My Baking Adventures

This is going to be short and sweet for this weeks’ Sweet Melissa Sundays – I’ve got Alexander’s birthday party today, a surfboard cake to make – and the icing on the cake, so to speak?  Sabrina seems to have caught the virus that Alexander had two weeks ago. Oh happy day!

Thanks to Jamie, from Good Eats and Sweet Treats, for choosing Bee Stings for this week. I actually made these several months ago, but since I had the feeling they didn’t come out properly back then, I wanted to try them again.

According to Melissa, Bee Stings came about from her love of doughnuts- but these don’t taste like any doughnut I’ve ever had, they remind me more of brioche.

I skipped the pastry cream filling, because the kids asked me to, and just covered the buns with the glaze:

They absolutely loved them – and specifically requested that I make them again. I guess that means they were a success?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make a cake -

Coming up next week: Bear’s Peach Cobbler

Hey hey it’s Friday! And not a moment too soon, I tell you.

Let’s start things off with a TFF rewind. A few weeks ago, I made Tyler’s 3-Way Pancake, Waffle and Muffin batter. They were really good – but the consensus was that they were a bit too sweet.

So in a moment of inspiration last weekend, I made the batter again, but cut the amount of sugar in half – and substituted white whole wheat flour for half of the regular flour.

And then – don’t laugh at me here – I threw some chocolate chips on top.

You know what? These were GREAT! Even better than before. The kids have eaten them every single morning.

Here’s the link to my original posting for these – just literally use half the sugar. I think Tyler would be happy to know that I did not compromise the integrity of the recipe – I just tried (and succeeded!) to make them a bit healthier.

I’m going to make another batch this morning, since my freezer is now devoid of any muffins!

Now, the next recipe came about because I found several small red onions languishing in the onion bowl.  Rather than toss them out, I did a quick search through Tyler’s recipes and found one for roasted red onions. Sounded good to me – so I prepped the onions:

Drizzled them with the balsamic, olive oil, honey, and thyme:

Ok, the thyme wasn’t on yet – but I took the pan outside to the barbecue, since I was grilling lamb chops and I figured the heat inside the barbecue would be enough to cook these without having to turn on the oven inside the house.  I set the pan on the side of the barbecue that wasn’t lit.

At least I thought the other side wasn’t lit.

Imagine my surprise when I came back a few minutes later to discover this:

*ahem*

Not only was the side lit, but it was on high. So in the 3 minutes it took for me to walk back into the house, grab tongs, and walk back to the barbecue, the onions were burnt on the bottom and my pan was scorched.

Aside from the burnt onions, which I discarded, these were pretty darn great. The only change I made was to leave off the butter, as I didn’t think it was going to make or break this recipe, and I was right. They were plenty flavorful without it.

My pan, however, was sent off to the big oven in the sky…….

Red Onions Roasted With Balsamic and Honey – Tyler Florence

3 red onions, peeled, halved lengthwise
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 bunch fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Put the onions on a sheet pan, cut side up, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Season with salt and pepper then top each with a pat of butter and fresh thyme. Bake for 40 minutes, until the onions are soft and caramelized around the edges.

All right – since I’ve done nothing this morning except vent about the kids’ school, tried to entice you to play Name That Tune, baked 4 cakes (one of which I just ruined) and done 4 loads of laundry, it’s time for a recipe.

A few nights ago, I was watching Good Eats with the kids – they love that show because Alton Brown is witty, funny,  and besides, it’s educational. Which beats watching Disney Channels re-runs any day of the week. On this particular episode, he was making chiffon cupcakes – which of course the kids promptly decided they simply had to have, and how fast could I bake them?

Nice try, but it would have to wait until morning.

I’ve never made chiffon cake before, so this was a first for me. And I was pleasantly surprised at how easy these were to make. I did have to break out the digital scale since this recipe requires weight measurement, but again, that was relatively easy.

Another bonus? These are dairy free – so if you have any friends that are lactose intolerant (like I do), this is a good recipe to try.

And of course, Sabrina wanted pink vanilla frosting, and Alexander wanted chocolate:

I think I compromised nicely, don’t you?

And in case you might be wondering how they tasted – let me give you Alexander’s exclamation after he ate one:

“It’s like eating frosting covered air! These are so light, I need another one to make sure I actually ate a cupcake!”

There you have it!

One more note: I made the chocolate chiffon cupcakes this past weekend, as we were invited to a friends house for a birthday dinner. And conveniently, this is the friend who is lactose intolerant. The verdict? Two thumbs up.

Chiffon Cupcakes - Alton Brown

5 1/4 ounces cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
6 ounces sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place paper liners into 2 (12-cup) muffin tins and set aside. If you prefer, set 12 ovenproof coffee mugs on a half sheet pan and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Place the egg yolks and 5 ounces of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes pale yellow and ‘ribbons’ when lifted. Add the water, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients and whisk just to combine. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl while you whisk the egg whites.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and whisk on high using the whisk attachment, until it becomes foamy. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the remaining ounce of sugar. Increase speed to high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form, approximately 2 minutes.
Transfer 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until well combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently. Transfer batter into prepared muffin tins or coffee mugs, evenly dividing the batter between the cups. Place both muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven or, if using mugs, place all of them on a half sheet pan and set on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or the cupcakes reach an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

A good Sunday morning to you! I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend – I sure am!

Today we are going to talk about pie – but not just any pie – Cherry Pie! Can you believe that I have never made a cherry pie before? No, really, I’m serious! Of all the things I’ve baked in my life, it seems incomprehensible that I’ve never made a cherry pie.

So when Michelle of Flourchild chose the Sour Cherry Pie for Sweet Melissa Sundays, I was thrilled, yet apprehensive. Because I’ve only seen sour cherries for sale at Smart and Final in the large, industrial sized cans. And unless I planned on making enough pie for the neighborhood, I was going to have to take an alternate route. I was able to find these:

Which of course are NOT sour cherries, but would have to do.

Next step – on the off chance that Sabrina would want to try the pie (fat chance, but you never know), I was going to have to make an alternative to the pistachio crumble that capped the pie. So a quick check of my refrigerator, and look what I came across:

Instead of just plain oats, why not kick things up a bit? I ran it through my mini Cuisinart, just chopping it enough to break things up, not really grinding it to a powder. I also used brown sugar instead of granulated, to give it a bit more flavor than “sweet”.

Now, onto the pie shell. Conveniently, I had a 4″ tart pan in my freezer which was already lined with Melissa’s flaky pie dough. This has become my go-to recipe for pie/tart dough, for simplicity of preparation and consistency in results. Whew, that was a mouthful. Bottom line? The dough is perfect every time, it doesn’t throw tantrums, weep, shrink, or call me names when my back is turned:

Because I was using sweet cherries, instead of the sour cherries the recipe called for, I did cut back a bit on the sugar for the filling. I tossed everything together and placed the cherries in the pan – and since the cherries were frozen, the sugar and cornstarch clumped up on the fruit, which is why the filling looks crystallized:

Then I added the topping and put it in the oven:

And look – PIE!

Wait, here’s a better picture:

The only change I would make for next time (oh, and there will be a next time!) would be to pre-bake the crust. I think it could have used a bit more baking time, but I didn’t want to overcook the filling. Otherwise, this was an absolute joy to eat – and yes, I ate the whole thing myself, over a 2-day span. The kids didn’t want to even try it – but that meant more for me.

Thanks Michelle, for a fabulous pick – I really enjoyed this!

Coming next week:  Bee Stings – which are doughnuts in disguise.

I’ve got two recipes for you today – but only one is from our man Tyler, and since this is Tyler Florence Fridays, let’s go to his recipe first.

I was looking for a side dish to go with the barbecued pork I made (which you‘ll read about next), and since coleslaw is the suggested accompaniment, I did a quick check on Food Network and found Tyler’s recipe. It’s a bit different than your standard coleslaw, because it calls for the addition of hot sauce – which I really liked. It gave the coleslaw a nice bite, without being overpowering. I forgot to add the green onions, so I added fresh parsley on top for a bit of color.

The second recipe is for crock-pot barbecued pork. I got this recipe from “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker” cookbook -and I have come to realize there was no way to makes this dish look attractive. I must have taken 50 photos, and they all look the same – horrible. So excuse the lousy photo, and take my word for it that even though it doesn’t look like much, it’s well worth the small amount of prep work to make.

Although the original recipe call for pork butt (is it just me, or does that sound really funny?) I’ve always used the pork tenderloins from Costco. I particularly like them because they are lean, and well trimmed. Emphasis on the well trimmed part. I don’t do well with any cut of meat that requires more labor than just opening the package. I get too squeamish ~

Note: You will need to start this the night before – although I have cheated and just thrown the sauce mixture and pork into the slow cooker in the morning and let it cook all day. The choice is up to you.

Crockpot Barbecued Pork

1 cup ketchup
1 cup prepared chili sauce
¼ cup Dijon mustard
3 tbs. cider vinegar
3 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. soy sauce
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
One 3 lb. boneless pork butt, well trimmed ( I use tenderloins)

In a medium sized saucepan, combine all the ingredients except for the pork. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the pork and sauce in a zip-top plastic bag. Let marinate at least 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Pour the contents of the bag into the crock-pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and shred it, then return it to the pot and combine it with the sauce.

Serve on rolls with coleslaw.

Coleslaw - Tyler Florence
1 head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
1 fresh red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cabbage, carrots, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the coleslaw with the celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

**Sick child update**

After another trip to the doctors yesterday, they were finally able to determine why Alexander has not been getting better – he has a double ear infection. The antibiotics they prescribed were not strong enough, so they gave him a shot to help speed up the process. His temperature is still hovering at 100 degrees, but his appetite is coming back and he’s holding everything down. So I think we are finally on the road to recovery. I’m still not sure if the ear infection was causing the high fever, or vice versa, but the bottom line is today he feels well enough to go waddle around Club Penguin, which he hasn’t done all week.

This concludes the medical portion of our story.

Onto the cake! In my efforts to help make him feel better, I asked Alexander what he would like me to make for him. And besides a cheeseburger for dinner, he specifically requested Marble Cake.  Aside from Crumb Cake, this is one of his favorites. So I pulled out The Modern Baker, and found the recipe for Rum Scented Marble Cake.

This has an unusual mixing method – instead of creaming the butter/sugar mixture together first, then adding the eggs, then the flour – this recipe has you start with the flour, then add the butter, then the eggs. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about it, but Nick has never let me down:

And it marbled perfectly!

The recipe does seem long and a bit involved, but once you get going, it comes together quickly. And it makes a BIG cake, perfect for storing in the freezer when the craving for marble cake hits!

One last note: Bundt cakes seem to go from “fully baked” to “painfully dry” very quickly – so start checking for doneness around the 50 minute mark.

Rum Scented Marble Cake - adapted from The Modern Baker

Base batter:
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
12 oz. unsalted butter, softened
7 large eggs
3 tbs. dark rum
Chocolate Batter:
2 tbs. dark rum
2 tbs. milk
½ tsp baking soda
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups base batter

1 (12 cup) Bundt pan – well buttered

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Stir  to mix. Add the butter. Beat the mixture on low speed with the paddle until the mixture of a smooth, heavy paste, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk the eggs and rum together. On medium speed, beat 1/3 of the egg mixture into the flour and butter mixture. Beat for 1 minute.Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater. Add half of the egg mixture and beat for 2 minutes. Repeat with the other half.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a large rubber spatula give the batter a final mix.

For the chocolate batter, combine the rum, milk and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well to dissolve the baking soda. Scrape in the melted chocolate and whisk it well. Add the 2 cups of base batter to the chocolate mixture and whisk well to combine.

Scrape half of the remaining base batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Cover with the chocolate batter, making it as even a layer as possible. Finally top with the remaining base batter and smooth the top. Use a wide bladed table knife or a thin metal spatula to marble the batter: Insert the knife into the batter at the central tube, with the flat side of the blade facing you. Draw the blade through the batter to the bottom of the pan and up and out the side of the pan closest to you, repeating the motion every inch or so around the pan, making a spiral in the batter, almost as though you were folding egg whites into it. Stop when you get back to the point where you started. Don’t bother the smooth the top of the batter, it might disturb the marbling.

Bake the cake until it is well risen and firm, and a toothpick or a small thin knife inserted midway between the side of the pan and the central tube emerges dry, about 1 hour. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert a rack over it. Invert and lift off the pan. Cool the cake completely on the rack.

It’s Friday – and quite frankly, I’m relieved. I’ve been cooped up all week with a sick child – and if I have to sit through one more episode of Phineas and Ferb, I’m going to lose my mind. As I write this, I’m still not sure if Alexander is well enough to go to school today – and although the pile of missed work already looks like Mount Everest, he is itching to go back to school and hang out with his posse of girls.

My son, the ringleader of 4th grade.

Anyways, let’s talk about pot roast, although this can be best described in three words:  FAB-U-LOUS. It was easy and full of flavor. Just look at the list of ingredients – it’s all good stuff in there! And all of you cilantro-haters out there (and you know who you are!), just look the other way when you add it, okay?

I did change the preparation method a little, because I have a brand spankin’ new 7 quart slow cooker that was calling my name from the cabinet. I did brown the roast with the onion and garlic in a skillet first, and I also decreased the amount of water, since slow cookers retain all the juices anyways. From there, I just threw everything else in, pressed the button for 2 hours on low, and walked away.

I love my slow cooker.

This was perfect – but really, you want to know one of the best features? The leftovers stashed in my freezer

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos -Tyler Florence

Extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds shoulder of beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes (I used crushed)
3 dried red chiles (I used crushed red pepper)
1 tbs. ground cumin
1 tbs. ancho chile powder (I used Mexican Hot Chile powder)
½ bunch fresh cilantro
Water
2 tbs. red wine vinegar

For serving:
8 fresh medium corn tortillas
3 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
½ bunch fresh cilantro
1/3 pound Cotija cheese, crumbled
2 limes, cut into wedges for garnish

Drizzle beef shoulder with oil, then season with plenty of salt and black pepper. Set a large, heavy based pot over medium high heat. Sear on all sides until you have a nice brown crust, adding additional oil as necessary to prevent sticking.  Add onion and garlic to the pot and stir until they caramelize a little and have contact with the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes with juices, chiles, cumin, chile powder and the ½ bunch cilantro. Add 2 inches of water to the pot. Crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and comes apart with little resistance. Once cooked, use a wooden spoon to break apart the meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the vinegar.

If you like, warm the tortillas over an open flame on a gas stove, about 10 seconds per side. Serve the meat in tortillas with romaine, cilantro, cheese and lime wedges.

Quiz time:

What do you do when one of your children has been home sick for 6 days straight (with a 102 fever, plus an ear infection) – you haven’t been able to go the market in a week – and dinnertime inevitably rolls around?

tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock – time’s up!

You get creative, that’s what! After a quick ransack of the pantry, I found arborio rice, broth and onions – and white wine in the wine fridge. You know what that means? Risotto!

Risotto is always popular in my house – not just because it’s good, but because it’s EASY. And I especially like Rachael Ray’s recipe since it’s practically foolproof, and I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand. In this case, the only thing missing were the peas.

Truthfully? The kids didn’t miss them

Cheesy Risi e Bisi - Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 to 4 cups chicken stock, 1 quart size box, available on soup aisle of the market
1/4 to 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano, a generous handful
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup tiny frozen peas

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and onion and saute, stirring constantly 2 to 3 minutes then add rice and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook another minute or so then add wine and let it completely absorb, 30 seconds. Add about 1 cup chicken stock and stir. Reduce heat a bit to medium. Stir often and continue adding a half cup of liquid each time liquid becomes completely absorbed. Cook 22 minutes, using as much stock as is necessary to result in creamy-consistency rice with a bite to it.
When rice is cooked to desired consistency, remove from heat and stir in cheese, parsley and peas and stir to combine and to heat peas through.

Hands down, this is my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

If you’ve read my blog before, you know how much I love Nick Malgieri’s recipes. And these cookies are no exception. They are just like the recipe promises – loaded with chips. But aside from their chocolate-ness (yes, I just made that word up), these straddle the line between chewy and crispy.

The secret is not to overbeat the butter/sugar mixture – because if you do, it will cause the cookies to puff up while baking, then deflate once they cool. Just beat the butter with the sugar until it is well combined – that’s it – and resist the temptation to cream it to fluffiness. This way, you get nice thick cookies with slightly crispy edges and soft, chewy middles.

And one more note – I’ve made these with the vanilla extract, and without. I actually prefer them without. They don’t seem as sweet when I leave  it out. But that’s my personal preference, so make them however you like.

I’ve made these so many times I have the recipe memorized, but since you can’t read my mind (you can’t, can you?), I’ve provided it below.

Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies - adapted from Cookies Unlimited

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 stick butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or foil and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flour with the baking soda.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined, then beat in the egg, beating just until smooth. Don’t overbeat! Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared sheets, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are a deep gold and firm. Slide the papers off the pans onto cooling racks. After the cookies have cooled, detach them from the paper and store in an airtight container. Freeze for longer storage.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

If you are a mother, Happy Mother’s Day to you!

If you’re not, Happy Sunday to you!

Today I am going to take full advantage of it being a day for rest and relaxation. Yesterday was a very busy but productive day for me. We took David to the airport very early in the morning – then I spent 5 hours recreating my company files that were lost when my computer crashed. I finished everything – though at one point Alexander walked in and said, “WHOA! It looks like a tornado went through here!” It did – I had papers and files everywhere!

I rewarded bribed the kids by getting them memberships to Club Penguin for the month – it worked extremely well because they were so busy outfitting their penguins with the latest in penguin-wear, they weren’t asking me questions every five minutes.

What does any of this have to do with Sweet Melissa Sundays? Not a darn thing. But…….. I am exceptionally glad that the chosen dessert for this week had the ability to be frozen, and that I had leftovers – because otherwise pictures would be S.O.L. after the Great Computer Crash of ‘09.

The only change I made was to use a graham cracker crust – because do you remember those homemade graham crackers no one wanted to eat? Guess where they ended up?!

I even spent considerable time piping meringue rosettes on the top. I wish I still had the pictures to show, because it looked so beautiful. But strangely enough, after it was baked, the meringue rosettes separated across the top of the cake. I’ve heard of the Parting of the Red Sea, but never Parting of the Meringue…………

Jennifer from Keep Passing the Open Windows picked a real winner this week -and my dad proclaimed this to be one of my finest desserts ever.

High praise, indeed!

Coming up next week:  Guinness Gingerbread. I’m not sure about this one – it’s 100 degrees here, I don’t drink beer, and I don’t think I can handle a cold weather dessert right now. Wah, wah, wah – I know, I know………