A Prettyish Kind of a Little Wilderness

red, white, and blue(berry tart).

2011-07-08T14:01:00.000-04:00

Hi there! I hope that you had a fun and relaxing holiday weekend. I spent mine in New Jersey with good friends, mostly in the pool, always in a state of food-satisfaction. In addition to making a 4th of July feast, we also made a surprise pre-wedding cake for M. and J. (Now married! Love.)

This will become my go-to special-occasion white cake and frosting, I think. (Modified from smittenkitchen: cake and frosting.) The Swiss buttercream frosting had egg whites folded in, so it was light and shiny; because we filled the cake with raspberry jam, we tinted the leftover frosting yellow and piped it on. Such fun!

And that was just the warm-up act! Our dinner feast was beautiful to look at - so many different colors and textures (captured imperfectly with my camera, which doesn't do very well in limited light).

A's festive baked brie with fig preserves.

M.'s guacamole and beet-chevre spread. So pretty!

Fixings for Moscow Mules by M., the cocktail master. (Or mistress?)

C. and J. made incredible salads. This one: wild rice, cherries, chevre, and basil.

Golden beet and carrot slaw.

Non-mayonnaise potato salad.

Tangy butterbeans and red peppers.


About to be devoured, along with J.'s most excellent burger.

My contribution was dessert: a blueberry lemon chiffon tart from the Tartine cookbook. I love this book - it's gorgeous and inventive, and everything I've made has turned out wonderfully. I made only a few tweaks: I subbed in the Orangette tart crust (so reliable that it's basically the only crust I'll use!) and simplified a few steps. It's not a flashy dessert, but it's light and rich at the same time, not too sweet, and a great way to showcase fresh berries. The tart doesn't use all of the lemon cream; like lemon curd, it would be delicious on baked goods, I think.

Blueberry Lemon Chiffon Tart
adapted from Tartine

Baked and cooled 9" tart shell [see here]
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2/3 c. sugar
pinch salt
1 c. unsalted butter, cool
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 pints blueberries, washed and dried

Lemon cream:
1. In a double-boiler, combine lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and salt; whisk constantly for 10-12 mins., until the mixture is very thick and pale yellow. Remove top half of double boiler and let mixture cool slightly, stirring occasionally.

2. Cut butter into 1-tbsp. pieces. When the cream has cooled slightly, pour it into a blender or a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. With the blender/mixer running, add the butter 1 piece at a time, blending until each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Unlike lemon curd, the cream will be very pale yellow and opaque. Measure out 1 c. for the tart filling and set the rest aside.

Assemble tart:
3. Whip the 3/4 c. cream until it holds medium peaks. Fold together with 1 c. of the lemon cream.

4. Spoon the filling into the tart shell and smooth the top with a spatula. Top with blueberries - I piled them high, but you could also do a single layer.

5. Chill until filling is firm, about 2 hours. Serve cool.

peach cupcakes.

2011-06-27T19:54:00.000-04:00

Last month we celebrated M. Next month we'll celebrate B. This month we celebrated C. I may not care for summer temperatures, but I'm so grateful for summer birthdays that have given me these dear friends.

For C.'s birthday last year, we had a lovely birthday brunch. This year's celebration did not, thankfully, involve me juggling a still-warm quiche and large braided bread on the bus; instead, we had dinner and drinks at Village Whiskey, followed by drinks at the Franklin. Sense a theme? Indeed. We like our quality cocktails.

In between two of our favorite Philly institutions, we stopped off for surprise cupcakes in the park. (I'd stashed them with the hostess on the way into the restaurant. Sneaky! I love surprising people with baked goods.) We lit candles, sang "Happy Birthday," embarrassed C. in the process, and had a wonderful, slightly messy time. (I'm not including photos of me licking up my arm to remove/savor the frosting that transferred from the cupcakes to the box to me. That doesn't mean they don't exist.)

Most photos by MT, who is therefore not in them. Boo.

Peach cupcakes. Brown sugar cream cheese frosting. How could these not be delicious? The recipe, from the ever-reliable smittenkitchen, makes 24-28 cupcakes. I didn't need that many cupcakes, but I also generally avoid halving baking recipes because you never know when the chemistry will be thrown off. So I made a dozen cupcakes and a 9" cake. Then I halved the frosting recipe and used it for the cupcakes; I sprinkled some sugar across the top of the cake before baking and ate it plain for breakfast. And mid-afternoon snack. And dessert. I also adjusted the sugar so that most of the sweetness in the cake comes from the peaches. So excited to buy peaches for the first time this summer!

The recipe below will make 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 dozen cupcakes + 1 9" (or 8") cake. The frosting is enough (barely) for 1 dozen cupcakes. The green letters are tinted white chocolate: I melted a handful of white chocolate chips in the microwave with about 1 tsp. milk, stirred in two drops of green food coloring, let it cool for about 5 mins., then piped letters onto waxed paper with a small icing tip. After about 30 mins. in the fridge, they'll firm up and peel right off the paper, as long as you're somewhat gentle. I didn't want to pipe directly onto the spiky frosting, so this worked nicely.

Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from smittenkitchen

Cupcakes
3 c. cake flour*
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) unsalted butter, room temp.
scant 3/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. buttermilk OR sour cream OR yogurt (*I used about 1 1/4 c. buttermilk and 1/4 c. Greek yogurt - the combination worked very well)
6 small or 3 large peaches, peeled and cut into small cubes

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter/line 24 muffin cups (or 12 muffin cups + 1 9" cake pan).

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

3. Cream together butter and two sugars, beating until fluffy; scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs half at a time, beating until combined and scraping down sides each time. Add vanilla, then gently mix in buttermilk/sour cream/yogurt. (The batter will look curdled. That's ok.) Stir in dry ingredients, then (gently!) chopped peaches.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (and cake pan, if using). Bake 18-22 mins., until spring to the touch or toothpick in center comes out clean. (If you're baking a dozen cupcakes and a cake, the cake will take about 26-28 mins.) Cool in pan for 5 mins., then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

Frosting
[makes enough for 12 cupcakes; double for 24]
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, room temp.
4 tbsp. butter, room temp.
1/4 tsp. vanilla

5. In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, and powdered sugar. Make sure you get any lumps out. Set aside.

6. Beat together cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Scrape down sides, then add brown sugar mixture and vanilla and beat until light and smooth. Chill in refrigerator for about 30 mins.

7. Spread or pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

♥

almond layer cake.

2011-05-29T22:23:00.000-04:00

Last week, we celebrated M.'s birthday. Yay!

Yes, that's an exclamation point at the end. It was uncooperative.

This cake was GOOD. How could it not be, with an entire tube of almond paste in it? (Erm, except for the bits that I pinched off and ate. Couldn't resist.) It's also a white cake, so instead of having whole eggs in it, it has 10 egg whites. Yes. 10. In other words, this is definitely not an everyday cake; for a celebration, however, it works. I'd like to try it with other kinds of jam for the filling, and I'd consider scaling the whole cake down slightly. Overall, if you like almonds or are celebrating someone who does, hunt down the almond paste, separate the 10 eggs, and give this a try.

Almond Layer Cake
adapted from smittenkitchen

4 1/2 c. cake flour (*same thing: 4 c. all-purpose flour + 8 tbsp. corn starch)
4 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2/3 c. (7 oz.) almond paste
scant 2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. almond extract
2 1/2 sticks (10 oz.) unsalted butter, room temp.
10 egg whites
1 1/2 c. whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 3 8" or 9" cake pans; line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper.

2. In medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. Place almond paste and sugar in bowl of stand mixer (with paddle attachment); start at low speed to break up paste, then increase speed to med. and mix for 2 mins., until paste is incorporated into the sugar in small particles.

4. Add butter and almond extract and beat well; beat in egg whites in thirds, beating just long enough to incorporate after each addition. (Scrape down sides of bowl regularly to make sure everything is mixed in.)

5. Lightly add 1/3 of dry ingredients and fold in gently with rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in half of milk, then 1/3 more dry ingredients, then rest of milk, then rest of dry ingredients, folding each time until just mixed in. (Don't overmix!)

6. Divide batter evenly among 3 pans. Bake ~25 mins. (a few minutes less if you're using 9" pans), until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cakes in their pans for 10 mins., then turn out onto wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Bittersweet Whipped Frosting
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate (*I used 4 oz. semi-sweet + 3 oz. unsweetened)
1 c. heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.

1. Melt chocolate with cream in double boiler, whisking regularly. When chocolate is mostly melted, remove from heat and whisk vigorously, until well-blended. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until mixture has cooled and thickened slightly, about 20 mins.

2. Place butter in bowl of stand mixer (with whisk attachment) and beat at med. speed until light and fluffy. Add chocolate mixture and whip at med. speed until lighter and fluffy, about 3 mins. (Don't let it go for much longer than that, as the frosting will start to separate.)

Assembly
1 c. raspberry jam (*I used seeded, which was just fine. I'm looking forward to experimenting with apricot preserves or even with marmalade.)

1. Place 1 cake on plate or cardboard round; slip strips of wax paper under the edges to keep the base clean.

2. Spread 1/2 c. jam over top of cake, leaving 1/4" border. Repeat with second layer, then place third cake on top.

3. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. (Mine was so soft that I didn't bother with a crumb layer or with making a really smooth surface. If you're going to pipe decorations, you'd need to let it sit for at least 15 mins. first.) I piped the letters with about 1 c. of white chocolate chips melted with about 1 1/2 tbsp. heavy cream.

cucumber salad and spicy cornbread.

2011-05-05T22:07:00.015-04:00

Dear friends, it's summer. Or, more accurately, and with apologies to any of you not on an academic schedule, it's my summer. The field exam is well in the rearview mirror, classes have ended, grades are in, and I have a season of research and writing in front of me. [No, this isn't a picture of my reading list. Those are cucumbers. I can tell the difference - must mean that I've learned something!]

It's also a new cooking season, one that coincides perfectly with two new additions to my cookbook shelf: Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty (a gift from the thoughtful C.) and Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson of 101Cookbooks. Both are gorgeous and inspiring, and I've been settling down with them as pleasure reading. Total cookbook-love-at-first-sight. Especially as more produce slowly makes its appearance on the farmers' market tables, these will definitely keep me happy and busy all summer.

First up, a cucumber-ginger salad to accompany J.'s feast of lemon-thyme salmon and couscous with chives and peas, topped off with M.'s decadent chocolate layer cake. (We're a well-fed bunch.) This salad was fantastic: light, zingy, and refreshing. Plus, you know how I feel about any opportunity to slice fruits/veggies paper-thin.

I also made this cornbread from smittenkitchen. I'd never made cornbread before - so easy! And so tasty! I searched high and low for the aleppo pepper recommended and couldn't find it, so I substituted a little bit of paprika, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. (The next day, I saw aleppo pepper at Williams-Sonoma - go figure - so eventually I'll invest and give this another shot.)

Cucumber-Ginger Salad
adapted slightly from Plenty

Dressing
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. canola oil [*or sunflower oil, which I didn't have on hand]

Salad
1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 1/8" thick
1 tsp. Maldon (or kosher) salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely sliced
4-6 small cucumbers (~1 1/4 lb.; Kirby cucumbers worked beautifully), peeled in stripes
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
3 tbsp. chopped parsley

Make dressing: whisk together all ingredients in medium bowl. Add sliced red onion, combine well, and set aside for about an hour.

Place ginger, salt, and garlic in mortar and pound well with pestle (fun!) until crushed but not yet paste-like. Add to bowl with onion and dressing; stir well.

Cut cucumbers into thin - but not paper-thin, about 1/8" - slices. (If your cucumbers are larger, you might want to halve them as well.) Add cucumber to bowl, along with sesame seeds and parsley. Stir and let sit for 10 mins.

Stir again before serving, tipping out a little bit of the extra liquid.

Spicy Cornbread
Adapted slightly from smittenkitchen (original from Red Rooster Harlem)

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. yellow medium-ground cornmeal
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. paprika [*I tried sweet Hungarian paprika - yum!]
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. buttermilk
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F; butter non-stick loaf pan.

Whisk together dry ingredients (through salt) in large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.

Stir wet into dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 25-30 mins., until toothpick in center comes out clean.

back to the books.

2011-03-20T16:38:00.016-04:00

I started reading food blogs about two years ago, prompted in large part by other food-blogging friends. I'm grateful for my regular round-up of these blogs; they give me a great deal of relaxation and inspiration. However, I've realized recently that - as my growing "To Try" bookmark folder suggests - I've been doing a lot of cooking from the internet. Nothing wrong with that. However, to pull up a recipe while simultaneously keeping an eye on my email, perhaps popping into a different tab to check on the weather, The Sartorialist, or miscellaneous cute furry creatures, then continually reference the laptop screen (still checking my email periodically) while cooking is not a wholly focused experience, at least for me.

So yesterday morning, looking forward to cooking dinner for friends in the evening, I decided that I would restrict myself to my cookbooks. I made a pot of tea, grabbed a stack of my neglected favorites from the cookbook shelf, and settled down to page through them.

Here's what I ended up with:

Asparagus Tart {an experiment of my very own, using Breakfast, Lunch, Tea and How to Be a Domestic Goddess for reference}

Pasta all'Amatriciana (aka Pasta with Onion and Bacon) {How to Cook Everything}
Garlic Bread {Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics}

Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies {Tartine}

So fun! So relaxed! And so tasty.

Asparagus Tart
{Cobbled together as an excuse to use asparagus + the beautiful rectangular tart pan I received for Christmas. This worked wonderfully as an appetizer because it's relatively light; the minimal filling highlights the asparagus nicely, too. Success!}

Crust:
Use ever-reliable Orangette savory crust and prepare as detailed previously.

Filling:
1 bunch of asparagus
1/2 c. light cream
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Ground pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese (for sprinkling)

Prep and bake tart shell (a 9" round tart pan would also work here); let cool while you make the filling. Adjust oven to 350F.

Whisk together egg, egg yolk, and cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Trim asparagus to preferred length; I measured them to fit horizontally in the shell, but they could easily have been arranged lengthwise or, for a round tart, in a spoke pattern.

Sprinkle grated Parmesan (about 2 tbsp.) onto bottom of baked tart shell. Arrange asparagus on top, then gently pour in enough filling to cover the asparagus nearly all the way. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

Bake at 350F for 25 mins. (probably more for a larger tart). Let cool 5 mins. in pan, then remove base. Serve warm or at room temp.

Pasta all'Amatriciana
from How to Cook Everything

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped pancetta (or bacon)
1 small onion, minced
1 can (28 oz.) whole plum tomatoes, drained
1 lb. long pasta (*I used bucatini - the hole in the middle of each strand soaked up the sauce quite nicely)
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan
Fresh parsley, minced (for garnish)

In large skillet, cook pancetta in olive oil over med. heat for about 10 mins., stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

Add onion to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until browned - about 5 mins. Turn off heat.

Crush tomatoes by hand (fun!) or with a fork (less fun) and add them to the pan. Return the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens - about 15 mins.

Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta. Toss it with finished sauce; top with reserved pancetta, Parmesan, and parsley.

Garlic Bread
adapted very slightly from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

6 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c. fresh parsley
2 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
scant 1/3 c. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter, room temp.
1 large loaf of ciabatta or similar bread (*I used a "pain rustique" - large, flat, holey, perfect)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor bowl; process until finely minced.

Heat olive oil in med. skillet over low heat; add garlic mixture and cook for 3 mins., until garlic is tender but not browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut bread in half horizontally. Spoon garlic mixture evenly onto bottom half; spread butter on top half; sandwich together. Wrap the loaf in foil and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 5 mins., then unwrap foil and bake for another 5 mins. Slice crosswise, serve warm.

Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies
from Tartine

8 oz. bittersweet, chopped roughly
1 c. + 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. + 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
scant 1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. whole milk (*I initially typed "mink," which might produce a rather different result!)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate in double-boiler or (carefully) in microwave. Remove from heat and let cool.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in small bowl. Set aside.

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter on med-high speed until creamy. Slowly add sugar and mix until completely smooth and soft. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each one. Beat in salt and vanilla, then add melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Add milk and beat until combined. Then add flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. (*The dough will look like dense chocolate mousse - YUM.)

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1" apart. Bake until just barely firm on top, about 7 mins. (They'll get firmer as they cool.) Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Makes 3-4 dozen.

lemon almond biscotti.

2011-03-06T13:58:00.006-05:00

What better way to brighten up a rainy Sunday morning than with an enormous mug of tea and a few homemade biscotti?

My mom brought me a batch of these recently and I devoured them with shameless speed. Made with whole wheat flour and not too sweet, they're a satisfying (and satisfyingly crunchy!) treat. The original recipe is from Martha Stewart; I flipped the proportions of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, scaled back on the sugar, increased the lemon zest, and brushed them with egg whites and sugar before baking. YUM. Thanks for the recipe suggestion, Mom!

Lemon Almond Biscotti
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (December 2009)

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar + 1 tbsp. (optional: for sprinkling)
1/3 c. honey
zest of 3 lemons
3/4 tsp. sea salt
3 eggs + 1 egg white (optional: for brushing)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. almond extract
1 c. whole almonds (*I like the chewiness of raw almonds, but roasted would work just as well)

1. Combine flours and baking powder; set aside. Beat butter, sugar, honey, lemon zest, and salt on med. speed until light and fluffy (about 2 mins.). Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each one. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in flour mixture in 3-4 batches, scraping down bowl after each one. Fold in almonds with rubber spatula. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (*Note: this dough never got completely firm, like certain cookie doughs might. Not to worry.)

2. Flour a work surface. Divide dough in half and gently pat/press each one into a rectangle about 3x13". (*Martha suggests 2x15"; it seems like variation doesn't matter too much here.) Transfer these to one parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 4" apart, and refrigerate for 30 mins.

3. Preheat oven to 325F. [Optional: brush the top of each rectangle with egg white and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Makes them shiny!] Bake for 35 mins., until golden and slightly firm. Remove from oven and let cool slightly; reduce oven to 300F. When rectangles are cool enough, transfer to cutting board. Cut into slices 1/2" to 3/4" thick - I found it easier to cut slightly thicker slices because of the almonds. Return to baking sheet on their sides (I added another baking sheet at this point and used one for each batch of slices) and bake about 30 mins. more. Flip them over halfway through the baking so that they brown evenly on both sides. Let cool on sheets.

kale and chevre pesto.

2011-02-20T22:47:00.004-05:00

After a few days of false springtime, we're back to woolly layers and high winds. So this evening, for a cozy dinner, I made this simple recipe that I noticed on 101 Cookbooks back in the fall. It couldn't be much easier; plus, it's a great basil-pesto alternative as well as a wonderful option for using kale. I made very few changes to the original here: adjusted the oil, added a little lemon zest, topped with pine nuts; I might also add a handful of pine nuts to the sauce before pureeing it next time, just for fun. Accompanied by a few slices of baguette and followed by a rich stout (excellent choice, J.), this kept the chill away.

[And, let's be honest, I was looking an excuse to break out my brand new pasta bowls! I just retired the plates I bought for my senior year dorm apartment and made the switch to all-white dinnerware. Glorious. These bowls are restaurant-sized - in other words, so huge that they fit in neither my cabinets nor my dishwasher. I love them.]

Kale and Chevre Pesto
from 101 Cookbooks

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and trimmed
2 large or 4 small shallots, peeled and trimmed
1 small bunch of kale (1/2 lb. or 8 oz.), stalks removed, washed well
1/4 c. olive oil (*the original calls for 1/3 c. - I liked a slightly thicker consistency)
1/3 c. (2 oz.) chevre
~2 tbsp. cooking water
lemon zest/juice
fresh thyme

1. Bring large pot of water to boil. Salt generously, then add garlic and shallots. Boil for 2-3 mins., then stir in kale and cook for another 10 secs. (Don't overcook!) Quickly fish the kale, garlic, and shallots out of the water and into food processor.

2. Puree the kale mixture and chevre, then with motor running, add oil and water (1 tbsp. at a time, to thin the sauce if necessary). Season with salt and pepper and the zest of 1/2 a lemon, if you wish. (I liked this for brightening the flavor. The original recommends a squeeze of lemon juice, which works too.)

3. Cook pasta according to instructions, then drain and toss with sauce. Add a few pinches of fresh thyme (about 4 stalks, stripped) and a sprinkling of pine nuts to serve.

Serves 4-6.

ginger pear upside-down cake.

2011-02-13T21:05:00.010-05:00

I bookmarked this recipe so long ago that I can't remember how I got to it; originally from the Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook, this cake is delicious.

Darkly sweet from the molasses and brown sugar, it's rich without being cloying - the perfect complement to the cinnamon and pears on top. I had just one problem with this recipe: overflow. The instructions said that the pan would be full, which it definitely was. About 15 minutes into baking, I started to smell burnt molasses and raced into the kitchen to find cake batter spilling over into my oven. Oops. I slid a baking sheet onto the lower rack, opened my windows, and followed my practiced routine of standing on the arm of my chair and fanning vigorously with the Illustrated Blake in front of my smoke detector. Next time, I'll just leave out some of the batter to save my oven and to avoid chipping away at this to get it out of the pan:

I also managed, while I was peeling the ginger, to flip it out of my hands - it ricocheted off the wall and shot under the oven. (Not to worry, I didn't try to retrieve and reuse it.) This was a very eventful baking experience, but I'm already looking forward to having this cake again!

Ginger Pear Upside-Down Cake
originally from Macrina Bakery & Café Cookbook, via Seattlest, via who-knows-where, adapted slightly

Topping:
2 tbsp. butter, room temp.
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 med. ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into sixths

Batter:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp.
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peeled, grated ginger
3 large eggs
2/3 c. molasses
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9" springform pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

2. Make topping: combine 2 tbsp. butter, 1/3 c. brown sugar, and cinnamon in small saucepan. Cook over med. heat for about a minute, then pour into springform pan and spread evenly over parchment. Arrange pears in circles as tightly as possible. (I cut a few extras in half and used them to fill in the center.)

3. Make batter: cut butter into pieces and cream with brown sugar on med. speed for 3-5 mins. Add grated ginger and beat 1 min. more, then scrape down sides. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed until combined. Slowly pour in molasses and beat until fully incorporated.

4. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to batter in increments, beginning and ending with flour. Do not overmix. Scrape down bowl and stir gently with rubber spatula, then pour carefully into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 1 h 45 mins., until knife comes out clean. Let cool for 10 mins. on wire rack, then cover top with upside-down plate, release sides, and flip cake onto plate. Lift away base, peel off parchment, and let cool for 30 mins. Serve warm or at room temp.

dress(er)ing up the kitchen.

2011-02-12T16:54:00.017-05:00

Friends, for the first time in two and a half years, I have ...

a SILVERWARE DRAWER.

That's right. Actually, the drawer is only part of my new-and-improved kitchen space. You see, my first kitchen, in Brookline, was rather cozy. That's ok, I thought; surely this will be the smallest kitchen I'll ever have. Nope. Somehow, I managed to downsize into a kitchen that isn't even its own room (it runs along a wall) and whose only counterspace is that on top of the dishwasher. Few cabinets. No drawers. There is room, thankfully, for a large industrial metal rack that houses the majority of my kitchen supplies, but that has been at capacity for a while and does nothing to provide prep space. Argh.

After months of creatively - and often precariously - balancing mixing bowls on the corner of the sink, plunking hot trays of cookies down on a trivet in the middle of the floor, and rolling out pie crusts on my coffee table, I snapped. Though the kitchen is tiny, the whole living room is in fact relatively spacious, and I had a large expanse of empty floor going unused. (Except as, you know, cookie-cooling space.) So I started to hunt for a dresser that would serve as a sort of island and give me some storage and work space; I figured that I would find a basic bedroom dresser, slap a coat of paint on it, and quickly have a not-perfect-but-workable solution. Hardly surprisingly, however, I became, well, very invested in this project. Last October, I found this dresser at a local used furniture shop:

Perfect! Made for a kitchen, cabinets as well as drawers, solid as could be, and cheaper than anything at IKEA. Sold. Plus, I love a project.

Thus began about two solid months of sanding, applying wood putty, and sanding some more. (Extremely therapeutic, as a side benefit.) The dresser, while exactly what I was looking for in terms of size and lines, wasn't in great shape and had a chipped paint job (the original, I think) accented by gloppy gold paint.

After I sanded the whole thing down and smoothed it out, I was ready to paint. (I had the whole dresser propped up on bricks to make the process easier.) I wanted a pop of color that didn't take over the room, so I chose this leafy green (Behr Ultra "Mojito"), with "Milk" for the carved accents. I chose a latex-based paint-and-primer-in-one, so three coats later, I had a green dresser. I did the accents mostly by hand (after the tedium of taping got to me) with an artists' brush, followed by a wet paper towel. Boy, was THAT a lot of fun.

I loved the original hardware, so I went through a bottle of Brasso cleaning it up, while still retaining the vintage patina. One of the cabinet pulls was missing, though, so after a fruitless hunt for a matching vintage piece, I found two close-enough-to-blend knobs at Home Depot and replaced both.

Since I didn't want to lose anything over the back of the dresser, I had a piece of basic baseboard molding cut to its length, painted it, and screwed it onto the back. (Me holding a 63" strip of molding in place with a hip, a screw in one hand and an electric drill in the other, must have been a graceful sight.) I think it works quite nicely. Then I coated the whole dresser with Polycrilic, a latex-based polyurethane (not as messy or smelly as oil-based), so the paint wouldn't get tacky and peel off.

With some colorful little numbered jars (holding Maldon salt, kosher salt, sea salt, and table salt - ahh, the organizational pleasure) and a gorgeous big cutting board from my brother (thanks, Ry!), the dresser was complete. In addition to the silverware drawer, I really like my new spice drawer: it has built-in dividers and so seemed perfect for that purpose. AND I have counterspace. And more storage space. And a convenient place for people to gather around while I'm cooking. Whee!

And now, onto the next project...

catching up.

2010-12-14T19:52:00.018-05:00

Happy holidays! Yesterday we had our first non-flurry snow of the season here in Philadelphia. So, naturally, I bundled up and hurried outside to wander around happily in the flakes.
Now it really feels like Christmas is just around the corner. (As in, a week from tomorrow. Yikes.) The last month has flown by; between reading and grading, family time and friend time, I never got around to posting some of the yummy recipes I've tried. And the longer the backlog got, the more daunting catching up became. So I'm listing them, with some photos and links, in order to share a few things from the past several weeks.

J.'s Birthday Dinner
Gougères (from Barefoot in Paris)

Red Velvet Cake

Woody Allen Movie Night
Chocolate Ricotta Cupcakes

D.'s Now-Famous Cornish Game Hen Dinner

Dinner in its full glory.

M.'s onion tart. Yum.

Apple Tart Cake

Thanksgiving
Cheddar Leek Muffins

comfort pasta.

2010-11-09T15:15:00.013-05:00

I've been on a baking kick recently - following minute directions with the belief that doing so will lead to something delicious is soothing to me. But there's been some cooking too, like this pasta that is well-suited to plentiful farmers' market greens and crisp fall evenings. I loved the combination of the chard, olives, feta, and garlic; it also made great leftovers because the flavors had a chance to meld.

I used French feta at the suggestion of the Nice Cheese Man (or rather, one of the Nice Cheese Men) at DiBruno's; it's creamier than Greek feta and melted into the pasta beautifully. Because I was having such fun at the cheese counter, I also got some Cabra La Mancha (a semi-firm goat's milk cheese from Firefly Farms with, according to its label, a "tart flavor up front and a lightly meaty, savory finish") to go with sourdough bread and a mammoth Asian pear, sliced thinly, to start with. All in all, a very satisfying meal for three very tired grad students.

Spaghetti with Chard and Olives
from Gourmet (Nov. 2008), via SmittenKitchen

1/3 c. olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 med. onion, finely chopped
2 lb. Swiss chard, stems and center ribs finely chopped and leaves coarsely chopped separately (*The original calls for green chard; I used rainbow and loved the color and taste.)
1/2 c. water
1 lb. spaghetti
1/2 c. Kalamata olives, slivered
6 oz. feta, crumbled (1 1/2 c.)

[Serves 4-6]

1. Heat oil in heavy skillet until it shimmers, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden - about 3 mins. (I got sidetracked and let my garlic chips get a bit too brown. Oops.) Use slotted spoon to transfer garlic to plate lined with paper towels.

2. In oil that remains in skillet, cook onion until softened, stirring occasionally, 3-5 mins.

3. Stir chard stems and water into onions; add salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over med. heat about 5 mins., until almost tender. Stir in chard leaves, cover, and cook about 5 mins. more, until stems and leaves are tender. (*I find a pair of tongs very helpful for stirring bulky greens like this.)

4. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 c. cooking water and drain spaghetti. (*I forgot this step. The greens mixture created its own liquid, though, so it didn't seem to matter that much.)

5. Toss spaghetti with chard mixture, olives [and 1/2 c. cooking water]. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve topped with garlic chips and feta.

halloween treats.

2010-11-02T20:36:00.010-04:00

I tend to get a lot more excited about holidays like Christmas than I do for Halloween. I didn't dress up this year; after last year's Joan Holloway, nothing seemed quite as fun. However, a handful of us did band together to brave a 70s-scary-movies night, featuring Carrie and The Omen. Good friends, good beer, good snarky commentary on the movies. Plus, a good excuse to try a few new recipes: applesauce cupcakes and molasses cookies with lemon glaze. And though these treats weren't spooky, they were autumnally yummy.

Applesauce Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
from SmittenKitchen, adapted slightly

This recipe is actually for a 9" square cake; because I a) don't own a square cake pan and b) thought cupcakes would be fun, that's what I did. The recipe makes about 14 cupcakes, and there's plenty of frosting for all of them.

I'm a little bit addicted to making applesauce at the moment, so this was the perfect use for a jar. Plus, this cake is quite delicious.

For the cake:
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar (*the original calls for 1 c.; I found 3/4 sufficient)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
zest of 1/2 lemon

For the frosting:
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F; line cupcake pan with paper liners. (*This cake is quite moist, so I used paper inside foil liners to avoid sogginess.)

Make cake:
2. In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

3. With an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla at high speed until fluffy, about 2-3 mins. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add applesauce and zest and beat until combined.

4. At low speed, add flour mixture until just combined. The batter will look curdled, but that's ok.

5. Distribute batter into cupcake tins, filling about 3/4 full. (You'll have some left over; bake the rest after the first batch is done.) Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 mins. Cool on wire rack.

Make frosting:
6. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla mixture at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners' sugar and cinnamon on top, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting on cooled cupcakes.

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Lemon Glaze
from TheKitchn

Yum. I really liked the combination of the dark molasses cookies with the tart lemon glaze. The recipe makes about 3-4 dozen (sometimes I get overly enthusiastic and end up with larger cookies) and they last fairly well for a handful of days, which is nice.

For the cookies:
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. dark molasses
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed (*the original calls for 1 c.)
1 egg
2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
granulated sugar, for rolling

For the glaze:
2 lemons, juiced (about 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice)
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1 c. confectioners' sugar

Make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. With a stand mixer, beat butter, oil, molasses, and brown sugar until lightened and fluffy. Then beat in egg until smooth, then add the grated ginger.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices; add to butter mixture and mix at low speed until combined. The dough will be quite soft; turn it out onto plastic wrap and wrap it tightly, then refrigerate for at least an hour. (*The original recipe says to refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. I had the dough in the freezer for 45 mins. and it was still quite soft in the middle, almost unmanageable.)

4. Pour about 1/2 c. granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. When the dough is firm enough to handle, divide it into four parts. Divide the first part into 12 walnut-sized chunks and roll each into a ball, rolling the balls in sugar before placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the second quarter of dough.

5. Bake for 12 mins., rotating the sheets halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool 5 mins., then transfer cookies to wire rack and repeat rolling and baking process for the rest of the dough.

Make the glaze:
6. When the cookies are cool, whisk together the lemon juice and sugars. Dribble over the cookies with a fork or a pastry brush; let glaze cool and dry until hard.

pumpkin pie pop tarts.

2010-10-23T17:33:00.017-04:00

I've been basking in the fall weather; the return of crisp mornings and wool scarves puts me in the mood for afternoon walks, pumpkin beer, pumpkin anything, candy corn, butternut squash, and crafty projects. (I'm working on one now and have the sandpaper scrapes to prove it. You'll see it soon.) So when these Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts came up recently on Joy the Baker, they jumped straight to the top of my to-try list.

The weather also propels me into high stock-up-for-winter mode, which means I've been making my very own applesauce for the first time. I've been making it for years with my mom in the same creaky food mill; after I received one of my very own last year for Christmas, I decided to stock up on my own supply. I used about 9 pounds of apples from my favorite market stand: mostly Cortlands, with a few each of Granny Smith, Gala, Jonahgold, Empire, Mac, Golden Delicious, and Fuji. Quartered, they cook cook down with a bit of water in a big pot, then go through the food mill to remove skins, seeds, and stems, then get flavored with the juice of a lemon, about a tablespoon of sugar, and several generous shakes of cinnamon. And that's it! So delicious-smelling! So addictively satisfying! I've made two batches so far.

But I digress. I decided to break out the pop tarts for a pre-Mad Men-season finale dinner last weekend. J. made pasta all'amatriciana (spicy! yummy!), M. made roasted butternut squash, and Viola guarded the wine.

The pop tarts were quite good and, as a bonus, they travel very well. Joy the Baker's original recipe calls for a maple glaze, but I was afraid of sickening sweetness. (Also not a huge fan of maple-flavored things.) As it turns out, these tarts are quite rich enough on their own. I might serve them with a bit of whipped cream, flavored with almond extract, maybe, or vanilla ice cream for something decadent. I found it a bit fiddly to roll out the dough into rectangles of a certain size, in part because of my lack of patience/counter space; I might use a circular cookie cutter (I know, pop tart sacrilege!) next time to avoid the hassle. I did like the pretty crimped edges I got from using my pastry cutter. Overall, these were rich, autumny, and cute to look at. If I were grading them, they'd receive a distinguished pass in all four categories. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, congratulations. If you do, well, I'm sorry. Make these. They're a good procrastination tool.)

Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts
adapted from Joy the Baker

Crust:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 egg
1 tbsp. milk
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Filling:
3/4 c. pureed pumpkin
1 egg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. brown sugar (*The original calls for 1/3 c. white sugar.)

Make crust:
1. In food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture is coarsely blended, with no butter larger than a small pea.

2. In small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Add mixture all at once to flour mixture and pulse until combined and mixture comes together into a ball. (You could also do these two steps with a bowl and your fingers or a pastry cutter.)

3. Lightly flour clean countertop; turn out dough and knead a few times until it comes together. Divide dough in two and wrap each flattened ball in plastic wrap; refrigerate for about 30 mins.

Make filling:
4. In small saucepan, heat pumpkin and spices just until spices are fragrant. (*Really, you could probably omit this step.) Remove from heat and place pumpkin mixture in med. bowl. Whisk in egg, sugar, and salt. Put in fridge while you roll out the dough.

Assemble tarts:
5. On well-floured work surface, pat one ball of dough into 3x5" rectangle, then roll it out to about 1/8" thickness. You should have a rectangle slightly larger than 9x12"; trim edges with a pizza or pastry wheel to 9x12" exactly. Then cut each side into 3 sections, creating 9 rectangles. Place these in the fridge while you roll out the other ball of dough in the same way.

6. Brush one set of 9 rectangles with beaten egg. (This forms a glue for the top layer.) Spoon about 1 tbsp. of filling onto the middle of each rectangle; spread slightly. Top with another dough rectangle and crimp edges closed with a floured fork. Use fork to create vent holes in top of tart.

7. Preheat oven to 350F; let tarts rest in fridge while oven heats. Bake for 25-30 mins., until golden brown on top. Remove tarts from pan and let cool on wire rack. [Glaze optional; recipe here.]

s'more pie; or, adventures with the broiler.

2010-10-17T10:24:00.016-04:00

If I don't see a saltine again for about 18 months, that would be fine. I spent last week with a beast of a stomach flu. It was bad. Reading-my-favorite-food-blogs-was-too-much-for-me-to-handle bad.

Thankfully, though, I'm on the mend and gleefully returning to my kitchen. Starting with this: S'more Pie from SmittenKitchen, adapted in turn from Gourmet. I glumly tucked this recipe away in my bookmarks back in the summer, knowing that I'd need a far cooler kitchen to attempt made-from-scratch marshmallow topping. Fall weather, you are so very welcome.

This pie was quite tasty. It was also perhaps the most pathetic-looking dessert I've ever produced. You see, the recipe called for the pie to be browned in the broiler, but I've always been intimidated by the broiler drawer of my oven (I had the same model in my old apartment, too). That's why I own a culinary torch. Alas, my torch was out of gas. I really wanted an authentic browned topping on the pie, though, so I decided to brave the dreaded broiler drawer. How bad could it really be? Well ... behold:

That's right. My beautiful pristine marshmallow topping turned into THAT. It went something like this:

[After the pie has been in the broiler drawer for about a minute.]

A. sniffs. "Hmm, it smells like maybe it's browning too quickly." Casually strolls to oven; slides out drawer and sees disaster; wails. Remembers over-active smoke detector and runs into bathroom [knows from experience that this is the only room without a smoke detector] clutching pie and calling out, "Trivet! Trivet!" Slams door and turns on bathroom fan.

K. knocks on bathroom door with a trivet. A. and K. leave pie on bathroom floor with fan running, emerge to find M. standing on armchair waving a pack of mailing envelopes in front of smoke detector and D. vigorously swinging apartment door back and forth in an effort to clear the air. [A.'s wonderful friends are experienced at smoke-alarm evasion.] Alarm averted. Pie is still served up in the bathroom.

As it turned out, the blackened topping was kind of delicious - burnt marshmallow! Very authentic. And although I'm never ever attempting to use my broiler in the future, I'll be making this again. Or should I say, s'more?

Blue sky reflected in shiny chocolate filling. Mmm.

S'more Pie
adapted very slightly from smittenkitchen, adapted from Gourmet (Nov. 2006)

Crust:
5 tbsp. butter, melted
10 graham crackers, finely ground (~1 1/2 c.)
1/8 tsp. salt

Chocolate filling:
7 oz. bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped finely
1 c. heavy cream
1 egg at room temp.
pinch of salt

Marshmallow topping:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/2 c. cold water
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Make crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9" or 9.5" pie plate. Stir together crust ingredients in bowl, then press evenly over bottom and up sides of pie plate. (*I find that a small bowl with roughly parallel lines helps to make the sides secure.) Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 mins., then cool to room temp., about 45 mins.

Make filling:
2. Bring cream just to a boil in heavy saucepan, then remove from heat, add chocolate to pan and let stand for 1 min. Gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and salt until combined, then pour into cooled crust. Cover edges with foil and bake about 25 mins., until mostly set but center wobbles slightly when shaken. (It will firm up as it cools.) Cool pie on rack until room temp., about 1 hour.

Make marshmallow topping:
3. Stir together sugar, corn syrup, pinch of salt, and 1/4 c. water in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil for about 6 mins. or until candy thermometer reaches 260F. (*I don't have a candy thermometer, so I boiled it for about 6 mins. This may not have been quite enough for entirely firm marshmallows but it worked out fine.)

4. Sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/4 c. water in bowl of KitchenAid mixer with whisk attachment; let stand 1 min. Then, with mixer running at medium speed, slowly and carefully (!) pour in hot syrup, avoiding whisk. When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and beat until mixture is tripled in volume and thick, about 5 mins. Add vanilla and beat until combined.

5. Immediately spoon topping onto cooled pie; it will slowly spread out. Chill uncovered for 1 hour, then lightly cover with greased plastic wrap and chill 3 hours more.

6. Brown topping in broiler for 3 mins. (*at your own risk!) or with culinary torch. Rinse knife between cuts if necessary.

*Note: Before browning, pie can be chilled for up to one day.

fig crostata.

2010-09-22T17:55:00.009-04:00

In addition to my hand-picked batch of apples and peaches from our morning at the orchard, I ended up with a pint of beautiful fresh figs from the farmstand there. I admired them every time I opened the fridge, nibbled a few...and then realized that this leisurely approach meant I needed to use the rest of them quickly. This realization coincided with our weekly Mad Men viewing - perfect, I thought. I'll share them. I'll make a fig tart!

Well, sort of. After Epicurious turned up rather disappointing selections, I settled on this Giada De Laurentiis recipe for a fig and almond tart. I don't often remember to try her recipes, and this is really more a crostata than a tart, but it looked like an appealing experiment.

Appealing indeed! This turned out quite well. I did make some changes, including swapping out Giada's crust for the Orangette recipe that has become my standby. The result was very pretty to look at - much like Jon Hamm.

Fig Crostata
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis; crust from Orangette

Crust:
4 tbsp. ice water, plus more as needed
3/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
9 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Filling:
3 1/2 oz. almond paste
1/3 c. mascarpone cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. honey
around 10-12 small fresh figs, stems and bases trimmed off, sliced into 3 discs each
scant 1/4 c. apricot jam (*I warmed mine with some water to thin it, then strained it to make it smooth)

Make crust:
1. In small bowl, combine ice water and vinegar.

2. In food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal; there should be no pieces of butter larger than a small pea.

3. With the processor running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing just until moist clumps form. If you pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it, it should hold together. If the dough seems dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon, pulsing each time.

4. Turn out the dough onto a board or clean countertop, gathering and pressing it into a disk about 1 1/2" thick. Wrap in plastic and then press a bit more, massaging away any cracks around the edges so that you have a smooth disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be kept in refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.)

Make filling:
5. In food processor, combine almond paste, mascarpone, vanilla, and honey. Blend until smooth.

Assemble crostata:
6. On parchment or wax paper, roll out dough into an 11" circle. (You may need to let the dough sit at room temperature a few minutes so that it's soft enough to work with.) Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Spread the almond/mascarpone filling over the dough, leaving a 2"-3" border. Arrange sliced figs on top of almond filling, overlapping slightly. Spread/drizzle a light layer of jam on top. (I didn't use the entire amount.)

8. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8" round, pleating the edges gently and pinching any cracks in the dough.

9. Bake until golden, about 40 mins. Cool on baking sheet for 10 more mins., then remove tart and finish cooling on wire rack.

Viola looks disdainfully at our dessert spread: fig crostata, apple cake (C.), and lemon thyme shortbread (M.).

chocolate pistachio torte.

2010-09-20T09:04:00.010-04:00

Along with the not-pretty-but-still-yummy apple cake, I wanted something a little bit special for C.'s party. So I hunted around on various websites and through my cookbooks and eventually settled on this: chocolate pistachio torte. It's from Martha Stewart but doesn't fall prey to the fussiness that her recipes sometimes do. I did halve the sugar, which turned out to be a good decision. For the most part, though, this is fairly straightforward and quite delicious. It's one of those desserts whose presentation is more impressive than the prep work that went into it; it also got a good reception from a choosy crowd, so I'd make it again.

Dessert paparazzi.

I made the cake in the morning before we went apple-picking and then made the ganache and assembled the whole thing at M.'s. (I didn't want to get foil imprints in the pretty shiny ganache surface! I've become adept at dessert transportation on the SEPTA bus, but still.) You could probably make the cake the day before, too, and wrap it tightly.

Chocolate Pistachio Torte
adapted slightly from Everyday Food (December 2008)

Cake:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk (*skim milk + a glug of vinegar, as usual, worked fine)
3/4 c. shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Ganache + Decoration:
1/2 c. heavy cream
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. shelled, unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Make cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour an 8" cake pan; line bottom with parchment.

2. Combine flour, salt, and b.p. in small bowl; set aside.

3. In a double boiler (*or, carefully, in the microwave), melt the chocolate and butter together until smooth, stirring frequently. Pour into bowl of electric mixer (if you're using one) and let cool slightly.

4. Whisk sugar and vanilla into chocolate mixture, then eggs and buttermilk. Stir in pistachios, then fold in flour mixture until just combined.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60-70 mins., until tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in pan 5 mins., then run knife around edges and invert onto wire rack. Remove parchment and let cake cool completely, about 3 hours. (To store, wrap tightly in plastic after cool.)

Make ganache:
6. In small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer, then remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Let stand 5 mins., then whisk until smooth and shiny. Let mixture cool until it thickens slightly. (*Martha suggests this will take 2-6 mins., but I found it closer to 20.)

Assemble torte:
7. Set cake on flat plate or platter and slip strips of parchment under the edges to prevent ganache from pooling on the plate. Pour ganache onto center of cake, then use a table knife to smooth it so that it droops over the sides. (*This part is so fun! And so pretty!) Let sit about 30 mins. (*I only left it for about 10), then sprinkle pistachios on top and serve.

So shiny! Reflecting the fruits (pun entirely intended) of that morning's labor.

apples and apple cake.

2010-09-18T09:22:00.028-04:00

One recent Saturday, a small group of us escaped schoolwork and the city for a carefree, sunny morning. We drove to Linvilla Orchards, where we picked apples and peaches, took a hayride (minus the hay), and picnicked on apple cider and cider doughnuts.

See also C.'s account over here of our sunny day and the subsequent festivities.

Because festivities did indeed follow. Once we had returned to the city - dusty, sunburned, sleepy, and satisfied - we prepared to celebrate our dear C. with a good-bye party before she leaves for a year in London. [Sniffle.] Because we tend towards themed parties, this one was BYO: bring a few bottles of your favorite American beer for the whole group to taste. We ended up sampling about a dozen different beers, accompanied by various snacks and desserts. Yum. Although no party can convey how much we'll miss you, C.

my loves. (photo lifted from c.)

The evening's menu, along with evidence of former M.-hosted parties.

M.'s renowned hummus and bummus (black bean hummus).
Fresh figs from the orchard farmstand.

B.'s impressive cheese sampler.
C.'s amazing peach-apple pie - recipe here.

I made the two desserts on the right: chocolate pistachio torte (back; recipe to follow) and apple cake (the monstrosity in front). This is - normally - one of my go-to, fail-safe recipes. And it's not usually covered in powdered sugar; this was a cosmetic choice to cover what happened when I tried to coax the cake out of its bundt pan:

[Sigh.] The apples were just so juicy that they destabilized the layers, leaving one in the pan when I flipped it over. Despite this mishap, though, I'm sharing the recipe anyway because this has never happened before and this is a delicious cake. I got it from my friend S., who got it from her mom, and I make it whenever I'm in the mood for something autumn-y. Perfect for showcasing the Macoun, Jonamac, and Cortland apples I'd picked just that morning.

Apple Cake
adapted from Mrs. S.'s recipe

4-5 med. apples, peeled, quartered, and sliced thinly (I like a mix of tart and sweet; slicing them in the food processor speeds things up a bit)
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. sugar
3 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 c. oil
1/4 c. orange juice
zest of 1 orange
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Grease and flour tube or bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix apples, cinnamon, and sugar; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, b.p., and salt; set aside.

4. Mix sugar, eggs, and oil until thoroughly combined. Add o.j., zest, and vanilla and mix some more.

5. Gradually add dry ingredients, stirring until combined.

6. Pour half of batter into prepared pan, distribute apples evenly on top (try to keep the slices all relatively flat so you don't create air pockets), then pour in the rest of the batter. Bake at 350F for 60-75 mins. (top will be browned and firm to the touch).

peach shortbread.

2010-09-08T21:17:00.009-04:00

First of all, happy back-to-school season!

"Do something: Academics are back!" I took this photo at Paper Source in Brookline back in August because it made me chuckle. Ok, the whole awning actually reads "Do something creative every day." And the sign is talking about academic calendars. But still. It made me think about those like me coming out of their summer hibernation, shaking off the fuzziness, and returning to the books, the classroom, and life as we like it.

Second of all, I'm on something of a peach kick. They're just so good, and they won't be around for much longer, so why not? Multiple friends mentioned this recipe to me as soon as it appeared on smittenkitchen, so I complied with the not-so-subtle request (your ploy worked, friends) and gave it a try. Yum. Shortbread + peaches + crumbly topping = happy friends. And happy me.

This was my first attempt at brown butter. Nerve-wracking but ultimately rewarding, as you could definitely taste the nuttiness in the shortbread. However, it would be just fine and still delicious with regular softened butter (plus a few extra tablespoons of flour) if you don't have time to hover anxiously over the pan.

Peach Shortbread
adapted slightly from smittenkitchen

2/3 c. sugar (*I reduced this from the original and it could probably be cut even more.)
1 tsp. baking powder
3 c. minus 2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. cold unsalted butter
1 egg
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced (1/4"- to 1/8"-thick wedges)

1. Brown the butter: melt in small/med. saucepan over low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear gold, then begin to brown slightly, especially on the bottom. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn, especially at the end. Pour into heatproof container and freeze for 30 mins. or until solidified. (Not rock hard - just the consistency of normal butter.)

2. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly butter a 9x13" pan.

3. In med. bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Then add egg and solidified butter and mix with your hands or a pastry cutter (*I like to use my hands) until mixture is well-combined and crumbly.

4. Pat 3/4 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan for your shortbread base and press down firmly. Arrange peaches on top in a single layer. Scatter remaining crumbs evenly over peaches.

5. Bake for 30 mins. or until top is slightly browned. Cool completely in pan before cutting.

peach cake.

2010-09-06T10:08:00.016-04:00

The majority of my friends, both near and far, need little excuse to cook, bake, and/or eat. So when a handful of us gather to watch Mad Men or Project Runway, the evening often involves food. Last week, C. hosted a lovely ladies' night: we shopped for, cooked, and ate dinner together. From the spoils of the farmers' market, there was zucchini soup (M.); eggplant parmesan featuring three colors of eggplant, homemade tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella (C.); peach cake and peach crumble (me). There was also watermelon and feta salad (M.) and plentiful beer (B. and T.). It was, in short, a feast. It was also one of those evenings that makes me pause and think, I am so very fortunate.

*Thanks to M. for the majority of these pictures. Giving her free rein with my camera has great results.

The peach crumble (basic) and peach cake (simple) were to throw together on the road, so to speak. The cake would probably be good with a variety of other fruits; it's really just a simple cake that features the tasty peaches. Indeed, the original recipe calls for nectarines, one of my favorite fruits, but the first time I made this cake, the peaches looked too good to resist, and they kind of stuck. C.'s suggestion of lemon zest really brightened it up nicely. And it's very tasty with ice cream.

Peach Cake
adapted from Gourmet (September 2009)

1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8 tbsp.) butter, softened
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond
zest of 1 lemon
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a springform pan or a 9" round cake pan. (Either works.)

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl.

3. Beat butter and sugar in electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, then beat in extracts and zest.

4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.

5. Spread batter evenly in pan, then arrange peach slices on top in concentric circles.

6. Bake 45-50 mins., until cake is golden brown on top. Cool on wire rack; remove from pan after 10 mins. if using springform.

chocolate chip muffins.

2010-09-04T11:49:00.007-04:00

Sometimes, I just want to be able to throw something together 1) in one or two bowls; 2) with ingredients I already have on hand; 3) in under 10 minutes. This recipe? Check, check, check. I was curious to try it after it was billed on smittenkitchen as "Perfect Blueberry Muffins." And they are pretty close to perfect. I particularly like that the recipe only makes 10 muffins, so, especially if you're sharing, you're not stuck with too many muffins that never taste quite as good the next day. Also, I'll take any opportunity, even if premature, to use my fun muffin liners with autumn leaves on them. (Thanks, Mom!)

I was enjoying eating my fresh blueberries by themselves too much to sacrifice them to muffins, so I threw chocolate chips in here. If you use blueberries or any other berry, a little lemon zest would be nice.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from smittenkitchen

5 tbsp. butter, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Beat butter and sugar in electric mixer on med. speed until fluffy. Add egg and beat well, then sour cream/yogurt.

3. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add half to mixer and mix until combined. Stir in the rest just until flour disappears. (*Overmixing = tough muffins.) Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Distribute batter among muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 mins., until tops are golden and a knife comes out clean; let cool on rack.

birthday surprise ii: boozy brownies.

2010-08-28T12:42:00.010-04:00

And the second part of B.'s birthday baking: boozy chocolate cherry brownies. This recipe popped up on 101 Cookbooks back in the spring and making it became a matter of not if but when. And while I think they would make a great dead-of-winter dessert, these port-soaked-cherry-studded brownies made a nice addition to our themed menu.

I made a few adjustments, mostly cutting back on both the sugar and chocolate. I know, cut back on the chocolate? Was I not myself? But these are more than rich enough even without the extra cup of chocolate chips in the batter. I also chopped the cherries roughly to distribute them more evenly - both my hands and my kitchen smelled strongly of port for an hour afterwards. Yum.

As the recipe warns, these are messy: chill them first, rinse your knife in warm water between each cut, and you'll still end up prying squidgy, sticky squares out of the pan. But no one will mind uneven edges or fudgy fingers, because these are deliciously intense. Intensely delicious. Yes.

Chocolate Cherry Brownies
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 c. (10.5 oz.) dried cherries (*I used tart rather than sweet)
scant 1 c. port wine
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
10.5 oz. dark chocolate
5 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
scant 1/2 c. sour cream

1. A day or two before you want to bake the brownies, combine the cherries and port in a med. bowl or container; cover and let sit, stirring every 12 hours, until almost all of the port has been absorbed. (*If you'd like, you can then chop the cherries before adding them to the batter.)

2. Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly butter and line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper in both directions - you'll need this sling to lift out the brownies later.

3. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder; set aside.

4. Heat chocolate, butter, and sugar in double boiler until chocolate has just melted. Transfer to bowl of electric mixer and allow to cool enough so that it won't cook the eggs. (*I turned the mixer on "stir" and let it go for a few minutes to let out some of the heat.)

5. Mixing on slow, add the eggs one at a time, letting the first get incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down bowl as necessary.

6. Add flour mixture and stir by hand until combined, then add sour cream and cherries, stirring again until just combined.

7. Spoon into the pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until just set. Allow to cool completely in pan. Chilling the brownies will help to slice them; rinsing off your knife between each cut helps too. Bring to room temp. for serving.

birthday surprise i: tiramisu cake.

2010-08-22T11:36:00.023-04:00

Last week, B. had a birthday. And so we celebrated. The actual birth-day included mid-morning kir royales at Parc, sipped at a sidewalk table, followed later by dinner at Stella. Pistachio and red onion pizza; black truffle and egg pizza; margherita pizza; broccolini and garlic pizza. All-around pizza goodness, capped off with ice cream at the Franklin Fountain.

Impossible to top, right? Wrong. Even more yumminess ensued the next day. Surprise yumminess!

We plotted a boozy birthday party complete with multiple kinds of cocktails and alcohol-infused desserts. C. and I baked, M. and T. went on a hunt for cheese so that we didn't all go into sugar shock, and M. tended bar despite her jet-lag. We schemed, we decorated, we waited eagerly for the surprise moment, and then we celebrated. The final menu:

DRINKS
Ginger lemonade
M.'s concoction, with fresh mint and honey - yum!
*
Gin & tonic
Made with Fever Tree tonic water; impressive.
*
Old-fashioned
Potent.
*

DESSERTS
Tiramisu cake
See below.
*
Peach and blackberry trifle
Joint desserting effort with C. - wonderful.
*
Bourbon pecan pie
C.'s. Oh. My.
*
Chocolate cherry brownies
Details soon.

C. made an official menu. It was beautiful. In fact, thanks to lovely friends, the whole evening was beautiful:

Before the party, though, there was baking. Much baking. Wish-I-had-two-ovens-or-at-least-more-counterspace-so-that-I'm-not-balancing-bowls-on-the-edge-of-the-sink baking.

I love to cook and bake for people - especially to bake. Being able to present someone with a pretty treat lets me say, "Hey, I care about you." It's not the only way to do so, of course, and yes, I realize that I'll have to seriously revise this strategy before I someday have children and inadvertently turn them into little butterballs of baked-good love, but it works for me.

First up? Tiramisu cake. Tiramisu was a no-brainer for this boozy bash, but we needed a cake for candles! Enter this recipe from smittenkitchen. The final product was delicious. Getting there was ... tricky. This is something of a fiddly recipe, and it wasn't helped by the significant heat/humidity going on that day. The frosting was particularly troublesome; I ended up whipping an extra 3/4 c. of heavy cream and folding it in so that I would have enough to cover the entire cake, and it was decidedly lumpy-looking. Still, though, the cake turned out well, and I would make this recipe again, perhaps with a bit more experimentation and a bit less summer ickiness.

Tiramisu Cake
from smittenkitchen

Cake layers:
2 c. cake flour (*hint: you can substitute for 1 c. of cake flour with 7/8 c. all-purpose flour and 1/8 c. cornstarch; easier than keeping cake flour around)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
10 tbsp. butter, at room temp.
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. buttermilk

Espresso extract:
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 tbsp. boiling water

Espresso syrup:
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (*I used rum)

Filling and frosting:
8 oz. mascarpone
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (*again, I used rum)
1 c. heavy cream
bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (*finely chopped, chips, or grated from a large bar, as I did)

Make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour two 9" cake pans, then line bottoms with parchment paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

2. Combine dry ingredients (except sugar) in a bowl. In a stand mixer, beat butter on med. speed until soft and creamy. Add sugar and beat for another 3 mins. Add eggs one by one and then yolk, beating for 1 min. after each one. Beat in vanilla.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk - add dry ingredients in 3 parts and buttermilk in 2, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until all ingredients disappear into the batter.

4. Divide batter evenly between two pans and smooth down tops with spatula. Bake for 28-30 mins., rotating the pans halfway through. Cakes are done when golden and springy and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer cakes to a rack and cool for 5 mins., then run a knife around the sides, invert them, remove paper liners, turn them back onto rack and cool right-side up.

Make extract:
1. Combine boiling water with espresso powder in small bowl; stir and set aside.

Make syrup:
1. Stir water and sugar together in small saucepan until barely boiling; pour into heatproof bowl, stir in liquor of choice plus 1 tbsp. espresso extract, then set aside.

Make filling/frosting:
1. Whisk mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liquor in med. bowl until combined. Set aside.

2. In stand mixer, whip heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. With rubber spatula, stir 1/4 whipped cream into mascarpone mixture; fold in the rest lightly.

Assemble cake:
1. Place one layer right-side-up on a cardboard round or cake stand (protected with strips of parchment paper slid under the edge of the cake so that you won't get frosting everywhere). Using pastry brush or small spoon, soak layer evenly with about 1/3 of espresso syrup. (*I found that the cake soaked up the syrup really, really quickly. Next time, I'm using a pastry brush instead of a spoon. Once I buy a pastry brush.) Smooth some of the mascarpone over the layer - about 1 1/4 c., or enough to cover. Sprinkle/grate your chocolate of choice on top.

2. Invert the second cake layer on a plate/counter and soak the bottom with half the remaining syrup, then turn it over and position it, syrup side down, over the filling. Soak the top with the rest of the syrup.

3. For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. remaining espresso extract into remaining mascarpone filling. (*This is where I ran into trouble: there wasn't nearly enough mascarpone mixture to cover the cake, so I whipped an additional 3/4 c. of cream with a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of instant espresso tossed in so it wouldn't be too bland and folded it into the mascarpone mixture along with the espresso extract. It did increase the volume of the frosting and certainly tasted good, but the texture was a bit off.) Taste frosting as you go to decide how much espresso flavor you want. If the icing looks a bit too soft to spread, press plastic wrap on top and refrigerate for 15 mins.

4. With metal icing spatula, smooth frosting around sides of cake and over top. Decorate with chocolate-covered espresso beans or cocoa powder.

5. Refrigerate cake for at least 3 hours (or up to 1 day) before serving to let the flavors set.

A word about decorating the cake: Deb at smittenkitchen cut out a wax-paper star stencil and grated dark chocolate over top, which looked great. It inspired me to break out of my usual piping bag routine and try a (slightly more ambitious/compulsive) stencil of my own. I wrote my happy birthday message on a legal pad, using the lines to get the letters even, and then traced on either side of each stroke to create thicker letters. Then I glued each word to wax paper and cut them out for my makeshift stencils, then pressed them lightly onto the cake (wax-paper side down).

Then I microplaned dark chocolate on top:

And, after giving a light puff to the chocolate and thereby scattering it all over my counter and myself, carefully removed them. Cool trick!

gazpacho.

2010-08-11T22:59:00.009-04:00

Today was another like so many this summer: hot toothpaste, cool shower, general sweaty unpleasantness. For comfort, I like to think about this:

[Wistful sigh.] For now, though, I'll just continue to enjoy all the great summer produce, like the tomatoes which made this possible.

Before today, I'd never actually made gazpacho. But I have a feeling that this will become one of my summer staples from now on. It has two main benefits: one, that it requires a good amount of chopping, which I find soothing; two, that it requires absolutely involvement from the stove or oven. Plus it's tasty! The vinegar gives it a nice bite, while the cucumbers and pepper add depth. There's nothing bland about this gazpacho.

I adapted it a bit from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything - added a bit of red onion, left the crusts on my bread, and, more significantly, cut way back on the water. Bittman calls for 5 cups of water; I ended up using 1 1/2 and loving the consistency of my soup. Hmm. The original amount seems like it would produce an incredibly watery soup, but perhaps it just depends on how hefty your tomatoes are once they've been cored and seeded. Or something like that. In any case, you might want to add the water a bit at a time and adjust to your consistency preferences. I also missed the step that told me to peel the tomatoes - oops. But I didn't mind the peels and, while getting rid of them might have meant a slightly more uniform smoothness, even liked the slight texture they gave the soup. I'll probably leave them on in the future, too. You could use any combination of tomatoes; since I made this on a non-farmers'-market day, I just combined a few different kinds (plum, on the vine, a big wonderfully lumpy one) from Sue's, along with some cute yellow grape tomatoes.

Beware that making this could get a bit messy. The directions say to process everything (including the 5 c. water!) all together. I have a 7-cup food processor and could barely manage in two batches; there was a noticeable puddle of pink gazpacho-juice by the time I was through. Because of this, I combined all of the chopped veggies in a large mixing bowl, then added the vinegar and the salt and pepper before processing it in two batches, adding half the water and oil to each. Therefore, the directions below are adjusted accordingly, though if you have a mammoth food processor/blender, congratulations, and feel free to toss in everything in one go.

Basic Gazpacho
adapted from Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything

approx. 3 lb. ripe tomatoes, cored, [peeled,] seeded, and roughly chopped [*optional]
1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
2 Kirby cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
approx. 1/8 red onion, chopped (about 1 - 2 tbsp.)
4 slices stale white bread (about 4 oz.), crusts removed (*I used my favorite sourdough from Metropolitan Bakery and, because I almost never plan enough in advance to have stale bread lying about, simply toasted the slices and let them sit for 15 mins. or so. Leaving the crusts on added nice taste and texture. Dipping slices of the bread in the soup is delicious, also.)
1 c. plus 1 1/2 - 6 c. cold water
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. good wine vinegar (*I used red.)
1/2 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper, onion, and garlic in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with vinegar.

2. Soak the bread in 1 c. water for 5 mins.; squeeze out excess water and set aside.

3. Place half the bread in the food processor and process until finely chopped; add half the veggie mixture and 3/4 c. water. Process until smooth; add more water if needed. Then with the motor running, slowly add 1/4 c. olive oil. Pour into separate bowl; repeat with the rest of the veggies, another 3/4 c. water, and another 1/4 c. oil.

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve; the flavor will improve over a few hours. Serve with the same bread you used in the soup, if desired.

pancake for one.

2010-08-04T21:30:00.010-04:00

The other night, in between various travels and utterly empty-pantried, I remembered this recipe from Joy the Baker. Breakfast for dinner? Yes, please!

She calls it the "Single Lady Pancake." It's easy to whip up and feels satisfyingly decadent. And yes, it might prompt you to bop around the kitchen singing Beyonce while making it.

I made a few changes to this - upped the oats (yum) and scaled back on the sugar (brown instead of white). Still, this is a whole lotta pancake. The picture below is a full-sized dinner plate:

Indeed. And while I've never - ever - been accused of having a meager appetite, I think that scaling back just a bit might help to avoid a post-dinner nap. Next time, I'll trade out the banana for blueberries, hold the chocolate chips, and use whole wheat flour. I'm already looking forward to it.

Pancake for One
adapted from Joy the Baker

1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. dried oats (quick-cooking or regular)
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk
dash of vanilla extract
small handful semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 banana, sliced thinly
chopped walnuts (or pecans, or sliced almonds...)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. In another, combine oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and half the banana slices (or whatever fun add-ins you decide on).

3. Heat a small frying pan. Pour in the pancake batter; even out with the back of a spoon. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form and pop on the surface. Flip. Cook until golden brown.

4. Top with the rest of the banana slices, hum the chorus to "Single Ladies," and enjoy.

experiment: apricots.

2010-07-11T22:35:00.009-04:00

This evening, I wanted pie.

I really wanted pie. But besides the fact that I am entirely, uncharacteristically out of butter [gasp!], the thought of making pie crust in this sticky weather was far from appealing. So I improvised a bit.

Yesterday morning, I happily swam - er, walked to the farmers' market in a welcome downpour. All the colors of the flowers and produce popped so beautifully in the wet greyness; I was particularly drawn to the fresh apricots, and am I ever glad that I took them home with me. I'd been thinking about the drool-worthy apricot tart that C. made recently. Why not try to recreate it, minus the tart part?

Yum. These simple baked apricots tasted like candy! They're not fancy, but they were just what I wanted. Always looking for an excuse to break out the cute creme brulee dishes, I experimented by slicing one apricot into quarters and another into eighths and put one sliced apricot in each dish. (You could use any ovensafe dish - small, large, whatever.) I liked the eighths a bit better because the smaller slices meant more slightly-caramelized edges, but both worked. I added a bit of almond extract because I love the apricot/almond combination; vanilla would be great, too. And while I used granulated sugar, just a bit of brown sugar might also be delicious.

Yes, obviously, I ate both dishes. All in the name of research, of course!

Baked Apricots

2 apricots
1/2 tsp. sugar
pinch salt
dash of almond (or vanilla) extract
[These are approximate and could be adjusted for any number of apricots.]

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Slice the apricots into quarters or eighths. Toss in a small bowl with the sugar, salt, and almond/vanilla.

3. Place in ovensafe dish; they can touch but shouldn't overlap too much so that they can caramelize evenly.

4. Bake for 45 mins., until beginning to caramelize. Enjoy!

birthday brunch ii.

2010-07-08T14:01:00.007-04:00

Because where there is brunch there should also be eggs of one kind or another, I made a mushroom leek quiche to go with the braided bread last week. It also gave me a great excuse to buy an official quiche pan - just like a removable-bottom tart pan but with higher sides - that I'd been pondering for a while. I'm not typically an impulse buyer of bake/cookware, in part because I'm perpetually in a severe shortage of storage space; I like to live with my coveted items on a mental list for a while, and then when I've lamented not owning something a sufficient number of times, I pounce. (Currently on the list? A mini-bundt pan; a rectangular tart pan; a pizza stone; the KitchenAid ice cream attachment.)

Anyway, this quiche pan will be getting a lot of use because its first outing went beautifully:

I can also imagine concocting heartier fruit tarts or adapting chocolate pies to this pan. It's just so pretty!

And the results were tasty, too. I used this crust recipe, minus the sugar, and will have to be coaxed to use any other from now on. It has just a bit of apple cider vinegar in it, which apparently relaxes the glutens in the flour. This crust didn't crack, stick, or give me any problems with the rolling-out process - a first for me. Hello, new friend!

I made a few small changes to the quiche recipe. Smittenkitchen only called for 3 eggs; I think her quiche pan is smaller than mine because 3 eggs were definitely not going to cut it. Martha Stewart seems to call for 10 eggs in most of her quiches. (Eek!) Ina Garten doesn't seem to have a quiche recipe. (Nooo! Ina! You're usually there when I need you! [Wails.]) Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything suggested 6. That sounded right to me, and it worked. I also used baby bella mushrooms rather than large white because I like them and thought they would distribute themselves better. As smittenkitchen suggested, I also left out the dabs of butter on top of the quiche - certainly unnecessary with the sprinkling of swiss.

Eggs-cellent. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)

Mushroom Leek Quiche
crust from Orangette, first introduced to me by C.
quiche from smittenkitchen, adapted from Julia Child and Martha Stewart

Crust:
4 tbsp. ice water, plus more as needed
3/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
[1 tbsp. sugar - *not for a savory tart]
3/4 tsp. salt
9 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1. In small bowl, combine ice water and vinegar.

2. In food processor, combine flour, [sugar,] and salt. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal; there should be no pieces of butter larger than a small pea.

3. With the processor running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing just until moist clumps form. If you pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it, it should hold together. If the dough seems dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon, pulsing each time.

4. Turn out the dough onto a board or clean countertop, gathering and pressing it into a disk about 1 1/2" thick. Wrap in plastic and then press a bit more, massaging away any cracks around the edges so that you have a smooth disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be kept in refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.) Before rolling it out, allow dough to soften slightly at room temp.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until large enough to fit your pan. Transfer dough gently into pan (*I like to fold it into a quarter), then ease it into the seam and up the sides. (*Don't stretch! It will just shrink right back to its original position, as I learned the hard way with my very first tart.) Trim the edges to extend about 1/2" beyond the edge of the pan, then tuck the excess under to reinforce the top edge of the crust. (*At this point, I like to refrigerate the tart shell for about 15 mins., just to let it firm up again.)

6. Line the shell with a buttered piece of foil, shiny side up, pressed down firmly and filled with pie weights or uncooked beans or rice. (*Make sure the weights come up the sides of the tart.) Bake at 400F for 8-9 mins. Remove the weights and foil and bake for 2-3 mins. more. Remove from oven when shell is just starting to color and shrink from the sides of the pan.

Filling:
3-4 leeks, white parts only, sliced thinly (*I like to slice them and then wash them thoroughly.)
1/2 c. water
Salt
3 tbsp. butter
8-12 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. port (*I used sherry because it was what I had; white wine would also work.)
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. whole milk
1/4 c. grated Swiss or gruyere cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Boil the leeks in a covered saucepan with 1/2 c. water, 2 tbsp. butter, and 1 tsp. salt until liquid has almost evaporated. Lower heat and stew gently for 20-30 mins. until leeks are tender. Set aside.

3. In a large pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter and add mushrooms, 1/4 tsp. salt, and port/sherry/white wine. Cover pan and cook over moderate-low heat for 8 mins. Uncover. Raise heat and boil for several minutes until liquid has completely evaporated and mushrooms are beginning to saute. Stir cooked mushrooms into leek mixture.

4. Beat eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl to blend. Gradually stir in leeks and mushrooms, then pour into partially cooked pastry shell. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 30-35 mins. until just set and nicely browned.

birthday brunch i.

2010-07-03T11:28:00.005-04:00

Things that make me nervous. Frisbees. Being forced to decide my food/drink order quickly. Shopping in crowds. And bread. Not eating it - baking it. Even with the inspiration of friends who nonchalantly produce delicious and creative loaves, I'm tentative and skeptical. (The majority of my few and feeble bread attempts, until recently, fell in the "could double as a handy doorstop or free weight" category.) I've started to have some success with the much-celebrated no-knead bread, though, and no longer automatically skip past a recipe as soon as I see "add yeast" and "let rise."

So after I bookmarked this one a while ago, I'd been waiting impatiently for the perfect opportunity to [gulp] give it a try. And what better opportunity than celebrating the lovely C.'s birthday with a boozy brunch?

I proofed my yeast, gave myself a stern pep talk, and got to work. The outcome? Bread that was not just edible but pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. Triumph! Even better: getting to share it with good friends on a shady porch, enjoying a perfect summer day and brunch bounty [documented by C. herself] that included coffee, quiche [more on that shortly], chocolate raspberry cookies, watermelon/feta/basil salad, blueberry muffins, and mimosas. Mmm. I have very talented friends. Happy birthday, C.!

I will, without any doubt, be making this bread again, and I'm already looking forward to trying different filling combinations. The dough is like a brioche, so you really couldn't go wrong. Plain old cinnamon and sugar? Dark chocolate? Cream cheese and strawberry jam? Walnuts and apples? Yes.

So proud!

Braided Lemon Bread
from smittenkitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Sponge:
6 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast (*I used active dry and it worked just fine.)
1/4 c. flour

Dough:
Sponge (above)
6 tbsp. sour cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs (1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 tsp. water for egg wash later)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
Pearl sugar for sprinkling (*I didn't have any - though apparently Ikea sells it and I may look the next time I'm there - so I did without and it was fine. It would be nice, though.)

Filling:
1/3 c. (2 1/2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. sugar (*I only used a scant 1 tbsp. and might in fact leave it out entirely next time.)
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. flour (*I used 1.)
1/4 c. lemon curd (*Cheating with store-bought was a handy shortcut. If you have time, though, smittenkitchen includes a recipe.)

1. Make sponge:
In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10-15 mins.

2. Make dough: (*The KitchenAid mixer did, as usual, an awesome job on this. Directions for kneading the dough by hand can be found over on smittenkitchen.)
Combine sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5-6 mins. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 60-90 mins., until puffy and nearly doubled.

3. Make filling:
Combine all ingredients except for lemon curd in a small bowl and stir until smooth and lump-free. Set aside until ready to use.

4. Prepare bread:
Gently deflate dough and roll on well-floured counter (*using my mom's trick, I wet the counter and overlap two sheets of parchment paper - the water makes it stick well - then flour those, so clean-up is easier) to form a 10x15" rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a (new) sheet of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, gently press two lines down the length of the rectangle, dividing it into 3 equal columns. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle, leaving the top and bottom 2 inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd on top of the cream cheese.

5. Braid bread:
Cut 1" strips crosswise down the length of each outer column, being careful not to cut the parchment paper. (*I held a ruler above the dough widthwise and gently marked the cuts with a knife so that the strips would be even on both sides. Compulsive? Yes. Pleasingly symmetrical? Yes.) Start by folding down the top and bottom flaps. (*If the dough seems too soft at this point, pop it into the fridge, as I had to, for about 10 mins. to let the strips firm up a bit.) Lift top strip of dough and bring diagonally across filling; repeat, alternating sides, until you're out. (*I was careful to make the strips touch each other so that no filling showed. Personal preference.)

6. Transfer braid (on parchment paper) to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45-50 mins., until puffy. Brush the braid with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (*optional).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 mins., until golden brown.

To make ahead: After covering the whole thing with plastic, stick in the refrigerator overnight, and let it sit out for a few hours the next morning to complete its rise. (*I did this and it worked beautifully, particularly since there wouldn't have been time to make this start-to-finish in one morning in time for brunch.) Then bake as directed.

blueberry crumb bars.

2010-07-01T22:50:00.006-04:00

Hallelujah, a respite from the heat. Soaring summer temperatures make me crabby and the non-airconditioned portion of my apartment unbearable. (Not to mention what they do to butter once it's been out of the fridge for 5 seconds. Grr.) The past few days, though, have been a blissful, breezy break from the swelteringness. I've been taking advantage of the opportunity to be in the kitchen without risking heatstroke (you think I exaggerate...but no) and baking happily. In fact, I just put an adorable braided bread to bed in the refrigerator; I'm a little bit giddy at the prospect of baking it tomorrow morning and, of course, look forward to sharing it with you.

In the meantime, though, I'll share this recipe. Perfect for the summer: easy to throw together, travels well, likes being refrigerated, and features blueberries. I used frozen because I had some around and I think blueberries freeze remarkably well, though I'm sure fresh would be delicious. Inspired by a very talented foodie friend who has a knack for these things, I've been cutting sugar from more and more recipes that I try. The experiment worked well here, and I ended up with bars that were quite tasty but not too sweet, mild enough to eat for breakfast. (I speak from experience. Of course, I'll also eat brownies for breakfast. Or chocolate cake. So perhaps I'm not the best judge.) Whenever you eat them, enjoy!

Blueberry Crumb Bars
adapted from smittenkitchen, adapted in turn from allrecipes.com

heaping 1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 c. blueberries (*if using frozen, don't thaw first)
4 tsp. corn starch

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9x13" pan. (*I forgot to do this and the bars popped out just fine from my metal pan.)

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Blend in the butter and egg using a pastry cutter. (*I used my hands for this, incorporating the butter first and then the egg. I found, as I often do with this sort of step, that crumbling the mixture with my fingers gives me the best control and lets me combine it really well.) Pat half the crumbly dough firmly into the pan; spread evenly.

3. In another bowl, stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently stir in the blueberries until coated, then spread over the crust. (*Be gentle!) Crumble remaining dough over the berries.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly browned. (*This ended up taking closer to 55 minutes for me.) Cool completely before cutting into squares. These cut easily when they're chilled, and they store well in the fridge, too.

resurfacing: or, where june went.

2010-06-20T22:50:00.018-04:00

Dear June,

Um. Where have you gone?

Best,
Me

I feel like I blinked and a month went by. To celebrate the end of the semester (and coursework!) as well as two family birthdays, I went to Hershey and hung out with this little monster:

Sophie's tongue peeks out when she's tired. (If people really do grow to resemble their dogs, I'm in some trouble.) After some quality family time and an ill-fated culinary adventure (more on that later), I headed to Boston.

Though Philadelphia has - thoroughly and delightfully - become home, I love revisiting my old city. A., D., and G. graciously shared with me the delights of the South End this time, including cupcakes at The Buttery (delicious as its name would indicate) and a memorably wonderful small-plates feast at Coppa.

finger-licking, waddle-inducing yumminess

i want one in my neighborhood. now.

awesome turquoise cafe tables; colorful pitcher-of-aperitifs; pea and sheep's milk ricotta crostini

Parma Pizza: tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, parmesan. oh. my.

strawberry sorbet and chocolate gelato. it took all of my restraint not to fend off the rest of the table with a fork and hoard these for myself.

lovely view, lovely evening

During a day of sunny wanderings, A. and I also stumbled upon a fun exhibit of travel posters from the 20s and 30s at the Public Library. Some of my favorites:

I also went back to BC; I love the campus in late May when it's been spruced up for commencement but all the festivities are over. The Jesuits' rose garden and the collegiate-Gothic-wonderfulness of the rare books library, two of my touchstones, remain comfortingly familiar.

After a brief stopover back in Philly, I drove to upstate New York with my family to celebrate my grandad's 80th birthday (yay!), returned home ... and came down with a whopping case of strep throat. Of course.

But now I'm rested up and ready to settle into a summer routine - and summer cooking! This week the farmers' market yielded cherries, summer squash, and kale.

quick post-farmers'-market dinner:
summer squash sauteed with garlic, thin strips of kale, and diced tomatoes, tossed warm with small cubes of fresh mozzarella

More soon. Looking forward.

chocolate zucchini cake.

2010-05-19T22:31:00.008-04:00

When I was growing up - and still, really - desserts in my family meant chocolate. My mom is the baker, and if a dessert isn't chocolate, she's not really interested. (I come by my chocolate addiction honestly.) This is one of our old stand-bys: a not-too-sweet, wonderfully moist, easily-thrown-together chocolate zucchini cake that Mom has been making for as long as I can remember. Today, it marked the celebratory official end of a two-semester-long Samuel Richardson immersion. In fact, this hefty cake probably weighs almost as much as the unabridged Clarissa. Almost.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Adapted from Mom

8 tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 c. coarsely-grated zucchini (about 3 small or 2 large)
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1. Oven to 350F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla, orange, and buttermilk, and mix until well blended.

3. Stir in zucchini.

4. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir into zucchini mixture until combined.

5. Pour batter into bundt pan; bake for ~40 min. or until inserted knife comes out clean. Cool on rack before removing cake from pan. (*Trust me: let it cool. I rushed things today and, well, the cake looked like I'd dug in ahead of time. Oops.)

almond macaroon torte.

2010-05-13T23:03:00.011-04:00

This is not simple to whip up, nor is it a particularly light dessert. [Pats stomach gingerly at memory of over-fullness.] Because really, anything that uses over a pound (!) of chocolate in the frosting isn't going to leave you feeling peckish. But if sometimes, like me, you're in the mood for both a culinary project and a decadent dessert, this almond macaroon torte fits the bill perfectly.

It did cause me some kitchen-distress. A large part of the pleasure of baking lies, for me, in the presentation. That's what initially drew me to this cake, after all. (Besides the aforementioned pound of chocolate.) All went smoothly through trimming the edges of the macaroons with a ruler to regain their straight edges. But then I found, to my dismay, that the frosting had stiffened up much more quickly than I'd expected, leaving me not to spread it as planned but to pat on a bit at a time, using the heat of my hands to melt it together. Not quite the effect I'd hoped for. But it worked out in the end, thanks to some patching help from M. The moral of this story: frost quickly! Or you end up with chocolate playdough.

Almond Macaroon Torte
from smitten kitchen

Macaroons
2 1/2 c. (10.5 oz. or 300 g.) slivered almonds (or an equivalent weight of blanched, sliced, or already-ground almonds)
1 c. plus 3 tbsp. sugar
2 large pinches kosher salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 egg whites

Chocolate Frosting
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
Flavoring of your choice, such as 1/2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract (*I was hurrying a bit and so forgot this step; next time - and, oh, there will be a next time - I might try a glug of Grand Marnier)
20 oz. dark or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 c. sliced almonds (*I didn't toast mine, though you certainly could)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Draw two 12" x 4" rectangles on a piece of parchment paper, leaving at least an inch or two in between them. Repeat with another sheet of parchment. Place on baking sheets, turning the parchment over so that your pencil marks don't seep into the macaroons. (Ick.)

2. Blend almonds, 1 c. sugar, and salt in food processor until finely ground.

3. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla and then slowly add remaining 3 tbsp. sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into egg whites.

4. Spoon 1/4 of macaroon batter into each rectangle, smoothly gently to fill the outline completely. Bake until golden and almost firm to the touch, rotating the sheets at least once, for about 23 minutes. Cool.

5. For frosting, simmer water and sugar in medium saucepan until sugar dissolves. Measure 10 tbsp. and discard the rest or save it for another use. Put back in saucepan and add flavoring of your choice; bring to a boil, then add chocolate. Remove from heat and let sit 1 min., then stir until smooth.

6. To assemble, use a sharp knife and a ruler to trim your macaroons back to their original shape. (*This step also means yummy macaroon scraps!) Place one macaroon on a long platter (*see my note), sliding a thin strip of parchment under each side to create a clean edge when you're finished. Spread about 1/2 c. of frosting, then top with another macaroon. Repeat twice, placing the last macaroon on top with its flat side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of torte; press sliced almonds onto all 4 sides. Store at room temp.

*Note about the platter: I don't have a rectangular platter, so I cut two flaps off a shipping box that was waiting to be recycled, taped them together, than covered the top first with a scrap of wrapping paper and then with plastic wrap. Makeshift pretty platter! (And not my first; this also comes in handy if you're going to a party and don't want to worry about getting your tart/cake pan back at the end of the evening.) Just don't let it bend!

onion upside-down pie.

2010-04-25T16:46:00.006-04:00

I came across this recipe while flipping through How to Be a Domestic Goddess on my way to the chocolate babycakes and remembered that it's been languishing on my ever-growing mental must-try-this list ever since I received the book as a gift a few years ago. (Thanks, S.!) Determined to make it before summer temperatures cause me to break out in a sweat at the mere prospect of turning on my oven, I decided it would be the perfect reward to end a long day of drafting papers.

I made just a few minor adjustments, like cooking the onions for longer and adding a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end to deglaze the pan. Served with a big green salad, this was simply satisfying. And while my pie did NOT look like the picture in Nigella's book, the pale mauve of the onions was quite pretty. M. and I speculated that the pie might work with different combinations, too, like leeks and blue cheese. Yum!

Supper Onion Pie
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

Filling/topping:
4 med. red onions
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
3-4 sprigs of thyme, de-stalked
5 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about a heaping 1/2 c.)

Scone dough:
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 scant tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
scant 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 scant tsp. dry English mustard
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (*optional; I liked the depth of flavor this gave the onions)

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel the onions, halve them, then cut each half into 4 segments. (*I then separated each segment so that the onions would cook evenly.)

2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet, then add the onions and cook over med. heat, stirring regularly, for about 45 mins. (*my adjustment; Nigella suggested 30 but I wanted the onions softer). (*Add the vinegar at the end, scraping the pan to get all the yummy browned bits.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add thyme.

3. Turn the onions into a 9-in. pie dish and scatter 2 oz. of cheese on top. Let sit while you make the scone dough.

4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add remaining cheese. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, butter, mustard, and egg well, then pour into the flour mixture. Mix to a dough using a fork or a wooden spoon; it should be quite sticky.

5. Tip onto a (*lightly floured) work surface and pat it out into a circle roughly the size of the pie dish. Place it on top of the onions, pressing it down lightly and making sure all the edges touch the dish, to seal it.

6. Bake at 400F for 15 mins., then turn oven down to 350F and give it another 10 mins. (*mine needed about 15), by which time dough should be golden and crisp on top. Let stand for a few minutes, then cover with a large plate and flip over, releasing the pie.

molten chocolate babycakes.

2010-04-21T11:14:00.010-04:00

After savoring a few restaurants' variations on the molten chocolate cake over the past few months, I thought to myself, "Hmm. I could probably make something like this. Then no one would see me if I decided to actually lick the plate." I then remembered Nigella Lawson's molten chocolate babycakes. I'd made them once before a few years ago with so-so results (I was too cautious and overcooked them) and burnt fingers (you have to flip the cakes out of their oven-hot ramekins). But I had chocolate-loving friends who volunteered to bring along their grippy silicone potholders, so it seemed worth another try.

And was it ever. I forgot how easy these are to make; even better, you can make them ahead of time and then pop them in the oven just before you're ready to eat them.

You might lick the plate. I would understand.

Molten Chocolate Babycakes
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, beaten lightly with a pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. flour
6 oven-safe ramekins

1. Lightly butter each ramekin. Fold a sheet of parchment paper in half and trace the bottoms of 3 ramekins in pencil. Cut out the discs (*slightly smaller, so that they'll fit inside the ramekin) and press one into the base of each ramekin.

2. Melt chocolate and let it cool slightly.

3. Cream together butter and sugar, then gradually beat in eggs and salt, then vanilla. Add the flour and combine until smooth. Scrape in the cooled chocolate and mix until smooth.

4. Divide the batter between the ramekins. (*It's quite thick, like chocolate mousse, so I just scooped up spoonfuls and plunked them down. It will all smooth out in the oven.)

5. Place the ramekins in the fridge and cover lightly with a large sheet of waxed paper. (*If you're baking the cakes right away, skip this, of course.)

6. Preheat oven to 400F with an empty baking sheet. When oven is ready, quickly place the ramekins on the hot baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins. - 12 if they've been in the fridge, otherwise 10 should do it. (*Don't overbake! They'll look barely done, but that's the whole point.)

7. As soon as you take them out of the oven, tip each cake out of its ramekin onto a plate and pry off the parchment on top. (*This was where I needed the silicone potholders, and even then there was some decidedly clumsy wrestling with the hot ramekins. Luckily, the cakes come out easily.) Serve with whipped cream or ice cream - you'll need something to cut the richness. I also made a quick raspberry sauce by heating frozen raspberries with a dash of water and a tbsp. of sugar in a saucepan until the berries broke down and then forcing it through a fine sieve to strain out the seeds.

lemon crepe cake.

2010-04-18T11:53:00.008-04:00

I saw this cake recently while browsing through my mom's Martha Stewart Living and immediately declared out loud, "I must make this." Sophie, my parents' pug, looked at me skeptically, but I was determined. The classy jello party provided the perfect occasion - this has gelatin in it, after all!

Martha recommends Meyer lemons, and I was willing to give them a try. However, my produce place had run out and so I used regular lemons instead. I actually liked their tartness and think it helped to cut the richness of this cake.

I will certainly make this again, though not for a little while. (Because of all the "do-this-and-then-refrigerate-for-an-hour" parts of this recipe, it did take the whole day to make. Which can be very satisfying, but not in the headlong final rush of the semester. I also find making crepes somewhat stressfully unpredictable.) I might try playing with the recipe to make it a bit lighter; I think it would also be lovely topped with fresh berries.

Lemon Crepe Cake
from Martha Stewart Living (April 2010)

Lemon curd mousse:
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp. cold water
4 eggs plus 6 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
Zest of 2 lemons plus juice from 6 lemons
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 c. heavy cream, whipped

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl; let stand 5 min.

2. Whisk together eggs and yolks in a small saucepan. Whisk in sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat for 8-10 min., until thickened.

3. Remove pan from heat. Add gelatin, stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is cooled slightly. Add butter a few pieces at a time and stir after each addition until smooth.

4. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl (*this was important to get out eggy bits), pressing with a rubber spatula to get as much through as possible. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto curd to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. Stir the curd and then fold in the whipped cream. Refrigerate 1 hour. Stir before using.

Crepes:
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. whole milk, room temp.
3 eggs, room temp.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. heavy cream, whipped (for topping)

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually pour milk mixture into dry ingredients, whisking until smooth. Whisk in butter. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. (*Martha recommends using butter. I didn't, mostly to make the process somewhat less harrowing, and my nonstick skillet worked fine.) Pour about 3 tbsp. (*I used a 1/3 c. measure, filled about halfway, for easy scooping) of batter into pan - off the heat - and swirl to coat evenly. Cook about 30 sec. on each side, until brown on the edges and dry in the middle. Repeat with the rest of the batter, stacking the finished crepes on a plate and let cool. You should get about 14-17 crepes, depending on how thick you're making them.

Assemble cake:
1. Place one crepe on a flat plate or serving dish. Spread about 1/4 c. lemon curd mousse onto it and top with another crepe. Continue layering crepes and mousse. Use 15 crepes, ending with 1 on top. (*I used 16 and spread a thin layer of mousse on top. I'm a rebel, Martha.) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Top cake with the whipped cream. You could also make the Candied Meyer Lemons, though I simply used lemon zest.

classy jello.

2010-04-17T18:36:00.012-04:00

Last night, we had a classy jello party. Oxymoron? No way.

The challenge was to make alcoholic jello that didn't belong at a frat party. So I turned to Martha Stewart. (Naturally.) And she didn't disappoint: her "Dessert Wine Gelees" were fantastic. I used moscado instead of mixing Sauternes and orange muscat and cut back a bit on the sugar. They were so refreshing that I would make them again for a summer party or picnic.

Other jello experiments were similarly delicious:

sambuca and grapefruit peel, by M.

masterful jello rendering of the Slough of Despond, by D.

strawberry jello with tequila and sour worms, by J. and C.

The menu was rounded out with a mushroom-leek galette, mojito popsicles, and gin-soaked fruit salad. Yum! I also made a cake. More on that in its own post.

White Wine and Citrus Jello Cubes
Adapted from Martha Stewart Weddings

5 tbsp. cold water
3 tbsp. unflavored gelatin (about 3 1/2 packages)
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
2 1/4 c. moscado wine (*any sweet white would probably work)
2 grapefruits, 2 oranges, 2 tangerines (*or another combination)

1. Combine the 5 tbsp. cold water with gelatin in a small bowl. Let stand 5 mins.

2. Combine sugar, 1/2 c. water, and wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until sugar has dissolved, whisking occasionally. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until melted. Cook 1 min. Remove from heat and pour through a fine sieve into a 9 x 13" glass baking dish. (*I forgot the sieve, but it didn't seem to matter.)

3. Cut peel and pith from the citrus. With a sharp knife, cut each segment from the membranes and then cut them into thin slices, around 1/8" thick. (*This part was a bit of a sticky mess, but the side benefit was that I ended up with a good-sized glass of juice when I squeezed all of the leftover membranes. Yum!)

4. Arrange the citrus in the baking dish, making sure it's in a single layer and evenly distributed.

5. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.

6. To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the dish. Using an offset spatula, gently loosen the sides of the jello. Invert onto a large cutting board. (*If yours doesn't release right away, as mine didn't, try placing a hot towel over the inverted pan for 30 seconds, which should loosen the jello.) Trim the edges and cut into cubes. (*I'll admit that I used a ruler for this!) Refrigerate, uncovered, for up to a day.

granola bars.

2010-04-14T18:11:00.007-04:00

Some days it's just not enough to read and/or to write. Some days I need to make something: to pour, to measure, to crumble, to chop, to stir. Just for the pleasure of it. This was such a day.

So I made granola bars. I love mixing together all of these ingredients that are good individually but together form something delicious. I'd made this recipe from smitten kitchen once before and loved it, but I found the bars a tad too sweet and almost too moist. So this I switched from white to brown sugar, added a bit more cinnamon, and cut down the butter just a bit: yummy success!

The best thing about these, other than their taste? You can play with all sorts of combinations of dried fruits and nuts. I used whatever I had on hand; next time, I think I'll throw in some chocolate chips, too!

Chewy Granola Bars
Adapted from smitten kitchen

1 2/3 c. quick rolled oats (*I only had old-fashioned and actually really liked the results)
1/3 c. oats, processed until finely ground, or oat flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 to 3 c. dried fruit and nuts (*see note below)
1/3 c. smooth peanut butter or other nut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. plus 1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. light corn syrup (*I might try replacing this with more honey next time - will report back)
1 tbsp. water

*Note: Any combination seems like it would work. I used 1/2 c. dried Bing cherries (processed until coarsely chopped), 1/2 c. dried cranberries, 1/2 c. wheat germ, 1/2 c. shredded coconut, 1/2 c. sunflower seeds, and 1/2 c. chopped walnuts. Smitten kitchen's suggestions also include dried apricots or apples, pecans, and pepitas.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" baking pan/dish with parchment in one direction so that it sticks up on both ends. (You'll need these handles later to get the bars out smoothly.) Lightly grease parchment and exposed pan.

2. Stir together all dry ingredients, including fruit and nuts.

3. In separate bowl, stir together vanilla, melted butter, peanut butter, honey, corn syrup, and water. (*Hint: coating your measuring cup/spoon with a little melted butter makes it a lot easier to get the peanut butter/honey/corn syrup out cleanly.)

4. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in about 3 batches, to make it easier to combine. Make sure the mixture is evenly crumbly.

5. Spread into the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Use a sheet of plastic wrap or, even more efficiently, lightly butter your fingertips to press the mixture down. (And really press - I learned my lesson last time with too-loosely-packed and therefore too-crumbly bars, so this time I pressed down firmly with the flat of my hand. Much better.)

6. Bake for 30-40 mins., until lightly browned around the edges and beginning to brown on top. Don't worry if they seem underbaked in the middle; they'll firm up. Let cool in the pan. If you're in a hurry, you can lift them out in their parchment sling after about 20 mins. and let them finish cooling on a wire rack. Whatever you do, let them cool completely before you cut them. (Smitten kitchen suggests refrigerating them for another 30 mins. after they're cooled to make them even easier to cut; I was too impatient, so there was a little crumbling.) Wrap individually in plastic or store in an airtight container.

baked shrimp scampi.

2010-04-09T13:51:00.009-04:00

I don't often remember to make shrimp dishes. This recipe caught my eye because it looked beautiful in the cookbook - and, surprisingly, it looked just as beautiful when I made it. (An especially rare thing for shrimp!) My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can really taste each ingredient. It's fresh and bright and couldn't be easier to make, as long as you don't mind a little chopping.

I've made this twice now, with just a few adjustments. Ina unabashedly loves butter. Usually I do too, but this recipe seemed like it could work with a bit less, and it does. I also cut the recipe in half because I was only feeding 2 people; although the original says that it feeds 6, 2 of us managed - both times - to polish off each and every shrimp without a problem. It worked so well that I'll give the halved recipe here, with some adjustments to keep the wonderful flavors of the fresh herbs.

Baked Shrimp Scampi
from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

1 lb. shrimp in the shell (*frozen shrimp work perfectly - just thaw them in a colander under cold running water; if you can find them already deveined and butterflied, that's even better)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. butter, room temp.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. shallot, chopped finely
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (*more for more heat)
Zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c. panko

Preheat the oven to 425F.

1. Peel the shrimp but leave their tails on. If they aren't already deveined and butterflied, do so. If you're using frozen shrimp, make sure they're thawed before moving on to the next step, otherwise they'll get too watery.

2. In a med. bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, wine, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Allow to sit at room temp. while you make the butter mixture.

3. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, panko, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper until combined. (*I was polite and used a fork at first, but using your hands works really well!)

4. Starting from the edge of a small casserole dish (*I used an 8" square), arrange the shrimp in a single layer with their tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over them.

5. Dot the butter mixture evenly over the top of the shrimp. (*Again, using your hands works nicely.)

6. Bake 10-12 minutes until hot and panko is browned slightly. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 2 hungry people.

happy spring!

2010-04-06T15:20:00.007-04:00

dark chocolate tart with gingersnap crust.

2010-04-05T20:30:00.008-04:00

I've been looking forward to sharing this one: a decadently, perfectly chocolate tart in a subtle gingersnap crust. After eyeing it longingly on smitten kitchen for weeks, I made it to bring to a southern-cooking feast orchestrated by L., fabulously talented herself in the art of the pie/tart. Even when it doesn't come at the end of a meal that includes fried catfish, butter beans, okra, and hush puppies (!), this is a tart to serve in small slices. The filling falls somewhere between flourless chocolate cake and a brownie, with just a hint of chocolate mousse: rich, dense, and close-your-eyes-to-savor-it chocolatey.

Without a doubt, I'll be making this again. However, I'm looking forward to tweaking the crust a little bit. (The filling is wonderful as it.) I think it might still work with less butter, since the moistness of the crust almost overwhelmed its gingery taste AND, more importantly, the tart was sitting in a small pool of melted butter on its baking sheet when I took it out of the oven. I'm also wondering about mixing chopped crystallized ginger right into the crust, rather than sprinkling it on the top of the cooked tart as the original recipe in Bon Appetit suggests. I'll report back; in the meantime, this one is too good not to share!

Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust
Bon Appetit by way of smitten kitchen

Crust:
8 oz. gingersnap cookies, coarsely broken (*I used Trader Joe's Ultimate Ginger Cookies - yum.)
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.

2. Finely grind the ginger cookies in a food processor (yields 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 c.). Then add melted butter and process until moistened.

3. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. (*Using a hint from smitten kitchen, I used one of my measuring cups to pack in the mixture so that it formed a wonderfully straight and uniform crust. So handy! My measuring cups are All-Clad, so they have a flat bottom and straight sides; if you have rounded measuring cups, I assume that a water glass would also do the trick.) Place pan on rimmed baking sheet. (*Important! See note about melted butter above! Imagine melted butter all over your oven! Ick!)

4. Combine finely chopped chocolate and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Whisk over low heat until chocolate is just melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat.

5. Whisk egg yolks, egg, sugar, flour, pepper, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl to blend.

6. Very gradually whisk (*slightly cooled) chocolate mixture into egg mixture until smooth and blended.

7. Pour chocolate filling into crust.

8. Bake until filling puffs at the edges and center is softly set, about 30 mins. Transfer to rack. Cool in pan 20 mins., then gently remove pan's sides and cool tart completely.

Note: this can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the cooled tart and refrigerate it, then bring it back to room temp. before serving.

artichoke tapenade.

2010-03-27T18:36:00.011-04:00

Where did March go? Well, I know that at least part of mine went to Albuquerque for a conference. I had looked forward to some food tourism, but...let's just say most of my meals weren't really worthy of being commemorated in any way. Instead:

Now happily back home, I'm catching up on my backlog of food-to-be-blogged. First up: an artichoke tapenade adapted from this one at Smitten Kitchen. I added some zing with lemon and some freshness with parsley, and it's deliciously addictive. The measurements are all approximate, so you can also play with the proportions to suit your taste.

(*Disclaimer about lighting: when I can, I conduct my food photoshoots in natural light, since the lighting in my apartment at night is rather yellow. This isn't, sadly, a dish that photographs particularly well at any time. But it looks fine in person and tastes even better!)

Artichoke Tapenade

1 15-oz. can of artichoke hearts, drained and broken up a bit
1-2 tbsp. capers
1 c. green olives
1 clove garlic, chopped roughly
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice from half a lemon OR about 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste (Hint: add salt gradually, since the capers make it fairly salty anyway.)
Scant 1/4 c. olive oil (Use more or less depending on the texture you want.)

1. Blend all ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Taste at this point to see if you want to adjust the proportions for any ingredients.

2. With the processor running, pour oil in a steady stream, as you would with pesto. Process more or less to get the desired texture. I like it on the coarse side.

This will feed anywhere from 2 to 6 people, depending on their love for artichokes. (Mine is intense.) It's perfect on bread, but I'm also looking forward to trying it on pasta.

peanut butter frosting.

2010-03-09T15:34:00.005-05:00

This year, I was invited to an Oscars party with an intriguing challenge: bring an appetizer or dessert honoring the oeuvre of Sandra Bullock. Among such creative - and delicious - entries as pecan sandies, "Two Leeks' Notice" leek tarts, and "While You Were Steeping" Earl Grey shortbread, I submitted "The Cake House." Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, topped with a house drawn in chocolate because I can't resist the opportunity to use my decorating set whenever possible.

Although I made a sheet cake this time for ease of transportation, this frosting is lovely on cupcakes. (I don't covet a cupcake-carrier as much as I covet an apartment with the space to store a cupcake-carrier.) Also, I cheated and used a chocolate cake mix for reasons of time and available ingredients, but the frosting is so wonderful that the cake really plays a supporting role anyway.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing
from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 c. confectioner's sugar (*I use a scant cup)
1 c. creamy peanut butter
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temp.
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. heavy cream

1. Beat all ingredients except the cream at medium-low speed (*the KitchenAid is great for this, but I'm sure it would work just as well with a hand mixer) until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work.

2. Add the cream and beat on high speed until mixture is light and smooth.

This makes enough for 24 cupcakes or one sheet cake.

Chocolate Icing

In case you're curious about the piped chocolate icing on top, all I did was melt about 4 oz. of dark chocolate in the microwave on 30-sec. intervals, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. (A double-boiler would obviously work as well; this was faster.) Once it was melted, I added glug of heavy cream left over from the frosting; stirring thoroughly thickened it up into a sort of ganache, firm but not too stiff to pipe.

Then I just spooned it into a pastry bag fitted with a small circular tip and started doodling. (I've also done this on the rims of dessert plates for special occasions.) It hardens fairly quickly.

butternut soup.

2010-03-07T08:52:00.006-05:00

When yesterday I realized I had a few butternut squash rolling around that needed to be used, it was an easy decision to make soup out of them. Given our spring-like temperatures, of course, it seems a bit off-season, and this will probably be the last batch I make this winter. But it's a great way to use up any last squash you have lying around, and there's always next fall's squash to look forward to!

Winter Squash Soup
from Barefoot in Paris

2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 c. chopped yellow onions (2 onions - *I use 2 small or 1 1/2 large)
1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks (*a 2-lb. squash works well)
3 c. chicken stock/broth
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 c. half-and-half

1. Heat the butter and oil in a stockpot; add the onions and cook over med-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. (*Don't rush the onions! The soup has a much more well-rounded flavor if you let them cook the full time.)

2. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock/broth, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over med-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tender. (*Depending on your squash, this might take closer to 30 minutes.)

3. Process the mixture through the medium blade of a food mill. (*This was the first time I'd actually used a food mill. I normally use a food processor, pureeing the soup in batches until it's smooth but not too watery; I think that I actually like the results from the food processor better as it seems to give the soup a more integrated texture than the mill.)

4. Return to the pot, add the half-and-half, and heat slowly. If the soup needs more flavor, add salt to taste.

Makes 4 servings, according to Ina, though I usually get at least 5.

mushroom soup.

2010-03-03T19:07:00.006-05:00

This soup is something of an ongoing experiment. My mom adapted it slightly from a 1970s issue of Bon Appetit kept from when she and my dad were first married, and I've tweaked the recipe a bit further. It seems like it would lend itself to further experimentation: a splash of white wine, perhaps, or maybe some caramelized leeks. Different varieties of mushrooms might also be interesting. Hmm. As is, this is a satisfyingly creamy mushroom-packed soup that is a cinch to make and only gets tastier as it sits. (In fact, I made it a few hours ahead and then reheated it for dinner; the additional time lets it thicken and brings out the sherry.) With a big green salad on a gloomy-gray weeknight? Yum.

Mushroom Soup
adapted from Bon Appetit and Mom

20 oz. mushrooms, sliced*
4 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 c. finely-chopped onion
Kosher salt to taste
4 - 5 tbsp. flour
10 - 14 oz. chicken broth
2 - 3 tbsp. sherry
1 1/2 c. milk

*Note on the mushrooms: The original recipe calls for a pound of mushrooms. Since it's easiest to find 10-oz. packages of cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, I just use two of those. I like to chop them finely with the slicing blade of my food processor (see below) but the soup would also work if they were more coarsely chopped.

1. Melt 2 tbsp. butter and cook the onions for 2 minutes at med-low heat. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook ~8 minutes, until they've let off some of their liquid but aren't too cooked down. Set aside. *Note: In order not to crowd the mushrooms, I do this step in two pans, dividing the butter, onions, and mushrooms between them. More dishes, yes, but better results.

2. Melt the remaining 2 tbsp. butter in a large saucepan, then whisk in the flour. Off the heat, add the chicken broth and the sherry; return to med-low heat and whisk until smooth and slightly thickened, about a minute.

3. Stir in the milk and mushrooms (if your mushrooms have let off a large amount of liquid, you might want to strain some of it out to avoid a watery soup), then add salt and/or more sherry to taste. Let the soup cook on low heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or so, to let the flavors blend.

A sprinkling of fresh parsley before serving brightens up the flavor.

Makes around 4 servings, depending on additional broth/milk.

The soup will thicken as it cools; these measurements of broth and milk yield a fairly thick consistency, particularly when reheated. (The original recipe called for 2 c. milk but I found that too, well, milky.) I might decrease the flour and increase the chicken broth to thin it a bit, especially if serving it as an appetizer. I did use skim milk and found it quite rich enough, though you could probably add a glug of whatever you have on hand and adjust the broth accordingly.

I'll continue to play with this one; if you make some adjustments of your own, please let me know!

ginger cookies.

2010-02-26T11:56:00.007-05:00

I adore Ina Garten - her show, her kitchen, her explanation of techniques, her recipes, her general love of food. She is my favorite stop for cookbook pleasure-reading as well as the one I turn to for recipes that will inevitably turn out well. So when a fabulous foodie friend made her own gingersnap recipe for my birthday celebration last month, I was inspired to try the recipe below. These are different from gingersnaps because they're chewy, and they're also full of crystallized ginger for an intense flavor. As Ina herself loves to say, how bad could that be?

Ultimate Ginger Cookie
from Barefoot Contessa at Home

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves (*I used 3/4 tsp., which was sufficiently clove-y)
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. unsulfured molasses
1 egg, room temp.
1 1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger (6 oz.) (*Coarse or fine pieces both work; your choice)
Small bowl of granulated sugar (for coating the cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt; combine well.

3. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. (*You could probably make this with a handheld mixer, but it's a very wet, heavy dough that even makes my beloved KitchenAid mixer work hard.) Turn mixer to low speed, add egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl, beat 1 more minute.

4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, then mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. (*It might seem like the dough will be too dry - not to worry. Once the dry ingredients are mixed in thoroughly, the dough will hold together beautifully.) Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined. (*As you can see here, the dough isn't all that pretty. But it will be delicious.)

5. Scoop out the dough and roll with your hands into a ball. (*Ina says a 1 3/4-in. ball. Mine looked about the size of overgrown golf balls, if that helps.) Flatten lightly into a disc with your fingers, then press both sides of the cookie in the bowl of granulated sugar before placing it on the sheet pan. (*These cookies don't spread very much, but because they don't make that many, you don't need to crowd them. I fit between 9 and 12 per sheet.)

6. Bake exactly 13 minutes. (*I rotate the pans halfway through for even browning.) They'll be just a bit crackled on top and browned on the bottom; they might feel too soft, but they'll harden as they cool. Cool on the sheets for a minute or two, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

[Makes 16 cookies according to Ina, though I've managed 22 with 1 batch and 18 with another. 18 seems to work well; many more and I think you lose the wonderful chewiness of the larger cookie.]

preface.

2010-02-25T23:17:00.006-05:00

Mrs. Bennet, with great civility, begged her ladyship to take some refreshment; but Lady Catherine very resolutely, and not very politely, declined eating any thing; and then rising up, said to Elizabeth,

"Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness on one side of your lawn. I should be glad to take a turn in it, if you will favour me with your company."

"Go, my dear," cried her mother, "and shew her ladyship about the different walks."
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Last fall, a dear friend was reading Pride and Prejudice; she remarked that Lady Catherine's phrase would make the perfect title for a blog. Not only was I TAing for a Jane Austen course at the time, but P&P is also a novel that I re-read over and over again, basking in its diction, chuckling at its snarkiness. So I laughed, agreed, and filed the idea away, not entirely intending to follow through on it. But it gradually, unexpectedly, snuck up on me and became something I was excited about. Became, well, this.

"A prettyish kind of a little wilderness" - it seems such an apt title for a blog. (Thanks again, B., for the phrase. And thanks too to M. for the set-up help.) For in Austen's context of eighteenth-century landscaping, "wilderness" means not an uninhabited desolate space but a section of garden carefully designed to look wild. (Closely-set trees, intricate mazes, perhaps a faux-ruin. You get the picture.) In a way, this blog will, I hope, become its own kind of wilderness: a hodgepodge of recipes, photos, miscellaneous snippets planted (er, posted) carefully, one at a time, eventually to form a pleasing space.

So thanks for taking a turn.