Kittymama in the Kitchen

Moving Day

2009-08-02T12:36:00.006-04:00

I'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. I need your email address in order to put you on the "guest list."

If you came here via Rumor Queen, I'm happy to include you - just let me know your screenname over there as well as your email.

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.

Time Out

2009-06-07T09:35:00.008-04:00

To 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.

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:

(Photo deleted for privacy reasons - sorry but I had an icky comment here)

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.

kittymama

Blueberry & Sour Cherry Crumb Cake (TWD)

2009-03-22T19:17:00.020-04:00

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

You can find the recipe for this delicious crumb cake on Sihan's blog.

As for me, I'm going back down to the freezer to see what else might be hiding in there!

What I'm Not Showing You (TWD)

2009-03-16T22:12:00.009-04:00

This is a first for me in my short life as a blogger with TWD. 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.

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.

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.

Determined to triumph despite the little flop, I tried another version. I just finished reading "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. 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.

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, My Cookbook Addiction. And you can check out the other TWD bakers' reports by heading over to the blogroll.

Dark Chocolate Rosemary Tart for Pi Day

2009-03-14T12:15:00.021-04:00

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.

For this month's "You Want Pies with That" challenge, we blogger-bakers were invited by Elizabeth of Cake or Death 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.

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 formula for pi. At least, in my world it is. (Sorry, Archimedes)

As soon as ice cream season hits my kitchen, I am going to attempt a chocolate & rosemary ice cream, based on my favorite chocolate ice cream recipe. 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.

The tart is based on the cover recipe from Lori Longbotham's glorious book, Luscious Chocolate Desserts. 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.

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.

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.

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 Framani's rosemary ham, it just couldn't touch the chocolate-rosemary tart. I'm only mentioning it because I'm partial to these photos:

Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate & Rosemary Tart
Adapted from Lori Longbotham

To infuse the cream (best if done 24 hours in advance):
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.

For the crust:
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, cut into small pieces

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.
(Alternatively, you could buy a premade tart shell or make one with chocolate cookie crumbs).

For the filling:
14 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tbs sweet butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
Good pinch of sea salt, fleur de sel or kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla
Rosemary-infused cream from above

Remove the rosemary sprigs from the cream.

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.

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.

Before serving dust with cocoa if you like. Serve with whipped cream (also infused with rosemary would be a nice idea!) or creme fraiche.

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.

Caramel Crunch Buttons

2009-02-24T07:55:00.008-05:00

This week's challenge for Tuesdays with Dorie 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.

If you'd like to try your hand at these as either buttons or bars, you can find the recipe on Whitney's blog, What's Left on the Table.

Tuesday with Rose, Nick & Molly

2009-02-16T18:07:00.040-05:00

I did a bunch of baking this weekend, but had to cheat on Dorie & TWD. 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.

First, I started out with some scones from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible. 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.

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.

Next I moved onto a new brownie recipe from Nick Malgieri's new book, The Modern Baker. 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.

Finally, for my sweetheart of a husband I made Molly of Orangette'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!).

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) recipe. 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.

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 blogroll, or find the recipe by visiting Stephanie's blog, Confessions of a City Eater.

The Recipes:

Rose's Scones

2 sticks (8 oz) sweet butter, cold
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 liquid cups heavy cream
1 cup currants and/or dried cranberries or other fruit

Cut the butter into one-inch cubes and chill for 30 minutes, minimum.
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).
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.
Knead the dough in the bowl a few times until it just holds together, then turn out onto a lightly floured board.
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.
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.
Preheat oven to 400, with rack in middle.
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).
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).
Chill the scones on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet until ready to bake.
Bake 15-20 mins until nicely browned on bottom and golden on the tops and sides (but not too dark).
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.

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.

Nick's Cocoa Nib Brownies

8 oz sweet butter, cut into 12 pieces
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/4 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa nibs (optional)

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.

Put brown sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat in 1 egg at a time on the lowest speed.
Add salt, sugar and vanilla and beat smooth.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the chocolate-butter mixture with rubber spatula.
Mix in the flour, followed by 1/4 cup cocoa nibs if using.

Line a 9x13 baking pan with buttered foil (you may need 2 pieces - let it overhang the sides).

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and scatter rest of nibs on top.
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).

Cool brownies in pan on rack, then refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Let come to room temp, then invert, peel off foil and invert again.

You could use nuts or dried cherries in place of the nibs but the nibs are nice addition - adding crunch and bitterness.

World Peace Cookies (TWD)

2009-02-02T20:37:00.017-05:00

Oh, Dorie, if only we could bring about world peace through cookies! Our little TWD group would be the biggest peacemakers of all.

Yes, this week, my fellow bakers and I are blogging about Dorie Greenspan'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 the book! you won't regret it!). But if you believe sharing good food can great good will, then you get the idea.

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.

These cookies incorporate a healthy dose of fleur de sel, 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.

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.

If you'd like to try your own hand at encouraging world peace one cookie at a time, head over to Jessica's blog and check out the recipe.

Peace out, fellow bakers. :)

Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread (with pears)

2009-01-26T20:29:00.013-05:00

This week's selection for Tuesdays with Dorie 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 French Pear Tart, which quickly sweetened and softened a couple of pears.

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).

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.

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.

Thank you to Sherry of Sherry Trifle 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.

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!).

Savory Corn & Pepper Muffins (TWD)

2009-01-13T19:58:00.011-05:00

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake chose Dorie's Savory Corn & Pepper Muffins. I have talked about my love for all things corn before, 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.

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.

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.

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 the blogroll.

TWD: French Pear Tart

2009-01-05T20:06:00.011-05:00

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection is the French Pear Tart chosen by our patron saint of baking herself, Ms. Dorie Greenspan.

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!

Nevertheless.....oh and I so hate to go here but....I have to say that this recipe had me more confused than most.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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...

Bernie enjoying his tart & cake!

Chocolate Chunky Cups

2008-12-25T19:05:00.006-05:00

You guys all read Orangette, 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.

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 recent post 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 chocolate chip cookies. Easier than making fruit crisp. And way, way easier than making a pie crust.

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.

You can find the recipe here. 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).

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.

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 my 24-cup mini muffin tin to store them while chilling - very handy.

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.

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....

*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.

No Pudding in the House

2008-12-23T22:31:00.004-05:00

If 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.

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 here.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Still I'd Like to Save One Soul

2008-12-21T15:23:00.013-05:00

I'm not Christian. I need to say that upfront because I am about to tell you about my favorite Christmas cd, "William the Angel" by Rob Mathes. 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 listen. 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).

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 good article 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.

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.

Now I need to get back to the kitchen and bake more cookies!

Triple Ginger Buttery Jam Cookies (TWD)

2008-12-16T08:45:00.019-05:00

This week for Tuesdays with Dorie, Heather of Randomosity & The Girl, invited us to make Buttery Jam Cookies.

Peering into my fridge, I found a jar of ginger preserves that I had bought for the Fruit Galette 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.

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.

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.

It's a cookie time of year and I was happy to add another one to the roster - thanks, Heather!

Grandma's Sugar Cookies ( TWD)

2008-12-08T20:56:00.012-05:00

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 Tuesdays with Dorie, 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 Kuchenlatein and you can find the recipe on her blog.

I baked two versions -- one a simple version with lots of spicy cinnamon baked inside (I love Penzey's Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon) 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.

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.

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.

But you see a while back, I worked for a cookie company 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.

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.

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.

This year, these cookies will definitely be in the line-up.

Pecan Sable Sandwiches (TWD)

2008-12-02T22:11:00.007-05:00

I can't believe I am squeaking this post in under deadline! It's been weeks since I did a Tuesdays with Dorie recipe - I know, I'm a bad, bad blogger. But I did it! 10:13 pm and I can post my pecan sable sandwiches.

Dorie 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.

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."

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.

Thank you to Dennis of Living the Life for choosing this week's recipe. I had never made sandwich cookies before and I'm inspired to make more types, so thanks Dennis.

On another note, I have a new camera. 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!

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving...

2008-11-26T21:35:00.006-05:00

....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.

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.

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.

Determined not to make the gravy easy either, I followed a NY Times recipe 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.

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??

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!

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.

Heartbroken

2008-11-18T07:40:00.019-05:00

Pumpkin as a young kitten

We have been left speechless and heartbroken by the sudden death of our 5-year-old Pumpkin.

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.

On his favorite orange blanket, with a favorite toy

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.

Pumpkin & Gonzo

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.

Hunting for a bug together

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.

Christmas kitties

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.

Curled up cozy

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.

We miss Pumpkin more than we can ever say and wish the whole world could have known a heart as pure as his.

So Our Children Can Fly

2008-10-28T20:04:00.005-04:00

I heard this on NPR today. I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of prose to come out of this election:

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk.
Martin walked so Barack could run.
Barack is running so our children can fly."

I hope that all children of every race find inspiration to fly as high as they can.

Vote!

(For the full link, click here.)

My Nephew's Tomato Sauce

2008-10-24T11:47:00.013-04:00

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 Marcella Hazan but I don't know which book of hers and as far as I'm concerned, it's Ryan's sauce.

The basic recipe is as follows:
2 cans whole San Marzano plum tomatoes *, cut in half, with juices
1 onion, peeled & cut in half
1/2 stick butter
salt & pepper

Put everything in a pot. Cook for a while.
Remove onion.
Serve over pasta with grated parmesan.

Now that was was easy, wasn't it??

*The brand of tomatoes is KEY. Ryan and I both love these:

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 San Marzano region in Italy is renowned for their plum tomatoes 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.

Here are a few other pointers:

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Thank you, Ry, for a great easy way to make homemade tomato sauce!

Ryan, October 2008

Pumpkin Coconut Curry Muffins (TWD)

2008-10-21T19:50:00.011-04:00

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.

(Aw isn't he adorable?)

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).

So naturally I was thrilled to see that this week's selection for Tuesdays with Dorie 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.

I wanted to come up with a flavor that would remind me of a North African pumpkin curry. 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.

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.

p.s. I also entered an Apple Pie contest this weekend at a nearby Farmers' Market. 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!

TWD Mini Break

2008-10-13T21:31:00.004-04:00

I am taking a mini break from Tuesdays with Dorie. 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...

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, "You Want Pies with That?" which is all about my favorite dessert, PIE. I am excited for my first post with them!

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!

TWD Rewind: Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits

2008-09-29T20:48:00.014-04:00

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 Mevrouw Cupcake.

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).

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.

Chock full of crunchy pecans.

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?

Leaning tower of biscuit!
Check out those flaky layers!

These are really yummy biscuits. I love the crunchy pecans and the slightly tangy taste.

Yum. If you want the recipe, just leave me a comment and I'll email it to you.

A Great Loss

2008-09-27T11:35:00.009-04:00

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.

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.

He will be missed.

TWD: Dimply Plum Cake

2008-09-23T20:34:00.013-04:00

After not loving the last two cookies we made for TWD, I was happy to have a success in our house this week. Today's recipe was Dimply Plum Cake, chosen by fellow blogger Bake-En. You can find the recipe on her blog.

I had made the plum cake about a year ago and wrote a note in my book that said, "Don't overbake - a little bland." So this time, I added some sliced almonds to the top, a bit of almond extract to the batter and sprinkled the plums with cinnamon sugar before baking. Then I made sure to start checking the cake after only 30 minutes and I took it out at 35 mintues, instead of Dorie's stated 40 minutes. I thought it was perfect this go-round!

This plum cake reminds me of the famous New York Times Plum Torte, which definitely dates me as a baker and devotee of the NYT's food section (I started both hobbies at a very young age - really, I did!). To learn more, go here for an article and recipe. It's a delicious cake, too. I think baked plums are soooo yummy - much better than when they're raw. Baking them concentrates their jammy quality and turns them into a whole other fruit.

I love simple cakes with fruit. Especially because they take so well to adding a dollop of something else. In this case, I decided to try out Dorie's Burnt Sugar Ice Cream. Man, is that a good ice cream! The unchurned mixture tastes like melted caramel candies. Once churned, the ice cream has a fabulous "finish" (as they say in the wine world) of rich, dark caramel flavor that will make you really, really happy.

I used, once again, my method of replacing 1/4 cup of the sugar with 2 Tbs light corn syrup stirred in at the end. This guarantees a very smooth, scoopable ice cream -- I highly recommend trying it if you churn your own. Ever since I discovered this trick, I have become a bit obsessed with making ice cream. It's getting to be a bit of a problem in the house in terms of calorie intake, but I have to say there's nothing like digesting depressing economic news while ingesting a scoop of perfect caramel ice cream. A spoonful of ice cream helps the bad news go down, as I say.

TWD: Two for One Post

2008-09-16T20:47:00.012-04:00

First, just to catch myself up with the TWD schedule, I finally baked the malted whopper drops. I can't say I loved these. Maybe I would have enjoyed them more if I used Chocolate Ovaltine? Or if they had chocolate chunks only and no chewy, sweet Whoppers in them? Hard to say, and I'll probably never know as I don't feel inclined to make them again. BUT, it was fun to experiment and I now own real malted milk powder which I will need to use again, perhaps for ice cream.

As for this week's recipe, I did make them on time! Chocolate Chunkers were this week's challenge and I managed to bang them out on Sunday, despite being in a state of complete exhaustion from 14 hours of hard work on Saturday, combined with very little sleep for the previous few days. What better way to reward yourself for working hard than with chocolate cookies?
Unfortunately, this was another cookie that I liked but wouldn't go out of my way to make again. I'm not normally so finicky about cookies but these just had too much going on. I made mine with bittersweet chunks, white chocolate chunks, dried apricots and peanuts.

I personally prefer a cookie with a higher ratio of dough to chip or nut. I get the idea that these are supposed to be chockablock-filling cookies but I thought all the flavors competed and got in each other's way. Plus, talk about an expensive cookie! Sheesh, I could have made 3 batches of an ordinary cookie for what I spent on the additions for this one.

Thank you to Claudia of Fool For Food for choosing these. You can find the recipe on her blog.

Stay tuned for next week: Dimply Plum Cake. I've made it once already and am looking forward to it a second time.

Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops: Coming Soon!

2008-09-09T20:31:00.012-04:00

I bought the whoppers. I have plenty of cocoa, chocolate and butter. But I could not find malted milk powder (other than Ovaltine, which I don't like...) to save my life. I ended up ordering it online from King Arthur Flour so I'm hoping it arrives this week. I'm going to make this week's TWD goodie, I swear I am, but it may need to wait until the weekend.

In the meantime, I leave my fellow baker-bloggers and faithful readers with a really funny video chock-full of two of my favorite things, cake and cats. I double-dare you not to bounce your head and tap your foot along to this, with a big smile on your face.

TWD: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipster-wiches!

2008-09-01T20:41:00.018-04:00

Dorie said these cookies are great with ice cream. Um, no...sorry Dorie, you're wrong on this one. These cookies are INCREDIBLE with ice cream and make outstanding ice cream sandwiches. These are ice cream sandwiches that could change the course of human history. If everyone in the world could just eat one of these, they would lay down their arms, shed their prejudices and sing kumbaya all day long. Because there's no way you can hate anyone if you've had Dorie's Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters sandwiched with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. And if you eat one once a day, you might be a little chunky yourself but boy, will you be at peace with the world.

I made the recipe using Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter and Trader Joe's 72% bittersweet chocolate. The cookies came together in a flash. I rested the batter in the refrigerator for 24 hours, which I now regularly do with every cookie dough if I have time, based on my ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. The cookies on their own are great. I love the oatmeal combined with the peanut butter, and the hint of cinnamon is nice, too. They are perfect for ice cream sandwiches because they are chewy and won't become too hard when frozen.

After baking, I let the cookies cool thoroughly. In the meantime, I made vanilla bean ice cream, using Melissa Murphy's recipe from my second favorite baking book. Melissa's trick is to incorporate powdered skim milk powder, which absorbs some of the water in the milk and cream (reminiscent of Dorie's preference for lining pie doughs with bread crumbs to absorb fruit juices). Reducing the water in the base means that there will be fewer ice crystals, making the ice cream softer and creamier.

I also made a batch of chocolate chip-chocolate ice cream sandwiches, using a new cookie recipe that is great, along with my own variation of chocolate ice cream, inspired by David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop recipe and Lori Longbotham's one in Luscious Chocolate Desserts (a very fine book!). I am madly in love with this chocolate ice cream. Tom could barely tear himself away from the ice cream bowl after I made it. It is really, really good.

You certainly don't have to make your own ice cream, but it really makes a difference and it's nice to skip out on all the additives and preservatives in commercial brands. Plus, if you make the sandwiches on the same day that you churn the ice cream and time things properly, you will have ice cream at the perfect consistency for spreading without needing to wait for defrosting.

Most recipes call for wrapping the sandwiches in saran wrap. That sounded messy and unattractive to me (saran is so slimy when wet), so I used squares of parchment paper which struck me as very Martha. The parchment is great because you can just fold it down and use it to keep your fingers dry while you march down the path to world peace, one bite after another.

Ice cream sandwiches are a great dessert for a party. I made mine a full week before our Labor Day BBQ and loved not having to bake something while doing all my other preparations. They are a real crowd pleaser for both kids and adults and your guests will swoon when you tell them what's for dessert. Plus, they don't require plates or forks!

You can get the cookie recipe on Stefany's blog, Proceed with Caution, and my ice cream recipes are below. Thanks Stefany for choosing this recipe, which inspired me to finally try making ice cream sandwiches!

Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (whole, skim or 2%)
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup dry skim milk powder
5 large egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Fill a large pot with 3 inches of water and bring to simmer. Set a large bowl over the top, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
Remove the bowl. In this bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, salt, skim milk powder, yolks, seeds from vanilla bean and bean, and vanilla extract.
Place bowl on top of simmering pot. Cook, stirring, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula or approx 180 degrees on candy thermometer. This may take as long as 30 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use same ingredients to make a classic custard).
Cool custard in a larger bowl of ice water. Strain and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Churn in ice cream maker.
Makes about 1 quart.

Really Rich Chocolate Ice Cream
Inspired by David Lebovitz & Lori Longbotham

2 cups heavy cream
3 Tbs Dutch cocoa powder
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 egg yolks
2 Tbs light corn syrup
1 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to blend. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer at very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in remaining 1 cup of cream. Pour into a large bowl, scraping saucepan thoroughly, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.

Warm the milk, brown sugar and salt in same saucepan. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed eggs back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through strainer into the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth, then add the vanilla and corn syrup. Put the bowl into a large bowl filled with ice water, and stir until cool.

Chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight and then churn in ice cream maker.

(The corn syrup helps keep the ice cream creamy and prevents it from becoming rock hard. I am not generally a fan of corn syrup but a little here & there is not too awful and you're still eating much fewer additives than if you eat commercial ice cream.)

Rest in Peace, Gonzo

2008-08-19T21:38:00.007-04:00

Our sweet boy Gonzo has left this world.

I wish I had a better photo that captured his indominable spirit, fearless sense of adventure and deep love for his family but he looks so peaceful here, curled up with his friend Merlin.

Gonzo was a part of Tom's family since he was a tiny foundling kitten, and we took him in after he lost his mother and father. He loved to jump into our laps and into our cars and he always told us when we were "doing it wrong." He continued to live life on his own terms, up until the very end when he left us to find a spot to rest his paws forever.

We miss you, Gonzo, and we hope you find peace where you are now.

TWD: Grab a Granola Grabber

2008-08-19T08:46:00.009-04:00

I didn't realize how many recipes I had already made from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours until I joined TWD. This is another one that I baked last year. I wasn't crazy about the grabbers then and my opinion didn't improve much this time, but they're not a bad cookie. I just think that in the same basic flavor category, I prefer a really good oatmeal-raisin cookie (I have one that I love from Cook's Illustrated - will have to post it in the future).

Nevertheless, the idea of using granola in a cookie is a bit unique and a good way to use up granola if you have it in the house. I make my own granola*, which includes dried fruits. Dorie suggested using fruit-free granola because the fruit in packaged ones is often dry but since mine is fresh, there seemed no reason to do so. The cookies were chewy and chock-full of nuts, fruits, oats and chocolate chips (my addition). A nice enough cookie, but as I said above, I think I'll stick with oatmeal cookies.

I posted yesterday about the heavy cream and fruit that I bought upstate over the weekend. I made a fresh apricot ice cream that complemented the grabbers nicely since my granola had dried apricots in it.

Thank you to Michelle of Bad Girl Baking for choosing the Grabbers this week and giving me another opportunity to try them out. You can find the full recipe on her blog.

*Homemade granola is super easy! Plus it makes your kitchen smell amazing while it bakes. Here is my basic recipe:

4 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups sweetened coconut
2 cups sliced almonds or other unroasted nuts
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
3-4 cups dried fruit (any combination of: diced apricots, diced figs, cranberries, cherries, golden raisins or currants)
1 cup roasted unsalted cashews (or other nuts) (optional, if you like extra nuts)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix the oats, coconut and almonds together in large bowl.
In small saucepan, combine the oil, honey and cinnamon. Heat gently, stirring, until fully melted and combined.
Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir well until all the oats are coated. (Hands are sometimes helpful).
Pour onto a 13x18-inch baking sheet that is lined with wax paper, parchment or silpat.
Bake, stirring occasionally, until the granola is golden brown and very fragrant, about 1-1.5 hours. (Make sure you really stir well so the granola on the edges don't get too brown).
(I recommend lining bottom of your oven with foil as you may spill some oats while stirring.)
Remove from the oven and cool on baking sheet. When cool, put in a bowl and add the dried fruit and cashews (if using). Cool fully before storing in airtight container.

Granola is a very forgiving blend. You can easily vary the amount of sweetener; combine honey & maple syrup and play around with the add-ins. I don't recommend reducing the oil though as you need to get the oats well-coated. I have used a dark chestnut honey in my granola a few times, and highly recommend it if you like a very rich, earthy flavor.

Festival of Maize

2008-08-17T19:54:00.027-04:00

We were up in Columbia County, New York this weekend. FARM country! I love it. So, I went a little crazy at the farm stands. I know there are women who get excited by sales at Saks or the deals at overstock.com. For me, it's farm stands. I can't hold back. I need to buy, buy, buy. I purchase a little bit from each place, trying to spread my farm-stand-love around. It takes a real effort not to pull the car over at *every* *single* farmstand. My husband knows by now that he shouldn't even ask - he just slows down as soon as the "Fresh Produce Ahead" sign appears on the side of the road. Because, yup, I'll need to stop and see what they've got.

So, I went here and here and here and a few other unnamed, non-websited places. The selections were amazing - all kinds of tomatoes (heirlooms at great prices!), string beans, zucchini, peaches, apricots, plums, berries, early apples - pretty much every summer vegetable or fruit was there, all of it local. Be still, my heart. Nothing beats August in the Hudson Valley in my opinion. Unless it's September in the Hudson Valley - it's a toss-up whether you'd trade the late-summer berries for the early-fall squashes, apples and pears. Fortunately, we don't have to choose as I'll be heading north again in a few weeks' time. Sure, it's nice to see my friends who live up there but really, I'm there for the farm stands. And it's okay, because they know that about me. :)

So on this spree, I bought 24 ears of corn at Samascott Orchards. Some was bi-color, some was all-white. The all-white corn is as sweet as candy. I think I might actually need to make sweet corn ice cream because this corn is perfect for it.

My kitchen was a corn workshop today. I shucked a bunch of ears and froze the kernels for chowder later in the season. Then I made corn stock from the cobs ,which then went into corn soup with 2 quarts of stock leftover for the freezer.

I also made Dorie's fresh corn muffins, which are incredible with fresh corn. I've made them in the past with packaged, frozen corn and they were just not the same. I also baked them in jumbo muffin tins and I think they work better on that scale. They were so tender and moist.

Then we had some corn on the cob with dinner tonight. Can you believe I still have more corn in the fridge?? I am starting to feel like we live on a cornfield. Not that I'd have any problem with that! Bear in mind, there are just 2 of us in my house. And I bought 24 ears. Thank god corn is cheaper than Manolo Blahniks or we'd really be in trouble.
Among my other purchases, was heavy cream from a local dairy. Ooooh the cream, the cream!! This is the real McCoy. Thick globs at the top of the glass bottle, a rich creamy flavor with no hint of cardboard or over-pasteurization. Perfect for a fresh apricot ice cream. More about that on Tuesday, when I'll also report on the granola grabbers for TWD.

And I leave you with some sexy apricots:

I send out a big thank you to my fellow food blogger Jaime at Good Eats n Sweet Treats. Jaime gave me some really helpful advice on how to use my camera - thank you for making my blog look better, Jaime! Go check out her blog, she has great photos and recipes.

TWD: Blueberry Ice Cream

2008-08-13T18:22:00.009-04:00

So, I'm a day late (and many dollars short) with my post for TWD, but I served the blueberry sour cream ice cream Tues night and it was hard to get the post up until now. I made this ice cream once before and though I love the flavor and the ease of preparation, I still think a custard-based ice cream results in a creamier texture. Nevertheless, this is still a great recipe and I love the tanginess of the sour cream as a change from the eggs-and-cream standard base.

I actually used 1/4 cup sour cream (because that's all I had) and 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt but I think the yogurt tastes almost identical to sour cream so there was no difference. I used lots of lime juice - almost 3/4 of a lime as opposed to 1/4 lime and still didn't taste as much lime as I would have liked. I think the citrus quotient could be significantly upped.

The Summer Fruit Galette made an encore appearance:

This time, I used plums and blackberries and significantly more custard. It was delicious, again, but I think the apricots would always be my first choice if available. My farmer's market fruit stand said their season is over already - so sweet but so fleeting!

I had also made a vanilla & wild raspberry swirl ice cream last week after picking 3 quarts of wild raspberries in the woods. We served both with the tart. Wild raspberries are AMAZING! Oh my goodness - they are nothing like the ones even from farm stands, let alone the grocery store. I can't describe the texture - they're sort of like little silky pearls of jammy goodness. You just have to taste them to experience it. My friend Howard showed me several spots where there are hundreds (or more) of wild raspberry bushes. If the day had been cooler and I wasn't sweating buckets, I could have picked for half the day and ended up with several gallons - all for free! When they're running $4.50 for a half-pint, it's well worth the effort.

This week's recipe was chosen by Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity and you can find the recipe on her blog.

On a side note, I ordered bulk vanilla beans today from The Organic Vanilla Bean Company. What a bargain! I got a mixed sampler of 40 beans for $18. They normally cost me $1.50-$2 each, so this is about 75% off. And they're organic, too! I am excited to start using vanilla bean in more recipes. I normally hold back because of the expense but now I predict a bit of a vanilla obsession will take hold in my kitchen. I am even planning to try making my own vanilla extract once I have enough used beans accumulated. I found guidelines for making your own extract here. If you're wondering what you might get for Xmas from me this year, think vanilla.

Have a great week, everyone!

p.s. thanks to herb for the photos this week!

TWD: Black & White Banana Cupcakes

2008-08-03T15:43:00.021-04:00

For this week's TWD, I decided to double the fun...

Ashlee of A Year in the Kitchen chose Dorie's Black and White Banana Loaf Cake. I have been on a bit of a cupcake tear lately (what else is new??) so I decided to make cupcakes instead of a loaf. I frosted the cupcakes with a swirl of Dorie's bittersweet chocolate ganache and topped them with banana-honey chips. But did I stop there? No, siree. It seems I needed even more chocolate and even more banana on the plate. So I got out the ice cream maker and made Roasted Banana Ice Cream from David Lebovitz's fantastic book, The Perfect Scoop. I added in his fudge swirl for a marbled ice cream to mirror the marbled cupcake.

Here's the dynamic duo, Black & White Banana Marble Cupcakes with Roasted Banana-Fudge Swirl Ice Cream - what a mouthful!

To marbelize the cupcakes, I alternated dollops of each batter horizontally & vertically, and then swirled with a knife. They look like black & white cookies in the cups, don't they?

Ta da! Marbled cupcakes! I think they look really cool inside:

I baked the cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350 (as opposed to 90 minutes+ at 325 for the loaf cake). I had made this cake about a year ago and it came out underbaked despite a long baking time. While the cupcakes were not undercooked this time, I still found the texture a bit rubbery. I think there must be some flaw in the recipe -- too much liquid maybe? I scaled back the amount of banana to help with that problem but I just think there's something messed up with the proportions - maybe too much milk? Who knows...I doubt I would use this particular recipe again but I have to say that marbled cupcakes are pretty cute, so I'll be doing that again for sure.

And the ice cream? Deeelisssshuuuus. The bananas are roasted with butter and brown sugar before pureeing with whole milk, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. I have thought banana ice cream to be a bit bland in the past, but with the fudge swirl added, that's not an issue at all. The texture was a bit grainy, despite my pulling it from the machine at 13 minutes instead of the usual 20 minutes, but the flavor is great.

I'm wondering if the fact it was a fruit & milk recipe only, instead of a custard with cream & eggs, caused it to be grainier or if 13 minutes was still too long for this particular ice cream. I'll have to try it again sometime to figure that out.

Next week's TWD bring us even more ice cream - yea! Check back for Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream next Tuesday.

P.S. A blogger's plea for help! I am having a lot of trouble with my digital photography. If anyone can give me some advice on getting good close-ups indoors, I'd love to hear from you. I use a Canon SD400 point & shoot. I find that when I use the digital macro setting, the shots are often blurry but I keep reading that I should be using macro for the best shots. And I have a terrible time with the flash. If I use the flash, it's too bright and if I turn it off, the shots are either blurry or dark. I don't know if this is something that can be easily resolved or not. I have better luck when I shoot outside, but I'm usually doing my baking shots at night. I have signed up for a class in September which might help but in the meantime I am desperate for any advice, help, suggestions, etc. Please get in touch if you think you can help me out!

TWD: Summer Fruit Galette

2008-07-29T20:57:00.011-04:00

Wow, is this a good recipe! This week's entry for Tuesdays with Dorie is Summer Fruit Galette, chosen by Michelle of Colorado Springs . You can find the recipe on her blog. And if you don't own the cookbook, I highly recommend going over there and printing that recipe out. And making it sometime soon. Like tomorrow. And then inviting me over. Did you know that I'm free tomorrow for tart-eating?

Almost any fruit will work in this galette, so I used two that were at the farmer's market last weekend -- apricots and blueberries. I seem to have a blueberry-buying problem, so it's no surprise that this had them in it. (I over-buy blueberries every week - not sure where this comes from. I was never denied blueberries as a child; in fact, we ate them often in the summer. Is it another Willie Wonka thing? All I know is that every week I'm trying to figure out how to consume all the berries in the fridge before they rot. I am eating an inordinate amount of blueberries - pints upon pints. Kittydad does not help in this antioxidant effort of mine, as much as I try to enlist him. So I'm on my own with an entire blueberry bush's output every week. And yes I do own a blueberry cookbook, but I always seem to forget I own it until after I've eaten the last berry. Then I say "Well, I'll just have to buy more blueberries next weekend and make xxx recipe!" Which recipe I then promptly forget about, leading to more blueberry-overflow the following week. Fortunately, blueberries do not have the same properties as asparagus - that would be weird.)

But, I digress. Since I had wanted a bit of almond in the Cherry-Rhubarb Cobbler last week, I decided to add a touch of almond extract to the custard. Like many other TWD bakers, I didn't use all of the custard called for in the recipe. I really should have saved it, though, because I may need to make this sucker again sometime soon. Like tomorrow.

I wish I had kept the fruit a bit more in the middle of the tart and had more sides to fold over and make it prettier - I'll remember that tomorrow, er, I mean, next time. I wanted mine to look more like Carla's.

But who cares, it tastes incredible. One thing I really like about this type of tart is that the fruit goes all the way into the corner of the crust, so you don't get a big hunk of just-crust at the end of the piece, like you do with pie. And because the filling is not as deep as a pie's, the bottom crust stayed nice and crisp.

I used strawberry jam on the bottom cuz that's what I had in the fridge, and I used the graham cracker crumbs. But, after I tasted the almond flavor, I thought that ground nuts would work well, too. Cooked apricots are super yummy, by the way. I'm so glad I caught the end of the season for this tart.

All in all, an outstanding tart and this is exactly why I joined TWD. Because I might never have tried that recipe on my own. I tend to avoid tarts and head straight for pies. Well, that won't happen....tomorrow!

GoGo Boots is Home!

2008-07-28T11:16:00.004-04:00

(GoGo Boots & Pumpkin - reunited again!)

We were able to get GoGo Boots back inside the house on Saturday night. For those who might be curious, the only method that worked was as follows: We turned off all the lights in the house, opened the kitchen door and sat completely silent. We heard him rustling in the leaves on the side of the house and not more than 10 minutes later, he was inside. He came tearing in like a lightning bolt and ran upstairs immediately. His brother Pumpkin ran up after him and the two of them spent the next 24 hours curling up and washing each other. Pumpkin clearly missed his brother very much and was so happy to have him home. As are we, too!

The 2 days he was missing were one of the worst times in my life. I love this little boy so much and couldn't bear the idea that he was outside, all alone and scared. This is not a cat who was off exploring and adventuring. Our guess is that he was absolutely terrified - so scared that he didn't even respond to our calls because he was too afraid. We still don't know how he got out, but we just hope it never happens again! He has blisters on his poor little paws and has been sleeping most of the time. I don't think he slept a wink outside.

Welcome home, GoGo Boots!

My Baby is Missing

2008-07-24T22:02:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. Please send lots of good thoughts out into the universe to help us find our lost kitty, Go Go Boots. GoGo has not been outside since we rescued him 5 years ago, at age 3 months. Our cleaning woman was here today and although she says she never saw him get out, the only explanation is that he snuck out while she had the door open at some point. We have spent all evening combing the area for him. I am heartsick. He has never been alone in his whole life, as we also rescued his brother. They are inseparable. He is also a total mama's boy and follows me everywhere, sleeps with me, etc. I can't stop worrying about him out there all alone, with no food and no idea how to get back home.

I keep hoping he will just show up, and maybe he will by the morning, but it's so hard to think he may be gone forever.

Sorry for the depressing post but maybe if everyone thinks "go go boots come home", it might help.

Thanks.

TWD: Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler

2008-07-22T20:27:00.011-04:00

(The cherries & rhubarb before it all went so wrong...)

(It looks promising coming out of the oven, doesn't it? Don't be fooled!)

I love cherries. I love rhubarb. I love cobbler. So the odds were high that I would also love this week's entry for Tuesdays with Dorie, Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler, chosen by Amanda of Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake .

But...I have to say...no love here for this one. Not even any "like" for this one.

Where to start...whole wheat flour in cobbler topping? Not a winner. I think the depth of the flavor fights with the fruit. Ginger in both filling and topping? I am a big fan of ginger, but with these fruits, not so much. I would have preferred a touch of almond extract or vanilla bean perhaps. My cobbler was also hobbled (hah) by slight under-cooking. I was mortified to realize, when serving it up, that the underside of most of the topping was still a bit raw despite 45 minutes of baking and looking golden brown on top. Maybe I was fooled by the naturally darker color of the whole wheat dough? The fruit wasn't fully cooked either. Oy. You really shouldn't have to chew rhubarb, it should just melt in your mouth. Undercooked rhubarb is pretty under-yummy.

And as for the look...well, I'm not sure why 20 blobs on a 8x8 square is a good idea. I would have done fewer blobs of dough, or rolled it out for a nicer look. The thing just looks sort of homely, don't you think? I mean, I know cobbler is a home-y dessert but still...it's just kinda sad looking.

(My homely homey cobbler)

Regardless, my family members ate every scrap on their plates -- dad even went back for seconds and wanted to keep all of the leftovers.

I know there were a lot of TWD bloggers who were not familiar with rhubarb before this recipe. I hope this doesn't turn them off forever -- instead, they (and everyone else) should try Dorie's Double Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp which is fantastic.

So, not a great report card today for TWD. I give it a C-.

And p.s., kittydad usually photoshops my sub-par photos but I am late getting this posted before deadline - maybe we'll fix them later (or not).

Believe the Hype!

2008-07-20T17:13:00.013-04:00

YES! My days of searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe are over. That's right, folks, the cookie of my dreams made its debut in a New York Times article published two weeks ago. I am here to state emphatically that the cookie is awesome. Chewy on the inside, a bit crunchy on the edges and with something indescribable about the texture. The balance of flavors is just right and I don't think I've ever made, or eaten, a better cookie than one of these fresh from the oven.

Unfortunately, I fell down on the photography aspect. I took some really bad, unprintable shots of batter and didn't do much better with the finished product, aside from the one shot above. Note to self: keep reading that camera manual. With the next batch, I'll try to take more shots and add some to this post for an after-market upgrade.

And now, with no further ado, the recipe:

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The New York Times and Jacques Torres

2 cups minus 2 Tbs non-rising cake flour
1-2/3 cups bread flour
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
2-1/2 sticks sweet butter (1-1/4 cups), room temp
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbs white sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 1-1/4 lbs bittersweet chocolate chips, chunks or feves
(minimum of 60% cacao content, best brand possible)
Optional: 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans or other nuts
Sea salt for sprinkling

1. Sift flours, baking soda & powder into a bowl. Whisk in the kosher salt. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars together until very light, at least 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla on low speed.

3. On low speed, carefully add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, 5-10 seconds. Don't worry if some flour isn't incorporated. Drop in the chocolate pieces and nuts (if using) and do a final blending with a rubber spatula. Make sure all flour is mixed in but don't over-mix.

4. Cover the dough well, pressing plastic wrap right on top of the dough and then also covering the bowl. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours, preferably at least 36 but no more than 48, for best results. Dough can be chilled up to 72 hours if necessary but will be best between 36-48 hours.

5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Set racks in oven to top and bottom thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, a non-stick baking mat or foil. Scoop out balls in whatever size you like (I use a 2-Tbs ice cream scoop). Press down slightly with palm to flatten a bit. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown, about 14 minutes, switching the sheets front & back and top & bottom half-way through for even baking. Do not overbake! The cookies should look a bit underdone when they come out, with very light golden bottoms. Let cool on trays for at least 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks.

For the original recipe, click here.

A few technical and not-so-technical notes:

1. The recipe calls for two kinds of flour that you might not have at home. I have not yet tried to make it with only all-purpose flour to see if it's the flour that counts. And unfortunately the article did not explain why exactly this combination of flours might make a difference. But I have to say that I'm not sure I want to mess with it -- I know it works. As for why, really, does it matter?? Just enjoy them.

2. The original also calls for Valrhona "feves" which I couldn't find, even at my local Whole Foods. The best price I found online is at Surfa's. I used Ghiradelli 60% bittersweet chips which are available at most grocery stores. I recommend using the best brand you can find.

3. I baked my first batch after 42 hours of resting time, then at 60 hours and again at about 80 hours. The first batch was definitely best and confirms what the original recipe states, that about 36 hours is ideal.

4. I ignored the part about making enormous cookies in the original recipe. They're just too big for normal eating, hard to pack up to give away and too much temptation for me.

5. I forgot to put the sea salt on my first batch and didn't really miss it. I think you could just put a smidgen more salt in the batter, or skip it. It's a nice touch, but even for a salt-lover like me, I didn't find it necessary.

6. The original recipe calls for 1-1/4 lbs of chocolate. I used just under a pound because I don't like too many chips in my cookies, and for me it was just right. But I know many people like more chocolate so use your own judgment.

7. I think pecans would be a nice addition if you like nuts in your chocolate chippers.

8. The resting time in the fridge is important. I have always chilled my chocolate chip cookie dough before baking, if I have time. Years ago, at one of my catering jobs, I asked the pastry chef why the cookies baked up chewy one day when they had been crispy the day before; she said if the dough was cold, the cookies would be chewier. She was right (of course) and the article explains the science behind why this is true. I will say that resting time alone does not create a chewy cookie, because I have made ones that were still too thin & crispy for my taste even after chilling but it's definitely one contributing factor.

If you're still with me at the end of this very long post, please let me know if you make the cookies and how they turn out! I'd love some feedback.

Take That, Bill Cosby!

2008-07-14T21:31:00.010-04:00

Step away from the Jell-O box...

Yup, Dorie's chocolate pudding is darn good. This week's TWD recipe was chosen by Melissa of It's Melissa's Kitchen. You can find the recipe there. Full disclosure: I haven't made pudding from a box since I was a kid. In my 20's, it was all chocolate mousse, all the time because I had to be fahncy and frawnch about my cooking. Later on, I came to appreciate good old fashioned desserts and made a slew of chocolate puddings, rice puddings, tapioca puddings, butterscotch puddings...you get the picture. So for the last 5 years or so, my standard chocolate pudding has been the one in Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts. Dorie's recipe is almost identical in terms of ingredients & proportions, with the one difference being bittersweet chocolate instead of semisweet -- a great improvement. And of course there's her use of the food processor, which is a tad messy but makes an exceptionally smooth pudding.

The recipe is really easy so I don't have much to say about the process. The result is super yummy, rich, smooth, and everything a chocolate pudding should be.

We tried it first with unsweetened creme fraiche, as per Dorie's suggestion. But neither one of us was crazy about it. Kittydad said it was too sour in contrast to the sweet pudding, and I had to agree, as much as I love creme fraiche. It's better either just as is or with lightly sweetened whipped cream with a touch of vanilla added. I put on some cacao nibs to disguise my messy spoon-blobbing method of topping with whipped cream, as I was too lazy to get out the pastry bag. This adds a nice crunch but they also tend to be fairly bitter so I'm not sure I'd do it again.

Between the pudding and the NY Times chocolate chip cookies that I also made this weekend, I'm feeling a wee bit over-chocolatified and am looking forward to next week's cherry rhubarb cobbler challenge. I'll be posting about the cookies soon, but let me just say that you should get that dough in your fridge soon if you want to taste a bit of cookie heaven!

Clafoutis Craving Foiled

2008-07-13T14:22:00.006-04:00

Bummer. I tried the cherry clafoutis recipe from Elizabeth Prueitt's Tartine cookbook and it was a disaster. I should have known not to trust it when it didn't say to strain the creme anglaise mixture - not that that was the error but it's a sign of bad recipe writing. One mistake I may have made was to add a few extra cherries - probably too many created too much liquid in the batter.

Her suggestion to top with tons of sugar (1/4 cup!) and then caramelize in 500 degree oven didn't work at all for me. Maybe that works in a professional convection oven or under a salamander but not in my household maytag. I kept waiting for it to caramelize and probably overcooked it. Anyway, the inside came out like warm creamy scrambled eggs with overly sweet cherries. Not the silky smooth custard I had in mind. I hate when this happens, especially when I waste a whole pint of perfect farmer's market cherries.

I'm so mad at the damn thing I'm not showing you any pictures, so there!

I was so craving clafoutis and now I have to try another version at some point to figure out what I should have done to make it work. I think next time I'll try Sweet Melissa's version since she never steers me wrong.

This was my first recipe from "Tartine" and I was soooo looking forward to it. Sigh.

Anyone out there have a good clafoutis recipe for me?

A Perfect Scone

2008-07-13T10:45:00.009-04:00

Have you ever tasted the scones that are sold in crappy delis or bakeries? You know the ones I mean, the hard, dry hockey pucks that bear no resemblance whatsoever to their namesake? I don't know where those abominations came from. I started noticing them years ago when they cropped in the corner produce markets all over Manhattan. Blech. For some reason, I always held high hopes for those ready-to-eat scones, envisioning them melting in my mouth like the ones I had had in England and Ireland. Instead, you would end up with what felt like volcanic ash lining your mouth and a cannonball in your stomach.

Forget those imposters. Homebaked scones are the way to go. And they're really easy to make, contrary to what you might think. I make a batch almost every weekend as they are my favorite breakfast baked treat. I love scones because they are not too sweet and are less cake-like than muffins. You can reduce the sugar to almost nothing in the recipe and they still taste good, allowing you to eat with jam if you like. Despite my irrepressible sweet tooth, I happen to like non-sweet things for breakfast. This usually shocks anyone who knows me well. For some reason, sugary sweets on an empty stomach just doesn't work for me. So, scones...

I've tried a lot of recipes but my new standby is one from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. Melissa adds finely ground oats, which I think makes a big difference. She uses heavy cream instead of buttermilk - you could probably sub in buttermilk for a lower fat version (or to skip a trip to the market), but I haven't tried that yet. She also likes to add orange zest for a little zip.

I didn't have any oranges to zest this past Sunday and was starting to regret that as I wanted to make fresh blueberry scones and orange-blueberry is a great combination. But I decided to add cinnamon and I'm happy to report it worked well.

As with pie dough, it's key to keep everything cold, and you'll see my notes below on that.

Here is what kittydad and I enjoyed this weekend:

Cinnamon Blueberry Scones
Adapted From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold
2/3 cup whole old-fashioned oats
1.5 cups flour (chilled if possible)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1-2 Tbs sugar
1/4--1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup heavy cream, cold
1 large egg, cold
1 cup blueberries

For the glaze:
2 Tbs heavy cream
1 Tbs cinnamon-sugar

Line one or two cookie sheets with parchment, foil or a silpat.

Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Put in freezer to chill for at least 10 mins, or while you prepare the dry ingredients.

Put the oats in food processor with metal blade. Pulse to a coarse flour.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Pulse to combine.
Add the chilled butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas.
I put this mixture in the freezer for about 10 mins at this point, but that's optional.

In a medium or large bowl, whisk together the cream and egg until smooth. Fold in the berries.

With a rubber spatula, fold the flour-butter mixture into the egg mixture to combine. The dough should just barely hold together. Don't overmix and don't worry if it looks a tad dry, as long as you can (gently) squeeze it together to form a ball.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board or counter and pat into a flat round disk about 7 inches in diameter. It's okay if the edges look crumbly. Scones don't need to be perfectly smooth and you don't want to over-work the dough.

Using a sharp knife, cut the disk into 6, 8, or 10 triangles. (Melissa says 6 but that makes huge scones. I like 8, or 10 if you want them smaller).

At this point, I like to put the scones on a baking sheet and freeze for at least 30 mins before baking. If you don't have time, then go ahead and proceed with baking as below. (Alternatively, you can flash-freeze them for a few hours, then wrap in saran and bake another day).

Brush tops and sides of scones with the heavy cream and sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar. Bake in a pre-heated 350 oven for about 30 minutes, until light golden on top and bottom.

Cool on rack. Best if eaten warm, of course!

07.20.08 Update: I made these with buttermilk instead of heavy cream this weekend and they were just fine. A bit less rich and maybe a teeny bit healthier. There's definitely a difference in taste but not so much as I thought and the lower-fat content is probably a good thing.

Chocolate Factory Weekend

2008-07-09T19:50:00.007-04:00

Melissa from It's Melissa's Kitchen has chosen Chocolate Pudding for this week's TWD challenge. Yum. I haven't made Dorie's version yet so I'm looking forward to making it this weekend.

And you KNOW I'll be making these as soon as I can get my hands on some bread flour.

Tuesdays with Dorie: A Tale of Two Pies

2008-07-07T19:29:00.014-04:00

This week's challenge from Tuesdays with Dorie is Double Crust Blueberry Pie. I actually made this pie the week before last - one week before I decided to join the group and start my blog. It was this coincidence that finally convinced me to become a TWD baker. So, I don't have any photos of my blueberry pie, but I can certainly describe the experience.

I have long had a love-hate relationship with making pies. I love pie. I adore pie. I covet pie. I lust for pie. Especially warm fruit pie with ice cream. And while a cobbler or crisp gives you essentially the same flavor, there is something iconic about pie that makes it even more deeply soul-satisfying. Being able to bake a perfect pie has been a holy grail for me for a long, long time.

But pie crust is a bitch. It's moody, unpredictable, overly sensitive, uncooperative and messy. I have thrown out more pie doughs than I care to admit. I have sworn off pies forever, only to find myself back in the kitchen a few hours later, pounding the rolling pin on the counter once again. Because I NEED to make pie. As much as it bedevils me, I can't stay away from it. Sometimes I manage to roll out a crust without too many tears and curses, but most times it's ugly in the kitchen when I'm making a pie.

So...back to the blueberry pie. This crust unfortunately fell into the maddening category. It was tough to roll out, cracking badly on the edges and falling apart when I transferred it into the pan. As soon as it started to bake in the oven, the darn thing seemed to fall apart, like it was melting. The crimps drooped and some just fell right off the pie plate and onto the sheet pan. Aaagh! This has happened in the past - why, why, why?? My crimps were perfectly perky before going in the oven and the end product looked like I had just thrown a bunch of dough at the wall and let it slide down onto the berries.

In the end, the pie tasted fine and my guests loved it. The filling was sweet but not too sweet and nicely balanced. I added a sprinkling of cinnamon but would add more next time as it wasn't noticeable. The crust was buttery and yummy. But still, I was not happy with how my crust had rolled out and I wanted my crimps to stay put, not melt off the pie plate.

This weekend, I made another batch of pie dough. And I am happy to report that some new techniques I used made a HUGE difference. Rather than ending up frustrated and cursing up a storm, I actually enjoyed rolling out the crusts. Success at last! I could hardly contain my glee. So, here is what I learned:

1. I used the food processor to blend in the butter. I always make sure everything is cold -- the flour, the butter, the metal blade. In the past, I think I under-blended the butter and ended up with some very large chunks of fat. This probably meant that some of the flour wasn't "touched" by fat and therefore too dry. It may also be why the crust seemed to melt in the oven. So, this time I pulsed a bit longer so that the butter was tiny little pea-size pieces.

2. I added water - about 7 Tbs in all - and pulsed until the mixture looked like dry cottage cheese curds. Another problem I have always had in the past is that I seemed to need so much more water than the recipe called for and I would end up with a dough too wet and then tough after baking. I think I under-pulsed so that the water I added didn't have a chance to evenly distribute. This time I just pulsed a bit more after adding the initial 6 Tbs, then added the extra drops when I thought it really did need it. Next time, I might be more brave and keep pulsing rather than adding more water. I'm just always afraid of over-working the dough but I think excess water might be a bigger risk.

3. After squeezing the dough into 2 balls, I patted it out into a fat disk, wrapped it with saran and then patted it out AGAIN into a much larger, flatter disk - about 5 inches in diameter. I have never made the disk this big before. Then I chilled it for a few hours. When I started to roll it out, I found it was much easier because the dough was fairly flat already. I didn't have any cracking in the middle and much less on the edges.

4. I used a vinyl pastry bag to roll out my dough. I had bought one many months ago on Dorie's recommendation but never pulled it out of the drawer. I don't know why but I had looked at it and thought it looked strange so I just shelved it. This time, I figured I needed to change my methods and would give it a whirl. Holy cow! What a revelation! I love the thing. It totally made rolling much easier - I could better control the shape to ensure it was round. There is less mess on the countertop as you don't have flour flying all over and the rolling pin doesn't stick. My new friend the vinyl pastry rolling bag, you must meet her! You can buy one here.

5. Instead of rolling with my hands on the rolling pins' handles, I put my hands on the barrel itself and put my full weight into it. I used fewer strokes and the rolling went much faster. Another revelation - why was I holding those handles all this time??

I made a gorgeous cherry pie with pistachio crumb topping. Unfortunately, I didn't get many good pictures of either the process or the pie (still working on my camera skills!). But it was deeelicious and a great ending to our dinner with friends in the Hudson Valley. Thanks to my good friends A. and R. for hosting such a great night with good food, good wine and lots of laughs.

Yes, I did pit all the cherries myself:

And here is one of the only shots I managed to get of the finished product:

So, those are today's pie making tips. Sorry for the long post but I had a lot to tell you folks!

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

2008-07-06T20:21:00.007-04:00

Well, it's all true except for the cheap part. Nothing with fresh berries in it is cheap. But I couldn't resist using that title for a post.

You want dessert fast? You want it out-of-control good? I got it right here for ya.

Here's what you need:
Pound Cake: homemade, store-bought, fresh or stale
Chocolate Sauce: your own, Hershey's or a fancy gourmet brand
Berry Sorbet: I like Haagen Dazs raspberry but any one will do
Fresh Berries: any kind you like, a mix of 2 or 3 is nice for color but not mandatory
Mint Sprig: optional, only if you want to really impress them

What is fast about a dessert with 5 elements on the plate, you say? Well, okay, it's only fast if you happen to have all of those things in the house. But with some advance shopping, you can bang out a photo-worthy dessert in just a few minutes.

I wanted a dessert for July 4th that only involved minimal baking as I was making pies for a July 5th party as well. I wanted it colorful and to include fresh berries which are so amazing at the farmer's markets right now.

I couldn't remember the last time I made a plain pound cake. Banana bread; zucchini bread; pumpkin bread -- those loaf cakes are regulars at our house. But plain, buttery pound cake had somehow escaped me for years. I used a recipe from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. It was good, but I'm not sure I'd make it again. But in this dessert, it really doesn't matter where you get the pound cake from.

I happened to have some leftover hot fudge sauce in my freezer, but again, you can just buy some. Then you pick up some berry sorbet and fresh berries.

When you're ready to serve dessert, toast slices of pound cake. Drizzle warm chocolate sauce on the bottom of the plate, top with a slice of cake, followed by a scoop of sorbet and toss a handful of berries on top. Sure, add the mint sprig if you have it growing in your garden or happen to have in the fridge. Oh my god, you have just created a restaurant dessert in your own home. And it tastes as good as it looks, seriously. Let's take another look at mine, just to tempt you again:

(I am hereby using the Benetton/Gap theory of marketing...show the people the same thing over & over and eventually they will need to own it -- do you need to see it again? Just scroll back up to the top and keep staring at it...you're getting sleepy...you're getting sleepy...you're taking out the loaf pan...you're softening up the butter...you're rinsing berries....there you go, you're on your way to dessert stardom in your own home....)

Hot Potatoes on a Stick!

2008-07-06T16:25:00.017-04:00

For those of you who have outdoor grills and are not confined to cooking indoors in the summer, you really must try one of my new favorite side dishes: grilled potato skewers, or as I like to call them, hot potatoes on a stick.

This works best with a real charcoal grill using natural wood charcoal, but it can also be done over gas or regular coals. I am a purist about my charcoal but I know from experience that my diatribes about the quality of charcoal or gas vs. coals, do not create converts. So do as you please with what's under the grates, but you should try this the next time you want spuds with your burgers.

Take a bunch of small potatoes - fingerling, red, baby yukon gold, whatever you like. Cut them in half lengthwise so that you have one flat surface.

Put the taters in a pot of cold salted water to cover, bring to boil and cook until just al dente - a fork should be able to go through the center easily but they should not be completely tender. Drain. You can do this earlier in the day and just keep them at room temp or refrigerated until ready to grill.

Next, toss the potatoes in a bowl with a good dose of olive oil, a handful of chopped garlic, plenty of kosher salt and pepper. The potatoes should be slick with oil and well-salted. Herbs are optional.

Then put the spuds on long, 12" skewers, about 3 per skewer - thread them on so that they will lie flat.

Heat up your grill and lay the skewers so that the potatoes' flat side is down. I like to start them over direct flames so that they get crisped up but if you are using that side of the grill for something else, it really doesn't matter. Since the potatoes are mostly cooked already, you are just finishing them off and getting some crispiness and grill flavor. Use tongs to carefully flip the skewers, grill a little bit on the other side and then serve hot or at room temp.

Pass them out on the skewers or drop them back in the bowl you used to toss them with the oil to serve on the table. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, smokey all the way through...mmmmm....

2008-07-01T15:21:00.002-04:00

Well, hello there. Welcome to my new blog. I never thought I would do this. I have fought the impulse numerous times. But finally I have caved and here I am, a blogger. Yikes!

What finally got me to this point is my overwhelming desire to participate in Tuesdays with Dorie.. I've been baking from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking, for almost a year and I find it hard to resist any of the recipes. Then I found out that a group of nearly 200 bakers bake from the book every week and post the results on their blogs. I said to myself, "Internet-alter-ego Kittymama, you really should be doing that too!" And Kittymama said, " Myself, you are so right." So here I am.

So now that you know my motivation for the blog, you may be wondering where the name Kittymama comes from. Actually if you know me, you know about the cats. The cats, the cats, the cats. Kittydad (also known as my husband) and I are nuts about our kitties. We have 4 who live inside with us: Gonzo, GoGo Boots, Pumpkin and Merlin. Yeah, 4 is a lot. We know we're crazy. No, we will never have scratch-free furniture. Yes, we have 3 litter boxes and the staff at PetGoods run to re-stock the shelves when they see Kittydad walk in. But we love them dearly and they all needed homes. We also have 2 semi-feral cats who live in our backyard & garage: Belle and Velvet, a mother-and-son team. Yeah, that makes 6. We know. We know. But hey it's our house -- do what you want in yours, okay?

I took on the moniker Kittymama when I joined a chat board for people adopting from China. Kittydad and I have just started the process to adopt from China, after spending a year in line for another country that recently closed. We have mountains of paperwork to complete - again! - but the cats need another human to boss around, don't you think?

Blogging is HUGE in the adoption world. I can't decide yet how much stuff, if any, about our adoption I will put on the blog but I'll probably post occasional updates and use it for a travel journal when the time comes.

So here we go. Hope I don't bore you (or myself). Let's see what I can cook up...

kittymama