My Baking Adventures

Remember the crab cakes I made on Monday night? Well, so do I!! They turned out so good - and since this is my baking adventures - and they are baked - it’s fair game!!

Here’s a picture of the one I ate:

And here’s a picture of the whole flock. Pay no attention to the cake in the lower left corner - he tried to make a run for it but I nabbed him with the spatula. And just to show him who’s the boss, I ate him. Standing up. At the cooktop.

No more excuses! Here’s the recipe, so you don’t have to go hunting for it. I highly recommend you make these, the leftovers freeze perfectly. Now my lunch is going to be one of these little guys on a roll with lettuce, mayo……………

Ina Garten’s Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup small diced red onion (1 small onion)
1 1/2 cups small diced celery (4 stalks)
1/2 cup small diced red bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/2 cup small diced yellow bell pepper (1 small pepper)
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, drained and picked to remove shells
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten for frying
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
Place the 2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons oil, onion, celery, red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, capers, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large saute pan over medium-low heat and cook until the vegetables are soft, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, break the lump crabmeat into small pieces and toss with the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, and eggs. Add the cooked mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Shape into bite-sized crab cakes.
Heat the butter and olive oil for frying over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the crab cakes and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm in a 250 degree oven and serve hot.

** I placed the cakes on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and baked them at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, then flipped them and baked another 10 minutes.

Nikki at Crazy Delicious has this fun challenge every month called the Master Baker. Now, if I’m getting the gist of it, it’s a little like Iron Chef. She chooses an ingredient, all the participants make something including that ingredient, and she selects a winner based upon which entry she likes the best - she also MAKES as many of the entries as she can. This month’s ingredient was vanilla. I had lots of ideas, and a few crazy ones too - I actually told Nikki I was going to make a souffle, but I kept coming back to this recipe. Maybe because there was chocolate involved? I don’t know.

I must preface this recipe by saying that first, it’s not my original recipe. I actually saw it on Judy’s website and thought, what a great idea! I know it’s not baked but I wanted to try this panna cotta after the last round I made with the buttermilk.

So I am giving credit to Judy, who in turned adapted it from Panna Cotta by Camilla V. Saulsbury. Now of course, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t make some changes of my own. First thing I did was make homemade raspberry jam. Now I’m not one of these uber-cool Martha Stewart types who cans my fruit and bottles my own jam - c’mon people, I live in the desert. Las Vegas isn’t known for it’s agriculture. The only things that grow out here are tumbleweeds. With that being said, I found an easy recipe for homemade jam on Recipezaar. Two ingredients. I repeat, 2 ingredients. Practically foolproof!! The only change I made to that recipe was to cut down on the sugar - waaaayyyy down. Whoa. I like sweet, but not when my tongue shrivels from sugar overload.

I also added vanilla to the chocolate layer - I think it enhances the chocolate flavor. And I doubled the vanilla in the vanilla layer. I wanted it to really stand out, to be noticed.

Another change I made to the recipe is to cool down the vanilla layer before attempting to ladle it on top of the chocolate. Ok, stop laughing now, you can only imagine what happened when I poured hot cream over the chilled chocolate layer. Yes, the vanilla layer looked like it had chocolate pox. *slaps forehead with hand* Well, I realized real quick that this wasn’t going to fly. I made an ice bath and cooled it down - so the remaining 5 glasses were pox-free.

A remarkable dessert - I think the elegance lies in its simplicity. It also tastes amazing - and the raspberry jam really nails it.

Ok, Nikki, here it is…..

Neapolitan Panna Cotta with Homemade Raspberry Jam

(recipe from Judy @ Gross Eats and adapted from Panna Cotta by Camilla V. Saulsbury)

Chocolate Layer:
Place 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon gelatin over the water and let stand 5 minutes to soften.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 2 tbs. sugar to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add 2 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add the gelatin mixture, whisking until dissolved. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. Ladle into 6 clear wineglasses, or martini glasses. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours.

Vanilla Layer:
Prepare a shallow ice bath and set aside.

Place 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon gelatin over the water and let stand 5 minutes to soften.

In a small saucepan, bring 1 2/3 cups heavy cream and 2 tbs. sugar to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add in 2 tsp. vanilla and the gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Set saucepan in an ice bath till the mixture is room temperature. Carefully ladle the vanilla mixture on top of the chocolate mixture. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours to set. Top each panna cotta with raspberry jam.

Raspberry Jam :
In large saucepan, combine 2 cups frozen raspberries. Bring to boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup sugar and boil for 2 minutes longer. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until set. Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Makes 6 servings

If it’s Tuesday, it must mean we are baking with Dorie!! This weeks selection from the TWD group was chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker. She chose the Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake. Maybe I was being short-sighted, but I just couldn’t bring myself to make something that I knew would get thrown out. Caitlin was very gracious not to be offended.

Not everyone likes every recipe in the book and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being honest about it - but in the spirit of the group (and not to be left out) I made the Almost Fudge Gateau that had been a previous selection before I became a member. Besides, anything with that ratio of chocolate to flour has to be good.

The only gripe is that I didn’t have a 9″ springform pan. Oh, I’ve had lots of 9″ springform pans but inevitably, I will make a dessert to take to a dinner party and ………………………. the bottom of the pan gets left behind, I forget about it and I’m out another pan. Sigh. So I took out the 8″ springform pan. I knew I would have to adjust the cooking time and keep a close eye on it. Ahh, it baked up perfectly - here it is right out of the oven:

I made the mistake of cutting it too soon, although I wouldn’t call it a mistake - the center kind of oozed out at me. I like that in a dessert. Especially one that involves that much chocolate. I had no trouble scraping it off the plate to eat it and it was DELICIOUS! Modesty prohibits me from showing you the plate, or the cut cake. I will, however, show you the “model” pose:

I didn’t make the optional glaze that was specified in the book. Sometimes, simpler is better. Translation: I was in too much of a hurry to eat the cake it so I didn’t take the time to make the glaze.

Almost Fudge Gateau

5 large eggs
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
5 tbs. butter, cut into chunks
2 tbs. coffee or water
1/3 cup all purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9” spring form pan, and line the bottom with parchment. Butter the parchment, and dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. Place the prepared pan onto a baking sheet.
Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a mixer bowl and the yolks into a smal bowl.
Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and add the chocolate, sugar, butter and coffee. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted - the sugar may still be grainy and that’s fine. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let it sit for 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the eggs one by one, then fold in the flour.
Using the whisk attachment of the mixer, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they hold firm but glossy peaks. Using the spatula, stir about ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the rest. Scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan from side to side to even the batter.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake has risen evenly. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Run a blunt knife around the edge of the pan and remove the sides. Carefully turn the cake over and remove the pan bottom and parchment - then turn the cake right side up.
Let the cake cool completely before glazing.

Optional Glaze:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
½ cup heavy cream
2 tsp light corn syrup

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and melt it over another pan of simmering water- the chocolate should only be warm, not hot. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir very gently until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in the corn syrup. Pour the glaze over the cake and smooth the top with a long metal spatula. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature.

Make sure you visit the Tuesdays with Dorie site to see how everyone did with their respective cakes!!

Monday is my day to play catch-up with everything I’ve put off since Friday - that includes the Mount Everest of laundry that has accumulated since then. Geesh, where did it all come from? Does it multiply when your back is turned? My mother says laundry is a losing battle anyways, because there is ALWAYS more to do! (I hate it when she’s right!)

I’m also making my entry for the Master Baker Challenge, and making crab cakes for dinner tonight. I’m using Ina Garten’s recipe for the cakes, but instead of frying them, I broil them and they come out perfect every time -doesn’t that sound like a commercial?!

So I’ll leave you with these cookies that I made the other day - I found some Andes Mints in the pantry and thought that since the peppermint pattie brownies had such a great reception, these could too!!

My father thinks the cookie looks like a muffin. Does it? I was trying to be creative with the photography!

Sour Cream Fudge Cookies - Nick Malgieri

2 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 stick (8 tbs) butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
¾ cup sour cream
1 cup chopped Andes Mints

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Melt butter and chocolate together in double boiler oven simmering water. Stir in sugars, then egg and vanilla. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then stir in all of the sour cream, then stir in the remaining flour and candy pieces.

Drop dough by tablespoons onto prepared sheets and bake just until set in the center, about 10 minutes. Do not overbake!

PS - David thinks these are too chocolatey. Doesn’t he know you can never have enough chocolate?

The birthday cake was a HUGE success - when Adam cut into the cake, he exclaimed “It’s bleeding!” It was perfect! I am definitely going to keep that cake in my repertoire.

Whew. I just finished the cake. It took longer than I expected, but I am really pleased with the outcome.

I can’t wait to see his face when he cuts into it and it’s bright red!!!

I had a little trouble with the fondant, it tore on the inside of the root, so I had to get creative and think of a way to cover it. Since it’s for a man, blue ribbon seemed to be the way to go. And little star cutouts to hide the seams.

Ok, break time - I need to walk the dogs (and get the kids to get their squirrelys out) then go to the party!!

Yay! The cookies are coming! I had the good fortune to come across the Cookie Carnival blog site, and I made it in time to join in for the April recipe.

The rules are quite simple - Kate selects a recipe, all the members make it and post it, and then we get to eat it. (Ok, I’ll confess, I ate one before I actually posted it).

This months recipe was Vanilla Bean Thins, from Gourmet Magazine. This particular recipe was tricky to work with. It’s a sugar cookie type dough, made very quickly in the food processor. In fact, I was surprised at the mixing method - it reminded me of a tart crust dough. I am thinking of using this recipe next time I make a tart!

I had a bit of trouble rolling the dough - again, because it was very crumbly. I had to work it a bit to get it to come together. I also could not seem to roll it as thin as the recipe directs - less than 1/8″. No way!! I ended up making them thicker - 1/4″. I cut out my diamond shapes and into the oven they went. Since they were thicker, they took longer to cook than the stated 10-15 minutes.

Well, I am happy to tell you that these are fantastic!! They are much lighter in texture than a standard sugar cookie and the flavor is really pleasant - not too sweet, with plenty of vanilla flavor from the vanilla bean. Definitely a keeper!

Vanilla Bean Thins - Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients

1 fresh vanilla bean, split lengthwise

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg yolk

Preparation

Make vanilla sugar:

Scrape vanilla seeds from pod with tip of a knife into confectioners sugar. Halve pods crosswise and bury in sugar. Cover tightly and let stand at least 24 hours and up to 1 month.

Make cookies:

Discard pods and transfer vanilla sugar to a food processor. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse just until mixture is in pea-size lumps. Add yolk and pulse just until a dough forms. Gather dough into 2 balls, then flatten into 2 (5-inch) disks and chill, each disk wrapped well in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Roll out 1 disk (keep the other chilled) to less than 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out shapes with floured cookie cutter and chill scraps. Arrange cookies 1/2 inch apart on a buttered large baking sheet. Make more cookies with remaining dough, rerolling scraps (but only once).

Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Have you ever seen a child’s face when they understand something clearly for the first time? I have never seen it quite like I did tonight. My father asked Alexander (who is 8 years old) if he wanted 6 cookies or a half dozen cookies. Alexander thought about it, and thought about it - and decided he would take a half dozen because it sounded like more!

That is, until he REALLY thought about and did the math - and that moment, his face changed like someone pulled a switch. It was a look I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Thanks for making that happen, Dad!!

So far, things are going swimmingly. I was able to make a beautiful red velvet cake - substituting soy milk for the buttermilk, and dairy free margarine for the butter. I wasn’t sure if the success of the cake depended upon the acidity of the buttermilk; however, I was not able to find a dairy free buttermilk. Isn’t that an oxymoron?

Here’s how my day went:

My trusty mixer - doing its thing - wow, the batter is so red! I don’t know why it surprises me every time.

My assistant (Sabrina) took these photos - now it’s ready to go into the oven:

And here we have the completed first layer. Notice the small corner cut off - quality testing, of course!

Right now, the second layer is cooling. I tried to make a custard with the leftover soy milk, but it didn’t thicken enough and quite frankly, it didn’t taste very good either. I’ll have to do more research on that. Now the cakes have to finish cooling and chill while I decide what to do about the frosting situation. I think there is a dairy free cream cheese out there - I’m going to check it out!

Today, I’m making a birthday cake for a friends surprise party tomorrow. He is lactose-intolerant, so I’ll dig through my repertoire of chocolate cakes made with oil and try the dairy free raspberry mousse filling that I found on Baking Bites. It calls for tofu - interesting - I’ve never had anything like it before!

Since he and his wife are both dentists, I thought it would be cute to shape the cake like a tooth. I’ll post pictures as soon as it’s completed.