Cinemon Girl

Cinemon Girl has MOVED!!

2010-08-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

We've officially made the switch to our own brand-new website! Head over to www.CinemonGirl.com right now to keep up with latest news, updates and recipes. Make sure to bookmark the new site too!

High Tech Meets Low Maintenance

2010-08-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

My generation is probably the last one that will remember the days without internet and cell phones- hey kids, we used to go through life...disconnected. It was possible to go to the store, exercise, and have a thought or feeling without then immediately sharing it electronically with the rest of the planet! And while it's been 15 years since my first glove compartment sized cell phone I'd resisted the smart phone craze until last week. The film industry never meet a gadget it didn't like and now it's virtually impossible to meet the demands of the shows I work on without an iphone. Standing in the middle of the desert without wifi or a production trailer (it broke down on the freeway) is no excuse for not responding to emails and frankly, after 5 days on the job I'm completely hooked on my shiny new toy. My old flip phone could barely make calls and now and I'm texting, sending emails, checking traffic and making dinner reservations all at the same time. I'm hooked!
I'm not so tech-ied out to appreciate the simple things like this week's TWD, Oatmeal Breakfast Bread. Nothing more complicated than a few bowls and a spatula, this delicious morning treat works with whatever ingredients you have on hand. I love the combination almonds, dried cranberries, and orange zest and made a few muffins with the leftover batter so I could eat them right away. I guess my iphone has gotten me a little used to instant gratification these days.
And speaking of which, I can't wait to unveil my new web site. A sleeker, more modern Cinemon Girl will be coming your way very soon. Cinemon Girl 2.0!

Wake & Bake

2010-08-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

For some people wake and bake has a certain connotation but I prefer a more literal interpretation. An early riser, I have a hard time sleeping in so even when I don't have to be at work until the afternoon I'm up and at 'em- often in the kitchen. Yesterday I baked off these Gingered Carrot Cookies but when my husband's alarm went off this morning I hopped out of bed and whipped up some cream cheese frosting to slather on top. Then I promptly boxed them up for him to take so I wouldn't eat them for breakfast.

Well not all of them anyway.
For the recipe, click here and check out the rest of the TWD'ers here.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

2010-07-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

When viewing my life as though it were an Aesop's fable, I tended to skew more towards Hare than Tortoise. I was always in such a rush- hurry up and graduate, get out into the work force, apply to grad school, then move to LA. I was on the fast track but after 10 years had passed in what felt like 10 minutes I still hadn't reached the finish line, much less had any idea where or what it was. That's when I knew I needed to slow down and reevaluate exactly where I was headed on this race- to start looking at it more like a marathon, less like a sprint. Once I took a breather, I could really focus on what was right in front of me, this culinary passion I didn't even know I had, but instead of jumping in the fast lane I'm taking it slow.

Today was my maiden voyage to Restaurant Depot (where restaurants shop!) which felt like a big step to me. Do I really need a 2 pound bag of flour right now? No, but I might someday and that in itself is pretty darn exciting. So what if I only bought 2 bowls and a thermometer? Baby steps.

This week's TWD, Chewy Chunky Blondies are so chock full of mix-ins a Restaurant Depot card just might come in handy. Made with giant chunks of bittersweet chocolate, coconut and pecans, they are great just out of the oven but even better the next day. So whether you're a tortoise or a hare, it's a win-win situation.

Black Magic Bourbon Brrrownies

2010-07-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it was the beignets, the Mighty Mississippi, or a little voodoo magic but New Orleans definitely has me in it's spell. Days after returning home I'm continue to be enchanted by that amazing place- a feeling that followed me into the kitchen for this week's TWD, Brrrr-ownies.
I was all set to make these peppermint patty filled brownies but the siren call for a Mint Julep inspired version could not be ignored.
Using the original recipe as the base, I used 1/4 tsp of vanilla and 1/4 of peppermint extract (very strong, I think 1/8 teaspoon would suffice) then added 1 tablespoon of Michter's Single Barrel Bourbon. I topped them with Bourbon Creme Anglaise and candied pecans.

Now that's Southern charm.

Bourbon Creme Anglaise
adapted from NOLA.com

1 cup 2% milk
1 cup half & half
5 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon

Scald the milk and cream in a saucepan.
Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and the sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until pale and slightly thickened. Gradually pour the milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Transfer back to the saucepan and stir over very low heat with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring, without boiling until the sauce coats the back of the spoon. Stir in the bourbon.
Serve warm or chilled.

And Then Foie Gras Went Up My Nose

2010-07-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

I've been fortunate to experience a few incredible meals in my life and have been known to wax poetic about a particular ingredient or chef, but if food loving became a religion New Orleans would surely be a contender for Culinary Vatican. Never have a uttered the words, "this is the best thing I ever ate," so often in such a period of time. And at every meal.

Piping hot, sugary beignets and chickory coffee. Cafe Du Monde is legendary for a reason.

Restaurant Stella! calls this A Composition of Heirloom Carrots. Carrot salad, confit, foam, sorbet and gelee with carrot cake crumbles. Step right up to the Carrot Carnival.

I can't remember what kind of fish this was. It was locally caught, smothered in a crawfish and spice tomato-y sauce. Commander's Palace...believe the hype.

Bread Pudding Souffle. It may look innocent, but it's like the ninja of desserts. You are powerless against it.

Ducking out of the heat of the day into a cafe for barbeque shrimp with garlic bread. Late night po' boys after listening to a bonefide Lousiana brass band. A meal at Restaurant August that left us breathless- peaches and pork belly, need I say more.

Amen.

Casual Tuesdays

2010-06-22T05:22:00.000-07:00

My morning routine doesn't include a lot of primping. At 4am, I'm lucky to put on a matching pair of shoes much less makeup. Outfit selection is based on a) comfort as I will be wearing it for the next 12-16 hours and b) weather conditions. If it's a hot summer day it will be a balmy 65 on the sound stage unless you're standing under the lights and who knows what being on location will bring- sun, wind, rain, rain towers? My closet looks like a cross between 14 year old tomboy and outward bound counselor. At this point if I decided to go corporate I'd be lost. Heels and pantyhose? I'd feel less constricted in a straight jacket.
My kitchen is the one place I do feel comfortable getting fancy and this week's TWD, Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake, provided the perfect opportunity. Luckily, the only thing high maintenance about this cake is the name because it was so simple to put together. I opted for downsized glamour by making half the recipe into cupcakes, then I classed them up with piped frosting and candy pearls.

Even us low maintenance gals need a little bling from time to time.
For the recipe, click here.

Shades of Pink

2010-06-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

While working on set I meet (and get coffee for) lots of celebrities and I'm rarely ever star struck but put me at an event filled with chefs and I turn into a giddy, red faced groupie.
A few weeks ago while volunteering at the Taste of The Nation Los Angeles event, I came face to face with Susan Feniger, of Border Grill, Street and Top Chef Masters fame, and was reduced to a blithering idiot. The words, "You're so awesome, can I shake your hand," actually came out of my mouth, followed by my dropping a forkful of the Burmese Melon Salad she had just handed me onto her petite feet. So embarrassing. Gracious Master Chef that she is, she sweetly helped me pick up my mess and grabbed me a new fork so that I could continue to enjoy the amazing salad she had made. Luckily the pleasure of eating this refreshing, totally delicious combination of melon, coconut and fresh herbs distracted me from my feelings of humiliation. Also, I later redeemed myself by managing to speak to and shake the hand of Govind Armstrong without making a spectacle of myself.

I've since recovered from my clumsy brush with fame but could not get this salad out of my mind and just had to make it myself. With all its complex flavor it is deceptively simple to make and is quickly becoming my favorite summer salad. I didn't have everything on hand to follow Chef Feniger's recipe exactly but was still able to come pretty close. The original recipe can be found here.

Burmese Melon Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
adapted from Susan Feniger's version
1 small tuscan melon (or cantaloupe), seeded and cubed
1/2 a small seedless watermelon, cubed
1/4 cup mixture chopped fresh basil, mint and cilantro
1/3 cup chopped unsalted, roasted peanuts
2 tbs shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tbsp fish sauce
3/4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp white sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Combine melon, herbs, peanuts and coconut in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, ginger, sugar and fish sauce
Add dressing to salad, toss. For added protein, I topped mine with spicy grilled shrimp.

Bigger Than A Bread Box

2010-06-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate enough to have three small bedrooms in our triangle house which allows my husband and to each have a room of our own. Mine was the office/guest bedroom but has now been taken over by the cats. My husband's room, or "the forbidden room" as we call (see above re:cats), is a sea of computer cables, camera equipment, and laundry in various stages of clean or dirty. The forbidden room has a secret though- it is the perfect temperature for proofing dough. Living near-ish to the beach keeps the downstairs pretty chilly even most of the time, the upstairs tends to be on the warm side but that corner bedroom is just right so when this Goldilocks wants to bake bread that's where it goes to rise. When making this week's TWD, Raisin Swirl Bread, my secret weapon worked a little too well and I had to bake the bread on the lowest rack to avoid it hitting the top burner. Luckily the rest of the bread managed to grow into it's golden brown top and came out perfectly.

Simply toasted and buttered, a slice of this bread made a perfect breakfast.

Thanks Susan for a great pick! For the recipe, check out her blog.

Fabulous Baker Girl

2010-06-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

The piano scene in The Fabulous Baker Boys- in my opinion, hands down one of the sexiest cinematic moments of my generation. Who hasn't fantasized about serenading/seducing a handsome musician while slinking around a baby grand?
Well I may not be a musically talented, french cigarette smoking blonde bombshell, but I can make some whoopie... as in these Chocolate Orange Whoopie Pies.

They may not be as sexy and Beau Bridges circa 1989, but they're just as irresistible.

Whoopie Pies
from Epicurious
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla.

Beat butter and brown sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Orange Buttercream

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1 tbsp orange zest

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter on high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low and add sugar and zest until, then increase to medium high and beat until smooth. For even smoother buttercream, switch to whisk attachment and beat until it has the consistency of sour cream.

Sweet Endings

2010-06-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Once a week my husband walks into work with a white box and people are just a little bit happier to see him. Thus far I've put biscotti, lemon bars, and nutella brownies in that box and when I stopped by there yesterday, the requests were pouring in. Then, the unthinkable happened, a flyer for the annual office Biggest Loser Competition landed on his desk.
Starting Thursday, everyone is going to be on a diet and I'm thinking those white boxes won't be so well received. I figured for their last hurrah I'd go big...with White Chocolate Orange Petit Fours.
Sure petit fours are small, but these are huge on flavor. I started with a lightly orange scented vanilla sponge, brushed with cointreau simple syrup, one layer of orange marmalade and one orange buttercream. Then, because I wanted to go out swinging, a generous drizzle of white chocolate sprinkled with orange zest.

I know I'll miss filling those boxes as much as they enjoyed emptying them.

The sponge cake and buttercream recipes can be found here. I have Martina to thank for the white chocolate topping and the inspiration.

Hawaiian Chocolate Elvis

2010-05-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

In college I used to frequent a place called Planet Smoothie. My favorite was the Chocolate Elvis- a chocolate, peanut butter, banana confection that I swore I wouldn't finish but always did. Although I graduated some time ago, (ahem, "waaay back when you were in school" as it was phrased by a certain alumni fundraising whippersnapper who might be wise to ask for money before making one feel ancient) I never met a chocolate banana treat I didn't like, especially when coconut is added to the mix. This week's TWD, Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie, was right up my alley. It all starts with a shortbread coconut crust layered with banana, covered in a rich chocolate ice cream and banana combo, then topped with more banana. For my mini tarts, I mixed Haagen Daas milk chocolate ice cream with creme de cacao and added an some toasted coconut for extra crunch but you could go a lot of different directions with this pie. Did I hear someone say banana caramel?

Satisfy your chocolate banana craving and head over to Spike Bakes for the recipe.

You've Come A Long Way Baby

2010-05-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's just not a birthday party without a montage. As Cinemon Girl turns 2 today, I give you a look back on my second year of food blogging.

I got serious with actual lights and a backdrop. No more squeezing everything on to the windowsill.

The student became the teacher as I taught my gorgeous cousin Kaitlin some of the tricks I learned in school and encouraged her to start her own blog.

Events inspired food like these Nainamo Bars- all the rage at the Vancouver Olympics

Food gave back at Stir It 28.

Always a fan of playing with my food,

this year I took it up a notch.

And hosted Tuesdays With Dorie.

Cinemon Girl gave my food fantasies a home so even though it's the blog's birthday, the blogger feels like she has gotten all the presents.

Chew On This

2010-05-09T18:31:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I watched this great segment on 60 Minutes profiling Spanish expat chef Jose Andres. A former student of El Bulli's Ferran Adria, Chef Andres is credited for putting tapas style dining on the map in the US and for applying his love of physics and chemistry to push the boundaries of molecular gastronomy. I had grand plans to spend our upcoming 3rd wedding anniversary at his acclaimed Bazaar restaurant but thanks to the 60 Minutes feature, getting a reservation there has gone from improbable to impossible.
While I loved watching this master chef confound Anderson Cooper things like his pellet shaped mojito, there was one particular part of the story that struck me. Andres has been shifting his focus of late, away from meat dishes and towards vegetables, elevating them from side dish to a more starring role on his plates. And its not purely from a nutritional or environmental perspective- Chef Andres just finds fruits and veggies sexy.

Chef: (Meat) is slightly boring...You get a piece of meat and you put it in your mouth the first five seconds, all the juices flow around your mouth, they're gone. And then you are 20 more seconds chewing something that is tasteless...Something like this doesn't happen with a pineapple, an asparagus, a green pea.
- 60 Minutes transcript

I was really intrigued by this "sexy vegetable" idea but it didn't truly hit home with me until I made this Watermelon and Cucumber Mint Tsatsiki Salad.

Sweet juicy watermelon and crunchy cucumber tossed with lime juice, all seductively drizzled with a tangy, minty tsatsiki and topped with sprinkling of sea salt- a veritable sensory explosion in every bite. So much pow! flavor! in a simple plant based dish totally proved Chef Andres point. You know you want some.

Watermelon and Cucumber Mint Tsatsiki Salad
Gourmet Magazine via Epicurious
1 small garlic clove
2 medium cucumbers, divided
1 1/2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt
2/3 cup chopped mint, divided
1 (3-pounds) piece watermelon, rind removed and fruit cut into 1-inch chunks (6 cups)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Flaky sea salt

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and transfer to a bowl. Peel, seed and half one cucumber lengthwise. Coarsely grate into bowl with garlic paste. Stir in yogurt, 1/3 cup mint, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to make tsatsiki. Peel and halve remaining cucumber. Cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices.Toss sliced cucumber with watermelon, remaining 1/3 cup mint, and lime juice in a large bowl.

Serve fruit with tsatsiki. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

Supernatural

2010-05-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Wow. Wow. Wow. Burnt sugar ice cream. So good it renders you speechless. Creamy, salty, sweet waves of frozen fabulousness. Perfection in a bowl and so simple to make. Burn your sugar. Add milk, cream, egg yolks and a pinch of salt and stir until an addictively delicious custard forms. Chill, churn, devour. Ice cream this good just isn't natural- it's supernatural.

Let me take a moment to profess my love for Becky for making this her TWD pick. Can I wash your car? Do your laundry? I owe you big for bringing Burnt Sugar Ice Cream into my life.
"...Oh my god, this changes everything..."
-Art Bell, Coast To Coast

Italy In My Mailbox

2010-04-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

When I was in grade school, way back in the days before twitter and email, we had pen pals instead of facebook friends. It was so exciting to get letters in the mail from kids just like us, living in other towns, countries even. We could ask them questions like, what cartoons did they watch, and did they eat oreos the same way we did, and is it true the water in their toilet swirled the other way? Even with all the cyber connecting I've got going on now, I was thrilled when I heard about Foodie Exchange.
Foodie Exchange is a website that connects foodies from around the world to exchange food care packages. Getting a package in and of itself is great but the idea of it being filled with regional treats is downright awesome.
My firs exchange was with Rosella from Milan, Italy who sent me a fantastic box of goodies
Savory items like local olive oil, saffron, and pesto,

and sweet treats of cookies, and my personal kryptonite, Nutella.

She even included a pot holder and handmade cloth grocery bag. Thanks Rosella for such a beautiful bounty!

If you're interested in joining in the fun, check out the Foodie Exchange site for yourself and sign up!

High Fallutin'

2010-04-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

It seems I've gotten the reputation of being a food snob. Lately every time I plan to meet a friend for a meal they want me to pick the place. Or if they have somewhere in mind they second guess their choice saying, "We could go here, unless you don't think it will be good." Hey, I may be a self professed foodie but hoity toity I ain't.
See, I said ain't. Cuz I'm keepin it real...and stuff.
Look here's the deal, yes I love food- cooking it, eating it, reading about it. I research restaurants, plan outings around meals, fantasize about trips to places with meals I covet, and I'm very picky when choosing the ingredients I cook with. But, a snob? I think not.
I enjoy a ballpark hot dog as much if not more than the next guy, and a road trip just isn't complete without a stop at Wendy's (don't judge). It's just that when something is billed as gourmet cuisine I expect it to be so, especially if I am paying top dollar for it. I try to avoid jarred sauces because making my own is more fun and I can control exactly how much salt & sugar go in it. And when I have a craving for those packaged treats of my youth, I love using my "culinary powers" to knock off the original with a homemade version.
When I saw the Strawberry Pop Tart recipe in last month's Bon Appetit I just could not resist. Leaps and bounds above those little foil packets, these Pop Tarts are made simply with all butter pie dough and homemade strawberry preserves. Nor rock hard icing on these babies either, just a generous dusting of powder sugar.

Once you try them (and see how easy there are to make), you might get a little high on your horse too. For the recipe, click here.

Lavender Is Food

2010-04-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law loves caramel. She also loves lavender. Her affection for these items are documented here and here. For her birthday present, lavender fleur de sel caramels were the obvious choice.

Happy Birthday Beth!

Lavender Fleur de Sel Caramels
adapted from Epicurious
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon lavender fleur de sel
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup1/4 cup water

1 tbs culinary lavender, chopped and additional fleur de sel for sprinkling on top of caramel.

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then oil parchment. Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat and set aside.

Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until desired shade of caramel is reached.

Carefully stir in cream mixture and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a square of parchment paper.

Australian Visiting Cake

2010-04-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of a cake specifically made for when guests are coming by. Of course given the unpredictable nature of our daily lives, this might work better in theory than in practice but this week's TWD changes all of that. Swedish (Australian) Visiting Cake is the kind of one bowl, already on hand ingredient recipe that works beautifully whether you make it ahead of time or throw it together at the last minute. It's so versatile you can make it in just about any random skillet, cake pan or pie tin.

I made this cake this morning when I remembered my cousin's folks were flying in from Australia- hence the new name. I know this orange cardamom scented cake will be the perfect remedy for their jet lag!
Thanks Nancy for a great pick this week!

Feed A Cold

2010-04-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

When I was in 5th grade, I wrote a poem about being sick while I was in the infirmary waiting for my mom to come pick me up. To this day every time I get a cold that poem pops into my head. While I will (in the interest of my saving myself from complete and utter embarrassment) refrain from sharing this iambic masterpiece with the blogsphere, I will say that next to matzoh ball soup, a slice of Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake made this patient feel a whole lot better.

Even with my compromised sense of smell this cake tasted great and made me forget for a few minutes how crummy I felt. I used cocoa powder and hot water instead of coffee- I'm already sneezy and dopey, no need to add jumpy to the list.
Thanks Erin for this pick, it was a bright spot in my congested haze.
Want more bundts? Check out the blogroll.

Thanks East Bunny, Bok Bok

2010-04-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Forget the egg, this Easter was all about the chick.

Chicks on sticks inspired by Bakerella and Cake Brain

Pretty vanilla cupcakes.

And check out the genius that is the Peep Show. Photo courtesy of Within The Cranium.

What's in your Easter basket?

Coconut Tea Cake, Take 2

2010-03-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Some bakers have issues with pie dough, yeast, or pastry cream but my kitchen achilles heel has always been cake. After years of therapy, err I mean practice, my track record has improved but some days my mojo is still off. My first attempt at this week's TWD, Coconut Tea Cake...epic fail. Looked ok coming out of the oven but 20 minutes later devolved into a sunken, gummy mess. If I weren't such a coconut fan I might have thrown in the towel but today I gave it another go.
It did deflate a bit initially but held up well over all and smelled fantastic. I made half the recipe in a loaf pan (a kitchen full of stuff but still no bundt pan) and added lime zest, coriander and Malibu rum. I had plans for lime curd to spread on top but I just booked set work for the next 3 days so that will have to wait.
If you want to try your hand at this cake, go visit Carmen. And for even more coconut fun, check out the blogroll.

Drama Free

2010-03-23T05:21:00.000-07:00

If you're gonna stress out, don't do it over a cookie. Life is hard. This week's TWD, Dulce de Leche Duos, are easy. Sweet, buttery caramel sandwiched between lightly chewy cookies- 100% pleasure, 0% stress.
Even is you can't find the canned stuff, dulce de leche is a cinch to make. I used the oven method and I didn't so much as break a sweat.

Thanks Jodie for bringing some calm into my chaos.

Rule of Thumb

2010-03-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

When you bake, and people know you bake, you can never show up anywhere empty-handed. That's why I'm always on the hunt for simple but special cookie recipes that fulfill my treat prerequisite. This week's TWD, Thumbprints For Us Big Guys, really fit the bill. These soft, nutty cookies are simply dusted with powdered sugar but the jam center gives them their wow factor. I used walnuts in the base, filled them with raspberry preserves, and dolled them up with some chocolate stripes and dots.

Show up at work bearing these and I guarantee you'll get a thumbs up from your co-workers. Thanks Mike for a great pick! For more thumbprint variations, check out the blogroll.

Must Love Dogs

2010-03-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

I don't need a specific reason to bake. Birthdays and holidays area given, random parties, sporting events guaranteed, but these days I can be found in a cloud of flour an sugar at any given moment. I do love baking for a cause though, for examples the above doggie cookies.
A few months ago I donated some gingerbread dog cookies to Wines For Canines, a fundraising event for Rover Rescue. Dedicated to the rescue and adoption of LA shelter dogs, Rover Rescue is a wonderful non-profit and I was glad to help them. Last week I got an email asking if I would donate more cookies to their LA Marathon/5K team and I thought the Horlicks Doggie Cookies I saw on Foodgawker would be perfect.
Horlicks Doggie Cookies are made with malt powder, milk powder, flour and butter- crunchy and lightly sweet they will make a great post-race treat for Rover Rescue team. But I really just love them for their looks.

The recipe I used can be found here. Malt powder is a great substitute for Horlicks and I used Cocoa Pebbles instead of Koko Krunch which is chocolate cereal I've never seen in the states.
Make them for the dog lover in your life.

Feelin' Tiki

2010-03-02T04:47:00.000-08:00

The smell of coconut always reminds me of summer. For many of you, especially those victims of Snowpocalypse, or whatever they are calling this new rash of winter storms, summer must feel a long way off. That's why for this week's Tuesdays With Dorie I chose Toasted Coconut Custard Tart. Sweet tart crust filled satiny pastry cream studded with toasted coconut and topped with a rummy whipped cream, it's a heck of a lot more tangible reminder of summer than bathing suits showing up at Target- and a lot less stressful.

Of course reminding you that bathing suit season is coming may be counter productive here. Heck, you got a few more months to worry about that right?
Umm, yeah so anyway this tart rocks! I used low fat milk and Malibu instead of dark rum but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter.

I highly recommend trying this fabulous Toasted Coconut Custard Tart for yourself. Crank up the heat, maybe a little Jimmy Buffet, and get into a tiki state of mind. Here's the recipe...grass skirt not included.

Toasted Coconut Custard Tart
adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours
For the Custard
2 cups 1% milk
1/2 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
pinch or coriander
1 tbsp Malibu rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

1 9-inch sweet tart shell, baked and cooled

For the topping
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp Malibu rum
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Bring milk to a boil. In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, yolks, cornstarch, salt and coriander until well blended. Whisk in 1/4 cup of hot milk to temper the yolks, then whisk in the rest of the milk. Continue whisking over medium heat and bring to a boil. Whisk an additional 1 or 2 minutes then remove from heat. Whisk in rum and vanilla and let sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the butter, stirring until custard is smooth. Stir in the toasted coconut. Transfer to a container, cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.
To make the topping, use a stand mixture with whisk attachment or a hand mixer to whip the cream to medium peaks. Add the powdered sugar and beat to firm peaks. Whip in rum and vanilla.
To assemble the tart, whisk the custard vigorously to loosen it then scrape into the crust. Spoon the whipped cream over the tart and spread evenly to the edge of the custard. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Honey Bunches

2010-02-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

Chocolate chip cookies? Sign me up. Wheat germ cookies? Um, yeah, not so much. Normally I'd take a pass but one thing I've learned about Tuesdays With Dorie recipes is to keep an open mind. I had every intention of pawning these Honey Wheat Cookies off on the first health nut I could find but these things are seriously good. Sweetly, crumbly, insanely addictively good. Especially with local wildflower honey.

Reminds me of my Honey Nut Cheerio phase- I could never stop at just one bowl.
My usual "try one or two for quality control purposes" quickly snowballed and had the makings of a full-on binge until I packed those suckers up for my tennis class. Once they are in the tupperware they are off limits. The ones that didn't fit in the container though...come to Mama.
Thanks Michelle, for an awesome pick. For more honey-fied goodness, check out the blogroll.

Out of the Bubble

2010-02-21T18:04:00.001-08:00

When it comes to parties, I'm more wallflower than animal. Often times I'd rather stay home but for a good cause I'll put my social ineptitude aside. I've just gotten back from the Stir It 28 LA, an event hosted by Crystal and Amir of Duo Dishes to benefit Haiti relief. Held up in the Hollywood Hills at the beautiful home of Greg from Sippity Sup, it was a wonderful party for a great cause.

Bloggers from around the Los Angeles and Orange County donated their time and culinary skills to this cozy cocktail party complete with a gorgeous spread from Small Pleasures Catering,

signature cocktails from Grey Goose Vodka, Sutter Home and Liquid Muse,

as well as passed hors d'oeuvres created by the bloggers themselves.

Everyone was so laid back and easy to talk to, I didn't even to resort to unnecessary fiddling with my camera. And how can you have a bad time when people keep handing you brownies. Brownies with bacon in them. Oh, having a furry friend around always makes me feel more at ease.

Never did catch his name.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Now Hype Free

2010-02-16T05:11:00.000-08:00

The most difficult choice when making chocolate chips cookies used to be with nuts or not. I always opted for not. Nowadays you've got so many decisions to make- semisweet, bittersweet, cocoa percentages, brown sugar, browned butter, to refrigerate or not, if so then for how long. Truly I find it exhausting. Do we really need all these criteria to come between us and a warm chocolate chip cookie in our hands? I think not, and it seems like Dorie Greenspan agrees.
This weeks TWD is My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies and they live up to their name. No fancy ingredients, no chilling periods, just mix, scoop and bake.
Thanks Kait for your pick this week and thanks to Dorie keeping it real with a simple rendition of a classic favorite.

Love Child

2010-02-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

If Seattle and London had a baby- that's how I describe Vancouver. A perfect combination of Pacific Northwest scenery and European lifestyle, Vancouver is absolutely one of the best places I have ever visited. With it's fabulous food and wine, warm hospitality, and downright live-ability I have been kicking myself for not planning a trip up there for the Olympics. What on Earth was I thinking?
I'll be watching it on tv, and living vicariously through a girlfriend who had the incredible good fortune to get go up there this week. Oh, and of course these Nanaimo Bars.

Nanaimo Bars are a Canadian staple made up of a graham cracker, coconut and nut bottom, creamy vanilla custard in the middle, and rich chocolate ganache on top. If you don't already have love in your heart for Canada, take a bite of these and you will.

O, Canada.
There are lots of recipes out there for this decadent treat. I used this one.

Pitter Pat

2010-02-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

We took a rare field trip into Beverly Hills the other day on the hunt for fancy accessories for our newly remodeled bathroom. Designer labels like Versace, Mossimo, and Tiffany don't hold much allure for someone whose jobs all require me to get up at ungodly early hours to be covered in flour, or dirt or both so I was thoroughly content to window shop- until I got to The Cheese Store.
Amidst the flash and glam of Rodeo Drive, this place is the real deal, a foodie paradise of specialty cheese, cured meats, aged balsamics, wine, the works. Awed into a stupor, I could only croak a small "Help?" to the woman behind the counter who then graciously guided me through their amazing selection. You name it they've got it, and they even let you sample everything before you buy it. Ultimately I dropped $30 on some manchego, quince paste, butter, and some other cheese with caraway seeds that I don't even know the name of and it was money well spent.
To do justice to the thick, bright yellow, Humboldt County butter, I made a loaf of Prosciutto Bread from Malgieri's Modern Baker.

Bread + Bacon + Butter = Heaven
Forget designer labels. Get a slice of homemade bread and a pat of quality butter and taste the good life.

Change Of Heart

2010-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

I need to be upfront about this right away by saying I've always been a bit of a Valentine's Day scrooge. It's not I'm against expressions of love in general, just being told when and how to do so. Very much a "Hallmark Holiday," I once had the same level of disdain for Feb. 14 as I still do for bathing suit shopping- too much pressure, high expectations, dashed hopes, and the likelihood that it will end in tears. Kinda like the Bachelor. Not that I watch that show. No way.
Maybe I was just emotional scarring left over from high school- more specifically from any from any event that predicated roses being handed out in class.
Pity parties aside, I adore showing my loved ones I care on any ordinary day, especially when they are not expecting it, and my favorite way to do this is with food.
On Saturday I cooked up a romantic pre-Valentine's Day dinner of flat iron steak with port mushroom sauce, garlic mashed, and haricot vert with White Chocolate Strawberry Napoleons for dessert. Nothing says I love you like meat, potatoes, and chocolate.
In my maturity, I have given up the V-day bah humbug and embraced it's pink and red in-your-faceness. Hopefully people will have so much fun showing there love to one another, they'll keep it up all year round.

White Chocolate Strawberry Napoleons
adapted from Food Network
1 packaged frozen puff pastry
7 oz white chocolate, chopped
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1 pint sliced strawberries
powdered sugar for dusting

Thaw 2 sheets of puff pastry. Cut in thirds, then cut each third in half. Bake on parchment lined sheet pans at 400 for 10 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Set aside
Place chopped chocolate into a heat resistant bowl. Whisk yolks and sugar in a small bowl until pale. In a saucepan, bring 1/4 cup of cream to a boil then pour slowly over egg mixture to temper. Pour back into the saucepan, cooking over low heat until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Push warm mixture through a sieve over the bowl of chocolate and stir gently until melted and smooth.
In a separate bowl, whip the remaining cup of cream until almost still peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until fully incorporated. Let set in the refrigerator for an hour.
To assemble, pipe or spread the mousse onto one square of puff pastry. Lay sliced strawberries over the cream and top with another square of puff pastry. Dust with powdered sugar prior to serving.

Promises, Promises

2010-02-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so there are lots of reasons my most recent post was dated January 12th but I won't bore you with all the details. In a nutshell, bathroom remodeling, freelance tv and baking gigs (all good things mind you) pushed blogging to the back burner and even though I have been baking a ton, there are no photos to show for it. You should have seen the Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes I made for my friend/contractor, the cakey brownies I fed to my husband and his friend to enjoy with their armagnac, and I still have every intention of sharing my vegan adaptation of Choco-Nana Bread with all of you.
Hello? Are you guys even still with me?
Just bear with me a little bit longer because I do have lots of great stuff to tell you about in the near future. I've gotta go let the shower door guy in but I will be back and next time I promise I'll bring treats!

The Voices In my Head

2010-01-12T08:31:00.001-08:00

It doesn't take much for me to get a song stuck in my head. Even something as innocuous as my sister-in-law handing me a bag of oranges from the tree in her backyard sends me into a 24 hour loop of Lady Marmalade.

Me: What am I going to do with all these oranges? Her: Make orange marmalade! My Brain: Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da

So, I spent the better par of yesterday cooking up a batch of fabulous Vanilla Bean Orange Marmalade courtesy of Always Order Dessert with a certain tune in my head (both versions). The addition of whole vanilla beans was so genius and made my house smell insanely good.

24 hours later with and still a "soul sister", I started researching vegan recipes. One of my resolutions is to eat vegan once a week and experiment with vegan baking. I found this great recipe on Nom! Nom! Nom! which sounded delicious and did not require ingredients I can't pronounce (sorghum? agar agar?) . Unfortunately, the recipe is entitled You Are My Sunshine Loaf. Seriously? You put the two together and now I have a Glee style disco/folk mash-up monopolizing most of my brain. It's worse than muzak, but the combination of wholesome, diet-friendly muffins and lip-smacking amazing orange marmalade is worth it. It will make you happy when skies are gray.

You Are My Sunshine Muffins (or Loaf)
adapted from Nom! Nom! Nom! Blog
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded carrots
1 medium apple, peeled and shredded
1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup canola oil
zest of 1 medium orange
juice of one medium orange
½ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine flours, sugar, baking powder and spices. In a large bowl mix carrots, apple and milk until well-combined. Add oil, orange zest and orange juice. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin (or loaf pan) and bake for 22-25 minutes.

Cool muffins on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container at room temperature.

For the marmalade recipe, go here.

It Only Hurts When I Detox

2010-01-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

After all that Christmas cheer, coming back down to reality with a thud is a total bummer. While I do consider myself a realist, it still stings a bit, especially when I am forced to come to terms with all the poor nutritional choices I'd been making since Thanksgiving in the name of celebration. 2009's answer to all that over indulgence was a 7 detox- no sugar, caffeine, dairy, wheat or alcohol. I found the original version a little lacking in well, food so I upped the protein and added in more healthy snacks so I wouldn't collapse during all the exercise I planned to do. One week and 4 pounds lighter I felt pretty great- it even helped me kick a lingering bronchitis cough.

2010 began with mild sinus infection so with notes from last years detox plan, a recent viewing of Food Inc., and the added incentive of participating in Ten in '10 Healthy Challenge, I was ready to begin Week One. The first three days I had a 24/7 headache, a side effect I did not experience last year. Guess I'v been a very bad girl this Christmas. I finally relented and allowed myself a half a cup of coffee and kicked the headache about an hour later.

Since then I've been feeling pretty good and although I have no intention of saying goodbye to my vices altogether, this detox is a great way to reset my system and refocus my attention to more conscientious eating habits. For the remainder of Ten in '10 I plan to continue eating healthy and only treat myself on the weekends which means I can have a Saturday night date with sugar, but no going steady. I'll continue to meet my goal of exercising 6 days a week and Monday was the first of many "vegan once a week days. Eating vegan can be tricky but have been getting a lot of help by reading up on vegan recipes on blogs like Never Home Maker, We Haight Cookbooks, , Pink Stripes. I'm a big fan of homemade soup in general so Friday might I made Lentil, Kale and Potato Soup from Manifest Vegan. It fit right in to my eating plan and was a great way to use up leftover vegetables.

Thanks Lori for a great, healthy jumpstart in the new year! If you are interested in joining the challenge or just want to follow along, go here.

Lentil, Kale and Potato Soup
adapted from Manifest Vegan
2 yukon gold potatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 small brown onion, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 1/2 cups water
handful of parsley, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp cumin
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp coriander

Combine, potatoes, kale, garlic, bay leaf, lemon juice, water and broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Place onions, parsley, lemon zest, cumin and coriander in a saute pan and drizzle with olive oils. Saute until onions become slightly translucent then to the pot. Once the soup begins to boil reduce heat and simmer until lentils and potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Commitment & Cake

2010-01-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

What do you get a baking blog that has everything? The traditional 2nd anniversary gift is cotton but I opted for Cocoa Buttermilk Cake instead. Light fluffy chocolate cake and thick chocolate frosting with just a hint of malted flavor made me fall in love with Tuesdays With Dorie all over again.
Thanks to Dorie, Laurie, and to all the bloggers in this fabulous group for the recipes, photos, stories and inspiration you have shared with me these last two years. I would bake a mini cake for each and every one of you if I could. Happy Anniversary!

Off Sides

2010-01-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is all about peace on Earth and good will toward men right? I mean that's what Charlie Brown tells us. Obviously he and Linus never had their alma maters play each other in a bowl game.
New Year's Day 2010 brought us blue skies, an open tennis court, and most importantly contract arbitration between Time Warner Cable and Fox which allowed for the Sugar Bowl to be shown on tv in our market. That meant my husband and I began this year watching football and for the first time ever, not rooting for the same team. University of Florida Gators (class of '95 thank you very much) v.s. Cincinnati Bearcats (he only went there his freshman year but Ohio U already lost to Marshall) and thanks to a recent Vegas trip we both had money on the game. It was not looking good for the Cats.
In the interest of marital harmony, I thought some team themed sugar cookies might lessen the agony of what I was certain would be Cincy's impending defeat. At halftime we had a little photo shoot with my new toy.

By the third quarter it was a blow-out and even I began to lose interest. We started scrolling through available movies on demand.
The final score was 51-24. I won $10 and he lost $10 but we were up overall thanks to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. And a plate of fabulous football cookies.

First Slice Phobia

2009-12-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

First Slice Phobia: the fear of being the first to cut into a dessert. Most often exhibited at social gatherings as referenced in the following case study...

A holiday pot-luck party provided the perfect opportunity to make the full recipe of Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake, complete with fancy piped whipped cream, but when it came time for dessert the guests were eating everything but! Why wasn't anyone trying my tempting and (if I do say so myself) gorgeous dessert? Personally I couldn't wait to try it so I did. And then the hoarde descended.

What is it in human nature that makes people so reluctant to take the first slice? If we didn't want you to eat it, it would have been just as easy to ditch the tights and high heeled boots to stay at home in my jammies, the television with a fork! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Improving With Age

2009-12-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today is my 36th birthday but my blog is getting the presents- a Lowel Ego light kit. It comes with 2 Ego lights, a sweep with colored backdrops, and the promise of increased content right here on this blog.
No more will I toil away on a beautiful culinary masterpiece (ok maybe that's a stretch but one needs a goal) only to have it go undocumented due to lack of available light in my tiny house. Day or night, rain or shine, success or failure, you will read about it here.

But not right now because it's time for cake.

Can I Get A Woop Woop

2009-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

After the whirwind of baking, eating, and more baking that went down last week, I wasn't so sure I could bring myself to dive into to some fancy smancy dessert but something about this Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart kept calling my name. Mainly it was the rosy part, as in red wine. I can never resist and opportunity to bake with booze plus, I already had a bottle of Woop Woop Shiraz open- fun to say and fun to drink. I did only go for a third of the recipe, yielding this one lonely yet lovely 4 inch tart.

While I was at it I attempted to bake ahead and make the Cafe Exploding Sticky Disaster, I mean Volcano cookies, but that is a story for another Tuesday.

To see more tarts in action, check out the TWD blogroll.

Even Wikipedia Doesn't Know

2009-11-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

I love it when my Mom visits. We cook, we shop, we have serious heart to heart talks where we try to solve all the existential crisis of our lives like, "what does savory mean?" Really, define savory, without using the phrase "not sweet" or "umami." Even wikipedia is iffy on the subject.
Well next time someone asks me what savory is I'll say, Rosemary Lemon Shortbread.
Sweet but not too sweet, but herb-y too, these cookies will leave you scratching your head while reaching for another. You know, for research.
For the recipe go here, or out this month's issue of Sunset.

Precious Cargo

2009-11-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't know it from the food blogs but we are in the throes of a pumpkin shortage.
Recent heavy rains in the Midwest are putting pumpkin pie in short supply this holiday season.

On Tuesday, food giant Nestle, which controls about 85% of the pumpkin crop for canning, issued a rare apology and said that rain appeared to have destroyed what remained of a small harvest this year and that it expected to stop shipping the holiday staple by Thanksgiving.
- Los Angeles Times, 11/18/2009

When I got my hands on 2 large cans of Libby's I planned to stash it in the back of my pantry to save for rainy day but it's just not Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. I used one whole can to yield 2 pies, one for some cousins taking a trip up north, and one for us- because tomorrow is as much about being thankful as it is about giving.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Preferential Treatment

2009-11-17T05:47:00.000-08:00

Freelancing on tv shows has it's pluses and minuses. Higher day rate, plus. Never knowing when you are going to work again (or get paid again), minus. Avoiding the drama that comes from knowing everything about everyone- huge plus. People not knowing you well enough to trust your judgement, minus. Having the time to bake and then bring cookies to work, thereby generating happiness goodwill in current/prospective co-workers and employers while allwoing me to pawn off baked goods on others so I don't have to eat them...ginormous plus!
Immediately after getting booked for a recent two day job, I received the following text:
What's for dessert?

Needless to say my first thought was, what is coming up for Tuesdays With Dorie? Sugar Topped Molasses Spiced Cookies fit the bill perfectly. Easy to make (can't stay up late baking when you have to get up at 6am and work for the next 15 hours) seasonal, and totally transportable, they were a big hit.

On my next day off I used the remaining dough and some leftover pumpkin buttercream to make Molasses Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Oh yes I did.

Fall Back Position

2009-11-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Daylight Savings time is wreaking havoc around here. While I get decent light in my house, there are only a few areas that work for food photography. I spent most of last winter repeating "I need a light box" over and over but of course then we sprung forward and I forgot all about it. Now that we've fallen back again, and I'm working 2 jobs, daytime photo ops have grown scarce Luckily this weekend I had a free afternoon to sneak in a November TWD, Cran-Apple Crisp.
I've never met a fruit crisp or crumble I didn't like and this one was no exception. This recipe is short on work (and dirty dishes), big on deliciousness and halved perfectly to yield 4 small servings in my ramekins. I omitted the dried fruit, reduced the sugar and substituted whole wheat flour for AP because I would be topping them with a scoop of David Lebovitz's outrageously good Cinnamon Ice Cream.

Cran-Apple Crisp is so good it's a serious contender for Thanksgiving. Or Veteran's Day, Sunday night dessert, perhaps tomorrow's breakfast...don't judge.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop
1 cup 2% or low fat milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

Warm milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks and salt in a medium saucepan then remove from heat, cover and steep one hour.
Pour cream into a large bowl and set aside. Warm up milk again then strain out cinnamon sticks. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together and slowly pour warm milk into eggs whisking constantly, then pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Stir constantly with a spatula over medium heat until it is thickened and coats the back of the spatula. Strain the custard into the bowl of cream and stir until cool over an ice bath. Refrigerate.
When custard is thoroughly chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker.

Trick or Treat

2009-10-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Run out of candy? How about chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin buttercream?
Happy Halloween!
Recipe found here and here.

Duncan Who?

2009-10-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Having recently realized the relative ease and super awesomeness of homemade brownies over boxed, I figured I had fancy brownies down pat. Then this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, Cherry-Fudge Brownie Torte, tapped me on the shoulder. Hello, what's this? Dense dark chocolate brownie, with chunks of chocolate, and tart dried cherries flambe-ed in booze, topped off with a silky mascarpone mousse...yeah I'd be lying if I said that little red box wasn't looking pretty good right about then. But hey, I've come too far to be afeared of a little hoity toity brownie recipe.
Admittedly, I did not flambe- don't think I'm ready for open flame just yet. I did cook down some tart cherries with Kirsch and cherry preserves, briskly yet gently fold dry ingredients into wet, and mixed up a darn smooth mousse. I even tried my hand at some chevrons.

My verdict on the Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte? Nailed it!
Sorry Mr. Hines, your services are no longer required.
Thanks April for this week's great pick. For more on this and other TWD fun, check out the blogroll.

Cup Size Matters

2009-10-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

No, not that kind of cups, I'm talking muffin cups. Geez, get your minds out of the gutter. Gawd.
Anyway, there was a lot of talk on the P & Q this week about Allspice Crumb Muffins, specifically about streusel topping spillage. My solution: extra large muffin liners. I won't even go near a crumb topped recipe without them. I mean what's that point of all that buttery, sugary goodness sliding off your muffin onto the tin and surrounding oven surface? Or only filling the batter halfway and stunting what should be a beautiful muffin top?

Got spillage? Get bigger cups.

For more muffin information (and less innuendo), check out the Tuesdays With Dorie blogroll.

Incognito

2009-10-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

Halloween, it's not just for kids...or humans.

Photos and art direction by Ricki & Michael Finnan

Chip Which?

2009-10-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

I never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like. No matter how many different cakes, pies and ice creams come out of my kitchen, nothing truly satisfies my sweet tooth like warm cookies and a glass of milk . Traditional, Oatmeal Milk Chocolate, or World Peace Cookies...which chip would you choose?

Seriously help me out here people, I'm stumped.

To Bisque Or Not To Bisque

2009-10-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

It is finally starting to feel like fall around here, a season which brings out my inner soupaholic. Yeah that's right, I'm going to come right out and admit I'm addicted to soups, making it and eating it, and I have no intention of stopping. Of course my food magazine obsession is certainly an enabler here- last week it was Two Bean Soup With Kale from Cooking Light and this week, Fennel Apple Bisque.
Sunset had a huge section of irresistible looking soups but the bisque was at the top of the list. A few minor alterations to the original recipe resulted in a smooth, mildly sweet soup. I'm hooked.

Fennel Apple Bisque
adapted from Sunset, October '09
1 fennel bulb, chopped, fronds saved for garnish
1 large fuji apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp butter
freshly grated nutmeg, salt & pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute onions until tender. Add vegetable stock, apples and fennel and bring to a boil. Simmer until fennel is soft, about 15 minutes. Puree soup in a blender, thinning with more stock is necessary. Reheat soup in the pan and season to taste.

Picking Up The Slack

2009-10-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

Last post September 15. Serious blog neglect? Guilty as charged.
It's not that I haven't been baking, it's that with 2 part time jobs I either haven't been baking at home or I haven't had the time to photograph it before it was consumed. Last week, I actually had a small sliver of time to make the Chocolate Crunched Caramel Tart for a friend's potluck. It came out great and went over like gangbusters but it's fabulousness went undocumented here. After reading about everyone's experiences at Blogher Food (sign me up for '10) , it's time for me to redirect my energies in the direction of this site which means less talk, more pudding. Specifically this week's TWD, Split Level Pudding.

With no actually baking involved, I felt I should at least try something new and made Milk Chocolate Caramel Pudding. Back in the days before I realized how easy and utterly awesome homemade pudding is, I used to buy those Jello pudding cups all the time. Never again.
To make the ganache I substituted good quality milk chocolate chips for the bittersweet chocolate and let it set up at room temperature. The caramel pudding is adapted from a recipe pulled from Food & Wine. My recipe binder is currently overflowing with a glut of torn magazine pages, some of them so old the ingredients are out of season!
Milk Chocolate Caramel Pudding was a great place to start.

Caramel Pudding
adapted from F&W, March '09
1 quart whole milk
1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch fleur de sel
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp water
1 tbsp butter, at room temperature

Whisk together 1/2 cup milk, corn starch, vanilla and salt and set aside. In a large saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Do not stir. Allow sugar to cook until it turns a deep amber color. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the remaining milk. Be careful as it may sputter and foam up quite a bit. Put back on the heat and whisk until the caramel dissolves into the milk. Reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened and darker in color. Remove from the heat to whisk in the cornstarch mixture then cook over medium heat until pudding is very thick- this takes about a minute. Strain pudding into a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse again until smooth. Pour into ramekins, cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

A Pie In The Hand Is Better Than A Pie In The Face

2009-09-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Work has really been picking up for me lately and I've been spending a lot more time on set these days. Even though there is always food around, in my position it's usually impossible to sit down for a meal so eating must be done while on the move if it's going to happen at all. That is why this week's TWD, Flaky Apple Turnovers, could be my new best friend. All the comfort and joy of your favorite apple pie in a handy dandy portable pocket- what could be better? I wonder if I could fit a turkey sandwich in there...

For more pocket pie fun, check out the blogroll.

Cookies From The Triangle House

2009-09-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've got a little confession to make. Despite the outgoing and friendly impression I hope this blog gives off, I am truly awful at parties. I can speak to large groups of extras, effortlessly move from set to set meeting whole new crews of people each time, and have no trouble talking to customers at the bakery, but something about a party brings out my inner wallflower. Recently I've decided this is something I need to work on and have been purposely putting myself and my husband in social gathering situations where we don't know anyone. Case in point was the Joy The Baker Picnic where I decided we could not leave until I had approached and spoken to five strangers. Check out Joy's post for that event. See that couple on the bottom left walking alone towards the middle of the crowd? Yep that's us. Ultimately I did succeed, and exceed, that five people standard and had a lovely time doing so.
Today was our neighborhood's annual Labor Day Weekend Block Party. I am proud to live in a community that reveres bounce houses, water balloon fights, and neighbors hanging out in the street drinking beer and listening to a local band of fortysomethings live out their rock and roll fantasies. We go every year, and by go I mean slam a drink beforehand (for courage) and walk up and down the street twice before scurrying back to our little triangular shaped house on the corner. This year I vowed it would be different. This year I brought cookies.

And not just any cookies, David Lebovitz's chocolate chip cookies which are my new absolute favorite. Have you tried these yet? They are perfection I promise you.
Yeah so I made a big batch of these cookies and we marched our way down the street, cookies and beer in hand. By the time we reached the bounce house they were half gone and the rest didn't last five minutes on the dessert table. Of course once the cookies ran out so did my courage and I felt pretty dorky carrying around an empty plate. We walked back to house, ostensibly to drop off said plate and get another beer...and we never left. Oh, well there's always next year. Baby steps.

My Life and Brownies- A Parable

2009-09-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

It's little over a year into this blog and I'm starting to examine the journey I'm on, this evolution from film crew member to baker and back again.

I'm about to wax poetic here for a few minutes so in case I forget to mention it, this week's TWD was all about Espresso Cheesecake Brownies. Feel free to bail out on this diatribe at any time and check out the blogroll for more baking and less yapping.

What started out as hobby/fantasy is actually turning into something really real you know? The end of a great show followed months of unemployment, freeing me up for baking classes, leading to an observation day with a local bakery, and then a real live, although part time and extremely casual, baking gig. And just when I thought I was out of the loop, my phone starts ringing with freelance tv jobs. After weeks of fantasizing about a scenario just like this one it is actually happening and even typing this makes me worry I may jinx myself.

Can my two lives really be exist simultaneously? Financial and health insurance obligations being met while still having time for culinary pursuits? Two halves of one life meeting in the middle and swirling around each other like... (wait for it) Espresso Cheesecake and Brownie?

Hey, you knew it was coming and I gave you an out.

I don't know how long this harmony will last but I'm eating it up enjoying every last bite.

2009-08-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

It may still be summer for most of us but in the world of retail fall has arrived. I saw my first pumpkin decorations today and I'm sure the ghosts and goblins of Halloween aren't far behind. The scents coming from my kitchen today were also unmistakably autumnal as this week's TWD, Applesauce Spice Bars, baked away in my oven. My version consisted of diced Braeburn Apple, chopped walnuts and a bit of brandy and the glaze on top reminded me of caramel apples.

You know, rushing the season isn't such a bad thing when apple and caramel are involved but please, no snowmen yet, ok?

Kitchen Cousins

2009-08-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Meet Kaitlin. Budding chef, gymnast, all around great girl, and my cousin. At thirteen she has already mastered chocolate souffle- I don't think I even knew what a souffle was at her age. An avid food blog reader and food network watcher, Kaitlin is getting a great head start on knowing her way around the kitchen.

Today the student became the teacher when I packed up all my kitchen gadgets and headed over to her grandma's house for a day of baking. On the menu:
Red Velvet Mini Layer Cake and Cupcakes Lemon Tart Rugelach Croissant

Quite a line-up but after 16 weeks of baking class, infinitely doable. I got a head start on the croissant dough and did all four turns of the dough the day before. We made plain and chocolate and came out beautifully.

Kaitlin had checked out my blog and made special requests for the Red Velvet and Rugelach recipes.

I also wanted to teach her a great sweet tart dough and with fresh meyer lemons from the backyard, we tried our hand at Dorie's Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart. Here Kaitlin exhibits her natural knack for presentation.

After a full day of baking we took advantage of the beautiful afternoon light taking photos for Kaitlin's new blog, Starting From Scratch.

I 'm so proud of my cousin and can't wait to see what she does next. I'm pretty sure she'll be teaching me a thing our two real soon.

TWD- Cute as a Peanut Butter Brownie Button

2009-08-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

At 5'4, of course subscribe the the adage that good things come in small packages. My perfectly petite mother always has a bag of Hersheys kisses in her fridge is it utterly content having one or two at night for dessert. However, despite my diminutive stature, when it comes to desserts it's gonna take more than a bite to make me happy. Take for instance this week's TWD, Brownie Buttons- bite sized morsels of brownie perfect for when you want a little bit of chocolate.
Are these baby brownies tasty? Sure. Was I satisfied with just one? Heck no! Even with the increased richness of a peanut butter glaze I could still pop three of these in my mouth without batting an eye and would then come back for more.

These Buttons would be great for cocktail parties, office kitchens, and the kid's lunch box but if I'm really in the mood for a brownie (and I usually am) only a generous square will do.

Need a little more brownie yourself? Checkout the blogroll.

Prescription For Happiness- Banana Bundt Cake

2009-08-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

I realize Banana Cupcakes won't keep me from feeling moody from time to time, but I can relate to their changeable nature. Part muffin, part cake, their lightness fits in with summer, but their warm heartiness reminds me that fall will be here soon. On days like today when I'm examining all the ups and downs of my life, making these mini versions of this Classic Banana Bundt Cake is a comforting way the spend the afternoon.

Frustrated, anxious, a little on edge? Have a muffin. I challenge anyone to worry and eat one at the same time. Plus, they taste so good the next day you'll look forward to tomorrow morning too.
For other variations on this cake, check out the TWD blogroll.

Problem Solving

2009-07-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Do you know what your problem is? You've got eggs whites laying around in your fridge. And you don't know what to do about them. Macaroons? Too labor intensive. Egg white omelette? Boring. Perfect Party Cake? Again? Let me help you. Actually, let me help Dorie help you. After all it was probably Vanilla Ice Cream that got you into this mess in the first place. Cocoa Almond Meringues are the solution.

They are light, chocolaty, easy to make, and most importantly they use 4 egg whites and no yolks. Your welcome.

For the recipe, you can go here but don't forget to go here.

Ben & Who?

2009-07-28T06:20:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing my current (lack of) work situation has taught me, it is to take pleasure in the simple things in life. Going for a walk in the middle of the day, keeping a garden alive for the first time ever, being home to shop the local farmers markets, actually spending time with friends and family- and then there's the homemade vanilla ice cream. It doesn't take a long time, it's cheaper and more wholesome than store bought (what is tara gum anyway?) and a bowl of the stuff will put a smile on anyone's face.
This weeks' TWD, Vanilla Ice Cream, had my mind reeling with possiblities. Chipwhich? Neopolitan? DQ Blizzard style? Not to mention all the a la mode options. In the end I kept it old school so that I could eat in the simplest, and bestest (yep) way I know how.

Bowl + ice cream + Hershey's syrup + cherry = heaven.

Daring Bakers Copycat Cookies

2009-07-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

As an avid reader, I am always wary of film adaptations of my favorite books. Here you are with a strong attachment to a story and a vivid picture in your minds eye of what the character look and sound like and then the movie comes out and completely destroys the world you've created. If this has never happened to you consider yourself lucky- oh and avoid Under The Tuscan Sun at all costs. So when I saw that this month's Daring Bakers Challenge I was filled with a familiar mixture of excitement and dread. Would I really be able to create a Mallow and a Milan Cookie to rival those mass market versions of my childhood?
Well, yes and no. Copying my favorite cookies was fun. Figuring out how to get that special hourglass shape, piping dollops of marshmallow fluff and swirling them in chocolate, I tried to channel my inner Keebler Elf.

When the floured dust settled my cookies did look the part but how would they taste? I was disappointed in the Milan Cookies. They were too tuile-like in texture and lacked the buttery dense crumb of the Pepperidge Farm brand but the Mallows rocked my world. The texture and taste of the cookie was spot on and I thought the chocolate coating was perfect.

Interested in a little cookie copycatting of your own? Check out our sponsors:
The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Black and White Is The New Black... And White

2009-07-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

In my just over a year of blogging I have noticed a few items that are much debated and often duplicated. Some are fads, like the New York Times chocolate chip cookie experiment- which I have not tried but I suspect will never rival my husband's secret recipe (and by secret I mean he won't even tell me). Then there's the ongoing battle about what makes a real red velvet cake, the "how to get macaroon feet" suggestion box, and the ever popular butter v.s. Crisco pie debate- I'm firmly planted in the butter camp.
And then there's the Black and White Cookie. Not quite cookie, not really cake, with 2 icings meeting harmoniously in the center, this NY deli staple has been on my to do list for quite awhile. Whenever I come across a recipe for it, I make a mental note to come back to that page and after reading through quite a few I narrowed it down to two versions. Due to her hometown advantage, Smitten Kitchen's recipe was the obvious choice, although fellow SoCal-er Joy The Baker's version ran a close second. So in the East v. West Coast Black And White Cookie Challenge, which recipe won out?

Like the cookie itself, I found success when the 2 recipes met in the middle- Deb's cookie base and white icing and Joy's chocolate glaze. Compromise is key.
Want to try them for yourself? Click here and here.

Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, the impetus for my finally making these cookies was in honor of my tuxedo cats, Chessie & Cleo. Happy 1st Birthday guys!

Ok, the cookies are for me. They much prefer ground chicken.

TWD- Rise And Shine

2009-07-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

It's hot here people. Real hot. Not that I'm complaining mind you, I love summer and am so glad it's finally reached the So Cal beaches, but the high temperatures does make it tough to turn on the oven. Lucky for me I'm an early riser and an early morning baker so this weeks Tuesdays With Dorie, Brioche Plum Tarts fit very nicely into that time frame.
I had prepped the broiche dough the night before. I used to be intimidated by brioche until we made it in class and Dorie's recipe was a breeze- why oh why did I wait so long to use the dough hook on my KA? I halved the recipe and after the 2 hour "smackdown" phase (any aggressions to get out? make brioche!) pressed each half of the dough into 4 inch tart pans, covered them with plastic wrap and left them in the fridge overnight. Saturday morning was another scorcher but I was up 630am letting the tarts rest on the counter for 30 minutes while I chopped up slivered almonds and gorgeous pluots from the farmers market. A generous slathering of pluot jam, fanning out a pluot half on each tart, a sprinkling with almond/sugar mixture and into the oven they went- all without breaking a sweat. Even in the heat of summer, these Pluot Tartlets are worth waking up for.
Rise and shine.

Pluot Pajama Jam

2009-07-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

It's 10pm...what kind of jam are you making? For a person who had never known anything but Smuckers, I think I'm developing a little jam addiction because I just could not go to bed without making the Pluot jam recipe from this month's Bon Appetit. Often times the recipes I tear out from magazines take me months, if not years to make but this one would not wait. Pluots only come around once a year and aren't on the shelves long, hence the sense of urgency. Plus I'd already had an unfortunate ice cream disaster (roasted banana almond milk sounded good) and needed to erase the stink of failure.
Speaking of smells, this jam has wonderfully sweet and spicy aroma with the combination ripe pluots, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and honey (I used agave). Perfect on shortbread cookies, divine when paired with goat cheese, or just to jazz up some photos of your furry friends.

That's Chessie, isn't he a looker?
For the recipe and other great ideas, click here.

TWD- A Little Hollywood Glamour

2009-07-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

The first time my mom visited me on set she said, "Why is everyone standing around?" I laughed. Nothing defines a film set more than the phrase, "Hurry up and wait." When I tell people I work on tv shows and movies for a living they always say how exciting that must be. People outside the industry have no idea how long it takes to make their favorite shows because they get so caught up in the stories and the excitement of celebrity- and thank goodness for that! If they only knew that the act of making a movie is more often about remembering to order equipment, whether or not an actor wants avocado on their burrito, and standing on a street corner at 3am trying to keep background artists awake enough to cross through the shot without looking like zombies, well they might just turn the tv off and we'd all be out of a job!
Don't get me wrong, there are times when it does feel glamourous. When the light is just right, and everything comes together, even I get caught up in the fantasy. I wish I could have been around in Katherine Hepburn's heyday- when camera men wore ties and smoking was still cool. But thanks to Dorie, at least I have her brownies.
Unlike tv shows, Tribute to Katherine Hepburn brownies don't take a lot of time or money to make. They are simple. All the ingredients stirred together in one saucepan to creat a rich, chocolaty batter that I could not stop eating (raw eggs be damned!). Pour into a pan and 30 minutes later you have the richest, chocolatiest (?), fudgiest brownies ever. Do not attempt these without milk.
These babies are ready for their close up. And I didn't even have to get them coffee!

TWD- Cake Perfected

2009-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I was willing to settle...for mediocre desserts. Boxed cookies, over-refrigerated restaurant cakes, and I'll admit to eating more than a few chocolate bars past there prime. That white stuff is safe right? Well friends, those days are over. Baking classes, awesome blogging groups like Tuesday's With Dorie, and a whole lot of Food Network have made me quite the dessert snob these days. Why settle for old grocery store cake when I have a Perfect Party Cake recipe in my arsenal?!
This is the second time I have successfully made this cake and despite many previous white cake disasters I thinks I am finally getting the hang of this thing! I'm not so over confident as to branch out just yet so I followed this recipe almost exactly, save for halving it to make a 4 inch mini cake and replacing the lemon extract with vanilla.

For the layers I used homemade raspberry pan jam and and I totally heart pressing coconut into the buttercream. Especially since it covers up my less than stellar icing job.
Finally being able to bust out darn good dessert from my kitchen is enough to make me want to celebrate. For more Party Cake perfection, head on over the blogroll.

Bakewell Tart- The Name Says It Best

2009-06-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

June's Daring Bakers challenge, the Bakewell Tart, is a classic English dessert with a bit of an identity crisis. Some call it a tart, other a pudding. Admittedly, I had low expectations for this little pastry. Shortbread crust with jam and frangipane, topped with slivered almonds, it was easy to throw together but not much to look at.

Until you take a bite.

Soft gooey frangipane giving way to sweet tart raspberry jam, it knocked my socks of people! So whatever you want to name it, I just call it delicious.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Raspberry Bakewell Tartlets

For the Pastry

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

For the Frangipane
125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 (3) eggs2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Assembling the tart
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. I used raspberry pan jam based on Jasmine's recipe found here. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

Flying Solo

2009-06-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Due to a family crisis, I was unable to attend my last Pro Baking 1 class, croissant and puff pastry. The makeup class won't be until the fall and I was feeling a little nervous about starting Pro 2 without those skills under my belt. I'd already learned to make the croissant dough in class so I took out my notebook and got to work. Initially I was sure I had failed because the dough was way stickier than I remembered but since I'd already invested half my household supply of flour I soldiered on. After adding more flour and a few minutes of kneading I felt I had something I could work with and ultimately I was happier with this dough than the one I had made previously. The butter didn't even squish out the sides when I rolled and turned it- very encouraging. I refrigerated the dough overnight and got an early start this morning in the hopes that they'd be done in time for breakfast. I formed my plain and chocolate croissants and let them rise for 1 1/2 hours, popped them in the oven and crossed my fingers. 20 minutes later...

Success! I couldn't believe it. They looked really great and tasted even better. 2 months ago I never would have attempted croissants at home and now I can't wait to make them again. Sweet, buttery, flaky victory!
For great croissant tutorials and recipes, go here and here.

TWD- Oh The Humidity

2009-06-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Flying cross country from LA to West Palm Beach can be grueling, unless of course you get upgraded to first class (thanks Continental!), but it's worth the for the hugs. The first and best one coming from Mom, and next the embrace of the soft, humid Florida air. Yes, I love humidity. It makes my skin glow, my hair curl, it makes me happy. That old SoCal excuse, well sure it's 9o degrees but it's a dry heat, just doesn't do it for me. However, it is hell on baking. Whenever I go to Florida I try to recreate the desserts I make in my own kitchen, often to less than stellar results. Mushy eclairs, tart dough that keeps cracking apart- I blame my friend humidity. It's a good thing I waited until I got home to attempt this week's TWD, Coconut-Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise.
Getting those meringue layers to the crisp stage, and keeping them there, was quite an adventure. Unsure of whether or not I would enjoy this, I halved the recipe and made the meringue layers 6x3. Plus I was hoping it would cut down on the 3 hour baking time. 2 1/2 hours in they were still sticky and I was running late for a tennis lesson. I shut the oven off and left them in there while I was gone. One hour later they were perfect so I took them out and left them on the counter but by the end of the day they had started sticking to the parchment paper. I put them back in the oven for 20 minutes then shut off the heat and left them in there overnight. Even after all that, just sitting on the counter this morning while roasting the pineapple and whipping the ganache, the meringue had already begun to soften. I quickly assembled the Dacquoise and put it in the fridge. From the cook's treat I left my self (a spare piece of meringe dredged through ganache and coconut scraps) I can tell this is going to be swoon-worthy and well worth the effort.
For more Dacquoise fun, check out the TWD blogroll.

TWD- Keeping It Real

2009-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I had grand plans. After years of wanting an ice cream maker, trying to convince myself I needed one, jealous of how everyone else seemed to be casually throwing together awesome ice creams to accompany all their desserts, Mom finally sent us one for our anniversary- just in time for this week's TWD, Honey Peach Ice Cream. Boy was I excited. Would it be ice cream sandwiches? A topping for that peach cobbler recipe I've been wanting to try? Maybe topped with caramelized peach sauce?
I made the peach puree and the custard base, and turned on my new toy. 25 minutes later I scooped the ice cream into my new, adorable little pint container, popped it in the freezer and waited. 2 hours later I checked on it and it was still soft. An hour later, still too soft, and I had tell my husband to have a mango for dessert instead of the delicious ice cream I had previously promised. Finally by the next night, after spicy drunken noodles, the we could wait no longer. We dove in to perfectly peach scented, velvety soft ice cream and it was good. So good I was planning a second helping when I realized that not only was there not enough for seconds, but I hadn't taken any photos yet. Oops.
So, instead of artfully arranged scoops in cute bowls, or stacks of little sandwiches, give you the dregs of the carton...which will be consumed as soon as I've taken this last photo.

Yeah I feel a little guilty, guess you'll just have to get your own. Go here to find out how.

Sunday School- Better With Butter

2009-06-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weeks of class have been a butter and flour covered blur. Focaccia, crackers and pizza, then straight into brioche, croissant and puff pastry. Pro Baking 1 isn't winding down so much as careening toward the end at break-neck speed.
Today we made blocks out of butter to fold into croissant and puff pastry dough, and turned last week's brioche down into gorgeous pain au raisin. I was amazed at how well mine turned out considering I had to really book it to get the dough done last week before the end of class.
This is the part of the post where I usually give out lots of helpful tips but to be frank I'm still processing it all. I do know the basis for the success of these doughs lies even distribution of leaves of butter throughout. There is a lot of rolling and turning the dough to get that flakiness one expects in a croissant so basically, if you're not wearing flecks of pain au chocolate all over you when you eat one, you wasting calories on a something that is not the real deal. Just say no to fake pastry!
I figure, if you're going to have a cinnamon roll, really have one. And don't skimp on the milk either.

Handy Dandy Apple Tartlet

2009-06-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

Paris. It has a tendency to slip through my fingers. Like the silk scarf I imagine I would buy if I ever make it there. I have been fortunate enough to travel to Europe twice but there never seemed to be enough days in the week, or enough money in the budget, to make it to France. Even now, with my husband having three weeks off between jobs and mercilessly released from Grand Jury duty (phew!) we toyed with the idea of meeting up with cousins on their whirlwind European tour but the airfare was just astronomical. Sigh. Paris will just have to wait a little longer. At least I have the French Open on tv, and a Parisian Apple Tartlet in my hand. Thanks Tuesdays With Dorie, for making my French fantasies a little more tangible!
Not only are these tartlets delicious, but I almost felt guilty about how easy they are to make. Almost. Trader Joe's frozen puff pastry, fuji apples, a sprinkling of sugar, and a dab of sugar- it doesn't get any more low tech than that. The hardest part was cutting the apples evenly and getting them to remain upright- mine had a little more of a Stonhenge vibe than I would have liked.

But oh so tasty. And did I mention easy?
I think I may have. Can't afford a stroll down the Champs Elysees? How about a stroll through TWD blogroll? You can take your deliciously portable Parisian Apple Tartlet with you.

Rainy Day Raspberry Rugelach

2009-06-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

Rain in So Cal makes me giggle. Not the rain so much as peoples' reaction to it. Driving past the elementary school in my neighborhood today, every single kid was carrying an umbrella! It was only sprinkling! Growing up in Florida rain was an everyday occurrence, especially in the summer. You could actually set your watch by it- three o'clock the storm would roll in. The skies would darken, thunder claps, lightning, everybody out of the pool! I loved the storms and they are one of things I miss most about my home state- well third most behind my mom and Dunkin Donuts.
Speaking of pastry, rainy days are made for baking and with the storm outside reminding me of home, and a bowl of homemade raspberry jam in the fridge, Chocolate Raspberry Rugelach was the obvious choice. I used Dorie's tried and true recipe, minus the dried fruit and nuts- just a layer of raspberry pan jam and chopped bittersweet chips. This was also a great way to use the Raspberry sugar I picked up from a great little spice market the last time I was home.
You don't need to wait for a rainy day to enjoy these delicious cookies, they are perfect in any weather.

Raspberry Pan Jam
adapted from Cardamom Addict
1 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup vanilla sugar
juice from 1/2 a meyer lemon
splash of vanilla

Combine raspberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the berries soften and give up their juices. Add sugar to taste if needed. Stir for a few minutes then add lemon juice. Reduce heat to low and stir for a few more minutes until thickened to desired consistency. Stir in vanilla and remove from heat. Store unused jam in the fridge.

Cinnamon Squares Go Round

2009-06-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

Despite living in Sunny Southern California, May Gray/June Gloom sets in every year. Coastal communities, like the one I live in, become covered by a thick layer of clouds and fog which if you're lucky burns off in time for a late afternoon or perhaps sunset. I just got back from a few days in Seattle and came home with an actual sunburn, something I'd be hard pressed to get at home these days. One benefit of June Gloom is not having to feel guilty spending the day indoors, specifically in my kitchen, whipping up a batch of this week's TWD, Cinnamon Squares. After all the great food we consumed in the Pacific Northwest (the coconut cream pie at Etta's should not be missed) I halved the recipe, which yielded 6 cupcakes.

To achieve the same layered effect in the full square cake, fill each liner with one heaping spoonful of batter, sprinkle on the chocolate and cinnamon/sugar mixture, then add a second spoonful of batter evenly over the top. Be careful not to overfill to avoid excessive muffin top. That goes for the baker as well- so be sure to share these with your loved ones!
Thanks Tracey for a great pick this week. For more Cinnamon Square fun, check out the blogroll.

Sunday School, Now With Yeast!

2009-05-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Forget "new car" smell, driving home from class today with a bag full of still warm, fresh baked bread made for a truly heavenly commute. Today marked a departure from all the cakes, sweets & treats we've been making up until now and began our journey into the world of yeast. I have a few loaves under my belt (figuratively and sadly, literally) thanks to Artisan In Five, but I was really looking forward to experimenting with more traditional bread making methods. Today's recipes included Rustic Country, Challah, and Rosemary Olive Breads but it was really all about my new single-celled little friend, yeast.

Yeast can be broken down into 3 types: freeze dried, compressed/cake, and starters. Freeze dried yeast is what most of us use, sold in the grocery store in a jar or those convenient little packets. This is yeast in suspended form and once its activated creates a fast rise, perfect for the kind of breads we made in class today.

Compressed or cake yeast is better suited for slow rise breads and pastry like cinnamon rolls. To ensure best quality, avoid grocery store cake yeast, instead buying it at specialty stores or by mail order and always keep it in the fridge.

A starter is made by gathering wild yeast from the environment, made with a combination of mashed grapes (or some other fruit or vegetable) and flour, covered in cheesecloth and left outside for about 24 hours which causes fermentation and creates a bubbling mixture brimming with live yeast. Kept in the fridge and fed often, it will last 2-3 weeks, is the ultimate slow riser, and creates a tangy, complex bread which is most commonly sourdough.

Phew, so much information and we've barely scratched the surface to understand all we need to know about bread making. Lots more yeasted fun to look forward to in the coming weeks classes- can't wait to share what I've learned. Until then, give this challah recipe a try.

Challah
adapted from New School of Cooking Curriculum
1tsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry yeast
1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
poppy and sesame seeds
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water

Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve. Combine with oil, water, sugar, salt, eggs and half the flour. Mix well. Stir in remaining flour, cover dough and let rest 10 minutes. Turn onto a floured board and need for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to proof until doubled.
Turn dough onto counter and divide into 3 equal parts. Shape into long strands and braid loosely, tucking in the ends. Brush with beaten egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.

TWD Twofer

2009-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Brownies? Love them. Chocolate chip cookies? Irresistible. With a fudgy brownie base and a second level of golden chocolate chip cookie, this weeks TWD, Chipster Topped Brownies had a lot to live up to. Despite the need to wash my KA not once, but twice, this recipe was easy as pie, err I mean cookie, uh brownie...you get the idea. And the results?

I liked them but maybe I'm just a purist at heart because I would have preferred either just the brownie or the cookie by itself. Either way, don't go near one of these without an ice cold glass of milk.
For more brownie/cookie fun, check out the blogroll.

A Year of Firsts

2009-05-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Wow. It was exactly one year ago that this blog was born. I remember typing my first post, finger nervously hovering over the publish button and wondering am I really doing this? With so many beautiful, talented culinary/photo savvy blogs out there how will I fit in? Will anyone ever read it? What a difference a year makes.
Before Cinemon Girl, I had no creative outlet and very little confidence in the kitchen. Now I'm halfway through a pro baking course. I had never made a cake from scratch, much less a loaf of bread. These days I make challah just for french toast. I've tried, and grown to love foods I had never enjoyed in the past. Mangoes and beets are my new best friends. And speaking of friends, no one has taught me more than my fellow bloggers. Thank you for the inspiration, support, laughter and advice.
I've faced many cooking phobias, learned from my mistakes, and had a few surprises along the way. The list in my head of recipes I want to tackle gets longer everyday.
I can't wait to get started.

Care to Mango?

2009-05-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been cheating...on my favorite fruits. Bananas, grapes, and every type of berry are consistently being passed over for the sweet, perfumed mango. So soft, so juicy, so gosh darn tropical, how could I resist! Needless to say, I was thrilled with Kelly's pick for Tuesdays With Dorie, Fresh Mango Bread.
This simple quick bread recipe is easy on your pantry and your budget. I only had to buy the mango which was on sale at my local market. And it's easy on your dishwasher too- you've gotta love a recipe that comes together with two bowls, a whisk and a spoon. I followed Dorie's recipe to the letter, except for the addition of a 1/4 teaspoon of coriander, and while I usually make mini's this time I chose to go with the full loaf.

Sorry berries, I'm with mango now.

Sunday School- My Favorite Subject

2009-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Need another great reason to go to culinary school? Chocolate tasting! A legitimate one, not like the where stand in the kitchen eating chocolate chips out of the pantry...I've heard some people do that. Not me of course.
As much "research" as I've done in the past, there was a lot about chocolate that I didn't know. Did you know:
1. Chocolate was originally consumed in unsweetened liquid form as a sort of elixir
2. Later, Europeans began using cocoa beans to create confections by roasting the beans, smashing them into a paste, then adding sugar and lecithin.
3. Varying roasting times and methods is what gives different brands of chocolate their distinctive taste.
4. The term semisweet chocolate is an American invention. It's really bittersweet chocolate with more added sugar.
5. The best way to store chocolate is wrapped in foil and then in plastic. Wrapped this way a block of chocolate may last up to a year. Chips or pastilles should be used within a month.
6. Chocolate can make you very happy. You probably knew that one already.

Squats and Scones

2009-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

For me, some things are hard. Geometry, all-nighters in the rain, squat jumps. And some things are easy, like making Lemon Blueberry Scones. Waking up this morning, crazy sore from CrossFit, and craving something delicious and simple to go with my coffee, the scone recipe from my baking class was the perfect solution. You probably already have all the ingredients- flour, butter, sugar, citrus, some dried fruit or candied ginger, and (hopefully) hands. A little mixing and kneading and you are 20 minutes away from english cream scone perfection. Six pack abs and calculating the area of an isoceles triangle? That might take a little longer.

Lemon Blueberry Scones
adapted from New School of Cooking Curriculum
1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp cold butter
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup cream
1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350. Combine dry ingredients and lemon zest in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, cut the butter in the dry ingredients. Add dried blueberries. Lightly beat yolk into cream and pour into bowl. Use your hand like a paddle to combine and form into a ball. Dump dough onto countertop or silpat and form into a rectangle or roll out. Cut into desired shape place scones on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

TWD- Vice Squad

2009-05-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

Sugar, butter, chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol- what could go wrong? That's what I was thinking when I read this week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe for Tiramisu Cake. Essentially, traditional tiramisu dessert adapted by layering mascarpone laced with espresso powder and brandy, topped with chopped chocolate and over sturdy yellow cake however, my cake was just a wee bit too sturdy. Like door-stopper sturdy. So frustrating.
I'm not sure what happened but even the espresso syrup couldn't moisten this rock, I mean cake. I did love the filling/frosting and you can't go wrong with TJ's espresso pillows for garnish. Maybe once the stench of failure has worn off I will give the recipe another go. In the mean time, for happier tales of success and deliciousness, check out the TWD blogroll.

Sunday School 3.14159265

2009-05-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

While souffles, genoise and yule logs freak me out, there's nothing scary to me about pie. Even before I fell in love with all things culinary, I could always be counted on to at least bake a pie a every Thanksgiving (pumpkin of course). Pie making is so comforting, so intrinsically domestic that even once I started attempting more complicated pies I've never pie-phobic.

This week's baking class was all about my friend the pie and I was excited to learn crust making from an expert. Here are some important factors in achieving crust success:
1. Cold, but not frozen butter or lard.
2. Always refrigerate the dough, wrapped in plastic for at least one hour before rolling out.
3. For optimum results, only roll your dough out once.
4. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the fridge, not on the countertop.
5. Avoid big fluted edges on double crust pies, save them for single crust pies. Double crust bake longer than single which will result in very burned fluted edges.

From grandma's apple, chicken pot pie to quiches and galettes, mastery of a good, standby pie crust will take you a long way in your culinary adventures. Try the recipe below, and you might find yours.

Pie Dough
from New School of Cooking Curriculum
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
8 ounces cold unsalted butter
6 to 8 tbsp ice water

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Use just your fingertips to cut butter into the dough until you reach "wet sand" consistency. Add water and using your hand like a paddle, mix until the dough just holds together. Divide in half and wrap in plastic, pressing down on dough through plastic to fully combine. Refrigerate one hour before using.

Righting Egg White Wrongs

2009-04-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm on some kind of intimidation-facing baking jag this week- vegan TWD, souffle, and now macaroons. My failure rate for egg white based recipes runs a little on the high side. It all started with a disastrous Filbert Gauteau- the genoise was so heavy you could use it as a door stop. I've never had a lot of luck with sponge cake in general and my meringue is often mediocre at best but today I put a sizebale dent in my Egg White Phobia with Hazelnut Chocolate Macaroons.
Bonbini! provided both inspiration and information to tackle these little French, blog envy inducing cookies. I went with the Hazelnut version because I had hazelnut flour on hand (left over from the aformentioned Gateau Wreck) and will take advantage of any excuse to use Frangelico in a baked good. It started out a little rough. The recipe calls for italian meringue made by boiling sugar to a soft ball stage before incorporating it in with the egg whites. First attempt I ended up with a hard crystallized mess. Second time, I burned the sugar. Finally got it right on the third try and frustratedly yet gently folded the batter together, piped it out and crossed my fingers. I was overjoyed when I took them out of the oven and saw little macaroon "feet," and pressing their little flat ends together between a big dollop of Frangelico laced chocolate ganache made me so darn proud.
Little cookies, little victories.

You can check out lots of macaroon recipes here. I used this one for the shell.

Souffle Part Deux, A Learning Lunch

2009-04-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

In theory, practice makes perfect. After speeding through the chocolate souffle practical in class, I knew I had some homework to do so for lunch today I tried my hand at a Gruyere souffle. I prepped all of my ingredients, took my time, and crossed my fingers in hopes of success. As you can see, I had a little issue with deflation (ironic, yes?) but the texture was light and fluffy and the flavor of the cheese really came through. I paired it with a Strawberry Walnut Salad with Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette for light and educational lunch.

Speaking of education, I'm thrilled to be participating in the DineandDish Adopt A Blogger program. My adopter is Lori, creator of Recipe Girl- a fantastic blogger whose site is a great resource for recipes, entertaining menus and general cooking knowledge. Recipe Girl offers over 2,000 dishes ranging from seasonal to holiday favorites, low fat mains to decadent desserts. Whether you're a newbie like me, or a veteran blogger, you should definitely check out Lori's Blog for some great ideas for your next meal.

Cheese Souffle
adapted from New School of Cooking Curriculum
1/2 ounce flour
1/2 ounce butter
1/2 cup milk
2 ounces gruyere, grated
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare 3 ramekins with butter and a light dusting of flour.
In a small saucepan combine flour and butter, stirring with a wooden spoon over medium heat to make a roux. Whisk in milk until and simmer one minute until thickened into a bechamel sauce. Beat in egg yolk. Gently stir in cheese. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the souffle base. When almost, but not fully incorporated, add the remaining egg whites and gently fold in to combine. Pour into ramekins and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Vegan With Dorie- Chocolate Cream Tart

2009-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love animals and while I'm not vegan (not even vegetarian) I have been looking for ways to eat more local produce and dairy, reduce my carbon footprint, as well as the amount of animal-based products in my diet. Many bloggers have embraced vegan cooking and baking and have inspired me to do the same. While thumbing through the Veganomicon dessert section I saw Smlove Pie, featuring a chocolate filling made with tofu, arrowroot powder, and hazelnut liquor. Vegan Frangelico chocolate cream? What a great place to start. They also have a recipe for vegan "Not-tella" in there- I am so making that.
Excited, I went searching for a pie dough recipe and found a basic pastry crust made with vegan shortening. I know it's Tuesdays With Dorie, not Tuesdays With Isa & Terry but please make an exception for these delicious Chocolate Cream Tartletes, vegan style. Consider it a belated Earth Day gift.

Chocolate Cream Tart
adapted from Veganomicon

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cold nonhydrogenated vegan shortening
1/4 cup cold water
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Chocolate Filling
1 pound silken tofu, drained
1/4 cup hazelnut liquour
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
12 ounces semisweet vegan chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 400. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add shortening by the teaspoon, cutting it into the flour with each addition until the dough is crumbly and pebbly. Combine vinegar and water. Add into the mixture in three batches, gently mixing it into the dough with a fork until the dough holds together when pinched. Add up to 2 tablespoons more water in necessary. Gather dough into a ball and knead gently a few times. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Once chilled, roll out the dough into a circle on a piece lightly floured parchment and lay into a prepared tart pan. Press a piece of lightly greased tin foil onto the surface of the crust and weigh it down with pie weights or rice. Bake for 20- 25 minutes, then remove tin foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the crust is lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temp to 350.

While the crust cools prepare the filling. Crumble tofu into a food processor or blender. Add liquer, vanilla, and arrowroot and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add the melted chocolate and blend again until thoughroughly mixed. If the filling appears lumpy, strain through a fine mesh sieve. Sppon the filling into the pie crust and bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is set but still jiggly in the center. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Top with soy whipped cream and garnish with chocolate or cocoa powder.

**This recipe should make a full size tart. I halved both recipes and yielded 2 4inch tarteletes.

Dreamy Cherry Vanilla Cheesecakes

2009-04-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I have made cheesecake twice before and all I can say about this month's Daring Bakers Challenge is...this recipe is THE BOMB!
Seriously rich and creamy but not at all heavy, thank goodness I made mini cakelettes because I would be at the gym for the rest of the week! I stuck with Abby's Infamous Recipe original style, only substituting vanilla bean for vanilla resulting in the cutest little speckles all over these fabulous cheesecakes. Keeping it old school, I made a Dark Cherry coulis to go on top. It is all I can do not to go to fridge right now and make quick work of the five remaining cakelettes.
All in good time...

Dark Cherry Coulis
2 1/2 cups frozen, pitted dark cherries
3/4 cup sugar
Juice from 1/2 a meyer lemon

For Slurry
Dissolve 1 tbsp corn starch in 1 tbsp water

Combine cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until sugar dissolves, approx. 10 minutes. Strain the coulis through a fine mesh sieve, reserving the whole cherries. To thicken the coulis, pour liquid back into saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in slurry and bring to a boil again. Once thickened, turn off the heat and let cool before using.
Top chilled cheesecakes with a spoonful of coulis and additional reserved cherries to garnish.

Sunday School In The Fast Lane

2009-04-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Phew! What a whirlwind. I'm still reeling from the fast pace and have sugar shakes from speed tasting my chocolate souffle straight out of the oven. I think I burned my tongue. Today's class was all about classic, and often intimidating Souffle and Pate A Choux, and even though this wasn't my first attempt at either just the thought of making them is enough to make me break out into a cold sweat.
And while they didn't come off completely without a hitch (I got a little behind with the souffles base because had to remake my roux) I am happy to report that both the souffle and the eclairs were successes.

Some tips to help you conquer your pastry fears:
-Never use a whisk with you choux dough, always a wooden spoon -Don't let your choux dough sit out for more than an hour before piping and baking.
-When whisking your pastry cream to a boil, don't allow foam to form. Just keep running the whisk around the corners of the pot.
-Many people make the mistake of over whipping egg whites. To help know when to stop, look at the size of the bubbles. You want to make sure there are no big ones left in your egg white mixture, just little bubbles throughout.
-For sweet souffle, coating your ramekins with butter and sugar to get that chewy/sweet exterior. For savory use butter and flour.

Is souffle on your pastry fears list? Why don't you give it a try.

Chocolate Souffle
from the New School of Cooking
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 ounces butter
1/4 cup flour
1 egg yolk
1.75 ounces bittersweet chocolate melted (over a bain marie)
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375
In a small saucepan over medium heat make a sandy roux with the butter and flour.
Bring the milk and sugar to a boil and add to the roux. Cook until smooth until a paste forms. Transfer to a mixing bowl and whisk in egg yolk. Add melted chocolate and cocoa. Cool to room temperature. Once the base is cooled, whip the egg whites and immediately fold into the base. Bake for 20 minutes.

Routine Maintenance

2009-04-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like you're in need of a tune up? After an awful two week bout of bronchitis I'm finally getting back to my old self again, albeit a weaker, pastier version. Months worth of daily workouts were all but forgotten during my sickness and while it was great to have an excuse not to exercise I am actually looking forward to moving my muscles again. I've started slowly, and took advantage of our mini heat wave here in Southern California by swimming laps the past 2 days. While I'm on a roll I thought I'd make an Apple Fennel Salad similar to one I saw in a magazine at my doctor's office. I've become quite the fennel fan and buy it whenever I see it at the store. I've been hooked on other fennel salads in the past and this one is definitely a winner.

Apple Fennel Salad
adapted from Natural Health and Epicurious
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lemon juice (I used Meyer)
1 apple of your choice (I used Gala) cored, quarted and thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 cups mixed greens
Handful of chopped walnuts
Salt & pepper

Toss sliced apple with lemon juice to prevent browning
In a large bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add apple, fennel and greens and toss gently to coat. Serve topped with walnuts.

Sunday School

2009-04-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've started taking pastry classes. I'm enrolled in the Pro Baking program at The New School of Cooking, a small culinary school in Culver City, and for the next 16 weeks I will spend 4 hours every Sunday learning the fundamentals of all things pastry and you are coming along. I won't be posting the recipes we receive in class (you can find our textbook, Baking At Home With The Culinary Institute of America, on Amazon) but in my Sunday School feature, I will be sharing some of the things I learned, as well as my failures & success during practical.
This week, Custard Week, I had both the former and the latter but first, some Dairy Facts:
Whole milk is 8-10% fat. Half & Half 18%. Cream 20-40%. Milk from a cow milked in the morning has more fat than afternoon milking milk. Butter left out of the fridge is safe because fat is a preservative. So is sugar. Egg whites are all protein. The yolk provides fat (flavor) & lecithin (emulisification)

This week's practicals included Chocolate Pudding, Creme Brulee and Bread Pudding. The Chocolate pudding I made in class had good flavor but a consistency that strongly resembled spackle. Definitely over cooked. Very disappointing. When I got home, I made it again and cooked it slowly at a lower heat to a much shinier, smoother & creamier result. Yum.

This was my first creme brulee- I never make it a home because I don't have a torch and after scaring a few of my fellow students as well as myself through the handling of the class torch it is obvious I need a lot more practice. The custard itself was silky and delicious, especially with the high quality, plump and shiny vanilla beans we used. Gotta get me some of those.

This was also my first Bread Pudding (I tend to avoid them because just the idea of one makes me feel like I have to go work out) and I'll be sampling it this evening. Along with the Pudding Redux. Yeah, maybe going to the gym isn't such a bad idea after all.
Join me next Sunday School Sunday when our subject will be Souffle and Pate Choux. In the meantime, if you have any questions just post them in the comment section and I will try to ask them. Class dismissed!

2880 Minute Magic

2009-04-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

Writing this post feels like I'm back in grade school coming up with an excuse for why my book report was late. It fell out of my backpack. The dog ate my homework. My oven broke. Seriously, my oven freaking broke! Saturday I had just taken my second attempt at coconut cake out of the oven (the first one wasn't done in the middle) when the oven door locked and the self clean when on by itself. I swear! Unfortunately I had left a cookie sheet with a silicon handle in there so the whole house started smelling like burned rubber and every single smoke alarm went off. After the cycle finished, and I cleaned up enough ash to rival Mount St. Helens, I tried to run the oven and nothing. Zilch, zip, stone cold. Two days later, my oven has been diagnosed with either a broken thermostat or a dead control panel and is scheduled to be repaired next week.
The good news is I have a double oven and once the bottom unit passed its physical I was finally able to make this mini Chocolate Amaretti Torte.

And for extra credit, I made the amaretti cookies (thanks Barefoot Kitchen Witch!) and couldn't help making these amaretti nutella sandwiches with the leftovers.

I loved this torte, it reminds me off a fancy brownie with an almond vibe, and once I had all the components together it really was a breeze to make. Head on over to Holly's blog for the recipe and don't let the dog eat your torte!

Back to School

2009-04-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was my first Pro Baking class and I was really nervous. So nervous in fact that I got lost on my way there. Would I like the instructor? What would my classmates be like? Was I out of my league? We went around the room giving our names and what we hoped to get out of the class and much to my relief I was definitely in the right place. While everyone's skill level was different, we were all there for the same reasons- a love of baking and a secret desire to see if it was possible to turn a hobby into something more. I don't know where this class will lead but one thing's for sure- these are the best blueberry muffins I have ever made.

I would like to post the recipe but I want to get permission from the school first. But trust me, they taste as good as they look.
If it weren't for this blog, and more importantly for encouragement of the people who read it, I would never have had the nerve to take these classes in the first place. So in the interest of sharing the experience here are some of the things I learned this week:

A small egg is 1 oz, large egg 2 oz, jumbo egg 4 oz.
Use a rasp (microplane) zester for overall strong citrus flavor, or a channel zester for a hint of citrus taste combined with the other flavors in your pastry.
Carrot cake is essentially a quick bread.
If your cakes are too dense or sinking in the middle you are most likely over mixing.
Wearing a chef jacket makes me feel awesome.

Southern Comfort

2009-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

West Palm Beach Florida isn't exactly the south, what with the massive amounts of transplanted New Yorkers living there- my family included. Since we left Long Island when I was 6 months old, I consider myself a Floridian and identify with being a southern girl, if just a little on the Jimmy Buffet side. Now that I live in California I sometimes need to listen to the Margaritaville station on satellite radio so I can feel a little closer to my roots. And sometimes I bake pie.
Banana Cream Pie is this week's Tuesdays With Dorie and the perfect remedy for Southern Withdrawal (drawl?). I made tarlettes and gave them a sprinkling of toasted coconut for that added Florida/tiki vibe.

They are so good, you might just blow out a flip flop.

Balancing Act

2009-04-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

After four months off, tomorrow I'm heading back to work...for one night. Being in the film business is so strange- crazy, 16 hour days filled with a madness, followed by long stretches of unemployment. When I'm on a show I barely have time to take a breath let alone do my laundry, and lately I've had so much time on my hands I spread my chores out through the week just so I'll have something on my to do list. What I really have been enjoying is the luxury of baking everyday and while I'm anxious to get back to work it makes me sad to think I'll have to give that up. When I finally do back to work full time, I hope to create a better balance between my work and home life so I thought use this one day job to create some bring bringing along these Banana Macadamia Biscotti. How can biscotti create balance? Well, while I'm standing on the set somewhere between Friday night and Saturday trying to stay awake, I will pair my (very) late night coffee with these biscotti, so my set self and my "self" self will be able to meet somewhere in the middle.
How do you find your balance?

Banana Macadamia Biscotti
adapted from Cookie Madness
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 banana)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped, toasted macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine banana, oil, egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the flour mixture, toasted macadamia nuts to the banana mixture and stir just until combined. If the mixture seems dry, use your hands to mix until the dough comes together.
Divide the mixture in half and shape into 8 inch logs. Place the logs about 4 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Use your hands or the back of a spoon to shape the logs into 2 rectangles about 3 inches across. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm and cracked on top.
Transfer the logs to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 275F. Place logs on a cutting board and slice diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay biscotti cut side down on the cookie sheet and return them to the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are crisp. Flip them over and cook for 15- 20 minutes on the opposite side. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

You Put The Lime In The Coconut

2009-03-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

I not a fan of rushing the season, seeing Christmas decorations going up the day after Halloween drives me crazy, however I always make an exception when it comes to Spring. I get so impatient for baseball season, warm(er) weather, looking at my jasmine every day thinking hurry up and bloom already! Once Spring has sprung it goes by fast so perhaps it would be better slow down, stop and smell the roses, the freesia, orange blossoms, honeysuckle, (my neighbors must think I'm crazy always sniffing around their yard) and definitely take time to appreciate this week's Tuesdays With Dorie-Coconut Butter Thins.
Think Lorna Doones on vacation and you'll get the gist of these cookies. The comforting, buttery taste of shortbread with a little tropical hint of lime, coconut, macadamia nuts, and (in my case) curry powder. They are the perfect way to welcome, and appreciate the season.

For more on these cookies, check out the TWD blogroll.

Layers Are In

2009-03-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up, special occasions meant one thing, lasagna. And if that occasion was your birthday, Carvel Ice Cream Cake. How I miss those crunchies! But I digress. I've made lasagna many times since then but never from scratch- ricotta, prego & boxed noodles, poof... lasagna. Well this month's Daring Bakers Challenge was a bit more complicated. Bechamel I could handle, homemade ragu, ok sure, but spinach noodles from scratch without a pasta maker? Mamma mia!

Not only was this lasagna absolutely delicious, but not as difficult as I thought. I made the pasta two days in advance, drying it out overnight on my clothes rack, and I made both sauces the day before. All that prep made baking day a breeze.

I will absolutely make this again, and look forward to experimenting with different types of pasta dough and sauces. Head on over to the the Daring Kitchen and learn how to make your next occasional really special. And don't forget Fudgy The Whale.

Now a word from our sponsor:

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.

Its Ok To Crumble

2009-03-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

My local Home Expo store is closing down. Over the past few years my husband and I made many trips to that store. We'd stroll down the aisles looking at the the fancy mock up kitchens and bathrooms and dream of the day when we could make those fantasy rooms a reality in our own home. A final trip there to check out the bargains left me feeling really depressed, as if seeing those displays all stripped down and torn up meant my home improvement fantasies were too. Luckily, today is Tuesday, as in Tuesdays With Dorie, and I just happened to have some Blueberry Crumb Muffins on hand.

A few bites of moist cake filled with blueberries and topped with a sweet,crunchy, nutty topping made me look a little more kindly on my non-fancy, cozy little kitchen. I'll take fresh baked muffins over granite counter tops any day.

Tuesdays On The Riviera

2009-03-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since the stars have aligned where I've had both time off and disposable income. Unemployment checks don't cut it when it comes to international travel so for now all my adventures will have to be lived vicariously- my cousins 3 month trip to Europe, the Today Show in Ireland, and this week's TWD, Riviera Yogurt Cake.

I couldn't resist trying this exotic sounding variation although I frugally utilized what I had on hand- one lime, one meyer lemon and some thyme from my herb garden. The aroma was intoxicating. And as I savored my first bite of this cake which I topped with homemade lemon curd and fresh strawberries, I pictured myself not in my tiny kitchen but in a seaside cafe in Nice- sipping a glass of wine and looking oh so chic with my sunglasses and silk scarf and...a girl can dream can't she?

Any Requests

2009-03-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Due to my voracious baking habit (and appetite) I am always on the lookout for new victims, er I mean tasters, so I can bake without the burden of the final product remaining in my house. Often times, I sneak an offer for baked goods into casual conversation.

Looking at my blog...

Him: These look great, do you have any of this stuff here?

Me: As a matter of fact I do. Can offer you some...insert name of recently made treat here...

Him: Sure I'd love some.

Me: Hey, by the way, what's your favorite dessert?

Then whammo, guess who's getting a heaping helping of sugary goodness from your truly?!

On today's menu, Caramel Crumb Bars from The Modern Baker. Shortbread crust covered in a layer of creamy caramel with crumb topping. Perfect for someone who loves cookies and creamy treats. This one's for you Bob.

Flower Power

2009-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

6 years ago this July, my husband's cousin married one of my dearest friends. My other dear friend (and sister-in-law) and I threw her bridal shower. We cooked a wonderful spring luncheon complete with lavender iced tea. In order to make the tea, my SIL had been "harvesting" lavender from her neighbors and had left it draining in the kitchen sink. Her husband came home and proceeded to wash the dishes, splattering sudsy water all over the lavender. My SIL began yelling at him to watch the lavender because she needed it for her lemonade. He replied incredulously, "I didn't know lavender was food!"
Ironically, this July my sister/brother-in-law are expecting their first child and at a mini baby shower the afore mentioned cousin and I threw for her, she brought me a jar of culinary lavender. And this months You Want Pies With That challenge, Herbs & Spices, gave me a great reason to try it out. Since this was my first try at cooking with lavender, I opted for Fruit and Lavender Cream Tartlettes. I altered my standard pastry cream recipe by first adding 2 teaspoons of lavender to the boiling milk and steeping it for an hour. The base is a sweet tart dough and they are topped with white peaches and strawberries with an apricot glaze. Spring has definitely sprung.

Head on over to the You Want Pies With That to see what all the other Creative Tarts came up with!

Looks Aren't Everything

2009-03-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

What's that old addage, "If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all." I can't very well leave this post blank but I'm struggling to come up with positive comments about this week's Tuesdays With Dorie, Lemon Cup Custard. On the plus side, it's pretty, easy to make, and has a lovely velvety texture. However, I found it severely lacking in the flavor department. I made the original lemon recipe, steeped the milk with extra lemon zest for over an hour but the end result was rather bland. Fresh raspberries and powdered sugar helped a bit but when it came time for dessert I opted for gingersnaps instead.
Hopefully my fellow TWD'ers had fared better than I- check out the blogroll and see.