Eat Around the Pitt is a Transplant's View of Pittsburgh and Food.
Recently in Category: In the Kitchen
July 27, 2008
What to do with Cabbage
Posted by Kathryn @ 12:18 PM
So as it is CSA season, I frequently end up with one particular vegetable piling up over a couple of weeks. It isn't that I don't like Cabbage, it is more that it is one of the few early summer veggies that will last a while in the fridge and the majority of my favorite recipes for cabbage are really hot more wintry fare. Eventually I get too much of it and something must be done!
So whenever I have a vegetable without a dish I spend some quality time flipping through cookbooks for ideas. One struck my fancy for cabbage. Cabbage Gratin from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for everyone. After I made it, I decided it was a true winner... unfortunately I don't have any good pictures because we ate it too fast! The end result is a nutty almost broccoli frittata flavor ( not surprising considering they are the same family). Next time I might try a higher ratio of cream/milk to egg so that it is creamier, but that would just be for the sake of experimentation... the casserole was gorgeous as it was.
Butter and freshly grated Parmesan for the dish
1 1/2 pounds cabbage ( I used a mix of green varieties) diced into 2 inch squares
1/3 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup creme fraiche or cream ( I used some butter since I had neither on hand)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 eggs
3 tb parsley
salt and pepper
I also tossed in some ground mustard and some leftover cheddar
Preheat the oven to 375. Butter the dish and coat with parmesan. Boil cabbage for 5 minutes in salted water. drain pressing out as much water as possible. Whisk remaining ingredients together and then add cabbage. Bake for 50 minutes until firm and lightly brown.
So a few weeks too late, I finally got around to making the Daring Bakers Challenge. I had never made a laminated dough like a puff pastry or danish, so it was a bit intimidating at first, but the results of all of my efforts were well worth it. Unfortunately, many of these recipes are simply oversized for our two person household, so I put off the construction of the braid until the in-laws were in town. My father in law love cherries so I knew I really needed a good cherry filling. On the other hand my mother in law doesn't care for cooked fruit. Finally, my husband is totally addicted to Wisconsin almond flavored kringles (based of a similar laminated dough concept). Unfortunately these delectable pastries are just not readily available in Pittsburgh, so I thought that this was an opportunity to please them all. I made almond filling and cherry filling. All in all I made 3 braids from the recipe and learned a lot along the way about how much filling is too much or too oozy.
For the almond filling I perused several recipes online and decided to wing it. I mixed ground almonds with brown sugar cinnamon, salt (don't skimp on the salt it really helps give the dish nuttiness), a dash of almond extract, and eggwhites. I started with about 2 cups of whole almonds and about one cup of sugar. Since I wasn't going to use this right away I left out the egg whites until right before filling. I used about 4 egg whites for this amount of almonds, but the filling had a tendency to escape the confines of the braid, so for the future I would stick to no more than 3 egg whites and make sure to chill really well before braiding.
For the cherry filling I tried two methods,
Method one - pitt bing cherries and cut in half
method two- pitt bing cherries, cut in half, at some sweet cherry jam, let set in fridge
Out of these methods, the first created a much more desirable result. The cherries cooked in the braid tasted jammy without oozing. The second method create tons of overflow from the braid... which when mixed with the almond mixture was crisp and tasty, but meant that the bread did not rise as nicely and had a few cherry colored blemishes.
So I made plain almond braids and almond cherry braids. I loved both, but as it is summer I would strongly suggest using the uncooked bing cherries.
DOUGH (detrempe)
1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (I used instant yeast.)
1/2 cup (250 mil) whole milk
1/3 cup (58 grams) sugar
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (I used green cardamom pods and whizzed the seeds in a coffee grinder.)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped- I didn't have this, so I just added more vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/4 cup (125 mil) fresh orange juice
3-1/4 cups (390 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
DOUGH: In the bowl of the stand mixer, stir together the milk and yeast with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. BEURRAGE: In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix the butter and flour using the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another minute, until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Set aside at room temperature.
4. BUTTER BLOCK: After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the dough to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, 1/4-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
6. Repeat folding two more times, refrigerating for 30 minutes in between.
7. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used.
The fun part Assembly!
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface (and on top of your parchment paper, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, 1/4-inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet. (Don’t forget to move the rolled dough to the baking sheet!)
4. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.
5. Spoon the filling down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps,” fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. You can trim any excess dough but as we like bread around here i just tucked in the ends which meant one end was always breadier than the rest of the braid.
6. Brush the egg wash over the braid.
7. Spray some cooking spray on a piece of plastic wrap, and cover the dough with the sprayed side down. Proof at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled and is light to the touch. Don't forget the cooking spray or the braid will look completely mangled upon plastic removal. Luckily the egg wash covered up much of my error on the first braid
8. Preheat oven to 400º F
9. Remove the plastic. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and reduce heat to 350º F. Continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the bread is a deep, golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
So this past weekend I wanted to do a BBQ because the weather was so nice. This Texan cannot resist the opportunity to sear meat on a grill, but in this instance many of my guests followed a vegetarian diet, avoided milk products, or had other dietary restrictions. So I decided to change up the traditional Chicago slider to fit their needs a bit better! So here comes the lentil slider. It looks suspiciously like a falafel on a small bun, but it has a differently delicious texture/flavor combo.
Zest and Juice of one lemon
6 scallions chopped
3/4 of a package of lentils cooked through
2/3 of a baguette or other bread (check the ingredients for milk products or eggs) whole wheat works nicely
Salt
Ground Pepper
1/4 cup mint
1/4 cup parsley
1-2 tsp cumin
2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground coriander seed
2 tsp of cornstarch in 2 tb of water or an egg
3 TB olive oil
Blitz the bread in a food processor. Add the additional ingredients and blend to a paste (don't loose all of the lentil texture, but if you are using cornstarch rather than egg it will need to be more pureed so that the patties don't fall apart. Heat a skillet with additional olive oil and roll1-2 tb quantities of the puree into balls. Fry each patty until golden brown on both sides. Place on a tiny roll and serve with tahini or yogurt with mint and lemon zest as toppings.
The patties are also excellent on a salad. I know it is CSA time so many people are trying to come up with new ways to spice up lettuce and this is a great one!
When I can take food memories and wrap them into a baked good I am at home all over again. Once again the Daring Bakers have served up a delicious challenge. I want to thank Lis and Ivonne along with Fran of the blog Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie and Shea of the blog Whiskful for co-hosting the challenge. To make it exciting the recipe relies on nuts, which in my household, I am the only indulger. As a result I was really happy to have an excuse to use copious quantities!
Now I am not usually a fussy person, I lack artistic talent and fear those things that cry for perfection, this is clear by the recipes I usually highlight on the blog usually. Belonging to Daring Bakers is intended to help me stretch my repertoire and try a few techniques I would normally avoid. The May challenge is no exception. It is a decidedly light (only in color) take on a classic opera cake.
I decided to take on all of the elements of this recipe including the optional mousse. It was a great way to practice a variety of cake toppings. As I am not the largest fan of icing it let me try a variety and gave me some ideas on how to improve some of my existing favorites. Plus, now as a result of a little bit of leftovers I have found a divine spread for my favorite buttermilk raisin bran muffins, the buttercream recipe. It was simply the best combination (probably because of the sheer quantity of butter incorporated in the recipe!) Each month though I need to put my own touch on the challenge and this time around I decided to forgo the traditional almond meal and take it to Texas with pecans. I was a little worried that since they are softer and oilier that this could pose a problem, but in the end the result was very nice. Now to go with pecans, i love two things cayenne pepper or cinnamon. Cayenne pepper was too much of a departure for this particular cake, but cinnamon added a nice round flavor to the pecan goodness.
So the cake was a total hit at work. I loved certain elements particularly the joconde and the buttercream (which much like Natalie Dupree's spice cake with a coffee butter cream relies on so much butter that the sugar is much less noticeable). I will probably skip the glaze in future opera-like cakes. White chocolate in that large of quantity seems cloying (especially when you have a mousse and glaze) I think I would prefer the traditional less sweet dark chocolate or coffee flavors. As for the husband and sister, they would totally pass on this in the future. If you don't like nuts, then this is not the recipe for you. On to the recipe!
For the joconde
What you’ll need:
•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans ( I actually used one half sheet and then one round layer cake pan instead to make two separate opera cakes)
•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls
Ingredients:
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) pecans
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons of cinnamon
6 large eggs
½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.
2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).
3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.
4. In a food processor pulse pecans with about 1 half of flour. Do this slowly and do not let the pecans turn into a paste.
5.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.
6. Set the egg whites aside. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.
7.Add the remaining flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).
8.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. (Don't forget the butter! I almost did and with this many steps to a cake it will make you cry if you have to start something over) Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.
9.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.
10.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.
11.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.
For the syrup- can be made in advance
½ cup (125 grams) water
⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. of honey
1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
For the buttercream
2 cups (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (60 grams) water
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¾ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
1.Combine the sugar, water and cinnamon in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.
2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C)
3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.
4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment.
5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).
6.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks of butter. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.
7.Add Vanilla and mix to incorporate
9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).
For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional )
Ingredients:
7 ounces white chocolate
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tbsp. liqueur - I chose Bailey's but next time I would skip this... added one too many flavor profiles for my taste
1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
For the glaze- Don't make this ahead of time, better wait for assembly- This makes a lot you may want to make just 1/2 or 3/4 of this amount unless you have another purpose for the glaze
What you’ll need:
•a small saucepan or double boiler
Ingredients:
14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)
1 tsp cinnamon
1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Add cinnamon. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
Assembling the Opéra Cake
(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. If it is cold the buttercream will be very hard and not reveal its splendid satiny texture).
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.
Step A (if using buttercream only and not making the ganache/mousse):
Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.
Spread about one-third of the buttercream over this layer.
Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.
Spread another third of the buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the final layer of joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).
Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.
Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.
Step B (if making the ganache/mousse):
Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.
Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.
Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.
Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).
Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.
Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.
Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.
As most husbands are wont to do when the weather turns nice, I recently dusted off the grill from its time in storage (the biggest downside of condo living: laws against grills on porches). To kick off the true grilling season -- winter may find me tossing something onto the fire on decent days -- I started with this:
Mushroom & Horseradish Stuffed Steaks
For the steak I chose a couple of gorgeous dry-aged New York strips. The stuffing itself consists of:
1.5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (regular buttons will do)
0.5 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tblsp butter
2 tblsp prepared horseradish
Salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce
Toss the 'shrooms, onion, garlic and butter into a saucepan and cook until the onions are tender. Then add in the horsey-sauce, with salt and pepper to taste. I added the Worcestershire at this point, though you could save it for more of a sauce at the end by melting a bit more butter and combining the two towards the end.
For the steaks, the usual fat-trimming comes first. Then choose a side to slit open, opening it up more than halfway. What you want is a pocket deep enough to hold stuffing, but still enough connection to hold together well for flipping. (You'll note from the picture that I ended up using toothpicks to keep the pocket closed. Just remember to remove them before eating!)
While I tend to use a lot of charcoal, we actually picked up some wood-chunks (not the kind to smoke meat with). I wasn't sure how hot these get or how they last, so I ended up having a hotter fire than I wanted, but the goal is to have about medium heat. Place directly over the heat source, flipping only once, and keeping it on each side for around 10 minutes for medium-rare, up to 14 minutes for closer to well done.
We served this with potatoes and salad. Turned out absolutely wonderfully. The meat was tender, juicy, and had a nice tang from the horseradish. Paired with a bottle of 2003 Trefethen Cabernet Sauvignon it turned out to be one of the better things to come off my grill.
So my good friend Toni turned me on to this recipe. It is completely delicious and rather addictive. The cream cheese gives it a cheesecake like flavor, but a texture that my husband adores. He is crazy for pound cake... I have to hide it or freeze it to make sure that it sticks around for guests.
CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE
1 cup margarine (2 sticks)
½ cup butter softened
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
Dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
6 large eggs
3 cups sifted all purpose flour
Cream together margarine, butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add salt and flavorings. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and mix well. Pour batter into a greased and sugared (using flour works too) 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Place pan in a COLD oven. Set temperature for 325 degrees. Bake for 1-1/2 hours or until done. Cool in pan.
I ended up putting it in two loaf pans because I threw out my bundt pan after the last three cakes stuck so badly they could not be presented to those outside of the immediate family... it worked just fine. It is better on the underbaked side than overbaked, so if you feel like you should take it out... go with it... it will be fine. The crust is absolutely heavenly... especially if you sugar the pan.. I swear Toni has been divinely inspired. I personally am not a huge lemon and cheese fan, so I may go with a different flavor in the future, but it does leave a nice bright flavor.
The month of April has officially become comfort eating April. I felt like things just didn't want to go my way, except in the kitchen. So I have baked and baked and baked. One weekend I made my mom's sticky bun recipe. Actually the dough is a really nice all purpose sweet dough good for cinnamon rolls, nut rolls, sticky buns you name it. I like the texture because they are soft on the inside with a nice tang from the buttermilk, but the outer edges toast up nicely to add some crunch. This particular weekend though I wanted to caramel flavor. My husband cannot resist anything that has a caramel or butterscotch component. This is best made on a day when your kitchen is slightly warm to help aid in the rising times. No one wants to wait until noon for the buns to come out of the oven.
2 t yeast or about 1 packet
1/4 c warm water
5/8 c buttermilk
1 egg
3 c flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/4 c soft butter
1/4 c sugar
If you desire lightly sticky buns-
1 stick butter
1 c brown sugar
1T. water
additional raisins, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon optional
Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1 T. sugar, let sit for 10 minutes. Add buttermilk, egg, 1/2 flour, butter, rest of sugar, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in remaining flour. Dough should be soft and slightly stick. Knead 5 minutes. Roll out dough. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle on cinnamon, raisins, nuts, and brown sugar as desired. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls.
Meanwhile heat 1 stick butter and 1 cup brown sugar on stove with a tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil. Pour into 8x13 Pyrex baking pan. If you want extra caramel on your rolls, then just make a slightly larger batch of this mixture. Add rolls on top of sugar in rows.
Let rolls rise for an hour. Bake 25-30 minutes at 375. You may want to put another baking pan underneath to catch any spills. I cannot begin to tell you how burnt sugar can end up ruining this or another baking experience to come.
I like to add lots of raisins or dried fruit in the filling step. Just remember when you cut the dough into rolls, some of the raisins will poke out. Try to hide these back within the dough or you can end up with slightly burnt raisins... less than yummy.
When I was about 8 or 9, my neighbors in Dhahran, the Jesson's would sometimes bring over cherry coffeecake. I adored this coffeecake, basically because I loved anything that had cherry pie filling. At the same time I was enamored with plum sauce and sweet and sour sauce at Chinese restaurants. Clearly there was something about sweet red cornstarch thickened mixtures that tantalized me.
In a moment of nostaglia, I decided to make the aforementioned cherry coffeecake. With a couple of tweaks.
Cherry Coffee Cake
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 tsp. almond extract
* 2 cups flour
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 1/8 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1 (15 oz.-20oz) can cherry pie filling if you do not make your own buy Comstock's Light
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, beat eggs with sugar, vegetable oil, and almond extract until well blended. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix just until batter is combined.
Grease a 9x13" baking pan with unsalted butter and dust with flour. Spread half of the batter in prepared pan. Spoon small dollops of the pie filling over the batter, then spoon remaining batter on top of pie filling (the batter won't cover all of the pie filling; that's okay!).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until coffee cake is deep golden brown. Place on wire rack to cool while making frosting.
In small saucepan over medium low heat, melt butter. Cook butter over low heat, watching carefully, for 4-7 minutes until butter just begins to brown. Remove pan from heat and stir in powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. milk, and cream cheese along with vanilla; beat well. You may need to add more powdered sugar or milk to reach desired consistency. Drizzle frosting over warm cake and sprinkle with almonds.
These days pre-made cherry pie filling does not draw me in quite the same way, I prefer the fresher tastes of homemade pie fillings. I also find plain powdered sugar frostings, just too sweet. So I added the cream cheese to the frosting and a handful of dried cherries to the pie filling to give it a sour oomph. Next time I am going to make my cherry raspberry pie filling for this coffee cake instead to really update it, but it was the perfect dish to perk me up after a pretty crummy month. I would love any suggestions you cooks out there may have to update this dish even more!
As a Texan, I have been to Katz's Deli in Austin. It is most famous for the fact that it is open 24 hours. This is an important thing in a college town like Austin. I cannot claim Austin as my college town, but I can claim that I love the cheesecake milkshake at Katz's. So when the cheesecake fiasco occurred, I did what every resourceful cook would do... reuse the ingredients in a new way. Many thoughts passed through my head including a cheesecake sauce for fresh berries, but what stuck was the cheesecake shake. Now milkshakes don't have precise recipes, but the jist is this:
1 part cheesecake (no crust)
1 part vanilla icecream
1/2 part milk (add slowly)
splash of vanilla.
Blend the heck out of this ( If you make a lot, it can make your blender complain)
Serve in shake glasses with whipped cream and crushed graham cracker topping. Sorry no pics available... they were devoured in seconds.
In the middle of winter, when the snow just won't stop, I get a craving for all things that remind me of summertime. I was invited over to a friend's house for dinner... and I knew exactly what to bring for dessert. Pavlova. Pavlova comes in all shapes sizes and flavors, but to continue my recent theme and to make up for the failure of the chocolate ganache cake, I went with a chocolate raspberry version from Nigella Lawson. As you can see.. by the time I got my camera out, we had demolished most of the delectable cloud of fruit and meringue. I have made this many times... it is a gem.
for the chocolate meringue base:
6 egg whites
one and a half cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder, sieved
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped for the topping:
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over the cocoa and vinegar, and the chopped chocolate. Then gently fold everything until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. Mound on to a baking sheet in a fat circle approximately 9 inches in diameter, smoothing the sides and top. Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 and cook for about one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready it should look crisp around the edges and on the sides and be dry on top, but when you prod the centre you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly, and let the chocolate meringue disc cool completely.
When you're ready to serve, invert on to a big, flat-bottomed plate. Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter over the raspberries. Coarsely grate the chocolate so that you get curls rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious colour and form to be obscured, and sprinkle haphazardly over the top, letting some fall, as it will, on the plate's rim.
In the blogging world, the NY Times article on no-knead bread is not even yesterday's news, it is last year's news. But I for one am still addicted to the recipe. As my husband will attest, I seem to make a batch or two every week! So I am not one for following a recipe to the letter, and this is no exception after several iterations. I have tried spices of all sorts with my favorite being crushed peppercorns, but now it was time to add wet ingredients. So I added a tablespoon or two of honey and a tablespoon of olive oil, so that it would be more similar to my favorite pizza doughs. It turned out a beautiful loaf... Now if I could just get the loaf thrown into a pan neatly. (Notice the funny fold in the loaf!). If you don't manage to eat every slice the first day, then it makes excellent french toast, grilled cheese, and garlic toast.
Before I even started this shortcut, I should have realized that this was a bad idea. A friend from work was coming over for dinner Sunday Night. Friday morning he had let me know that his fiancee would be unable to come with him, so I decided to cut out a couple steps from my traditional having a dinner party routine. I thought well, we can just start with chips and salsa and conclude with a Barefoot Contessa cake mix. Full disclosure, I had never tried this cake mix or any other mix from the Barefoot Contessa before. Although I had baked her chocolate cupcakes with PB icing and those came out slightly dry.
It looked so promising as you can see from the box. Deep dark chocolate.. with Raspberries on top... how can you go wrong.
I followed the directions ( which were slightly strange since they have you cream a part of the mix into the butter before adding the eggs... I was worried that might create a less tender cake, but I went on valiantly. I also thought the "jar of fudge sauce" as an ingredient seemed hokey... and an unnecessary addition of corn syrup, but i followed the instructions to the T. I put the single cake pan into the oven, set the time, and walked away with confidence. The mix warned not to overbake, so I made sure to take it out of the oven right away.
After the cake cooled it seemed a little on the dry and crusty side. Then I thought about the oven that came with the house and realized it is probably not terribly accurate. This worried me so I melted down some jam with a tad of water. Perforated the whole cake and poured over the jam. I figured it would help the dryness.
I made the ganache icing, iced the cake, and proceeded with my main course for the evening. Next thing I know ... the cat is on the counter and has licked off a quarter of the icing... I wanted to cry. Ian ran down from upstairs and said.. well why don't you just use the icing that has dripped off to reice that portion and we just won't serve that side. So I did just that.
The cake made a pretty presentation at the table, but in the end the cake was dry and rather unappealing... not at all what I expected from a 15 dollar cake mix. Duncan Hines makes a better cake looking back on it. Oh well.. at least now I know I need an oven thermometer.
So reading the blog, Pittsburgh Needs Eated, made me seriously hungry for banana baked goods. Since I love to bake, but don't have time on the average evening after work and pottery class, I sat down and chose one of her many banana cake/bread/muffin/ etc recipes to try last Saturday morning. I won't repost the recipe here, but I settled on the Banana Gugelhupf. It was a really nice cake without the spice cake tones so frequently in banana recipes. Don't get me wrong, I like spice cake, but this cake would be wonderful with a chocolate mousse filling. I didn't have a gugelhupf pan and I recently pitched my bundt pan in a fit of anger after the third cake got stuck in it ( it was one of those fancy cathedral shapes... I don't recommend it if you want your bundt in a single ring.) It fits nicely in a large loaf pan but will take a couple extra minutes of cooking. I would have a pic but we couldn't resist cutting into it and then I forgot! I would mention that it should all be eaten within 3 days, or it gets a bit dry. Next time I may try adding a bit more fat or sour cream to help with the staying power.
I got home from work, opened the refrigerator trying to plan out our dinner, but I felt entirely uninspired. Then I thought... Hmm mussels would be good. I quickly considered my favorite mussels recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer-
Crostini del Mare
Makes approximately 25 crostini
Half a skinny baguette ( i sometimes want the whole thing to sop up the juices
Tablespoons olive oil, approximately
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley, plus extra to decorate
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds mussels
18 ozs Littleneck or Manilla clams
1 Tablespoon Vermouth or white wine
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the bread into slices, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. You need about 25 slices for the amount of chopped seafood topping here. If you want crostini: Using a pastry brush or your fingers, dab the bread, on both sides, with the olive oil and sit these lightly oil-brushed slices on a rack over a roasting pan and bake for about 5-10 minutes, turning once. Otherwise you can just use fresh untoasted slices.
Put the garlic and parsley into a large saucepan with the oil and cook, stirring, over a low heat for a couple of minutes. Pour in the cleaned mussels and clams, turn the heat to high, add the tablespoon of vermouth or wine and put on the lid. Cook for 4-5 minutes, You may want to shake the pan a few times throughout.
If desired, Chop the shellfish flesh finely with a mezzaluna or knife then spread onto the crostini and sprinkle over some more chopped parsley. Eat while still warm.
As you may know mussels on their own are a super easy and quick dinner paired with a nice chunk of fresh baguette. As I am still on the hunt for the best baguette in town and didn't have any mussels around, I decided instead that we would be going out to Point Brugge. For those of you familiar with the limited but good haunts in the Point Breeze neighborhood this news is old hat. But for those of you that haven't had an opportunity to venture to this portion of the city, run don't walk. Point Brugge is a lovely Belgian cafe with a fabulous beer selection, but there is a catch in that it is packed on the average weekday night. I particularly like their sour flemish beers and a nice plate of moules and frites.... It is simply decadent.
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