Well curl my carrot

Confession time.  I don’t like carrot cake.  It’s just not my thing.  Which is a shame because any baker worth her weight in cream cheese frosting has a great carrot cake recipe up her sleeve.

Knowing that my baking repertoire was lacking, I began my search for a carrot cake recipe.  I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the whole enterprise until I ran across a recipe for candied carrot curls.

What?  A candied vegetable?  Weird!  But totally intriguing.   These I had to make.

While they took some patience (long and low bake time on the back end), they were easy, really fun and made a unique and kind of sexy garnish for my carrot cake cupcakes.

As a note on the actual carrot cake recipe, it must be a good one because they were a hit at our annual townhouse association picnic. Well, full disclosure:  the group was deep into a serious batch of moscow mules by the time dessert was served so they probably would have liked anything that point.

Carrot Cupcakes with Candied Carrot Curls

Source: Epicurious

makes 12 cupcakes

for the candied carrot curls

Ingredients

  • 1 large or two medium carrots (try to find fat ones)
  • 1 C water
  • 1 C sugar

Directions

  1. Peel carrot(s).  Discard outer peelings.
  2. Peel layers from carrot lengthwise on one side with a peeler until you begin to get wide strips.  Peel wide strips until you get about 15.  Set aside.
  3. Bring water and sugar to boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved.  Add wide carrot strips and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.
  4. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.  Discard syrup and let stand for 15 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Position rack in middle of oven.
  6. Line a baking sheet with nonstick liner or parchment.
  7. Arrange carrot slices flat in 1 layer on sheet.
  8. Bake until dry but still flexible, about 30 minutes.  Leave oven on.
  9. Wind carrot strips, one at a time around the handle of a wooden spoon in a loose spiral.  Then, slip off each curl and return, seam sides down to lined baking sheet.
  10. Return curls to oven to dry until crisp, about 60 minutes.
  11. Cool completely.

For the cupcakes

Ingredients

  • 4 medium carrots
  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 3/4 C grape seed oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 C packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line muffin cups with paper liners (I like to double line mine).
  2. Coarsely grate enough carrots to measure 2 cups using large teardrop holes of a box grater or food processor.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl, set aside.
  4. Whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar, grated carrots, and vanilla in a large bowl, then stir in flour mixture until just combined.
  5. Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
  6. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on rack, about 1 hour more.

For frosting

note: the original recipe calls for a really great looking icing.  I opted to use a frosting.  Click for the original icing recipe.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened (you can use full fat but this recipe is so rich that I prefer to use the lightened version)
  • 2 C sifted confectioner’s sugar
  • 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

  1. Using a standing mixer or electric hand mixer, beat together butter and cream cheese.
  2. Add-in half of the confectioner’s sugar and, with the speed on low, mix-in.  Ad the other half and mix-in on low until just combined.
  3. Add-in vanilla.  Increase speed to medium and beat until combined and fluffy.
  4. Frost cupcakes as desired, topping with candied carrot curls.
  5. Note:  if your kitchen is hot and the frosting is overly soft, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes before frosting cupcakes.

All tarted up, no place to go

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I’ve had stuff to do.

While this recipe is not difficult in the least, it does involve multiple phases.  So while I was in the kitchen making madeleines I figured I’d add a tart to the mix.

Pastry cream is a wonderful thing to have on hand.  Endlessly useful and easy to make if you’re vigilant with a whisk.  I found it useful to sing Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off while whisking away.  Also, it might be a good idea to double the recipe.  At least in my household, pastry cream has an odd way of disappearing.

Sweet tart dough is also great to have on hand.  You can make it ahead, press it into the tart pan and freeze tightly wrapped several days in advance.  If you don’t mind a little danger in your life, it could also be frozen post-bar if wrapped carefully with the bottom metal disk still attached.  Be sure to store it flat.

Dorie asserts, and I agree, a darker golden crust is far superior to the anemic barely baked variety.  I actually prefer mine bordering on burned.  But, I realize I’m not the only one eating so coppertone tan is where its at.

While I used berries for this tart, the possibilities are many depending on what looks good at the market.

This would be a fantastic dessert for a dinner party.  It looks fancy and can be made well in advance.

Quick Classic Berry Tart

Dorie Greenspan, Baking from my Home to yours

For the pastry cream

This recipe has three parts, the pastry cream, the tart shell and then assembly.

Ingredients

  • 2 C whole milk
  • 6 large egg yolks (save the whites for macarons)
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1/3 C cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 TBS unsalted butter, cut into bits, at room temp.

Directions

  1. In a smal saucepan, bring the milk to boil.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended.
  3. Once the milk is at a boil, remove from the heat and, while whisking the sugar mixture, drizzle-in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk to temper the eggs.
  4. Continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk.  Put the pan over medium eat and, while whisking continuously and vigorously, bring the mixture to a boil.   Keep it at a boil while whisking for 1-2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.
  5. Whisk in the vanilla.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky.
  6. Scrape cream into the bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal.  Refrigerate the cream until cold.

For the tart shell

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 9 TBS (1 stick + 1 TBS) unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg yolk

Directions

  1. In a food processor, add the confectioner’s sugar and salt. Pulse a couple of times to combine.
  2. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in (you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.
  3. In a small bowl, stir the yolk to break it up.  Then, add to flour mixture a little at a time, processing in long, 10 second pulses in between each add until the dough forms clumps and curds.
  4. Turn the dough onto a work surface and very slightly knead the dough just to incorporate any stray dry ingredients.
  5. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
  6. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan using all but a little piece of the dough (save to fix any cracks that form later).
  7. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.  Can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen a couple of days in advance.
  8. To bake, center rack in oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
  9. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down tightly against the crust.
  10. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
  11. Carefully remove the foil.  If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.
  12. Bake for another 8 minutes or until the shell is firm and a nice golden brown.

To assemble

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet tart shell fully baked and cooled
  • 1 1/2 C pastry cream (I used the whole batch because this stuff is delicious)
  • 2 pints fresh berries, grapes, stone fruit, kiwis or just about any fruit that will not turn brown when cut.
  • 1/2 C orange marmalade (the original calls for red currant but I like that the marmalade turns fairly transparent when melted.

Directions

  1. Smooth the pastry cream by whisking until smooth.
  2. Spoon enough of the pastry cream into the cooled shell to come to almost the top of the rim.  Smooth using an off-set spatula.
  3. Lay the berries and/or other fruit on top of the cream in any desired pattern.
  4. Bring marmalade to boil with 1 tsp water.  Using a pastry brush, gently glaze the surface of the fruit.

 

 

I’ve got your vacation RX

First things first, my camera died halfway through this cake.  So, this post and most likely several posts to come will be brought to you by iPhone.

Second, I’m continuing my love affairs with Dorie.

Between renovations, summer teaching and TD’s general “hey I run a production company out of our house,” we somehow forgot to plan a summer vacation.  I definitely don’t recommend this.  In fact I am a strong advocate for maxing-out vacation time on an annual basis.

Alas, aspirations and reality sometimes don’t meet up.

But I’ve got a cure in the form of coconut and lime.  I’m a sucker for  coconut and the acid in the lime is just what the doctor ordered to cut through the richness of the cake.

While you can’t really replace summer vacation with a cake, it’s not a bad way to suffer.

Coconut Tea Cake

Ingredients
  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 C canned unsweetened coconut milk (I used light…it worked great, just give it a good shake before opening and measuring)
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp dark rum (I used cachaca because neither TD or I drink rum and don’t have it in the house)
  • 1 C desiccated coconut
Directions
  1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add coconut and, using a rubber spatula stir constantly until coconut is toasted (this will only take a couple of minutes so don’t walk away).  Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-to10-inch (10-12 cup) Kugelhopf or Bundt pan, or use an unbuttered silicone pan.
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  4. Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan, add the butter and heat until the milk is hot and the butter melted. Remove from the heat, but keep warm.
  5. Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until pale, thick and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
  6. Beat in the vanilla and the rum.
  7. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and stopping just when the flour disappears.
  8. Keeping the mixer on low, add the coconut, mixing only until it is blended, then steadily add the hot milk and butter. When the mixture is smooth, stop mixing and give the batter a couple of turns with a rubber spatula, just to make certain that any ingredients that might have fallen to the bottom of the bowl are incorporated.
  9. Pour the batter into the pan and give the pan a few back-and-forth shakes to even the batter.
  10. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.

For Icing

Ingredients

  • 2 C confectioner’s sugar
  • Juice from 1-2 limes

Directions

  1. Add sugar to medium bowl.
  2. Drizzle-in juice from the first lime.
  3. Whisk until smooth adding additional juice until you get desired consistency.
  4. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Citrus and jasmine madeleines

My madeleine pan had been calling to me for months claiming it was lonely stacked up against the muffin tins.  So, on an early morning stroll through Dorrie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours I found some inspiration in her Earl Grey version.

As much as I love earl grey, its had a lot of air time on this blog and I thought it might be nice to give another tea the spotlight.  Years ago when people in the U.S. started drinking green tea, I did too.  There was just one problem–no matter how many mugfuls I downed, I couldn’t seem to acquire a taste for it.  It was too, well, green for my Western palate.  That is until I discovered Trader Joes jasmine green tea.   Who doesn’t love a tea that smells pretty?

This was a fun recipe to experiment with because Dorrie has you steep the tea in melted butter.  It also directs the baker to strain the tea out of the butter with cheesecloth before incorporating the other ingredients.  However, I liked the texture the tea added and so used a mesh strainer so that some of the leaves were left behind.

Much of the loveliness of jasmine tea lies in its fragrance.  So, I was uncertain that the fragrance would translate into flavor when baked.

I shouldn’t have worried.  The jasmine and citrus zest played together really well to create a subtle and unique flavor to the little cakes.

The only problem is that I that I couldn’t figure out a good compliment to serve these with…what kind of tea does one pair with tea flavored cookies?  Coffee?

Fun with the beast of yeast

Last week’s peanut butter and chocolate treats were so easy I felt the need to make up for it.  While my experience with yeasted doughs lies in the advanced beginner range, I find making bread deeply satisfying.

We spent a couple of weeks on breads in the course I took last summer and, with the exception of the supremely sticky brioche, the instructor insisted we hand kneed everything.  She wasn’t masochistic or even particularly old-school.  From a technique perspective, she thought being able to “feel” the dough was important.

So for this recipe, I left my Kitchenad and dough hook in the pantry and went hands on.  It didn’t hurt that with new quartz countertops I could actually work directly on the surface.

After 10 minutes or so, my arms were burning and I admit, I was sweating.  But I had dough.

Studded with raisins and walnuts, the dough nearly doubled during its first proof.

It then was divided, rolled into rectangles, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, rolled and left to proof again.

Proofing….proofing…

Because you can never have too much spiced sugar, a hearty layer went on top right out of the oven to create a crackly crust.

I found this cinnamon, crunchy, raisin, walnutty treat a challenge to have around the house and was grateful I had the good sense to freeze the second loaf as soon as it cooled.

Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Walnut  Bread

from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter Reinhart

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 C, 16 ounces unbleached bread flour
  • 4 tsp, .66 ounce granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp, .30 ounces salt
  • 2 tsp, .22 ounces instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 tsp, .16 ounces ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 tsp, .16 ounces ground cinnamon
  • 1 large egg, beaten slightly
  • 2 TBs, 1 ounce butter, melted
  • 1/2 C, 4 ounces buttermilk or whole milk at room temp (I used buttermilk)
  • 3/4 C, 6 ounces water at room temp
  • 1 1/2 C, 9 ounces raisins
  • 1 C, 4 ounces chopped walnuts
  • 1 large egg, beaten slightly
  • 2 TBs, 1 ounce butter, melted
  • 1/2 C, 4 ounces buttermilk or whole milk at room temp (I used buttermilk)
  • 3/4 C, 6 ounces water at room temp
  • 1 1/2 C, 9 ounces raisins
  • 1 C, 4 ounces chopped walnuts

If doing cinnamon swirl

  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 2 TBs ground cinnamon
  • 2 TBS butter (keep it in stick form for easier spreading)

Directions

  1. Stir together flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the egg, butter, buttermilk and water.  Stir together with a large spoon until the ingredients come together and form a ball.  Adjust with flour or water if the dough seems too sticky or too dry and stiff.
  3. Sprinkle flour on a work surface and transfer the dough to the counter.  Begin kneading.  The dough should be soft but pliable and tacky but not sticky.  Add flour as you knead if necessary to achieve this texture.  Knead by hand for approximately 10 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins for the last two minutes.  To know if the dough is ready, apply the windowpane test.  To do this, flour your fingers and pinch off about a 1/8 C of dough.  Using both hands, stretch the dough.  If you can stretch it enough to see through the dough without it breaking, you are good to go. If not, keep kneading.
  5. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to it, rolling it to coat entire ball of dough in oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it proof for about 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
  6. For swirl, mix together sugar an cinnamon.
  7. Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Roll each dough half into a 8X5 inch rectangle, about 1/3 inch thick.
  8. Sprinkle each half with 1/4 of the sugar mixture.
  9. Starting with the long edge, roll dough up into a tight roll, pinch the ends closed.
  10. Place each loaf into a lightly oiled 8.5X4.5 inch pan.  Mist the tops with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
  11. Proof at room temp for 60-90 minutes or until the dough crests the lip of the pan and is nearly double in size.
  12. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place oven rack in the middle of the oven.
  13. Place loaf pans on a sheet pans making sure they are not touching each other.
  14. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate pans 180 degrees for even baking and the bake for another 20-30 minutes.  The finished bread should register 190 degrees in the center and be golden brown on the top and lightly golden on sides and bottom.  The loaves should make a hollow sounds when thumped on the bottom.
  15. Immediately remove the breads from their pans.
  16. Rub 1 TBS butter over the top of each loaf and then sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon.  As the bread cools this will become a crust.
  17. Allow to cool for at least one hour before cutting and serving.

 

 

So easy I should be ashamed

It’s always disappointing when an anticipated cookbook doesn’t have that one recipe you were hoping for.  Objectively I understand the hook–leaving it out leaves room for a next cookbook in.

This was the case when the people at Lemonade left out the recipe for their nostalgic peanut butter and chocolate crispy rice treats.

Luckily, this fine country of ours is way too wedded to sweetened cereal treats for there not to be a couple dozen similar recipes floating around in the ether.

As the title of this post confesses, this recipe is really easy.

And, if you can believe it, I found a way to make it even easier.

Instead of dirtying another couple of dishes and melting the chocolate in a double boiler or even the microwave, just scatter the chips over your crunchies and pop the whole thing into a preheated oven for five minutes.

I feel like I should be ashamed of myself.  But I’m not.

These are a great summer picnic food.  Easy to throw together in the morning and by the time you’re ready to go, all you have to do is cut them up.

Peanut butter and dark chocolate crispy rice treats

Ingredients

  • 1 C light corn syrup
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 C peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, your choice)
  • 6 C crispy rice cereal
  • 12-20 ounces dark chocolate chips (in the pictures I used 20 ounces…just depends on how thick you want your chocolate layer)

Directions

  1. Cut parchment to fit a 9X13 inch baking pan.  Oil the pan and parchment lightly.
  2. In a large bowl, measure out cereal.  Set aside.
  3. In a small sauce pan, whisk together sugar and corn syrup until sugar is mixed-in (it will not dissolve).  Let simmer over medium heat until mixture boils.
  4. Remove from heat and add-in peanut butter.  Stir mixture until completely incorporated.
  5. Pour peanut butter mixture into rice cereal. Gently fold until all ingredients are incorporated.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. Turn mixture into prepared pan and evenly distribute until cereal meets the corners.  I find it useful to pack the cereal by rolling a coffee mug on its side across the surface.
  8. Sprinkle chocolate over entire surface of rice mixture.  Place pan in oven.  Set timer for 5 minutes.
  9. Using a knife or off-set spatula, smooth chocolate evenly over the surface.
  10. Allow chocolate to cool and harden completely.
  11. Cut and serve as desired.  These keep well–up to a week if covered in plastic.

 

When Pinterest gets ya

 

I’ll admit it, this is a Pinterest find.

It’s funny, for all the baking I do, I don’t spend very much time pursuing Pinterest for baking recipes.   Nope.  The vast majority of my Pinterest time is spent searching house blueprints.  And shoes.  And Vitamix recipes.  Even though I make the exact same protein smoothie every day.

But these I could not resist.  Oatmeal?  Butterscotch?  Yes please!

Now for a confession: I generally haven’t had much luck making oatmeal cookies.  It’s like I’m missing the oatmeal cookie gene.  Quick oats…regular oats…Irish oats…groats…doesn’t matter.  Instead of thick chewy wholesome treats, mine always spread.

So, using the skills I learned in baking class last summer I refrigerated the portioned-out dough over night.  My hope was that this would allow the oats to absorb some of the moisture while also chilling the butter to keep it from causing the dough to spread.

It worked pretty well.  I think there is still room from improvement (maybe smaller, thicker pucks of dough), but this is a delightful recipe with which to practice.

Chewy Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from Baker by Nature

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour (measured properly/not packed)
  • 1/2 C *quick cooking oats (not instant)
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 C butter (4 ounces), at room temp
  • 3/4 C packed light brown sugar
  • 2 TBS granulated sugar
  • 2 TBSs (not blackstrap)
  • 3 large egg yolks at room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 C butterscotch chips

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, whip the butter, sugars, and molasses on medium-high speed until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes.
  3. Add in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  4. Mix in vanilla.
  5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, beat on low until just combined; about 25 seconds.
  6. Fold in butterscotch chips.
  7. Using spoons or a scoop, portion out the dough into individual balls or half domes.  Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
  8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
  9. Using the flat bottom of a cup or mug, gently flatten each ball to between 1/4 and 1/8 inch disks (you may need to dip the glass or mug in sugar to keep the dough from sticking.
  10. Bake in preheated oven for 9 minutes, or until set at the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center.
  11. Allow cookies to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Deep dark chocolate bread

It took me a couple of tries to get this one right.

The first time I tried was last fall when I spent a weekend binge-baking recipes from Christina Tosi’s recently published Huckleberry cookbook.

The original recipes says it makes one loaf.  And even though I thought that single loaf pan was really, really, REALLY full, I went with it.  Luckily my spider sense told me to put a half sheet pan on the lower rack because there was a serious chocolate explosion in my oven.

I made a note to try two loaves the next time I played with the recipe.

Then several months passed and it wasn’t until recently that I was brave enough to risk having to scrub the inside of my oven.

Sure enough, this recipe was meant to make two loaves.  Total success!  My nickname for this cake is “bribe bread.”  If you need a favor from someone who likes chocolate, this will do the trick.

Chocolate Chocolate Teacake

slightly adapted from Zoe Nathan’s Huckleberry, Stories, Secrets and recipes from our Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 3/4 C/100 g pastry flour (can sub all purpose in a pinch)
  • 6 TBS/45 g all purpose flour
  • 6 TBS/30g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 C strong brewed coffee, cooled (I used espresso)
  • 1/2 C buttermilk at room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 C/ 300g coarsely chopped dark chocolate, 60-70% cacao
  • 1/2 C + 2 TBS/ 140 g unsalted butter, cubed at room temp
  • 1 C + 2 TBS/ 225 g sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 eggs at room temp

Directions

  1. Position a rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease 2 9X5 inch loaf pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
  3. Sift together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.
  4. Combine the coffee, buttermilk and vanilla.  Set aside.
  5. Melt 3/4 C (130 g) of the chocolate.
  6. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
  7. Incorporate the eggs one a a time, beating in between each.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl well.
  8. Pause mixer, add flour mixer and mix on low until just combined.
  9. Pour in the coffee mixture and mix on low until just combined.
  10. Fold in the melted chocolate.  Then fold in the remaining chopped chocolate.
  11. Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake for 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  12. Allow to cool completely before removing from pans.
  13. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

 

 

Rye and whiskey chocolate chip cookies

When I discovered that the secret ingredient in Sycamore Kitchen’s chocolate chip cookies was rye flour, my interest was piqued.  Rye is a sort of earthy grain, toothsome and rich.

It’s Don McLean who brought the whiskey to the rye party.

Don McLean has scored the soundtrack to my life at a couple different points.  As  kid, his American Pie album was the background music to many a summer road trip.  I can remember listening to Vincent as our green van trundled through the flat yellow fields of central California as we sought the cooler, greener destination of the redwoods in the North.

Then later, Don Mclean returned to my life when I was college student with his fraternity party anthem American Pie.  Though I’m sure this wasn’t Mr. McLean’s intention, American Pie was always played late in the night when it seemed everyone was lubricated enough to sing the song in its nearly 10 minute entirety.

I know you know where I’m going with this: “with the good ole boys drinking whiskey and rye singing this will be the day that I die.  This will be the day that I die.”

And so when I learned about using rye flour in baked goods, I could not divorce the notion from also using whiskey.  Luckily, someone else had the same idea and I didn’t have to experiment very much in my search for a whiskey and rye chocolate chip cookie recipe.  All I did was replace the chocolate chunks with chocolate disks (not “chocolate flavored” melting disks…but real, organic, bittersweet discs).  I also browned the butter.

I used Bushmills because it was near St Patricks Day when I first made these guys.  Use what you have…even if it’s bourbon or scotch.   This cookie is sophisticated and would pair well with a finger or two of its namesake, one ice cube.

Whiskey and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from The Bojon Gourmet

Ingredients

  • 8 TBS/4 ounces  unsalted butter, melted (browned if desired)
  • 1/2 C  dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 C granulated cane sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk at room temp
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 TBS whiskey
  • 3/4 C 2 TBS  rye flour
  • 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 C bittersweet chocolate disks (chopped chocolate would work just as well)
  • 3/4 C toasted pecans (optional–I meant to use but forgot to pick up)
  • flaky salt for sprinkling
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the rye and all-purpose flours, baking soda and sea salt.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the warm, melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
  3. Let cool to warm, then stir in the egg. Stir in the vanilla and rye, and set aside.
  4.  Stir the flour mixture into the butter/sugar/egg mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate and pecans.
  5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
  6. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325ºF.
  7. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease lightly with butter).
     Use two spoons or a 1/2 ounce scoop, scoop cookie dough, placing them 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. Top each ball with a tiny pinch of flaky salt.
  8. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until the edges are set and just beginning to color, 8-12 minutes.  Rotate the pans halfway through to ensure even baking. The cookies will look under-done, but will continue to cook from residual heat.
  9. Remove the baking sheets to cooling racks and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets (unless they are in danger of over-baking – in that case, sweep the cookies, parchment and all, onto cooling racks).
  10. When the cookies have cooled completely, store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.

She did WHAT with a banana?

Has this ever happened to you?

It’s a Tuesday night and you are snuggled-in watching Mad Men (I realize Mad Men is on Sunday nights but we generally don’t watch it until Tuesday or Wednesday).  Suddenly, you are struck by a deep, yearning and insatiable craving for banana bread.  You make a hopeful trip to the kitchen only to find that your secret freezer stash is tapped-out and none of the bananas in your fruit basket are ripe enough to be up to the task.

So what do you do?

You roast your bananas.  That’s what you do.

Somewhere, at some point, I came across a recipe that roasted the bananas before using them in banana bread.  It must have been one of those casual skips through the internet because I failed to save, mark or pin the article.  But, the idea stuck.

So, I did some research of my own, mixed and matched some recipes, added some toasted coconut and peanut butter chips and here is where I landed.

Elivs would be proud.

I don’t know that I can claim roasting your bananas makes a better banana bread.  But, it does make a good banana bread and solves the banana problem.

Should it.  You know.  Arise.

Oh, one more thing.  That first picture is false advertising.  Do not peel your bananas before roasting.  Leave them in the skin.  I made that mistake so won’t don’t have to.

Roasted Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium bananas
  • 6 tbs coconut oil, melted and cooled (but still liquid)
  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 C light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 large eggs at room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 C  yogurt (I didn’t have plain and so used honey)
  • 2/3 C toasted unsweetened coconut wide or narrow shredded plus a couple of tablespoons for topping
  • 2/3 C peanut butter chips (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the three bananas, unpeeled, evenly spaced, on the baking sheet. Bake the bananas for 10-15 minutes, until dark brown to almost black in color. Remove from oven and let cool, until ready to use.
  2. Maintain oven temperature and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  4.  In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and yogurt or buttermilk.
  5. Then add the roasted bananas by peeling them over the bowl, allowing both the banana and any juices to be combined with the egg mixture. Whisk well to combine.
  6.  Add the wet ingredients, all at once to the dry ingredients. Fold together until combined–do not over stir.
  7. Fold-in coconut and peanut butter chips.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Top with reserved coconut.
  9. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 15 minutes, before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. This freezes well when tightly wrapped.