Teenbaker

Stress Wars

2012-02-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

I know. Don't yell at me! It's been forever since I've blogged. Call it a Happy Valentine! Believe me, it hasn't been without remorse. I'll admit there were days i was just lazy or not in the mood to write. And then, there were days that all I wanted to do when I got home was crawl into bed and sleep for hours. And other days when I woke up at 4 am and yet couldn't seem to function enough to do anything. That's what this darn winter term has done to me!!!!! Somehow professors have decided that 8 page papers are okay to give the week before finals, 40 minute presentations are not unreasonable, and you can speed up on harder material just to squeeze it all in and meet your quota.

Yeah.

Oh, and then it's also okay to deny someone who has been actively looking for a job for two months an opportunity for a job she really, really tried for....?

Sorry, it's not like me to be this way.... Maybe it's the AntiCupid playing tricks on me!

So why don't we all digress back to my favorite topic- some tasty food. Of which, I've made a lot of this month, even if they haven't all made it to paper. Here's a taste:

Vegan Gibassier (if you've never had a gibassier- go and get yourself one right now! They are light, yeasty, flowery puffs of heaven with sweet, candied orange and anise flavors that don't overpower each other or the nature of the bread itself. Thanks to Portland for providing a home for this treat and leading me to it at Pearl Bakery!)

Cherry Splits - Black and whites with a whole lot more flavor and valentine flare!

Loverberry Cheesecake - Yes! A soy-free, vegan cheesecake that is soooo good! Sorry, I ate it too fast to capture a photo!!!!

Oh and then there is Daring Cooks, which I'm participating in for the first time this month, so you'll get a small taste of savory inspiration too.

This month the Daring Cooks theme is: patties. The Daring Cooks’ February 2012 challenge was hosted by Audax & Lis and they chose to present Patties for their ease of construction, ingredients and deliciousness! We were given several recipes, and learned the different types of binders and cooking methods to produce our own tasty patties!

For my part, I decided to make the Potato Rosti (partly because it was the easiest to veganize, and the least expensive). To be honest, I didn't have great expectations. I mean, sure, I've had potato pancakes before, and that's basically what this was- big pancakes. Except that they were soooo much better! Seriously. Try some. And make sure you really do get at least a kilo of potatoes - I only had half, and i could barely keep from eating both of the two small cakes I made! I also added some Zaatar (my new favorite spice) for extra flavor.

Another tip- when the recipe says to squeeze / press out all the water, DO NOT skimp on this step! I ended up with a bunch of liquid in my bowl that came out while I waited for my pan to heat. AS long as you drain that liquid, you'll be fine, but it's a lot easier if you can
press it out first!

Potato Rösti

Servings: makes two large rösti
adapted from a family recipe

The classic rösti; cheap, easy and so tasty.

Ingredients:
1 kg (2½ lb) potatoes
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt

approximately 2 teaspoons Zaatar, optional

2 teaspoons (10 ml) (6 gm) black pepper, freshly milled
1 1/2 tbsp. EnerG egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp. water
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (½ oz/15 gm) cornflour (cornstarch) or use all-propose flour

3 tablespoons (45 ml) oil, for frying

Directions:

Grate lengthwise the peeled potatoes with a box grater or a food processor.
Wrap the grated potato in a cloth and squeeze dry, you will get a lot of liquid over ½ cup, discard liquid since it is full of potato starch.
Return dried potato to bowl add the egg, cornflour, pepper, and salt.
Mix until combined.
Preheat a frying pan (cast iron is best) until medium hot, add 2 teaspoons of oil wait until oil shimmers.
Place half of mixture into the pan, flatten with a spoon until you get a smooth flat surface. Lower heat to medium.
Fry for 8-10 minutes (check at 6 minutes) the first side, flip by sliding the rösti onto a plate then use another plate invert the rösti then slide it back into the pan, then fry the
other side about 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Repeat to make another rösti

I served mine with some Vegetarian Bolengese from Vegetarian Times. Yummy!!!

And now, for an extra bonus, I'll give you the recipe for my cheesecake!

Loverberry Cheesecake

Your favorite crumb crust, baked for 10 minutes in a greased 9" spring form pan in a 350 degree oven.

/2 tsp. vanilla

Lower oven temp to 325.

2 cups "Incredible Almond Creme Cheez" from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak, pg. 42 (or you can use any vegan cream cheese you like, I just wanted mine soy-free)

150 g. granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

10 oz. coconut or almond milk yogurt

2 tbsp. tapioca starch

pinch of salt

approximately 1/2 cup good-quality blueberry jam

Cream the "cheez" and sugar together in a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and yogurt. Once combined, add starch and salt, mixing just to incorporate.

Pour filling mixture into the baked crust.

Dot the top of the filling with blueberry jam. If you want to swirl the jam, you may want to heat it up so it's more liquid and can be moved around. Otherwise, you can let the dollops of jam sink to the bottom and create its own layer on top of your crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 65-80 minutes, or until almost set. Cool completely, then chill thoroughly, for at least 4 hours, before serving.

More recipes and food inspiration to come soon, I promise! First I need to put this trimester behind me, and my teenage years for that matter! That's right, I'll be turning 20 in... 16 days!

Sometimes I feel so much older than that!

No matter, I've got lots to do and think about in my 20th year, and i'm excited to get it started. It will start with a new blog.. can't have pastryteen for a 20 year old, now can we? No worries though, I'll keep you updated! Thanks for 2 years of loyal reading!

New What?

2012-01-03T21:59:00.000-05:00

So you know how I had all those hopes and aspirations a few days ago?
Well, its only January 3rd and I'm already having a tough time with them.
First of all, I hate exercise. I know everyone does, but I triple hate it, and it doesn't get any better form the moment I start to the moment I'm done and then have to think about having to it again the next day or the day after that.
Ugh!
And then there's the fact that I'm kinda on edge. After all, I do have two papers to write over this two week break, and this writer is having a hard time with them.
And then there's the fact that I feel bad I can't drive or do something that would actually help my family get things done right now, aside from feeding them.
Which is exactly what I've been doing today. With some family matters to take care of, the end of my vacation is quickly going down hill, so I exhausted myself with chocolate tweed angel food cake, rich chocolate cheesecake that, even though it's not vegan, I couldn't help but take a tiny taste- yum! And then some surprisingly delicious non-meat loaf and broccoli mac and cheese (I knew that would be good, thanks to this recipe on Vegan D.a.d.).
How did I manage to do all this, work out, and write 2 pages of a boring economics paper and a very jumbled page of vegan history?
I'm not sure. Though I did have a good breakfast!
Coconut Raspberry Bran muffins.

That's right. Bran muffins. But these aren't your ordinary, dense, diet-food muffins. These have no Raisin Bran or any boxed cereal. These have coarse, mealy bran, oatmeal, tons of sweet, nutty, toasted coconut, and a handful of frozen raspberries to freshen things up.

And they're mini. So I can pop 3 or 4 of them without a speck of guilt.

Good thing, too, cause there are still not-so-petite petit fours in the drawer and a plethora of ideas to feed my sweet tooth tomorrow. Gotta have something healthy.

Mix some up for yourself- they're a cinch. The hardest part is dissolving the agar. Yes, I said agar. Thanks to Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, I learned that agar makes a more tender, unified crumb in cake-like baked goods (well, or so I assumed; what applies to a cupcake should apply to a soft, billowy muffin). Anyway, after that, all you have to do it mix everything together, pop them in the oven, and you'll have fresh-baked muffins in a matter of minutes.

Tropical Blush Bran Muffins

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shreds

539 g. coconut milk or your favorite non-dairy milk
2 tbsp. agar flakes
1/2 cup Miller's Bran
1/2 cup oatmeal

2 tbsp. flax seed meal

200 g. raw sugar

150 g. oil

1/2 fresh grated ginger (ground is okay in a pinch)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
130 g. all purpose flour
130 g. whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup frozen raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast both kinds of coconut while the oven is preheating, until all coconut is golden.
2. Line muffin tins with paper liners. The recipe makes about 30 mini muffins, or 10-12 regular size muffins.
3. In a saucepan, combine coconut milk and agar flakes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until agar dissolves. Remove from heat and add bran and oatmeal.
4. Cool oat mixture to room temperature, then add flax seed meal, sugar, oil, ginger and vanilla. Mix well to emulsify oil.
5. Combine all dry ingredients. Fold into the oat mixture.
6. Fold in the raspberries, being as gentle as possible so as to not squish the berries.
7. Scoop into prepared muffin tins, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake in preheated oven until set and golden. For mini muffins, this will take about 11-13 minutes. For regular size, it will probably tkae 20-25 minutes.
8. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container or serve.

Having these in the house is a reason to go to bed- just to wake up and have a delicious breakfast! That, and the fact that these words are blurring before my sleepy eyes ;)

Ba Bye 2011!

2011-12-31T20:14:00.000-05:00

Wow.

I don't think any year has ever gone as fast as 2011.

Here I am, a junior in college, almost 20 (though I feel a lot older), feeling antsy, too big for my town, and yet also so inmature.

This was the year I learned how big the world really is. I traveled to Portland, which I can't get out of my mind now; got a taste of working in a real bakery, became vegan, made a few too many baked goods, including a few too many that didn't come out but I ate anyway... (like those sourdough doughnuts I mentioned last post....), met a few other fellow vegans, got more antsy to get the heck out of college.... Having spent too much money a farmers' markets and on textbooks and therefore making a lot of homemade Christmas gifts and watching it all pass in a rush because J&W decided it would be a good idea to let us out on the 22nd....

The list goes on and on.

But that's why there's 2012. Another year closer to moving on with my life.

A year of hope.

Hope of getting a job (please Wildllour!!!!!)

Hope of finishing school in..... 418 days.

Hope of calling Portland home in 610 days or less.

Hope of meeting the 1 person that will change my life (so the mediator says)

Hope of being 20+ lb. lighter and not having to care about what I eat.

Yes, there is hope in numbers.

So with that, and another baking expiment, Portland Petit Fours (hazelnut cookies with rosewater frosting and marzipan) behind me (pictures of that to come later.... I need to beautify them); I thought I'd present 12 hopes/wishes for 2012. I'm not very good at resolutions, though then again, I don't think many people are. Maybe having them written down, for all the world to see, might hlep me out. So here goes:

12 Hopes for 2012

1 paying job

2 pounds lost per month

3 gym days per week

4 new friends made

5 random walks in the city

6 vacation days in another state

7 days with Amy (you can get a little of your 2012 beach time with me!)

8 great new recipes

9 pieces of new food writing

10 new favorite vegetables

11 Black Point swims (they are dwindling with each passing year)

12 lives changed

Maybe you've got some hopes of your own. Maybe you've got some new skills to learn of health that needs changing. We all have something.

But first, how about ending the year with some delicious inspiration?

First, the vanilla madelines I baked a few weeks ago. Veganized from Dorrie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours. Just make sure you grease and flour your molds really, really well!

Then there's the Christmas sheet cakes I never thought I could decorate. But I did. Three of them. For the Mary House, a heart-felt soup kitchen that I've had the experience of working with.

And then more cake. Yummy, vegan cake. Pistachio coconut cake to be exact. With some thick, addictive pistachio frosting that didn't want to properly stay on the cake. And some passion fruit curd that you couldn't really taste. And a delicious cake with a secret ingredinet. Yum! Sorry no recipe for this - It's too good.

Oh and Boston Cream Roll! Yes, a roulade can finally be vegan! And a way to get your cake fix when you parents want the real thing that they saw in an issue of Cooks Country, and you can't have any. And you can have some as soon as I open my bakery in Portalnd!!!!

More recipes, including the Portland "Petit Fours" coming in the New Year! May it be a great one for us all!

Holiday Madness

2011-12-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!

Last month, I finally decided to sign up for Daring Bakers. I miss the challenges like Cupcake Hero, and I need something else to feed my inspiration, since I still haven't won the jackpot and can't open a bakery yet.

What a time to sign up!

Amidst cookie swaps, trips home to roll a couple thousand cookies for our annual cookie count and giveaway to friends, several new ideas to try out, and crocheting for hours to get my Christmas presents done and attempt to get in the holiday spirit, I made sourdough; this month's challenge recipe.

I've made sourdough-based bread a couple times before; but I get impatient with the starter or decide that there isn't really room for it in our shrinking apartment fridge, so I usually give up on it. But, with this challenge and the holidays around the corner, I decided to give it another shot and maybe come up with some creative alternatives.

Like Pomegranate Swirl Bread.

Five days.... no, maybe it was six, seven.... eight days of waiting and the business of going to school, and i finally got to making the bread. Only the starter seemed really dry. Ooops. Guess I thought I was wrong to think I could just add the same amount of flour and water each day.

And impatient not to let my pomegranate filling cool before rushing to fill my bread with it.

So, Alas, I had dense bread. But the flavor was pretty good. And now i have more starter, with which I am today trying something completely bizarre; baked sourdough doughnuts.

Don't give me that look- I just found a baked doughnut recipe... couldn't tell you where because I look at like a thousand recipes a week... and saw Unique Sweets on Cooking Channel (which by the way no one should have to pay extra for), where one fancy baker baked all her doughnuts and used some molecular gastronomy to turn olive oil into a powder to replace powdered sugar on her doughnuts.

Oh how the wheels turn.

Oh yes, stay tuned. Doughnuts are in our future. Sorry, you can't have any, just the recipe. And maybe the recipe for some delicious madelines and pistachio coconut cake I made recently. If you're lucky.

But not now. Right now you get this bread recipe. The French Country Bread that Jessica provided for this month's challenge; that I didn't quite follow (but not on purpose); plus a rough method for pomegranate cinnamon filling.

Fill up before the New Year strikes! It's still Christmas after all, isn't it? I mean it all goes too fast!

French Country Bread
Servings: 1 large loaf plus extra wheat starter for further baking

Wheat Starter - Day 1:
Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
Total scant ½ cup (115 ml) (3 oz/85 gm)

Directions:
1. In a Tupperware or plastic container, mix the flour and water into a paste.
2. Set the lid on top gently, cover with a plastic bag, to prevent messes in case it grows more than expected!
3. Set somewhere warm (around 86 F if possible). I sometimes put mine on a windowsill near a radiator, but even if it’s not that warm, you’ll still get a starter going – it might just take longer.

Wheat Starter - Day 2:
Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
scant 1/2 cup (115 ml) (3 oz/85 gm) starter from Day 1
Total scant cup (230 ml) (6 oz/170 gm)

Directions:
1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 1, cover, and return to its warm place.

Wheat Starter - Day 3:
Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
4 teaspoons (20 ml) water
scant 1 cup (230 ml) (6 oz/170 gm) starter from Day 2
Total 1⅓ cup (320 ml) (230 gm/8-1/10 oz)

Directions:
1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 2, cover, and return to its warm place.

Wheat Starter - Day 4:
Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 1½ tablespoons (205 ml) (120 gm/4 ¼ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup less 4 teaspoons (100 ml) water
1⅓ cup (320 ml) (230 gm/8 oz) starter from Day 3
Total scant 2⅔ cup (625 ml) (440 gm/15½ oz)

Directions:
1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 3, cover, and return to its warm place. At this point it should be bubbling and smell yeasty. If not, repeat this process for a further day or so until it is!

French Country Bread
Stage 1: Refreshing the leaven
Ingredients
1 cup less 1 tablespoon (225 ml) (160 gm/5 ⅔ oz) wheat Leaven Starter
6 tablespoons less 1 teaspoon (85 ml) (50 gm/1¾ oz) stoneground bread making whole-wheat or graham flour
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons (250 ml) (150 gm/5 ⅓ oz) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
Production Leaven Total 2¾ cups plus 4 teaspoons (680 ml) (480 gm /1 lb 1 oz)

Directions:
1. Mix everything into a sloppy dough. It may be fairly stiff at this stage. Cover and set aside for 4 hours, until bubbling and expanded slightly.

Pomegranate Filling

(make at some point before shaping your dough so that it has time to cool/set)

1. In a saucepan on medium heat, bring a cup or so of pomegranate juice to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and allow juice to reduce by half. Let cool to room temperature.

Add about 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon and enough brown sugar to make a thick paste. Set aside to allow the sugar to absorb the pomegranate juice.

French Country Bread
Stage 2: Making the final dough
Ingredients
3/4 cup less 1 teaspoon (175 ml) (100 gm/3 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (510 ml) (300gm/10 ½ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons (7½ ml) (7 gm/¼ oz) sea salt or ⅔ teaspoon (3⅓ ml) (3 gm/⅛ oz) table salt
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water
1 ¾ cups (425 ml) (300 gm/10 ½ oz) production leaven – this should leave some (1 cup) for your next loaf.
Total 6 cups less 2 tablespoons 1415 ml (1007 gm/35 ½ oz/2 lb 3½ oz)

Directions:

1. Mix the dough with all the ingredients except the production leaven. It will be a soft dough.
2. Knead on an UNFLOURED (I had to use some flour becuase it was far too sticky to knead) surface for about 8-10 minutes, getting the tips of your fingers wet if you need to. You can use dough scrapers to stretch and fold the dough at this stage, or air knead if you prefer. Basically, you want to stretch the dough and fold it over itself repeatedly until you have a smoother, more elastic dough.
See my demonstration here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqS3raEGdwk
3. Smooth your dough into a circle, then scoop your production leaven into the centre. You want to fold the edges of the dough up to incorporate the leaven, but this might be a messy process. Knead for a couple minutes until the leaven is fully incorporated in the dough. See my demonstration here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPO97R4iO4U
4. Spread some water on a clean bit of your work surface and lay the dough on top. Cover with an upturned bowl, lining the rim of the bowl with a bit of water. Leave for an hour, so that the gluten can develop and the yeasts can begin to aerate the dough.
5. Once your dough has rested, you can begin to stretch and fold it. First, spread your pomegranate filling in a thin layer all over the surface of the slightly-flattened sough, being careful not to go too close to the edges.Using wet hands and a dough scraper, stretch the dough away from you as far as you can without breaking it and fold it back in on itself. Repeat this in each direction, to the right, towards you, and to the left. This will help create a more ‘vertical’ dough, ready for proofing. See my demonstration here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDoJRCMfclE
6. Heavily flour a banneton/proofing basket with whole wheat flour and rest your dough, seam side up, in the basket. Put the basket in a large plastic bag, inflate it, and seal it. Set aside somewhere warm for 3-5 hours, or until it has expanded a fair bit. It is ready to bake when the dough responds to a gently poke by slowly pressing back to shape.
7. Preheat the oven to hot 425°F/220°C/gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with parchment, then carefully invert the dough onto the sheet. I like to put the baking sheet on top of the basket, then gently flip it over so as to disturb the dough as little as possible. Make 2-3 cuts on top of the loaf and bake for 40-50 minutes, reducing the temperature to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6 after 10 minutes.
8. Cool on a cooling rack.

Oh, and one final note: I baked mine in a dutch oven. I preheated in a 500 degree own, lowered the temp to 435, then put my proofed bread in it, covered the pan, and baked it as directed. The pot traps steam and helps the bread rise better :)

Wishful Thinking

2011-12-03T22:45:00.001-05:00

I've been doing a lot of wishing lately. Wishing for summer. Wishing for a job. Wishing for Portland and an even better job. Wishing for some messages in my Etsy mailbox. Wishing for sweets.

Ok so that last one is relatively achieveable. After all, I did just make cookies. But there are certain sweets, parts of Christmas, memories I wish to recall. Traditions that just aren't the same any more. Childhood that can't be reclaimed, yet adulthood that can't come fast enough.

Story of my life.

And then there's cherries. And marshmallows. Both of which I'm suddenly craving. And can't have. Cherries - the juciest, frehsest ones - aren't in season at Christmas (though they should be - they are the perfect festive-looking fruit)
Marshmallows - are hard to find - and, more importantly, make - vegan.

Allow me to take you on a sensual adventure through the seasons.

The joys of summer are endless. The warm breezes blowing through my hair like fairy dust. The sunlight invigorating my senses like comfort food. The farmers markets that are, too late, making their way to Connecticut. The hours swimming in sea-blue water of soy sauce. One of the best things about summer is the bounty of sweet, juicy fruit that is available locally. Best of all are the cherries. Their glossy, blood-red skin blushes in embarrassment of its beauty. The perfect handles, woody, thin and black; stick straight up, waiting for me like impatient children. A gentle clink can be heard as they tumble gently into a bowl like calm waves. Snatching one for myself, I finger the skin of silk between my fingers. I sink my teeth into the awaiting flesh, a gentle snap allowing the juice to avalanche, the delicious blood rushing evidence down my face. My teeth clinks against the boulder blocking the path to deliciousness, and I must restart; attacking form a different angle. The smell of summer envelops me now, and I polish off the fruit like an ice cream cone. Reaching for another, I let it dangle by the stem; one last dance in beauty before it falls into the taste trap, feeling bad, since this one is the queen bee. Golden and unique, with a hint of sass. If not for its blood spot, its one blemish, I might have left it alone. But no, the destiny is set, my mouth watering with the thought of a unique experience. Already exhaling the scent of cherry wood and berries, and my though tingling as the sweet river of juice slides across it. A holly jolly treat in deed. If only they weren't a seasonal treat!

http://www.cjolsoncherries.com/

Now we skip to winter. And what does summer have in comon with winter? Clouds. Increasingly more of them as the gloom of winter sets in. I love swallowing clouds. Moist, sweet, fluffy, flavorful clouds. That is marshmallows.Pillowy and delicate, they cast a spell on me. One minute i'm diving in - the next I've eaten a pile of them. Melt-in-your-mouth, yet inexplicably sturdy. White as snow, plush pink, chocolate brown. Any way you make them, I'll eat them. Or at least, I used to. I no longer get the luxury of a marshmallow spell, but instead have been virtually been zapped of my animal eating powers instead. Well okay, of my own choosing. And a happy choice its been I add.

But that still doesn't mean I don't want my marshmallows - one of the few treats that, temporarily, make the winter okay. Floating on top of cocoa like a boat gilding across a glassy ocean, they complete the picture.

And yet, my marshmallow cravings have been given the cold shoulder. All thanks to gelatin. Oh sure, there's agar. But making marshmallows with agar is like building a snowman out of white, icy powder- it'll work, but it definitely won't be the same. Someone has excelled, but for an arm and a leg and leaving my beliefs of homemade whenever possible behind. Plus I inherently want to know how to be able to make just about everything delicious.

They made a superhero out of EnerG egg, can't vegan gelatin be next in line?

Oh, and let's not forget the snow pudding to be served in t-21 days. What's to do about that?

http://www.sophistimom.com/homemade-marshmallows/

But alas, I don't have either cherries or marshamllows right now. I just have a fridge stocked with leftovers of a delicious "Sans Coq au Vin" feast, and a boxful of Almond Sandnuts ready to go to the vegan cookie swap tomorrow. Maybe that will make Christmas more real? Or maybe a dusting of snow? No, forget I ever said that- no snow. 50 degrees is perfectly fine with me. Though I suppose as long as my oven is cranking out goodies, I'm happy.

Almond Sandnuts. Soon to be on a passionbakes Etsy shop near you!

Tarts, Tests, and Tantrums

2011-11-16T15:19:00.001-05:00

Ah finals. Hate them!

Reasons why I hate finals:

Stress.

Long weekends that only serve to make you stress more.

Knowing that you really don't have anything to worry about but you do anyway

A professor who thinks his study guide is a gift, but really just confuses you more

Buses that don't seem to care about being on time

Scantrons that should never have been invented

Teachers who don't seem to remember why you can't use Scantrons.

An overwhelming desire to scarf down every sweet thing in site in hopes of relieving your stress.

Oh yes, finals. Three times per year is three times too many.

But the one thing that might make finals a little better is knowing that a nice long breaks lies just 24 hours in the future. And even better, this break involves one great holiday- Thanksgiving.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving, and in need of emptying out the refrigerator of all my farmers' market finds, I decided to combine a few classic fall flavors into one great holiday pie. Of course, it's not even seven days away yet and, three days after making this delicious dessert, it's nearly gone. That's stress and a lack of breakfast eats for you!

Now go get ready and make this pie / tart / dessert / whatever you want to call it!

Pickin’ Pie

Note: I think next time I will caramelize or partially cook the apples before putting them on top of the squash filling (and will bake the filling for 30-40 minutes instead of 20 so that it doens't over-bake). The way I did it this first time, the apples came out kinda chewy.

Crust

132 g. sugar

18 g. molasses

120 g. flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

60 g. rolled oats

76 g. Earth Balance stick margarine, cut into cubes

2-4 tbsp. apple cider

Combine sugar, molasses, flour, baking soda, slat, vanilla and oats.
Cut in margarine with your hands, rubbing it until you get small, pea-like pieces of fat.
Add enough cider to bring the dough together into a workable dough.
Form dough into a disk, wrap and chill for 1 hour or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9” pie plate with high sides or a 9” cake pan.
Roll dough out to about a 10” disk (easiest way is between plastic wrap). Transfer to the greased pie plate. Dough should come about 1/2 to 1” up sides.
Bake 12-15 minutes, or until browned and firm to the touch. Meanwhile, prepare squash filling.

Squash Filling

2 cups butternut squash puree (from about half a small, roasted squash)

2 cups apple cider, cooked over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup

1 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

5 tbsp. tapioca starch

1 tbsp. coconut oil or shortening

8 . Combine all filling ingredients in a blender, pureeing until completely smooth and evenly distributed.

9.Pour into baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare apples.

Apples

3 medium, semi-tart, firm apples (ex. Empire), peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced

3 tbsp. brown sugar

the juice of half a lemon

3 tbsp. tapioca starch

1 tsp. fresh grated ginger

10. Toss apples with all other ingredients. Let sit for at least 10 minutes (can do ahead of time and keep in fridge)

11. When filling is starting to set, remove pan from oven and arrange apples in a single layer on top. I arranged mine in sort of a rose pattern, overlapping apples slightly in rings, but you can do it however you like it best.

12. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until apples have begun to brown.

13. Remove from oven and cool completely. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Great with banana "ice cream" (especially pumpkin-flavored)! Get the basic recipe here! Also great for breakfast!!!!

Oh and by the way: If you like all the great, creative treats I've shared on my blog, please check out my Etsy page! Thank you!

Bread Withdrawls

2011-11-07T23:06:00.001-05:00

Today I'd like to talk about bread. And snowstorms. And power outages.

How are these all related? Well, if you are one of the unlucky people (i.e. me) who live in ~~the Northeast~~ Connecticut, you know that we had a freak Halloween snow storm last weekend. As in 10 days ago. As in still in October (not that it would have been any better in November or December or January of February or ever)! And if you are further still one of the unlucky people who lives in Farmington Connecticut, you'd know that we are mostly still without power.

Yes, 10 days without power.

Though I must say I am lucky in that respect; I'm not a high-school student anymore, so I don't have to be sitting home without power while my April vacation days get used up because we have no school. Instead I get to be in a nice college apartment, feeling rather weird as I talk to my parents on my cell phones since cable and phone services are also still out.

So I have power here at school. And power... well.. gives me power. The power to do so many things. Delicious things. Like baking bread. And then scarfing down the whole loaf of said bread in a matter of... 4 days?

Yeah, it's that good.

Actually, that makes the second great thing that came out of a power outage. Because there was a previous loaf of said bread, which started last Saturday morning, as the first flakes of winter snow were falling, along with a few precious branches of our new pear tree. Of course, me being me could not decide what to bake, except that I knew I needed to bake something for breakfast. Fast. Like before I couldn't any more.

The recipe I chose, called Amanda Bread (from America's Test Kitchen Baking book), needed to rise for a total of 3 hours. Add to that the time it was going to take me to veganize (and just generally Carinaize) it, and the 10 minutes of mixing, 40 minutes of baking... you get the point... kind of a risk under a time crunch.

So the power went off at minute 20 during baking.

Thanks to the bread goddesses, I kept the door closed on my bread and the oven finished its baking magic, creating a not-quite-brown but still delicious bread.

Fast forward 24 hours, the power still out, the loaf half gone, and my mom decides we should try getting me back to school. So we hurriedly get all my books and food together and head off. One thing we left behind- my delicious bread!

Withdrawals!!!! So much for the delicious toast I was looking forward to starting my week with!

Five long days later, I finally had some time to make more bread. And so my weekend started off with a great breakfast once again. Not quite as delicious as the first one (maybe the power outage is the secret to great bread after all? Or maybe it's just that I like cranberries and hazelnuts together better than almond and ginger? Idk). Now all that's left is 1" chunk; just enough for breakfast. Hence the bad picture. Trust me, it's delicious you won't be able to wait long enough for a proper photo!

Crazy Amanda Bread
(based off a recipe from America's Test Kitchen)

227 g. almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk, but almond provides the best flavor)
57 g. oil
78 g. coarse cornmeal
425 g. whole wheat flour (hey if you're going to eat so much of it, might as well get some fiber in!)
33 g. vital wheat gluten
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
76 g. lukewarm water
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp molasses
4 tbsp honey (or 2 tbsp. each agave and brown rice syrup to make it completely vegan)
1 heaping cup total add-ins (my favorite is equal parts toasted, chopped hazelnuts and plumped, dried cranberries)

Microwave milk and oil until simmering. Stir in cornmeal, then microwave 15 more seconds, or until the cornmeal has absorbed the milk. Let cool to room temperature.
Combine flour, vital wheat gluten, salt and spices in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Combine water yeast, honey and molasses in a measuring cup.
Add cooled cornmeal mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, or until combined.
Still on low speed, slowly add the liquid mixture.
Once all liquid is Incorporated, increase to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes.
Add plumped fruit and/or nuts. Mix for an additional 6 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball, then place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a slightly warm oven and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.
Remove dough form bowl onto a very lightly floured surface. Flatten slightly into a rough rectangle. Fold the top edge of the rectangle towards you, gently pressing into the center. Press the other side in as well so you have one, fat loaf.
Place loaf in a greased loaf pan. Cover and proof for another 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a pan of water in the oven to simmering.
Once proofed, you can brush the bread with more oil and sprinkle with cornmeal or nuts, if desired. Bake, with steam bath in place, for 40-45 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly browned.
Let cool in pan until cool enough to handle, then remove form pan to cool completely (you can keep it in the pan, but the bottom gets a bit soggy- but not enough to really bother me! Yum!!!

Cracking the Coconut, among other things

2011-10-23T18:53:00.000-04:00

Ever since Cupcake Hero died out, I've been on the hunt for any blog baking-related challenges. Finally I think I've found one! Vegan Mofo's Iron Chef Challenge.

There's just one problem.

I only got three days to do it!!!!!

Day 1: Ponder what to make
Day 2 Ponder some more, decide on what to make, then halfway through change your mind.
Day 3: Wait for your masterpiece to be at its peak of flavor and photo perfection and your mind at its best writing potential, then realize that the deadline is not 11 pm like most other Vegan Mofo deadlines, but 3 pm. What?

Well, might as well post it anyway. Because it's quite delicious, if I do say so myself. An quite unusual too. Part chocolate, part fruity, part creamy coconut and gelatinous panna cotta (side note; can someone please figure out a way to make agar agar more gelatinous and less grainy?), and with a slight hint of:

Curry!

Yes, I said curry. Now don't freak out! It's just a dusting. You put ginger on your mango, right? Well curry has that same kind of spicy kick, and we already know how friendly it is with coconut. So, here you have it: One great desert!

Curry Coconut Bombe

Beanie Brownie

85 g. bean puree
71 g. coconut oil
179 g. sugar
76 g, lite coconut milk
8 g. corn starch
1 tsp. instant espresso
1 tsp. vanilla
95 g. all purpose flour
32 g. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and grease lightly.
Puree beans in a food processor until smooth.
Add coconut oil and sugar and blend until smooth.
Blend in coconut milk, cornstarch, espresso and vanilla.
Gently blend in flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt, just until combined (finish last bit of mixing by hand).
Spread evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or just until set.
Cool completely.
Cut a 6" round of the brownie with a round cutter or the top edge of a 6" round pan. This will eventually be the bottom of your dessert.

Caramelized Mango

1 tbsp. oil
1 mango, peeled, removed from pit, and cut into 1/2" wide strips
about 2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. fresh ginger

Heat a fry pan with the oil over medium high heat.
Add mango strips; they should sizzle as they hit the pan. Quickly add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.
Cook 1-2 minutes per side, until caramelized.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Coconut Panna Cotta

1/4 cup sweetened coconut
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp. agar agar powder
100 g. sugar
1 1/4 cup coconut water
3 tbsp. corn starch

Line a tall 6" round pan with plastic wrap, leaving excess at the top so you can pick it up easily.
Arrange 5 of the best looking mango slices in a star-like pattern on the bottom of the lined pan.
Toast coconut in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once toasted, add coconut milk and curry powder. Turn off heat and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain the coconut out of the milk, reserving for later.
Add agar powder to the infused coconut milk, whisking as you add it. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat slightly, then simmer for another 5-10 minutes, or until agar is completely dissolved.
Add sugar and cook until dissolved.
Dissolve corn starch in the coconut water. Slowly add to boiling agar mixture, whisking constantly.
Bring mixture back to a boil.
Remove from heat and pour into prepared pan.
Working quickly, place the cut round of brownie on top of the custard. Cover and chill overnight, or until set.
When ready to serve, invert dessert onto a plate. Remove plastic wrap and garnish with reserved coconut.

Late Blooms

2011-10-12T23:01:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that you've given up on me- the spontaneous blogger who has way to many ideas choose form and can never choose one to write about. Okay, so that's all true- but I'm also a student with a busy life. But know one thing readers, you are on my mind.

So, amidst all the piles of homework, recipes awaiting conversion to be made for a soup-kitchen crowd, and endless ideas that are limited by my financial and experiential status- I am pausing my life for a few moments to share some culinary inspiration with you.

Since I've come back to Providence (very very, very sadly and begrudgingly), I've missed the variety of ways that Portland has to satisfy a vegan's palate. So, for better or worse, I've had to turn to my own culinary devices and creativity. Meanwhile, my sweet-mates are wondering what all the clatter is and why I can possibly be baking something new nearly every day. Oh and they are probably also wondering how I got peaches from a farmer's market in October. Yes, I said peaches. Sweet, juicy, overripe peaches. Blame my mother for that one. Alas, despite my sincere efforts to buy locally- the peaches for my latest creation did not come form a Providence farmer's market, but from Stew Leonards. Though I guess that's better than getting them frozen or even form Stop & Shop.

So, what did I do with a hankering for dessert, a basketful of bruised peaches, and a brain chock full of ideas? I made pie. Not cupcakes, not cookies, but pie. Well, ok, a tart, but close enough (and maybe next time I'll make a pie crust anyway- I think that might have a better texture). And, ok, I did make mini versions, in the form of cookies, afterwards. But the idea itself, purely pie.

For some reason, I have been craving a vegan lemon meringue pie lately. But I had several problems:
1) I don't have enough lemons to make an extra lemony lemon filling for said pie
2) I haven't been able to successfully make a vegan lemon curd that is rich enough to taste like the real thing
3) I wanted something unique
4) I had 5 peaches that got a little too bumped around and needed to be used fast
5) Ever since I'd had a taste of one great peach pie made by a certain sweet-mate (not vegan by the way)- I've been craving it (and yes, I did consider that the few pies I've made in my life are pretty much limited to Pie & Tarts lab freshman year).

Oh, and I did have one more nagging reason.... I wanted to satisfy another spot in the "State Cookie Lineup" that I could post on my new and growing Etsy page (please check it out!!!!!) - I'm trying to post the most unique, fresh, flavorful products first. Ok, so I guess there were ulterior motives....

Anyway, I set about constructing this pie. I knew I wanted something a bit risky... hence the vegan meringue topping instead of a second pie crust (I've had ups and down getting good quality vegan meringue- this time I succeeded!) I also knew I wanted to keep the filling simple- peaches, brown sugar, some sort of starch... maybe a flavoring or two, and that's it.

The last piece of the puzzle was the crust. I wasn't quite in the mood for waiting for pie dough to chill (because then I'd have to wait all the way until tomorrow to roll it out- who wants that?)... and the sugar addict that I am didn't want to savory quality of a traditional pie crust. And then there's my conscience, which wanted some sort of excuse to think this dessert was healthy.

So, I opted for a simple, press-in pie/tart crust, with a blend of almond flour, whole wheat flour, and a hint of sugar for just the right flavor balance.

Put all the components together, add some heat, a bit of broiling to give the camp-fire, "toasted marshmallow" appeal, and you have one great dessert everyone, vegan or not will be raving about. Just be sure not to forget you pie is under the broiler!

Vegan Peach Meringue Pie (and Alabama Cookies)

Yield: 1 9” tart or pie (for pie, make twice as much peach filling)

Crust

(Based off “Samoa Tart” recipe from Vegan Desserts: Scrumptious Sweets for Every Season by Hannah Kaminsky)

140 g. whole-wheat flour

40 g. almond meal

10 g, granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

50 g. (¼ cup) canola oil

57 g. (¼ cup) non-dairy milk (preferably almond milk)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9” tart shell with removable bottom of a heavily grease a 9” pie plate.

2. Sift dry ingredients.

3. Add wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Knead gently if necessary to help dough come together.

4. Press dough into greased pan, starting by making an even layer of crust on the bottom, then working it about an inch up the side.

5. Poke the bottom of the crust several times with a fork to prevent puffing. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set. Meanwhile, prepare peach filling.

Peach Filling

5 medium peaches, sliced thinly (peeled or unpeeled - your choice)

100 g. (1/2 cup) brown sugar

48 g. (6 tbsp.) tapioca starch or cornstarch

1 tbsp. fresh lemon or orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6. Toss the peaches gently with all other filling ingredients, coating evenly.

7. Dump filling into baked crust, evening out the top.

8. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until filling is reduced and thickened. Cool to room temperature.

“Meringue”

(Based off “Meringue Kisses” recipe from Vegan Desserts: Scrumptious Sweets for Every Season by Hannah Kaminski

¼ cup EnerG Egg Replacer

½ cup plus 1 tbsp. hot water

75 g. (6 tbsp.) granulated sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. almond extract or 1/4 tsp. amaretto flavoring

9. Combine EnerG Egg and water in the bowl of an electric mixer (make sure it’s clean!), fitted with a whip attachment. Once incorporated, increase speed to high, and beat for 5 minutes, or until tripled in volume and peaks have formed.

10.With mixer still on high speed, slowly stream in the sugar, letting it incorporate fully. The entire process of adding sugar will take about 5 additional minutes.

11.Remove form mixer and fold in extracts.

12.Pipe or mound meringue on top of peach filling, covering all of the filling but only the inner edge of the crust (otherwise the meringue may droop over the edge of the tart).

13.Broil the pie for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Be careful, the meringue burns fast! (I had mine in for 2.5 minutes the first time and the entire top burned. I was able to peel it off and add a little more meringue and broil again. That time I only did it 1.5 minutes and it was slightly droopy, so I would go another 15-20 seconds next time).

14.Cool back to room temperature and then serve. Can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days. I don’t think the refrigerator would be kind to this dessert.

Cake Explorations

2011-08-15T08:14:00.000-04:00

So it's been goodbye Portland nad hello again Connecticut. And I'm not that happy about it, though not as unhappy as I expected (despite hte fact that my door blew shut one time a couple weeks ago; leaving me in my room for a few hours, and the fact that I can't go as I please; I don't think there is even a bus running through Niantic) Days on the beach and daily swinms in hte bay have been nice, but I definitely miss the diversity, the hustle and bustle, and the easy-to navigate streets of Portland; going whereever, whenever I wanted!

So, in an effort ot relive a little of portland, I decided to make my Mom's favorite cupcake- at least of the ones we sold at the bakeshop- Mocha. But I couldn't just leave them plain, of course, I had to add my own little flair. A little mroe punch, some great Oregon coffee, and salted caraeml. Yum!

Well, at least I htink they were yummy. I didn't get to have one because they're not vegan. But then smelled great and the caramel was tasty (its vegan... shhh!) And the ones I saved for my family are half gone so, that's always a good sign.

So with the summer heat kicking in and everyone wishing for a great, sweet treat, here's a different way ot have you caramel frappochino and eat it too! Sorry, the recipe is a secret, for now!

But, if you are a baking nut like me, I'm sure you can't wait to get into the kitchen and bake something, so here's some more inspiration! Get yourself a copy of Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang.

Got the book? Ok, now find the recipe for "Vegan, Low-fat Chocolate Cake".

What? You're not vegan? You're not dieting? I don't care, cause i'm sure you know someone who is. And I'm also sure that if you don't tell anyone it's vegan, they won't care or notice a difference. I mean whoever created this recipe was some kind of genius. No egg replacer required!

So, now whip yourself up a triple batch - that's enoug for 2 9" pans (that's the only flaw with this recipe- apparently Flour Bakery has a much smaller appetite than me- Joanne's version only makes one 6" cake).

When the cake are baked and cooled, remove from pans and prpeare to frost. i frosted mine with raspberry jam and a bit of vegan ganache. Then I put the other layer on (please remember ot flip it upside down if you're not going to level off the top; it makes frosting a lot easier; trust me!) And frosted with a creamy vegan chocolate frosting (sorry, that's a secret too, a happy mouse-making accident that too many people love for me to share- I do have a bakery in the works after all!). Of course, just about any frosting would work on this cake- vegan or not!

Now serve it at your favorite Bunco Night nad let everyone ooh and ah and compliment on that "long hours of hard work" it took you to make this!

Actually, maybe you should make a 4x recipe so you have a bit leftover.......

Cause then you can make cake balls!!!!!!! Or should I say cake truffles!

But of course I didn't have any leftover cake- I was going to eat all the leftovers thank you very much!
So I whipped out another 1.5 recipes of this delicous cake batter, poured it into a parchment-lined half-sheet pan, and let it bake for 25 minutes. Like magic!

Once cooled, I crumbled the cake (yes, I'm sorry, you do have to destroy all the moist layers- this is probably why you should use leftover cake- but I don't think I could ever have enough cause I would jsut snack on hte scraps). Anyway, once you have the entire cake crumpled into fine crumbs in a large bowl, add a small amount (1/2 to 3/4 cup) frosting and mush with your hands until the frosting is evenly distributed and teh crumbs comes together like a dough.

Form into balls (mine were the size of small plums and the recipe made about 25) and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Let the balls sit a bit, then dipped in melted (preferably tempered) chocolate. Make sure you have enough- I was using a big bowl with only about 8 or 9 ounces of chocolate in it, and it was hard to get an even coat. I coated mine with the help of a fork (don't stick the fork into the cake ball, just use the flat part of it to help roll the ball around and pick it up once it coated. You should also tap off some of the excess chocolate while the ball is still on the fork. Sprinkle the top of each ball with chocolate sprinkles- or whatever you like. Serve on a decorative platter, and surprise everyone!

What to Do?

2011-06-18T22:45:00.000-04:00

What do you do when you find out that the cupcake contests you've been relying on for several months now are ending? The one place where you can take one small morsel of your ideas and put them into practice? Oh and add to that the fact that your hours just got slashed and you don't know what to do with so much time on your hands? Well, if you're me; you go farmers-market-hoping, make a point of visiting several food trucks, and, most of all, you get in the kitchen. With the mixer going and hands deep into a bag of flour or making rhythmic pulses with a rolling pin, I was at least able to get out some of my frustrations and make something sweet in return. Now if only I had someone to feed and to appreciate all my new ideas and successful creations!!!!!!

So here goes my contribution to the Mystery Box Challenge #12; the theme: Fizzy.

Now there are obvious choices- root beer (which was already out because I used it for another contest in my Lip Smackin' S'mores Cupcakes), cherry, lemon-lime....
nah not so much.
What I really wanted to use was this great hibiscus soda I can sometimes find at Whole Foods. But, unfortunately, I didn't get to go there last week. So, with fruit flavors in mind, I started searching the case of natural sodas. My eyes caught on watermelon soda, though not the brand that I really thought would give me the best flavor. But then I saw a single bottle of Jones Soda. Strawberry to be exact. So then it all clicked. A strawberry cupcake with watermelon syrup and a fresh strawberry watermelon buttercream. To add an extra fizz, I wanted to sue a candy I haven't had in a long time (and no wonder- it's not as easy to find as I thought). I sprinkled some watermelon and strawberry PopRocks on top- only after which did I realize that they weren't quite vegan. Oh well; one tiny slip didn't hurt! Either way; these cupcakes are a great start to summer- weather or not it looks like summer outside! Bake them, taste them, love them, then read the Mystery Box Challenge Official Rules and vote for my cupcakes starting Tuesday!!!!!!

Sparkling Strawberry Cupcakes

185 g. all purpose flour

42 g. cornstarch

266 g. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

57 g, strawberry puree

113 g. shortening

201 g. natural strawberry soda (I used Jones)

5 tsp. EnerG Egg

120 g. soy milk*

1 tsp. vanilla

Note: My cupcakes sunk in the center- I think it’s because of the amount of liquid (or the effect that the soda had on the cupcake). Either way, I think next time I will decrease the soy milk to 100 g.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
Combine flour, corn starch, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Add strawberry puree, shortening and strawberry soda. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase to high speed and beat for another 2 minutes, until fluffy.
Reduce mixer to low and add EnerG egg, soy milk, and vanilla. Mix for another 30 seconds, until combined.
Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute batter into the lined muffin cups. You should fill all 12 muffin cups. I had a little left over and made a thin cake for snacking, but, especially after the liquid adjustment, I would fill the cups higher so you can get a better, higher risen cupcake.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden and set. Avoid opening the oven for at least the first 20 minutes, as that will cause them to deflate. A toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean when done.
Cool on a wire rack

Watermelon Syrup

1/2 cup watermelon juice (puree watermelon, strain well, then measure)

2 tbsp. agave nectar

a few sprigs fresh mint

Combine watermelon juice and agave nectar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking often.
Once boiling, turn off the heat, add mint sprigs, and cool to room temperature.
Into each of the cooled cupcakes, poke a hole using the back of a narrow pen.
Spoon some cooled watermelon syrup into each hole.

Strawatermelon Buttercream

Note: This is not the exact method I used for my frosting, but the revised version I’ve come up with after a few too many steps and the thin product that resulted.

200 g. sugar

50 g. watermelon juice

50 g. strawberry puree

3 tbsp. EnerG egg

pinch of salt

pinch of cream of tarter

140 g. Earth Balance Margarine, softened, cut into chunks

1/2 tsp. vanilla

squeeze of lime juice

confectioner’s sugar, as needed

1 packet strawberry or watermelon Pop Rocks (do not use if you are a strict vegan or have dairy allergies)

Bring about an inch of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
Combine watermelon juice, strawberry puree, EnerG egg, salt and cream of tarter in a glass, heatproof bowl.
Place over the simmering water and begin beating with an electric mixer on low speed.
Continue to cook and stir until the mixture reaches 236 degrees, soft ball stage. Remove from heat.
Continue beating with them mixer, this time on high speed, until cooled to room temperature.
Add margarine, one piece at a time, incorporating each addition thoroughly. once it is all incorporated, add vanilla and lime juice, mixing until smooth.
Text the consistency of the frosting; if it spreads out on its own, add some confectioner’s sugar, a little at a time. Once it can be suspended by the mixer beaters with moving, it should be ready.
Fit a piping bag with a large, round tip, then fill it with frosting. Start in the center of the cupcake, holding the bag perpendicular and near the surface of the cupcake. When the frosting gets about half and inch from the edge, stop apply pressure and quickly twist your wrist clockwise to cleanly end the stream of frosting.
Top each cupcake with a thin slice of fresh strawberry, then sprinkle with strawberry of watermelon pop rocks for a fun twist.

The winner of June’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:
Angela's Images; a selection of handmade crafts
Bake It Pretty; a $5 online gift card
Beanilla; a $7 online gift card
cupcakewrappers.com; 2 packs of cupcake wrappers
Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a $5 online gift card
Tundra Books; 3 children's books
Thank you to all our prize sponsors!

Luscious Love and a Lazy Morning

2011-06-08T00:51:00.001-04:00

If there's one thing I've learned over the past few months, it's that i am definitely not ready to jump into the workforce. While I still can't see myself being anything but a baker, there's still plenty to wish for in the pastry world. Why can't people appreciate the time, thought and overall energy that goes into a single baked good. Baking is definitely not as fun in a bakery as it is at home- where you can take as much time to indulge in the process and experiment with ingredients as you like. What it all comes down to is that working in a bakeshop is stressful and, unfortunately, does not allow for much creativity.

And that is why days off are a saving grace. And yet they are never enough.

So, I decided to give myself a real break today. As usual, there was lots of cleaning to do (another reality check of this 5 month Portland excursion- keeping up my own apartment). But, as usual I put it off. Despite the nagging in the back of my brain, I stayed in pajamas until 1 pm. Yes, I said 1 pm. Why? I have no idea, and it bothered me. And yet, it was great.

Oh and did I mention the great breakfast I made?

I might not have started cleaning until around 2 pm, or went grocery shopping until 5, or made use of the day that has now put several less hours between me and my return to work, but at least I made use of one of the thousands of delicious ideas that are bursting in my head. Cherry Almond French Toast. Yes, vegan French Toast. Thanks to the newly discovered wonders of EnerG Egg, which is one idea that I wish I'd come up with myself!

Speaking of ideas, can someone please buy me a food truck so I can put these ideas into real products so they don't burst my brain into a thousand pieces? Cooking for one just doesn't do the trick! Oh and a driver would be good too. Thanks- I'm not a Portland girl for nothing!

And now to the yumminess.

Vegan French Toast for One

1 1/2 tsp. EnerG Egg Replacer
2 tbsp. warm water
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 tsp. almond extract, or to taste (I just streamed some in)
1 tbsp. brown sugar (or however much you feel like putting)
4 (1/2" thick) slices bread (any bread will do, mine was homemade)

Spray a large fry pan with non-stick spray. Heat over medium heat.
Combine all ingredients except the bread in a shallow bowl. Dredge the bread, one slice at a time, turning the slices to fully soak them. The softer the bread, the less soaking time it will need (sandwich bread needs only a quick dredge, while sourdough will need to soak for several minutes.
Place the bread slices in the hot pan, arranging them to fit as many pieces (in a single layer) as possible. Don't move the slices for a few moments once they are settled in the pan.
After 2-3 minutes, check the brownness of bottom side of the toast. If golden, flip and cook 2-3 more minutes. Remove onto a serving plate and keep warm. Keep the pan hot to cook the sauce.

Bursting Cherry Sauce

Put about 1/2 cup frozen cherries in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar, then toss to coat all cherries fully in sugar.
Pour cherries into the hot pan that you cooked the toast in. They should be in an even layer and should sizzle as they hit the pan. Let the cherries cook for a minute or so, they gently toss or stir them to heat on the other side. With your spoon, squash the cherries slightly to let out some of the juices. Cook until cherries are softened to your liking. Pour over the French toast, then serve.

Whether you were out of ingredients (most importantly maple syrup), feeling lazy or self indulgent, craving a taste of home, or all of the above (me), this will be just the thing any sweet tooth needs!

And to continue your day of vegan comfort food, head on over to Pastelitos for Amy's African Peanut Soup!

Blooming and Busy

2011-05-18T01:27:00.000-04:00

Phew! Has it been three months in Portland already? As spring has progressed, I've been busy baking cupcakes in a bakery and settling myself... in a city I can't stay in :( !!!! It's been an adventure and a great experience; add to that my vegan diet changeover, and well... I just can't seem to do everything I want to.

With that said I've made some pretty tasty stuff these last few weeks! There's the stuffed eggplant "parmesan" rolls, caramel peanut butter fudge, peanut thumbprints, molasses mint crackles, and, best of all; the cupcakes! The Coconut Lime and Almond one was a pretty big hit (especially for being gluten free) but didn't look quite as nice as my latest creation. It's worthy of a prize.
And i'll admit, that's the main reason Ii'm writing. I may not be too excited about going back to the east coast and to what is now going to be a very boring city, but I'll always have a great flow of ideas to inspire me.
So scroll down, drool, vote for me on The Sweetest Kitchen (and view the Official Rules while you're at it), then get ready; cause I got so many more ideas already waiting for any speck of time I have to try them out!
Course... it would be nice if I actually had people to try them out on! Oh well, you'll just have to bake them and let me know what you think!

And now (drumroll please!).... the star of this month's Mystery Box Challenge (which requires all cupcakes to be made and/or decorate with flowers) is....

Banana Blush Cupcakes!

The obvious choice for edible flowers would have been roses. But I don't like obvious. Nor do I like including decorations that have nothing to do with what's inside. So, I looked at my spice drawer, and there, innocently, sat lavender. Prefect. Another look around the kitchen, and my eyes fell on the bananas that were one day from turning black. It was all laid out for me- I just had to bring the perfect assemblage of flavors and textures together.

Sweet, powerful, roasted banana cupcakes filled with silky lavender caramel (the trials and tribulations of making said caramel lead to the making of that delicious peanut butter fudge, which lasted all of about 12 hours), topped with smooth, cream-cheese- like lavender frosting, and decorated with cute piped lavender flowers. They are almost a beautiful as the city famous for flowers, and the best city in the world (and by that i mean Portland... the city I will have to be dragged away from to leave).

Okay I am so getting sidetracked!

Now here is the prize-winning recipe. Read it. Make it. Taste it. Love it. Vote for it! Thanks!!!!!

Blushing Banana Cupcakes

Batter

3 small bananas

340 g. all purpose flour

400 g. granulated sugar

1 tsp. molasses

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

57 g. oil

1 cup soy milk

20 g. flaxseed meal

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Roast bananas, skin-on, under a broiler for 5-10 minutes, or until you can hear them sizzle. Remove from oven and bring temperature down to 350 for final baking. Let bananas cool before proceeding.
Mash bananas until only a few chunks remain.
Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed of an electric mixer until combined.
Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
Distribute batter into a paper-lined muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lavender Caramel

140 g. soy milk

113 g. granulated sugar

1 tbsp. vegan margarine

1 tsp. dried lavender buds

Combine soy milk and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking gently.
When the mixture comes to a boil, stop whisking. Let the mixture boil and cook, watching carefully. Use a wet pastry brush to brush away any sugar crystals form the side of the pot. When it is close to caramelization, the sugar will bubble vigorously and brown specks will start to appear.
When the mixture is lightly browned all over, turn off the heat.
Add margarine and lavender buds and swirl the pan to melt and distribute. The caramel should have darkened more by now; if not, put the heat back on until darkened to your preference (the darker the color, the more bitter the flavor). Immediately pour into a heat-proof container and let cool until you can easily handle it.
Use a melon baller or corer to hollow out the center of each cupcake, being careful not to go all the way to the bottom.
Spoon or pipe some caramel into the center of each cupcake, filling as close to level with the top surface of the cupcake; but not over (this will make frosting more difficult).

Lavender Yogurt Frosting

2 oz. vegan margarine, softened

2-3 cups powdered sugar

4 oz. soy yogurt

1 tsp. dried lavender bud

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat vegan margarine until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, until a thick paste forms. Add a small amount of soy yogurt, mixing until smooth.
Continue alternating sugar and milk, beating after each addition, until a smooth frosting forms and all yogurt has been added.
Add vanilla and lavender, beating well. Adjust consistency with more powdered sugar, if needed.
Take some frosting out of the big batch and set aside in two small bowls. Color one bowl with food coloring so that you have a pale, lavender purple. Color the other small bowl of frosting a leaf-green.

Note: I didn’t have enough powdered sugar so my frosting was much too runny and ended up like a glaze, so make sure there is enough sugar in the frosting If you do have to opt for a thinner frosting, add some cornstarch to the frosting you set aside for the decoration; it really needs to be thick so you can control it.

Fit a piping bag with a large, round tip and fill it with frosting. Take a cupcake and, holding the piping bag straight and just slightly above the surface of the cupcake, pipe frosting until it almost reaches the edge of the cupcake. Without putting more pressure on the frosting in the bag, twist your wrist to make a slight curly cue (that is flat against the frosting) to finish off. Continue this way with the remaining cupcakes.
Let the base of frosting sit for a bit so that a sugary crust forms over top; this will make decorating easier.
Place the colored frosting in separate, small bags (or ziplocs or parchment bags that you make yourself and cut small, round holes from). Pipe 3 stems, branching out from each other, on each cupcake, along with a few leaves. They don’t have to be perfect, they are just flowers.
In the top third of each stem, pipe several purple dots, piped next to each other and in even amounts on either side of the stem.

The winner of May’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:
Angela's Images; a selection of handmade crafts
Bake It Pretty; a $5 online gift card
Beanilla; a $7 online gift card
cupcakewrappers.com; 2 packs of cupcake wrappers
Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a $5 online gift card
Tundra Books; 3 flower-themed children's books
Thank you to all our prize sponsors!

March Madness and Beyond

2011-04-12T00:40:00.001-04:00

You probably don't remember me, I'm just the spontaneous blogger who likes to throw words on the screen.

Hopefully you like my blog posts a little more than that! But, the fact is that my life over the last month has been crazy!

Let's see... I turned 19 on the 1st, then flew out to Portland, Oregon two days later, where i had 4 busy days of shopping, bakery-hopping and settling in my apartment. I had one great day at Cannon Beach with my Mom before I started my internship at Bliss Bakeshop, a place I had barely heard of when i stepped inside. I've had a few unwelcome nightmares and wake-up calls that (I guess) come with renting your first apartment, plus several grocery trips during which I've had to pull myself away from half the stuff I want to buy in order to keep my wallet intact. I've enjoyed several train rides downtown, proudly made my way to some vegan hotspots and food carts (part of my journey to Portland involved becoming a vegan), and spent a few hours debating how long I could put off laundry or vacuuming. Then there's been the outings with friends and relatives (and relatives of friends), the best of which came last week with a sleepover with my bff Amy (and a yummy meal of asparagus, vegan mac and cheese and a chocolate strawberry hazelnut entremet). I've made several trips up the three flights of stairs to my apartment, where i am happy to collapse in the furniture my parents helped me rent; half the time longing for home and the other half content to be in the city I want to spend the rest of my life with in the apartment that has the little parental touches I need and that helps me get up and do what i love every day.

One of the hard parts about living alone is that there is no one to share the delicious goodness with! But, lucky for me, I did get to have the approval of my bff (who, by the way has also created a cupcake for the contest described below, and has a blog, Pastelitos), and when you get in your kitchen, I'm sure i'll have yours.

The base of this particular recipe came from a few long months of wanting to enter another cupcake contest. But alas, between major changes in my life and a monthly theme that just didn't quite work for me, I'm only now getting into it. The contest is by SK Sweetest Kitchen; the Mystery Box Challenge.

And this month's cupcake theme is: Earth Day.

When I read this, I was disappointed. I like the contests that call for the use of a secret ingredient. But, the more I thought it over, the more I began to like it. After all, I flew 3,000 miles across our great earth to a very earth-friendly city with nice people, great opportunities, and best of all; great flavors! So, I decided to embrace all that in my entry. And so began the story of my Global Expression Cupcakes.

But, before I get to the story, let me provide you with all the contest background you need to put your honest opinion into voting for my masterpieces!
First, there's the official rules.

Second, the only requirements of cupcake entries for this month is that they be original, homemade and involve any interpretation of Earth Day. Voting follows the deadline for submissions (April 20th), and a winner is randomly selected from the top 5 cupcakes. So, in other words; read on to make your mouth water and make you vote for me (though you get two votes, so you can vote for me and Amy).

The good stuff is all the sweet prizes that the winner gets:

The winner of April’s Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge will receive prizes from:

Angela's Images; a selection of handmade crafts
Bake It Pretty; a $5 online gift card
Beanilla; a $7 online gift card
Miss Kitty Creations; a handmade cupcake charm of your choice
My Little Cupcake; a cupcake pop mold
Simply Caked; 600 brown greaseproof cupcake liners
Sweet Cuppin Cakes; a $5 online gift card
Tundra Books; 3 Earth-knowledgeable children's books

Thank you to all our prize sponsors!

Now to the birth of the Global Expression Cupcakes:

As you know, i'm not much of a decorator, so I wasn't going to pipe a perfect globe on top and didn't want to go out and buy fondant for four cupcakes (since only one or tow people would eat them). Plus I wanted to think outside the box; global means green (environmentally friendly) and diverse. I wanted a variety of colors, flavors and textures without added or artificial ingredients or colorings.

It starts with a sea of blueberry cupcake batter, swirling with fresh blueberries, some of which float to the top and meld with the other ingredients. Atop the grey-blue sea lies a crisp almond layer, bursting with nutty flavor that offers a perfect pairing to the fruity blue base, while swirling into it slightly. Crunchy almonds slither like snakes, through the sand, breaking it up and bringing life to land. To bring moisture and food to the party, a neutral brown-rice syrup soaks through the land, finding its path into the water where it soaks up the diverse flavors and keeps things fresh. The final green touch comes from a generous helping of pale green mint frosting. Swirled in like lush wildlife and colorful flowers living with grass is a natural purple blueberry swirl. A natural modeling chocolate flower and fresh mint leaf top off the global cupcake, a tasty picture of what our world should be.

I hope you have stopped whatever else you are doing so that you can read through this recipe carefully. Once you do, you will want to rush to your kitchen and make these!

Global Expression Cupcakes
Makes 12

Blueberry Batter
114 g. all purpose flour
15 g. cornstarch
170 g. sugar
the zest of 1 lemon
9 g. baking powder (about 2 tsp.)
3 g. salt (about 1/2 tsp.)
96 g. non-hydrogenated vegan margarine (I like Earth Balance), softened
126 g. blueberry puree (pulp and all)
4 tsp. flaxseed meal
135 g. soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
about 3/4 cup frozen blueberries

1. Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Cut margarine into chunks, then add to flour mixture along with blueberry puree and about 2 tbsp. of the soy milk. Beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed for 2 minutes, or until very fluffy.
3. Add flaxseed meal, remaining soy milk, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until combined.
4. Distribute into paper-lined muffin tins, filling less than half way.
5. Top each portion of batter with about a tablespoon of blueberries.
Prepare Almond Batter

Almond Batter

114 g. all purpose flour
15 g. finely ground almonds
170 g. sugar
9 g. baking powder
3 g. salt
60 g. almond butter
36 g. non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened
219 g. soy milk

4 tsp. flaxseed meal
1 tsp. almond extract

about 3/4 cup toasted, cooled slivered almonds

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Combine flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.

8. Cut margarine into chunks, then add to flour mixture along with almond butter and about 1/2 cup soy milk. Beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed for 2 minutes, or until very fluffy.

9. Add flaxseed meal, remaining soy milk, and almond extract, and mix on low speed until combined.

10. Fold in the slivered almonds.

11. Gently scoop batter evenly over the blueberry batter.

12. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Brown Rice Soaker Syrup

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup boiling water.

13. Combine syrup and boiling water, whisking until combined.

14. When cupcakes are done baking. place on cooling rack, then gently pour some syrup evenly overtop of the surface of each cupcake, letting the warm cakes soak up the syrup.

Mint Kreme Frosting

340 g. (12 oz., 1 1/2 tubs) Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese, Softened

96. g. vegan margarine, softened

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

6-8 cups powdered sugar

15. In a food processor, puree mint as much as possible. Add Tofutti and margarine, then puree until the mixture is smooth and starts to turn slightly green in color.

16. Gradually add powdered sugar, pulsing in between, until the frosting is the texture you want.

17. Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe a big, flat disk of frosting on top of each cupcake, spreading out so it covers all except a small border of the cupcake.

Blueberry Swirl Glaze

about 2 tbsp. blueberry juice (press about 1/2 cup frozen, thawed blueberries to extract their juice)

1/2 - 1 cup powdered sugar

18. Whisk enough powdered sugar into the blueberry juice to create a thick glaze that is still easy to drizzle.

19. Drizzle a small spiral of purple frosting over each frosted cupcake. Use a toothpick to swirl in the purple frosting like a globe.

Natural Modeling Chocolate

1 lb. good quality vegan chocolate, chopped

120 g. brown rice syrup

20. Gently melt the chopped chocolate (I melted it in my oven as it was cooling down) so that it is just barely melted and warm and evenly heated.

21. Quickly add all of the brown rice syrup, the stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. The mixture should thick up into a sticky 'dough".

22. Spread onto a cookie sheet or plate. Freeze or refrigerate until set, about 15-30 minutes.

23. Knead the chocolate until smooth.

24. Form flowers: shape 5 small balls (about 1/4" in diameter) for each flower, then flatten with your fingers (using plastic wrap to avoid stickage) so that the edges are thin but the bottom and center is thick (about 1/8").

25. Form a long teardrop for the base. Wrap one petal around the top of the base, completely covering it. At the seam attach a second petal, keeping the top flared open and only the bottom attached as you wrap it around the base.

26. Strategically and evenly place 3 more petals, flaring out one side and keep ing the other attached.

27. Let flowers set, then settle into the middle of the frosted cupcakes, with a fresh mint leaf to garnish.

Yum! Makes me wish I had one right now! But I have other ideas in the works! Which means... more blog posts in the near future! Stay tuned!

Cake That's Worth It

2011-02-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

It's 2 Days before i turn 19 and 4 dyas before my "new life" begins in Oregon. So why have I spent the last 6 hours baking and not pakcing? For one thing, it's nearly impossible for me to go a day without baking something. For another, i had a cake to bake for my grandma's birthday today.
Unfortunately,m today was the second time I made the vanilla cake layers. Lesson learned: no more double recipes!
I went for a flower theme; frosting the cupcakes in yello9w, lemony frosting (which unfortunately looks curdled, but it adds to the natural appeal), and the layer cake in rich, fudgy frosting.
I took it seriously; this is probably the last time I will make a cake at home, at least before i start making them in high production at Bliss Bakeshop. I even went all-out; with modeling chocolate roses that required some creativity to color. The only unfortunate thing is that I never made a ckae this good during my practical. But then, it's just as well; at least I know who gets to enjoy it this time.
Here's to my last weekend at home; last weekend of meat, and last weekend of being 18. A pretty good way to do it! Now, if only I would get an email from Scharfeen Berger...

Anticipation in Numbers

2011-02-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

It's not easy being a pastry student. I'm not talking about the work, the stress, the exhaustion, though those can be tough too. I'm talking about all the food; the inspiration, the cravings, the antsy feeling you get at future opportunities, dreams and creations that are close to bursting your head open!

That's me right now. In three weeks, I'll be 19. In 21 days I'll be flying to Portland. In 28 days I'll be starting my internship in Portland. In 28 days I'll be starting a vegan adventure.

Whew! So you see why I might be a little jittery right now! On one hand; I'm ready for something new; something that is not sitting in a classroom and listening to lectures that have very little to do with my future; something that will teach me real-world techniques and get my body immersed in commercial baking. I'm excited to get a feel for living on my own and to hopefully start a regiment that might actually work to keep me healthy. Excited to explore a new city and be close to one of my bff's.

On the other hand there is all the "what if's"... need I say more?

And in the meantime, I have papers to write, plans to make, housing to find and so much hunger and longing in my mind.

My sweet tooth isn't helping!

Last weekend, I bought a great book, by the same author of a vegan cookie book I love, and have literally had to keep myself from flipping through every delicious page. Instead, I looked at the picture section and tried to remind myself that I plan to save it for the plane; the flight on which my new life will start. We'll see how long that lasts!

That leads me to this recipe; not one that I've created, since the kitchen I wanted has still not appeared inside my dorm room; but one by Isa and Terry, who wrote Veganomicon, my newest bookshelf addition.

If you're like me, you will want to run to your fridge and figure out what you can do to satisfy your sudden sweet craving!

Berry Creme Tart

Winter blues

2011-01-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

I know. I haven't published in over a month. But, by now, I hope you know me; I like to blog when I have something to talk about. Or just because I want to have something to talk about.
The ladder is true today.
Here I am, in my 8 by 10 dorm room on a snowy Friday; with all my plans and aspirations blown away into the dancing flakes. I'm starting to get sick. Physically and... emotionally? No need to worry; just a cold and some New Englanditis. i'm so done with snow. On the one hand, I can't believe it's almost February of my sophomore year already. On the other hand; I can't wait to hop a plane to Oregon in like six weeks. Then I start feeling guilty that I'll be on the other side of the country from home for at least 3 months.
So, you might see why I'm a bit down in the dumps and questioning my every move.
Sometimes I'm afraid i'm growing up to fast.
But most of the time; I want to just get to opening that bakery I've been wanting since I was five.
I don't know.

To make things worse, I'm trying to recover my favorite recipes from memory; because i forgot to do what I tell everyone else to; backup my computer. It's a Mac; why should it ever fail? But, alas; one day it worked, and the next day- my hard drive was failing and my data inaccessible.

So, I'm sorry to tell you I don't have a new recipe for you. I'm spending my weekend trying to pry the recipes I entered into the Scharffen Berger Cupcake Adventure Contest, Saffron Velvet Cupcakes and Coconut Mocha Steamers; out of my brain stores. At least I have my basic recipes to work off of! And I have another new idea in the works. Cupcakes are good; but this might be better!

But, all that will have to wait for another time. Right now; I've got an internship to finalize and housing to find. But, it's sure good to get all my thoughts out there.

i'm always on the hunt for ideas; if you have recently tried a dessert you've loved; please tell me about it! You never know what kind of spin I'll put on it!

Christmas Time!

2010-12-24T13:11:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas at last! The hot fudge sauce is made and perfuming the house; the cookies are in the car waiting for tonight's festivities, and the counter and tables are set for tomorrow's Swedish Smorgasbord. It's official: Christmas if my favorite time of year!

With a second place ribbon in place from Mom's wonderful gingerbread house, and 3,983 cookies distributed throughout our network of lucky friends and neighbors; it's time to wonder what is next on the baking horizon.

But that will have to wait; because even though I have plenty of cupcake ideas zooming through my mind and a contest I hope to enter; for now it's time to look forward to the next 36 hours. Dinners, presents, cardamom bread and... to top it all off; Snow Pudding. The custard-sauce topped, light and fluffy Jello-like dessert that i could eat all year long, yet get to eat only during this week between Christmas and New Year's.

So, as I try to relax and break my brain away from schoolwork, the ever-present plethora of innovative ideas inside my head, and my yearnings and dreams that lie in Portland, I wish everyone; especially hard-working college students like myself; a family-centered, surprising, yummy and merry Christmas!

Bread, Vacation, Gingerbread and thoughts about food.

2010-11-29T21:46:00.000-05:00

Two weeks is such a short period of time, but can take so long at times, and fly by at others. In the last two weeks of my life, I finished a great bread lab and another chapter of my college career (let alone what was probably my last hand-on lab class), and brought home boxes of bread that no one even had time to enjoy because my parents and I got on a plane bound for Portland at 6:20 the next morning.

Then came a whirlwind of bakery visits, walking, train-travel, and great meals; all of which sounded ridiculous when I retold the five days of travel at the Thanksgiving table. Yet there was still so much more I would have liked to see.

Now, stuffed with two weeks of great food; Mom and I teamed up to assemble and decorate our first real gingerbread house; a traditional Irish cottage dressed in simple, religious decor amidst the rainy climate and strong traditions. Meanwhile, a some-what solemn baking frenzy has commenced, with a realization that the cookie marathon Mom and I have kept a tradition for 11 years has gotten too big to continue, and the boxes of cookies will be smaller this year, with the freezer already full of other baked goods.

But there is still a lot left to be done; and not enough time to do it in.

And yet, part of me wants to be back in Portland. At home, or in Portland, not back to school tomorrow; where my hard work will be put to tests and essays, and not to creating the new & innovative baked goods that pop into my head daily.

The struggles of an aspiring baker!

And now; some pictorial food for thought to drool over!

Warm, flaky croissants from Advanced Breads

A cute, harmless alligator that you get to eat!

"Quinoa-crusted diver scallops perched on top of wilted spinach and potato-parsnip purée, with golden beet and crabmeat "cannelloni, and a duet of red beet and passionfruit reductions" (www.andinarestaurant.com)

"ANTICUCHO DE POLLO marinated chicken kebobs, served with a spicy salsa de rocoto" (www.andinarestaurant.com)

Braised Veal Shank with ajus, garbanzo bean puree and chanterelle mushrooms

Voodoo Doughnuts display of deliciousness!

Gingerbread Irish Cottage

Sunday

2010-10-31T11:06:00.001-04:00

SIts Sunday. It's a day to try to forget school before you have to get back to it. And yet, here I am writing about it. But that's probably because I can't get it off my mind. I spent another 9 useless hours yesterday working on my project; ( well okay, 11-2:30 in the morning on Friday night, and 9:30 to 4:30 yesterday). Why useless? Cause it's sugar class. I'm never going to willingly produced another sugar sculpture in my life (at least I better not); it's the most stressful, time consuming, unsatisfying thing you could ever do with pastry. I mean we even use clay and neoprene molds that are toxic if they were eaten, and making 3 ft. high, breakable structures that look great, but offer no flavor, no enjoyment. By now, readers, you know that i am not one to make things just for their look; never mind sit through a 4 hour demo to learn how to make one (yes, I'm serious; I had one on Tuesday and it just made things even more confusing and harder for everyone).
The Sundays of all Sundays.
Thursday cannot come fast enough for me.
So, I'm writing this post in a very weak attempt to try to be optimistic; I get to go home next weekend, I get to start a tasty bread lab a week from tomorrow (my favorite class; where the time you put into the craft produces great tasting, rustic-looking breads that you actually get home and share with friends); and in exactly 18 days, I get to go on a nice long break and take a plane to what is currently my favorite place in the world; Portland, Oregon.
So to sum up my life right now, all I can say is that time flies except when you want it to.

In closing, here are some pictures from the highlight of sophomore year so far: some tasty entremets that I wish I'd gotten a better taste of!

Chocolate Mousse Entremet: Light chocolate sponge dies and goes to heaven as it gets drunk on rum simple syrup and teams up with airy chocolate rum mousse. It all gets hidden by a smooth chocolate glaze and marbleized chocolate plaques that conceal all the hard work inside. A chocolate rose and naturalistic leaves, chocolate piping and spread chocolate garnishes make this dessert a beauty worth a pretty penny.

Raspberry Bavarian Entremet: This star princess in the entremet kingdom starts with vanilla sponge showed with love in the form of raspberry syrup, raspberry jam and fresh raspberries; then dressed in a fresh, substantial and empowering raspberry bavarian; adorned in a necklace of red and white almond sponge jaconde strip, glazed in a lotion of raspberry mirror glaze, and crowned with a chocolate lotus flower and more fresh raspberries in case there were any questioning glances.

Bamukuchen: The traditional German dessert gets striped of its origins as the cake gets baked in flat layers that become the wood-grain shell for the frozen yogurt mousse, fresh bananas, and vanilla sponge that lie inside. The cake layers shine with the apricot glaze that brings the eye to rest upon the beautiful marzipan carnation and leaves, along with the chocolate sticks and branches.

Passionfruit Parfait Entremet: The colorful jaconde strip warns off all predators of this quickly melting treat consisting of frozen passionfruit parfait (made from light and airy cooked egg yolks and heavenly whipped cream in harmony with tangy passionfruit puree) being soaked up by soft vanilla sponge cake. Enclosing it is a delicate passionfruit mirror glaze, adorned by light chocolate spray paint and garnished with tropical baby coconut sleeping on a bed of pomegranate seeds.

Mudslide Torte: A bartender's delight: Rice Krispies cereal gets a warm wake-up with a dunk in praline paste and smooth, melted chocolate. Once hardened, white chocolate ganache gets a Bailey's high and is slathered on to the chocolate base. Chocolate rum mousse and kalhua-soaked chocolate sponge cake quickly follow, with vodka whipped cream topping off the assembly with a final kick. Surrounding the cake it an unsuspecting chocolate marble jaconde strip, complimented by the sprayed chocolate that allows only a glimpse at the punchy goodness inside. To entice consumers, chocolate sauce dabs across the cake, gold-dusted cocoa nibs and silver stars signal a gold-rush of flavor, and chocolate garnishes are the final blow that makes you cave in to all your cravings.

The long-awaited Tiramisu: Handmade with love; ladyfingers sheets wrap around the rich dessert and layer inside as they get soaked with powerful coffee syrup, heavenly chocolate mousse, and traditional, rich mascarpone filling. just in case you were tempted to cut this up into squares like your mom's version, cocoa and powdered sugar get dusted into a cup o' joe with a Chantilly cream saucer that lets you know you're in for something special!

Another raspberry entremet that is the not-so perfect queen of the kingdom. Inside lies a chocolate mousse layer resembling an unruly heart trying to rise to the top. Luckily, the fresh, powerful flavors of raspberry and Mother Nature's contribution of edible flowers and flowing curves of chocolate do not let evil rule, and a tasty treat of 86% niceness steps up to the podium.

When a piece of cake is well... not.

2010-09-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

So who knew I'd finally find a better way to cut cake on what will probably be one of my last few days of assembling them? Frustrating!
I think after this class I'm in, I will try my hardest to just come up with the flavor concept of the cake and do the testing it takes to get the perfect pairing of cake, filling and frosting; the rest can be up to someone else or else I'll just make cupcakes; they're pretty enough.
Speaking of cupcakes; vote for mine in this month's Cupcake Hero; it's almost over and my cupcakes are unique and delicious! Bake some for yourself.
In the meantime, take a tasty look at these insider photos; composed of delicate cake, chewy & nutty marzipan, and smooth mouthfuls of Italian Buttercream and ganache. Enjoy, then go make yourself some tasty treats and try not to get yourself as exhausted as I am!

Crispy Coffee Torte

Special Praline Torte

While the going is tough, I've been trying to look back upon the positive surprises I found during my Plated Desserts class last segment. Take a look at these tantalizing desserts and hopefully you can find some flavorful inspiration yourself!

Molten Chocolate Cakes with Ginger Ice Cream (the best), Mango Reduction Sauce, Passionfruit Sauce, and Tuile Garnish

Red Wine & Raspberry Poached Pears with Orange Ice Cream, Reduction Sauce, Orange Segments, Fresh Raspberries, Cranberry-Orange Compote and Almond-Lace Tuile

Chocolate, Peanut & Banana Entremet with Chocolate-Dipped Bananas, Chocolate Sauce and Mango Reduction Sauce

School & S'mores

2010-09-12T13:41:00.000-04:00

So the first week of school is already over. Sophomore year, I might add! Surprisingly, it's gone pretty well too! I was beginning to second guess myself about starting with labs, and a class called Plated Desserts, but aside from endless homework, I kind of like it!
But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to go back to summer and forget my 3:30 morning last Monday when I had to leave. So, I'm talking about the newest creation that came out of my summer and my latest entry to Cupcake Hero.
Lip Smackin' S'mores Cupcakes!
And you'll never guess what the secret ingredient is!
Nope, you'll just have to read on to find out!
Wish I had a kitchen to make a few more entries, that's something I just don't get about our dorms!
But at least I've got an 8 by 10 single to contain my ideas in!
And now: the entry!

Lip Smackin’ S’mores Cupcakes

Makes 20-24 cupcakes

Cupcakes

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup (3/4 oz.) cocoa

1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1/2 cup boiling water

3/4 cup (3 1/4 oz.) all purpose flour

3/4 cup (3 oz.) cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup (8 oz.) softened butter

1 1/2 cup (10 1/2 oz.) brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 (150 g.) eggs

1/4 cup (2 oz.) mayonnaise

1/4 (2 oz.) cup milk

3/4 cup (6 oz.) root beer

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.
Combine chocolate, cocoa, coffee powder and water, stirring into a smooth, thick paste. If not completely smooth, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring after each.
Sift flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
In an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition.
Add the chocolate mixture and whip on high speed until smooth, then add the mayonnaise and milk.
On low speed, mix in the flour until just barely wet. Finish mixing by hand, folding in the flour.
With as few motions as possible, fold the root beer into the batter.
Distribute among the prepared muffin cups, then bake in the preheated oven for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Vegan Version

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (make sure it’s vegan), chopped

1/4 cup (3/4 oz.) cocoa

1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1 cup + 1 tbsp. boiling water

3 tbsp. flax seed

3/4 cup (3 1/4 oz.) all purpose flour

3/4 cup (3 oz.) cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup (8 oz.) non-hydrogenated vegan margarine

1 1/2 cup (10 1/2 oz.) brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup (4 oz.) soy milk

3/4 cup (6 oz.) root beer

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.
Combine chocolate, cocoa, coffee powder, and flaxseed meal.
Sift flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
In an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and chocolate mixture and whip on high speed until smooth, then add the soy milk.
On low speed, mix in the flour until just barely wet. Finish mixing by hand, folding in the flour.
With as few motions as possible, fold the root beer into the batter. It is even more important not to overwork a vegan batter
Distribute among the prepared muffin cups, then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Do not try to turn or even open the door on these cupcakes until 20 minutes has passed; they will sink fast. Cool completely.

Root Beer Ganache

1 cup root beer

1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder

1/2 cup soy milk

12 oz. dark chocolate (use dairy-free for a vegan version), chopped

Put the root beer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until reduced by half. Allow the root beer to come to a boil once, but then try to keep it down to a simmer.
Add the coffee powder and soy milk and allow the mixture to come back to a boil.
Add the chopped chocolate and mix until smooth.
Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes, until set up, then keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Fluff Frosting

1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter (or vegan margarine or shortening), softened

7 oz. marshmallow or ricemallow fluff

the juice of half a lemon

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter and marshmallow until smooth and fluffy on high speed.
Add lemon juice and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar, about a half a cup at a time, mixing and adding until a thick, pipe-able consistency is reached.

Assembly

Use a piping bag fitted with a medium-large round tip to poke in through the top of the cupcakes and fill with ganache. You can make as many holes as you want, but keep in mind that filling tends to tear the cake a bit. You can also use an angled filler tip if you have one, but make sure your filling is thin enough to go through easily.

Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake. You may have to thin down the frosting a bit to do this.

Dip the top of the cupcake straight down into a bowl of graham cracker crumbs to cover the entire top surface.

Fill another piping bag with the fluff frosting, using a large round tip (or use a disposable bag and cut your own). Holding the bag straight up, close to the surface of the cupcake, squeeze out some frosting, pulling up as your go. The frosting should make its way out to about 1/4” from the edge, so that you can still see the graham cracker crumbs. A curly tip on top is okay, or you can flatten it if you’d like.

Dust the top with cocoa powder or shavings from a block of unsweetened chocolate.

Pumpkin Pop Pie

2010-08-27T10:23:00.000-04:00

Ok; let's get one thing straight. Vegan food, especially vegan cupcakes are not bad. In fact, vegan desserts might just be better!

I just had to say that after having watched Cupcake Wars on Tuesday, which was already making me mad because it was a repeat, for the third week in a row... guess summer must be over.

Anyway... to today's piece of indulgence.

I don't really have that much to say, except that this recipe isn't vegan (though it certainly could be made vegan without too much trouble). It's inspired by this month's Chairman's Challenge in Food Network Magazine, where the secret ingredient was chocolate chip cookies.

Of course, I could have gone the easy route and just entered a recipe that I already have in my book of original recipes, "Coconut Almond Fudge Puddle Cookies", but that just seemed lame; as did pairing the chips with something as common as raspberries.

So, with fall around the corner (and may I desperately ask why?), and a year of recipes floating around in my head from J&W, I decided to remake pumpkin pie; take out the water, add some chocolate silk and some surprise undertones, and make a winner. So, here you have it!

Crust

Note: You can use a store-bought pie shell, but if you truly love food, I encourage you to take the extra time and put the extra love into making a homemade crust; plus you can prepare the rest of the pie in-between.

9 oz. (2 cups) all purpose flour

3 oz. (½ cup, packed) brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ginger

6 oz. (1½ sticks) cold butter (cut into cubes then put into the freezer until ready)

2-4 tbsp. heavy cream, as needed (keep cold until ready to use)

Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible
In a large, shallow bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and ginger.
Sprinkle the chunks of butter evenly over the flour mixture, toss to coat in flour, then use a rubbing motion to flatten the butter pieces and push it into the flour with you hands. Work quickly to prevent the butter from getting too warm. If you have warm hands, you may need to break up the butter into smaller pieces first.
Once the butter is in large, even, thin flakes, add about 1 tbsp. of cream. Toss in the cream with your hands. Continue adding enough liquid until the dough starts to come together in crumbles.
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and, work together, push and gently knead the dough into a rough disk, Chill until cold.

Filling

7.5 oz. canned pumpkin (½ a can)

3.25 oz. (½ cup + 2 tbsp). chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling

5 oz. (½ cup + 2 tbsp.) heavy cream

3.25 oz. (½ cup + 1 tbsp, packed) brown sugar

1.25 oz. (2½ tbsp.) good-quality maple syrup

2 eggs, separated

½ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ ground ginger

⅛ tsp. curry powder, optional

2 oz. (¼ cup) granulated sugar

approximately ¼ cup toasted, chopped pecans, optional

approximately ¼ cup chocolate chips (or more, if not using nuts)

Place the pumpkin a shallow pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until reduced by half. The puree should sizzle often, but should not pop or boil. When properly reduced, there should be just under half a cup of puree.
Remove the pumpkin from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, roll out the pie crust. With the heal of your hand, flatten and warm the surface of the pie dough, then press on the edges to warm slightly. Place the dough on parchment or plastic wrap to allow for easy maneuvering.
Working from the center out, use a rolling pin to lengthen the dough, rotating after each swipe of the pin. This should help to keep the dough circular, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect.
(If at any time, the dough becomes too warm to work with, put it back into the refrigerator.). Fix any cracks by filling them in with a small amount of dough from the edge. Continue rolling. until the dough is at least 2” larger than the 9” pie tin you will bake your pie in.
Fold the dough in half, then transfer (removing the plastic wrap) to the (engrossed) pie plate. Open up, making sure the dough goes all the way into the bottom, up the sides, and hangs over the pan. Fix any new cracks on the inside portion of the dough by again patching with dough from the edge.
If you have a second, same-size pie plate, place it, with some plastic wrap to prevent sticking, on top of the dough. Scrape the excess dough off with a knife or bench scraper, then remove the second pie plate and plastic. If no second pie plate is available, you can rough-cut off the excess.
Place the dough into the fridge until ready to use. If you are using store-bought pie crust, you can skip steps 3-7; just be sure that the crust is thawed but cold.
Preheat oven to 425℉.
To the cool pumpkin mixture, add the cream, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg yolks, salt, vanilla and spices. Whisk until smooth.
Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and whip with an electric mixer and a whip attachment. Whip on high speed until opaque, then begin streaming in the granulated sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form (when the bowl is removed and inverted, the egg-white foam should not move).
Fold one-third of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. When just a few streaks remain, fold in the remaining egg whites.
Remove the chilled crust form the refrigerator and sprinkle with chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Pour the pumpkin filling into the curst and spread even.
If desired, you can crimp the crust or use a fork to create a design around the edge.
Bake at 425℉ for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325℉ and bake for 30-45 minutes more, or until the filling is set.
Cool completely, the serve sliced with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

Now, it's back to the kitchen so I can return with another vegan recipe, before dorm life locks up my imagination!

Razz Pizzaz Cupcakes & Cupcake Hero

2010-08-15T23:37:00.001-04:00

So this is when I'm thinking that maybe sophomore year of culinary school should be more about self expression and creativity. Then I could express myself through flavor and show my skills and get great grades for my creations. But, I guess that's why there's dreams. But I'm antsy to get out and have a free, always open kitchen with no limits, and no questions asked. Oh and can they please hurry and put an oven in my single before move-in day in three weeks? I am desperately going to need the relaxation of filling the room with the scent of homemade baked goods.

In the meantime, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that it is still summer and I still have three weeks to enjoy myself at home. That includes entering another round of cupcake hero with a second raspberry entry, because one is never enough.

For this version, I wanted raspberry to be the star; in as a part of the cake, not an afterthought; and accent it with lemon; a classic combination that would make for a treat tasting like an icy glass of pink lemonade. But I couldn't stop there. I added a big swirl of minty icing for a refreshing pizzaz and create the perfect, smooth finish that coats your pallet.

Oh, and might I add that the cake itself has been slashed of half it's fat. Yes, it's true. You can eat two then!

Who's the cupcake genius now? Can I please have a food truck like a.s.a.p.?

Razz Pizazz Cupcakes

Cakes

6 oz. (3/4 cup) boiling water

2 lemon or raspberry zinger tea bags (optional)

4 tbsp. flaxseed meal

8 oz. (1 cup) soy milk

1 oz. (2 tbsp.) raspberry or red wine vinegar

160 g. (1/2 cup) natural raspberry jam
374 g. (1 2/3 cup) granulated sugar
112 g. (1/2 cup) canola oil
1 tbsp. vanilla
the zest of 1 lemon
9 oz. (2 cups) all purpose flour
9 oz. (2 1/2 cups) cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. (1/2 cup) plain or vanilla soy yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Place the tea bags into the boiling water and allow to steep for 4-6 minutes. Add the flaxseed meal, mix until smooth, then cool to room temperature.
3. Combine the soy milk and vinegar and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes, or until it curdles like buttermilk. Set aside.
4. In an electric mixer, combine the raspberry jam and the sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the oil and mix until smooth.
5. Add the cooled flaxseed mixture, the vanilla and the lemon zest and mix until smooth and very incorporated.
6. Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the liquid mixture and mix just until moistened.
7. Add the curdled soy milk and the yogurt and mix until barely combined, finishing the mixing by hand.
8. Distribute among the lined muffin cups, filling only 3/4 of the way with batter. You want the cupcakes to barely come above the top of the tin, not overflow. (If you have extra batter, you can add fresh berries and scoop out large muffins).
9. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Raspberry Lemon Kurd

120 g, (about 4 oz raspberry before pureeing and straining) raspberry puree (fresh or thawed, frozen raspberries, thawed, pureed, strained, then weighed)
125 g. (about 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp.) lemon juice
the zest of 1 lemon
200 g. (about 7/8 cup) granulated sugar, divided
3 tbsp. corn starch
6 oz. (3/4 cup) soy milk
2 oz. (1/4 cup) Earth Balance or other non-hydrogenated margarine

1. In a saucepan, combine the raspberry puree, lemon juice, lemon zest, and about half of the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Meanwhile, combine the corn starch and sugar. Slowly add in the soy milk, whisking until smooth.
3. Once boiling, add the corn starch mixture to the juice, whisking briskly. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a rolling boil and boils for 20-30 seconds. The "curd" should be thick and bubbling.
4. Remove from heat and add the margarine, stirring until smooth.
5. Pour into a separate bowl and chill to room temperature over ice, then refrigerate until cold and ready to use.

Minty Fresh Frosting

8 oz. (1 cup) soy milk
about 1/4 cup fresh mint
24 g. (1 tbsp.) corn starch
1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
8 oz. (1 cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. lemon juice
4 oz. (1 cup) confectioner's sugar, to taste

1. Bring about 3/4 of the soy milk to a boil with the mint leaves. Turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for at least 5 minutes. Remove the mint sprigs.
2. Combine the corn starch and remaining milk and mix until smooth. Add to the warm, steeped milk and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 20-30 seconds, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
3. Beat the shortening and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add vanilla, lemon juice and cooled milk mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Add enough confectioner's sugar to create the desired amount of sweetness and the desired texture.

Candied Mint and Lemon

mint leaves
lemon peel, cut with a peeler or zester that makes long strips
vegan gelatin or xanthan gum ( I used about 1/4 tbsp.)
hot water (about 1/4 cup, almost boiling)
granulated sugar

1. Make sure the mint and lemon peels are well washed.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine the gelatin and hot water and mix until smooth.
3. Place the sugar in another shallow bowl.
4. Dip the mint/lemon into the gelatin, then into the sugar, coating well.
5. Place on a parchment-lined dipping rack, then on a cookie sheet.
6. Dry at room temperature for several days, or in a very low oven, about 150-175 degrees F.

Assembly

You can either hallow a hole out of the top of the cupcake with a melon baller, spoon in some filling, then press together the cake that you took out and cover up the filling. Alternatively, if the filling is thick enough, fit a pastry bag with a filler tip and jam it deep into the cupcake, pushing in some filling until it just comes out the top. Make several incisions of filling in each cupcake if you plan on using this method.

Spoon a few tablespoons of frosting on top of each cupcake. Using an offset spatula, smooth over the top surface, then use short, quick movements to smooth out the top and remove excess frosting (you'll want to start with more than you think you'll need).

Garnish with candied mint and lemon peels, as well as fresh raspberries, if desired.

Note: the decoration that I made with the candied lemon is not meant to signify crossbones; rather chef's knives that show the expertise of these cupcakes and the person who created them. :)

Storytime: A Cupcake's Life Journey

2010-08-04T23:15:00.000-04:00

You've probably guessed by now that decorations aren't really my thing. But that just goes to support the fact that the taste will be magnificent! After all, who want's to eat something that looks so much like a real object that no one wants to eat it? For me, pastry is about taking you out of your comfort zone with just a punch of unexpected flavor and a big, heavenly treat to devour.
That brings me to me to my story: a journey through the world of the cupcake.

First, there is the raspberry, that sweet fruit that thinks he is the center of the flavor universe. Yet, once his sweetness talks itself out, a tart, astringent tang of selfishness reveals itself. The raspberry, after all, is just human.

It is only after the raspberry has shown off his perspective of the world and displayed his ownership, that one encounters the almond. In it's plant-like ability to gently cover the earth in lush, green leaves of creamy, nutty flavor, and duplicity as it becomes a crunchy surprise, the almond is perhaps one of the world's biggest treasures.

The almond is perhaps overlooked by the humanly raspberry, who wants nothing of the overpopulating leaves, but instead seeks to display the beauty of the buds that lie within them. This is where we find the rose, Petals gently blowing to settle softly atop the earth, awaiting the soul who will find and treasure them. For the true fact of it is, their beauty is rarely used for more than display. Almonds too, have the alarming ability to take flight, feeding upon the sweet sap of flowers, and making them come to life.

Underneath all of this lies the earth. It is a subtle, lightly-flavored, crumbly abyss that seems to have no life, even when a sweet, red syrup is drizzled over like waves crashing ashore. Without the earth, the life-like cake, there would be nothing for life to find its foundation. The raspberry would never get to live its rein.

And so, just like this sweet earth began, it is time that we treasure the true beauty that could never be displayed in this early cupcake. All we have to do it take a bite!

And so, I will do just that!

I present: Oreganic Cupcakes; my (first) entry for this month's Cupcake Hero

Note: I was able to use the flowers off the Rose of Sharon in my back yard. I’ve used them in recipes before, and they are an easy way to capture the flavor of the garden in the summer. if you don’t have access to edible roses that you can pick whenever you want to, you can often find dried rose petals in international markets or health food stores.

Note 2: While these are vegan cupcakes, fitting in with the vegan baking I’ve been doing lately, I was having a debate with myself over honey. While I know it’s in no way considered a vegan product, I loved the way it brings out the flavor of the roses. Plus, unlike other animal products, i can’t find any harmful ways in which honey is harvested. On that note however, i’ve included the option of using agave nectar, which may not support the flavors, but will at least have a similar textural role.

Note 3: I made my cupcakes in a muffin tin that was narrower and taller than the standard muffin tin, as I liked their shape and style. Overall though, they use about the same amount of batter as regular muffin tins, so use whatever one you have.

Oreganic Cupcakes

Make 8-9 cupcakes

9 oz, (2 1/4 cups) cake flour

1 oz. almond meal (or blanched almonds that are finely ground in the food processor)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

4 oz. (1/2 cup) Earth Balance Margarine (or other non-hydrogenated vegan margarine) , at room temperature

5 1/4 oz. (1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 tbsp.) sugar

1 3/4 oz. (2 1/2 tbsp.) honey or agave nectar

4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsweetened applesauce

5 1/2 oz. (11 tbsp.) soy milk

45 g. (about 2 tbsp.) cornstarch

1/2 vanilla bean

2 tsp. rose water

approximately 18 fresh or frozen raspberries (make sure they are firm, not mushy, so that you can easily handle them)

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.
Sift cake flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. The purpose of sifting is more for aeration than to eliminate lumps, so when you get down to just almond flour, feel free to just dump it in to the other dry ingredients.
In an electric mixer, cream the margarine and sugar on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color. Add the honey and blend, then add the applesauce.
Add the cornstarch, soy milk, rose water and vanilla and mix until smooth.
On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until no dry specks show. Remove from the mixer and mix by hand just until fully blended.
Distribute the batter among the greased muffin cups; you should only fill 8 or 9 of them. Fill the cups about 3/4 of the way to the top.
Press 2 raspberries into the cupcake, pressing them down into the batter so that the batter comes up and around the berries as to try and completely hide them.
Bake about 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and barely beginning to brown on top.
Cool completely before glazing.

Glaze

1 cup sugar

water, as needed

1 tsp. honey

approximately 1/4 cups roses or dried rose petals

2 oz. frozen raspberries

1 tbsp. corn starch

1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar, as needed

Have a bowl-filled with cold water and a pastry brush near by in case you need it.
Place the sugar in a high-sided pot. Pour in enough water to just come up to the same level as the sugar. Stir the sugar; it should be the constancy of wet sand. Add the honey.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. If you find any crystals appearing along the side of the pot, brush them down with a wet pastry brush.
Once the sugar boils, stop stirring and continue cooking until it reaches 235-240℉.
Remove from the heat and pour into a separate bowl. Add the rose petals and allow the syrup to cool.
In a food processor, blend the cooled sugar syrup, raspberries and corn starch until smooth.
Pour the puree into a bowl. Add enough powdered sugar to make a thick, yet pourable glaze.
Remove the cakes from the pan. They should have pulled away form the edges of the pan, therefore easy to remove; but you can use an offset spatula to help. Place the cakes onto a drying or dipping rack that has small enough grates that the cakes will stand. Place the rack on a cookie sheet for easy clean-up
Using a spoon or spatula, slowly drizzle the glaze over the cakes; allowing it time to slowly drain into and drizzle over the cakes. There will be a lot of excess that will collect under the rack, which you can use as a second coating if you’d like. Allow the glaze to set.

Almond Cream Frosting

(this filling is so good that I can eat it by the spoonful; like spreadable marzipan!)

2 oz. blanched almonds (the process is quicker if the almonds are also pre-sliced or slivered)

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. water

2 oz. (1/4 cup) Earth Balance Margarine (o other non-hydrogenated margarine), softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 cups confectioner's sugar

Sprinkle the almonds over a sheet pan and toast in a 400℉ for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to brown.
Immediately remove and pour into a food processor. Add the honey and blend until pasty. Add water and blend until as smooth as possible.
Cream the almond butter that you’ve just made with the margarine and vanilla. Add about 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar at a time until you get a thick, barely spreadable frosting. You can also add some soy milk if you find the frosting being too thick.
Fit a piping bag with a large star tip, then fill with the almond cream frosting.
Near the edge of each cupcake, pipe a rosette of frosting. To do this, hold the bag at an angle in relation to the cupcake, then make a quick “e” pattern, lessening the amount of frosting as you come back around. The design does not have to be perfect, as this cupcake represents nature.
Garnish with a fresh, whole raspberry, placed near the edge of the cream, a slivered almond, and a candied or crystalized rose petal.