Life's Too Short to Skip Dessert

Brandy Slush (a great summer cocktail)

2013-06-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

I had a lovely weekend.! I was busy doing things I wanted to do. Isn't that always nice? Most of my weekend involved hanging out with friends.

Friday night involved a birthday party at a beer garden.

On Saturday I hosted a poster making party.

I have been waiting for a summer party to be able to make these brandy slushes and I knew my running buddies would enjoy them while making great running posters. I threw in some fun colorful straws and let the good times roll.

The good times ended up involving glitter which is now all over my apt. But it was worth it. Plus, the glitter is a visual reminder of the fun weekend. :)

Saturday night I went to an engagement/album release/going away party (for which I made this cake.)

Sunday morning I brought all the posters to Central Park. The other poster makers were running in to the park and I handed out the posters to their owners when they arrived to cheer on the racers.

Why am I dressed at a flapper you ask? Well, it's because after the race I went to Governor's Island for the Jazz Age Lawn Party.

I love Governor's Island and so does my best friend from college who came with me. We had so much fun! Maybe too much fun...

After all that fun, we headed back to my place and quenched our thirst with a brandy slush, naturally!

Miraculously after such a busy weekend, my aptartment was still rather clean. Can you imagine?

Also, since the Brandy Slush recipe yields a large amount, I've still got a container left in my freezer and ready to go for THIS weekend.

Brandy Slush(recipe from a friend of my family)
Make at least 12 hours in advance.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

7 cups water

3 family size ice tea bags (about 9 normal sized teabags)

1 12 oz. can frozen orange juice

1 12 oz. can frozen lemonade

2+ cups brandy 

Mix the sugar and 35cups of water over the stove until the sugar is dissolved.  Then cool.

Bring 2 cups of water to boil and add teabags.  Steep covered until cool.  Then add sugar water to tea along with the frozen OJ, frozen lemonade, and the brandy.

Stir until dissolved.  Pour into plastic freezer containers (any size or shape will do), cover and freeze for at least 12 hours.  

When ready to serve, fill glass 2/3 full of slush and add ginger ale (or 7-Up) to fill glass.  Stir a little with a fork and add a stemmed cherry (optional) and serve.  Can also be served as a punch in a punch bowl.

Bake well and prosper!

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake

2013-06-17T13:35:00.000-04:00

The second I saw this photo/recipe on foodgawker I knew I had to make it. I saw the post on Tuesday and then made the cake on Saturday. That's a very quick turn around for me.

It helped that I had an occasion to bake for: friends' engagement/album release/going away party. That's a lot going on at once, isn't it? All those things guaranteed a good party.

It was such a lovely night that I barely had time to snap an iPhone shot of the last piece of cake before handing it to my roomie.

This cake is so lovely, especially for summer seeing it's somewhat light and uses cherries. I added a nice whipped cream that helped bring out the flavors of the poppy seeds and the cherries.

I highly recommend making this cake. Or, if anything, if you see it at a party, make sure to get a slice!

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake (adapted from Eat Me!)

Ingredients:

150 g butter (room temperature) (around 11 Tablespoons)

150 g brown sugar

250 g flour

10 g baking powder

4 eggs

100 g poppy seeds

1 t vanilla extract

50 ml milk

pinch of salt

1 kg cherries (pitted) (Erika's Extras: I used cherries from the produce aisle, not from a jar. Also, I found that I would have preferred more than the 3 cups worth of cherries.)

To serve:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/260 F. Lightly butter a spring orm pan.

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Separately sift flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and gradually add to the batter. Add vanilla, poppy seeds and milk. Combine until completely mixed.

3. Pour the batter into the pan. Cover with cherries. Firmly press the cherries into the top of the batter.

4. Transfer to the oven for 30-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick (etc) comes out clean. Serve a cake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Vanilla Whipped Cream (from Black Forest Trifle)

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.

Bake well and prosper!

Watermelon & Blueberry Tequila Popsicles

2013-06-11T13:48:00.002-04:00

Last week I was in Charleston, SC for the 5th time. I love it there (like I've said before) and love all the fun architecture.

This was the first time I planned to make a trip to Savannah, GA while in the south. I was excited to see a city that was like Charleston: a nice historic gem of a city in the south.

I got to walk around Savannah for about 3 hours in unrelenting humidity until the rain finally started to fall. While I was walking around I fell in love with all the Spanish moss hanging from trees.

I also liked taking photos of some of the iron work in the town.

And I went on a tour of the house where the murder in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil took place: The Mercer Williams House.

Right when my tour group walked into the back of the house, the thunderstorm hit. It made for a great soundtrack to the tour guide's stories.

After the rain let up I went to Bonaventure Cemetery to drive around for the last quarter of an hour that it was open for the day.

No wonder a Bonaventure Historical Society was created. This cemetery is lovely with a lot of history!

I headed back to Charleston where it rained all day. So, what does one do while on a rainy vacation? Make dessert of course!

I bought some cute popsicle molds and went to work.

And, of course, I made a mess in a kitchen that isn't mine. :) (Thanks, Ward!)

The flavor of the mixture was nice but when it froze the pulp moved up and the tequila moved down so the popsicles broke when removed from the mold.

Oh well! Easy to eat with a spoon!

Watermelon & Blueberry Tequila Popsicles (my own recipe!)

5 cups of chopped seedless watermelon

1 cup of washed blueberries

1/4 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of tequila

8 popsicle molds

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and then strain the blended mixture to make sure there aren't any seeds etc left over. Fill popsicle molds and after an hour in the freezer, insert popsicle sticks. Let freeze for at least 6 hours. Enjoy!

Bake well and prosper!

Oatmeal Whoopie Pies (again!)

2013-05-30T17:46:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I was in AZ visiting my brother and his family. My brother mentioned that he had a craving for one of those Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies that were given out to him after he played soccer when he was younger.

I immediately said, "Oh, I can make those!" I remembered one of my favorite recipes from 3 years ago and decided to make it again (and to take better photos this time around!)

Also, for this time around, I had a helper! One of my nephews!

He actually was very helpful for a 3 (about to be 4) year old! He even posed with his messy hands!

While we made the first batch I kept thinking about how I didn't remember the dough being so liquid-y. So, while the first batch was in the oven I re-read the ingredients list.

Sure enough! I had forgotten 1/2 a cup of flour. Wonder how I could have possibly done that while also supervising a kid! Imagine! ;)

Thankfully, both batches came out well. (Oh, and they were just as good as 3 years ago!)

Oatmeal Whoopie Pies (from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oatmeal-Whoopie-Pies/Detail.aspx)

Ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup shortening

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
2.Cream butter or margarine with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and mix well. Stir in the salt, cinnamon, baking powder, boiling water, baking soda and flour. Mix to combine. Stir in the oats.
3.Drop cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool then make sandwiches from two cookies filled with Whoopie Pie Filling.
4.To Make Filling: Beat egg white. Mix in the milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Beat in the shortening and remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Beat until light.

Bake well and prosper!

Monkey Bread from SCRATCH!

2013-05-24T11:59:00.001-04:00

It's a Friday before a long weekend which means I make monkey bread for my coworkers. Yes. It's tradition. (See here and here and here.)

I've wanted to make monkey bread from scratch using the Overnight Coffee Loaf recipe for the dough. So last night I did just that. Except...gulp...I had put in complete eggs. I didn't realize it only called for the yolks until after I stirred it together. I was sort of upset at myself but only for one minute. As my room mate can tell you, I said, "Oh well. It'll be a learning experience for me. I'll see how it turns out with egg yolks and egg whites!"

It turned out incredibly yummy. I was so happy with the results. It was so worth the waking up at 5am to pull the dough out of the fridge, sleeping, and then waking up again to put it together and in the oven. My coworkers agree.

Monkey Bread from Scratch (adapted from Mom's Best Recipes Cook Book)

1 pkg dry active yeast (or scant 1 T)

1/4 C warm water

4 C flour

1/4 C sugar

1 t salt

1 C butter or margarine (softened)

3 egg (or try just using the yolks of 3 eggs)

1 C lukewarm milk, scalded and cooled

1 C sugar

2 t+ cinnamon

Topping:

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 C brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

Soften butter. Cut in flour, 1/4 C sugar, and salt until mixture looks like a pie crust mixture. Dissolve yeast in warm water and stir with a fork so no big lumps form. Once stirred, mix in yeast, egg yolks, and milk. Cover; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Take dough out and punch it and then knead it briefly. Leave dough in bowl and cover. Let rise for 2 hours. (Dough will not double in size.) After 2 hours, grease a bundt pan. Make cinnamon and sugar and place in a small bowl. Take small chunks of dough and roll around in cinnamon and sugar and then place in bundt pan. Boil together butter, brown sugar, and 1 t cinnamon. Pour mixture over top of dough. Bake 350⁰ for 1 hour or until the top of the dough is very hard. Remove from pan and let cool 10 minutes before inverting.

Erikas Extras: Frost with powdered sugar glaze (mix 1 C powdered sugar and a tiny bit of milk.)

Bake well and prosper!

Cinnamon Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2013-05-06T13:45:00.000-04:00

I made some cookies Sat morning for a weekend of fun.

This past weekend I went to the Jersey Shore to cheer on runners running the NJ 1/2 and Full Marathon. I got to stay at a couple's beach house and wanted to bring something for us to enjoy both in the evening and in the morning.

I found that these cookies were hearty and are probably a better fit for Autumn. However, they were perfect this weekend with red wine in the evening and perfect with coffee/chai in the morning. And they were good fuel for all the cheering I did.

The runners REALLY liked that last sign. I like making runners laugh. It's no small feat to make someone laugh who's running 26.2 miles!

These cookies were nice and next time I'll make it with dulce de leche (which is what the original recipe calls for) instead of adding chocolate chips.

Cinnamon Walnut Cookies (adapted from Laura's Mess)

1 and a half stick of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (Erika's Extras: I used muscovado)

1/4 cup white caster sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp extra, for sprinkling

2 cups (250g) plain white flour

2 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon baking soda

sea salt

1 cup raw walnuts, crushed + 2 tbsp extra, for sprinkling
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Erika's Extras: I used semi-sweet AND white chocolate chips)

Place the butter and sugars into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, then continue to mix at medium speed until well combined.

Sift in your flour, cornflour, baking soda, cinnamon and a large pinch of salt. Mix together, adding in the walnuts and chocolate chips when the mixture starts to come together. When well combined, refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Take 1 Tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on prepared cookie sheet and flatten each ball slightly with your hands. Press a few bits of crumbled walnut into the top of each cookie and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place the cookies into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Bake well and prosper!

Homemade Oreos

2013-04-29T11:37:00.001-04:00

I've always wondered what homemade versions of processed cookies would taste like. You know...homemade versions of Samoas, Thin Mints, Graham Crackers, Oreos.

Now I know since this weekend I made homemade oreos. My taste-testers (fellow singers) said that they tasted like sophisticated oreos. Maybe that's because I used organic and fair trade dark chocolate chips?

Whatever it was, one thing was the same: they went really well with milk!

And guess what! Mixing the dough created a mess. Yay!

Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the cookie part of this recipe. They DID seem to resemble the texture of an Oreo, but I guess I would have preferred a more fudgey cookie.

I loved the creamy middle though. Maybe I'll make a whoopie pie with the ingredients from the middle. Mmmm...fudgey cookie whoopie pies...

Homemade Oreos (adapted from Bakerella)
Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
(Erika's Extras: I used organic, fair trade, dark chocolate chips)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
(Erika's Extras: I used Ghiradelli cocoa)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of kosher salt
Food color, optional

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Whisk in the egg until combined.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, salt and soda until combined. Stir flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Mixing dough with your hands helps solidify it faster. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up.
Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper. Shape into a log about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place log along the edge of wax paper and roll. Shape as you roll to maintain a smooth cylinder. (Erika Extras: I found that rolling back and forth quickly in little segments was the most effective.) Refrigerate at least two hours or until firm. (Erika's Extras: I froze mine for 45 minutes since I was in a little bit of a rush. This worked fine.) If log settles and flattens on one side, rotate every 15 minutes or so to maintain a round shape.
Heat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut dough in quarter inch thick slices and place on prepared baking sheet. (Erika's Extras: My cookies baked better without parchment paper.) Bake for about 20 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch.
While cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. In a mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add milk and salt and continue beating until smooth again. Place about a tablespoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie and sandwich with a second.

Bake well and prosper!

Raw & Vegan "Cookie Dough" Treats

2013-04-24T11:43:00.001-04:00

Oh man. I have been slacking off in the kitchen. This is my first recipe post for April. (Yeah...I know...it's already April 24.) I could make a lot of excuses, but I'm just going to make one: this long winter in NYC is zapping my want to do much of anything. It's kind of sad.

Wearing a coat at the end of April is not my idea of stimulating.

Trying to make my own raw food recipe, however, DID stimulate my mind. Yesterday I started thinking of ways to make my own dessert recipe with almond butter. And can I just say, "Ohmygoodness! Thisissogood! Wanttoeatall! Nom nom nom."

I knew I wanted to make something with raw almond butter so I went to the local organic bodega in my neighborhood and bought some. (Please note: you can make your own almond butter, but my food processor is in need of an upgrade.) While I was in the store I also grabbed some raw chocolate sauce.

In my kitchen I grabbed some oatmeal and agave nectar and started to blend all four ingredients together. The "dough" came together beautifully. But I felt like it was missing something...

Ah! Cacao nibs! Yes! I rolled the dough in the nibs and thus created a lovely snack that I plan to make all week long. (Or until my ingredients run out.)

So, if you would like an easy treat to make that's also fairly good for you, try this recipe. It really does taste like cookie dough!

Raw & Vegan "Cookie Dough" Treats (by me!)
3/4 cup of dried oatmeal (I used quick oats)
2+ Tablespoons of raw almond butter
1+ Tablespoon of raw chocolate sauce
1 teaspoon of agave nectar (or use raw honey, maple syrup, or a food processed date)
cacao nibs for rolling the dough in

Stir the oatmeal, almond butter, and chocolate sauce together. Add more almond butter/chocolate sauce as needed to get the desired consistency. Stir in the agave nectar. This will help solidify the dough. Roll small amounts of dough in palm of hand and then roll in cacao nibs. Eat room temperature or place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Makes around 15.
Store in air tight container in fridge.

Bake well and prosper!

Why It Hurts So Much and How I/Runners Will Get Through It

2013-04-16T17:55:00.004-04:00

I've never added a post on here that didn't involve dessert or food. So, please, allow me the indulgence of getting something off my mind and on "paper." I'd like to write about the events from yesterday. And if no one reads it, that's ok. At least I know I've put it out there.
Thanks for the allowance.

Why It Hurts So Much and How I/Runners Will Get Through It
I am painfully saddened about the events from the 2013 Boston Marathon. Why is this tragedy hurting me so much?

It’s because I am a runner.

I am a marathoner.

3 times over.

I have devoted hours of training to be able to have fun, do my best, and finish a race.
I’ve passed on social engagements so I could get enough sleep to wake up refreshed in the early mornings to pound the pavement.
I’ve cheered for fellow runners.

I’ve cheered a lot.
I’ve seen the countenance of my parent’s faces change into ones of pure joy and fulfillment when they’ve spotted me amidst the thousands of runners passing by.
I’ve given thumbs up to spectators because I liked their enthusiasm, their posters, their costumes.
I’ve run for charity and I’ve given to people’s campaigns for their run for charities.
I’ve inspired runners and have had them inspire me countlessly.
I’ve made long lasting friendships over an early morning run.
I’ve finished races hand in hand with friends.
I’ve felt like I solved all my problems during a 10 mile run.

I’ve grinned through clenched teeth at the photographers on the course.

I’ve had spectators cheer me on while I hobbled up a hill.
I’ve had injuries.
I’ve had races I’ve trained for closed due to seriously bad weather.
I’ve had the need to use the restroom overtake all other senses of my body.
I’ve had tears come into my eyes as I realized my personal record would not be achievable this time around and yet I kept running/walking to the end through the pain.
I’ve been badly sun burnt.
I’ve been stung by bugs.
I’ve eaten bugs that have flown into my mouth.
I’ve used porta potties that even skunks would turn their noses up at and run away from.
I’ve looked less than glamorous.

I’ve had cramps.

I’ve had aches.

I’ve had pains.

But I’ve never had a thought about never running again. And no matter how sad the Boston Marathon events have made me, I plan to take a deep breath, clench my teeth, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Because as a runner, I know that’s what I’m made of and what will be my recovery.

Monkey Bread with Peeps

2013-03-28T15:21:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile since I brought monkey bread into my office. I try to do it before a long weekend but I've been slacking. I didn't do it for MLK Day weekend nor for Presidents Day weekend.

But then inspiration popped into my head. Or should I say peeped into my head?

"Can I incorporate Peeps into monkey bread?"

After some research, I decided that yes, yes I could!

I decided to melt some electric pink Peep bunnies with some butter to make a topping to put on the baked monkey bread.

These cute little bunnies with somewhat scary eyes were about to enjoy a butter jacuzzi and become...

A molten lava of pink goo.

Cool, right?

The marshmallowy topping poured nicely over the top of the baked and inverted monkey bread. It added a slight taste of Peeps to the bread, but over all just created more sugar to eat. Perfect!

Have a happy Easter!

Monkey Bread (aka Pull Apart Rolls) with Peeps (adapted from Mom's Best Recipes cookbook)

2 cans of biscuits (I prefer the extra buttery and fluffy ones)

1 C sugar

2 t cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 C brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

1 package of Peeps

3 T butter

Generously grease tube pan with Crisco. In paper bag, put sugar and 2 t cinnamon. Using 1 can at a time, cut biscuits into quarters. Place in paper bag and shake to coat. Place evenly in tube pan.

(Second Part)

Boil together butter, brown sugar, and 1 t cinnamon. Pour mixture over biscuits. Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before inverting.

While it's cooling, melt 8 Peeps with 3 Tablespoons of butter. Stir until completely melted.

Invert bread and pour Peep mixture on top.

Let guests pull apart.

Bake well and prosper!

Beer and Pretzel Cookies

2013-03-19T15:28:00.000-04:00

To keep adhering to my New Year's resolution of baking outside of my comfort zone, I made these beer pretzel cookies.

I know what you're thinking: "But Erika, you bake cookies all the time." This is true. But I hate beer. Seriously. I hate the taste and smell of it with a passion.

Therefore, I introduced beer into my kitchen. I've never bought a bottle of beer from a bodega before. Mike's Hard Lemonade, sure. Beer? Ew, no!

This stout even had hints of organic Mexican coffee in it. And guess what. I also despise coffee.

So there I was in my kitchen having to boil this stout down to a syrup. The smell made me gag a couple of times. I've never gagged before from smells emanating from my kitchen. What a weird experience!

I actually didn't mind eating the cookie dough. However, I didn't like these cookies right out of the oven because the beer flavor was stronger. Once they had cooled off I had no problem eating them. (I made special non beer frosting for my own private stash.)

These were a hit for St. Paddy's Day. If you're a big beer and pretzel fan, I highly recommend this recipe.

Beer and Pretzel Cookies (found at Cookies & Cups)

Ingredients

1 (12 oz) bottle stout, minus 2 Tablespoons reserved for frosting

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp espresso powder or 1 tsp ground espresso (Erika's Extras: I didn't use this ingredient)

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

2 cups flour

2 cups quick oats

1 cup coarsely crushed pretzels

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Reduce beer (minus 2 Tablespoons) in saucepan over medium heat until there is only 1/8 cup left. This will take 25-30 minutes. Watch the beer on the stove, as it will foam up easily at the beginning. Remove from heat and allow to cool. (Erika's Extras: Feel free to stir occasionally, but not too often.)

Cream butter, brown sugar and espresso powder together until light and fluffy.

Add in eggs and reduced stout and mix until combined.

Turn mixer to low and add in baking soda, salt, flour, and oats. Stir together until just combined.

Finally add in pretzels and chocolate chips, stirring until evenly incorporated.

Let dough chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (Erika's Extras: I chilled my dough for around 6 hours and found the dough to be very tough to deal with until it was a little warmer. I would chill for only 2 hours.)

Frosting

In small saucepan heat butter and heavy cream over medium heat until just boiling.

Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate chips until smooth.

Add 2 Tablespoons reserved stout, stir to combine.

Chill frosting for an hour or two, until spreadable consistency.

Preheat oven to 350°

Drop by heaping tablespoon size onto a parchment lined baking sheet, pressing dough slightly, so cookies aren't so rounded. (Erika's Extras: I rolled my dough into a ball and then pressed it down onto the parchment paper.)

Bake 9-10 minutes until golden around edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

When cookies are cooled and frosting is ready, spread on a teaspoon sized amount onto each cookie and top with a pretzel twist

Bake well and prosper!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Cacao Nibs

2013-03-12T13:30:00.001-04:00

Did you know that when you buy cacao nibs they are never ending? At least that's how it feels to me. It's like the chocolate that keeps on giving.

In my kitchen I had an abundant smount of cacao nibs and a couple of ripe bananas. What to make was a no-brainer.

Then I wondered what else I had that I could use to make this banana bread different. Whole wheat and buckwheat flour became the answer.

This yummy banana bread was the love child of all those ingredients mixed together (plus some others.) The wheat factor compliments the cacao nibs and creates a subtle smokey flavor.

I shared with my next door neighbors. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. Maybe next time I'll also add some bourbon to the batter...

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Cacao Nibs

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed (about 3 medium bananas)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup cacao nibs + more for the garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the mashed banana until just combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and cacao nibs. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle on some cacao nibs on top of the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Bake well and prosper!

Dark Chocolate Lovers Brownies

2013-03-05T10:58:00.001-05:00

I created this recipe because I had many bars of dark chocolate and I had a bag full of cacao nibs.

Why did I have so many bars of dark chocolate? Because I was in Duane Reade (a drug store) and they had Sweetriot chocolate on sale for $1! ONE DOLLAR!!! So, naturally, I grabbed a lot. 2 each of 60, 70, and 85% dark chocolate bars. These are organic, fair trade chocolate bars. I should have bought the whole bin of chocolate!

After making these brownies with an 85% and a 60% dark chocolate bar I REALLY should have bought the whole bin full of bars! The rich and smokey flavor of the brownie satisfied everyone from the people who needed a sugar kick to the dark chocolate lovers.

The cacao nibs were a sweet extra touch that added a nice crunch on top.

Dark Chocolate Lovers Brownies (adapted from the NYTimes Supernatural Brownie)
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (try sweetriot's chocolate)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado (Erika's Extra Note: light brown sugar works fine as well)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons cacao nibs (or more)

1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. (Erika's note: This recipe is so buttery I've never needed to use parchment paper.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.

2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle cacao nibs on top of batter.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.

Note: For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

Bake well and prosper!

Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios

2013-02-25T15:23:00.001-05:00

Lavender: isn't it lovely? I've wanted to bake with it again but last time I stopped at a farmer's market to pick some baking lavender up they were all out. Then I forgot about it until last week when I passed by a lavender stand in Union Square. I happily whipped up this recipe which I had waiting patiently in the wings (aka my "to make" folder.)

It was worth the wait. The slight hint of lavender mixed with lemon zest, dried cherries, and pistachios is a perfect combination.

Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios (adapted from u Try.it)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon dried lavender
Zest of 1/2 a lemon, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the sugar, butter, lavender, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low, add the flour mixture slowly until just combined. Fold in the pistachios and cherries with a rubber spatula.

Slightly flour both hands and transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the dough into a log. Approximately 14-inch in length and 3-inch in width. Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden on the edges. Let it cool on a wiring rack for 30 minutes.

Transfer the log onto the cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return biscotti to the same baking sheet, arrange the biscotti cut side down. Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes or until they are pale golden. Transfer the biscotti to a wiring rack and let them cool completely.

Bake well and prosper!

Raw Almond Joy Macaroons

2013-02-19T13:23:00.001-05:00

I suppose I can add this recipe to my New Year's resolution: try new methods of baking/making dessert. The thing is, I'm very familiar with the raw foods lifestyle. In fact, and this might come as a shock to you, I eat a raw foods diet a lot.

Are you back on your chair yet?

I know. It's a little alarming. Someone with a baking blog who eats raw?!

Well, it's true!

And I am happy to say that I finally made a raw dessert!

Usually I buy raw desserts to consume. Then I saw a recipe for one that didn't require a dehydrator!

I found some cacao nibs and some dates and made these yummy treats. Try it for yourself or make it for your raw foodie friend or a celiac friend since they are also gluten free.

Raw Almond Joy Macaroons (adapted from Oh Ladycakes)

1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or un)

3/4 cup raw almonds
Pinch of salt
8 pitted medjool dates
3 tbsp raw almond milk (or water) (Erika's Extras: I used water)
1/4 cup cacao nibs

1+ Tablespoon of agave nectar

Blend the coconut, 1/2 cup of the almonds, and salt in a food processor. Blend until conformed into a thin constitency/dough. Add the dates and blend until combinded. Add the water or almond milk and continue to blend in or stir in with a spoon when transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the cocoa nibs. Coarsely chop the remaining almonds and add them into the mixture along witht he agave nectar. Grab a little less than a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. After 30 minutes in the freezer they are ready to eat. Keep stored in a container in the freezer until they're all gone (which shouldn't be more than 3 days since they're so good!)

Erika's Extras: Feel free to reduce the recipe. Easy to do when there's no eggs involved.

Bake well and prosper!

Orange-Cardamom Sugar Cookies for my Valentines

2013-02-14T14:58:00.002-05:00

My Valentine today is my running group. At least that's the lucky group of people that I'm sharing my evening and my baked goods with. Since it's Valentine's Day, that makes my running group my Valentine, right?

Either way, they are a deserving group of kind, goofy, supportive, and fun people. And they won't mind wolfing down these lovely, aromatic cookies after burning off 600+ calories. Man, they make good Valentines!

Who is your Valentine this year?

Orange-Cardamom Sugar Cookies (adapted from One Perfect Bite)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 yolk of large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one medium orange

Directions:
1) Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom and set aside.
2) In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar together till just combined. Add egg and egg yolk; mix lightly to combine. Mix in vanilla extract and orange zest.
3) Add dry ingredients a little at a time, mixing just until combined, about 30-45 seconds. Chill dough until it can be shaped, about 30 minutes.
4) Scoop dough with a tablespoon and roll into balls. Place evenly on cookie sheets (with or without parchment paper) and flatten slightly with back of a spatula. (If dough is still very soft, it may be easier to do this after dough is chilled.)
5) Place cookie sheets in refrigerator and chill dough for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. If you're baking one sheet at a time, place oven rack in center of oven. If you want to bake two sheets at one time, place racks so that oven is divided into thirds. Bake for 5 minutes. Reverse cookie sheets front to back (and switch shelves if you're using 2 shelves). Bake for 5-7 more minutes until cookies are brown on edges and still soft in the center. Place cookie sheet(s) on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove cookies with spatula and place them on wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 30 cookies.

Erika's Extras: The photo from One Perfect Bite showed thin cookies. Mine never thinned out. The cake like cookie was delicious and maybe a result of leaving the dough in the fridge over night...

Bake well and prosper!

Heart Shaped Italian Macarons

2013-02-11T11:43:00.000-05:00

Ever since making my first batch of macarons last month I wanted to try a different macaron recipe/technique AND attempt to make them heart shaped. Well, I did and they were a success! How cute are these heart shaped treats? Is there any way to make them cuter?

Yep! Add some pink poodles into the shot. My room mate figured that would be cute/funny and he was right!

Then I wondered if there was any way to make these even more adorable.

Yep! Drawing Valentine's messages on them with edible marker fit the bill nicely. How cute are they? My room mate exclaimed that they looked like Sweethearts and I had to agree.

Not into the normal Valentine's Day messages? Don't worry. I have that covered too. Here's some updated messages that I felt were very "of the times" for today's society...and also made me giggle.

Still not into Valentine's Day/love? Been burnt too many times in the past? Don't worry. I have you covered as well.

There was one broken heart out of the 80+ I made.

I am glad to say that the folks eating these enjoyed the messages AND the yummy tastes of these macarons. I used an Italian technique (which incorporates hot sugar water which helps to make the tops shiny.) I really enjoyed this recipe and plan to keep it as my go to macaron recipe.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love,
Available and Slightly Low Maintenance.

Italian Macarons (from Good Food)
Ingredients
200g almond meal, laid out on tray to dry for 2 days (Erika's Extras: I laid the almond meal out for only overnight and it worked fine)
200g pure icing sugar, sieved
150g egg whites (from 3 to 4 large eggs), sieved and allowed to stand at room temperature overnight
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1g dry egg-white powder (optional)
200g white sugar
50g water
Few drops food colouring (Erika's Extras: I put in extra food coloring since the color of my last macarons faded while baking.)

Method

Preheat oven to 150C (around 300F). Place almond meal and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse to get a finer consistency. Sieve through a drum sieve into a large mixing bowl. Divide egg whites in two batches, each 75 grams. Place one batch of egg whites in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add cream of tartar and egg white powder and set aside.

Mix the remaining egg whites into almond mix to make a thick paste, then set aside. Put sugar and water in a saucepan on medium heat, stir to make sugar syrup. Insert thermometer. When thermometer reaches 110C, start whisking egg whites on low speed. Gradually increase the speed until the egg whites are thick. If the sugar syrup gets too hot before the egg whites are ready, add three teaspoons of cold water to syrup to reduce the temperature. When sugar syrup reaches 118C and the egg whites are ready, slowly pour syrup down the side of the mixer while whisking the egg whites on medium speed. Continue to mix for about 10 minutes until the meringue cools (the bowl should still feel slightly warm).

Add food colouring. Using a pastry scraper, mix the meringue into the almond meal paste — no need to be gentle. Keep mixing until the paste is supple and shiny.

Shiny!

It is important to have the correct consistency. The mixture should be oozy and lava-like. When you fold the mixture over itself, it will spread slowly. Using a pastry bag fitted with a one-centimetre plain nozzle, pipe mixture on to a lined double baking tray. Using two trays ensures even heat distribution. You can use baking paper to line the trays but I have found a silicone baking mat gives the best result. (Erika's Extras: I used parchment paper and it worked fine. I also only had one tray in the oven at a time which was fine as well.)

For a guideline to making heart shapes, I traced a heart on one side of the parchment paper. With the pencil side down, I piped the hearts on the other side of the paper.

Rap the baking tray on the bench firmly a couple of times to get rid of any large air bubbles, settle the shape of the macaron and help make the pied or "foot". Bake for about 16 minutes-18 minutes. (Erika's Extras: I kept the oven door slightly ajar when baking. The other macaron recipe I made said to do that and I think it helps an even baking.)

Check the macarons are dry by testing whether the top and the pied are firm (if the top is soft and the sides are moist, leave them a few more minutes). (Erika's Extras: I checked if the pied/bottom was firm by seeing if the macaron easily peeled from the parchment paper. If not, place back in oven.)Remove from oven and cool on baking trays, then remove and place on wire racks. When cool, sandwich with filling (see below). Refrigerate overnight for the correct soft macaron texture. They can be frozen for up to six weeks.Makes 85-90 (42-45 filled macarons)

Erika's Extras: I used this Martha Stewart recipe for the filling. I added honey to half and raspberry jam to the other half. While the filling was nice, I wasn't a huge fan of the flavor/consistency. I would suggest searching for a different recipe.

Bake well and prosper!

Orange, Walnut, and Rosemary Muffins

2013-02-07T10:24:00.001-05:00

Are you currently living in a winter wonderland? Feeling snowed in? Blue? Well, try these muffins for a nice pick-me-up! The combination of orange and rosemary will have your senses perked up in no time!

I used to think oranges were a summer fruit since they are so sunny and happy. It was a little shocking to find out they are best in winter (at least here in North America.)

I love what Eat the Seasons says about oranges: "Oranges provide seasonal eaters with a taste of sun in the middle of winter. [They are] fabulous [in] desserts where they form a heavenly match with chocolate."

Amen.

Orange, Walnut, and Rosemary Muffins (adapted from The Kitchen Prep)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (Erika's Extras - I used organic sugar. Worked well.)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons canola oil (Erika's Extras - I used grape seed oil bc I didn't have canola. Worked fine but I think I would have preferred canola.)
Zest of 2 oranges - save 1 teaspoon for icing
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish

For Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
3-4 teaspoons freshly squeeze orange juice (Erika's Extras: Used the oranges you just zested.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and walnuts.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, oil, orange zest, and chopped rosemary.
4. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix, there will still be some small lumps. If your mixture looks a bit dry, add 1 tablespoon at a time of milk or almond milk until moistened.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes until tops are slightly golden and firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on a baking rack for about 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Spoon icing over top and decorate with a small sprig of rosemary.

Icing:
1. Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl.
2. Add zest and juice and whisk until smooth.
3. Drizzle or spoon over muffins.

4. Add a sprig of rosemary on top of the icing of each muffin.

Bake well and prosper!

Potpourri: Broccoli Peanut Salad

2013-02-05T11:52:00.002-05:00

This is my "go to" salad for different types of "bring a dish" gatherings. Every time I make it people go crazy over it!

It's a great salad. Salty. Sweet. Healthy. Bacon. I grew up with it so I guess I never realized what a winner it was until people who had never had it before sang its praises.

I've been promising to post the recipe for awhile now. I will finally fulfill that promise with this post. Whew!

So now you, too, can make an awesome salad to empress people at your next potluck gathering!

Broccoli Peanut Salad (from my Mom's Best Recipes Cookbook)
1 bunch of broccoli, washed and cut into small chunks
3/4 C raisins
1 C (or less) unsalted peanuts
3 strips of bacon, fried crisp and broken

Dressing:
1/4 C sugar
1 T vinegar
1/2 C mayonnaise
2 t chopped onion
(Mix all of these in a separate bowl and then stir in to the salad.)

Bake well and prosper!

Chewy Double Chocolate Whiskey, Cherry, Macadamia Nut Cookies

2013-01-24T16:52:00.000-05:00

Whew! That is a mouthful of a title. I had a recipe from online that I kept changing/adding things to and thus the long recipe name.

How is every one's January going? This week most of America had incredibly cold weather and NY was no exception. The past couple of days have been below freezing with single digit wind chill.

I grew up in TX. There wasn't much cold weather and hardly any snow ever so I just thought if the temperature reached below freezing it would snow. As a 7 year old this made sense to me. I guess I never figured out that there would need to be clouds with rain as well...

If it's extremely cold where you live I have a suggestion. Bake bake bake! The oven will keep your place warm and smelling great. (And if you make these cookies, maybe have a little side drink of whiskey to keep your insides warm for a little bit!)

Chewy Double Chocolate Whiskey, Cherry, Macadamia Nut Cookies (adapted from Delicieux)

Ingredients:
(Erika's Extras: I bought a kitchen scale for Christmas and used it for the first time with this recipe!)
150g of dark chocolate, broken into pieces
50g of butter, cut into slices
80g of plain flour
1/4 tsp of baking powder
2 eggs
250g of caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
100g of dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of macadamias chopped
3/4 cup of dried cherries (optional)
2 tablespoons of whiskey

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Soak cherries in whiskey. (This step is optional if you don't use cherries.)
4. Melt the chocolate pieces and butter in a double boiler over a stove.
5. In a mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until thick and pale.
6. Pour the melted chocolate into the beaten eggs and sugar and stir thoroughly before adding the whiskey and cherries.
7. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir thoroughly before adding the chopped chocolate, chopped macadamias and mix until combined.
8. Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto the lined baking trays. The cookies will flatten out when baked.

9. Bake in the oven for 8 to 9 minutes and cool on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack. If you put the cookies onto the cooling rack while hot they will become marked by the wires from the rack.

Bake well and prosper!

Homemade Donuts!

2013-01-22T15:09:00.004-05:00

In an effort to keep pushing myself in the kitchen with recipes I'm not familiar with, I decided to fry something. That something ended up being donuts.

I thought I had enough time to make them before meeting friends for brunch, but I didn't realize the dough needed to rise again after cutting the shapes of the donuts. But my friends had no issues coming to my place and eating fresh donuts and THEN going for brunch. Imagine that.

These cute, doughy donuts brightened up my kitchen. They were so cute! I don't know why, but my room mate agreed that yes, they WERE cute! And just think, they then got to swim in hot oil and become delicious donuts.

I glazed a couple and handed them over to my friends.

My room mate loved how fluffy they were so I made him model the donut. :)

I also used different toppings for some of the donuts. Creating different glazes made the making of the donuts even more fun!

If you have 3 hours on your hands, try this recipe. As long as you've worked with yeast before you'll have no problem making your own homemade donuts.

Homemade Donuts (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup warm water (100 to 115 degrees F)

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2eggs
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Directions

Pour 1/2 cup of warm water into a small bowl, and stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. (Erika's Extras: Stir right away with a fork.) Allow the yeast mixture to stand until it forms a creamy foam layer on top, 5 to 10 minutes.
While yeast is sitting, place milk and vegetable shortening into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the shortening has melted and the milk has tiny bubbles around the edge. Remove from heat.
Place 1/4 cup of sugar and the salt into the work bowl of a large stand mixer and pour the milk and shortening into the bowl. Mix on low speed just to dissolve sugar; and allow mixture to stand until warm.
Beat in the yeast mixture, eggs, and 1 cup of flour on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining flour to make a soft dough. (Erika's Extras: I felt that 4 cups of flour was a tad too much so add a little at a time with the last cup of flour. It's ok to not use it all if it doesn't seem like it needs it.)
Continue beating the dough on low speed until dough leaves the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes. (Erika's Extras: This happened after the 3rd cup of flour.)
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 2 or 3 more minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place into a large greased bowl. Grease the top of the dough, and cover the bowl with waxed paper. Set the bowl into a warm place; let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured work surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut doughnuts out of the dough with a 3 1/2-inch round doughnut cutter with a 1-inch smaller cutter in the center. Let the doughnuts rise on the work surface until very light and fluffy, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F.
Gently pick up and drop the doughnuts into the hot oil, working in small batches of 2 or 3 at a time, and cook until the doughnuts are light golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes. (Erika's Extras: I used a metal spatula to gently drop the donuts into the oil thus helping not to spill oil on myself/the counter.)
Drain the doughnuts on paper towels to absorb oil.
In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of warm water and vanilla extract, and stir in the confectioners' sugar to make a glaze. Spread a thin layer of glaze over the warm doughnuts. (Erika's Extras: I had to add more water to this glaze, but it worked very well. I also used a tiny bit of milk in a different batch which created a richer glaze.)

Bake well and prosper!

Macarons!

2013-01-16T17:15:00.000-05:00

I have decided that 2013 is the year I take on more challenging recipes. Recipes that push me out of my comfort zone and hopefully, like this one, make me realize that yes, I CAN do it. It will also help me understand different techniques of baking that I haven't dabbled in yet. (Or I'll learn from my failure with the new techniques.)

Do you have any resolutions for this year? The baking one is the only one I have. I find that if it's something concrete like taking a comerical acting for camera class or doing a night of stand up comedy that I complete the resolution. However, if it's something a little less concrete like complementing people more, I fail at the resolution. Yes. I've done stand up and had a blast but giving more complements was just beyond me. (Not that I don't GIVE compliments, I just don't give them often. I often think them and never voice the thought. Thus the resolution 2 years ago to compliment more. But it just wasn't in my being. So if you DO get a compliment from me, it means even more! At least that's the way I justify my flaw. Ha!)

Speaking of flaws, I approached these macarons by researching a lot. I didn't want to start with a really demanding recipe, so I eased into macaron baking with a Martha Stewart recipe so as to avoid a flawed first go.

I have to say that for someone who doesn't have a whisk attachment, these sweet things turned out marvelous! I used Nutella and raspberry jam (not together) for the fillings. They are a tad on the sweet side, but got good reviews from the taste testers.

Things I plan to do for the next time I make them:
       1. Get a better food processor so I can get a really fine almond base.
       2. Not burn some of the first batch. (These things will burn quickly!
           Thankfully I only lost a couple to overheating.)
       3. Use more food coloring and maybe even change the flavor of the
           outsides.
       4. Use the French Macaron cook book my friend from Toulouse gave
           me. It's all in French.

So far 2013 is shaping up well in my kitchen. Here's to an adventurous year!

Parisian Macarons (from Martha Stewart)
1 1/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 cup (4 ounces) finely ground sliced, blanched almonds
6 tablespoons fresh egg whites (from about 3 extra-large eggs)
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
(your own filling)

To make the macarons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. (Erika's Extras: This is the time to add the NON oil based food coloring. Add more than you think you need because the color will become a little dull in the oven.) Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. (Erika's Extras: I did this with normal beaters in an electric hand mixer. It took about 8 minutes, but the peaks finally do form.) With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners' sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. (Erika's Extra: Feel free to draw circles on the parchment paper to give a guide for perfect sized macarons.) Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch #4 round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macarons and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.

Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macarons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. (Erika's Extras: Mine seemed to only need around 12 minutes in the oven.) Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macarons from the parchment. (Erika's Extras: I peeled them off the parchment paper right away.) Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

To fill the macarons: Fill a pastry bag with the filling. Turn macarons so their flat bottoms face up. On half of them, pipe about 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich these with the remaining macarons, flat-side down, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Bake well and prosper!

Cornbread Muffins (with cheese and pineapple!)

2013-01-14T09:43:00.000-05:00

Hi! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I was on vacation in Morocco. Yes. Morocco! And then I got stuck in Madrid for 3 days. Which all equaled a fun adventure!

In Morocco the one main thing that is served at every meal is mint tea (with sugar added. Yum!)

It always came in a lovely pot with colorful glasses. The proper way to pour it is from high above so the tea can be aerated (which is a tricky thing that I slightly mastered.)

As for Moroccan desserts, oranges and small pastries are the norm. Occasionally there were other options with more French influences like Nutella crepes, but the small pastries were the best. Here's a photo of a pastry shop in the souks of Marrakesh.

Tons of honey bees swarmed around this display which didn't deter my friend from buying some. I must admit that I was a little grossed out. But aren't all the colors lovely? That's one of my favorite things about Morocco. Tons of vibrant colors everywhere you looked.

Olives stand.

Pottery shop.

Dress shop.

Colorful door in the Atlas Mountains.

All in all it was a lovely trip and I would like to go back someday. But for now I am happy to be back in NYC, the best city in the world for me. :)

Cornbread Muffins (sent by my mom)
1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
¾ C sugar
¼ C baking powder
1 t salt
4 eggs
2 sticks melted butter
1½ C creamed corn (1 can)

1 C crushed pineapple (drained/strained)

1 C grated cheddar cheese

Mix eggs. Add dry ingredients. Add melted butter. Add corn, pineapple, and cheese. You can use cupcake liners or not. Fill each muffin pan cup 3/4 full. Bake at 325° for about 25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins. Let cool almost completely before removing from pan (non-stick preferred).

Bake well and prosper!

Buckwheat Crêpes

2012-12-26T12:25:00.002-05:00

As promised, the buckwheat crepe recipe from the post yesterday.

These crepes are so easy and I found them to be very dreamy. (If one can call food dreamy.)

Buckwheat Crêpes (from David Lebovitz)
18-20 crêpes
It’s best to let the batter chill overnight, but let it come to room temperature prior to frying them up. And keep stirring the batter as you go while frying since the flour tends to sink to the bottom.
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons (80 gr) butter, salted or unsalted, melted
1/2 cup (70 gr) buckwheat flour
3/4 cup (105 gr) all-purpose flour (In France, I use type 65)
3 large eggs

In a blender, or with a whisk, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Cover and chill overnight.
To fry the crêpes, remove the batter from the refrigerator about an hour before frying. Stir it briskly; it should be the consistency of heavy cream. (If not, you can add a tablespoon of milk.)
Heat a 8- to 9-inch skillet on the stove top. You can use a real crêpe pan that’s been seasoned, but I use a Tefal non-stick skillet which works great.
Drop a tiny piece of butter or neutral oil in the hot pan and wipe it around with a paper towel. (Only needed for the first crêpe, but feel free to re-butter after a couple of crêpes.)
Lift the pan and pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the middle of the hot skillet, swirling the pan to distribute the batter quickly and evenly. The pan shouldn’t be too hot or too cold: the batter should start cooking within a few seconds, giving you just enough time to swirl it. It may take a couple of crêpes for you to get your rhythm.
After about a minute, run a non-stick spatula around the underside of the rim of the crêpe, then flip the crepe over. (You can use your fingers after a little has been lifted, but beware, it will be hot!) So use the spatula the whole time if you wish.
Let the crêpe cook on the flip side for about 30 seconds, then slide it out onto a dinner plate. Repeat, cooking the crepes with the remaining batter, stirring the batter every so often as you go.
Crêpes should be served warm. To rewarm the crêpes for serving, fold the crepes and put them in a baking dish covered with foil. Heat them in a moderate oven until warmed through.

Serving
Feel free to be creative and use any fruits or sauces you wish. A smear of Nutella, your favorite jam or simply a drizzle of honey and a tab of butter is terrific folded inside. For savory crêpes, fold some grated cheese and maybe a piece of ham in the crêpe and warm in a non-stick or lightly-buttered skillet for a minute or so, flipping the crêpe midway though, until the cheese is melted.

Storage
Since this recipes makes 18-20 crêpes, it may be more than you need all at once. But if you’re going to stand over a hot stove, you may as well make extra and freeze them. Once cool, wrap securely in plastic film, then foil. They’ll keep in the freezer for a couple of months. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to three days, well-wrapped.

Erika's Extras: I made a third of this recipe and stuck the batter in the freezer for 15 minutes. They turned out fine. (Just in case you don't need so many crêpes and if you're rushed on time.)

Bake well and prosper!

Merry Christmas Crepes!

2012-12-25T09:28:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I made crepes for the first time this morning. It was a nice little treat for my roomie and me.

I gave him home made crepes and he gave me an iPad. I think that's a fair gift exchange. ;)

Recipe will be posted later. Enjoy today!

Bake well and prosper!