48dPqiiiYNEu4FWX2Qkis2PGadot2d3qqvXZwHVeoqT_CEASK2B0EUFcS9M0zZmh6n5LCCPIY/s1600-h/pumpkin1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShvmYAX1flzBJs94zQVuaf7COj_CAm5_570qf6KJRlNWI3MRXyjgZNsc2oF-FJHs5xm48dPqiiiYNEu4FWX2Qkis2PGadot2d3qqvXZwHVeoqT_CEASK2B0EUFcS9M0zZmh6n5LCCPIY/s400/pumpkin1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270353781488921026" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">On his favorite orange blanket, with a favorite toy<br /></span></div><br />Pumpkin loved all the other cats in our home, even when they didn't love him back. My first cat Shera never forgave us for adopting Pumpkin and GoGo Boots, as she had been an only child until then. She hissed and swatted at them on a regular basis. Pumpkin was never deterred, continuing to try to befriend her no matter what. When Shera was sick and dying, Pumpkin often sat with her, curling up to keep her warm. Shera had rejected his friendship for the entire time they lived together but Pumpkin never gave up on her. And when Merlin joined our home, coming in as a very aggressive cat used to fighting for territory outside, Pumpkin kept his distance until Merlin was ready to be friendly. His careful dances around Merlin were acts of diplomacy worthy of a Secretary of State.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5-Jfq6137ubUD6Mnj02lJ9QW7ff-FQFVHqWe_-7Cwlg7JgI8hfbQ0FCQB4luFgvmRc-T2hNZZzvcEpzZx0nV717_wSQRIhYbrVpsJpjbBBCLISQOKk6rcl_QOWZPRy_49lYA1AFROPI/s1600-h/Pumpkin&Gonzo2007+-+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5-Jfq6137ubUD6Mnj02lJ9QW7ff-FQFVHqWe_-7Cwlg7JgI8hfbQ0FCQB4luFgvmRc-T2hNZZzvcEpzZx0nV717_wSQRIhYbrVpsJpjbBBCLISQOKk6rcl_QOWZPRy_49lYA1AFROPI/s400/Pumpkin&Gonzo2007+-+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270359037306740866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pumpkin & Gonzo<br /></span></div><br />Pumpkin also adored his older uncle, Gonzo, who came to us from Tom's mother. Gonzo was shy about fitting into a home with three cats already established there but Pumpkin made friends immediately and loved to curl up with Gonzo in front of the fire or on a blanket. Again, when Gonzo was sick, Pumpkin watched over him.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xbHvbrAnOHAIZSdVGFmCN_0AuQ5FmEyDLM29XHk4KwMRB-dIWdiq1a2WugJFJe-lHYLvofdrNhxPmBWW_krWvWCaVZ7P1V_BSWKrXNmPdXOq_nlhl-q_zV5vdhNXj6SjTc44HQbT-Ow/s1600-h/Pumpkin&Gogo2007+-+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xbHvbrAnOHAIZSdVGFmCN_0AuQ5FmEyDLM29XHk4KwMRB-dIWdiq1a2WugJFJe-lHYLvofdrNhxPmBWW_krWvWCaVZ7P1V_BSWKrXNmPdXOq_nlhl-q_zV5vdhNXj6SjTc44HQbT-Ow/s400/Pumpkin&Gogo2007+-+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270353949323125522" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hunting for a bug together</span><br /><br /></div>But the one he loved most of all was his brother GoGo Boots. We rescued both of them together at 2 months old when they were wild semi-feral kittens. We had no intention of keeping one of them, let alone two, but we fell in love quickly and when we saw how much they loved each other, we couldn't stand to separate them.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3GJnJ9XweQ0W-_QljYhI-nVDft4q9JhonBVkaa3mrulAcvjRieJDevHo_KZzJnyyS-2eDh9at_sm1TYHhl_eXBiNgEGACRDX2LJFhO4dLKADMx221J870OlgyxJGPwijmeMUMpfKLtA/s1600-h/weloveornaments.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3GJnJ9XweQ0W-_QljYhI-nVDft4q9JhonBVkaa3mrulAcvjRieJDevHo_KZzJnyyS-2eDh9at_sm1TYHhl_eXBiNgEGACRDX2LJFhO4dLKADMx221J870OlgyxJGPwijmeMUMpfKLtA/s400/weloveornaments.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270357327028869314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Christmas kitties</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span></div> Pumpkin and GoGo were by each other's side every day since they were born. The hardest thing now is to see GoGo alone. One without the other just seems so wrong. My heart breaks for GoGo all day long, wishing we could bring his brother back or explain to him what happened.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibg55AamWypmDacYoMqW0NnnTsfYGlClrfWlC6UVGJpAxsQu7e8GQ_yDjonguEXXZIKO808nUCMNkFd9aKKZR3BaDQtehgGCoNdGFAYIGquOYX5CzVzhCgQRff8teGXoVPlML04BwxH2k/s1600-h/GoGo&Pumpkin+-+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibg55AamWypmDacYoMqW0NnnTsfYGlClrfWlC6UVGJpAxsQu7e8GQ_yDjonguEXXZIKO808nUCMNkFd9aKKZR3BaDQtehgGCoNdGFAYIGquOYX5CzVzhCgQRff8teGXoVPlML04BwxH2k/s400/GoGo&Pumpkin+-+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270353794018392482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Curled up cozy<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Tom and I have said goodbye to older cats and we have wondered what became of feral cats that we fed for years and then never saw again, so we are no strangers to grief for our pets. But this one hurts more than all the others combined. He was too young, and still so full of life to be gone this soon.<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>We miss Pumpkin more than we can ever say and wish the whole world could have known a heart as pure as his.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsGDX55cp_I75GCxufUBJ1Qj3I5X1Bb875MA6xNLN3UyRQIOruFcr2M8e0_-1CZLO9wzfQdn38norh1deI9c09jOuXW2mGjWnoQdfR18ls5rlPbU5CnJHEs8WZY_7i6qxdJY7LKydCb0/s1600-h/pumpkin&gogobw.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsGDX55cp_I75GCxufUBJ1Qj3I5X1Bb875MA6xNLN3UyRQIOruFcr2M8e0_-1CZLO9wzfQdn38norh1deI9c09jOuXW2mGjWnoQdfR18ls5rlPbU5CnJHEs8WZY_7i6qxdJY7LKydCb0/s400/pumpkin&gogobw.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270353769334874578" border="0" /></a>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-89762748495036110892008-10-28T20:04:00.005-04:002008-10-28T20:13:23.711-04:00So Our Children Can FlyI heard this on NPR today. I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of prose to come out of this election:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">"Rosa sat so Martin could walk.<br />Martin walked so Barack could run.<br />Barack is running so our children can fly."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I hope that all children of every race find inspiration to fly as high as they can.<br /><br />Vote!<br /><br />(For the full link, click <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96215190">here</a>.)<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-70128136463461527632008-10-24T11:47:00.013-04:002008-10-24T20:41:54.518-04:00My Nephew's Tomato Sauce<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfDBpK2zgaKqDTqyzs54GSOssj20AQc3pE6N2m32SVYVB9Zr7WDqlc5nW4pAK5f7bA_S8LVYCrVhLmhUB7IWixpayahiTU6uwfd9redvTR8xriPia-j57sXtuphDxpPiYRqGXm2vVxDo/s1600-h/tomatoes3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfDBpK2zgaKqDTqyzs54GSOssj20AQc3pE6N2m32SVYVB9Zr7WDqlc5nW4pAK5f7bA_S8LVYCrVhLmhUB7IWixpayahiTU6uwfd9redvTR8xriPia-j57sXtuphDxpPiYRqGXm2vVxDo/s400/tomatoes3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260883750171691890" border="0" /></a><br />Throw away those jars of supermarket tomato sauce right now! I am about to show you a way to make a great marinara sauce that is almost as simple as boiling the pasta. My nephew Ryan recently introduced me to this one. He credits <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcella_Hazan">Marcella Hazan</a> but I don't know which book of hers and as far as I'm concerned, it's Ryan's sauce.<br /><br />The basic recipe is as follows:<br />2 cans whole San Marzano plum tomatoes *, cut in half, with juices<br />1 onion, peeled & cut in half<br />1/2 stick butter<br />salt & pepper<br /><br />Put everything in a pot. Cook for a while.<br />Remove onion.<br />Serve over pasta with grated parmesan.<br /><br />Now that was was easy, wasn't it??<br /><br />*The brand of tomatoes is KEY. Ryan and I both love these:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJi03rH-72z7GGgpUXANcwEtDm9Tedkxj9wlGOocbT2TdeR1VO9QxwrObHdoh3DrN087B14YPAT30nhfa2-iS5WqY2R2cRyHesLjpXgIv6VHFOS7KiLuV0D67qjDSnhVHIM4XHyF4FkY/s1600-h/sanmarzano.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJi03rH-72z7GGgpUXANcwEtDm9Tedkxj9wlGOocbT2TdeR1VO9QxwrObHdoh3DrN087B14YPAT30nhfa2-iS5WqY2R2cRyHesLjpXgIv6VHFOS7KiLuV0D67qjDSnhVHIM4XHyF4FkY/s400/sanmarzano.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260883576204889442" border="0" /></a><br />We buy them at Whole Foods and I think the brand name itself is San Marzano. They are domestically grown tomatoes but they are so flavorful, bright red and firm that I thought for a long time that they were imported. There is probably some provenance-name infringement lawsuit coming their way one day as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marzano_tomato">San Marzano region in Italy is renowned for their plum tomatoes</a> and may have some sort of copyright thing on the name. But let's not tell anyone in San Marzano, Italy about them because I'd hate to see them disappear off the shelves. If you can't find these tomatoes, then make sure you do use imported San Marzano ones. There really is a difference in taste between those and basic Hunt's or Redpack.<br /><br />Here are a few other pointers:<br /><br />You can cut the tomatoes on a cutting board, but I recommend one with grooves on the edges or you end up with tomato juice everywhere. Alternatively, you can use my method, which is to slice them with scissors right into the pot. This also can be messy - watch out for exploding tomato seeds and juice! You should wear an apron and a shirt you don't care about. I dump the whole can into the pot, then fish around with (clean) hands for the tomatoes and cut them underneath the juice so that any exploding seeds stay under the surface.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0UDSSYHWhqPk9F5wVsQ0oZTUeA9bRxppZvhwRUozm-NLA6EffEnST6CiSlkzljG7T17ROOyA2n26tLWgvDN7eWwbvseNaiwfn5oNutvv30aSBpJ1im2XNGzWpXjhd7fsJwpmEBsZSZM/s1600-h/tomatoes.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0UDSSYHWhqPk9F5wVsQ0oZTUeA9bRxppZvhwRUozm-NLA6EffEnST6CiSlkzljG7T17ROOyA2n26tLWgvDN7eWwbvseNaiwfn5oNutvv30aSBpJ1im2XNGzWpXjhd7fsJwpmEBsZSZM/s400/tomatoes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260883740746626450" border="0" /></a><br />If you prefer a thick sauce, you can leave out the juice from can but I hate to waste it and usually opt to include it but cook longer (see below).<br /><br />The sauce is typically cooked at a low simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you have more time, you can keep cooking it for up to 3 hours for an even more yummy sauce. The tomato flavor will concentrate with more cooking as the tomatoes reduce.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMBP4bsV502Y6MtUHl_bkX_pLHJSGQVU5s0SkanEmI3BpwBRv87grKIjQr_JZn1Ok6Ee-Ns0v4RB1_oiiwtauFobf_h2I8QUXgwPUwy4N8gSZJ_y_Pm5PWFroQpcsnkPvz71aRX9GDXk/s1600-h/tomatoes2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeMBP4bsV502Y6MtUHl_bkX_pLHJSGQVU5s0SkanEmI3BpwBRv87grKIjQr_JZn1Ok6Ee-Ns0v4RB1_oiiwtauFobf_h2I8QUXgwPUwy4N8gSZJ_y_Pm5PWFroQpcsnkPvz71aRX9GDXk/s400/tomatoes2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260883743678406050" border="0" /></a><br />I like to smooth out the sauce with my hand-held immersion blender but you can also leave it chunky which is how Ryan likes his.<br /><br />You can add browned ground beef (or mix of beef & pork); browned sausage, fresh basil, etc. but this sauce is really very good on its own. The butter gives it enough depth that it doesn't need other embellishments, especially over ravioli or another filled pasta. This sauce is especially handy if you are making a lasagna or other multi-ingredient baked pasta as you don't need to spend a lot of time chopping garlic & onions, sauteeing, etc.<br /><br />Thank you, Ry, for a great easy way to make homemade tomato sauce!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2grI5ts6N4oy0pFP_H9VjlThcIfVzxB8Bnf4wRFi5Sjwo9bz_oQHTdYBmqEFdyURQLyAPVqoD835aJ1_1geL9gct7pzweUQVcRq6YhFU0IFFPp6x4-KZxA0IJT-mdS6wYtFMu3ly3XY/s1600-h/IMG_0905.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2grI5ts6N4oy0pFP_H9VjlThcIfVzxB8Bnf4wRFi5Sjwo9bz_oQHTdYBmqEFdyURQLyAPVqoD835aJ1_1geL9gct7pzweUQVcRq6YhFU0IFFPp6x4-KZxA0IJT-mdS6wYtFMu3ly3XY/s400/IMG_0905.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260883296868937666" border="0" /></a>Ryan, October 2008<br /></div>Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-64636952398361859952008-10-21T19:50:00.011-04:002008-10-21T20:17:22.420-04:00Pumpkin Coconut Curry Muffins (TWD)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj36WMCkHkxvk9wSPye_GZNVS2eWRGE7lrxqZQN89G41uUMPTzXVuSZTNTAkBm_K0JOzc5O1R2tqLNXodBntG2_D91ggKbpRxZe6jqw78yXdsSlSkB5qnZkBkoDf0BivdxsQD_iDK90AI/s1600-h/pumpkinmuffin4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj36WMCkHkxvk9wSPye_GZNVS2eWRGE7lrxqZQN89G41uUMPTzXVuSZTNTAkBm_K0JOzc5O1R2tqLNXodBntG2_D91ggKbpRxZe6jqw78yXdsSlSkB5qnZkBkoDf0BivdxsQD_iDK90AI/s400/pumpkinmuffin4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259763670135756098" border="0" /></a>I love pumpkin. I love it in a pie, I love it in a cake, I love it in a bread, I love it in a cookie, I love it in a soup, I love it in a risotto. Morning, noon, evening, night - I'll eat a pumpkin treat anytime of day. I love pumpkin so much that we even named one of our kitties after my favorite squash.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOztC-TGPB1DJgITIXD7EidcJq9crAhbgBEmEgdWTQHp-hfEGufnlSmaRTeuusuvyz3ycf-k-k6vo-hQhNXiLXh6FDolJSPJCMc_S-4KOPlB0F2vNYrz5ra-Sk9tzKU0vKOCSbuW3tdag/s1600-h/pumpkin.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOztC-TGPB1DJgITIXD7EidcJq9crAhbgBEmEgdWTQHp-hfEGufnlSmaRTeuusuvyz3ycf-k-k6vo-hQhNXiLXh6FDolJSPJCMc_S-4KOPlB0F2vNYrz5ra-Sk9tzKU0vKOCSbuW3tdag/s400/pumpkin.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259763682707185426" border="0" /></a>(Aw isn't he adorable?)<br /></div><br />Pumpkin season (aka October and November) is a big deal in our house. Almost every Saturday, I cart back a pumpkin or two from our farmer's market for roasting and pureeing. Tom knows it's fall when he finds the sink full of pumpkin pulp and seeds all over the kitchen floor (have I mentioned yet that I'm a bit of a messy cook? I clean up later but the in-progress stage is sheer mayhem given how tiny our kitchen is and how ambitious my projects are...but I digress).<br /><br />So naturally I was thrilled to see that this week's selection for <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a> was her Pumpkin Muffins, even though I've made them before. Twice. Or maybe 3 times. Because I'm just that way about pumpkin (and about Dorie's recipes!). But this time I decided to make a few changes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVViSfaO1BbcqVWju-1cnsvJLOU0wIUag9qZM0N4iRhIk-nU7B_3w2vrW0EINcIT42gM3FGyvjCvD34vEXexsEwrxeI3x7beHJx6HW2oPltLb3VdvKsBj-lChO_BKTun0M0b67Wp3jvZA/s1600-h/pumpkinmuffin2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVViSfaO1BbcqVWju-1cnsvJLOU0wIUag9qZM0N4iRhIk-nU7B_3w2vrW0EINcIT42gM3FGyvjCvD34vEXexsEwrxeI3x7beHJx6HW2oPltLb3VdvKsBj-lChO_BKTun0M0b67Wp3jvZA/s400/pumpkinmuffin2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259763979624439794" border="0" /></a><br />I wanted to come up with a flavor that would remind me of a <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/10097">North African pumpkin curry</a>. I was a little timid about going too far with those flavors, though. So I added about a cup of sweet coconut and 1/4 tsp of curry flavor, omitting the nutmeg and cloves. I thought about substituting coconut milk for the buttermilk but chickened out. I also cut the sugar down by about 1/4 cup and used 1 cup of white whole wheat flour instead of all white flour. The pumpkin and coconut go really well together, though I think I would try adding the coconut milk next time as the coconut was fairly subtle. I also would add double the amount of curry and see how it tastes - I could barely taste any spice at all.<br /><br />It was so much fun to be back in the TWD groove after 2 weeks off! During those weeks, I was lazy about posting but I hope to be back up to speed in coming weeks.<br /><br />p.s. I also entered an Apple Pie contest this weekend at <a href="http://www.hastingsfarmersmarket.org/">a nearby Farmers' Market</a>. I made two pies - Caramel Apple and Honey Lemon Thyme. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead when I got to the market so I have no photos but you'll just have to believe me on this one. I made the mistake of making them late at night when I was tired, so I don't think they were my best efforts but at least I tried two new versions. The honey thyme was a very intriguing flavor - maybe not for everyone, but definitely interesting. The first and second place pies were quite good but totally straightforward basic apple - the contest rules had encouraged creativity so I thought there would be more interesting winners but I have to admit they were good. Next year, I'll make one that is more classic, and not do it when tired and impatient. I have a year to work on it so I know I can win next year!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-68728705398897166112008-10-13T21:31:00.004-04:002008-10-13T21:38:41.929-04:00TWD Mini BreakI am taking a mini break from <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>. Unfortunately, all the baking has had a negative impact on waistlines and pocketbooks in our home. I will be back next week for pumpkin muffins but have decided I need to be more discerning about which recipes I make, especially if I don't have a reason to share them with others or they are high-calorie. I'm trying to cut out all desserts during the week and just allow myself to splurge on Saturday or Sunday. If the TWD recipe is one that I can't share or don't feel inspired to make, it's going to have to be skipped. This is a big change for me as I have an insatiable sweet tooth. But it needs to be done...<br /><br />I will continue to follow the other TWD bakers and try to bake a TWD recipe at least twice a month as the rules require. But I have also joined a new baker-blogger club, "<a href="http://pieswiththat.blogspot.com/">You Want Pies with That?</a>" which is all about my favorite dessert, PIE. I am excited for my first post with them!<br /><br />I will continue to post about baking & cooking as I can, and will be starting a series of profiles of our kitties in the near future, along with an adoption progress update. So stay tuned!Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-41408102898122365032008-09-29T20:48:00.014-04:002008-09-30T10:16:26.605-04:00TWD Rewind: Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU76kkEuQ8G-PWrH_ByO96k7UO4BtLqOt-6qOVh4NK0lcsqGAv25zns9lr55c7PN9sFQGPIK0HCqePeeoeuquu2rIQdrhTsiwQr8pqBtKDFjWIHUmtjrxe7DRZBSOh5iwllWZpbZDtgI/s1600-h/biscuit2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaU76kkEuQ8G-PWrH_ByO96k7UO4BtLqOt-6qOVh4NK0lcsqGAv25zns9lr55c7PN9sFQGPIK0HCqePeeoeuquu2rIQdrhTsiwQr8pqBtKDFjWIHUmtjrxe7DRZBSOh5iwllWZpbZDtgI/s400/biscuit2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251612895163067154" border="0" /></a>This week's official recipe for TWD is Creme Brulee. You can find the recipe on the blog of this week's host, Mari of <a href="http://www.mevrouwcupcake.com/">Mevrouw Cupcake</a>.<br /><br />I was so happy to see the offer for a rewind as I'm not a big fan of creme brulee. It's a bit rich for me and there was no way I could justify making it for just me and kittydad. Now, I don't seem to have a problem with making ice cream for just the two of us...and I know it's essentially the same ingredients but still, I couldn't do creme brulee this week. Finally, I don't own a torch so that sealed the deal to go for a rewind. (For non-TWD'ers, this means making a recipe that was already made in the past but you missed).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidu-qDH0OaMtRwBWOR12JQF5gphPLHovePH1FUH7ksNMbKdtrvHOj95MQSTxEnLT-JehJSkO3xBN0kBZV9yetE2W64cB5wdMLYA4LmsA4Bn8jBhcp4hfEFAE0LfkCBK6BrZmK0wHU1ks/s1600-h/biscuit4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidu-qDH0OaMtRwBWOR12JQF5gphPLHovePH1FUH7ksNMbKdtrvHOj95MQSTxEnLT-JehJSkO3xBN0kBZV9yetE2W64cB5wdMLYA4LmsA4Bn8jBhcp4hfEFAE0LfkCBK6BrZmK0wHU1ks/s400/biscuit4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251612892658897794" border="0" /></a><br />Feeling a bit over-sated and over-sweetened this weekend from all the baking of weeks prior, I opted for the least sweet thing I could find on the list: pecan sour cream biscuits. I've been wanting to make these for a while. I L-O-V-E biscuits. It has taken me a lot of practice to get the hang of biscuits - flaky, light, tender is the goal but it's harder than you might think to perfect it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLrw1wSTYujPK9FraSgiOPtLbiWeSeXYZo5T-bDkjEZRvDytK451wjcHmOofveY9XsIUsLBwGC08WaNu1xJFOnWhfOn2TVmgZUWK0d33DWI4GXGw6uILBxvWdzzrdbFP8VdSCgo4I2Nw/s1600-h/biscuit5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTLrw1wSTYujPK9FraSgiOPtLbiWeSeXYZo5T-bDkjEZRvDytK451wjcHmOofveY9XsIUsLBwGC08WaNu1xJFOnWhfOn2TVmgZUWK0d33DWI4GXGw6uILBxvWdzzrdbFP8VdSCgo4I2Nw/s400/biscuit5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251613987007594114" border="0" /></a>Chock full of crunchy pecans.<br /></div><br />I didn't have sour cream in the house (well, I did, actually but it was a putrid shade of green), so I decided to sub 0% Greek yogurt. It worked great, and kept the fat content down. I made mine a little smaller and a little taller than Dorie calls for - they sort of fell over a bit on the side, rather charming, don't you think?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCvyW-lMp1rN-1bY-ZD5-isMfkYPZMopj4x9NdDgOkllGccBzKcFMiODPZ-BL-9Uu_v_v6U6Ok1b2bOpBIX-ZK5205fHGnOJQO8ESeuBhqKFa1aBrWN67ZlRLEZhgdFx2aOL1qzusYxU/s1600-h/biscuit6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCvyW-lMp1rN-1bY-ZD5-isMfkYPZMopj4x9NdDgOkllGccBzKcFMiODPZ-BL-9Uu_v_v6U6Ok1b2bOpBIX-ZK5205fHGnOJQO8ESeuBhqKFa1aBrWN67ZlRLEZhgdFx2aOL1qzusYxU/s400/biscuit6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251614427288408242" border="0" /></a>Leaning tower of biscuit!<br />Check out those flaky layers!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">These are really yummy biscuits. I love the crunchy pecans and the slightly tangy taste.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xxbJJFowjfgEnWrPeq8M77izFDZ388-O4u01hShrL4nQU4su7oLt6dnU-EjI54YgnmXNzD7APww5Q40QRFzaKkXNlCrMQ4m0rf69tseeBaPPVeAAsDQ4ZCrLcILrT7HwIMW3SH1e_GQ/s1600-h/biscuit7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xxbJJFowjfgEnWrPeq8M77izFDZ388-O4u01hShrL4nQU4su7oLt6dnU-EjI54YgnmXNzD7APww5Q40QRFzaKkXNlCrMQ4m0rf69tseeBaPPVeAAsDQ4ZCrLcILrT7HwIMW3SH1e_GQ/s400/biscuit7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251615732826420370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Yum. If you want the recipe, just leave me a comment and I'll email it to you.Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995349630626260625.post-84884608992345011982008-09-27T11:35:00.009-04:002008-09-27T11:52:18.154-04:00A Great Loss<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqSJ0HnAdOhr5rs53a4Yb9e1PZme-2Z9VEHB-eR0tJySVP32mpXeXKz-VskA09mMeqHN62-hmQynSxbG3UjYvHYdXxNrllIOISBz_IHB7rxnmyzwnwtDwIP7DxO9x2cd2e5oQEqRnc1Q/s1600-h/paulnewman2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqSJ0HnAdOhr5rs53a4Yb9e1PZme-2Z9VEHB-eR0tJySVP32mpXeXKz-VskA09mMeqHN62-hmQynSxbG3UjYvHYdXxNrllIOISBz_IHB7rxnmyzwnwtDwIP7DxO9x2cd2e5oQEqRnc1Q/s400/paulnewman2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250727035535372962" border="0" /></a>Paul Newman was a terrific actor, a true humanitarian and a major philanthropist who gave much of his wealth to good causes. He was also an early leader in the organic food movement, bringing organic packaged goods to grocery store shelves before many people embraced the idea.<br /><br />As I live not far from his hometown, I have heard many stories from people who met him and apparently he was a very friendly, humble and funny man.<br /><br />He will be missed.<br /><img src="file:///Users/Ellen/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />Ellen and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13661563526576813030noreply@blogger.com0