The Littlest Bakeshop

Peanut Butter Pie

2009-11-19T23:21:00.002-05:00

After reading a blog entry over at Homesick Texan about peanut butter pie, I definitely wanted to try some. Only problem? The recipe she used came from a now-defunct eatery in Oak Cliff, Texas, called Gennie's Bishop Grill. Luckily for me, I was still able to find a copy of their self-published recipe booklet on Amazon. For a price, of course.

The pie was delicious. It's basically a peanut butter pudding inside a pie shell. Then you whip up some thick whipped cream for the top. It's a diner pie specialty, and it's sooooo good.

Caramelized Banana Cream Tart

2009-11-11T21:50:00.001-05:00

As part of my cookbook testing, I made this delicious banana tart from Unforgettable Desserts by Dede Wilson. It's a pecan crust, caramelized bananas, vanilla pastry cream, fresh banana, whipped cream, and caramelized pecans. This was one of those all-day projects.

The pecans were hand-caramelized, using a water/sugar mixture that I let cook until thick and golden brown. The caramelized bananas were made in a similar way. The pastry cream involved letting some milk steep with a vanilla bean before forming a custard.

The final result was amazingly delicious and over-the-top rich. It was worth every minute of prep time. Only problem? The fresh bananas on top of the pastry cream start browning after the initial serving. By the next day, they were turning. This is definitely a one night only dessert, but it sure is a stunner!

Almond Lattice Brownies

2009-09-21T21:35:00.002-04:00

These were just a quick treat out of a Good Housekeeping baking cookbook. They whipped up fast and easy and allowed me to use up the almond paste I had leftover. The combination of chocolate and almond really works. The lattice cooked up airy and light, while the brownies remained fudgy.

Mr. Cupcakes

2009-08-07T22:17:00.003-04:00

These aren't mine, but they were too delicious to not take a picture. I got these from Mr. Cupcakes at the Riverside mall in Hackensack, NJ. The flavors, going left to right, top to bottom, are: Macaroon, Strawberry Shortcake, Vanilla Chip, Southern Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Oreo Cheesecake, Cookie Jar, Triple Chocolate, and Raspberry Cheesecake.

Go get you some!

Peanut Butter Mini Cupcakes

2009-06-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

These were a slow, sweet waltz in my mouth. The cake has a tender crumb, and the frosting has a rich, deep chocolate flavor. I found them in Bite-Size Desserts by Carole Bloom, and I highly recommend you make a batch of your own. I dare you to still have some left two days later.

Daring Bakers: Strudel

2009-05-31T18:51:00.002-04:00

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was a strudel. Being of German descent, this was right up my alley. The recipe came out of a new book that I just acquired called Kaffeehaus, with all sorts of goodies you would find at little cafes and coffee shops in the Germanic areas of Europe.

I decided to make a sweet strudel, with apples and walnuts in the filling. The dough was actually pretty easy to make, and the filling was even easier, but I missed the part that called for bread crumbs, so I had to go without. I also left out the raisins since I dislike them quite a bit. It took about ten minutes longer than the recipe said for my strudel to brown, and the bottom of the dough turned out a little tough when I tried it, but overall very good.

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Nutty Polka Dot Brownies

2009-05-28T19:25:00.000-04:00

I was in desperate need of sugar and chocolate this evening, so I pulled out my "to-bake-later" binder and ran through my options. I settled on Peanut Butter & Nutella Brownies. I originally ran across the recipe while viewing food porn on Foodgawker. Noble Pig's blog was where I saw them first, but the recipe originally came from Culinary in the Country. Delicious, with subtle nutty flavors. And I couldn't resist using up my Ghirardelli chocolate chips, making them polka dot brownies.

Sun in a Crust

2009-05-19T22:35:00.005-04:00

Pretty sad, but only a couple weeks after returning from Florida, I'm already wishing I hadn't come back. I really need the everyday sunshine to re-charge my batteries. And all the fabulous seafood and citrus isn't bad either.

Luckily for me, I brought back a bottle of key lime juice so I could make a nice little pie. I wasn't sure of a recipe until I purchased a book called Pie. Every pie you can imagine. No, really. Even some I couldn't imagine. Like ricotta and raisin. I swear it's really a pie. But the best part is that the Key Lime Pie recipe comes from Joe's Stone Crab of Miami, Florida. How's that for authentic?

Before I get to the pie baking, I should probably mention that Michael Pollan's book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, has basically scared me into not eating. His descriptions of what is in our food is horrifying. So when I went to the store for a graham cracker pie crust, I reluctantly looked at the ingredient list, already knowing what I would find. High fructose corn syrup? Check. Weird chemicals? Check. All sorts of strange corn derivatives? Check. And no, the regular graham crackers weren't any better. Good to know my pie would probably kill me. But at least I would enjoy dying slowly, right?

With really only three filling ingredients, this pie can't get much easier. Everything came together very quickly, and I poured the filling into my premade chemical-filled fake graham cracker crust. I baked the pie for the exact 10 minutes called for in the recipe and then refrigerated it.

I cheated and ate some the same night. It was little soft, so I forced myself to wait until tonight to try another piece. The pie had weeped overnight, but I was able to clean it up and cut off the soggy portions, and it was much better. There was a small portion at the very center that was still a little soft, so I'm not sure if I'm a believer in the only-cook-it-for-10-minutes-or-you'll-ruin-it line. Next time I'll probably do 12.

Other than the overnight refrigeration thing, the pie was delicious, nice and tart and refreshing. I highly recommend it.

A Pint of Blueberries

2009-05-12T21:51:00.003-04:00

This week my grocery store had a special on pints of blueberries. They looked pretty fresh, so I bought a package. It was only after I returned home that I realized I had no idea what to make them into, except that I didn't want the standard muffin. After much internet browsing, I decided on a cake from Epicurious.com.

I am posting the recipe below since I did make some changes to the recipe. Posters on the site mentioned that the cake wasn't lemony enough, so I have altered that portion. Also, the 8" pan originally called for had to be a deep dish pan, which I didn't have. I found that a 9" pan works just as well, with a baking sheet to catch any spillover. The cake turns out deliciously moist and not too sweet, with the blueberries adding most of the sugar. It's delicious hot, with whipped cream, cold, or any other way you can think of to eat it.

Lemon and Blueberry Upside Down Cake

Adopted from Epicurious.com

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided use

1 1/2 cups blueberries

3/4 cup cake flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces almond paste

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed

3 large eggs, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar and 1 stick of unsalted butter until butter melts and the sugar is incorporated. When mixture bubbles, pour into the bottom of a 9" round cake pan. Drop blueberries evenly over the top and press into the sugar mixture slightly.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, use a fork to break up the almond paste. Add the sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until almond paste is mostly broken down, and the mixture resembles crumbs. Add the remaining 1 stick of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, still beating. When mixture is creamy and fully combined, add eggs, one at a time. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and ensure everything is combined.

Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Use the spatula to scrape the sides again and ensure the batter is uniform. Scoop the batter over the blueberry mixture in the pan, and then even off the top of the batter. Put the cake pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake rest for approximately a minute before inverting onto a large plate. Wait 15-20 minutes before serving.

Beautiful Blondies

2009-05-07T22:31:00.004-04:00

I've tried many different recipes for blondies, but they never seem to live up to my perfect ideal: soft, chewy, and sweet, with a flaky top. Basically a vanilla brownie. Because isn't that what a blondie is supposed to be? And I never mind the addition of white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Well, I finally found a good recipe. And, perhaps not so surprisingly, it's very heavily based on the Tollhouse cookie recipe. It's from the Emeril's website, but I actually found it through several blogs: The Crepes of Wrath, which linked to Erin's Food Files, which linked to Lovestoeat, which finally admitted where the recipe originated!

The recipe was exactly what I was looking for, although I will admit that trying to stir 3 cups of flour into a resistant batter by hand was NO FUN. Gosh, I miss my KitchenAid stand mixer! One major change I think I'll implement next time: Use a bigger pan. The 9x9" pan makes very tall blondies, almost cakelike in their stature. I think a 13x9" pan would make a more brownie-like blondie.

Daring Bakers: Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

2009-03-28T21:31:00.001-04:00

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was to make a lasagne with fresh spinach pasta. I was intrigued when I first read the challenge, but also a little scared. I mean, I had never made pasta before. And my history with lasagne always involved no-boil dried noodles and plastic tubs of ricotta cheese. This lasagne had neither. So in order to cut down a little on the stress, I ordered a Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine and a motor to go on the side.

For the ragu and bechamel, I went with the recipes that Mario Batali has in his book, Molto Italiano. The ragu was the first I had ever made, and I cheated and made it two days before I assembled the lasagne, hoping the flavor would continue to develop in the refrigerator. Then, this evening, I finally hunkered down and made the pasta dough. It actually wasn't that bad (except for the kneading thing), but next time I'm going to use my new breadmaker to make the dough. The pasta roller was super easy to use, especially since it was motorized, which made it much easier to thread the pasta through and catch it out of the bottom when you're single in the kitchen.

Everything came together really well, and even though I don't like pasta, I took a large helping to try. The pasta was amazing...soft, tender, and nothing like the reconstituted dried noodles that I normally use. The rest of the sauces I wasn't a huge fan of. I'm more of a ricotta and tomato sauce girl. But it was definitely a fun experience, and I'm looking forward to using my pasta machine again, maybe for fettuccine this time.

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

Fresh From the Oven...Err...Breadmaker

2009-03-21T23:20:00.003-04:00

Today I splurged and bought myself the Zojirushi Mini Breadmaker. Yes, it was very expensive. Yes, it only makes a 1-pound loaf. But what a loaf! This is my first breadmaker, and I'm smitten. The smell of freshly baking bread just makes everything seem not so bad. Who really cares if the stock market is in the toilet? I have fresh baked bread!
I was hesitant about breadmakers after reading all the horrendous reviews on Amazon for all of the other brands. Paddles coming off while mixing. Unmixed flour speckling the dough. Machines dying after 3 loafs of bread. I was scared. Maybe the day of the breadmaker had not yet come. But then I realized the same company that made my immortal rice maker also makes breadmakers, and I was sold.

My first loaf was a regular white bread, just to try the machine out. It took three hours to complete the cycle, but the loaf was tall and perfectly cooked. The inside was soft and begging for butter. I literally had bread and butter for dinner.

Magnificent Monkey Cake

2009-02-15T23:13:00.000-05:00

While doing a cookbook review of The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, I came across the recipe for Monkey Cake. Basically a hummingbird cake at heart, Amy's Bread adds some banana to the recipe to make it a little more interesting. And despite the fact that there's only one of me to slowly snack on such a confection, I knew I had to try it.

The cake was actually really easy to make, but when I got to the icing, I was stopped short. The recipe in the book called for making fondant from scratch (including a mandatory overnight resting period). I'm more of an instant gratification person, but I also do not have my big expensive Cuisinart food processor here in NJ with me, so I knew the fondant icing was definitely not going to work. Instead I went with my mother's recipe for cream cheese icing from her carrot cake recipe, and it worked just fine. It's definitely a cake I will make again.

Zesty Lemon Bars

2009-02-08T21:11:00.004-05:00

Since it was actually relatively warm today (mid-50's is warm, right?), I wanted a little something that would keep the feeling of impending springtime. What I picked were the Zesty Lemon Bars from the book The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, full of delicious sugary goodies from the bakery of the same name in New York.

Since I only have a teeny tiny food processor, I had to make the crust in two batches, and it didn't entirely come together in that tiny space, but I went with it. Once it had baked up, I poured the lemon filling over the top. Since my oven is crooked and not installed properly, the filling was of course crooked, but I went with it. The recipe says that you shouldn't let the lemon filling brown, but frankly, it was either that or raw egg.

Once the bars had cooled, I cut them and tried them. They're very tart and bright, but not so much that you're sucking your lips from the sourness. The base is actually pretty good, too. This recipe also tastes almost exactly like the box lemon bar mix you can find at the store, minus the preservatives.

TWD: World Peace Cookies

2009-02-03T19:25:00.003-05:00

After seeing so much hype for these cookies, I was happy to see them come up in the rotation so I would have an excuse to try them for myself. Since they needed to chill for at least three hours, I made the dough last night. I was honestly thinking they weren't going to turn out at all since the "dough" was so incredibly crumbly, it was more like a crumb topping than a cookie dough. After some kneading and prodding, I finally managed to get it into a log formation wrapped in plastic wrap. And yes, I resisted the urge to add an egg.

Tonight I took the dough out and cut the 1/2" slices. The dough crumbled a bit, but I mushed it together into slices and baked them up. I only ended up with 18 cookies, half the amount the recipe indicated, but I also made my log regular cookie size. I can only assume the original recipe makes tiny little cookies, about an inch wide.

The outcome? The cookies are good, kinda sandy, not too sweet. But bringers of world peace? I still vote for the traditional chocolate chip cookie, warm out of the oven.

Daring Bakers: Tuiles

2009-01-29T22:14:00.003-05:00

This is the first time that I have ever made tuiles, and I've got to say, I'm not impressed. I know that this month we were supposed to make something light after the overindulgence of the holidays, but these were pretty tasteless and blah. Oh, and I didn't have an expensive tuile stencil, so I could never get mine thin enough to be really crunchy once they cooled. Plus, they seem to be just a side show for whatever you put in them. I think these are a pass from now on, but on the other hand, the berries I managed to find were absolutely fantastic!

This month's blurb:

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

TWD: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

2009-01-27T20:28:00.002-05:00

When I first got a look at this recipe, I was a little concerned. Among the cooking instructions are statements like: "Don't be concerned if the cake has domed and cracked - it will settle down as it cools" and "The edges of the cake might be quite brown, but don't fret - you can trim them after you ice the cake". I have to say that this is the first cake I've ever made where the author tells you up front that it's going to fall and burn. Always a good sign.

For the chopped chocolate, I went the lazy way and used Ghirardelli chocolate chips. In order to keep the cake edible, I turned the oven down a little bit, to around 300F. I also kept a hawk's eye on it to make sure that it got pulled out the second the middle finally cooked through. I honestly think that this cake should probably go in a 10" round cake pan so that the middle has time to cook before the edges burn. You could also use some of those baking strips that you wet and circle the pan with before cooking to keep the heat down on the edges.

The cake smelled so good when I pulled it out of the oven, I decided to skip the icing. Really, unless you have kids or a really strong sweet tooth, the icing isn't even needed. The cake itself turned out pretty well, slightly sweet, very spicy, and the chocolate chips added the right touch. I'm actually pretty pleased with the result, but I think the baking directions need some reworking.

The Best Brownie?

2009-01-23T12:27:00.002-05:00

About two months ago I bought a cookbook called Baked, the recipes from a bakery in Brooklyn with the same name. Everything looked stunning, but when I got to the recipe for The Baked Brownie, I knew I had to try it. This brownie has been lauded by everyone it seems, including Oprah and the Today show. I even ordered a special box of Valrhona cocoa powder to use.

The brownies were pretty easy to make (as long as you keep yourself from overmixing), and they baked up exactly as written. They have even stayed moist for several days, covered, which is something no other brownie I know of has managed. On the down side, they have a whole lot of bad (five eggs, two cups of sugar, and almost 3/4 pound chocolate), so they're also pretty good at inducing guilt.

And the taste? I will admit they are pretty rich. My coworkers loved them. But having tried Ghirardelli's recipe for brownies also, these don't seem that much more spectacular. With all the hoopla, I was, frankly, expecting a mind-blowing experience. Without the hoopla, yeah, these are pretty good brownies.

Daring Bakers: French Yule Log

2009-01-20T10:42:00.003-05:00

When I first saw this recipe come up in the December rotation, I almost choked on the food I was eating. The recipe, including variations, is somewhere around twelve pages long. It is the longest, most involved, ridiculous item I have ever made. This cake took around fifteen hours and a year off my life. It used something in the neighborhood of a carton of eggs, a carton of heavy cream, and four chocolate bars.

The cake itself has six different parts that must be separately made from scratch, layered in a pan to create an amazing showpiece that you would normally only find in the best restuarants. And I acknowledge that it is an achievement to complete. Too bad I only just now actually had time to complete it, what with all the holiday hurrying and driving to Texas, and don't get credit for completing the December challenge.

The six layers of the cake are: a creme brulee insert, a praline cookie insert, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache layer, almond dacquoise biscuit layer, and a robe of chocolate on the outside. I made the almond biscuit first, then moved on to the praline cookie insert. I followed an included recipe for lace cookies to go in the insert, but they half-burnt, half-didn't cook, so I barely got enough for the layer. The creme brulee didn't work as the recipe said (after an hour in the oven it wasn't even close to set), but after a higher temperature was used, it finally came together. Then I proceeded to let it fall out of the freezer, and it tried to jump out of its container onto the floor. Luckily I once again salvaged enough to make the cake. The chocolate mousse had many more steps than ones I have made in the past, and I think I would recommend Ghirardelli's recipe instead. By the time I got to the ganache, I was so happy for its simplicity. I had to make the icing the next day because at that point, I was so sick at looking at this cake that I wanted to throw it at something.

I finally got to taste my creation last night, and guess what? It's so rich, it actually made me sick to eat it. This one's going to get a pass for the rest of eternity. At least the picture's pretty. Oh, and here's the dedication for December's pick:

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

TWD: Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

2009-01-13T21:33:00.004-05:00

There seems to be a lot of cornbread in my life recently, so I wasn't the least bit surprised when these muffins came up in the TWD rotation. They actually sounded pretty good, especially since I enjoy jalapeno pepper with just about anything that can be made Southwestern-ish. Unfortunately these muffins came after the best cornbread I've ever had, so I can't give them their due, but they were pretty good. Colorful and pretty good.

A Better Chocolate Cupcake

2009-01-11T14:20:00.003-05:00

I was going to go back and post this with the original TWD chocolate cupcake post, but it's so incredibly delicious, it deserves its own. This chocolate cupcake was a flop-a-rama better recipe for the post found here, and it certainly worked out. The cupcake was tender, and the icing was sweet, and overall the cupcake was incredibly rich. The recipe came from Chockylit's now defunct Cupcake Bakeshop, and amazingly, it also called for a peanut butter center! I can only imagine. Happily, Chockylit has started blogging again, and her new blog, i dream of dessert, is here. Enjoy!

The Last Pie

2008-12-25T22:28:00.002-05:00

Sorry, Dad, but this is the last pumpkin pie until next Fall. Mom has officially closed the season. At least at your house she has. ::evil laughter::

TWD: Real Butterscotch Pudding

2008-12-23T10:41:00.001-05:00

Wildwood Restaurant Butterscotch Pudding

Okay, so maybe I'm a little behind the times, but I honestly didn't know that real butterscotch pudding actually had Scotch in it. Really. So when I got to this week's recipe, I was a little surprised, but pleasantly so. Unfortunately it involved me going to the local liquor store and asking for a travel size Scotch, which made the owner look at me like I was definitely an alcoholic. The perils of cooking!

I made Dorie's recipe, fingers crossed that this one really would turn out, trying not to relive the rice pudding fiasco. And sure enough, it did turn out. Only it was eggy and pasty, and the Scotch killed every other flavor the pudding might ever have had. At this point I wasn't sure what to do. Maybe it really was supposed to taste like that. Maybe that's really butterscotch pudding. But then I got my butt back online and found a recipe that not only had Scotch, but also BUTTER.

Yes, real BUTTER-SCOTCH. And, after clarifying a minor detail about how to make the thing actually set, it was soooo stunning. It's so rich, you almost want to serve it in shot glasses instead of parfait glasses. The recipe originally appeared in the December 2002 edition of Bon Appetit magazine, but I found it on epicurious.com. It's the recipe for a pudding served at the Wildwood Restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Butterscotch Pudding

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
2 tablespoons Scotch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Remove from heat. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir until smooth. Set caramel sauce aside.

Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in caramel sauce.

Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk 1 cup warm caramel mixture into yolks. Gradually whisk yolk mixture back into caramel mixture in saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Gradually whisk in butter, Scotch, and vanilla. Make sure the mixture thickens again before pouring into parfait glasses.

Divide pudding among 8 parfait glasses. Chill until cold, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Other Christmas Goodies

2008-12-22T21:28:00.002-05:00

It is nearly Christmas, therefore I must bake cookies. It's like a law of the universe. It cannot be violated. And no, the linzer sables and the sugar cookies do NOT fulfill the quota. Luckily I had Martha and Betty to help. Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker to be exact.

First I need to digress and drool over Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook. If you don't have it, you need to go buy it. I remember my mom had something similar when I was little, and I would spend hours staring at all the amazing little things that fell under the heading "cookie". It was better than any Nancy Drew novel. So like I said, go buy it.

The cookie I chose from Martha's book were the ones on the cover, the Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread cookies. And boy, did they deliver. The fresh ginger really gave them a jolt, but the chocolate kept them creamy and soft. So good. These will now be in permanent rotation.

Betty Crocker helped me cheat a bit. Hey, making this many cookies is a chore! Her recipe for Crisp Chocolate-Espresso Ribbon cookies called for Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix (surprise, surprise), but you also add almonds (seeing a trend here?) and chocolate covered espresso beans. The end result was surpringly decadent. And I also got the plus of making my whole kitchen smell like a Starbucks. And we know that's never a bad thing. The recipe can be found here.

Luscious Bacon-Topped Cornbread

2008-12-20T21:47:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of cornbread. Mainly it's because I'm lazy, and I like a bread that can be made in one bowl without any associated wrestling or beatings. Cornbread is just so simple. It's so pioneer-days. It's so earthy. And I thought my sour cream cornbread was awesome, but now I have been shamed.

I found a little recipe in the Bread Baker's Apprentice, a book by Peter Reinhart. The man claimed that this particular cornbread recipe was the best he had ever had. That's saying a lot coming from a man that eats, sleeps, and dreams bread. Well, he actually already won me over when I saw that bacon fat was involved, but still.

Being that I was visiting my parents in East Hicksville, Texas, I could not find any coarsely ground corn (dried polenta), so I had to settle for the regular old cornmeal. It didn't seem to make a difference one bit. And soaking the cornmeal in the buttermilk really softened the bread and kept it from having that grainy texture so many cornbreads get. And I admit that I only soaked the cornmeal for something like three hours, not overnight. Hey, decisions are made on the fly in my mom's house. There's no time for a multiple-day recipe.

Have I mentioned the bacon fat? Yes, the entire pan is coated in bacon fat, and then the batter gets poured on top. And then crumbled bacon is poured on top of that. I think bacon is just one of those things that makes everything savory taste better. And maybe some sweet things.

TWD: Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

2008-12-09T21:20:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm going to admit something here that will probably scandalize my mother. I HATE sugar cookies. No, not the big soft cookies with the fancy large-grain sugar sprinkled on top. I'm talking about the thin, tasteless cookies of Christmases past, that I gleefully gooked up with canned frosting when I was a kid. Now that I'm past the sugar-rush age, they just don't do it for me. But I'm a sport, so I figured I'd try Dorie's. But I'm also lazy, so no cute cut-outs of Rudolph frolicking with Santa's sleigh.

I decided to make these roll cookies, but since it IS the holidays, I broke down and bought some green and red sugar for the edges. I also tested my brand new silicon mats for the cookie sheets, and damn, why didn't I find those before?? I don't even need a spatula anymore.

The cookies themselves turned out exactly as I expected: tasteless and hard. My dad loved them, though. Go figure. But as soon as I find a good soft doughy sugar cookie recipe, you can bet it's getting posted.

An Almond Treat

2008-12-06T20:05:00.003-05:00

I love the taste of almond, especially almond extract added into baked goods, but it seems to be a flavor that isn't often used anymore. And as for almond paste, I can honestly say I've never used it. So when I saw the recipe for Almond, Apricot, and White Chocolate Decadence Bars, I knew I had to try them. And they turned out much more flavorful and rich than I would have expected for a Betty Crocker recipe. The original can be found here. Some issues I had: don't cook the sugar cookie base too long, or it gets really dark by the end; the almond paste is pretty dry, so a regular electric mixer doesn't really cut it, but if you have a KitchenAid with paddle attachment, it might work better; all of the white chocolate chips don't necessarily melt with just the heat of the hot cream, I had to heat the whole thing a little longer.

Almond, Apricot, and White Chocolate Decadence Bars

Cookie Base:

1 pouch sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg, slightly beaten

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) can almond paste

1/2 cup sugar

1 (6-ounce) package dried apricots, finely chopped

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

Topping:

1 (11-ounce) bag Ghirardelli white baking chips

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 375F. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Spread dough in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until set. Cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat almond paste and sugar with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly but blended. Add apricots; beat on low speed just until combined. Add cream cheese, eggs, and the lemon juice; beat on medium speed until well blended. Pour over warm cookie base. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Cool 30 minutes.

Place baking chips in small bowl. In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream just to boiling over low heat, stirring occasionally; pour over baking chips. Let stand 1 minute. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Pour and spread over filling. Sprinkle with almonds. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until set.

TWD: Linzer Sables

2008-12-02T21:09:00.001-05:00

I was really excited to see this recipe come up in the rotation because, frankly, I'm in love with the linzer cookies at la Madeleine. They're so delicate and beautiful, and they have such a cute little peep hole in the middle. Perfectly frilly and fancy for the holidays. I didn't realize that they had ground almonds in them, but that just endeared them to me even more. What's better than almonds in baked goods? Almost nothing. Except butter. And maybe vanilla bean. But still, almonds rock.

For my linzer sables, I decided that I would forego the traditional strawberry or raspberry jam filling and go whole hog with...NUTELLA. Yes, that wonder of the spread world. That deliciousness in a jar. And it turned out just as wonderfully as I thought it would.

I'm not going to do a flop-proof recipe on this one since they actually turned out. Yay, linzer sables!

Daring Bakers: Caramel Cake

2008-11-29T11:22:00.000-05:00

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was a stunning caramel cake care of Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater. The recipe can be found here. Hosting this month was Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity, with cohosts Alex from Blondie and Brownie and Jenny of Foray into Food. Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go assisted with the alternative recipes.

The recipe this month was a little vague in some areas, especially for cooks that are a little more inexperienced in the kitchen. I managed to find my way through with minimal kitchen utensils, so it CAN be done. The caramel syrup was little trying and dangerous, but it turned out amazingly, and now I'm wishing I had some other things to drizzle it on. French toast? Ice cream? Apple tart?

I included some salt in my icing, and I think it really changed the flavor profile from something overly sweet and kind-of meh, to something exciting and interesting. It definitely perked up the cake. Too bad this recipe only makes a one-layer cake, as I can already tell this is going to be a popular dessert in my family.

TWD: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

2008-11-25T23:49:00.000-05:00

This week's recipe from Dorie Greenspan's book Baking: From My Home to Yours is Thanksgiving Twofer Pie, a timely sweet. Pumpkin pie is always high on my list this time of year, so I was more than willing to sample this take on the holiday favorite. Unlike the previous three recipes from Dorie's book, this one actually turned out. The only problem is that it turned out tasting eggy (there are two full eggs and two yolks in the recipe). In addition, the added rum completely killed any pumpkin flavor the pie might have had. And since the whole point of the pie is to taste the pumpkin, this one gets a pass from me.

For my better tasting recipe I went back to the recipe files for a family favorite. I have no idea where my mom got this recipe, but we clamor for it every year. It's full of pumpkin flavor, but still has that crunchy pecan topping. It's the best of both worlds.

Pecan Glazed Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs
1 (15-ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
Pecan Glaze

Prepare piecrust for one-crust pie using 9-inch pie pan. Preheat oven to 425° F.

Beat eggs lightly in bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients in order given. Pour into piecrust. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 F. Reduce temperature to 350 F; bake for 20 minutes longer. Remove from oven and crumble pecan mixture over top of baked pie. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Pecan Glaze

¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup pecan pieces
¼ cup butter, melted

In small bowl combine all ingredients.

TWD: Arborio Rice Pudding

2008-11-18T22:34:00.000-05:00

I love rice pudding. Which is strange, because I don't really remember having it when I was a child. In fact, I think I remember my mom making it one time, and I didn't want to try it. What a waste. So, needless to say, I was pretty excited when I saw rice pudding on the TWD monthly list. Plus, it wasn't technically a baked good, some maybe it would actually turn out. Boy, was I wrong.

I think I've been cooking long enough in my life now that I can look at a recipe and get a feel for it. I looked at this rice pudding recipe, and it yelled trouble. First, it calls for 1/4 cup of Arborio rice, which is parboiled in 2 cups of water, drained, and then simmered in almost 4 cups of milk. That's an awful lot of liquid for a little 1/4 cup of rice, even if it's Arborio. And then there's the issue of the milk boiling away over direct heat. Last time I checked, you NEVER cook milk over direct heat because it loves to do something called BURN. But I ignored all the little signs telling me not to waste my ingredients and plowed ahead.

The recipe itself takes about an hour to make, most of which is spent checking the pudding every ten minutes. And guess what? It still burns on the bottom. After the requisite time spent bubbling away, I took it off the heat. It looked pretty soupy to me, but dear Dorie says it will thicken. So I decided to believe her. I put the pudding in the refrigerator and left it there for an entire day, because I figured it needed as much thickening time as possible. Guess what? It was still soupy when I took it out. And there was too much vanilla flavor - it killed every other thing. I declare this recipe a FLOP.

For a better, easier, tastier recipe, I turned to the good folks at Gourmet once again. In fact, their rice pudding was so incredibly easy, it's almost shocking. No standing at the stove for an hour. Just mix, bake, and eat. The recipe comes from the December 2007 magazine, but I found it on epicurious, and made my changes. The vanilla flavor in particular is more subtle and doesn't overpower the dish.

Rice Pudding

2 cups whole milk
8 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup Arborio rice
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp heavy cream
Ground cinnamon, to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, combine milk, sugar, and nutmeg. Pour into a casserole dish. Sprinkle rice even over the milk. Carefully slide casserole dish into the oven. Bake for approximately an hour, or until very little liquid is left in the dish, and the skin that has formed over the top is golden brown. Cool casserole dish on a rack.

When cooled, peel the skin off the top of the pudding. Add vanilla and cream, and stir in. Spoon into individual dishes, and serve cool or chilled, sprinkled with cinnamon. Makes 4 small servings or 2 large ones.

TWD: Flop-a-rama

2008-11-14T23:04:00.001-05:00

Since everything I've made out of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours has been a flop, I've decided to start blogging the flop recipe, then a recipe that actually results in something you'd want to eat. The updates will be made to the pumpkin muffins and chocolate cupcakes, and going forward they will automatically be included. But gosh, what a waste of ingredients.

Warm Banana Bread

2008-11-02T11:04:00.002-05:00

There's a special banana bread recipe that I absolutely love, and when it starts getting cold outside, I start wanting to make it. It originally came from Southern Living magazine, but I found a small but crucial mistake. In the recipe it states that you should use two 8x4" loaf pans, but if you do that, your bread tries to overflow the edges. In addition, by the time the center is cooked, the outside is practically burnt. Not exactly good. So of course you have to use THREE 8x4" loaf pans, and then it turns out perfectly. I also added a half of a cup of sour cream to ensure it's nice and moist.

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (1 1/4 pounds unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add sour cream and mix in.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loafpans.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Daring Bakers: Tossing Pizza

2008-10-30T21:02:00.007-04:00

For this month's Daring Bakers challenge, we were tasked with making our own pizza dough from a recipe by Peter Reinhart. I'm not a big pizza person, but I'll eat just about anything that's homemade. The recipe itself takes two days to make, so you can't be in a hurry. I had a little trouble finding instant yeast at my local store, but I finally settled on some Rapid Rise yeast, which is supposedly the same thing. Last night I made up my sticky dough balls, putting one in the refrigerator and the other five in the freezer for later.

This evening I pulled my dough ball out of the fridge two hours before cooking time and flattened in into a disk. When it came time to make the pizza, I tossed it slightly, but it didn't take much to stretch the dough. I pressed it lightly into the pan and topped it with sauce, baby bella mushrooms, luganiga sausage, and a mixture of Italian cheeses, including mozzarella, parmesan, and romano. Then into the 500F oven it went.

I kept waiting for it to start puffing up, but it never did. It remained stubbornly flat. It didn't even brown around the edges. I had followed the instructions to the T, and made sure that the yeast was fresh, but it just didn't activate I guess. It's too bad, because otherwise the pizza was delicious, especially when topped with a little chopped fresh basil.

Update: It appears that almost everyone's pizza was thin, especially in the middle. Next time, larger portions for thicker dough.

TWD: Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

2008-10-29T00:44:00.005-04:00

I love anything with chocolate, so this week's recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie (Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes) made me especially happy. These cooked up perfectly, and the icing was an absolute snap. I decided to dip the tops, versus using a knife, and I think it made for a much more professional presentation. The only problem came when I went to taste the cupcakes. They were dry and tasteless, and there wasn't enough frosting to really make it a good cupcake. I've had much better, and the fact that I couldn't give them away at work means they get a fail.

Pumpkin + Chocolate = Love

2008-10-27T00:01:00.005-04:00

I'm a big fan of everything chocolate. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. Chocolate and peanut butter. Chocolate and orange. Chocolate and chili pepper. But I hadn't seen any chocolate with pumpkin, at least not until recently. Then a delicious pumpkin cake with mini chocolate chips caught my eye over at The Recipe Girl's blog. I knew in that moment that I just had to have it. And none of this whole wheat flour. I wanted the full naughty experience, fluffy white all-purpose flour and all. Absolutely delicious. The rest is going to work with me tomorrow, as there is no way I could finish an entire 11x13" cake. Although I might be inclined to try...

TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

2008-10-22T23:53:00.007-04:00

Well, it's fall. And fall means cold nights, frost on my car in the morning, bags of apples at the grocery store, and pumpkin everywhere. It means cinnamon brooms by the door of the grocery store that make the whole place smell like spices. Getting into the spirit of the season means making at least a couple things out of pumpkin, and I am more than pleased to oblige, since I love pumpkin.

For Tuesdays with Dorie, we were assigned Pumpkin Muffins from the book Baking: From My Home to Yours. I followed the recipe to the letter with the exception of some raisins, and the batter tasted delicious. I anxiously waited for the finished product. Look gorgeous, don't they? Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The muffins turned out dry, dense, and tasteless. It's like all the spice was sucked out in the oven. I didn't bother taking them to work since they would just reflect poorly on me.

Update: Now that I'm going to be finding and making a better recipe for every flop in the magnificent Dorie's book, here's the one for pumpkin muffins. I found the recipe on smittenkitchen, and they turned out just as moist and tender as I always expect muffins to be. The recipe originally came from the November 2006 Gourmet magazine, Letters section, where the recipe in turn was provided by the American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree (unflavored canned pumpkin is fine)
1/3 cup oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR 1/2 tsp cinnamon plus 1/4 tsp ground ginger plus 1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon plus 1 tbsp sugar for topping OR unsalted sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350F. Put liners in cups of a muffin pan. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spice, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. If desired, stir together cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture or sunflower seeds. Bake until slightly browned and wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack to cool.