Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Best-Ever Brownies
November 20, 2012 at 12:01 am | Posted in BWJ, cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 15 CommentsTags: baking, brownies
It wasn’t until yesterday when I actually got cracking on Rick Katz’s Best-Ever Brownies, that I realized I’ve made this recipe before. Back in Season 1 of TWD. Only then they were called Rick Katz’s Brownies for Juila. Different book, same recipe, same strange egg whipping technique. I am cheaply recycling the photo, because I missed my light window both yesterday and today (curses to work!).
Well, there is one difference between the two recipes. This version in Baking with Julia calls for 1/4 cup of extra flour. I prefer it with that extra little bit of flour…I think it gives the brownies a bit more structure. The batch I made yesterday looks the same as the one in the photo, but they are a little taller. This time I made half a recipe and baked it in a 9″ x 5″ metal loaf pan lined with parchment for 30 minutes exactly. Then I pulled them out of the oven to come to room temperature before I put them in the fridge to chill through. I did the same thing the last time around, because I remembered this made the chocolate goo solidify into chew. They were good brownies back then, and they are still good now.
For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan or read Monica’s A Beautiful Mess. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD blogroll!
Pumpkin Waffles
November 18, 2012 at 12:40 pm | Posted in breakfast things, pancakes/waffles, sweet things | 5 CommentsTags: breakfast, waffles
It may be all about dinner on Thursday, but somehow this year I’m not cooking the turkey, so I get to focus on a lazy holiday breakfast instead. The next few days are gonna be go-time at work, cranking out orders for pecan and pumpkin pies and cranberry upside-down cakes. I know already that it will be pastry versus the savory kitchen, battling for space in the one convection oven we have. If I come out alive, sleeping in and having breakfast at home will feel good after all this.
Waffles are a perfect way to use up that open can of pumpkin we always seem to have in the fridge this time of year. And I don’t use my waffle iron that often, so making them seems a little more special than pancakes. These pumpkin waffles have all the usual warm spices I associate with pumpkiny treats, and they cook up to that beautiful rusty orange color of autumn leaves. Maple syrup is my normal waffle topping, but I’m kind of thinking that cranberry sauce would be pretty good, too.
Pumpkin Waffles– makes 4-6 large round waffles
from Pumpkin Waffles Blog
Steph’s Note: Don’t have a kitchen scale? This recipe with volume measurements can be found here.
50 g light brown sugar
24 g cornstarch
156 g all-purpose flour
7.2 g baking powder
3.0 g salt
3.0 g cinnamon
3.5 g ginger
0.5 g cloves
0.6 g freshly grated nutmeg
2 large eggs
240 g whole milk
244 g canned solid-pack pumpkin
56 g unsalted butter, melted and warmmaple syrup and butter for serving
-Heat the oven to 200°F and heat a waffle iron, preferably a Belgian waffle iron.
-Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.
-Separate the eggs– yolks go in a medium-sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.
-Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.
-Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high to stiff peaks (you could do this by hand instead)– about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.
-Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.
-Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.
-Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.
-Brush the waffle iron with a little vegetable oil. Working in batches, cook the batter in the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions until crisp and golden. Set the waffles directly on the oven rack to keep warm. Do not stack them.
-Serve the waffles with the syrup and butter. You can freeze leftover waffles to recrisp another day.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins
November 6, 2012 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, BWJ, groups, muffins/quick breads, tuesdays with dorie | 11 CommentsTags: baking, breakfast, muffins
What a weird week last week was. Weird and scary…and not just because of wacky Halloween costumes. We count ourselves very lucky at our house, and if you live on the East coast, I hope the same is true at yours. Some minor disruptions and inconveniences were all that Sandy really dealt us and our neighborhood. Still, it was nice to have something comforting to bake after just emerging from the supposed storm of the century.
Like the name says, Marion Cunningham’s Buttermilk Crumb Muffins are made with buttermilk and have a little crumb on top. They also have some warm spices and brown sugar. They were tasty, simple and homey. Nothing that will knock your socks off, but we ate them all just a few minutes out of the oven. Maybe you don’t always need your socks knocked off at breakfast anyway, right? The original recipe makes sixteen muffins and uses all shortening as the fat. When I said we ate them all, I should clarify (so you don’t think my husband and I are complete pigs) that I made one-quarter recipe for just four muffins, using 2 tablespoons of butter and one whole egg. I went a little heavy on the spices and a little scant on the sugar.
For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan or read easier than pie (it’s also here). And there’s even a video of Julia and Marion making these together. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
October 28, 2012 at 12:28 pm | Posted in cupcakes, sweet things | 14 CommentsTags: baking, cupcakes, dessert
I needed a little weekend baking project to help take my mind off the Frankenstorm that’s coming our way. Spooky. It’s time for Halloween cupcakes anyway…I make them every year, mostly to use my orange and black sprinkles. I think devil’s food is appropriate for Halloween, and it helps that it’s my favorite species of chocolate cake. I have a particular fondness for oil-based devil’s food like this one from Zoë Bakes. So moist, oh my gosh. And isn’t cream cheese frosting good on just about any cake? Looking forward to eating one of these from the fridge tonight.
Happy Halloween, and stay safe (and dry)!
Devil’s Food Cupcakes- makes 3 dozen
from Zoë Bakes
Steph’s Note: I made one-third of the cupcake recipe below to get one dozen cupcakes, but I still used the full amount of frosting.
3 cups granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/8 cups cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed), sifted if lumpy.
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup hot coffee
1/4 cup rum or brandy (or replace with extra coffee)
–Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare 3 dozen muffin tins with papers
-Combine all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk until combined, set aside.
-Whisk together, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the hot coffee and rum to the batter and whisk until totally blended and smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be quite runny.
-Fill a measuring cup or pitcher (you can fill directly from the mixing bowl if you have a steady hand) with the batter and then fill the muffin cups about 2/3 – 3/4 full.
-Bake the cupcakes for about 18-20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
-Allow to cool completely on a cake rack, removing the cupcakes from the tin after about 15 minutes, and then frost with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
from Zoë Bakes
Steph’s Note: I used the full amount of frosting to decorate 12 cupcakes.
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon golden syrup (can substitute with honey)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
-Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and cream together until smooth. (I used a hand mixer for this.)
Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Bagels
October 16, 2012 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, BWJ, groups, savory things, tuesdays with dorie, yeast breads | 12 CommentsTags: baking, bread, breakfast
I eat my fair share of bagels. Frankly it’s hard not to when you live in New York City and there are bagel shops all over the place (Bergen Bagels being my favorite close-to-home joint). I’m not just a bagel-eater, I’ve actually made a lot of bagels, too, at my first restaurant job where we’d get slammed with weekend brunch crowds who all seemed to want the smoked trout with quail egg and a mini bagel….so Lauren Groveman’s recipe wasn’t totally Greek (or should I say Yiddish?) to me.
There were a couple of things I did differently than the recipe, just out of old habits. After boiling the bagels for about a minute on each side, I removed them from the water and placed them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. I baked them on the rack as well, because it allows the oven heat to circulate underneath the bagels. I didn’t bother brushing them with the egg white glaze before baking. They may not have been laquer-shiny, but they still browned very nicely and the toppings held in place. Also, in the bagel dough, I used half sugar and half barley malt syrup for the sweetener, which Groveman did on the TV show, but did a little differently in the book (which calls for only sugar).
I wasn’t super-prepared in the toppings department, so I just went with poppy seeds on some and grey salt on others. The salt ones were my favorite. I stirred some dill and chives into cream cheese to jazz up my schmear a bit. These were chewy and had a nice crust….with a cup of coffee, these bagels made for a perfect New York breakfast.
If you’ve never had a super-fresh, warm bagel before, you can really make great ones at home, so give it a go! You can make the dough the night before and it’s ready to shape and cook off the next morning. For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan or read Heather’s Bytes (it’s also here). And there’s even a video of Julia and Lauren making bagels together. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Deviled Eggs for Jessica’s Bridal Shower
October 3, 2012 at 6:00 am | Posted in other savory, savory things | 14 CommentsTags: eggs, party food, savory
I love a good party, and I’m so happy to have been invited to a virtual bridal shower for Jessica from My Baking Heart! I’ve gotten to know Jessica through TWD. She’s an amazing baker (and cook, too)…clearly C knows that he’s a lucky guy.
Nikki from Pennies on a Platter organized this big celebration, and we are going to have a fabulous table of drinks, snacks and sweets prepared by a list of incredible ladies. I decided to bring along deviled eggs. They are one of my favorite cocktail snacks, and I just love how retro they are. The recipe below is for deviled eggs at their most basic, but you can jazz them up an infinite number of ways with spices and fresh herbs. I used a French curry mayo that I bought at the fancy mayonnaise shop here in Brooklyn (I was just too intrigued by the strangeness of a mayonnaise shop not to stop in and buy something), and sprinkled over smoked paprika and chives. Of course I piped my filling in with a star tip because it’s a special occasion.
Please visit Jessica to say congratulations and head over to Nikki’s to see the whole party spread. Cheers to Jessica and Chris!
Deviled Eggs– makes 12 halves
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar or squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
-Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with water and ice cubes. Transfer eggs to ice water with slotted spoon and let cool 5 minutes.
-Peel eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Put the yolks in a fine-mesh sieve and use a spatula to press them through sieve and into bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and stir vigorously until smooth.
-Arrange whites on serving platter and mound with the yolk mixture, either using a spoon or a pastry bag and tip. Serve immediately.
Concord Grape Pie
September 25, 2012 at 2:30 pm | Posted in pies & tarts, sweet things | 16 CommentsTags: baking, fruit, pie
Last Saturday, my CSA workshift rolled around (cuz you know, apparently CSAs are socialist). To tell the truth, I was kind of dreading standing there for three hours early on a weekend morning, but as it turned out, the weather was great and I got the job I wsa hoping for. I got to weigh out the coveted concord grapes that were last week’s fruit share. Actually I got to dole out both grapes and advice. Pretty much everyone who came through asked what to do with them. How about eat them…juice them…jam them…pie them?!?! Being the grape mistress also meant I got first dibs on leftovers when we cleaned up. I took home a few extra stems…enough in total to make both concord grape jam and a little pie of my own.
Concord grapes are like the grapiest grapes there are. They’re the grapes that “grape-flavored” things imitate. And they are the most dreamy shade of purpley blue. When I recommended to my fellow CSA-ers that they make a pie, most of them looked at me like I had two heads. I guess a grape pie does sound a little weird, but it is so, so delicious. Jammy and sweet and purple.
Now that I’ve talked up these grapes, here’s the bad news. They have seeds. Hard seeds that are unpleasant to eat, and IMO must be removed. Making a pie from them is a labor of love, but I’m willing to put in the time to de-seed. I don’t mind so much turning on the radio and zoning out with a little kitchen prep. Anyway, it is a once a year treat, and the time spent makes every bite taste that much better.
Concord Grape Pie– makes a 9-inch pie
heavily adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit (September 2008)
Steph’s Note: If concords aren’t available where you live, or you’d like a more year-round, less labor-intensive alternative, see the original recipe (which uses seedless red grapes).
8 cups stemmed concord grapes (about 2 1/2 pounds), rinsed well and patted dry
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
squeeze of lemon juice
double-crust recipe of your favorite flaky pastry dough (I used Dorie’s), divided into two disks and well-chilled
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
1 T turbinado or granulated sugar
-Slice grapes in half and remove the seeds. Transfer grapes (and their skins, which tend to easily slip off–don’t worry about it) to large sieve set over large bowl. Drain off grape liquid, saving 2 tablespoons.
-Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt in another large bowl to blend. Mix in drained grapes, reserved juice and squeeze of lemon juice.
-Preheat your oven to 375°F. Roll out one disk of dough on floured surface to a 13-inch round; transfer to pie dish. Brush dough edge with egg glaze. Fill with grape mixture. Roll out the second disk of dough to a 12-inch round. Top pie with dough; trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll edge under and crimp. Brush top of pie with glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar. Cut several slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Chill the pie until your oven is fully heated.
-Bake pie until golden and juices bubble thickly, 60 to 70 minutes, slipping a baking sheet under the pie plate at the halfway point. Cool the pie on a rack to warm or room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. You should think about having vanilla ice cream on hand.
Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Whole Wheat Loaves
September 18, 2012 at 12:01 am | Posted in BWJ, groups, savory things, tuesdays with dorie, yeast breads | 14 CommentsTags: baking, bread
Now that it’s ever so slightly cooler outside, it’s nice to spend the better part of a Sunday morning making bread. Baking a yeast bread makes me feel productive, even if I’m really doing almost nothing at all. Craig Kominiak’s Whole Wheat Loaves were this weekend’s TWD project.
This wheat bread has a kiss of honey and malt extract (I used the Eden Foods malt syrup). It’s slightly sweet, soft and wholesome…not bland, dense and healthy (if you know what I mean). It’s good for sandwiching and for toasting. Now that I say that, it would no doubt make an awesome grilled cheese. That’s avocado toast up top…one of my favorite toast applications…and a turkey sandwich down below.
This is how wheat bread should be. I’m glad that the recipe is so unintimidating…there’s no excuse for me to not make it often. For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan or read Michele’s Veggie Num Nums and Teresa’s The Family That Bakes Together. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake
September 7, 2012 at 4:16 pm | Posted in BWJ, cakes & tortes, groups, simple cakes, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 14 CommentsTags: baking, cake, fruit
It’s Fridays with Dorie for me this week with Mary Bergin’s fabulous Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake. I made, and ate, this cake a couple of weekends ago. Then I was so excited to go Montreal for Labor Day weekend, I didn’t post. We came home and I still didn’t post, because I’ve been too busy looking at Montreal real estate websites and daydreaming about living there!!
This recipe is in a section in the book called “Everyday Delights” but I think it’s pretty fancy. It’s not just a standard-issue tinned fruit upside-down cake. Underneath the glistening fresh nectarines is a light chiffon cake bisected by a layer of crispy almond streusel. It’s a bit of work to pull off, but I thought it was worth every bite. And really, the streusel could be skipped to save a step…it would be just as good, I think.
I had good success with this chiffon. I was a little worried when I saw the batter almost totally filled my springform, and it did mushroom up in the oven. But nothing overflowed, thank goodness. If you are worried, I’d suggest taking out a couple scoops and making them into cupcakes or something. It was kinda hard to tell if the cake was done, and I think I left it in the oven a few extra miinutes. When making chiffons, the cake pans are often ungreased so the batter can really climb up the sides. I’ve learned to (gingerly!) run a thin knife around the edges of the pans about five to ten minutes after the cakes have come out of the oven. This helps the cakes to not tear away from the sides as they start to cool, which I think can cause them to sink a bit.
For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan or read Marlise’s The Double Trouble Kitchen and Susan’s The Little French Bakery. There’s also a video of Julia and Mary baking this together. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll!
Peach Butter
August 31, 2012 at 8:00 am | Posted in breakfast things, jams & preserves, sweet things | 6 CommentsTags: jam, preserves
We’re at the point in the summer (the end of it, I mean), when I’m freaking out a little about the prospect of a winter full of rutabagas and turnips. My reaction to this, apparently, is to stash little jars of summery things on the top shelf of my fridge.
I made this peach butter recipe last year, and then promptly ate up without a word to you about it. So I just made it again. It’s thicker and more intense than jam. It’s not only what’s in it (peaches!) that makes it delicious, but also what’s not– no spices and not too much sugar. I think it’s what crumpets were made for..
More summer stonefruit you should put in jars: apricots, plums, nectarines (and plums, again). Happy weekend!
Peach Butter— makes about four cups
from Smitten Kitchen
Steph’s Note: This can be “properly” canned if you want to store it longer-term. See the original recipe for tips on that process.
4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) peaches
1 cup (237 ml) water
2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar
juice of one lemon-If you are not using a food mill: Cut a small “x” in the bottom of each peach. Dip each into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then into a bowl of cold water for a minute. Slip off the peels.
-Cut your peaches in half and remove the pits, then cut each half into quarters (8 chunks from each peach). Place peach chunks and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until peaches are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. If you have a food mill, run them through it to puree them and remove the skins. Use a disk with smaller holes if you want a smoother puree. If you don’t have a food mill — i.e. you already peeled your peaches — you can puree in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender.
-Return the peaches to the pot, add the sugar and lemon juice and bring the mixture to a good strong simmer/gentle boil, cooking them at this level for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more often near the end, as it thickens up and the fruit masses risk scorching on the bottom of the pot.
-There are several methods to test for doneness: You can drizzle a ribbon of sauce across the surface; when that ribbon holds its shape before dissolve into the pot, it is done. Some people use cold or frozen plates; dollop a spoonful in the middle of one and if no water forms a ring around it in a couple of minutes, it is done. Others use a spoon; if the butter remains rounded on a spoon for two minutes, it is done. You can also check the pot itself; the butter is usually done when a wooden spoon leaves a clear train when scraped across the bottom.
-Spoon the peach butter into clean jars (you can sterilize the jars and lids first with boiling water, if you are so inclined), leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top. Close the jars and let the jam cool to room temperature. Store the butter in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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