Marie Antoinette got me thinking…

A few posts ago I made an indirect reference to a famous quote allegdly spoken by Marie Antoinette: let them eat cake.  I knew at the time that this saying was of dubious origin, and even dubious existence. But, it fit my theme and so I exercised my own creative license.  Whether Jean-Jacques Roussea, the author who claimed that Marie said what she said was telling the truth, the literal translation from French is actually: let them eat brioche.

So, not only did I mis-attribute a quote, but I misquoated the quote (well, the English language mis-interpreted the quote, I’m simply guilty by association).  To make amends for my own historical transgressions, I sentenced myself to an attempt at baking brioche.

In The Bread Bakers Apprentice, author and bread baker extraordinaire provides three brioche recipes of increasing “richness.”  Playing the role of a typical American, I chose the middle-class recipe.  Less butter but also (supposedly) easier to work with.

As a yeast levaned bread, brioche begins with a sponge: a little flour, some yeast and a little warm milk.

Which, if you make the middle-class version as I did, gets a slightly extended fermentation time of 30-45 minutes.

While your yeast is getting its feast on (see what I did there?),  the remaining ingredients get assembled: eggs, more bread flour, a little sugar, a little salt and, oh yeah, that which makes brioche, brioche–butter.

After  sponge has risen and falls (see the second picture), eggs are added.  If you are a rock star this can be done by hand.  Apparently I’m more of an easy listening girl and used the paddle attachment and a standing mixer.

In go the dry ingredients.

And finally, the butter, two tablespoons at a time.

Reinhart describes the dough at this stage as smooth and soft.  Well, mine was that, but it was also alarmingly sticky.  Into a greased dish, covered tightly and then rested in the fridge overnight.

When ready to make the bread, remove the dough from the fridge.  The first time I attempted to make brioche, I stopped here. After 12 hours of cooling and arrested fermentation time, the dough lost none of its stickiness.  And, when I attempt to roll-it, much of the dough stuck to my hands.  Thinking I failed, I tossed the whole thing out.  And started again.

The second time around, the dough came out the same.  So, I liberally dusted my hands with flour and then took a stab.  Ahha!  Success.  I decided to make briohes a tete (why yes, this does translate to how it looks).  Reinhart suggests that the mold be filled no more than half, so I made one to appropriate size, weighed it and then weighed-out the dough accordingly.  This recipe will make 12-16 1 1/2-2 ounces brioche a tetes.  My molds were smaller so the batch made about 2 dozen.  The idea is to work with cold dough.  So, either quickly form your balls or put the dough in the fridge and work in batches.

The tops get a misting of oil and then are covered loosely in plastic wrap where they proof for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the almost fill the mold.

Next comes a gentle egg wash and another 15-20 minutes of proofing.

Then, they finally go into a hot (400 degree) oven for 15-20 minutes until dark golden brown.  The rolls should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

They’re pretty in the mold but will stand up just as well naked.

While a true pastry chef would probably laugh at  the texture (the pockets should be larger), I don’t think it’s too shabby for a first try.  Let them eat cake, I’ll take this brioche.

Soundtrack

Wilco with Billy Bragg. California Stars reminds me of camping in the middle of the summer…a nice little bit of nostalgia for the middle of winter.

Middle-Class Brioches a Tete

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter Reinhart.  Ten Speed Press, Berkeley California.

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 1/2 C (2.25 ounces) unbleached bread flour
  • 2 tsp (.22 ounce) instant yeast
  • 1/2 C (2.25 ounces) wold milk lukewarm (90-100 degrees F)

Dough

  • 5 large (8.25 ounces) eggs, slightly beaten
  • 3 C (13.75 ounces) unbleached bread flour
  • 2 TBS (1 ounce) granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp (.31 ounces) salt
  • 1 C (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temp.
  • 1 egg, whisked until frothy, for wash
  1. To make the sponge, stir together the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a standing mixer).  Stir-in the milk until all flour is hydrated.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and ferment for 30-45 minutes or until the sponge rises and then falls when you tap the bowl.
  2. To make the dough, add the eggs to the sponge and whisk or mix using a paddle attachment until smooth.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt.  Add this mixture to the sponge and eggs and stir on low speed for about two minutes, until all the ingredients are hydrated and evenly distributed.  Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes (to get the gluten going).  On medium speed, gradually work-in the butter, about 2 tablespoons at-a-time, waiting until each addition assimilates before adding more.  Once all butter has been mixed-in, continue mixing for another 6 minutes or until the dough is very well mixed.  You will need to scrape-down the bowl from time to time because the dough will cling to the sides.  The dough will be very soft and smooth (and sticky).
  3. Line a sheet pan or casserole dish with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil.  Transfer the dough to the sheet pan, spreading it to form a large, thick rectangle measuring about 6 inches by 8 inches.  Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and cover the pan with plastic wrap.  Immediately put the pan/dish into the refrigerator and chill overnight.
  4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and shape it while it is very cold.  If it warms up or softens, return it to the fridge.  Divide the dough into 12-16 inch pieces for petite brioches a tete (if making 1 1/2 to 2 ounce rolls).  Shape each portion into two small balls of about a 1:3 ratio.  Place larger ball into a greased mold, make a slight indent on the top-center with your finger and place the smaller ball in the divit.
  5. Place the molds on a sheet pan, mist with oil spray and loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Proof the dough until it nearly fills the molds (1 1/2 to 2 hours).  Gently brush the tops with egg wash.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and proof a final 15-20 minutes or until the dough fills the molds.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the rack in the middle slot in the oven.
  7. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.  The internal temperature should read 180 degrees (I didn’t do this I just went by sight).  The bread should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and be golden brow.
  8. Remove brioches from the pans as soon as they come out of the oven and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Tickled pink

The month of January has always reminded me of grapefruit.  Never mind the fact that these global citrus beauties are in-season and criminally inexpensive at the grocery.  For me, the smell of grapefruit is the smell of a new year.  It is bright and lively but also slightly bitter and undeveloped around the edges…like something waiting to unfold.  The scent is a promise that the darkest part of the year is behind us and, if we wait patiently (well, in Southern California, we need be less patient that in other locals) new and delicate things wait just around the corner.

Which is why I thought it appropriate to start the year out with a triple grapefruit treat.

We’ll start with some candied grapefruit peel.  Unlike the heartier orange peels I made for the holidays, these are fine and curly.  For this, I braved my complicated and rather abusive relationship with the citrus zester.  Every time I use this baby, it asks for a piece of flesh as payment.  And this time was no different.

Finer strands of peel means significantly less boil time.

It also means that they emerge from their final syrup bath a bit like tangled spagetti.

These would be difficult to dip in chocolate, but the results are sculptural and perfect for the purposes at hand

Next up: ruby red grapefruit curd.

I’ve made citrus curd utilizing both a stainless saucepan as well as the non-stick variety.  For curd, where continuous whisking is a necessity, I have to admit that I prefer a non-stick pan.  It seems to temper the heat a little better and reduce the opportunity for burned curd.

And now on to the cake portion of this goodie.  Angel food cake is always fun to make and while I generally associate this confection with April and strawberries, I thought the texture would be perfect for what I had in mind.

Glossy and stiff egg whites are gently combined during the final steps along with a little grapefruit zest for good measure.

Airy and light you wouldn’t think something that went into the oven looking like this.

Would come out looking like this.

And now it’s time for the grapefruit hokey pokey.  Each little cake gets a divot.

That is filled with curd.

Then topped by a simple grapefruit icing and accessorized with candied grapefruit peel.

This is going to sound odd, but by the time I have planned-for, made and cleaned-up after whatever it is I’ve created, I’m generally not all that interested in eating it.  This is generally where TD comes in.  But.  I did taste these.

For photographic purposes of course.  And was really surprised at how lovely they are.  When baked, grapefruit mellows-out and can become very subtle.  So, the triple (well, quadruple) effect isn’t overpowering.  My tastebuds also enjoyed the contrast of textures and flavor tones (good lord…did I just say that?)–creamy, springy, crunchy, sweet and puckery.

Soundtrack

P!nk.  Of course!

Triple-Quadruple Grapefruit Cupcakes

Recipe credits: Grapefruit Curd, adapted from Sunset Magazine, May 2009; Angel Food Cupcakes adapted from Cooking Light, September 2006

Makes 18 assembled cupcakes

Ingredients

  • Candied citrus peel (reduce final syrup stage to 10-20 minutes and adjust ingredients as needed for amount of zest making)

For Curd

  • 1/2 C freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
  • 1/2 C butter
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 8 large egg yolks

For Cupcakes

  • 1/2 C cake flour, sifted
  • 3/4 C powdered sugar
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp grated grapefruit zest

For Icing

  • 2 C powdered sugar
  • 2 TBS-1/4 C grapefruit juice depending on desired consistency

Directions

For Curd

  1. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, melt butter with grapefruit juice over high heat.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and yolks. Slowly whisk hot grapefruit butter into egg mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 5 to 8 minutes.
  3. Transfer curd to a glass or plastic container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

For Cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Place 16 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups. Set aside.
  3. Lightly spoon cake flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour and 3/4 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl; repeat the procedure 2 times.
  4. Beat egg whites and salt with a mixer at high speed until frothy (about 1 minute). Add cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; fold in after each addition. Stir in vanilla and rind.
  5. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; let cool completely on a wire rack.

Icing

  1. Add sugar to a medium bowls and slowly whisk in juice until you reach desired consistency

To Assemble

  1. Using a serrated knife, carve out about 1/2 tsp divits in top of cupcakes.
  2. Fill a pastry bag or ziplock with curd and fill divits with curd.
  3. Ice each cupcake (be careful of the curd).
  4. Top with candied grapefruit peel or other crowning elements.

Holiday cheer, Christmas at the Misathropics and, indexing!

I warn ya, this one is all over the place, folks!

TD was in charge of the holiday cards this year.  And, he did an awesome job that left little doubt about who designed it. TD may have abandoned his former heterosexual life partner, Albert Pujols; but, the dude still loves him some Cardinals. And yes, I’m pretty sure he actually purchased the image.  Right TD?  Right?

Opting for the popular flat card version, TD even ventured into the holiday letter genre.  Hell really has frozen over.

I motion that TD is in charge of holiday cards going forward.  All in favor?

When all members of your immediate family live out-of-state, the holidays are generally all-or-nothing.  And, because we were lucky enough to spend time with both families in the last six months, this was a “nothing” year.  Which means we were left to our own devices.  Said devices resulted in the following.

Device #1:  Super tacky ghetto tree

Sometimes, good intentions go horribly,  wrong.  See, doing a Christmas tree in our house always presents a challenge.  We have one of those typical South Bay/Beach Cities “tall and skinny” townhouses.  So, while the tree would look best in the dining/sitting room on the first floor, we spend the vast majority of our “down-time” in the third floor loft (where there isn’t room for a tree).  The last couple of years I  bought and subsequently killed (not on purpose) rosemary bushes meant to serve as tree proxies.  Since I’m definitely anti-herb violence,  this year, I bought what I thought would be a really cool spirally-copper-tree deal.

For years I’ve been collecting hand-glown glass ball ornaments from an artist who sells (his? her?) work at a little gallery in Bozeman Montana called Altitude.  Some were given as gifts and others TD and I collected on our trips to Montana.  When it became clear that I’d probably never have enough balls to decorate a whole tree, I took a class in glass blowing and made some of my own (mine aren’t even in the same league…in fact, they aren’t even playing the same sport as the professionally made ones…mine aren’t even really round).  In addition to giving TD hours of comedic material about his wife, balls, and blowing,  the results also help fill-out the collection.  Anyhow, on their own, the glass balls displayed on the copper spiral looked really nice.  But then, I added lights.  And of course, Penelope, the peacock tree topper had to be added along with a scarf I picked up in Lijiang China as the tree skirt.  The result: Liberace called and wants his Christmas tree back.  TD and I even made up a song for it.

Device #2: A shot for Santa

We’re just those kind of people.  And, well, we may or may not have been drinking martinis on Christmas Eve.  Obviously Santa needed it because all we found Christmas morning is what you see in the photo.

Device #3: Ceremonial Holiday PJs

Yes, I mean ceremonial.  Not traditional.  To be worn only on Christmas morning as part of the hallowed act of opening gifts.

Device #4: Christmas Donuts

Ceremonial PJs and a tacky tree create optimal conditions for a Christmas donut or two.

Device #5: Sherlock Holmes

Not pictured here, but, despite what the critics are saying, TD and I agree that the second one was a particularly enjoyable mid-Christmas afternoon break.  Of course, Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. could be in a remake of Gigli and I’d enjoy it.  What?

Device #6:  A Christmas Story inspired dinner

Here is the short of it.  We had dinner reservations at a fairly decent seafood/chop house.  We waited very patiently for 20 minutes after being seated with nary a drink order, while wait staff, bussers and probably a manager or two walked by the table several times.  Neither one of us were really in the mood to deal with it, so we walked.

Turning up on our street we noticed that a certain Mexican restaurant of dubious distinction happened to be open.  Now, we’ve lived in our neighborhood for five years, have eaten there twice. Our conclusion was that it’s got to be a front for some sort of illegal activity because it’s always packed but the food is crap.  However, very recently not one (hi JP!) but two people explained that you don’t really go there to eat.  You go there for the margaritas…sort of like El Coyote on Beverly.  We interpreted the confluence of this new information with the fact that it was actually abierto on Christmas night and enjoyed a fantastic (well, at least it was fantastic after a couple of drinks) meal with an awesome waiter.

While this isn’t what Christmas looks like for us every year, all in all, not too shabby.

Oh…and what did I get you for the holidays you ask? I updated the  INDEX!

And, a hint for next week.  Happy New Year!!!

I’m pretty sure this is what Marie Antoinette was talking about

This recipe has been haunting me since I bought Dorie Greenspan’s Baking, from my home to yours.  You see, it graces the book’s cover.  And so, every time I pull out the volume, there is it, daring me to find an excuse to make it.  And so, I did, and I did.

Not really one of those cakes you can throw together on a whim, what this recipe calls for in patience makes up for in specialness.  Chocolate-studded devil’s food cake surrounded in layers of pillowy, sticky marshmallow fluff.

Sold yet?

How about now?

I have to admit, that’s all you are going to get in the photo department.  I made this cake the week of Thanksgiving for company and because of all the other plates I happened to be spinning at the time, made the cake late one night and then the frosting the next night.  And we all know about my kitchen in lighting.

But, you’ll have to trust me when I tell you how much fun the frosting is to make and what a delight it was to work with in decorating.  One piece of advice: read through the entire recipe a couple of times before diving in.  It took me a couple of passes to actually conceptualize where Ms. Greenspan was going with the recipe.

Devil’s Food White-Out Cake

adapted ever so slightly from Baking from my kitchen to yours, Dorie Greenspan

Cake Ingredients

  • 1  1/2 C all purpose flour
  • 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 (10 TBS) unsalted, room temp butter
  • 1/2 C packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 C buttermilk at room temp
  • 1/2 C boiling water
  • 4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate, chopped or 2/3 C mini chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2, 8X2 inch round cake pans (use regular flour or cocoa).  Line each with parchment, place pans on baking sheet.
  2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  3. Using a stand mixer with paddle or a hand mixer, beat butter until soft and creamy.  Add sugars and beat an additional 3 minutes.
  4. Add-in eggs one-at-a-time, beating 1 minute in between.  Beat-in vanilla.
  5. Reduce speed and add-in cooled chocolate.
  6. Alternating with the buttermilk, add-in dry ingredients in 3-parts, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
  7. Working on low-speed, mix-in the water.  Scrape-down the bowl and fold in the chocolate.  Divide the batter evenly into pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
  8. Bake 25-30 minutes rotating pans halfway through until an inserted toothpick comes up clean.
  9. Cool on racks for 5 minutes.  Run a knife around the perimeter of pans and unmold.  Cakes can be stored if wrapped-airtight in the freezer up to 2 months.

Frosting/Filling

  • 1/2 C eggs whites (about 4 large)
  • 1 C sugar
  • 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 C water
  • 1 TBS vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Put the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Stir to combine.
  2. Bring mixture to boil over medium high heat, cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes.  Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242 degrees F on the candy thermometer.
  3. While the syrup is cooking, place egg whites in a clean, dry bowl.  Begin beating when the syrup reaches 235 degrees on the thermometer using the whisk attachment.  If the egg whites form peaks before the syrup gets to 242 degrees, reduce speed to low.
  4. With the mixer at medium speed, stand back and carefully pour in the hot syrup.  It is likely to spatter, don’t try to scrape them into the whites.
  5. Add-in vanilla and continue beating until mixture reaches room temp, about 5-7 minutes.  The result is a smooth, shiny frosting.
  6. To assemble, place first layer on plate or stand.  Slip parchment under the edges to keep the plate clean.
  7. Using an off-set spatula, cover the bottom layer of cake with a thick layer of frosting–about equal to the height of the cake.  Add the second layer and then working with a generous amount of frosting, frost the entire cake.  Decorate as desired.
  8. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Because of how soft this frosting is, left-over cake (as if) should be stored in the fridge.

When life gives you leftover candied orange peel, make blondies!

Okay, okay, I stole this idea from one of the 20 million holiday catalogs we’ve gotten since August.  Having both candied orange peel and almonds in the house, I decided to see if I could come up with a recipe.

I started by toasting about a cup of almonds.  I used blanched because that’s what I had but I don’t see any problem with using skins.

Then, I couldn’t find my camera.  So a bunch of stuff happened that didn’t get captured digitally.  Here is the short of it though: I melted together butter and white chocolate.  Incorporated the usual suspects: eggs, sugar, flour and a healthy does of vanilla (no silly, not in that order).  Finally, I folded-in the toasted almonds and orange peel.  Into the oven.  And.

This is what came out.  The orange peel sort of melts into blondie and the result is a sweet/zesty/nutty treat.  Sort of like me.

Once cut, I packaged them up and took them to a cookie decorating party.

Soundtrack

Glee Christmas on Pandora, because I’m perfectly confident with my manhood.

Candied Orange Peel and Toasted Almond Blondies

Ingredients

  • 2 C sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 C (16 TBS) unsalted butter
  • 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 TBS vanilla
  • 2 C flour
  • 1 C chopped candied orange peel
  • 1 C roasted and chopped almonds

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9X13 inch pan with parchment and butter or spray the pan and parchment.
  2. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and white chocolate over low heat, whisking until combined.  Take off heat and set aside.  Butter and chocolate will want to separate.  That’s okay, just give it a good whisk before adding to the batter.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and salt.  Add-in eggs one-at-a-time.  Then whisk in vanilla.
  4. Fold-in butter and chocolate.
  5. Fold-in flour until just combined.
  6. Fold-in orange peel and almonds.
  7. Bake for about 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick come-out clean but with a few crumbs stuck to it.
  8. Let cool completely, cut and enjoy.

Straight Outta Compton

I know that Thanksgiving was so last month.  But, I also know many people step and repeat for Christmas so I thought I’d share links and whatnot to the recipes we used this year.

Let’s start with the turkey.  Ours came straight outta Compton.  No really, it did.  TD is generally in charge of the bird.  And, as you’ve seen in this blog, he does it a little differently every year.  Highlights have included the baducky and last year’s slow cooked turkey breast.  For years the guy has been talking about frying a turkey.  Luckily for our neighbors and home owner’s insurance premiums, the voice of reason has always won out.  Until we realized that someone else could make our fried Thanksgiving turkey.

Minimal research revealed that the place to buy fried turkey in Los Angeles is a little shop called Loreto’s Fried Turkey Restaurant (just in case you were confused about what they sell).  The fact that it is located in Compton was just the icing on the cake.  See, it meant that TD and his partner in crime for the day didn’t really have to give up the requisite element of danger that comes with procuring a friend turkey.

And let me tell you, that turkey was fantastic.

Surprisingly so.  Juicy, flavorful and made in someone else’s kitchen.  All the things that a Thanksgiving turkey generally is not.

While there is absolutely no denying that the Compton turkey was the star of the show, I think the sides made excellent supporting stars.

This year I made my favorite sourdough and artichoke stuffing from Sunset Magazine.  My version swaps-out white mushrooms for cremini and I like to add a little sweet Italian turkey sausage to the mix.

Simple buttermilk mashed potatoes.

Honeyed carrots for color.

Grilled brussels sprouts. Just par-boil your sprouts, then marinate in a vinegar based sauce (I like to use balsamic).  When ready, grill in a grill pan.  Easy as that.

A giant Russian Grandmother’s Apple Pie

And of course no Thanksgiving in the Misanthropic Household would be complete with out a Chocolate Sees Turkey or two.

Let the holidays begin!

Soundtrack

N.W.A. of course.

All tied up in a pretty bow

I know, I know, I promise two posts each week and then disappeare for a week.  And you know why?  Because I’ve been baking like a fiend.  A fiend I tell you.  Usually my goal is to have everything done by the second Monday after Thanksgiving.  However, this year, that second Monday will be my first day as Assistant Dean Wormer at a new university.  And, because I must have suffered a severe head trauma during the holiday baking planning process, I convinced myself that I could pull it all off a week early.  Well…I did.  But other stuff suffered a bit.  Like this blog.  Enough in the way of excuses though,  let’s talk about packaging.

I love packaging.  The end.

Seriously though, I do love to make things pretty.  We do, after all, eat with our eyes first.  However, with food, there are also practical considerations.  For instance, last post I discussed mixing and matching flavors as well as what to think about when you need to ship rather than hand deliver (or the opposite).  Other thoughts:

  • Unless you really do not like the person(s) on the receiving end of your goodies, make sure your packaging is food safe.  Some things, like colored tissue paper can bleed into items that have moisture.  While this probably won’t kill anyone, it does affect how the treats look…and probably taste.
  • Also think about what will help keep your treats fresh.  Zip lock bags are an easy think to use.  Cellophane bags, parchment and wax paper can also help keep things fresh.

In terms of the packaging itself, each year I like to do something a little different.  I’ve done take-out boxes.

And gable boxes.

And pastry boxes.

This year?  I did all of the above.

For packaging, my favorite supplier is Papermart. You can also find neat containers through the usual suspects like The Container Store, Michaels, Target and World Market.

Of course, people need to know who the treats come from and in the last couple of years the number of vendors who will make custom labels has exploded.  These and the red ones on the gable boxes came from MyOwnLabels.com.

Last year I ordered from a small vendor off of ETSY.com called AutumnLeah.  You can almost see our tree labels in the photo above with all of the white boxes.  This women was very easy to work with and had very reasonable prices.

This year I went through Erin Condren at erincondren.com.  I first discovered her through a sale at OneKingsLane.  It wasn’t until after I’d ordered labels that I discovered she is not only a UCLA grad but lives in my neck of the woods.  And? Our husbands know one another.

Super cute right?  Here is is again.

When I package, I like to do as much of it at once as possible.  This is where the planning spreadsheet keeps on giving.

With the spreadsheet close at hand, I like to organize a sort of treat assembly line where everything is out and ready to go.  I also like to make sure my assistants are geared-up.  If you can believe it, two hours after this picture was taken, we had a dinner party in this very spot.

Pretty cookies all in a row.

With a list of who gets what, everything where I can see it, and all packaging ready to go, it only take a couple of hours to put everything together.

Holiday Baking: Planning Edition

I plan out what I am going to wear for the week.   Major holidays, parties and home renovations get project notebooks complete with time lines, budgets and diagrams.  On the Myers-Briggs I am so far to the right of “J” that the indicator bar hits the end of the interval.  TD may, occasionally, under certain circumstances, refer to yours truly as Mussolini.

In addition to making myself sound like the most boring person in the universe, there is method to my madness.  Efficiency (well, in the case of the wardrobe planning, it’s so I don’t end up wearing yoga pants and an old sorority t-shirt to work every day).  I truly believe that I can accomplish just about anything if it’s appropriately planned…and preferably color-coded. But the colors are just a bonus.  There are down-sides to this.  Most notably, I often finish my weekend task-lists and am ready to relax at around 6:00 Sunday evenings.  And, when presented with an unscheduled hour or two of free time I get a little twitchy. But, on the whole, I’m glad to be a planner by nature.  It serves me well more often than not.

And, now, it just might serve you.

Each year I do a lot of holiday baking.  Like, a lot a lot.  I also do it in a very short period of time and about half of it gets shipped to the far-reaches of the country.  To follow are some tips, tricks and rules I use to make the goodies “appear on time” while still enjoying the holiday season.  Ready?

  • Decide in advance what you are going to make.  And then, think through your own parameters.  Take into consideration the amount of time you are willing to invest as well as where it needs to go and (most importantly), who is going to get it.  French macarons make lovely gifts.  However, they don’t travel well and go stale quickly.  They can also be difficult to make and, even when the stars align, there is no guarantee they’ll turn out.  As a result, I only make a few and only for people I hand-deliver to.  Take stuff like this  into consideration before you start baking.
  • If you make one specialty item, stick with it; people are most likely looking forward to it.  If you want to branch-out, consider utilizing a theme or unifying framework.  What about doing all-bar related goodies? Or all candy? Personally, I stick with five or so standards and experiment with three or four new items.  But, there’s lots of ways to fill a treat box.
  • Speaking of filling a treat box, keep in mind how different flavors mix and mingle.  I package like-flavors together and separate strong flavors entirely (like mint or sometimes peanut butter).  This is especially important if you are shipping the items.  There is a reason professional companies separate and individually pack items.  When you don’t, everything ends up tasting the same.   If you are taking the items to friends and you know they’ll be consumed right away, you probably don’t need to separate,  just wait until the last minute to put everything together.
  • Once you know what you want to make, make a list of everyone you want to receive goodies.  Then, sketch out how many of each you want people to get.  This is helpful if you are making multiple items because it not only gives you an idea of how many batches you will need but also helps you to think through distribution.  For instance, my brother loves schweaddy balls. So, he gets lots of those but no rum butter nuts because my mom will make those for him.  Because I’m a giant nerd, I like to put the information into a spreadsheet.  On the vertical access I list my recipients.  Across the horizontal are the treat varieties.  Here is my list for this year (names have been blacked-out to protect the innocent).

  • Of course, all the allocations in the world are of no use unless you have a deployment plan.  Or, in this case, a baking plan.  So, make one!  Again, I find spreadsheets useful here or even just a calendar.  Below is my plan for this year.

Here is how I organize my calendar:

  • Things that freeze well are made first and then, you guessed it, frozen.  This is also useful for things that take multiple steps that I know I’ll lose patience for later in the process.
  • Speaking of multiple steps.  Make sure to leave yourself enough time to properly ice, dip, glaze and otherwise decorate items that require any of these features.  Each year I make sugar cookies (and, here is a hint within a hint, I only do one shape each year.  This year it’s snowflakes.  Last year it was stars).  These cookies take a total of five days to properly make: one to make the dough and refrigerate it, one to bake-it off, one to pre-glaze, one to decorate after the pre-glaze has hardened and a final to let the decorations harden.  So, I plan this into my baking calendar.

  • You can also break some recipes into multiple steps to take advantage of smaller units of time (like before work).  This year, I’m making a chocolate sable and a coconut shortbread.  Both freeze well in dough-form.  So, I’ll make multiple batches of each, freeze them, and bake them off as I have time.
  • Plan things that work better with multiple pairs of hands during times when you’ll have them.  TD generally runs in the opposite direction during this time of year.  But, we do team-up to do the oft-mentioned schweaddy balls.  I pull the dough and weigh it, he then forms each one into a perfect little ball.
  • Make sure you’ve got all your supplies on hand before you start baking.  You don’t want to have to run to the store with an oven full of shortbread because you’ve run out of butter for batch number two.
  • Think through how you are going to store your items before distribution.  I hate to admit it, but I find large zip-lock bags very useful here.  Just remember to separate layers with parchment or wax paper.  You can also use air-tight containers, tins or boxes.  And while you are at it, make sure you have a safe place to store your finished products.  With two kitchen gods, I can’t leave things out on the counter.  The chances that whatever it is will end up on the floor is about 100%.
  • Next week I am going to share some of my favorite packaging resources.  However, it’s never to early to start thinking about this piece as well.  Bags?  Boxes?  Plates?  Labels?  Tags?  Post-it Notes?  How are you going to deliver and or ship?  Don’t forget the bubble-wrap!
  • Finally, I like to set up a giant assembly line to put together the majority of the packages (knowing that I’ll have extras on hand for last minute gifts).  This way I can put together each person’s little package, seal it and move on to the next.

And that’s all I have on my list.  Of course, this is just how I do it.  What tips and tricks do you use for holiday baking?

That’s-a-spicy-a-brownie!

There aren’t many pictures for this post because I tested this recipe veeeeery early one morning before the sun was up.  And, as you’ve all had to painfully experience, the lighting in my kitchen is awful (that’s right, I’m blaming the environment, not the photographer).  I had a meeting.  It was a committee meeting.  The way to get committee people to do stuff is to trick them into it by providing tasty vittles, asking for volunteers and then reminding them that you’ve fed them.  Well, it works some of the time.

In this case, my weapon of choice was a spiced white chocolate brownie.  I know, I know, we had spiced cake last week.  What can I say, it’s fall.  In a word, this baked good is “unexpected.”  With brownies or blondies you aren’t generally thinking cinnamon, ginger or clove.  So, they made a nice contrast to the traditional brownies I also brought (I had a lot to ask for).

And then I threw in some shortbread for good measure.  I like to kick people when they’re down.

Spiced White Chocolate Brownies

Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest, Christmas Cookies, 2011

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 C butter, unsalted
  • 1 3/4 C packed brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 TBS rum
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 6 oz white baking chocolate chopped (TMH note–I used 12 oz)
  • 1 TBS finely chopped crystalized ginger
  • Powdered sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13X9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  Grease paper and pan, set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger and salt.  Set aside.
  3. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle (or large bowl and electric mixer), cream butter and brown sugar scraping down bowl as needed.  Beat-in eggs, rum and vanilla until combined.
  4. Turn speed setting to low and add flour mixture until combined.  Fold-in chocolate.  Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Cool on wire rack.  If desired, sprinkle brownies with powdered sugar and cut as desired.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Here in Southern California, the marine layer has finally said audios until March, the tourists have gone home and college basketball is just starting.  Oh, and it’s holiday baking time.  The posts this month are all about logistics.  We’ve got a baking-round up, a post on how to plan-out the baking bonanza and another on packaging and wrapping.  Of course there will be a new recipe or two, but really, November is about getting it done while maintaining your sanity and, dare I say, enjoying the holiday spirit.

Like most pathological planners, I start thinking about holiday baking months in advance.  I like to have the time to casually consider new recipes without any pressure to produce.  About the same time I also start thinking about packaging.  I like to do a little something different every year and the proliferation of customizable goods on sites like ETSY.com have made it not only incredibly easy but also relatively inexpensive.  But, we’ll cover this in a couple of weeks.

For now, I’ve got a round-up (in no particular order) of successful recipes past to get the creative juices going.  I’ve done each of these (or are planning to) for holidays with great success.

The Sugar Cookie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bon Bons, aka Schweddy Balls

Insert Your Favorite Nut Toffee

Baklava

Sables

Chocolate Roll-out Cookies

Rum Butter Nuts

Glittery Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Candied Citrus Peel

French Macarons

Orange Cranberry Shortbread

Almond Macaroons

Chocolate Cayenne Cocktail Cookies

Toasted Coconut Shortbread