Sorry for the delay! I’ve been out all day, got home, and crashed on my bed. The excitement of being able to annouce the winner in my first giveaway bolted me out of bed though. Without further ado, I’d like to congratulate Saveur from the taste space as our winner! Heartfelt thanks go out to everyone for entering and making this a great first giveaway.

This is just a quick reminder that there is only 5 hours left to enter the spice giveaway. I will announce the winner some time tomorrow night. Thanks go out to everyone who has taken the time to enter and good luck to you all!

So this last week has been a whirlwind. The tradition in my house is to put up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving. What started out as a simple holiday tradition, turned into an all-out clean-fest of the garage which had been sorely neglected in the last year. A week later, we have a *moderately* clean garage and festive house covered in lights, at least on the inside. I’ve been all over creation looking for the right *priced* extension cords to aid in trimming the outside of the house in jolly luminosity only to find after purchasing my prized extension stakes that 1. they aren’t long enough and I don’t have a three prong extension cord to extend the extender and 2. there’s no switch, something lazy me wanted. So, like Scrooge, I’m in the dark…though only on the outside.

But that’s not why you’re here! You want mouth-watering recipes that celebrate those spices I mentioned earlier. Believe it or not, I’ve been planning this little theme for a while, and I had baked this wonderful Cinnamon Milk Tart some time ago. I found this recipe in Nancy Silverton’s Pastries From The La Brea Bakery, which is a seriously good book despite it’s loathsome lack of bakers porn.

This is the same book where Nancy Silverton proclaimed, “Once you’ve tasted freshly ground cinnamon sticks, you’ll never settle for preground cinnamon from a supermarket jar.” Unfortunately, though I had the cinnamon sticks, I do not have a spice grinder. I do have a mortar and pestle though, and took an inordinate amount of time grinding up maybe 1/2 teaspoon worth by hand. Did it make a difference? Honestly I can’t be sure, because thankfully due to some strange celestial alignment, I had the foresight to buy some ground cinnamon as well. If I hadn’t had the ground stuff on hand it would have been more of a milk tart instead of a cinnamon milk tart.

One thing I can say for sure is the specialty cinnamon from a real spice purveyor TOTALLY makes a difference. While I only had a limited amount of the fresh ground stuff, the other ground cinnamon I used was fab! Admittedly I was never a big fan of cinnamon, but after using a more premium cinnamon I might become a cinnamon junkie. If you can scratch some pennies together, it really is worth buying your spices from a specialty store rather than the mass produced brands found in the supermarket. When you start to check the numbers, the cost isn’t much more, especially if you have a local shop. Remember when buying cinnamon, or any other spices for that matter, plan on buying only about a years worth of ground or up to a two years for whole. This is a moderate guideline for the shelf life of any spice. Regardless of any timetable, use your nose. If you get a whiff that’s strong and fragrant, you’re good to go.

That said, this tart is crazy good and it really highlights cinnamon. Apparently this is a traditional South African treat. The crust technique of smearing the dough to mix it, struck me as a bit odd considering everything I’ve read hammers in the desire to keep the butter as solid as possible when creating any kind of crust. But hey, that’s why those experts and pastry chefs get paid the big bucks. They know what the heck they’re doing. Now I know the smear technique creates a tasty crust with the texture of a crunchy cookie. So no more worries of creating something that requires a chainsaw to cut!

With the light waning the day I baked this and wanting to take a picture of it (along with craving to gobble it immediately!), I unfortunately didn’t have the time to get more creative with the cinnamon dusted design. I made do with the traditional circle template in the middle…well sort of in the middle. If you want to get creative, you could cut out any number of shapes or words to fit any occasion.

What is really wonderful about this dessert is that it’s a sweet and satisfying treat without being too heavy. Ms. Silverton also offers a Cinnamon Custard Tart in her La Brea Bakery book, but I was looking for something a little lighter to enjoy the cinnamon flavor. You get a light, sweet taste that is creamy, crunchy, and full of flavor. This really was one of the best things I’ve made. While you can keep this tart covered in the fridge for a day or two, it does start to get a bit…not soggy so much as…moist maybe? It’s FANTASTIC the first day! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Don’t forget to enter my spice giveaway before the 15th!

Cinnamon Milk Tart

my notes are in bold
Special Items:
10-inch flan ring, lightly coated with melted butter (I used an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and ate the leftover filling.)
3-inch diameter cardboard guide or paper plate (I made mine out of a plastic page protector. It worked great!)

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 extra-large egg
1 extra-large egg yolk

For the filling:
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch

For decorating:
1/4 cup ground cinnamon

For the crust:

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and sugar and pulse, or mix on low, to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off or mix on low, until it’s the consistency of a coarse meal. I (at the time) had neither of these wonders of engineering, and was forced to make do with my trusty pastry blender, and frankly, I can’t imagine using a standing mixer for this. If you don’t have a food processor, get your pastry blender out. If you don’t have a food processor or a pastry blender, get a beater from your hand mixer out. If you don’t have a food processor, pastry blender, or a hand mixer….I guess you’ll have to bare knuckle it, which apparently my Grandmother used to do when she made her family-famous pie dough. Oh, and yes, you can use a beater from a hand mixer like a pastry blender. It’s been done in my own test kitchen

In a small bowl, whisk together the whole egg and egg yolk, and pour into the flour mixture. Pulse or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dip the hell of your hand in flour and working with small sections, smear the dough away from you to blend it together. When the dough has been all smeared out, use a metal scraper or spatula to scrape and gather it together.

Divide the dough in half and gently knead each half and gather into a ball. Flatten into 2 discs and wrap in plastic. Chill one piece until firm, at least 2 hours, and freeze the other for later use. (I actually halved the recipe because I wasn’t sure it was going to turn out. I wish I could tell you the exact amounts, but I used a scale to halve the eggs and powdered sugar. If you want to do the same, you need a scale to measure it out.)

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to at least 2 inches larger in diameter than the pan you are using, 1/4 inch thick, flouring the surface of the dough as necessary. Gently fold the dough into quarters, placing the point into the center of the pan, carefully unfold the dough. Press lightly into the corners, and see that the dough comes up slightly above the top of the rim. Make sure you don’t stretch the dough to fit the pan (like I did), otherwise it will shrink during baking (like mine did). Trim any excess dough. Chill or freeze until firm, from 30 minutes to an hour. Line your crust with parchment paper or coffee filters, and fill the lining up to the rim of the pan with dried beans or metal pie weights (or rice which I foolishly, and cheaply use. It’s a b**** though and I’d suggest going with the beans. I went with rice because it was cheaper, but it’s soooo difficult to get back in the bag!). Make sure that whatever you use fits snugly into the corners of the dough. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, until the top of the crust is golden brown. Cool completely and remove the weights and parchment. If the bottom of the pastry is not uniformly browned, return it unlined to the oven for a few minutes until fully cooked. (I don’t know why, but this took FOREVER to brown properly. I was worried it had browned too much, but it actually turned out perfectly *except for the shrinking*)

For the filling:

In a deep stainless-steel saucepan over low heat, warm 3 1/2 cups of the milk with the granulated sugar. Using a small knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise. With the back of the knife, scrape out the pulp and the seeds and add the scrapings and the pod to the milk. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining milk and the cornstarch. When the milk comes to a boil, pour it into the cornstarch mixture and whisk together. Return it to the saucepan and bring it back to a boil over medium heat, stirring (not whisking! Use a wooden spoon here) occasionally, so it doesn’t color. Continue cooking, allowing it to bubble and thicken, about 2 minutes (I stirred constantly not occasionally. You do want this to cook a bit without it burning on the bottom.) Remove the vanilla bean and pour the filling into the baked tart shell. Chill until set and cold, about 45 minutes.

Place the circle template (or any other you were planning on using) in the center of the tart and sift and even layer of cinnamon over the top of the tart. Enjoy!

I mentioned I was trying to think of ways to make my blog more interesting, and I thought, “Free goodies!” This morsel of brilliance came to me even before reading Predictably Irrational, which speaks of our irrational tendencies to the “Free!”. Not that I’m expecting a sect of Sugared Ellipses worshipers to pop up or anything, but this is just another tool in my arsenal to slowly take over the world…ha, ha, ha, ha, ha *maniacal laugh* Seriously though, I thought it might add a little spice to our lives.

Since we’re speaking of spices I thought I might give away some. I was in need of some fresh cinnamon since according to Nancy Silverton, “Once you’ve tasted freshly ground cinnamon sticks, you’ll never settle for preground cinnamon from a supermarket jar.” In the desire to test Ms. Silverton’s claim I decided to place an order for the cinnamon, as well as a plethora of other fall spices, with the renowned Penzeys spice company. Somewhere along the way in composing my final order I thought what better way to celebrate the warmth of this season than to give away some spices to warm the heart and the belly. Without further ado I am including:  

Whole Allspice
Ground Cinnamon (China Cassia)
Whole Madagascar Cloves
Ground Ginger
Ceylon Softstick Cinnamon (5″ Sticks)
Whole Nutmeg

In addition to that you’ll be the proud owner of a small ceramic loaf pan. The winner will be all “Ooo” and “Aaaah”-stounded by the surprise goodies that I’m sure will find their way into the box. If you’d like to enter to win, just create a link to the giveaway on your blog. Although not a requirement, (because hopefully trackbacks will be working properly!) the best way for me to know for sure that you’ve entered is to comment on this post. (Those of you who do not have a blog, contact me and we’ll work something out.) The last day you can enter will be December 15th at midnight Eastern Standard Time. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on December 16th. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

For those of you unfamiliar with Penzeys, the company has been a purveyor of high quality, fresh spices since 1957. The company’s first incarnation, started by Ruth and Bill Penzey, Sr., was as a spice and coffee store in Milwaukee, WI. With an attentive eye for customer needs, satisfying both the heart and the kitchen, Bill Penzey, Jr., transformed his parents fledgling business from a retail front, to mail order, to multiple retail outlets and mail order, with stores in over 20 states. Regardless of whether you’re endeavors are savory or sweet, Penzeys is bound to aid you in reaching new heights.

You’ve gotta love a company whose perspective on business is, “We have tried to build our business on these feelings of caring that we see every day in our customers. We know that if you want to get people to cook you have to show them the value in it and we are pretty convinced the real value is in the lifetime of relationships it creates.”

Do stay tuned because throughout the coming weeks I will be presenting lots of information on these fall spices and recipes that highlight each of them.

*I felt the need to state that this giveaway is not sponsored by the Penzeys company in any way. I wanted to have an event like this, and decided that their spices would make a nice gift.

I’ve changed my Permalinks. So to all of you (you sweet few) who linked to any individual posts on my blog, I’m humbly ask you to update your links for your readers. Um, weird. It looks like links have magically updated. At least on my Foodgawker and Tastespotting entries. Huzzah! I’ve been meaning to do it, but I just never got around to it until now. Thankfully I only need to do this once. :

Oh, and stay tuned for a fun announcement!

Thought I was gone forever? For awhile I did too. Anybody still listening? I understand if you’ve moved on to sweeter pastures, but I took some needed time to reflect on whether or not I was doing the best thing I could be doing right now with this blog. To be honest, I’m not sure. There are a ton of things that interest me, but unfortunately I haven’t exactly been feeling like the world is my oyster so-to-speak. I realize I’m not the only one who is experiencing difficulty in these economically agonizing times, but I have been dealing with this economically agonizing situation going on six years now. At the same time, I realize things could be worse. However, when you are obsessed about where your next dollar is going to come from, if any, you really start to reevaluate how you spend you time. After six months of thinking, well, I realize I still don’t have any answers (feel free to chuckle).  

What I have realized is that I still hate store bought baked goods, and I still love sweets even though I gained all the weight I lost prior to moving here back (though I lost seven pounds of it again in the last 6 months! Hey, it’s better than nothing. AND it’s great when I get to eat my sweets, and not exercise for an hour and a half like I used to when I originally lost that weight before moving – oh, and sorry for the RIDICULOUSLY long babble-on!). And I still have this blog. I hope I still have my readers, but if I’ve lost some of you I hope to bring you back, and I hope to attract more. I have some ideas to keep you reading, but if there’s anything you’d like to see me write/do (except pat my head and my belly at the same time…it’s just not possible) please let me know. I want to encourage you to keep coming back.

I intend on getting to the comments on the last post before my hiatus for no other reason than they were are such heartfelt responses to a heartfelt post and I feel the need to respond in kind, and then there were those comments that were actually questions that I need to answer. As to the rest of the unresponded comments, I want to let you know that I appreciate them all so much. I struggle with depression, and they really do brighten my day. Unfortunately I sometimes have the darnedest time getting to things, and I’m afraid I’ll never catch up on all those I missed responding to, and I apologize for that. I’m really sorry for not being a good blogger for these past months. Thankfully I feel like I’m on more of an even keel and I’m ready to get back into the swing of things.

Without further ado, I bring you the New York crumb cake. This was FAB! And were I not the insane perfectionist-wannabe I am it probably would’ve only taken a little over an hour from prep to out of the oven.

As I am still the “insame perfectionist-wannabe” it took half the day, most of which was spent breaking apart the crumb topping into exquisite pea-sized crumbs. One of these days I’ll learn not to take it all so seriously, but as it stands I like to do things right…at least once at any rate.

I ardently wish that I could include the recipe here but I am forced to refrain from such a public display of neighborly knowledge in fear of the dreaded CI police. Honestly, I don’t even want to mention the publication’s full name for no other reason than to prevent increasing their PageRank. Needless to say the editor has a propensity for writing prissy op-ed pieces in the New York Times on the evils of us plebes sharing our little scribbles with the world since we don’t have any “real experience, the hard-won blood-on-the-floor kind.” Perhaps I don’t have “blood-on-the-floor” kind, but I do have zest, butter, and batter…among other things.

I’m no expert, and I certainly don’t purport myself to be one. That said, the journey of the inexperienced on the road to experienced I think is a valuable one. I guess the question might be, are all roads to experience worthy? I’d answer yes. If you all end at the same destination, then why is someone who trained at home versus at a culinary institute any less worthy to the family they are serving the fruits of their labor (and experience) to. My Grandmother never took a cooking class in her life. From what I’m told her Mother didn’t know how to cook for all the cabbage in Poland. Somehow, some way, she taught herself. Through the prism of her own inexperience she was able to fail and learn what not to do, which I think can be nearly as important as what to do. She was the best cook I ever knew, and I’m thankful for the road to experience that she took.

I’m sure she had the help of neighbors and friends. There’s a rich tradition among cooks of all nations (and levels of experience) of sharing. Food and sharing just seem to go together. I think most people would agree with that philosophy. This obsession that one publication has with the reprinting of recipes smacks of greed and narcissism. It’s unfortnate that it can’t evolve with the times and enjoy the rewards of sharing. One thing I’ve learned in blogging is word-of-mouth…you ain’t kidding. Mention something in passing on here, and you’ll never guess where it may end up. Dissemination of information is a good thing. That’s part of the reason we got out of the Dark Ages. It’s unfortunate because I actually love the publication in essence. The information provided is fantastic, albeit a tad dry. I have to say that it’s one of the most informative and educational out there. The attitude of the editor needs to change before I become a public advocate for it.

That said, this is one of the best crumb cakes I’ve ever tasted. And, if you desire the recipe, use my contact form (Contact tab at the tippy-top of the page) to contact me. You never know what I might just blurt out in an informal email conversation over coffee. Just like Grandma used to do

For the last two weeks I’ve been trying to finish this post. I want to write this so I can move on to….well, I guess sweeter things (at least as much as I can “move on” under the circumstances). This is another one of my personal posts, so if you’re not interested skip til tomorrow (hopefully I’ll have something of use to all the dessert freaks out there then, despite it all I still bake, I have to assuage the grief somehow so why not with sweets).

My Aunt Barbara died May 29th, two weeks ago tomorrow, from cancer. That’s her holding me when I was a babe (good grief, I had fat arms even then!). The guy kissing my head is my Uncle Bob, who passed away March last year, from God knows what but probably some complication due to the medication he was on all his life for manic depression. Along with my Grandfather last September, that’s three family members in a little over a year. *big sigh*

I don’t even know what to say anymore. There’s just this giant welling of feeling that I can’t even describe when I think about all of this. I feel a literal flooding of emotion that starts in my belly and rises to the top of my head. And I HATE crying. I hate it with a passion. The reasons why would be a much longer post, and more navel-gazing than I’d rather do on this blog (even though this post appears to be nothing but). Still, I have to talk about the barrage of loss I’ve been experiencing since it has kept me from blogging in over two weeks.

I’ve done a lot of offline writing about this, and while I’d like to give everyone some words of wisdom or signs of the softer side of humanity, the overwhelming feeling that I’ve had has been one of anger. I’m mad. I’m mad, mad, mad, mad, mad. I’m mad at the unlived life of my Aunt, dying at 54. I’m mad that the life she did live was at times poisoned by unfulfilled dreams. I’m mad at the fact that the mental illness of my Uncle (in the picture) has wrought a chasm so wide and deep within our family that it keeps us so far apart from each other like so many dots that make up the picture of our family tree, even when we’re standing next to each other. I’m mad. Mad-ness. This is what overtakes me when I’m so very hurt.

I don’t necessarily believe in fate or kismet. I like to see signs of some overreaching, beneficent hand that spreads the threads of our lives out into some glorious universal tapestry. I’d like to believe that and I try. That’s why the irony of my happening upon a favorite book just in the last week before my Aunt’s passing is not lost on me. Harlan Ellison’s Angry Candy, a book of short stories that were written against the backdrop of a whirlwind 2 1/2 year period of mourning over precious friends passing. This book of “Angry Candy,” the bittersweet memories and regrets that are always inspired by the loss of those who matter and the inevitable anger and “rage against the dying of the light,” this is the book that ricocheted quite accidentally into my life at THIS time, while coming up with some favorite writers to flesh out my Flickr profile of all things.

It’s taken these two weeks to just get through the introduction of the book. Harlan was mad too. I found this comforting when rage started to turn to guilt for not feeling a more proper emotion. His anger was at the loss. Not seeing the smile of a loved one, or being able to call them up on the phone and talk about….whatever. While I feel that anger too, I’m also mad that her life wasn’t better. Not to say that it was miserable or anything. She had a great husband, my Uncle Danny, and two kids, my cousins Ryan and Alex. But I know she wanted more from life, and that she worried. But the fact of the matter is that I’m selfish, and I wanted more for her, but since her life was cut short before she could achieve…whatever she happened to hope for herself, why the hell should I expect more out of life for myself…why do I deserve it more than her when I don’t. Gah. Talk about navel-gazing.

I’m going to leave you with a quote from the introduction to Harlan’s book, “There is little anyone can say that makes sense and doesn’t read as arrant foolishness. Dead is dead, and we all feel as if we’ve driven cross-country without any sleep or break, when someone we need is taken away.”

It’s Iron Cupcake time, and I actually made the deadline this month! This month’s theme was to come up with a savory cupcake. All I could think of was bagels. And what is more NY than a bagel that has a dream of becoming a cupcake. NY being the place where impossible dreams can come true. But I didn’t want a plain old bagel. I envisioned an parmesan cheese and olive spiked “cupcake” of delectable doughy goodness…but would it work?

Our May ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

• A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
• something sweet and dangly from CHERRYCREEKCHARMS at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6686445.
• a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin’ Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice – sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

Voting will begin no later than Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m. at NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER, http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com and will be open through Friday, June 5 at 12 noon.

Thanks to my local library, I’ve been examining the book, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. Along with that, I checked out another Peter Reinhart book, Crust and Crumb, to see which one I liked better. After surveying each book, I think I’d get The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. In his own words, the bagel recipe included in the new book is “an improvement on the formula given in Crust and Crumb,” so that’s what ended up being my blueprint for these “cupcakes”.

This was another month of waffling about, not being confident in whether my hair-brained idea would even fly, or boil as the case may be. Can you actually boil a cupcake? Thinking about it, I figured if you can boil a ring of dough, then a cupcake-shaped blob of dough should be fine.

Some of you may be saying, “But why I ♥ NY?” To get at the reason behind that we need to look at the history of the bagel, as well as myself. The bagel, like so many other beloved foodstuffs with a long history, has a debatable background. The only thing that seems to be consistent in all the tales is the country of origin, Poland. One legend tells of another Polish King, Jan III Sobieski, and his successful campaign against the Ottoman Turkish empire in 1683 as the inspiration for the bagel. Apparently Polish bakers modeled this commemorative bread after the King’s stirrup of his saddle in celebration of his victory. This story is relegated to that of legend in Maria Balinska’s The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread. She states that in the 16th and 17th century, known as a “golden age” for the Jews in Poland, the bajgiel became a popular repast for the country. And according to the book The Joys of Yiddish, the first time the word “bagel” appeared in print was in 1610 in the Community Regulations of Kraków. Due to the symbolic protective significance of bagels, they were a common gift presented at various celebrations, from births to deaths, in Europe. The descendants of these European Jews brought the bagel, along with other culinary delights, across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, specifically the classic port of call, New York, in the centuries that followed. Although Jewish emigration is recorded as early as the 17th century colonial period, it was until the 1970s that the bagel was introduced to the majority of America. It was Harry Lender, who opened the first bagel factory outside of New York City in New Haven, Connecticut, who helped disseminate the bagel, albeit frozen, to the United States. Now you can find fresh made bagels in every grocery store.

Like the bagel, I’m from New York with Polish heritage. I moved away (too) long ago, and have wanted to get back ever since. For me, there’s nothing like New York, as for many bagel lovers, there’s nothing like a New York bagel. Some say it’s the flour they use, or the famous New York water, but I say it’s the energy of the place and the people that infuses every experience there including its food…you can’t beat it. So what better way to pay tribute to the city I love dearly, and I will always call home no matter how far I away I may be, than to call my crazy concoction, inspired the very New York bagel, an I ♥ NY Cupcake. And if a bagel can become a cupcake, then maybe I can get back to New York

I ♥ NY Cupcakes

Notes before you begin:
First off, you really need a scale to do this right. I measured out the “cupcakes” using my scale, and I can give you a ballpark shape to look for (a large handful), but even when measuring out the ingredients in the first place…if you’re making any kind of yeasted dough, you need a scale. Sorry.

I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but you’re not going to be able to use paper cupcake liners. Unfortunately I didn’t find this out until after I had baked, and taken pictures of the “cupcakes”. They stick. Big time. I’m sorry for including pics with cute bagel “cupcakes” in cupcake liners, but you just can’t do it. Again, DO NOT use paper cupcake liners when you finally throw these in the oven. This won’t be the last time you hear this because I don’t want you to forget. If you’re worried about forgetting, then just lock your cupcake liners away and don’t use them at all. I do want to note, that you will get a more consistent cupcake-shape if, when retarding in the fridge overnight, you place the dough in a cupcake liner in your cupcake pan. BUT, if you think you’ll forget and put them back in those liners after boiling, well, just forget about using the liners. Otherwise you’ll be trying to avoid eating said liner. THEY STICK….don’t forget! Now, you can do the aluminum foil liners, but those don’t stick at all. So much so that when I took those out of the pan, the liner didn’t come with. It just stayed in the pan. If someone figures out a liner that sticks with these, but not like glue let me know.

Everything should go smoothly, especially if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook. For those of you who don’t (like me!) I want you to know that this can be done without a stinking mixer The tricky thing will be knowing when the dough is really ready. Your best friend will be your hands and your eyes. If you are making any additions to the dough, this process will take longer, and a lot longer if your additions hold any moisture of their own. I’d say that the olives added probably another 20 minutes of kneading time and a heck of a lot more flour.

It won’t necessarily take this long for you, but I was a bit leery of adding too much flour. The next time I do this I’ll know to just dump an extra half cup of flour in and go from there. I was just doing light dustings, but it really needed a lot of extra flour to absorb all the moisture in the olives. In the end I think I may have actually added a whole extra cup, but until I have this recipe down I still plan on playing it a little cautiously.

As far as additions go, I added parmesan cheese, kalamata olives, and dried parsley. Originally I had planned to throw in some sun-dried tomatoes, but I didn’t have any at the time so I just mixed those into some cream cheese for a “frosting”. You can add whatever the heck sounds good to you. Or if you’d rather just go for the classic plain bagel, go for it. Whatever you can imagine on a bagel (or even a pizza for that matter) you can probably add to these. Just keep in mind the moisture factor when kneading those additions in and you’ll be fine.

If you choose to fill these with your “frosting” I’d suggest using the cut the center out from the top method. Basically you cut a “plug” of sorts out of the top, scrap some of the center out, fill up the part you scrapped out with “frosting”, trim your “plug” so it fits back into the “cupcake”, then use it to plug up the hole, frost the top and you’re done!

Sponge:
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
4 cups (18 ounces) bread flour
2 1/2 cups (20 ounces) water

Dough:
1/2 teaspoon (.055 ounce) instant yeast
3 3/4 cups (17 ounces) bread flour
2 3/4 teaspoons (.7 ounce) salt
2 teaspoons (.33 ounce) malt powder
OR
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar *I used dark brown sugar.

Miscellaneous:
1 tablespoon baking soda for the water
Cornmeal for dusting the pan
Additions for the bagels such as olives, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, or garlic

If you are looking to replicate what I’ve done here, I added 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup kalamata olives, and 2 tablespoons of dried parsley. You’ll need a bit more parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.

To create your own sun-dried tomato cream cheese “frosting”, use 8 ounces of cream cheese and about 4 tablespoons of diced sun-dried tomatoes, or to taste.

The Night Before

Make the sponge by stirring the yeast into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and stir until all ingredients are blended into a sticky batter, like pancake batter. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for two hours, until the mixture becomes foamy and bubbly.

Once the sponge has risen, remove the plastic wrap and stir in the additional yeast. Add 3 cups (approximately, I did this by eyeballing since being exact at this point is not of importance since you already measured the flour out precisely in your prep….right?) of the flour, the malt powder (or dark brown sugar in my case), and the salt into the bowl. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball. Slowly work in the rest of the flour to stiffen the dough.

On a clean surface, knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes (or 6 minutes by stand mixer). *I actually kneaded mine right in the bowl. It worked fine.

If you are making any additions (olives, onions, etc.) now is the time to add them. Again, your hands are your guide in this process (even if you use the stand mixer). You’re looking for a firm but pliable dough, that’s smooth. There shouldn’t be any dry flour – everything should be hydrated. If the dough is too dry, add water, a few drops at a time. If the dough is sticky, then add more flour. The finished dough should feel satiny, not tacky, and pliant.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Immediately after kneading, split the dough into 4 1/2 ounce pieces for big “cupcakes”, or 2 1/2 – 3 ounce pieces for smaller, regular looking cupcakes. Roll each piece into a ball and set it on the parchment, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, place the “cupcakes” in either oiled or cupcake liner lined cupcake pans. Cover pans loosely with plastic or use a food-grade plastic bag. Allow dough to rise at room temperature for about 20 minutes. (AGAIN, if you think you’ll forget on baking day and return your boiled “cupcakes” to a liner then DO NOT USE THEM. DO NOT PUT A “CUPCAKE” IN A PAPER LINER IN THE OVEN! THEY STICK! That said, at this point, they will help keep a more cupcake-like shape in the long run. If you decide to use the liners at this stage, make sure you leave one liner-less for the “floater” test described next.)

Now you need to check to see if the “cupcakes” are ready to be retarded. You can check this by doing a “float” test. I did come across, over on the Fresh Loaf, a baker who decided to skip the test, and just retarded them after 20 minutes. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. Drop a test “cupcake” in the water. If it floats within 10 seconds of being dropped in, they’re ready. If not then return it to the pan and continue to proof at room temperature, checking every 10 to 20 minutes until a tester floats. Once you have a “floater”, then return the tester to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan with plastic, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (you can wait up to 2 days from this point before you actually bake them, if you choose).

While the pans do not need to be covered with the plastic tightly, do make sure that they are completely covered. I missed the edge of one and found that the part exposed had dried out overnight. I have to say that this didn’t seem to matter in the finished product since the boiling rehydrated them the next day.

Baking Day

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the tablespoon of baking soda to the pot. This reportedly alkalizes the water, replicating a traditional New York bagel shop flavor. I forgot to do this. Honestly, they still tasted great. I remember to do it with my cinnamon raisin “cupcakes” (did I mention those? Oops!) and frankly didn’t notice a difference. It’s up to you.

Having a slotted spoon nearby, remove the “cupcakes” from the refrigerator. It will be a little tricky, but gently take them out of the pan (obviously remove the liners before boiling if you used them). Don’t worry too much if they seem to become more misshapen. Once you put them back in the pan, they’ll regain a more cupcake-like shape. Drop a few of the “cupcakes” into the boiling water and let them boil for about a minute and a half. Flip them over and boil them on the other side for another minute and a half.

Before removing the “cupcakes” from the pot, sprinkle corn meal on the cupcake pan. Remove them one at a time, set them back into the cupcake pan, and top them right away (I used some extra parmesan cheese to sprinkle on these, but you can use whatever you want or nothing at all), while they are still slightly moist. Repeat this process until all of the “cupcakes” have been boiled and topped. I did let mine drip dry on a paper towel. I just felt weird throwing a very moist “cupcake” into the pan. It worked out fine, but you can probably skip that and just throw them in the UNLINED cupcake pan.

After all the “cupcakes” have been boiled and topped (if you chose to do so) bake for 6 minutes in your preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 450°F degrees, rotate the pan, and bake for another 6 minutes until the “cupcakes” begin to brown. You can bake them longer if you prefer more color in your “cupcakes”.

Remove the pans from the oven and let cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. These are fabulous right out of the oven!

I told you I was going to go back in time and address weeks past. I’m finally getting around to it, but it’ll be one at a time. For you Oreo cookie buffs, check out the cookie section for the holy grail of cookie recipes…now you can just say no to store-bought Oreos!  

Let yourself eat cake:

Let’s start things off with a Pierre Herme recipe highlighted by Bonbini!. It’s The Concorde, which is a layer of mousse sandwiched between two meringues, all chocolate, topped with strawberry foam. Yum!

I wish I had access to the chestnuts required for this Pistachio Chestnut Chocolate Opera Style Cake from Pease Pudding.

Dessert Girl highlighted some of the prettiest cakes you’ll ever see, in her post on Mother’s Day cakes.

Learn how to make Rainbow Buttercream Frosting for your Rainbow Cupcakes in the Big Red Kitchen.

I had to laugh out loud when I read Patent and the Pantry’s description for her Guinness chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing, “I finally found a way to like beer . . . in cupcake form.”

Maple and bacon seem to go hand and hand. Who knew that they would be perfect coupled in a cupcake. Tracey’s Culinary Adventures threw french toast in the mix to make Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes.

Cookies:

Baking has ruined instant gratification in regards to sweets for me, since now I can’t bear to eat any of the chemically loaded store-bought baked goods. Like an ancient explorer searching for the fountain of youth or the holy grail, every so often I would look in vain for a true homemade Oreo recipe. Sure, there’s a ton of Oreo “inspired” Whoopie Pie type creations floating around there, but not that crispy cookie snap, a signature of a true Oreo. Well, it looks like Living each week like it’s shark week has brought our salvation with her own crispy homemade Oreo cookie recipe. Hallelluia!

Speaking of Whoopie Pies, you really should check out these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies from Chocolate Chip Trips. This is the kind of recipe that pumpkins were canned for!

These Shortbread Buttons from Not Quite Nigella are perfect for Mother’s Day or whenever you want to treat your favorite knitter, sewer, quilter, or fiber artist.

goodLife {eats} apparently has some crazy ideas sometimes, and I’m thankful for it. If she didn’t then we wouldn’t have these Cannoli Sandwich Cookies.

Savour Fare celebrated Cinco de Mayo with these Aztec Chocolate Cookies that have chipotle chilies.

And finally we have one of the funniest and heart racing posts on Linzer Torte Bars you’ll ever read from My Tasty Treasures.

Pies, tarts, etc.:

Kitchenscraps shows some motherly love with his sloppy, boozey tart.

Spoon! desserts:

Evil Shenanigans reminisces on the past with this childhood favorite, Baked Vanilla Custard with Nutmeg.

I’m guessing this belongs here since it’s made out of gelatin and condensed milk. Kinda looks like a finger food as presented. Aside from all that, if you combine food with history, better yet, when you create a display of a historical artifact with food…you’ve got me. I love history (although I am far, far away from knowing a quarter teaspoons worth of it) and I love food. The Cookie Shop was kind enough to marry the two together with her Fruit Jelly Stonehenge. Yep, it’s a replica of Stonehenge made out of Jello. Too cool. Sorry for geeking out on you.

Frozen delights:

I have no idea what saffron tastes like, but maybe I can have the experience with this Rose Water, Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream from Life by Chocolate.

Gourmet Traveler 88 provides a recipe for homemade Japanese sesame ice cream and you don’t even need an ice cream machine!

Hey, there’s a beverage here man:

Learn how to make your own ginger ale from Foodie With Family’s Papa’s Homemade Hooch.

Not only do you get a great recipe for the oh honey! cocktail from eat make read, but also instructions on how to infuse your vodka with blood oranges.

Confectionary:

Lisa is cooking offered up her Honey Pecan Caramels for Mother’s Day. She got the recipe from Pure Dessert, a book I have that I never really got into. I need to take another look.

Savory:

Sea Salt With Food’s post for Roti Jala (Net or Lace Pancake) really got my imagination going. A savory recipe is included, but the whole idea of creating a lacy pancake or crepe….really interesting idea. You can get a roti jala funnel here.

I couldn’t resist including this recipe from Feasting on Art. I never came across this blog before, but I love the premise. All of the recipes have their inspiration rooted in the art world. Check out this recipe for Caramelized Apple Omelet with Dulce de Leche and Goats Cheese which was inspired by a painting by Gauguin.

Miscellaneous:

Bread + Butter had a great “Eureka!” idea with this PB J-Loaf. Gotta love innovation!

I just can’t resist recipes for homemade basic ingredients. Here’s another butter recipe from Tea and Wheaten Bread.

Amanda’s Cookin’ scored an interview with Dorie Greenspan. Yep, THE Dorie Greenspan of Dorie Greenspan Baking: From My Home to Yours and the inspiration behind bakers all over the world joining together on Tuesdays to bake something out of the book, Tuesdays With Dorie. If you participate in TWD, or just are a fan of Dorie Greenspan then you won’t want to miss this interview.

Laptops and Stovetops wrote a really great post about the importance of good karma and CARE packages. She also reminded me that being grateful for what you have, no matter how little, is a pathway to wealth.

Here we have it folks, the first in what I’m sure will be an orgy of evidence to prove that klutziness is in fact genetic. Many of you may have looked at this picture and thought, “There’s she goes again.” But it wasn’t me! This “Oops!” belongs to my Mom. I guess it runs in the family.