tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-585233937925516292024-03-14T08:35:47.072-07:00Blondie's CakesAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-29906729981669706862015-02-15T05:51:00.001-08:002015-02-15T05:52:19.230-08:00Temporary RedirectionThis blog has been rather quiet for some time, but it certainly hasn't been due to any lack of activity. For a while now I've been working on a plan to devote more time to "the baking thing", and while this seems rather counter-intuitive from the perspective of this site, that required less time devoted to writing about it and more time actually doing something about it. First up, the condo and the bills associated with it had to go. If I was ever going to give baking a real shot I'd need to leave my stressful and time consuming job, but to do that I had to get rid of the expensive mortgage and bills that depended on that job. And so I spent months and months doing various home improvements and going through rounds and rounds of purging. It's amazing how much <i>stuff</i> you can amass in nine years! For a long time people couldn't come and visit me without leaving with bags and bags of random things from my many seemingly bottomless closets. I had a friend come over and help me sort though the remainder of my things for what I'd actually need and what could eliminated/donated, and then I had another friend come and help move furniture and stage the place. Once everything was about as ready as possible, I called a realtor...and this is where the entire plan fell apart. I knew the market was bad and I certainly wasn't expecting to make money on the sale, but the picture he painted for me was so bleak that I dropped the whole thing for six months with a slightly depressed air of defeat.<br />
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Things stayed pretty stressful at work as the people around me kept changing, and the workload kept increasing, and my mindset about the whole thing kept deteriorating, but it wasn't until spring when I'd decided that I needed to stop waiting and start making serious changes, no matter the cost. There would never be a perfect time and so now will just have to do. I put my home on the market and began planning for the future. It took dozens of showings and several months of keeping the house clean and my bed made every morning, but I got lucky and several months after the whole thing started, I'd received an offer. The call actually came on my birthday and I immediately started calling family and whooping for joy over the phone. Closing, of course, took a few months, and being a bit skittish and superstitious, I waited until everything was final before putting in my rather generous notice at work, so it wasn't until Christmas that I found myself living back at my parent's house with all my remaining stuff in their basement, homeless, jobless, but absolutely ecstatic with life and how things turned out.<br />
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Before I devote all my time and effort into making baking, and possibly blogging, a full-time career, I've decided to take a few months sabbatical and travel the world. So all this is to say that don't count me out on this blog just yet, I'll definitely be back, but for now, if you want to follow my travels please visit me at <a href="http://bakergypsy.blogspot.com/"><b>Baker Gypsy</b></a>. I'd love to hear from you as I feed this travel bug.<br />
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<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-23712679290086641872013-06-08T21:44:00.000-07:002015-03-16T02:36:45.571-07:00Broccoli and Cheddar Soup and Little Goat BreadThis is probably going to be the only time that I make a recipe, have something new to share with you, get a picture taken and a post put together all within 24 hours! Don't get used to it, there's no way the stars will align in quite the same way again.<br />
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While you're here though, I have some things to share with you. First of all, yesterday brought a new addition to one place near and dear to my heart, Chicago's French Market. Mostly because that's where I go when I don't have time to pack a lunch for work, and while there are lots of great places there to pick from, it's always nice to see a new option, especially when its a new venture by the can't-do-anything-wrong Stephanie Izard, who brought her <a href="http://www.littlegoatchicago.com/bread">Little Goat Bread</a> sandwiches and freshly baked loaves east a few blocks to a stand right across the street from my office. The line was predictably insane at lunch time, but I went a bit late and waited patiently for the slightly harried but undeniably cool under pressure Stephanie to hand me my roast beef sandwich stuffed with kimchi and pickles. Not bad, but the best part was the wreath shaped loaf of carrot, cumin and walnut bread. YUM! This crusty loaf with chewy insides was incredible. The spices were right on and the large chunks of walnuts baked in were lovely. If you're in the neighborhood, I highly recommend you make your way down there and pick up a loaf to try for yourself. As for me, I had mine in hand and I just had to make something extra special to go with it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8991852145/" title="Broccoli and Cheddar Soup 3 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Broccoli and Cheddar Soup 3" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3809/8991852145_63513ba0f0.jpg" height="500" width="500" /></a><br />
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I had some broccoli in the fridge waiting for inspiration and some shredded cheddar leftover from another recipe so I decided that a nice cheesy broccoli soup would be perfect. I wanted something a bit lighter or at least more packed with veggies, I mean broccoli soup <i>sounds</i> healthy, but all that goes out the window when you add three pounds of cheese and butter. I did a bit of research and landed on a lovely recipe from another never-fail source, America's Test Kitchen. They had a great method for cooking down the broccoli faster, didn't use too much cheese, only a little bit of butter and no cream. It came out delicious, and that spoon in the picture is purely for show, I used the bread to mop up the soup and I'll do it again tomorrow.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8991854423/" title="Broccoli and Cheddar Soup by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Broccoli and Cheddar Soup" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/8991854423_2f3a3b7ffe.jpg" height="500" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Broccoli and Cheddar Soup</b><br />
<i>adapted slightly from <a href="http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=27401">America's Test Kitchen</a></i><br />
<br />
2 Tbsp unsalted butter<br />
2 pounds broccoli, florets roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces<br />
1 medium onion, roughly chopped<br />
4 garlic cloves, minced<br />
1 1/2 tsps dry mustard powder<br />
Pinch cayenne pepper<br />
1tsp salt<br />
2–3 cups water<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth<br />
1 bunch baby spinach, roughly chopped leaves (I left out the stems)<br />
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)<br />
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (about 3/4 cup), plus extra for serving<br />
Ground black pepper<br />
<br />
1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides and the butter begins to brown and develops a light nutty scent, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and baking soda. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. You may think that the cup of water will not be enough, but for me, the lid of the dutch oven kept all the steam inside and the cup of water provided the perfect amount of liquid to keep things going and nothing burned or even stuck to the pot.<br />
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2. Once the broccoli is nice and mushy, add the broth and 1 cup of water and increase heat to medium-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer half of soup to a blender, add cheddar and Parmesan, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer soup to medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup. You can also just leave everything in the pot, add the cheeses and use your immersion blender to puree the lot, that'll save you some extra dishes to wash. Return soup to Dutch oven, place over medium heat and bring to simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 cup water if you like, but I kept mine as is because I like thicker soups. Season to taste with salt and pepper and server hot with a slice or two of your favorite crusty bread.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-34040927341025188302013-05-07T20:39:00.002-07:002013-05-07T20:39:32.069-07:00Gluten Free Cheddar and Polenta Waffle SandwichI just realized that it has been <i>months</i> since I've written about anything that wasn't cake or dessert related, and while even my blog name has "cake" in it, a girl's gotta eat too, no matter how busy things get. Last week I dropped by a friend's house with a bag of groceries and I waited on the doorstep until she came home, tired and starving from a long hard day at work. Once inside, she poured us two glasses of wine and told me about the crappy day she had while I heated up the waffle iron and mixed up the batter. This is the fastest breakfast/lunch/dinner idea ever and we were sitting down and catching up (ahem...venting) before you could say "Can I get a refill on the wine?"<br />
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It went so well that I had to make them again when my cousin and my sister came by for breakfast. Okay, by the time they got going it was lunch, but this would have worked for either meal. I also made dessert waffles, but I have a feeling they need more work before I can share them with you. As for these, I'm told they freeze really well and can be reheated in a toaster, but I've made them twice now and I have no leftovers to speak of, so I can neither confirm or deny that claim.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8716207206/" title="Cheddar Polenta Sandwich by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cheddar Polenta Sandwich" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/8716207206_5cfe63c21e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Gluten Free Cheddar and Polenta Waffle Sandwich</b><br />
<i>Adapted from <a href="http://joythebaker.com/2012/04/gluten-free-lunch-waffles-with-apples-and-prosciutto/">Joy the Baker</a>, who in turn adapted it from Lena Kwak of The French Laundry. I swapped out the cheddar for gruyere, and cut down the butter a bit (I know, I know, but it didn't need the extra). I also used the gluten free mix I used before in <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2013/04/gluten-free-cinnamon-pecan-scones.html">my scones</a>. Seriously, this stuff is awesome!</i><br />
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<br />
1 cup water<br />
1/2 cup dried polenta<br />
6 Tbsp (3oz) unsalted butter, cut into large cubes<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1 cup <a href="http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/">Jeanne's GF flour mix</a><br />
3/4 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />
pinch of cayenne pepper<br />
1 egg<br />
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese<br />
3 Tbsp chopped chives<br />
<br />
sliced Granny Smith apple<br />
several slices of prosciutto or salami<br />
several slices of brie<br />
fresh spinach or baby greens<br />
<br />
- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add polenta and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted and incorporated. Mix in the cold milk and set aside.<br />
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, garlic powder, and cayenne.<br />
Pour the cooled polenta mixture over the dry ingredients, add the egg and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Fold in the cheese and chives just until the mixture is uniform. Waffle batter will be thick.<br />
- Cook waffles according to waffle machine instructions, but keep an eye on it, I found that my waffles needed an extra few minutes on the iron to crisp up and finish cooking. The batter doesn't expand too much but you probably want to stick to about 1/4 cup of batter for each section.<br />
- Top one waffle with the brie as soon as it's out of the iron, top with several slices of apple, a slice or two of prosciutto or salami, and some greens and top with another waffle. Squish it down a bit or it may be too tall to stuff into your mouth, but I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make that work. Enjoy!<br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-53608580071898801262013-05-01T10:34:00.000-07:002013-05-01T17:16:37.945-07:00Chocolate Blackberry Forest CakeI love random dinner invitations and when you are invited by someone who's a fantastic cook, well that just makes it that much better. So when friends I haven't talked to in months called (I'm terrible at staying in touch) and invited me for dinner, I signed right up before I even asked "What'cha makin'?". It was a few days later, over OMG pork! and a few glasses of wine that we broached the subject of a birthday cake for their son's birthday party. I usually prefer making cakes for adults because kids tend to not like it when you get too creative and get very picky, but the cool thing about my friends' kids is that they'll try almost anything, so the only thing off the table was booze. In hindsight the coffee I added was probably not really appreciated either, but there wasn't THAT much and I didn't even think about it until it was too late. Plus, if you are not good at planning ahead and your berries are still frozen, adding hot coffee helps extract every bit of juice from them when you sieve them, plus it boosts the chocolate flavor in the cake making the addition doubly useful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8687097188/" title="Blackberry Juice by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Blackberry Juice" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8546/8687097188_b7742461e3.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I'll admit that the blackberry puree got a bit lost in the cake, what with all the cocoa and coffee in there, but I believe it still added a dimension to the flavor and supported the theme. The cake came out light and fluffy and beautiful. I had to take a picture of the mix before I stirred it up, it looked too much like a funky lava lamp or the surface of Mars. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8687098270/" title="Chocolate Blackberry Batter by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Blackberry Batter" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8403/8687098270_292bbbcbb5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I debated adding fresh blackberries in between the layers, but it's not exactly blackberry season and I definitely wanted an intense layer of blackberry to cut through the sweetness of the frosting, so I whipped up a quick jam. I guess I could have bought it, but it's hard to find it seedless, plus I had everything to just make my own on hand, and my own wouldn't be as sweet as anything found in stores, so win win.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8685981659/" title="Blackberries by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Blackberries" height="360" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8406/8685981659_8d02166ca0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<br />
I also debated on making a chocolate mousse filling, but I wanted the cake to stand tall so I went with something sturdier. The addition of caramel instead of just warm cream makes the ganache sweeter and gives it more character, but I did make sure to use dark chocolate only to make sure the sweetness didn't get out of hand (the original recipe used milk chocolate, and I usually disagree with that on every level).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8685982995/" title="Chocolate Caramel Ganache by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Caramel Ganache" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8685982995_c5f5e7724d.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<br />
The most fun were the decorations, so while the cakes were on their racks cooling, while the ganache was coming to room temperature, and while the jam was setting up, I sat down and played with fondant. (The meringue mushrooms were made the night before). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8685983827/" title="Hedgehog_Owl_Shrooms by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Hedgehog_Owl_Shrooms" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8540/8685983827_cc664d9b80.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<br />
Once it was all layered, spread, frosted, piped, topped and swirled, I think it came out rather well. The cake is taller then it seems, but I wanted to show you the top more then the height. The birthday boy seemed pretty excited when I took the cake over and kept peeking into the box. And I, of course, stayed for dinner once more (P.S. H, if you're reading this, I still need that lamb recipe!). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8686359753/" title="Chocolate Blackberry Forest by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Blackberry Forest" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/8686359753_bd81737a8c.jpg" width="448" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8686360287/" title="Chocolate Blackberry Owl by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Blackberry Owl" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8545/8686360287_5858f840c5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8687476928/" title="Chocolate Blackberry Hedgehog by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Blackberry Hedgehog" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8687476928_11a80318b7.jpg" width="500" /> </a><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate Blackberry Forest Cake</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate caramel frosting was adapted from <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2003/04/chocolate_cake_with_caramel_milk_chocolate_frosting">Bon Appetit</a>, the cake recipe was generously adapted from <a href="http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2012/01/blackberry-red-wine-chocolate-cake.html">Love and Olive Oil</a>, the rest I kind of threw together as I went along.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Blackberry Coffee Puree</i>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries (I used frozen and it worked just fine)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup freshly brewed coffee</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blackberry Chocolate Cake:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 cups sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 2/3 cups flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/4 cup dark or dutch-processed cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 tsp baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 tsp kosher salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 cups buttermilk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 3/4 cups blackberry puree, recipe above</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup vegetable oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate Caramel Ganache Frosting:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="quantity">27</span>
oz dark or semi-sweet<span class="name"> chocolate, finely chopped</span></span><span class="ingredient"><span class="quantity"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="quantity">1 1/2</span>
<span class="unit">cups</span>
<span class="name">sugar</span></span><span class="ingredient"><span class="quantity"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="quantity">1/2</span>
<span class="unit">cup</span>
<span class="name">water</span></span><span class="ingredient"><span class="quantity"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="quantity">2 1/4</span>
<span class="unit">cups</span>
<span class="name">whipping cream</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quick Blackberry Jam:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1lb fresh or frozen blackberries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tbsp no-sugar needed pectin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="name"><br /></span></span>
<i><span class="ingredient"><span class="name">Optional:</span></span></i></span><br />
<span class="ingredient"><span class="name" style="font-family: inherit;">1 8oz package of cream cheese, at room temp</span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient"><span class="name" style="font-family: inherit;">1 4oz stick of butter, at room temp</span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient"><span class="name" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup powdered sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient"><span class="name" style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 batch of <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/MeringueMushrooms.html">Meringue Mushrooms from Joy of Cooking</a></span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient"><span class="name" style="font-family: inherit;">Some fondant and candy coating for the owl and hedgehog</span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient"><span class="name" style="font-family: inherit;">Some fresh blackberries</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="ingredient"><span class="name"><br /></span></span><span class="ingredient"><span class="name"><i><br /></i></span></span></span><br />
<span class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="name">Blackberry Puree: </span>
</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;">- Combine your berries and the coffee in a blender and puree until there are no chunks. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;">- Strain 1 3/4 cups of the mixture into a measuring cup and discard the seeds and solids.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blackberry Chocolate Cake:</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and line three 9-inch round baking pans with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Also prepare 1 cupcake cup if you're making the tree stump.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda,
baking powder, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add eggs,
buttermilk, blackberry puree, oil, and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer on
medium speed until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Divide evenly
among prepared pans (and one tiny cupcake cup).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean (check on the cupcake at about 20 minutes to make sure it doesn't overcook). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack until cool
enough to handle. Run a small knife around the edges of each pan, then
gently invert onto wire racks and allow to
cool completely.<i> </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate Caramel Ganache Frosting:</span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;">- Put the chopped chocolate into a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, and set aside. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;">- Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan
over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until
syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with
wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Do not walk away as it can go from deep caramel to burnt in no time at all. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;">- Carefully and
slowly add whipping cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over
low heat until any hard caramel bits dissolve and mixture is smooth.
Pour caramel over chocolate; let stand 1 minute to allow chocolate to
soften, then whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span class="instructions" style="font-family: inherit;">- Let the
chocolate-caramel frosting come completely to room temperature, giving it a stir now and then so that the top doesn't crust over, about 2 hours. </span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quick Blackberry Jam:</span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Combine the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium pan set over high heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the berries soften and release most of their liquid. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- I didn't want seeds in my jam so at this point I removed everything off the heat and strained it, pressing on the solids to get every bit of juice out. You can do this or skip this step if seeds don't bother you, your call.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Pour the strained juice back into the pan, bring to a strong boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes. Stir in the pectin, allow the mixture to come back to boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Don't worry if it still looks a little thin, the pectin will start doing it's job and everything will thicken as it cools.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assembly:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Place one of the cake layers on a plate and spread about a cup of the ganache over it, going all the way to the edge. Spread some of the blackberry jam over the ganache, stopping about an inch from the edge. Top with another layer of cake an repeat. Top with the final layer of cake and spread a thin layer of frosting around the top and sides. Chill the cake for 20 minutes or so to let it firm up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Reserve some frosting for the stump (if you're doing that) or decorations, and spread the rest over the sides and top of the cake. Decorate with reserved frosting and maybe a few fresh blackberries and chill for at least an hour to let it set. Serve at room temperature. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Optional:</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- If you want to recreate the forest like I did you'll need to place your baked cupcake on top of the cake and frost that as well. Pipe some of the frosting around the trunk with a round tip to simulate the roots and bark and draw the cracks on top with a toothpick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Make half a batch of the meringue mushrooms as described at the Joy of Cooking link provided above. I also painted the bottoms of the caps with some chocolate to simulate the gills of the mushrooms (and make sure that the caps stayed on).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Make the owl and hedgehog shapes out of fondant and paint with some colored candy coating. I used a candy diamond for the owl's beak and two candy eyes. For the hedgehog I used two large blue sprinkles for the eyes and used small scissors to snip along his back to create the spikes and painted him with some melted chocolate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">- Make a quick cream cheese frosting by whipping the softened cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar with some green food coloring until uniform and light. Use the grass tip and pipe all over the top of the cake to simulate the grass. Place your mushrooms and critters on the grass, and maybe a blackberry cluster like I did to show what's inside, and chill for at least an hour to let it set. Serve at room temperature. </span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-39293275409155509602013-04-17T09:58:00.000-07:002013-04-17T20:56:28.814-07:00Chocolate Butterscotch CakeThe weather has been rather ADD around here lately. Yesterday was warm and sporadically sunny, but great big lazy drops of rain would fall on me whenever I ventured outside and would stop whenever I went back in. I try not to take such behavior personally. Today it's cold and drizzly with a 5 minute lightning and thunder storm that popped in to say hi and dissipated before I could even find my umbrella. Despite the weather, my sisters came over last night and we went out to a lovely new restaurant over in my neighborhood, <a href="http://www.foundkitchen.com/">Found</a>. The friendly bartender recommended a bottle of Cahors, and explained that it's the original French malbec, before Argentina got their hands on it, and is often cheaper than it's more popular cousin (I count that as the one new thing I learned that day). The delicious kale salad, the fried oyster tacos, the pistachio meatballs, the impossibly crispy chicken wings, and the decadent Turkish coffee gelato sundae were only surpassed by the 3 hour conversation as we lingered at our table and flipped through books that were technically part of the decor. If you're in the area, or thinking of visiting, I'd definitely recommend you stop in for a while, you won't regret it. <br />
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But you're here for the cake, not restaurant recommendations or my gripes about the weather, and this one does not disappoint. This cake seems smaller in the picture then it was in real life; it's like the messages written on rear-view mirrors in cars, so please come closer. This baby consisted of 4 layers of butterscotch cake, each layer drizzled with a bit of chocolate rum sauce, filled and covered with generous layers of butterscotch frosting, and garnished with ganache for an extra accent of chocolate. In real life, this cake came out huge. The towering beast was made for a friend's birthday a few months back and after it fed over 30 people there were nothing but crumbs left on the plate (which is why, once again, there are no pictures of the insides). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8242607821/" title="Chocolate Butterscotch Cake by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Butterscotch Cake" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8477/8242607821_4c34527589.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Chocolate Butterscotch Cake</b><br />
<i>Adapted generously from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/356040/butterscotch-pecan-cake">Martha Stewart</a> and the sauce is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H55MOG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001H55MOG&linkCode=as2&tag=bloscak-20">Death by Chocolate</a>. Note: The frosting will require some time to cool and set so you should start on that early, or even the day before to make sure you have everything ready when you go to assemble the cake.</i><br />
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<i>For the Frosting:</i><br />
12 ounces unsalted butter (3 sticks), 1 stick left whole, 2 sticks cut into small pieces, softened<br />
2 cups packed dark-brown sugar<br />
1 cup heavy cream<br />
1/2 tsp coarse salt<br />
20 ounces cream cheese, softened<br />
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted<br />
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<i>For the Cake Layers:</i><br />
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Pam baking spray, for pans (or some melted butter and flour)<br />
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
3/4 tsp baking soda<br />
2 1/2 tsp coarse salt<br />
10 ounces (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened<br />
2 1/2 cups packed dark-brown sugar<br />
4 large eggs, room temperature<br />
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract<br />
1 Tbsp dark rum <br />
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature<br />
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<i>For the Chocolate Rum Sauce:</i><br />
6 oz unsalted butter<br />1 1/3 cups granulated sugar<br />1 1/3 cups heavy cream<br />8 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa, sifted<br />3 Tbsp dark rum<br />1/4 tsp salt<br />4 tsps instant coffee<br />1 tsp pure vanilla extract<br /><br />
<i>Chocolate Ganache Garnish (optional):</i><br />
6oz semi-sweet chocolate<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
1 Tbsp unsalted butter<br />
<br />
1. Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan
over medium heat until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add brown
sugar, cream, and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil,
whisking constantly, and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl,
and let cool<i>.</i><br />
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2. Once the sauce has cooled and thickened turn your mixer on low and with the machine running, add remaining butter, a few pieces at a
time, and beat on low until incorporated. Raise speed to medium, and
beat for 2 minutes. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and
confectioners' sugar on medium-high until fluffy and smooth, about 3
minutes. Add brown-butter mixture to cream cheese, and beat until
smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours (or
overnight, beating on low speed before using).<br />
<br />
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat two 9-by-2-inch round cake pans with Baker's Pam, line with parchment, and
coat parchment (or grease and flour with a bit of melted butter and a light dusting of flour). Set aside.<br />
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4. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a
medium bowl.<br />
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5. Beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed
until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition, then add vanilla and rum. Reduce speed
to low. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk.
Raise speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes. Divide batter among
pans.<br />
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6. Bake cakes until golden brown and testers inserted in centers
come out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer pans to wire racks, and let
cool slightly. Invert cakes onto racks. Let cool completely.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">7. <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Once melted, whisk in all the other ingredients. B</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">ring to a boil and lower the heat, then allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;">Allow to cool completely.</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: #e6e1c1; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; outline: none;" />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Chop up the chocolate and put into a bowl. Heat up the cream and the butter in a small pan just until the first bubbles appear at the edges then pour over the chocolate. Whisk everything together until the chocolate is all melted and incorporated and set it aside to cool to room temp and thicken.</span><br />
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9. To assemble the cake, trim tops of the 2 cake layers and then halve each one diagonally to make 4 layers, and place one on your serving plate, cut side up. Brush 1/4 cup chocolate rum sauce on the cut side of each cake layer including the one on the serving plate. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on the bottom layer, top with another cake layer sauce side down, spread more sauce on that and repeat, stopping when the last layer is up on top. Basically you want some sauce on both sides of each layer except the top and bottom with frosting in between. Spread a thin layer of frosting on
top and sides (your crumb coat). Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, and then spread remaining frosting on top and
sides of cake. Pipe on your decorations with the cooled ganache or you can just rewarm it a bit and pour it over the top letting it drip down the sides if you like. Refrigerate
until firm, at least 4 hours (or up to 2 days, covered).<br />
<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-45948516154699917132013-04-12T08:31:00.000-07:002013-04-12T08:31:39.758-07:00Gluten Free Cinnamon Pecan SconesA good friend has learned a while back that a large number of her health issues were due to a soy and gluten intolerance. She's lived her whole life having no idea and simply suffering through one thing after another. But when the doctor figured out the problem she was even more frustrated. She cooks every day for herself and her daughter, but she doesn't love it like I do and quite often pasta or pizza would be the go-to because they're easy, and both suddenly became non-options. Gone were the pancakes, the pb&j sandwiches and pretzels, and her search for reasonable replacements began.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8378349695/" title="Cinnamon Pecan GF Scones Raw by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cinnamon Pecan GF Scones Raw" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8237/8378349695_50946357df.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Everything that's gluten free and commercially made is more expensive and as a single mother she's been on a budget for as long as I've known her. She laughed at me when I told her that she could make her own bread, she doesn't think the way I do so most of my "helpful suggestions" simply would not work for her. While she's been figuring out her own way, I've been trying to make sure that she's not excluded from special occasion treats, and one of the main staples have been <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2010/03/scones-to-build-brunch-around.html">my scones</a>. I've been making the same scones whenever she's been over for breakfast and she sings their praises to everyone she meets, but all of the sudden the scones became a no-can-do. The first time I tried making my usual recipe, swapping out the King Arthur's GF Flour mix for the regular stuff, what came out was a crumbly mess. A tasty mess, to be sure, but not what I wanted. I dug around more online and I found a bunch of great mixes that people put together themselves, but after testing a few of them out, the best one by far was <a href="http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/">Jeanne's GF Flour Mix</a>. I've tried it in several recipes now, from tart crusts to coffee cakes, but this scone recipe was the ultimate test. And it passed with flying colors!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8379430416/" title="Cinnamon Pecan GF Scones by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cinnamon Pecan GF Scones" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8379430416_d0049280ac.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<br />
<b>Gluten Free Cinnamon Pecan Scones</b><br />
<i>I know I've written about these already in their non-GF form, but I was so happy with the result of all the substitutions that I wanted to share it with you again. And again, since my recipe could not have come together without them I'm citing both <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/">Smitten Kitchen</a> and <a href="http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/">Art of Gluten Free Baking</a>.</i><br />
<i></i><br />
<br />
2 cups of <a href="http://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/2009/11/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/">Jeanne's GF Flour Mix</a> <br />
1 Tbsp baking powder<br />
3 Tbsp sugar<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
5 Tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes<br />
1 cup heavy cream<br />
1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted<br />
Turbinado sugar, optional<br />
<br />
1. Before you do anything else, click through to Jeanne's site and mix up a batch of the flour mix. Double it, triple it, put it into a big jar and you'll have it ready to use just as you would regular flour, whenever you need it.<br />
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2. Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.<br />
<br />
3. Dump flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon into your food processor fitted with steel blade and pulse a few
times to combine everything. You can also just mix everything in a bowl if you like, but I love my food processor. <br />
<br />
4. Open up the food processor and distribute the butter chunks evenly over dry
ingredients. Cover and pulse a couple of times. If you're doing this by hand, use two forks, a pastry cutter or your fingers to mush the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger butter bumps.<br />
<br />
5. Pour in heavy cream and pulse a few times, just until the dough barely starts to come together. Add in the pecans and pulse 3-4 times again to incorporate/chop them in. If you're doing this by hand, stir in the cream with a spatula until a dough starts to form, chop up the pecans and fold them in as well. <br />
<br />
6. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead the dough
by hand just until all the flour is incorporated, then pat it into a rough round disk about 3/4 inches thick. You can cut it with a biscuit cutter, pressing the scraps together to make more biscuits, but I like to just shape it into a disk and cut it into 8 wedges. It's less work and still comes out delicious. <br />
<br />
7. Place rounds or wedges on an ungreased baking sheet or a silpat, sprinkle some turbinado sugar over the top for an extra crunch and press it in a bit so that it sticks. Bake until scone
tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes and cool on wire rack for at least
10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with soft butter and jam.<br />
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Share with a friend or two and enjoy! Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-52382435086092780492013-04-08T22:09:00.002-07:002013-04-08T22:09:52.801-07:00Dulce de Leche Lemon CakeI've been baking for a long time. Each time I try to remember when exactly I first pulled the flour bin out and tried something new, I give up and go do something more useful, like wash the giant pile of dishes that kitchen gremlins keep sneaking into my sink. There has always been an unspoken rule in my family though: I make whatever the heck I want, but mom makes the birthday cakes (except for her own that is, though even then she gets a say in what I make). My older sister has mom's Drunken Cherry cake, without which a birthday is not a birthday, and my younger sister has had mom's "L'ubimiy" (quite literally "The Favorite"). It involved lots of butter, homemade dulce de leche, fresh lemon and fluffy yellow cake layers, and it has been her go to for a long time. That is until a few years ago. I don't recall why, either mom couldn't or she asked me specifically, but I was asked to make my sister my lemon cake instead. I think I mentioned it on here a long time back, it was a cake that involved slightly dense lemon cake layers with lemon curd spiked whipped cream inside and out. I got the recipe from an old issue of Gourmet and modified it slightly over the years based on my family's preferences and it was pretty good. Since then it's been an alternating battle. Does she choose mom's lemon cake or mine?<br />
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This year her birthday was going to be celebrated late and while talking over her plans late one night on IM, I typed out loudly "I'm making your cake this year! What do you want?" "I'm sure whatever you make will be lovely. Something with lemon. Or chocolate. Or lemon. Did I mention lemon?" she replied. I reeled through all the different cakes I'd like to try out next in my head before I decided that no matter how crazy I want to get, it's not about what I want to try, but about what she would want. It would be for her birthday after all. And then it hit me! I'd make the ultimate cake for her: I'd combine her two favorites into one giant confection to blow her mind. And this is how the "New Favorite" was born. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8632860821/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="photo (5) by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="photo (5)" height="407" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8540/8632860821_346a1451a1.jpg" width="407" /></a></div>
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The process is a little lengthy, and I apologize for the lack of good pictures of the cake (it was the middle of the night when I finished it), but trust me, it came out awesome and the birthday girl was blown away. And yes, I did insist on having the correct number of candles on the cake. I'll continue to do that until she's 93 and the cake looks like a flammable porcupine. I may be a middle child but for a few years I was the little sister, and those lessons are hard to unlearn.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8633965720/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="photo (4) by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="photo (4)" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8533/8633965720_f28c717382.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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<b>The New Favorite (or Dulce Lemon Cake)</b></div>
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<i>This recipe is a combination of several sources, including an old Gourmet recipe, but I'd changed so much about all of it over the years and now combining it with my mom's recipe, the result is all my own. Note: Plan to make this over two days because the lemon curd and the dulce de leche will need time to cool down.</i></div>
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<i style="line-height: 19.5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the Frosting/Filling:</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">1 14oz can of condensed milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">Zest of 2 lemons</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">1/2 cup fresh lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">1/2 cup sugar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">3 large eggs</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">3/4 stick of unsalted butter (6 Tbsp), cut up into pieces</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temp</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;"><i>For the cake:</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.5px;">3 cups cake flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">1 Tbsp baking powder</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">½ tsp salt</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">16 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temp</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">Zest and juice of 1 lemon</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">2 cups sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">5 large eggs, at room temp</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temp</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Place the unopened can of condensed milk into a deep pot and cover completely with water. Cover the pot and place over high heat until the water boils, then lower the heat to medium high to keep a steady boil going and cook for 2.5-3 hours. Check on the pot every 30 minutes or so and add water as needed to make sure that the can stays submerged. Don't forget about it because if you don't have water in there the can can blow up and you don't want all your hard work splattered on the ceiling. Take the whole pot off the stove, carefully take out the can with tongs and let it stand out until it's completely cool. Don't try to open the can until it's cool or, once again, it will blow up. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. In a separate pot, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and eggs. Whisk together lightly, add in the chopped butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until the butter has melted and the custard has thickened enough to hold the marks of the whisk for a bit and you start seeing a few bubbles around the edges. Don't let it boil. Once it's thickened take it immediately off the heat and pass it through a strainer into a bowl to remove any bits of cooked egg and the lemon zest. Cover with saran wrap pressed over the surface of the curd (this will prevent a skin from forming) and let it cool to room temp before you transfer it to the fridge to set completely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Once both the dulce and the lemon curd are completely cool, beat the cream cheese and the butter together until fluffy, beat in the whole can dulce de leche until combined and then beat in the lemon curd in several stages. I added the entire batch in, but my frosting came out a little bit on the softer side. You may want to reserve a little of the curd for your breakfast toast if you'd prefer your frosting a bit stiffer. Or you can just chill it for a bit before you use it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans lightly with butter, line the bottoms with parchment paper and then grease and flour the bottom and sides again. I use Baker's Pam, which is oil and flour in one and is awesome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6. In a large bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, the lemon zest and the sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">7. Combine the buttermilk, the lemon juice and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Once the layers are cool, cut each one in half, lengthwise. Place one layer on your serving plate and top with a thin layer of frosting. Top with another layer and repeat until you have all four layers stacked with three layers of frosting between them. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top and sides and pipe on decorations with anything you have left over. You want to get every last bit of that frosting onto that cake because it's the best part. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cake will keep for a few days in the fridge, provided you don't eat it all in one sitting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-26655408289646870932013-02-08T10:50:00.001-08:002013-02-08T12:12:27.114-08:00Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The holidays were crazy and it has been really hard to return. At first it was perfectly justifiable. I was working longer hours, sewing holiday gifts, baking treats for different holiday parties and there just wasn't any time to come back here and write. Then after the new year there were birthdays and shows and parties and more work, so I once again put off coming here. Baking was being done in the middle of the night and pictures, if I even bothered to take any, were all badly lit and unworthy. Inspiration was hard to find at the end of each long day so I decided to just call it an extended vacation from blogging. The problem with that is that when you don't have a plane ticket back, you're quite likely to just stay on vacation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, before going to a theater preview with a friend, we stopped by the Ghiradelli store on Michigan Ave for a coffee (we were determined to stay as far away from Starbucks as possible and good coffee is hard to come by in that area). We were cheerfully greeted with a square of caramel chocolate each and when we just couldn't decide between the salted caramel hot chocolate and a cappuccino (caffeine was sorely needed, but the salted caramel just sounded soo good), the friendly "barista" offered to combine the two at no extra charge. Sold! It was delicious, and I have been thinking about it ever since, so when one of my sister's work friends ordered cupcakes from me to celebrate his newborn baby boy, I decided to use those flavors for the cupcakes since I was given free rein. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I whipped up some smooth lightly salted caramel and folded it into a half cream cheese half buttercream frosting I'd come up with, and then I swirled it on top of a fluffy espresso spiked dark chocolate cupcake. If you really like the combination of salty and sweet I'd recommend topping each one with a light sprinkle of coarse sea salt to kick up the flavor even more. They did that at Ghiradelli and the outcome was divine. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8456647800/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcake by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcake" height="332" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8227/8456647800_d4b18935c8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cupcake recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275">Epicurious</a> and the frosting I just made up.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cupcakes:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 oz good semisweet chocolate</span><br />
<ul class="ingredientsList" style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup hot brewed espresso (you can use coffee, but I wanted an extra kick)</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 cups sugar</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.5 tsp baking soda</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp baking powder</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp salt</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 large eggs</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup vegetable oil</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup well-shaken buttermilk</span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="ingredient" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)</span></li>
</ul>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frosting:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 Tbsp water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup heavy cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp coarse sea salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 8oz package of cream cheese, at room temp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp (2 sticks)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup powdered sugar</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cupcakes:</span></i></div>
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<div class="instruction" style="padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Preheat oven to 300°F and line 2 cupcake pans with liners (batch makes between 24 and 30 cupcakes).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Finely chop chocolate, put into a medium bowl, top with hot coffee, let is stand for a few seconds and then whisk it until the mixture is uniform.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- In the large bowl of your standing mixer (or another large bowl if you're using a hand mixer) beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3-5 minutes). Stop the mixer and add the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs. Whisk together by hand until uniform (or else the liquid will splatter all over the place). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Dump in the sugar/flour mixture, give it a few stirs with your whisk and then beat on medium speed until just combined well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Fill each cupcake liner half way (the batter will rise so if you add too much batter it will overflow and you'll have an awkward muffing top to deal with) and bake in the middle of the oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frosting:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- In a medium saucepan (bigger than you think you'll need) b<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;">riefly stir together granulated sugar, lemon juice and water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture turns dark amber in color, about 6 to 7 minutes. If you see that it's getting color on one side, but not the other, just give the pan a swirl and whatever you do, don't walk away because it can go from dark amber to burnt very quickly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">- Remove the pan from heat and slowly whisk in the cream, vanilla and salt. It will bubble up, but should get thick and creamy once it's mixed and cools down. Let it cool to room temperature, about 25 minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">- Beat together the creamcheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar. Dump in the cooled caramel and whip again until smooth and even. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">- The frosting will be a bit soft so put it in the fridge to thicken for 20 minutes before piping onto the cupcakes. Cover tightly and store in the fridge. They keep great and are even better on the 2nd day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;"><i>Optional: Top each cupcake with a light sprinkle of coarse sea salt before serving for an extra delicious punch. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><br /></span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-30428905747090042952012-12-05T20:49:00.000-08:002012-12-05T20:49:55.857-08:00Chocolate Walnut CakeYou'd think that after spending several days doing nothing but playing with props, all the pictures featured in my blog going forward would be gorgeous, carefully styled and feature pretty spoons and napkins and stuff. Well, you'd be WRONG! See, while I've learned a lot and will definitely be doing my damnedest to try and incorporate all of those things, sometimes I have exactly 3 minutes to take pictures before the cake goes into a box and is rushed out the back door. Those 3 minutes don't exactly leave very much room for tweaking and styling. But I'm going to try, otherwise it would have been all for nothing.<br />
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For example this cake, which I've now made twice in the past two weeks (with the 2nd being an improvement on the first). Both times it was for someone else and both times I've had no time to take pictures, but I wanted to tell you about it, so I plopped it really quickly in front of my white fridge on a cake stand I haven't had time to put away yet and there you go.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8242606225/" title="Chocolate Walnut Cake by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Walnut Cake" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8346/8242606225_99ee0810b0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The cake itself contains two layers of a dense moist walnut cake with a layer of chunky walnut ganache and a layer of amaretto spiked chocolate mousse sandwiched in between. A smooth coat of ganache went on top and the sides got treated to rows of stars made of leftover chocolate mousse. A few toasted walnuts on top and Voila! Cake.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8242606987/" title="Chocolate Walnut Cake Top by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Walnut Cake Top" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8242606987_1078cdcf77.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Chocolate Walnut Cake</b><br />
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Double batch of <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2010/02/easiest-way-to-deal-with-extra-walnuts.html">Walnut Cake from here</a> baked in two 9" round tins<br />
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<i>Chocolate Mousse:</i><br />
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped<br />
2 Tbsp instant espresso or coffee<br />
1 Tbsp Amaretto<br />
3 egg whites (absolutely NO yolk), room temp<br />
2 Tbsp sugar<br />
1 cup cold heavy cream<br />
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<i>Chocolate Ganache/Walnut filling:</i><br />
1 cup heavy cream<br />
2 Tbsp unsalted butter<br />
15oz semi-sweet chocolate<br />
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped<br />
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<i>Optional:</i><br />
As many pretty toasted walnut halves as you can find and not eat<br />
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1. Make a double batch of the Walnut cake and allow the layers to cool completely while you make the mousse, filling, and icing.<br />
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<i>Mousse:</i><br />
2. Combine the chocolate, espresso and amaretto in a microwave proof bowl and melt the chocolate by heating at 20 second intervals, mixing with a spatula after each interval until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool.<br />
3. Beat the egg whites in a mixer with the whisk attachment (or a hand beater) until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not over-beat, you want to stop as soon as you get to the shiny stiff peak consistency.<br />
4. Beat the whipped cream on high until peaks form, about a minute. Don't over-beat or you'll have butter (not a bad thing, but not what we're going for here).<br />
5. Fold 1/4 of the heavy cream into the chocolate mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula until thoroughly combined. Add the whipped egg whites and gently fold in until combined. Add the rest of whipped cream and once again, fold in gently until thoroughly combined.<br />
6. CHILL the mousse in the fridge for AT LEAST an hour before using. If you don't, it won't support the top cake layer and everything will ooze out creating a mess and you'll hate me for ever sharing this recipe.<br />
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<i>Ganache/Filling:</i><br />
7. Combine the heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat and heat it until the very first bubbles start forming along the edges. You don't want this to boil or even simmer.<br />
8. Dump the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Gently whisk until completely combined and smooth and pretty.<br />
9. Remove 2/3 cup of the ganache and combine with the chopped and toasted walnuts in a separate bowl. Allow both to cool to room temp.<br />
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<i>Assembly:</i><br />
10. Lay one cake layer on your cake plate/cardboard circle and spread the walnut ganache evenly over the bottom. Chill in the fridge for a few minutes if the ganache is still soft.<br />
11. Spread a thick layer of the mousse over the ganache. Save some to use as garnish. Again, chill for a few minutes if you feel the mousse is still somewhat soft.<br />
12. Top with the second cake layer and smooth down the sides if any of the ganache/mousse is peeking out.<br />
13. Make sure your ganache is cooled to a still soft, but not runny consistency and pour it over the top of the cake, smoothing down the sides with an offset spatula.<br />
14. Scoop the remaining mousse into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a ring around the base of the cake to cover up any mess the poured ganache may have made.<br />
15. Chill any left over ganache, scoop into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and alternate walnut halves with chocolate swirls around the top of the cake.<br />
16. Chill the cake until ready to serve (use this time to wash the mountain of dishes) and remember to it out 30 minutes before cutting.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-16731334886661793592012-12-03T10:55:00.000-08:002012-12-26T19:57:14.953-08:00Food Photography Workshop with Helene of TartletteThis all started almost a year ago. It wasn't very long after new year's and I was feeling landlocked, frustrated, and in desperate need of a vacation when Helene of <a href="http://www.tarteletteblog.com/">Tartlette</a> posted about the different workshops she was planning over the next year. I love her work and think her photography is gorgeous (and goodness knows I need help in that department), but it would definitely be a major splurge so I waffled back and forth and pestered my <a href="http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/">friend Joy</a> on whether I should do it and in the end I just clicked the button and signed up. I had to dip into my savings, but this was a rare opportunity and boy would it be worth it! Over the next months whenever I'd get upset or frustrated or get that feeling to hop into the car and just take off, I'd remember about this trip and feel better. That feeling of an adventure already planned and booked is one of the best feelings, I think.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156574449/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="32 NomNomNom by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="32 NomNomNom" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7121/8156574449_3862e5f047.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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So that brings us up to the first week of November, when after a long wait I finally packed my bags and boarded the plane. I arrived a few hours before Helene's husband Bill was supposed to pick us up, so I grabbed lunch at the airport and wandered around the shops before finally settling down to wait and read my book, but the girl I'd settled next to noticed my tripod sticking out of my backpack and asked if I was there for the photo workshop. <a href="http://www.laapushkina.blogspot.com/">Krisztina Desi</a> had been traveling across the US for a few weeks and was going back to Budapest right after this workshop, so my trip had started with me speaking Russian (mom would be proud). Pretty soon <a href="http://lemongrassandgreentea.blogspot.com/">Libby Stephens</a> joined us and man alive, she was an absolute riot! A few minutes after that, after scaring away a woman who was definitely not part of our group, we had flagged down <a href="http://www.mellibakes.com/">Melissa Cole</a> and after we were joined by Karen Cornett and <span id="goog_1920658684"></span><a href="http://www.claireperez.com/">Claire Perez</a> we all squeezed into Bill's red van and headed for the beach house. <span id="goog_1920658685"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156521241/" title="2 Berry Tart by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="2 Berry Tart" height="344" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8156521241_3095abdb3b.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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At the beautiful beach front summer house just outside of Charleston, SC we were met by our two teachers for the weekend, <a href="http://www.helenedujardin.com/">Helene Dujardin</a> and <a href="http://www.claremariephotography.blogspot.com/">Claire Barboza</a>, as well as our wonderful chef for the duration of our stay, <a href="http://sweet-treats-baking.blogspot.com/">Laura Vein</a>. They couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. I had won the room lottery and got a cozy room right by the front door all to myself and while we waited for people to arrive, I settled in, opened all the windows, and let as much of the ocean air in as possible.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156558304/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="5 Macaroons by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="5 Macaroons" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8156558304_a4d191e868.jpg" width="363" /></a></div>
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Slowly the rest of the workshop attendees started filtering in. <a href="http://www.alyshayoderphoto.com/">Alysha Yoder</a>, an incredible photographer who I wound up pestering to no end later that weekend to suck up as much Lightroom knowledge as possible. <a href="http://www.stacyable.com/">Stacy Able</a>, a fabulous wedding and doggie photographer who is in Panama right now volunteering for the <a href="http://seedsofhelp.org/">Seeds of Help</a> foundation (and has promised to send me some Guatemalan coffee once she comes back!). Tiffany Scales, of the lovely <a href="http://www.savorhomeblog.com/">Savor Home blog</a>. <a href="http://www.amyruthbakes.com/">Amy Schleider</a>, who drove in all the way from Missouri and was kind enough to drive and hang out in Charleston with Alecia and I on the last day of the trip. And lastly, as the girls began to open up the wine bottles lined up on the counter, Bill brought <a href="http://foodlifezen.wordpress.com/">Dina Sandakli</a>, a lovely girl whose travel exploits are truly enviable (and who tried to teach us belly dancing as well as the non-PC difference between Indians and American Indians according to her college history professor). Once everyone settled in we had dinner, discussed the schedule for the weekend, enjoyed a fabulous ice cream buffet (homemade ice cream of course), and talked and talked. Once people began disappearing to their rooms, I took a walk on the beach. The water was just warm enough to roll up my pants and get my feet wet, and without the glow of a city nearby, the moon and the stars were the only things reflecting off the water. Just what I needed. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156576356/" title="16 Props by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="16 Props" height="360" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/8156576356_f4645be75c.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The next few days were filled with beautiful food, running around the house to claim a spot with the perfect lighting, sorting through a huge table laden with props(!), finding corners around the living room to plug in and edit photos, learning various techniques and strategies, chatting, eating fabulous food and drinking wine. On Saturday morning we all got up extra early and drove to the Charleston Farmer's market to take photos (and buy a few things...because I can't NOT buy anything at a farmer's market). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156583320/" title="AG - Market by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="AG - Market" height="399" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8156583320_fb06411967.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156588472/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="21 Eggplants by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="21 Eggplants" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8156588472_e266a4e8a3.jpg" width="332" /></a></div>
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I chatted up this lovely pickle lady and who let me take some photos of her and gave me a small container of pickled peanuts. I also grabbed a small container of her pickled beets, which were amazing. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156591518/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="23 Pickled Beet Lady by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="23 Pickled Beet Lady" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/8156591518_8531f9e100.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Back at the house we had to earn our lunch. Helene fried or poached fresh goose eggs, Laura fried up some bacon and we once again dashed to the props table to assemble and photograph our meal before we could dig in.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156600964/" title="26 Duck Egg Breakfast 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="26 Duck Egg Breakfast 2" height="353" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7263/8156600964_f322a65850.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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On Saturday evening we piled into three cars and drove once again into the city to the gorgeous <a href="http://www.lanarestaurant.com/">Lana Restaurant</a>. Chef John Ondo, a friend of Helene's, was kind enough to allow a dozen women to run around his restaurant and pester his staff with our cameras. They didn't even mind it (too much) when we took turns popping into the kitchen to get some behind the scenes shots. Every once in a while we'd head back to the table and enjoy the incredible dishes. I had the phenomenal poached pear and gorgonzola salad, a delicious Basque style chicken, and a lovely lemon and olive oil cake (Helen's mother's recipe). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156578577/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="36 Oh the pans by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="36 Oh the pans" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8477/8156578577_510befaa76.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156579935/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="AG - Hands off the Spoon by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="AG - Hands off the Spoon" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/8156579935_44bb6cefc5.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156612978/" title="38 Glasses by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="38 Glasses" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/8156612978_c5437fe50d.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156596701/" title="49 Chef Plating the Fish by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="49 Chef Plating the Fish" height="332" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/8156596701_9ba7814e93.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156630058/" title="50 Team Effort by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="50 Team Effort" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/8156630058_632277307c.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156602281/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="53 Lemon Olive Oil Cakes by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="53 Lemon Olive Oil Cakes" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8484/8156602281_57a996777f.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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The next day we got back to work and I began cataloging in my head the list of props I absolutely must acquire for myself. That gorgeous linen runner and those adorable numbered cups and dishes are at the top of that list. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156607041/" title="56 Lunch by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="56 Lunch" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8342/8156607041_0d262a6512.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Towards the end of the trip, during some free time, a few girls and I took a walk from the beach house to the pier to check out the handful of shops there and I'd discovered that the Ben and Jerry's there still had my all time favorite ice cream flavor, which had been retired everywhere else: Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz. Well, you know I had to have some, right?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156607769/" title="DSC_1341 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8338/8156607769_d41e8f148f.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="DSC_1341"></a>
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Also, on Sunday night, just after it started getting dark, they sky opened up and it began to rain. A few minutes after, the power went out as far as we could see, and there were lightning bolts in the sky, one right after the other. I grabbed my camera and tripod and ran up to the 2nd floor balcony to shoot. I got some decent pictures and it was wonderful to not be the only girl running towards the storm instead of away from it; Alecia and Libby were right there next to me trying to keep our cameras dry and having a total blast. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8156642176/" title="Across the Street by kalina813, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8156642176_6fd6867cce_z.jpg" width="466" height="640" alt="Across the Street"></a></div>
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The power eventually did come back on, and the trip eventually had to end, but I learned a lot, made some friends, and truly relaxed. I don't have a recipe for you today, but I'll be back shortly with a few things I'd been up to, I promise. Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-10714093102098926332012-11-02T21:18:00.000-07:002012-11-02T21:23:18.469-07:00Black Forest Dessert SauceHi! How are ya? What's new? Good! Me? Well, let me tell you! I know it's been a month since I've promised to tell you about all the cakes, cakes and more cakes that have been flying out of my kitchen, but there have been so much happening since then that I barely know how I'll ever get you all caught up, so instead I'm going to just share everything and tomorrow we'll start fresh. Okay? Great.
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A few weeks ago, I made sugar paste from scratch and created several of these: <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099014568/" title="Peony by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Peony" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8099014568_7560a36aef.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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And I put them on top of this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099014036/" title="Mollys Wedding Cake by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Mollys Wedding Cake" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8099014036_a6e4d54e21.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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A topper went on top of that (go figure) and turned it into this (picture <strike>pilfered</strike> compliments of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SouthBranch">South Branch Tavern and Grille</a>):<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8149516872/" title="32384_402570026482195_1091440283_n by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="32384_402570026482195_1091440283_n" height="334" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8149516872_0c3b5eb1dc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It was a vanilla cake with lemon curd filling and italian meringue buttercream on the outside. Here's another pilfered picture of the insides:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8149536651/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="222421_623592069991_33978459_n by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="222421_623592069991_33978459_n" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8149536651_25e48e2226.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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And that one in the background up above? That was the groom's cake. A key lime pie cake to be exact, though there are no pictures of the insides. Guess the guy is a U of Miami fan?<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099003637/" title="Grooms Cake Top by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Grooms Cake Top" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8099003637_453257ffa3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Then there was this (ignore the bad lighting, it's what happens when you bake in the middle of the night), a rich chocolate cake filled with chocolate fudge and fresh blackberries:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099015218/" title="Chocolate Blackberry Cake by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Blackberry Cake" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8099015218_6787aa1680.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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There was also an ENORMOUS cake covered in pink roses, but there are no pictures of that because it was finished and delivered at 2am, in the dead of night, under the cover of rain. Not kidding. I pulled the keys out of the mailbox, backed the car into the driveway, loaded the monster into the trunk, drove it two blocks to the clubhouse where the party was going to be and drove back as my drunk neighbors were coming back from a night of bar hopping.<br />
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There were cookies made, jam, gluten free scones (man do I need to keep working on those, they were NOT good), tarts and tartlettes and baked goods galore. There was a brunch with friends and lots and lots of wine. There was stress at work, lots of hours in front of the computer and many cups of tea. Oh yeah, and my tea kettle broke. Before you ask, it was an electric one and yes, the next one will be the old fashioned kind that doesn't require an outlet and never fails. And none of that even includes the half a dozen sewing projects I'd finished, including these two pillows (complete with zippers!):<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8091581409/" title="Pillows by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Pillows" height="286" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8184/8091581409_de79b7b077.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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There was also a LOT of greek yogurt. You see, I'm slowly working through my rather extensive stash of jams, jellies, sauces, and preserves of all kinds. I haven't even told you about HALF of my canning expeditions this summer (though I promise I will). And last week I have finally scraped clean the very last of the Black Forest dessert sauce that I made last summer. Since I've been eating it on top of yogurt, it's technically breakfast food. Plus there are cherries.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8120978989/" title="Black Forest Sauce by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Black Forest Sauce" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8120978989_3ed1fb0c4c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I had found a recipe for cherry sauce somewhere along the way and had heard of people adding cocoa to their canning projects, plus there's a bottle of kirschwasser hanging around in my <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2012/10/irish-cream-brownies.html">liquor cabinet</a>, and I had bought a giant box of dark black cherries for next to nothing from the back of a truck...ahem...so somehow all of these needed to come together. (And yes, I made another animated gif. I might be having too much fun with these).<br />
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<a href="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Black-Forest-Sauce_zps0c3e110c.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Black-Forest-Sauce_zps0c3e110c.gif" /></a></div>
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And before I give you the recipe I have to tell you that right now I'm having a bit of a surreal moment. I've just come back from a walk on the beach where the ocean water is still warm enough to roll up your pants and walk barefoot along the surf. The moon is big and yellow and the sky is full of stars. I'm sitting on a sofa in a gorgeous beach house in Charleston, South Carolina and across from me is another late owl, <span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.helenedujardin.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px; text-decoration: none;">Helene Dujardin</a>, of the incredible blog <a href="http://www.tarteletteblog.com/">Tartlette</a>. I'll tell you about how THAT happened in a few days when this is all over, but in the mean time I'd just like to wish you all a happy fun filled weekend, because that's exactly what I intend to do myself.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"><b>Black Forest Dessert Sauce</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"><i>Adapted from so many sources that I may as well call it my own.</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.383333206176758px; text-decoration: none;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">3lbs dark black cherries, pitted</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">3 cups of sugar</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">1 cup cocoa</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">1 cup water</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">1/4 cup Kirschwasser</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">1. Combine everything except for the booze in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often for about 20 minutes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">2. Blend everything either with an immersion blender*, add the Kirsch and cook for another 5 minutes. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">3. Ladle into clean/sterilized jars and either boil in a water bath for 10 minutes if you want to keep it for a few months, or let it cool and keep in the fridge if you plan on eating it within a week or two. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">4. Pour over ice cream or yogurt and enjoy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.366666793823242px;">* I LOVE my immersion blender and highly recommend you get one, but if you don't want/have one I'd recommend blending the cherries before you cook them because blending hot sugar stuff is really scary. </span></span><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-25276061386806289752012-10-18T09:55:00.001-07:002012-10-18T09:55:34.816-07:00Roasted Eggplant with Goat CheesePeople have been passing germs around the office for the last month and despite taking vitamins and drinking more orange juice then I can ever remember, I finally succumbed to the cold this past weekend and have been miserable ever since. The worst part is that all I want to do is sleep, but as soon as I lie down, I start to cough. So instead of resting I've been jamming, working on forgotten sewing projects, cleaning and drinking tea by the gallon. I guess I'm not capable of curing up on the couch in front of the TV for very long.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099006555/" title="Spiced Eggplant Raw by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Spiced Eggplant Raw" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8336/8099006555_515be1d35b.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Also, because if this cold I have also had almost no appetite and absolutely no desire to go grocery shopping, so dinners have consisted of odds and ends around my pantry and fridge. That's not nearly as sad as it sounds though because according to my sister, a person can live for a month on what's in my kitchen when I say I have no food. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099016490/" title="Spiced Eggplant Baked by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Spiced Eggplant Baked" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8326/8099016490_97c7444c82.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I'd pinned this recipe from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/">The Kitchn</a> a while back and finding one lonely eggplant in my fridge and a tiny wedge of leftover goat cheese, I mixed what I had and waited while the oven did it's job. Since I'd halved the recipe, but kept all the spices and garlic at their original amounts, the flavors were stronger, but I loved it. It was warm and comforting and made for a quick and simple meal served over steamed rice. Just goes to show that you don't absolutely have to follow a recipe to the letter to end up with a delicious dinner (and I'm hoping the extra garlic helps me kick this stupid cold...I'm not good at being sick!). And tomorrow, I think I'll make <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2010/02/winner-and-apple-butternut-squash-soup.html">soup </a>out of the giant <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2011/12/leek-and-butternut-squash-soup.html">butternut </a>squash my coworker gave me from her garden. Who knows? It might be another week before I have to go grocery shopping again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8099007693/" title="Spiced Eggplant by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Spiced Eggplant" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8099007693_c7f9f1cb42.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Roasted Eggplant with Goat Cheese for Two</b><br />
<i>Adapted heavily from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-roasted-eggplant-salad-with-smoked-almonds-goat-cheese-164756">The Kitchn</a>, partially because I don't like cilantro and mostly because I didn't have smoked almonds.</i><br />
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1 large eggplants<br />
Kosher salt<br />
2 Tbsp olive oil<br />
1 Tbsp cider vinegar<br />
1 Tbsp honey<br />
1 tsp smoked paprika<br />
1/2 tsp cumin<br />
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped<br />
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons<br />
1 Tbsp soy sauce<br />
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled and divided<br />
Steamed rice (optional)<br />
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1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cube the eggplant into 1-inch pieces and put in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside while making the marinade.
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2. Whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and cumin. Dab away any extra water that has beaded up on the eggplant and toss with the marinade. Stir in the garlic. Spread the eggplant on a large baking sheet, lined with parchment and slide onto a rack placed in the center of the oven. Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes, or until very tender and slightly browned. Stir it halfway through to make sure it browns evenly. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
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3. Whisk together the lemon juice, soy sauce and most of the goat cheese (reserve a little to garnish). Return the eggplant to the bowl and toss with the lemon juice mixture.
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4. Serve on it's own or over steamed rice. Go back for seconds.
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-41685597996094057122012-10-02T09:30:00.001-07:002012-10-02T09:30:18.638-07:00Irish Cream BrowniesThe alternate title to this post should be "Cleaning out the liquor cabinet" because these brownies really and truly live up to their name. These are not "Hint of Irish Cream" or "Touch of Irish Cream" or "There was a bottle of Irish Cream in the kitchen when I was making these and therefore might possibly have absorbed some by osmosis". These are most definitely "Hey, I'z gots Irish Cream and might get you drunk. Let's hang out!" brownies. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8044822093/" title="Baileys Brownies by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Baileys Brownies" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8176/8044822093_e997469b04.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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A year or two ago I hosted an all-out Halloween party at which one of the things I did was re-label all the bottles in my liquor cabinet with creepy cool labels and it has stayed that way ever since. Mostly because I get a kick out of pulling out a bottle labeled "Contaminated Blood" when I make margaritas, or "Vampire's Kiss" when I make martinis. It has been a while since the party though and slowly my cabinet has regained it's upstanding (boring) constitution, however in the very back there was a giant handle of Irish Cream still labeled "Ye Olde Spider Venom" and I'd decided that it was time for it to go.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/8044831034/" title="Baileys Brownies Cut by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Baileys Brownies Cut" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8033/8044831034_2fd9b28daa.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I have a favorite brownie recipe that I've been making off and on ever since I'd discovered it, and in addition to churning out incredibly dense, moist, flavorful brownies, it easily absorbs a large quantity of liquid of your choosing, making it perfectly adaptable. <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2011/07/guinness-stout-brownies.html">Originally I had made it with a concentrated glug of Guinness</a>, and really the only difference this time around was that I replaced the 1.25 cups of beer with 1.25 cups of Irish Cream. <b>That's right, I said 1.25 cups of Irish Cream for a single batch!</b> And they came out amazing! So click on the link above (or <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2011/07/guinness-stout-brownies.html">here</a>) if you have some extra booze lying around and you want to give these a try. They travel great and are perfect for sharing.Oh yeah, and if you eat the whole batch they might get you drunk :DAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-13868702409055464972012-09-28T07:57:00.003-07:002012-09-28T07:57:54.581-07:00Plum Jam BarsThe last few weeks have been a whirlwind in the kitchen. I've been re-organizing everything and putting away the things I don't use very often, but as soon as I got one box into storage I got an order that sent me right back into the basement to pull everything back out again. I've had a wedding cake, a grooms cake, three birthday cakes (one almost as big as the birthday kid herself), and 201 jars of <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2010/08/blackberry-wine-jam-and-bit-of.html">blackberry wine jam</a>! I'll definitely tell you all about all of this as soon as I catch my breath and sort through the hastily taken pictures, but today I want to share with you a super simple, everyday recipe in case your life is just as hectic as mine and you're craving a bit of sweetness.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541010546/" title="Jam Bars by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Jam Bars" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8001/7541010546_6d22799a00.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Plum Jam Bars</b><br />
<i>Adapted very slightly from <a href="http://www.munchkinmunchies.com/2012/06/english-matrimonials-for-berrylicious.html">Munchkin Munchies</a></i><br />
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2 cups flour<br />
1/2 cup coconut flour<br />
2 cups packed brown sugar<br />
3 cups oatmeal<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 1/2 cups butter, melted<br />
1 1/2 cups plum jam (or any jam you like)<br />
1 teaspoon almond extract<br />
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1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line with parchment and lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.<br />
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2. Combine all ingredients except jam and almond extract. Pat half of the mixture into prepared pan. Mix jam and almond extract. Spread over oat mixture. Pat other half of oat mixture on top.<br />
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3. Bake 40-45 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. Don't forget to share!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541009448/" title="Crumbs by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Crumbs" height="332" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7541009448_25c3e595fb.jpg" width="500" /></a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-72310809235416507452012-09-08T06:01:00.001-07:002012-09-08T06:01:59.451-07:00Pink Lemon CupcakesToday's post comes to you compliments of the fact that I can't actually raise my arms higher than the keyboard. Last week has been a whirlwind of activity including work, showing an out-of-town guest around the city, more work, running after my amazing sister as she did the Chicago Triathlon (to take pictures, of course, no way am I doing THAT anytime soon), and helping move a friend's parents halfway across town. It is not an understatement when I say that everything hurts. For example, did you know that the muscles in your fingers could be sore? I surely didn't. Somewhere in that insanity I had also found time to make two dozen lemon cupcakes for a bridal shower for a friend at work.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7955116920/" title="Pink Lemon Cupcakes 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Pink Lemon Cupcakes 2" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8038/7955116920_5c760dc755.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I hadn't actually had time to go grocery shopping in weeks, so the fact that these cupcakes came out with all my substitutions and tweaks is actually a bit of a miracle, but they came out great, tender and just the right combination of tart and sweet, and were devoured by my coworkers in just a few minutes. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7955118808/" title="Pink Lemon Cupcakes by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Pink Lemon Cupcakes" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/7955118808_ec97f7d913.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting</b><br />
<i>Recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/lemon-cupcakes/">My Baking Addiction</a></i>
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<i>Cupcakes:</i><br />
2 1/4 cups flour<br />
1 Tbsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 cup milk <i>(I used 1%)</i><br />
lemon zest from two lemons<br />
1/4 cup lemon juice, from the two lemons you zested<br />
4 large egg whites<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
8 Tbsps (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract <i>(or lemon oil if you have it)</i><br />
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<i>Frosting:</i><br />
2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, at room temp<br />
8 Tbsps (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp<br />
1 lb confectioners’ sugar (or to taste)<br />
2 tsps vanilla extract<br />
juice of one lemon<br />
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<i>Cupcakes:</i><br />
1. Center a rack in the oven to 350F. Prepare two cupcake tins by using liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.<br />
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.<br />
3. Whisk together the milk, lemon juice and egg whites in a separate bowl.<br />
4. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer or another large bowl and thoroughly mash it up with a whisk until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Use the same whisk from steps 2 and 3. No need to dirty more stuff. Add the butter and, working with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. It will clump up at first, but will soften and gain volume the more you beat it. <br />
5. Add in the extracts and one third of the flour mixture and beat on medium speed just until combined. Beat in half of the wet mixture, then another third of the dry, the rest of the wet, and finally the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. I like to stop the machine for each addition and stir the mixture in by hand for a few seconds first to avoid wearing half of it when I turn the machine back on. <br />
6. Finally, give the batter a 30 second beating to ensure that there are no lumps left and scoop/pipe the batter into the cupcake tins, filling each well 2/3 full. <br />
7. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.<br />
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<i>Frosting:</i>
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1. Using a mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.<br />
2. Gradually add in the confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated.<br />
3. Mix in vanilla, lemon juice and any food coloring, if using, and beat until smooth.<br />
4. Taste the frosting and add more confectioners' sugar if you like your frosting thicker or sweeter.<br />
5. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes, and enjoy!<br />
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<i>Note: They keep well in the fridge in a tightly sealed container and taste even better on the second day. </i>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-358742021996751722012-08-31T08:53:00.000-07:002012-08-31T08:53:26.476-07:00Browned Butter Blueberry TartsA few months ago I finally got around to reading a book that's been on my bookshelf for, well for a ridiculously long amount of time considering it was a non-fiction book about baking. I had picked it up for $1 at a used book store and it had a giant sticker over the author's name, so I didn't pay too much attention to it. The book was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DVCMHC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003DVCMHC&linkCode=as2&tag=bloscak-20">Confections of a Closet Master Baker</a> (and I guess it has now been re-published under a new title for some reason: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767932730/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0767932730&linkCode=as2&tag=bloscak-20">My Life from Scratch</a>, but from I can tell only the cover image and title changed). Anyways, the author's name is Gesine Bullock-Prado, which still didn't ring any bells until a good long way into the book at which time a lightbulb went on over my head: that's Sandra Bullock's sister! Huh. That's kind of cool. What was even more awesome about the book was the easygoing writing style, the not-sugar-coated stories (despite the high volume of actual sugar involved), and surprisingly the wonderful recipes included in the book. I have quite a few of them bookmarked for future experimentation, but as is my nature I had piled that book back onto the great big pile of things I still need to do and promptly forgot about it again for way too long.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7885017352/" title="Browned Butter Blueberry Tarts Unbaked by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Browned Butter Blueberry Tarts Unbaked" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8455/7885017352_8e93affc4f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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A little while ago I had decided to clean out my freezer and among all the other odds and ends I had found some leftover tart dough from a <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2012/05/camp-blogaway-part-2-and-bacon-cheddar.html">quiche I had made for Mother's day</a>. Apparently it keeps extremely well if wrapped up tightly and stored in the back of the freezer. I had a pint of blueberries sitting in the fridge (there were two but I hoovered up the first one like popcorn) and all I needed was a recipe to put the two together. I did a quick search and found <a href="http://dessertfirstgirl.com/">Dessert First Girl's blog</a>, with a....book review for Gesine Bullock-Prado's cookbook: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584799633/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1584799633&linkCode=as2&tag=bloscak-20">Pie It Forward</a>! Her post was about the blueberry brown butter tarts from the book and they looked and sounded like just what I was looking for, so I used my crust scraps, whipped up her tart filling and made mini tartlets that I grabbed straight from the oven, tossed into a box and brought with me to an impromptu family brunch. I believe one comment was "This is the best thing I've ever put into my mouth!" I'll chalk that up as a success and Gesine's book is now back at the top of my todo pile.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7885019508/" title="Browned Butter Blueberry Tarts Baked by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Browned Butter Blueberry Tarts Baked" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7885019508_d6290e48cc.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Browned Butter Blueberry Tarts</b><br />
<i>Recipe adapted from Gesine Bullock-Prado via <a href="http://dessertfirstgirl.com/2012/05/cookbook-review-blueberry-brown-butter-tarts.html">Dessert First Girl</a></i>
<i> </i><br />
<i>For the crust I used the leftovers from <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2012/05/camp-blogaway-part-2-and-bacon-cheddar.html">here</a>, but you are also welcome to make the crust from <a href="http://dessertfirstgirl.com/2012/05/cookbook-review-blueberry-brown-butter-tarts.html">Dessert Girl's post</a>.</i><br />
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<i>Filling:</i><br />
2 large eggs<br />
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/4 cup (30 g) flour<br />
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter<br />
1 pint (340 g) blueberries<br />
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<i>Crust:</i><br />
- If you're using up dough leftovers like I was, let the dough defrost in the fridge overnight. Flour the counter and roll out the dough to about 1/4" thickness. Cut out circles of dough to fit into mini tart pans, press it in and dock the bottom with a fork. Let the prepared pans rest in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350F. (Otherwise just use your own crust and pre-bake it like I did).<br />
- Fill your tart pans with parchment paper (I like to crumple it up so that it fits into the pans better) and pie weights/beans/rice and pre-bake for 15 minutes or just until the bottoms no longer look wet. In the mean time, make your filling. <br />
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<i>Filling:</i><br />
- Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.<br />
- Sift flour over the mixture and carefully fold in.<br />
- Place butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium-high heat until melted. Continue cooking until butter has lightly browned and begins to smell nutty. Keep a careful eye on it because once it starts browning it can burn really quickly and become unusable. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.<br />
- Pour browned butter into egg mixture and whisk to combine.<br />
- Divide blueberries among the tart tins. Pour the butter mixture over the berries until they are just covered.<br />
- Bake tarts for 20-25 to minutes, until the top crust is browned and filling is bubbly.<br />
- Let it cool completely before removing from the tart tins or you'll end up burning your hands. Ask me how I know that.Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-59573412632141077952012-08-06T18:35:00.000-07:002012-08-06T18:38:21.913-07:00Mojitos on a Whim<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7729740672/" title="Mojito Process by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Mojito Process" height="296" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7729740672_a2ca9735de.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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This morning one of my lovely co-workers brought me a bouquet, which basically made my Monday. Not just any bouquet, mind you, she brought me a bouquet of mint she'd picked from her garden that morning. Now I don't know what this means for you, but for me that means the day will end with a mojito!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7729739554/" title="Mojito Fixins by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Mojito Fixins" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7729739554_86b581ec49.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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All day long the mint sat on my desk smelling heavenly and completely erasing any work related stress and when I got home I had a quick dinner, whipped up a mini batch of mint simple syrup, ran around and did some small chores around the house while it cooled, and before I lost all light I mixed up a nice tall frosty mojito for myself, heavy on the lime. I highly recommend it!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7729744538/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Mojito by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Mojito" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7729744538_46148e09ce.jpg" width="348" /></a></div>
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<b>Simple Mojito</b><br />
<i>makes 2 (or one huge one if you're a lush).</i><br />
<i>I know this isn't rocket science and quite a few people will either not want a recipe or have an even better one, but this made me so happy today that I just wanted to share with you my way.</i><br />
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3 limes<br />
rum (I used Bacardi)<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 cup water<br />
Big bunch of fresh mint<br />
club soda or tonic<br />
ice<br />
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1. In a small saucepan combine sugar water and a good handful of torn mint leaves. This isn't really an exact science, you just want all the leaves to be submerged so don't put in too much. Bring to a simmer and stir until all the sugar is dissolved, then turn off the heat and let it infuse and cool for at least 15 minutes.<br />
2. Roll your limes across the counter a few times pressing hard to break down the insides and juice them.<br />
3. Drop a few mint leaves into the bottom of your two glasses and bash them with a muddler, fork, rolling pin, or any other blunt object you may have on hand. Beat the crap out of them, just don't break the glasses.<br />
4. Fill the glasses about half full of ice, top with two shots of rum, one or two shots of your mint syrup (depending on how sweet you like it), a shot of lime juice and a splash of club soda or tonic. Stir.<br />
5. Stick a sprig of mint in there to make it pretty, find a straw and a chair in the shade and enjoy.<br />
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* Save any leftover simple syrup for next time...or for round two :D
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7729747272/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Mint Simple Syrup by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Mint Simple Syrup" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7729747272_33f89a2bc0.jpg" width="325" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-871097098435687402012-07-31T11:00:00.001-07:002012-07-31T11:00:54.380-07:00Meyer Lemon Lavender MarmaladeLast year, right around now, I already had several dozen jars full of different kinds of jams, syrups, sauces, and what-have-you. This year it's been way too hot and so instead of canning the gorgeous fruit, I'd been eating it straight from the fridge. Every thought to turn on the stove or the oven is cross referenced against the time it would take for my house temperature to recover, and 9 times out of 10 I decide to make a salad or assemble something random out of whatever is in the fridge.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587159200/" title="Meyer Lemons by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Meyer Lemons" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7587159200_58dc0b910c.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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All was going just fine until I ran into Meyer Lemons. Around here, these babies are hard to find and when you do see them, they're pricey, so when I found a whole bunch of them on sale I had to get them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587156560/" title="Meyer Lemons 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Meyer Lemons 2" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7587156560_f68987d137.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I'd had this jam tagged to make at some point in the distant future for just such a windfall as this and so despite the insane temperatures I pulled up the recipe and made marmalade.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587162000/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Meyer Lemon and Lavender Marmalade by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Meyer Lemon and Lavender Marmalade" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8141/7587162000_a5e5cc1c79.jpg" width="368" /></a></div>
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I had picked up a small bag of lavender during a short trip to New York last year and I'd been hoarding it for something special, so I knew I had everything on hand. On the second day the piping jam was safely canned, the loud pings as the lids sealed quieted down, and I was left with a little extra to spread on toast. It's thick, a bit chunky, not too sweet, only a little bit bitter, delicately floral and utterly delicious! Definitely worth the wait.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587164586/" title="Meyer Lemon and Lavender Marmalade 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Meyer Lemon and Lavender Marmalade 2" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7587164586_acb1010b9f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Meyer Lemon Lavender Marmalade</b>
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<i>Recipe adapted from <a href="http://localkitchenblog.com/2010/04/18/can-jam-lemon-lavender-marmalade/">Local Kitchen</a>. Also, keep in mind that this will take at least 2 days.</i>
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2 lb lemons, I used Meyer, but regular will work just fine<br />
1/4 cup + 2 tsp dried culinary lavender, divided<br />
5 cups sugar <br />
1 tsp Kosher salt<br />
1 Tbsp vanilla<br />
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<i>On the first day:</i><br />
1. Scrub lemons really well and slice into 8 wedges lengthwise (she recommended a serrated knife and it worked like a charm). Remove seeds and reserve in a small bowl. Thinly slice sections, cross-wise, and transfer to a large measuring cup, trying to save as much juice as possible. This will take you a long time and make your fingers very pruny; be sure you have no cuts on your fingers because it will sting. Measure amount of lemons and juice (I had about 5 cups).<br />
2. Measure out an equal amount of filtered water into a medium saucepan. Add lemon seeds and 1/4 cup lavender; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and steep for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours.<br />
3. Strain lavender water into a measuring cup, squeezing the lavender buds to get out all the liquid, then discard seeds and lavender. Add additional filtered water to bring volume back up to original amount if necessary. Return lavender water to the saucepan, add lemons + juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, skimming foam if necessary. Turn off heat, allow to come to room temperature, then cover and allow to sit at room temperature overnight.<br />
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<i>On the second day:
</i><br />
1. Prepare your canner, jars and lids so that everything is ready to go.<br />
2. Measure lemon mixture and transfer to a large saucepan or small stockpot. Add salt. Measure out sugar to your taste (I don't like my jam too sweet, and all the citrus means that I can safely cut the sugar a bit, so I only added 5 cups, but you're welcome to add more if you like your marmalade sweeter. Most recipes suggest a 1:1 ratio between lemon mixture and sugar). Add sugar in 1/2 cup increments, allowing the marmalade to come to a boil in between additions. Once all the sugar is in, add in the vanilla and boil, <b>stirring frequently</b> until the marmalade reaches the gel point, which should only be a few more minutes. The suggested temp was 220F at sea level, which is where I am, but I stopped it at 210F and still got a very firm set. Be sure to taste a cooled sample of marmalade during cooking to adjust sugar, if desired. <br />
3. Transfer to a large, heat-safe bowl and allow marmalade to sit, cooling, for a minute or two; it should start gelling quite quickly. Stir down the pieces of fruit, and stir in the remaining 2 tsp of dried lavender. Fill hot, sterilized jars to 1/4-inch headspace, wipe rims, affix lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.<br />
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<i>Note: I had doubled the original recipe and ended up with four 8oz jars and enough to fill one 4oz jar.</i>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-25048012351417359182012-07-16T19:34:00.000-07:002012-10-09T16:30:15.470-07:00Kitchen Sink Oatmeal and Spar for the Spurtle Recipe ContestI am by no means an oatmeal making expert, but if I was, not to mention if I wasn't camera shy, you can bet your oats I'd be entering <a href="http://www.sparforthespurtle.com/entry.php">Bob's Red Mill's Spar for the Spurtle Oatmeal Recipe Contest</a>. I know there isn't that much time left, but hurry up and get your grains in order and enter enter enter! You know what's on the line? Three finalists will <b>win a trip to Portland, Oregon</b> where they'll compete for the ULTIMATE PRIZE: <b>A trip for two to Scotland</b> to represent Bob's Red Mill at the 19th annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship in October, plus expenses/accommodations/etc. Look at the web site for details, but right after you do that, run to the store, pick up a bag of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.bobsredmill.com">Bob's Red Mill</a> Steel Cut Oats, whip up a batch of your awesome oatmeal and video tape yourself doing your thing.
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To help motivate you, to set the fire under your bum, to get your creative juices boiling (and for me to apologize for telling you about this so late), the awesome folks at Bob's Red Mill have offered <b>an extra incentive</b> for those go getters who enter the contest before the deadline (<b>July 20th</b>). All you have to do is create your video, enter it at the <a href="http://www.sparforthespurtle.com/entry.php">contest website</a> and <b>come back here to my blog and let me know that you entered</b>. <b>The first 5 of you</b> will receive a box stuffed with goodies <i>(don't forget to leave contact info)</i>. How cool is that? I'm told the box will be chock full of:<br />
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* Honey Oat Granola<br />
* Cinnamon Raisin Granola<br />
* Scottish Oats<br />
* 7 Grain Pancake Mix<br />
* A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spurtle">spurtle</a> of your very own!!! <br />
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So GO GO GO!!!!<br />
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Oh, and in the spirit of things, to get you started, to get you thinking, I'll share with you my oatmeal recipe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587104010/" title="Oatmeal Prep by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Oatmeal Prep" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7587104010_41214467ff.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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When I bake, I am precise, I plan ahead, I measure everything, I alter recipes in very logical ways and take great big risks only when I'm 90% sure of success (that's still a risk you know). On the other hand, cooking usually involves the proverbial "kitchen sink" and this oatmeal recipe is no exception.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587100616/" title="Quartered Pears by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Quartered Pears" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7587100616_cb34410fb0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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When I found out about the contest, I opened the pantry knowing that I had Bob's Steel Cut Oats in there, but what else should go in there? I don't like my oatmeal plain, so I started pulling things off of shelves to see what will go well. I like to add apple sauce to my oatmeal, but I didn't have any on hand. I did have one lonely pear left, so that got peeled, pureed and tossed in. I had a packet of Justin's Maple Almond Butter, so that went in too for sweetness and a bit of extra protein. A touch of honey, a jar of Coconut Milk (jars of this stuff multiply in my pantry like rabbits), a dash of vanilla and I was ready to go.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587107132/" title="Almond Butter by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Almond Butter" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7587107132_4bca98f770.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Also, while I'm not actually entering the contest myself (I don't look all that glamorous when I cook and no one will ever catch THAT particular process on tape), I did create this fun little gif of the oatmeal bubbling away.<br />
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<a href="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Simmering-Oatmeal_zpscb0bc118.gif?t=1349825056" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Simmering-Oatmeal2_zps818fb660.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Simmering-Oatmeal2_zps818fb660.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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The thick bubbles made it look a bit like the oatmeal was screaming at me, so to capture that, I made another little gif. Okay, so I just like making these. Whatever. They're fun.<br />
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<a href="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Simmering-Oatmeal_zpscb0bc118.gif?t=1349825056" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll297/kalina813/Simmering-Oatmeal_zpscb0bc118.gif?t=1349825056" width="320" /></a></div>
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I scooped some into a cup, added some shredded coconut and took a picture. What I saw through my viewfinder was a lovely cup of what looked like parsnip soup with Parmesan cheese. Damn, that won't work. I can tell you all I want about how yummy this came out and you'll never make it because it looks like this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587110152/" title="Cup of Oatmeal by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cup of Oatmeal" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7587110152_f8f2422573.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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So to make the picture better I added a few chocolate chips. You know what this ended up tasting like? An Almond Joy. Um, talk about an upgrade! I may have just invented dessert oatmeal. Try it, it's really good!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7587114144/" title="Cup of Oatmeal 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cup of Oatmeal 2" height="348" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7587114144_153c1427f6.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Kitchen Sink Oatmeal</b><br />
<i>Aside from the cooking instructions on the package, this recipe is entirely my own as no one should be blamed for the sheer random contents of my pantry that culminated in this awesomeness.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
1 cup Steel Cut Oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)<br />
1 13.5oz can of coconut milk (fat free or full fat, both will be lovely)<br />
Enough cold water added to the coconut milk to make 3 3/4 cups<br />
1 Tbsp vanilla<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 or 2 pureed pears (or apples or bananas or whatever you have)<br />
3 Tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter or Nutella or whatever you want)<br />
3 Tbsp honey<br />
shredded unsweetened coconut<br />
a handful of dark chocolate chips<br />
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1. Combine the oats, milk, water, vanilla and salt in a large pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. You want the pot to be big enough to allow the mixture to rise as it simmers. I didn't and I had to keep a very close eye on my pot to avoid a spill.<br />
2. Lower the heat to a low simmer, cover the pot and cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on how soft/mushy you like your oatmeal. Stir often!!!<br />
3. Once the oatmeal is cooked to your liking, remove the pot off heat and mix in your pears, almond butter and honey (or whatever you decided to substitute these with).<br />
4. Let it cool a bit and thicken, scoop into a cup or a bowl and top with shredded coconut and chocolate chips. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-220545366291939902012-07-13T10:30:00.000-07:002012-07-13T10:30:47.015-07:00Rhubarb Snacking Cake, Quilts and Food ArtDid you all have a wonderful 4th of July? Are you now back at work and sad that this week isn't shortened by a day off? Have the 105F days trapped you at home and forced you to finish those projects that have been not-so-patiently waiting your attention? Are you running out of post-its to remind yourself of everything you need to still get done? If so, then I know just how you feel. I'm going to try and pack a lot of stuff into this post, so please bear with me, I'm about to get wordy.<br />
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Last Wednesday it was too hot outside to even contemplate venturing out, so when my friend called and asked me if I wanted to come with her to the fair and then chill in her pool, I silently battled with my desire to get out of the house and the very realistic fear of melting and then declined. "I don't want you to come if you're going to complain about the heat the entire time anyways", she said. And I certainly can't blame her. When I get hot I get cranky, whiny, testy, and generally a huge pain to be around. I think I lasted exactly two hours at home after that phone call before I started getting cabin fever. I got a ton of things done and the walls were starting to close in, so I grabbed my bathing suit and a towel and took my friend up on the second part of her offer.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541000368/" title="rubarb by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="rubarb" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8286/7541000368_67b2e5ef72.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The point of this story is that I have one wall AC unit and when it gets this hot outside there is NO WAY that I'll be even coming close to the oven, let alone turning it on. I'm a bit ashamed, but for the last two weeks I'd been surviving entirely off of leftovers, food my mom sends me home with when I visit, and cereal. But, since I now have some free time that isn't spent putzing around in the kitchen, I finally had time to go through and edit some photos of past projects, not to mention actually finish some of those same projects. And now I am finally ready to share with you this amazing Rhubarb Snack bar recipe that I made a month ago out of a small fortune in farmer's market rhubarb.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541002018/" title="Rubarb Bars by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Rubarb Bars" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/7541002018_a46e6204d5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I didn't modify this recipe one tiny bit - oh okay, I may have upped the rhubarb and lemon a tiny bit, but my crumb soaked the extra up and didn't get as crispy, so I don't recommend doing that. I think that the woman behind <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">Smitten Kitchen</a> is amazing and none of her recipes have ever let me down. And since I don't think I can add a single thing to her recipe or instructions, even though I did try, I'm just going to <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/05/rhubarb-snacking-cake/">give you the link and send you over there</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541006464/" title="Rubarb Bars Cut by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Rubarb Bars Cut" height="352" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7541006464_b494670010.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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If you still have rhubarb available by you, please give this recipe a try. The bars came out tender, not too sweet, full of tangy flavor and all in all delicious. I dropped most of them off at my sister's office for the poor stiffs that were working late that day, and saved a few for my friend to snack on at work. And then tried not to devour the few remaining squares in one sitting.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541007366/" title="Rubarb Bars Cut 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Rubarb Bars Cut 2" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7541007366_846b28b77b.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I can't urge you enough to go home and make this. It's delicious. And speaking of delicious! Look at what the amazing lady behind <a href="http://lunchboxproject.blogspot.com/">The Lunch Box Project</a> did with my <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2011/09/honey-and-peaches-ice-cream.html">Honey and Peaches Ice Cream recipe</a> from last year:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEMbMrd7FJwk52fBkTl4sS9mErhQdhCAqNBej2t0Jt7In1oIxXj7W8QsdpYQCNCQqpdODhiL7LoCJGPzSvlrOUm1eJDcZS9CnTb9aiR57NaRTNi7ZyCBUtUpZQDk1TvIynh-0Q2aWhMQ/s1600/Peach+Ice+Cream2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEMbMrd7FJwk52fBkTl4sS9mErhQdhCAqNBej2t0Jt7In1oIxXj7W8QsdpYQCNCQqpdODhiL7LoCJGPzSvlrOUm1eJDcZS9CnTb9aiR57NaRTNi7ZyCBUtUpZQDk1TvIynh-0Q2aWhMQ/s400/Peach+Ice+Cream2.jpg" width="394" /></a></div>
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Isn't it adorable? I met <a href="http://lunchboxproject.blogspot.com/2012/07/honey-and-peaches-ice-cream.html">Lisa Orgler</a> at Camp Blogaway a few months back and in addition to being a great cook, she has an entire section of her site dedicated to her foodie illustrations. I think she did a beautiful job. Please go to her site and check out her other drawings, she's fantastic!<br />
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Also, look what I've been up to while the oven has been off:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541061464/" title="Box to Ship by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Box to Ship" height="332" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7541061464_9931c6f8e5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Something about the proximity of my birthday urges me to get as many of the things I'd been procrastinating on crossed off the list as possible. As if I have to answer to someone when I turn one year older to account for my progress over the past year. I started clearing out my house shortly after the new year, but at some point two or three months ago, I'd lost steam. With the birthday quietly looming and the to-do list quietly growing, I'd recently decided to get my butt back into gear and start getting things done. A big part of it was clearing out my giant craft closet and either finishing projects or getting rid of things that will never be used again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541063850/" title="Quilt 1 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Quilt 1" height="332" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7541063850_32d73e7de0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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This all resulted in a quilting marathon and since I had a ton of fabric and I've been getting better and faster at it, and thanks to a fantastic post by <a href="http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2012/05/downy-touch-of-comfort-quilts-for-kids-making-a-four-patch-quilt.html">Make it and Love it</a> a few weeks back I'd decided to add one more project to the list. After reading all the amazing stories about how big of an impact a small thing like a handmade quilt can make in the life of a sick child, I stopped crying, covered my living room with all my fabric, and picked out the most colorful and most fun pieces. I requested the free kit from <a href="http://www.quiltsforkids.org/patterns/request/">Quilts for Kids</a> to use as a template and added three more quilts out of my own fabric.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541065718/" title="Quilt 3 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Quilt 3" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7541065718_073f8e9325.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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A few days ago everything was assembled, stitched, washed, dried, folded and packed and ready to go. I know this is a baking/cooking blog and not one for crafting, but I can't describe how great it feels to do this and I strongly urge you to ask for a kit and do this too. If you can sew in a straight line, you can do it and the reward in the end is worth all the time and effort invested.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7541068308/" title="Quilt 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Quilt 2" height="332" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7541068308_eae59b1af8.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-36261091843643760402012-07-02T13:07:00.000-07:002012-07-02T13:07:24.839-07:00Vegetable CasseroleNo family dinner that I've ever hosted has ever been complete without the veggie casserole I had been making ever since my mom let me help make dishes for the table. The recipe comes out of an ancient book called "What's Cooking?". I have no idea where the book came from and trying to find it online these days is practically impossible, but thinking back to those years it was probably found at a garage sale for a quarter. In those penny-pinching days lots of things came from a garage sale. I loved that book because all the recipes were easy, each recipe had a picture, and in every chapter it had a breakdown of some complicated techniques in a full spread. I remember following the recipe to the letter and being extremely proud when my mother would ask for seconds. <br />
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I'd changed the recipe many times over the years, adding different veggies or mixing up the spices. Every time I organize a family dinner though, when my mother inevitably calls me to discuss the menu, and after I reassure her 17 times that no, she really doesn't need to bring anything (she always does anyways, and I'm always not-so-secretly happy about that) she always asks "are you making my pie?". It's not a necessarily pretty thing, though I do try layering the tomatoes on top to make it look better, but there are mushrooms in the slightly salty crust, it's full of veggies and it's delicious. Plus it makes my mom happy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/6532342561/" title="Veggie Casserole by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Veggie Casserole" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6532342561_37bcb69de0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Vegetable Casserole</b><br />
<i>Adapted from an ancient copy of "What's Cooking? vol 2"</i><br />
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1/3 cup butter<br />
1 1/2 white mushrooms, finely chopped<br />
1 1/4 cups Saltines, crushed<br />
1 onion, half diced and half sliced<br />
1 zucchini, diced*<br />
2 roma tomatoes, sliced<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 Tbsp flour<br />
3/4 cup milk<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper<br />
1/4 tsp dried basil or a few leaves fresh, minced<br />
1 Tbsp garlic powder <br />
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated<br />
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1. Preheat oven to 350F<br />
2. In a skillet, melt margarine, sautee mushrooms and diced onion. Take off heat and add saltines, mixing well.<br />
3. Line a deep 9" pie plate with the mixture, spreading over the bottom and the sides and pressing it in to make a crust. Cover with sliced onion and zucchini, and top with tomato slices.<br />
4. In a bowl mix eggs with the remaining ingredients, except for Parmesan, and whisk. Pour into the crust, sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the pie looks set in the middle. Serve hot.<br />
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* You can make this with any kind of vegetable you like. Sometimes I add more mushrooms into the filling (my family goes crazy over mushrooms), sometimes I caramelize the onions in the filling. Just be sure to either shred or pre-cook any firmer vegetables for which 30 min is not enough to cook through and you'll be just fine.<br />
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<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-46718353517256665362012-06-21T21:06:00.000-07:002012-06-21T21:06:24.209-07:00Frozen Chocolate Mousse BombeI had made this cake for the first time almost 10 years ago as a birthday present for a family friend. I had boxed it up, put a chocolate butterfly or two on top - in those days I put chocolate butterflies on everything - and sent it over with my parents. One thing led to another, one conversation flowed into the next, and between toasts (we're Russian, so most occasions call for a LOT of toasts), between shared stories, and between more toasts, the cake was left in the freezer untasted. A few days later I received a thank you note and a phone call telling me how amazing the cake was. My father got a similar call, which prompted him to remember that he never got a chance to even try the pretty cake! How horrible! How unfair! He had the cake in his very hands and he literally let it slip through his fingers. My father can be very dramatic about cake.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/6858644740/" title="Chocolate Frozen Mousse Bomb 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Frozen Mousse Bomb 2" height="500" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6240/6858644740_fcfe01e49a.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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For 10 years whenever we'd talk about the cakes I'd made for different occasions and my refusal to make a cake twice when there are so many new recipes to try, he never forgot that chocolate dome he never got to see the inside of...see with a spoon of course. Every couple of months he'd turn to me with a pout and remind me how there was that one cake he never got to try. So this year for his birthday I'd decided that he had waited long enough. This was an important birthday, one of those with a zero at the end and a growing number in the beginning and there were people gathering. Lots of people. This cake is rich and while the original says that it makes 8 servings, I think it can comfortably feed 12 chocoholics if not more. But I got nervous that there wouldn't be enough so I scoured the house for proper shaped bowls and made 3. Two of them were demolished. We sliced a generous piece for each guest and despite the fact that there was a ton of food and no one was hungry by the time dessert came, all my sisters had to do was whisper "Anna made that, you have to try it" and everyone grabbed a spoon. The few people that couldn't finish their slices were saved by their neighbor's spoons and all plates came back clean. And most importantly, even though the cake paled in comparison to the joy of having all his family and friends near, my dad was happy. Especially since he got a whole cake all to himself at the end of the night. No way was this one going to slip through again!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/6858644140/" title="Chocolate Frozen Mousse Bomb by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Frozen Mousse Bomb" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6858644140_a412bdccc9.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Frozen Chocolate Mousse Bombe</b><br />
<i>adapted very slightly from Marcel Desaulniers' <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688162983/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bloscak-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0688162983">Celebrate with Chocolate: Totally Over-the-Top Recipes</a>. Really though, you should get this book. It's full of some really amazing recipes and even though it was published 10 years ago, they're just as current as anything else you can find on the web these days. </i><br />
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<i>Cake:</i><br />
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus an extra tsp for greasing the pan<br />
8 oz good quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 egg yolk (don't dump the white, you'll need it)<br />
1 Tbsp sugar<br />
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<i>Mousse:</i><br />
8 oz good quality dark chocolate (divided), coarsely chopped<br />
1/4 cup freshly brewed coffee<br />
1/4 cup honey<br />
4 Tbsp sugar<br />
3 egg whites (you can use one of the ones left over from the cake)<br />
2 cups heavy cream<br />
1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted. Pick out about half cup of pretty ones and chop the rest.<br />
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<i>Glaze:</i><br />
8 oz good quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped*<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
1/4 cup honey<br />
2 Tbsp unsalted butter<br />
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Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 300F.<br />
2. Line a 9" springform pan with parchment and grease the bottom and sides with a bit of butter. Set aside.<br />
3. Melt the chocolate and the butter in a glass bowl in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring at each break until everything is smooth. Set aside.<br />
4. Place the eggs, yolk and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip and whisk on high until light in color and slightly thickened (about 5 min). Using a rubber spatula fold in the chocolate and butter mixture just until it's incorporated. Try not to mix too much or you'll lose the volume you just whipped into it. <br />
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly and bake for about 25 min, or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes up with a few crumbs but definitely not covered in raw batter. Cool completely at room temp before removing from the pan. Set aside. <br />
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Mousse:<br />
1. Melt 5 oz of the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave at 20 second intervals , stirring at each stop until it's smooth. Set aside. <br />
2. Combine coffee, honey, and 2 Tbsps of the sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil it, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 240F (about 5 min). <br />
3. While the syrup is cooking combine the egg whites and the remaining 2 Tbsps sugar in a bowl of a mixer and when the syrup is almost ready, start whipping the egg whites on high and whip until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Your syrup should be ready now, so lower the speed to low and slowly add it to the egg whites. Once it's all in there turn up the speed to high and whip until very thick (about 4 min). <br />
4. Carefully fold in the melted chocolate. <br />
5. In a separate bowl whisk the heavy cream on medium-high until stiff peaks form, then fold that into the chocolate meringue until it's uniform. Keep in the fridge until needed.<br />
6. Melt the remaining 3 oz chocolate the same way as before, let it cool a bit and transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 cups of the chocolate mousse and the chopped pecans. Fold with a rubber spatula until combined and keep in the fridge until needed.<br />
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Assembly 1:<br />
1. Lightly spray the inside of a large bowl, which should be about 9" in diameter at the top, with Pam, or some other vegetable oil spray, and line with plastic wrap, making sure to leave lots of it hanging over the sides.<br />
2. Spoon the chocolate honey mousse into the bowl and use an offset spatula to make sure it's spread evenly and that there are no air bubbles. Pour the chocolate pecan mixture over the top and smooth that as well. Top with the cake and press down a bit to make sure there are no air bubbles or gaps trapped in between. Cover the top with the ends of the plastic wrap, adding more if needed and put in the freezer. It will need to chill at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.<br />
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Glaze:<br />
1. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.<br />
2. Heat the heavy cream, honey, and butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat and stir to combine. DO NOT WALK AWAY or the milk will boil over. As soon as you see little bubbles at the edges take it off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let it stand for a minute and then stir with a whisk until smooth. <br />
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Assembly 2: <br />
1. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet.<br />
2. Remove the bowl from the freezer, unfold the plastic wrap from the bottom and flip onto a 9" cake circle placed on top of the cooling rack. If the dome doesn't pop right out of the bowl, soak a towel in hot water, wrap it around the bottom and sides of the bowl and hold it there for a few seconds, then try to unmold again. It should pop right out, but you may need to tug gently at the plastic wrap to help it along.<br />
3. Pour the glaze over the bombe, letting excess drip down onto the baking sheet. Transfer to a plate or a bigger cake circle and stick it back in the freezer to set for 20 min. In the mean time scrape up the glaze that dripped onto the baking sheet into a bowl and let it chill in the fridge for 20 min. <br />
4. Transfer the chilled extra glaze to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pull out the bombe from the freezer and pipe a border around the bottom, alternating with the reserved pretty pecan halves. <br />
5. Store the bombe in the freezer, but take it out 20 min or so before serving to let it soften a bit, otherwise it will be really hard to cut. Enjoy!<br />
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* Yes, there is a pound and a half of chocolate in this cake. So what?Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-91826805654243604042012-06-07T10:31:00.001-07:002012-06-07T10:31:48.318-07:00Raspberry, Fig and Port Jam - Chicago Food ExchangeLast week I made the first jam of this season. It was a raspberry, fig and port jam that I read about in this tiny kit that my sister gave me for New Year's a few years back. The kit had cute little tags, stickers, fabric lids, etc. All the things one would need to make a jar of jam adorable beyond words. The kit has been used up a long time ago, but in my recent cleaning crusade I'd located the small recipe book that came with it and this was the very first recipe. I happened to have everything but the figs already on hand (what home is complete without at least one bottle of port stashed away?), so I picked that up on the way home and whipped up a batch to bring to with me to a foodie exchange, along with several packages of my <a href="http://blondiescakes.blogspot.com/2010/05/breakfast-timeagain.html">French Granola</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7154829673/" title="Raspberry Fig and Port Jam Jar by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Fig and Port Jam Jar" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7154829673_3a1bdf06bc.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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There is this wonderful event that has started in Chicago a few months ago called <a href="http://www.chicagofoodswap.com/">Chicago Food Swap</a>, and this past weekend I was able to make it to their third meeting, graciously hosted by the kind folks at the <a href="http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/">Savory Spice Shop</a>. The idea behind this event, the brain child of <a href="http://www.westoftheloop.com/">Emily</a> and <a href="http://www.chefdruck.com/">Vanessa</a>, is to bring together a group of people and provide them with an environment in which to trade/barter their homemade goods with each other. There is no money being exchanged and no one is obligated to trade with anyone else, but of course that's the point of coming in the first place, and the actual trades are the best part.<br />
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The turnout was great, I think there were almost 30 people that came and brought goodies. We were given some time to mingle, walk around to see and taste the goodies, and to write down suggested bids on bits of paper next to the items. After everyone had a chance to circle everything several times, the bidding was opened and when the dust settled I had traded all my jars and packages and had a great big bag of loot to take home with me, including two of those little Sherry Poppyseed cakes in the picture above.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7340036216/" title="DSC00345 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC00345" height="281" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7340036216_5ba29f92c8.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I also got a box of these whoopie pies, which were amazing...and didn't survive the day. One was carrot cake with cream cheese filing and the other was chocolate with marshmallow filling. I can't believe I've never had whoopie pies before this, it's like taking two of the best parts of a cupcake (the tops, naturally) with frosting inside. Yum!<br />
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The green chutney and the tangy vinaigrette were fantastic.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7340037976/" title="DSC00347 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC00347" height="281" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7340037976_e3df9dabb5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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An entire table was chock full of amazing baked goodies. I'd snagged one of those beautiful pretzel bread buns on top there and had it for lunch the next day.<br />
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One day I will learn what chutney is and decide on whether or not I like it, but there were several jars of it up for trade, along with a precious few bottles of rose syrup. I think I'll need to raid my sister's rose garden and make some for myself.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7154835891/" title="DSC00349 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC00349" height="281" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7154835891_30cd0c21c0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Someone else made a table full of fudge and caramel candies.<br />
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Someone even brought heirloom tomato plants! I didn't get any since I have nowhere to plant them and even if I did, I have a notoriously bad habit of killing plants, so they went to better homes than mine. I did snag one of those jars up front in the picture above. They were mildly spicy pickled carrots and they were amazing! They were still crunchy and perfectly pickled and had a very nice garlicky spice to them. Once the carrots were gone I marinated some chicken in the brine and roasted the little piece of garlic right along with it. Nothing went to waste.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7340041152/" title="DSC00351 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC00351" height="308" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7340041152_717eb05e77.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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There was an entire table full of jalapeno spiked jams, but since my own jam pantry is still practically overflowing, I decided to pass on those. Don't those fabric tops look adorable though?<br />
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There were jars of cola syrups, lemon salts, lemon sugars and spicy honey mustard (one of which went home with me too). There were cookies and cakes and pickles and even some jars of pre-cooked oatmeal. I also snagged a beautiful mini-loaf of freshly baked challah, half of a whiskey cake, a jar of cinnamon spiced plums, and a jar of apricot peach butter. All in all, a really successful haul and I'm really looking forward to the next exchange at the end of August, though now that I saw what people bring, I think I'll need to step up my own game quite a bit to get more awesome trades next time. I mean, what do you bring when everyone makes their own jam? I have a few weeks to come up with the answer.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7340034792/" title="Raspberry Fig and Port Jam by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Fig and Port Jam" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7340034792_f20f19fab0.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Raspberry, Fig and Port Jam</b><br />
Pretty Pantry Gifts
<i>by Tara Duggan
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1 cup dried black mission figs<br />
1 cup port<br />
4 cups raspberries<br />
3 cups sugar<br />
2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice<br />
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1. Chop figs finely and soak in port for about 30 minutes.<br />
2. Combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large heavy bottom pot and crush the berries with a spoon or a potato masher. Add the figs and the port.<br />
3. Bring the pot to a rolling boil and cook until reduced by half and the jam thickens. Stop cooking when it's still a tiny bit runny since the figs cook into paste and end up thickening the end product by quite a bit. Unless you like your jams thicker, like I do, in which case do whatever you want.<br />
4. Pour the jam into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Enjoy!Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-88469645929908292352012-05-30T14:45:00.002-07:002012-05-30T22:02:50.394-07:00Camp Blogaway Part 2 and Bacon Cheddar Asparagus QuicheI hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend full of delicious grilled food, ice cold drinks, some time by the pool and most of all a much needed rest (even if the actual Memorial Day is today). I, for one, tried to fit all those into my Monday and since I'd actually crossed a lot of todo's off my list on Saturday and Sunday, I felt zero guilt about doing nothing all day long. Relaxing felt almost as good as actually getting things done. And this is exactly how "I'll tell you more tomorrow" has turned into "Oops, it's been a week!". But don't worry, I didn't forget and since there's still so much more to tell about my <a href="http://campblogaway.com/">Camp Blogaway</a> trip, here you go, without any further ado:
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I can't believe I wrote an entire post about camp without introducing you to the woman behind it all, our <a href="http://worththewhisk.com/">Fearless Leader: Patti Londre</a>. A nationally recognized food PR and marketing expert, she writes a blog called <a href="http://worththewhisk.com/">Worth The Whisk</a>, manages a marketing firm and I'm sure a dozen other things in addition to organizing this yearly camping event, and still find time to travel the globe. She kept the entire event running smoothly and on time, practically unheard of feat, considering how many people were there.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246805000/" title="Fearless Leader by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Fearless Leader" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7246805000_dbe3386867.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Did you know that the Food Network is now making it's own wine? Well they are and it's called "<a href="http://entwine-wines.com/">Entwine</a>". Luckily they're not doing it on their own. They partnered with Wente Vineyards, who know a thing or two about wine, and now have several varieties on the market. I won't say that it's the best wine to ever cross my lips but it good for every day drinking. We got to try several varieties thanks to their very generous spokesperson:
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We also had an incredibly funny, but also incredibly helpful session where <a href="http://www.denisevivaldo.com/">Denise Vivaldo</a>, the author of the incredible book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423606035/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bloscak-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1423606035">The Food Stylist's Handbook</a>, went through dozens of images that bloggers submitted in order to get some feedback on why they didn't get accepted into the many food porn sites we all love so much for the traffic they generate. (That's her on the right there.) She had many great suggestions on what to look for, how to make pictures better and what just doesn't work. Yes, I did send a picture in that was torn to shreds with perfectly logical criticism. No, I'm not going to tell you which one. One of the funniest comments she had was about how nothing that seems casual and random in pictures ever really is, and how much deliberate work and attention every detail requires. "Random only works for sex in the 80s".<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246808652/" title="Random only works for sex in the 80s by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Random only works for sex in the 80s" height="268" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/7246808652_2db3f50bed.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The lovely ladies of the <a href="http://www.mango.org/">Mango National Board</a> came and brought crates of sweet, perfectly ripe mangoes for us. They even did a demonstration on how to cut the mangoes as well as use them in recipes. And on top of all that, a few days after I got home, yet more mangoes showed up on my doorstep (recipe with said mangoes coming soon).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246820144/" title="Mangoes Galore by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Mangoes Galore" height="390" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7246820144_16ca7ac526.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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When it was finally time to say goodbye, as part of the last minute giveaways for even more swag, a prize was given to one special guest who was the most active participant in all of camp, helping out wherever needed and making friends at every turn. That lucky recipient, <a href="http://mimiavocado.com/">Mimi Avocado</a>, received the coveted prize, the golden pinecone. With that camp was over a rounds of goodbye and stay-in-touch ensued while people slowly collected their things and filed out the doors, still trying to wrap their brains around all the information that has been presented over the two short days at camp.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246822512/" title="The Golden Pinecone by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="The Golden Pinecone" height="282" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7246822512_61ff9f47b2.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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Back at home, I'm still deeply entrenched in the "Spring Clean my Entire Life" project. My freezer is finally organized and has room for the upcoming summer and my pantry is slowly beginning to follow suit. Asparagus is finally fresh and affordable, not to mention everywhere, so this quiche should easily fit into your weekend brunch or weekday dinner repertoire. It's simple and delicious and easily adaptable to whatever veggies/cheese you want to use.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7299676638/" title="Cheddar Bacon Quiche by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cheddar Bacon Quiche" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7299676638_bb15cb2623.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<b>Cheddar, Bacon and Asparagus Quiche</b>
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<i>The recipe is a combination of a bunch of different recipes I found online combined into one, so I'm going to call it mine.</i>
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1 batch of pate brisee, <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/PateBrisee.html">I used the recipe from Joy of Baking</a>
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5 or 6 slices of bacon, chopped <i>(let's be honest, you're going to add more because you're going to eat some)</i>
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1 onion, diced
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half a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
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1 cup shredded cheddar
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1 cup milk
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1/2 cup cream
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5 eggs
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1 tsp salt
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couple of turns of the pepper grinder
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1 tsp garlic powder <i>(I know, I add it to everything)</i>
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1. Preheat oven to 375F with a baking sheet set on the lowest rack.
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2. On a lightly floured surface roll out the chilled pate brisse dough into a 11" circle. Transfer the dough into a 9" quiche or tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure there are no air pockets trapped under it, and run a rolling pin over the top to trim excess dough flush with the rim. Pop the pan into the freezer for at least 20 minutes while you assemble the filling.
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3. Stir fry the chopped bacon until just crisp, then remove the bacon pieces to a paper towel lined bowl, and drain most the grease from the pan, leaving about a tablespoonful. Throw the chopped onion into the pan and stir fry until it's translucent. Toss in the asparagus and stir fry for another minute or two until it's just tender and bright green. Remove the pan off the heat and stir the bacon back in. Set aside to cool.
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4. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl until well combined then add cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, whisking until well mixed.
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5. Bake the crust, unfilled, for about 10 minutes. You don't want it fully done, just to get a little bit of color. Once the bottom doesn't look wet, take it out. Stir the cheese into the veggie mixture and spread it on the bottom of the tart. Carefully pour the egg mixture on top and carefully transfer the quiche onto the heated baking sheet in the oven.<br />
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the very middle is no longer "wiggly" when gently shaken. If the quiche is not yet done and its getting too brown, cover it lightly with a piece of foil for last part of baking. Let it sit for a few minutes to cool and set before serving, and garnish with baby greens or chives. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58523393792551629.post-22459692804310302892012-05-21T22:20:00.001-07:002012-05-21T22:20:40.610-07:00Camp Blogaway Part 1 and Orange Sweet RollsIt's been almost two weeks now since I've come back from my vacation to California and Camp Blogaway and it's taken me this long to try and wrap my brain around it all. So much was packed into that one week that it borders on ridiculous. First of all, my friend and <a href="http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/">fellow blogger Joy</a> was moving to Cali for good and the flight there, with her two munchkins squashed in the middle seat between us, was her final flight over. While I would still be able to nag her about proof-reading her posts, taunt her with the Pho place right across the street from my work while she's eating spam on pretzels, and make her laugh so hard that she'd fall out of her chair at work, there would be no more random visits to make rainbow colored Buddha shortbread or see how many different ways one can fry brioche. Sniffle. Though I do have to say that the sadness was somewhat dispelled when her oldest fell asleep upside down in the seat and aimed a rather noxious gas attack directly into my face. I won't miss that.
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I was staying with Joy and her parents for a few days before and after camp and since she needed to coordinate work and settle in, I stole her car and took off for San Diego for my first day there. I started the morning climbing the rocks and dodging ocean spray at Cambrillo Coast, which was beautiful and completely deserted.
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When the tide is high the little tide pools are supposed to be full of critters, but except for a few mussels and seaweed, I didn't see any sign of life.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7213352132/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cambrillo Coast 4 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cambrillo Coast 4" height="332" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7213352132_0ec6e71d8d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7213363408/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cambrillo Coast 3 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cambrillo Coast 3" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/7213363408_3f226e25c7.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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I picked up a cup of coffee and headed to Balboa Park. I was here with my older sister a long time ago and during a different season. This was a weekday morning, so there weren't too many people out and about yet, which was nice. There was a "Hats Off Gold Digger Party" going on in a cafe, but it was blocked off and after hovering to catch a glimpse of all the fun hats, I moved on to explore the park.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7213375968/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Balboa Park 1 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Balboa Park 1" height="332" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7213375968_f268d35295.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I've never seen how pomegranates grow and I never knew how beautiful the flowers were and how much the buds resemble the fruit itself.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7213380574/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Balboa Park 2 by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Balboa Park 2" height="333" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7213380574_2a996b29b8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I popped into a few of the museums, but again, since it was off season, the ones I went into were between exhibits. I did get to see a intricately crafted fairy tower village made entirely out of twigs, leaves and natural fibers. There was even a tiny dragon on top. My pictures of it came out pretty bad, mostly because it was tucked away in a very remote corner with almost no lighting, but there are some <a href="http://www.reamesdreams.com/alice.htm">pretty good pictures of it here</a>.<br />
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The day after that Joy and I piled into the car and after a beautiful drive up and down the Big Bear Mountain (where Joy threatened to kill me or throw up several times), and after only a few wrong turns, we got to the camp in time to help set up. See these bags on each chair and more in the middle of the tables? That's maybe half of all the loot that each of us ended up taking home.<br />
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I can't possibly tell you about everything that happened in camp, and I'm sure the <a href="http://campblogaway.com/attendees/">other 100 (!!!) bloggers</a> that were there already covered most of it on their blogs, all of which I've been desperately trying to visit, but I'll share some of the highlights that have stayed with me.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246804664/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Honey Board by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Honey Board" height="377" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7246804664_0f56d35443.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The wonderful people from the <a href="http://www.honey.com/">National Honey Board</a> came and talked about substituting honey for sugar in recipes with some pretty useful instructions:
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- 1 cup of sugar = 1/2 cup honey (12 oz)
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- For every cup of honey you use
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1. Reduce the liquids by 1/4 cup
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2. Add 1/2tsp baking soda (to neutralize the acid in honey)
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3. Reduce the heat by 25F as honey adds lots of color to baked goods.
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They also had a honey tasting with six or seven different varieties of honey (Sourwood honey being my favorite, now just to find some), and I kept running around the different tables and bringing little bits of things back to the table to top with honey. I brought a cracker with some Kerrygold butter and topped it off with Avocado honey. I stole another cracker with almond butter and topped that off with Buckwheat honey. I swiped a slice of mango from another table and squirted a bit of blueberry honey on that. I think it was during this last run that one of the girls looked up from my outstretched cracker wielding hand and said "YOU AGAIN!" I know she was joking, but I moved on after that. No need to wear out my welcome :D<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246814618/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Chopping our own dinner by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Chopping our own dinner" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7246814618_ef2cb65349.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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A representative from <a href="http://www.cutco.com/">Cutco</a> came and demonstrated a few items from their line of cutlery, plus a beautiful (and incredibly sharp) chef knife was left at each seat on the tables as a gift for us bloggers. There may or may not be a picture of me using that knife to <a href="http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-have-arrived-and-camp-blogaway.html">threaten Joy</a>. To demonstrate the knives they had us slice up a pile of <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.idahopotato.com">Idaho potatoes</a> that would be stuffed into <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.paperchef.com">PaperChef</a> parchment packets and made into dinner. The knives were great, but I think I'd just roast my potatoes next time and leave the parchment for fish. I love making fish in little parchment papillote packets. It always tastes great and looks impressive when served.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246799578/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Kerrygold by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Kerrygold" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7246799578_6dbff24177.jpg" width="359" /></a></div>
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I've already mentioned that Kerrygold was represented, but what I didn't mention was that in addition to their butter (yum!), they brought several different kinds of cheeses for us to try. Now I'm already a big fan of their <a href="http://kerrygoldusa.com/products/cheese/bid/62957/Dubliner">Dubliner</a>, but the soft and creamy <a href="http://kerrygoldusa.com/products/cheese/bid/62956/Blarney-Castle">Blarney Castle</a> cheese was pretty damn fantastic, as well as the <a href="http://kerrygoldusa.com/products/cheese/bid/62956/Blarney-Castle">Reserve Cheddar</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246826168/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cheeeeeese by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Cheeeeeese" height="313" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7246826168_5e30f70751.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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They did a blind tasting of a few of their cheeses and I have to admit, that one at the end? The one I normally can't stand and pick out? The undeniably blue? Their <a href="http://kerrygoldusa.com/products/cheese/bid/75984/Cashel-Blue-Farmhouse-Cheese">Cashel Blue</a>? It was actually really good. Still not at the top of my list, but this girl won't turn her nose at a few blue veins from now on.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246812696/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Camp Trees by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Camp Trees" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/7246812696_333fd260a4.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I'm going to have to take a break here and tell you about the rest of the trip tomorrow since this post is already starting to look like a book, but I would never leave you guys hanging, so while it's at the very bottom, this recipe is incredible. I made these orange sweet buns for Mother's day breakfast that I hosted, and despite some non-recipe related drama that led to an extra long rising time while I ran out to the ER with my sister (no worries, she's fine, but I'm pretty sure she has a voodoo doll of her immersion blender now), it still came out beautiful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246990008/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Orange Sweet Bun by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Orange Sweet Bun" height="366" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/7246990008_07f61650ba.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This little guy was a leftover. The dozen buns the recipe makes were either eaten or stolen away, but I had kept the end piece and a bit of the icing to show you how awesome it was (and to have a snack the next day...no matter how much I cook for these things, I never have any food left over when all is said and done). <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246991708/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Orange Sweet Buns by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Orange Sweet Buns" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7246991708_7cd52d767f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b>Sweet Orange Buns</b><br />
<i>Adapted very slightly from <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/sweet-orange-buns">Saveur</a></i>
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1 1/4 cups milk, heated to 115F
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1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast
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1/3 cup sugar
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2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
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1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
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1 egg, lightly beaten
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4 cups flour
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3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
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1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
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1/3 cup orange zest (from about 5 small oranges)
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2 cups confectioners' sugar
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1 tsp orange extract
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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4 Tbsp fresh orange juice, divided
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1. Warm up the milk and combine with yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook. Let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes and stir in the sugar, melted butter, 1 tsp. salt, and egg. Add flour, and mix on low speed until dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high; knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until dough doubles in size, about 1½ hours.
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2. While the dough is rising, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and zest in a bowl on high speed of a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add remaining salt, confectioners' sugar, extracts and 2 Tbsps of orange juice and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer 1/4 cup of the filling to a separate bowl and stir in the remaining juice to thin out and make an icing. Set filling and icing aside, both covered to prevent drying out.
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3. Transfer dough to a work surface and using a rolling pin, roll dough into an 18″ × 10″ rectangle. Spread filling evenly over dough. Lift up bottom edge of dough and roll it into a log. Trim ends and cut log into 12 round slices. Transfer rounds cut side up to a greased 9″ × 13″ baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Chill 6 hours or overnight.
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4. Heat oven to 375°. Uncover rolls and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Drizzle icing over rolls before serving. Lick baking dish clean.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalina813/7246993344/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Orange Sweet Bun Open by kalina813, on Flickr"><img alt="Orange Sweet Bun Open" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7246993344_48d4ac0396.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04713824685051007635noreply@blogger.com5